Greenhouse tomatoes are the most widely grown greenhouse vegetable in Ontario, with southwestern Ontario having the largest concentration of greenhouse tomato operations in North America. However, there is little data concerning the environmental impacts of producing greenhouse tomatoes in Ontario. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of greenhouse tomato production in southwestern Ontario by using a life cycle assessment (LCA). Data were collected from greenhouse tomato growers in Leamington, Ontario via a survey, with additional data from documents and databases. The major source of environmental impact came from the energy and source (i.e. fossil fuels) required for heating the greenhouse, followed by fertilization, electricity use, and if included, liquid CO2. Different modelling scenarios proved effective in revealing the benefits and detriments of using various heating sources. This study revealed that energy saving methods should be investigated to mitigate the environmental burdens caused by heating the greenhouse.

There has been an increased awareness of the inter-dependence between man and the environment since the 1960’s. Environmental awareness has evolved from representing fairly radical views opposing all development, to a current emphasis on sustainable development between development and the environment. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is defined as the identification and quantification of the environmental impacts of a product, process or service during the entire life cycle being studied. The life cycle starts at the extraction of raw materials and the production of energy used to create the product through the use and final disposal of the product. LCA therefore considers the production, use and disposal of a product, which constitutes the life cycle of the product. LCA can be combined with methodologies that study other parameters such as costs in order to optimise the benefits from LCA. It is suggested that cost implications of processes to reduce environmental impacts should be included in a methodology used for a Platinum LCA. A comment that is consistently raised in the case studies is that the minerals industry regards LCA as an effective tool to determine the impacts of the industry, however extraction & beneficiation of minerals are often grouped together, with accurate data not being available, and databases either not available or not updated. The case studies indicated several benefits from the various LCA’s conducted. A Platinum LCA should clearly define and group the environmental impacts being studied into categories such as greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, acidification, and resource consumption. A Platinum LCA will be resource- and time intensive due to the large scale of the processes involved. It is suggested that a Platinum LCA firstly focuses on the production phase, i.e. cradle-to-gate, with potential future work done on the use and end-of-life stages. It is suggested that individual facility-based LCA’s for AMPLATS and other platinum producers are conducted in order to get a true reflection of the environmental burden of each company, and then selectively share technological improvements to reduce the environmental burden without disclosing sensitive information. The benefit of LCA in the case of platinum will be optimised if it can be used to make business decisions, together with consideration of financial and production benefits in addition to anticipated environmental benefits of alterations to processes. It is essential that LCA is seen as a business tool that will assist the company to make informed business decisions about process improvements, as well as new projects and design of new facilities. LCA on its own will not determine which product or process is the most cost effective or works best. The information developed in a LCA study should be used as one component of a more comprehensive decision making process assessing the trade-offs with cost and performance. The results from a LCA could be used to make informed decisions about optimisation between costs and reduced environmental impacts. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

There has been an increased awareness of the inter-dependence between man and the environment since the 1960’s. Environmental awareness has evolved from representing fairly radical views opposing all development, to a current emphasis on sustainable development between development and the environment. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is defined as the identification and quantification of the environmental impacts of a product, process or service during the entire life cycle being studied. The life cycle starts at the extraction of raw materials and the production of energy used to create the product through the use and final disposal of the product. LCA therefore considers the production, use and disposal of a product, which constitutes the life cycle of the product. LCA can be combined with methodologies that study other parameters such as costs in order to optimise the benefits from LCA. It is suggested that cost implications of processes to reduce environmental impacts should be included in a methodology used for a Platinum LCA. A comment that is consistently raised in the case studies is that the minerals industry regards LCA as an effective tool to determine the impacts of the industry, however extraction & beneficiation of minerals are often grouped together, with accurate data not being available, and databases either not available or not updated. The case studies indicated several benefits from the various LCA’s conducted. A Platinum LCA should clearly define and group the environmental impacts being studied into categories such as greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, acidification, and resource consumption. A Platinum LCA will be resource- and time intensive due to the large scale of the processes involved. It is suggested that a Platinum LCA firstly focuses on the production phase, i.e. cradle-to-gate, with potential future work done on the use and end-of-life stages. It is suggested that individual facility-based LCA’s for AMPLATS and other platinum producers are conducted in order to get a true reflection of the environmental burden of each company, and then selectively share technological improvements to reduce the environmental burden without disclosing sensitive information. The benefit of LCA in the case of platinum will be optimised if it can be used to make business decisions, together with consideration of financial and production benefits in addition to anticipated environmental benefits of alterations to processes. It is essential that LCA is seen as a business tool that will assist the company to make informed business decisions about process improvements, as well as new projects and design of new facilities. LCA on its own will not determine which product or process is the most cost effective or works best. The information developed in a LCA study should be used as one component of a more comprehensive decision making process assessing the trade-offs with cost and performance. The results from a LCA could be used to make informed decisions about optimisation between costs and reduced environmental impacts. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

abstract: 'Attributional' Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) quantitatively tracks the potential environmental impacts of international value chains, in retrospective, while ensuring that burden shifting is avoided. Despite the growing popularity of LCA as a decision-support tool, there are numerous concerns relating to uncertainty and variability in LCA that affects its reliability and credibility. It is pertinent that some part of future research in LCA be guided towards increasing reliability and credibility for decision-making, while utilizing the LCA framework established by ISO 14040. In this dissertation, I have synthesized the present state of knowledge and application of uncertainty and variability in ‘attributional’ LCA, and contribute to its quantitative assessment. Firstly, the present state of addressment of uncertainty and variability in LCA is consolidated and reviewed. It is evident that sources of uncertainty and variability exist in the following areas: ISO standards, supplementary guides, software tools, life cycle inventory (LCI) databases, all four methodological phases of LCA, and use of LCA information. One source of uncertainty and variability, each, is identified, selected, quantified, and its implications discussed. The use of surrogate LCI data in lieu of missing dataset(s) or data-gaps is a source of uncertainty. Despite the widespread use of surrogate data, there has been no effort to (1) establish any form of guidance for the appropriate selection of surrogate data and, (2) estimate the uncertainty associated with the choice and use of surrogate data. A formal expert elicitation-based methodology to select the most appropriate surrogates and to quantify the associated uncertainty was proposed and implemented. Product-evolution in a non-uniform manner is a source of temporal variability that is presently not considered in LCA modeling. The resulting use of outdated LCA information will lead to misguided decisions affecting the issue at concern and eventually the environment. In order to demonstrate product-evolution within the scope of ISO 14044, and given that variability cannot be reduced, the sources of product-evolution were identified, generalized, analyzed and their implications (individual and coupled) on LCA results are quantified. Finally, recommendations were provided for the advancement of robustness of 'attributional' LCA, with respect to uncertainty and variability. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2016

In this dissertation, we analyze the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Steam Sterilizer, popularly known as Autoclave. The LCA will help Getinge Sterilization AB to identify the stages of the life cycle of Autoclave model GSS-P 91413, which contributes more to the environmental footprint. We use the ISO 14040 LCA framework to conduct the Cradle to Grave boundary study of the Autoclave. The results have shown the use phase to be a dominant phase with almost 84% of carbon footprint. For Getinge to produce sustainable products and reach its long-term goal of becoming carbon neutral, they need to reduce its environmental footprint in every phase of the product life cycle. Thus, this report suggests the best way that the company can impact the changes to the users even though they have very little control over it. The results were obtained using the Sustainable Minds (SM 2013) software, which is ISO certified, henceforth the results are trustworthy. This Thesis has 8 parts: Introduction, Method, Theory, Results, Conclusion, Critical Review, References, and Appendices.

Tesis por compendio / Packaging plays an important role in ensuring food safety and quality. The development antimicrobial packaging enables actively inhibiting/killing the spoilage microorganisms, and thus extending food product's shelf life. Generally, 50% shelf life extension is possible. The interest for using metallic nanoparticles in active packaging derives from its superior antimicrobial efficacy and no negative impact on the food sensory properties. In this thesis, the packaging material of concern is a PLA (Polylactic Acid) coated paper incorporating zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in the coating layer. The material was characterized and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated. The SEM images show that the nanoparticles were homogenously distributed across the surface thanks to its surface modification. Antimicrobial assay indicates that the active material was effective in inactivating E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, E. coli was found to be more susceptible to this type of agent, showing 3.14 log reduction for 0.5 wt% agent loading in the PLA coating layer. This result was compared across the publications using the same agent for treating both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. The discrepancy between the results can be explained by the fact that ZnO nanoparticles have multiple action mechanisms, and different antimicrobial testing methods may activate part of the action mechanisms. On the other hand, recyclability is regarded as an important attribute for paper-based packaging material, as it enables to conserve the resources and reduce the environmental impacts. Accordingly, when it comes to the nano-enabled paper packaging material, recyclability should be maintained. In this case, a recyclability test was carried out in a lab-scale paper recycling line. The protocol was based on a method adapted from the ATICELCA MC501-13, which enabled to recover over 99% of the solids material. The mass balance result indicates that 86%-91% zinc oxide nanoparticles ended up in the rejected material stream, mostly embedded within the polymer coating; whereas 7%-16% nanoparticles ended up in the accepted material stream. Besides, the tensile strength of the recycled handsheets suggests that the nano-enabled coating had no negative impacts on the recovered fibre quality. Active packaging plays a positive role in reducing food losses. If food and packaging are considered as a whole system, its overall environmental impact can be justified by incorporating the food loss reduction due to the application of active packaging. The LCA calculation shows that a breakeven point can be easily achieved for the case of red meat products of high environmental impact. / El envase juega un papel importante asegurando la seguridad y calidad de los alimentos. El desarrollo de envases activos, especialmente envase antimicrobiano, permite inhibir o matar los microorganismos causantes del deterioro de los alimentos, alargando por tanto su vida útil. De forma general es posible extender la vida útil de los alimentos en un 50%. El interés por el uso de nanopartículas metálicas en el envasado activo se deriva de su gran efectividad antimicrobiana sin causar un efecto negativo en sus propiedades sensoriales. En la presente tesis, se ha desarrollado un papel recubierto de PLA (ácido poliláctico) con nanopartículas de óxido de zinc (ZnO NPs) incorporadas en la capa de recubrimiento. Se ha caracterizado el material y se ha evaluado su capacidad antimicrobiana. Las imágenes obtenidas mediante SEM muestran que las nanopartículas fueron distribuidas a lo largo de la superficie gracias a su modificación. Los ensayos de efectividad antimicrobiana indicaron una actividad del material frente a E. coli y a S. aureus. Además, E. coli resultó ser más susceptible a este agente activo incorporado al 0.5 % en peso en el recubrimiento de PLA, mostrando una reducción de 3.14 log. Este resultado fue comparado con publicaciones donde se emplearon los mismos agentes activos para frente a microorganismos Gram-positivos y Gram-negativos. Las discrepancias encontradas entre los resultados pueden deberse a que las nanopartículas de ZnO tienen múltiples mecanismos de acción, y los diferentes métodos de ensayo poder estimular parte de estos mecanismos. Por otra parte, el reciclado juega un importante papel en la conservación de los recursos y en la reducción de los impactos medioambientales. Por tanto, cuando se trata de un material de envase de papel con sustancias de tamaño nano, el reciclado debe tratarse adecuadamente. El ensayo de reciclabilidad fue llevado a cabo a escala laboratorio en una línea de reciclado de papel. El protocolo de ensayo se basó en el método adaptado de ATICELCA MC501-13, permitiendo una recuperación del 99% de material sólidos. Los resultados del balance de materia indicaron que el 86%-91% de las nanopartículas de óxido de zinc llegaron al flujo de material de rechazo, principalmente mezclado en el recubrimiento polimérico. Además, los resultados de tracción de las láminas recicladas sugieren que el recubrimiento con partículas nano no tiene un efecto negativo sobre la calidad de la fibra recuperada. El envase activo juega un papel positivo en la reducción de los residuos alimentarios. Como resultado del uso del envase activo, considerando el envase y el alimento como un todo, el impacto ambiental sobre este sistema completo puede ser compensado por la reducción de pérdidas de alimentos. El cálculo LCA muestra que el punto de equilibrio se puede conseguir fácilmente en el caso de productos de carne roja de elevado impacto ambiental. / L'envàs té un paper prou important en la seguretat i la qualitat del aliments. El desenvolupament dels envasos actius, especialment l'envàs antimicrobià, el qual permeteix l'inhibició o mort dels microorganismes que produeixen el deteriorament dels aliments i, per tant, allargant la seua vida útil. De manera general, es possible l'allargament de la vida útil dels aliments en un 50%. L'interès per la utilització de nanopartícules metàl·liques en l'envasat actiu es deriva de la seua gran efectivitat antimicrobiana sense produir un efecte negatiu en les seus propietats sensorials. En aquesta present tesis, s'ha desenvolupat un paper recobert de PLA (àcid polilàctic) amb nanopartícules d'òxid de zinc (ZnO NPs) incorporades a la capa de recobriment. S'ha caracteritzat el material i s'ha avaluat la seua capacitat antimicrobiana. Les imatges obtingudes per mitjà del SEM mostren que les nanopartícules foren distribuïdes en tota la superfície gràcies a la seua modificació. Els assajos d'efectivitat antimicrobiana varen indicar una activitat del material front a E.coli i a S. aureus. A més, E. coli va resultar ser més susceptible a aquest agent actiu incorporat al 0.5 % en pes en el recobriment de PLA, mostrant una reducció de 3.14 log. Aquest resultat va ser comparat amb publicacions on es van emprar els mateixos agents actius front a microorganismes Gram-positiu i Gram-negatiu. Les discrepàncies trobades entre els resultats poden deure's a que les nanopartícules de ZnO tenen diversos mecanismes d'acció, i els diferents mètodes d'assaig poder estimular part d'aquestes mecanismes. Per altra banda, el reciclatge també té un paper important en la conservació dels recursos i en la reducció dels impactes mediambientals. Per tant, quan es tracta d'un material d'envàs de paper amb substàncies de la grandària 'nano', el reciclatge ha de tractar-se adequadament. El assaig de reciclabilitat va ser dut a terme a escala de laboratori en una línia de reciclatge de paper. El protocol de l'assaig es va basar en el mètode adaptat d'ATICELCA MC501-13, permetent una recuperació del 99% del material sòlid. Els resultats del balanç de matèria van indicar que el 86-91% de les nanopartícules d'òxid de zinc varen arribar al fluix material de rebuig, principalment mesclat en el recobriment polimèric. A més, els resultats de tracció de les làmines reciclades suggereixen que el recobriment amb nanopartícules nano no tenen un efecte negatiu sobre la qualitat de la fibra recuperada. L'envàs actiu juga un paper positiu en la reducció dels residus alimentaris. Com a resultat de l'ús de l'envàs actiu, considerant l'envàs i l'aliment com un tot conjunt, l'impacte ambiental sobre aquest sistema complet pot ser compensat per la reducció de pèrdues d'aliments. El càlcul LCA mostra que el punt d'equilibri es pot aconseguir fàcilment en el cas de productes de carn roja d'elevat impacte ambiental. / Zhang, H. (2016). Sustainability assessment of active packaging incorporating nanomaterials [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/75348 / Compendio

The continued drive to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in order to mitigate climate change has led to an increase in demand for low-carbon energy sources, and the development of new technologies to harness the available energy in the wind, waves and tides. Many controversies surround these technologies, however, particularly with regards to their economic cost, environmental impacts and the implications of the variability of their output for security of the electricity supply. In order to make informed policy decisions on future developments of the electricity system, it is necessary to address these controversies and confirm the environmental, economic and social sustainability of these new renewable generators. This thesis specifically examines two key issues: whether new variable-output renewable energy generators actually deliver a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetimes, and whether they produce a viable energy return on energy investment. Although renewable energy sources are themselves ‘carbon free’, GHG emissions (and energy consumption) occur during the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of the generator infrastructure required to convert this energy into electricity. Furthermore, the variability of the output power from such generators has implications for the operation of the grid - there may be a requirement for additional reserve capacity and the increased part-loading of conventional plant is likely to reduce its operating efficiency. Carbon and energy paybacks are measures of the time required for a new renewable installation to offset these life cycle impacts. The work presented in this thesis examines both the life cycle impacts and the GHG emissions displacement of variable renewable generation, using Great Britain as a case study, in order to provide a basis for significantly more robust and reliable estimates of carbon and energy paybacks. The extensive literature survey concentrates on two key areas: current calculation methodologies and estimates for life cycle carbon and energy consumption of power generators; and the marginal emissions displacement of variable renewable generation. A detailed life cycle assessment of the Pelamis wave energy converter is presented, which sets the embodied carbon and energy in the context of the wider environmental impacts and includes an examination of the effect of different assumptions on the analysis results. In order to investigate the true emissions displacement of renewable generation, a historical analysis of real data from the National Grid was carried out, identifying the marginal displacement factor of wind power and taking into account the effect of the efficiency penalties of conventional plant. The findings of the analyses presented in this thesis are combined with information from the literature to examine the actual carbon and energy payback of existing renewable generation infrastructure on the British grid, and to provide detailed recommendations for future carbon and energy payback calculations.

Le véhicule électrique est aujourd’hui présenté comme l’une des solutions alternatives sérieuses au véhicule à moteur à combustion interne, visant à limiter la consommation d’énergies fossiles, ainsi que les émissions de polluants locaux et de gaz à effet de serre. L’évaluation des forces et faiblesses de cette technologie au regard de l’environnement est aujourd’hui limitée, compte tenu notamment du peu de retour d’expérience sur ce type de véhicules.L’objectif de ce travail de recherche est de proposer une approche combinant une connaissance fine du véhicule étudié (obtenu notamment par des essais expérimentaux et l’utilisation de modèles de consommation) et de la méthode d’évaluation environnementale Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV), pour identifier les paramètres clefs du bilan environnemental, et par différentes analyses de sensibilité, d’en proposer une analyse détaillée. Pour y parvenir, des essais expérimentaux ont été réalisés sur un véhicule électrique à usage essentiellement urbain et son équivalent thermique. Un modèle permet d’estimer les consommations de véhicules selon leurs spécificités (chimie et capacité de batterie, rendement de la chaîne de traction) et leurs conditions d’utilisation (trafic, usages d’auxiliaires). Des hypothèses et scénarios sont également établis sur la durée de vie des batteries qui équipent le véhicule. Les jeux de données obtenus sont mis en œuvre dans l’ACV d’un véhicule électrique, et les résultats obtenus interprétés puis comparés à ceux du véhicule thermique équivalent. Enfin, analyses de sensibilité et test de divers scénarios permettent l’identification des paramètres clefs du bilan environnemental. / Today, the electric vehicle is seen as a potent substitute to the internal combustion engine vehicle, aiming at reducing consumption of fossil fuels, and emissions of local pollutants and greenhouse gases. The assessment of strengths and weaknesses of this technology from the environmental viewpoint is currently limited, especially considering the lack of experiment feedbacks.The objective of this research is to offer an approach combining a deep understanding of the studied vehicle (through experiments and use of consumption patterns) and the environmental assessment method “Life Cycle Analysis” (LCA), to identify the key parameters of environmental appraisal, and relying on different sensitivity analysis, to propose a detailed analysis.To achieve this, experimental tests were carried out on an urban electric vehicle and its internal combustion engine equivalent. A model was built to estimate the consumption of electric vehicles according to their characteristics (chemistry and battery capacity, vehicle energy efficiency) and use (traffic, use of auxiliaries). Assumptions and scenarios are also made on the lifetimes of batteries in the vehicle. The data sets obtained are implemented in the life cycle analysis of an electric vehicle, and the results are interpreted and compared to its internal combustion engine equivalent vehicle. In the end, sensitivity analysis and test of various scenarios allow the identification of key parameters for the environmental assessment.

The building and construction sectors are one of the main contributors to the socio-economic development of a country. Globally, these sectors generate around 5% to 10% of national employment and around 5% to 15% of a country's gross domestic product during construction, use and demolition. On the other hand, the sectors consume around 40% of world primary energy, use 30% of raw materials, generate 25% of solid waste, consume 25% of water, and use 12% of land. Furthermore, the sectors account for up to 40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from energy use during the life cycle of buildings. This study aims to assess the potential environmental benefits of reusing concrete and ceramic roof tile within the Swedish context in terms of their CO2 emission. Methodology used was a comparative LCA was to quantify the emissions. In order to calculate LCA, OpenLCA 1.7.0 software was used and to evaluate the emissions, LCIA method selected was ReCiPe, midpoint, Hierarchist model, climate change category expressed in GWP 100 years (in kg CO2eq). The FU of the study was a square meter of roof covering for a period of 40 years with potential to extent up to 80 years. A square meter of concrete roof tile weight 40 kg while ceramic 30 kg. The environment impact evaluation considered three product system, single use (cradle to grave), single use covering (cradle to user) and single reuse (user to cradle) within 40 years lifespan. In order to compare LCA of the roof tiles, two scenarios were created, Scenario 1 concrete RT in single use and single reuse whilst Scenario 2 evaluates ceramic RT. The outcomes of both scenarios were communicated through a model single family house. Dalarna’s Villa is located in Dalarna region in Sweden and a storage facility Ta Till Våra was to validate the benefits of reused materials. Comparative LCA revealed that concrete RT in single use released almost 80% more CO2 emissions than ceramic RT and generated 25% more disposable material by weight. The CO2 released by the single use vs. single reuse concrete RT showed higher emissions in the production of the concrete RT than the single reuse, the same occur with ceramic RT. The reuse of the tiles on the same site had an insignificant impact on the environment in both materials. The comparison shows that reuse reduces associated emissions by about 80% in both cases, reusing concrete is more beneficial, as emissions are reduced by 9.95 kg/m2 as opposed to 2.32 kg/m2 at the ceramics. This study reveals the benefit of reusing concrete and ceramic roof tile. In addition, the advantage of building a storage facility to reuse the disposable building materials, reducing the roofing materials ending at the landfill after 40 years. Furthermore, it demonstrated the reduction of CO2 emissions associated with the embodied energy.

O aço é um insumo de usos diversos que variam desde a construção civil, até a confecção de bens de consumo. Sob a perspectiva ambiental, as transformações que ocorrem nessa cadeia produtiva se destacam pelos elevados consumos de insumos e de energia - nas formas elétrica e térmica -, e por emissões para o Meio Ambiente. Assim, o grande desafio das siderúrgicas é encontrar alternativas que reduzam os impactos ambientais associados aos seus processos. Esta busca requer porém, uma análise sistêmica e integrada que considere o produto final em todo seu ciclo de vida. Este estudo tem por finalidade a avaliação do desempenho ambiental da produção de aço líquido para um arranjo tecnológico médio no país. Para tanto, utilizou-se a ferramenta de Análise de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Embora o diagnóstico tenha sido efetuado sobre todas as etapas de processamento, optou-se por evidenciar etapas que fossem inerentes do processamento do aço líquido. O diagnóstico inicial, então, revelou que as principais etapas responsáveis pelos impactos ambientais inerentes ao processo são: a) produção de energia elétrica do Grid brasileiro, b) a manufatura do aço e c) captação e transporte de água. A partir desta vistoria de etapas inerentes pôde-se propor cenários de melhoria de desempenho ambiental para o processo de produção do aço líquido, a saber: I) Aproveitamento de Gás de Aciaria para produção de Energia Elétrica e II) Instalação de Tecnologia de apagamento a seco do coque. Embora o Cenário III não esteja contemplado nas cargas inerentes de processo, o mesmo foi efetuado a partir de solicitação da empresa: III) Substituição do fornecimento de Minério de Manganês. A técnica de ACV foi novamente aplicada com o intuito de verificar a validade das ações propostas. O estudo concluiu que houve melhorias relevantes no desempenho ambiental principalmente nos modelos CED e USEtox, em todas a categorias de impacto apresentadas (Fósseis Não Renováveis, Nuclear Não Renovável, Biomassa Não Renovável, Biomassa Renovável, Energia decorrente de efeitos naturais, Água Renovável, Toxidade Humana a Câncer, Toxidade Humana Não Câncer e Ecotoxidade Aquática) para os Cenário I e II. Pouco impacto foi observado no modelo ReCiPe Midpoint (H) para o Cenário I e II a não ser pela piora na categoria de impacto de Formação de Oxidantes Fotoquímicos para o Cenário II. Isso aconteceu por um aumento na emissão de monóxido de carbono descrito pela proposição. O Cenário III apresentou melhoria significativa apenas de uma categoria de impacto: Depleção de Metais, devido redução da depleção manganês, explicada pela melhoria de qualidade na troca de fornecedores. / Steel is an input for various uses ranging from construction, to the production of consumer goods. From an environmental perspective the changes that occur in the production chain are highlighted by high consumption of raw materials and energy - in electric and thermal forms - and emissions to the environment. So the great challenge of the steel is to find alternatives that reduce environmental impacts associated with their processes. This search, however, requires a systemic and integrated analysis that considers the final product throughout its life cycle. This study aims to evaluate the environmental performance of the liquid steel production to an average technological arrangement in the country. For this, we used the Life Cycle Analysis Tool (ACV). Although the diagnosis has been made on all processing stages, we chose to highlight steps that were inherent in the liquid steel processing. The initial diagnosis then revealed that the main stages responsible for the environmental impacts inherent in the process are: a) electricity production of the Brazilian Grid, b) the manufacture of steel and c) uptake and transport of water. From this survey inherent steps could be proposed improvement scenarios of environmental performance for the liquid steel production process, as follows: I) Steelmaking Gas Utilization for Production of Electricity and II) Coke Dry Quenching Tecnology. Although Scenario III is not contemplated in the process of inherent charges, the same was made on request from the company: III) Replacing the supply of manganese ore. The LCA technique was applied again in order to verify the validity of the proposed actions. The study concluded there were significant improvements in the environmental performance mainly in CED and USEtox models in all the presented impact categories (Fossils Renewable Not Nuclear Renewable No Biomass Renewable Non Renewable Biomass Energy from natural effects, Renewable Water, Toxicity Human to Cancer, Human Toxicity Ecotoxicity not Cancer and Frashwater Ecotoxity) for Scenario I and II. Little impact was observed in the model ReCiPe Midpoint (H) for Scenario I and II unless the worsening Photochemical Oxidant Formation impact category for Scenario II. This happened by an increase in carbon monoxide emission described by the proposition. Scenario III showed significant improvement only in a depletion impact category metals due reducing manganese depletion, explained by the improvement of quality of switching suppliers.