Characterisation Framework Development for the SIMPASS (Singapore Impact Assessment)

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electronic supplementary material

Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)

Characterisation framework development for the SIMPASS (Singapore IMPact ASSessment) methodology

Yin T. Chan • Reginald B.H. Tan • Hsien H. Khoo

Received: 8 February 2011 / Accepted: 22 August 2011

© Springer-Verlag 2011

Responsible editor: Mark Huijbregts

Y. T. Chan • R. B. H. Tan

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore

H. H. Khoo ()

Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Singapore

e-mail:

()Corresponding author:

Hsien H. Khoo

Tel. +65 6796 7341; +65 6267 8835

e-mail:

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Fig. E-1: The proposed SIMPASS characterisation development approach

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.1: The proposed SIMPASS climatechangecharacterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / Greenhouse gases / The model developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defining the global warming potential of different greenhouse gases (IPCC 2007) / Global-Warming Potential / Climate change = ∑x (mx x GWPx) / Damage to Human Health / Human Health
Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage / Natural Environment
Assumptions / None
Merits / None / Widespread scientific acceptance. / The general characterisation factor equation is selected in accordance to current best practices in characterisation. / None
Future Development Required / Future updating and revisions may be necessary. / To consolidate data for Singapore required by the general characterisation factor equation. / None / Future updating and revisions may be necessary.

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.2: The proposed SIMPASS acidificationcharacterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / SOx and NOx / RAINS-Asia model / Acidification Potential / AP = ∑x (mx x APx) / Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage / Natural Environment
Assumptions / SOx and NOx are the only acidification-contributing emissions in the LCI / None / Damage to Crops, Fisheries, Infrastructure, Human Health assumed negligible / Human Health and Man-made Environment assumed negligible
Merits / None / Spatially differentiated, geographically relevant and has option for source selection.
High environmental relevance due to consideration for atmospheric fate and transport, as well as sensitivity to critical loads.
High stakeholder acceptance due to legacy and authoritativeness of RAINS-LCA. / The general characterisation factor equation is selected in accordance to current best practices in characterisation. / None
Future Development Required / Future updating and revisions may be necessary. / To develop characterisation model that considers NOx.
To consolidate data for Singapore required by the general characterisation factor equation.
To develop and verify the proposed acidification characterisation mathematical framework. / None / Future updating and revisions may be necessary.

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.3: The proposedSIMPASS eutrophicationcharacterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / Total N and P / NEUTRO / Aquatic Eutrophication Potential / AEP = ∑x (mx x AEPx) / Aquatic Ecosystem Damage / Natural Environment
Amount of N2 emitted to the air / Terrestrial Eutrophication Potential / TEP = ∑x (mx x TEPx) / Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage
Assumptions / None / It is assumed that terrestrial eutrophication is not significant in Singapore. / Damage to Fisheries and Human Health assumed negligible / Human Health and Man-made Environment assumed negligible
Merits / Spatially and temporally differentiated, geographically relevant and has option for source selection.
High environmental relevance due to consideration for fate sensitivity and distinction from individual N- and P- compounds.
High stakeholder acceptance due to legacy and authoritativeness of RAINS-LCA. / The general characterisation factor equations are selected in accordance to current best practices in characterisation. / None
Future Development Required / To develop characterisation model that considers inland aquatic eutrophication.
To consolidate Singapore’s data required by the general characterisation factor equations, and parameter inputs to the NEUTRO model.
To develop and verify the proposed eutrophication characterisation mathematical framework. / None / Future updating and revisions may be necessary.

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.4: The proposed SIMPASSfossil fuel depletion characterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / Fossil Fuels (coal, petroleum and natural gas) / Hubert Peak Theory and the Verhulst Depletion Equation / Fossil Fuel Depletion Potential / FFDP = ∑x (mx x FFDPx) / Fossil Fuel Depletion / Natural Resources
Human Health
Assumptions / Fossil fuels are assumed to be encompassed of only the above three broad classes. / Stocks of fossil fuel in the economic system are assumed to be more or less constant in time.
The extracted quantities of fossil fuel that are in the economic system are assumed to be dissipated sooner or later.
It has been assumed that fossil fuels of different types are exchangeable with regards to their scarcity aspect. / Fossil Fuel Competition assumed negligible / None
Merits / None / Widely-accepted and scientifically reasonable. / Widely regarded as best practice for characterising Fossil Fuel Depletion. Strong environmental relevance and reasonable applicability. / None
Future Development Required / Future updating and revisions may be necessary. / To consolidate data for Singapore required by the general characterisation factor equation.
To verify the proposed fossil fuel depletion characterisation mathematical framework. / There may be an element of uncertainty and an unclear endpoint concept when using the Verhulst Depletion Equation. / Future updating and revisions may be necessary. / Human Health to be considered when there is more expert consensus in the future.

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Table E.5: The proposed SIMPASS water usecharacterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / Freshwater / WaterGAP model / Freshwater deficits for human uses / None recommended at the moment. / Damage to Human Health / Human Health
Freshwater deficits in ecosystems / Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage / Natural Environment
Aquatic Ecosystem Damage
Freshwater Depletion Potential / Freshwater Depletion / Natural Resources
Assumptions / None / Singapore assumed to be a single watershed, taking up two grid cells in the WaterGAP model. / None
Merits / Use of GIS allows data processing and statistical evaluation on different spatial resolutions. / Strong environmental relevance. Facilitates the determination of technological compensation scenarios as a result of changes in freshwater availability, which is important in water-scarce Singapore.
Future Development Required / To consolidate LCI data for Singapore, including water resource type, water quality, water quantity entering and leaving the product system. / To improve the spatial resolution of the WaterGAP model if possible so as to allow for further sub-division to examine catchment areas within Singapore.
To improve temporal resolution to factor in seasonal variation in Singapore. / As there is currently no consensus on the best approach to characterisewater use, there is a need for future developers to constantly review available approaches to keep up with the latest developments.

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.6: The proposed SIMPASS land use characterisation framework

Environmental Mechanism / Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) / Characterisation Model / Category Midpoint / General Characterisation Factor Equation / Category Endpoint / Area of Protection (AoP)
Recommendations / Land / No relevant models at present / Specific environmental impact due to land occupation / CIocc = CFocc x ∆tocc x Aocc / Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage / Natural Environment
Specific environmental impact due to land transformation / CItrans,n-1→n = CFtrans,n-1→n x Atrans
Land Competition Potential / LCP = ∑x (LCPx x ax) / Land Competition / Natural Resources
Assumptions / Land use types only comprise primary rainforest, secondary rainforest, swamps and marshes, cultivated land, urban land and others. / Permanent impact of land use regarded as negligible. / Degradation of Cultural Values and Landscape assumed negligible. / Man-made Environment assumed negligible.
Merits / None / Land occupation and duration of physical transformation considered. / None
Future Development Required / Future updating and revisions may be necessary. / To consolidate data for Singapore required by the general characterisation factor equations.
To verify the proposed land competition characterisation mathematical framework.
To develop a suitable model that factors in different biogeographical parameters in Singapore. / There is a need to obtain consensus on the appropriate indicator for land quality Q.
As there is currently no consensus on the best approach to characterise land competition, there is a need for future developers to constantly review available approaches to keep up with the latest developments. / To consider Aquatic Ecosystem Damage. / Future updating and revisions may be necessary.

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TableE.7: Status and availability of elementary flow, characterisation models, general characterisation factor equations and parameters

Component / Climate Change / Acidification / Eutrophication / Fossil Fuel Depletion / Water Use / Land Use
Elementary Flows / Greenhouse gases (✓) / SOx (✓) NOx(✓) / N (✓) P (✓) / Coal (✓) Petroleum (✓) Natural Gas (✓) / Freshwater (✓) / Land (✓)
Characterisation Models / Model by IPCC (✓) / RAINS-Asia II (+) / NEUTRO (+)
Amount of N2 emitted into the air (+) / Hubert Peak Theory and the Verhulst Depletion Equation (+) / WaterGAP model (+) / Model for land use (x)
Category Endpoints (Major) / General Characterisation Factor Equations
Damage to Human Health / (✓) / (-) / (-) / (x) / None specified. Characterisation framework still under development. / N.A.
Aquatic Ecosystem Damage / (✓) / (x) / Coastal aquatic bodies: (+) Inland aquatic bodies: (x) / N.A. / (x)
Terrestrial Ecosystem Damage / (✓) / (+) / (+) / (+)
Fossil Fuel Depletion / N.A. / (✓a) / N.A.
Freshwater Depletion / N.A.
Land Competition / (✓a)
Basic Parameters in Characterisation Equations / GWPX(✓) / APX (+) / TEPx (+) AEPx (+)
Amount of N2 emitted into the air (+) / DRx(✓a) Rx(✓a) DRref(✓a) Rref(✓a) / Q (+) ∆tocc (+) ∆ttrans (+) DRx(✓a) Rx(✓a) DRref(✓a) Rref(✓a)

Characterisation Framework Development for the Proposed SIMPASS Methodology1

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Table E.8: Summary of parameters for the various impact categories

Impact Category / Parameter / Status / Interpretation / Reference and Comments
Climate Change / GWPX / (✓) / Global-warming potential of greenhouse emission x / Obtained from the model developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007
Acidification / APX / (+) / Acidification Potential of acidifying emission x / Not estimated
Eutrophication / TEPx / (+) / Terrestrial Eutrophication Potential of eutrophication-contributing emission x / Not estimated
AEPx / (+) / Aquatic Eutrophication Potential of eutrophication-contributing emission x / Not estimated
Amount of N2 emitted into the air / (+) / Amount of N2 emitted into the air / Not estimated
Fossil Fuel Depletion / DRx / (✓a) / Extraction rate of fossil fuel x / Estimated from the Energy Information Administration, 2010
Rx / (✓a) / Ultimate reserves of fossil fuel x
DRref / (✓a) / Extraction rate of reference source ref / Estimated from the United States Geological Survey, 2009
Rref / (✓a) / Ultimate reserves of reference source ref
Water Use / None specified. Characterisation framework still under development. (x) / Not estimated
Land Use / Q / (+) / Indicator for land quality / Not estimated
∆ttrans / (+) / Restoration time for different land use types
DRx / (✓a) / Maximum area of land type x available / Estimated from the works of Corlett, 1992; Glaser et al., 1991
Rx / (✓a) / Yearly amount of land type x used for human purposes
DRref / (✓a) / Extraction rate of reference source ref / Estimated from the United States Geological Survey, 2009

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Table E.9: Key to symbols

Symbol / Status in the LCIA Field / Action for Future Work and Development
(✓) / Available and operational / None or minimal
(✓a) / Available but only partially operational due to presence of assumptions and estimations. Sample calculation conducted and estimates obtained / Verify assumptions and estimations
(+) / Available but not yet operational / Operationalise first and develop accordingly
(-) / Not available and not important / None or minimal. May be necessary to follow up in the future if importance increases
(x) / Not available but important / For immediate action and attention
N.A. / Not applicable / None

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