A methodology for an integrated LCA-EIA procedure: application to two wastewater treatment plants case studies www.elsa-pact.fr
Pyrène Larrey-Lassalle1,2, Laureline Catel1, Philippe Roux1, Guillaume Junqua2, Miguel LopezFerber2, Ralph K. Rosenbaum1, Eléonore Loiseau1 1 Irstea
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
– 2 Ecole des Mines d’Alès
IAIA17 – April 04th, 2017 – Montréal, Canada
Introduction EIA Environmental Impact Assessment A product crosses several sites
LCA
LCA
Life Cycle Assessment
2
A site provides several products research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
State of the art EIA
PROMISING INTEGRATION
Procedural tool
Analytical tool
LCA
LCA
Aim 1 Aim 2
3
Methodological framework for a complete implementation
Applicability demonstration
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) Environ. impact of alternatives
(2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
System boundaries & key impacts
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4)
Quantitative impacts, especially: - Indirect effects* - Downstream and upstream life cycle processes* - Resources depletion*, Energy*, Climate change* *DIRECTIVE 2014/52/EU
Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
Environ. impact of measures
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7)
Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Framework application to a case study Conducted ex-ante Existing EIA reports
LCA implementation in the four EIA steps (conducted ex-post) Specific indicators for each step
Synthesis and data analysis EIA conclusions without LCA inputs
EIA enriched by LCA inputs
Do the conclusions differ?
9
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Case-studies Two Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) Population Equivalent France (Alsace) 440 p.e. (CS 1) 680 p.e. (CS 2)
Phosphorus and nitrogen sensitivity
10
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) Environ. impact of alternatives
(2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Scoping – Alternatives EIA with
LCA
Endpoint analysis EIA without LCA
EIA with LCA
Reed bed filters (RBF)
Vert. RBF 1
=
Case-study 1
AS 2
Technical criteria Environmental profiles
Activated sludge (AS)
≠
Case-study 2 Local pressure
AL & Vert. RBF 1 Horiz. RBF 2
*AL = Artificially Aerated Lagoons
Less polluting technologies could have been chosen 12
AS 3
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
System boundaries & key impacts
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Scoping – Significance of impacts EIA with
LCA
Endpoint analysis, contribution of each midpoint impact to each endpoint category Without LCA inputs
With LCA inputs
Expert judgment and legislation
Environmental profiles
Water body quality Eutrophication
Local/regional concerns Landscape
Global concerns
Fauna & Flora
Land occ.
Human Tox.
Natural Resources (fossil, metal, water)
Different scope and hotspot analysis 14
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4)
Quantitative impacts, especially: - Indirect effects* - Downstream and upstream life cycle processes* - Resources depletion*, Energy*, Climate change* *DIRECTIVE 2014/52/EU
Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7) Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Impact Assessment (1/3) EIA with
LCA
Analysis at midpoint & endpoint level
1. Differentiation between on-site & off-site activities 2. Differentiation between local/regional & global impacts Off-site Global
On-site CO2 , N2O
Resource depletion
NO3Local / regional 16
Ionizing radiations
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Impact Assessment (2/3) EIA with
LCA
Analysis at midpoint & endpoint level Local/Regional impacts
Case study 2
Global impacts
100%
80%
60%
Current EIA scope
40%
20%
0%
On-site
Off-site
Human Health 17
On-site
Off-site
Ecosystems
On-site
Off-site
Resources
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Impact Assessment (3/3) EIA with
LCA
Analysis at midpoint & endpoint level
3. Contribution of life-cycle stages 100
Case study 2
90
%
80 70
Construction (on-site)
60
Construction (off-site)
50
Operation (on-site)
40
Operation (off-site)
30
Sludge End-of-life (off-site)
20 10 0
Global impacts
Local/Regional impacts
Selected midpoint impacts during scoping 18
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Methodological framework EIA/LCA Screening (1) EIA required
No EIA required
Scoping (2) (2a) Project charact., alternatives, environment
(2b) Selection of impacts likely to be significant
Impact Assessment (3) (3a) Baseline description of the environ.
Environ. impact of measures
(3b) Impacts of the project
Mitigation measures (4) Reporting (5) Review (6) Decision-making (7)
Approved
Implementation and follow-up (8)
Not approved
Redesign and resubmit
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Mitigation measures implementation EIA without LCA Impacts not analysed
EIA with
LCA
Analysis at midpoint & endpoint level
Example: reshaping the ditch
Contribution can be significant (e.g. 14% of WWTP damages on resources)
20
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
Take-home message Innovative framework & applicability demonstrated EIA without LCA
EIA with LCA
+ Off-site impacts Local impacts
On-site impacts
Local / Regional impacts
+ Global impacts
21
Natural Resources
research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
For more information…
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research group for environmental life cycle sustainability assessment
www.elsa-lca.org
Thank you for your attention
