Syllabus

Introduction to Sustainability concepts relevant to Life Cycle Analysis

Motivations to conduct LCAs versus other environmental tools, Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability, Circular vs Linear Economy, Waste Management Principles, Climate change mitigation and adaptation, Carbon Credits and Offsets, Carbon and Water footprint and more relevant concepts.

Basics of LCA Methodology

Introduction to life cycle assessment principles, Product Life Cycle in LCA, Different Life Cycle Models: Cradle to Grave/Gate, Cradle to Cradle, Methodology of life cycle assessment (LCA), Four phases of life cycle assessment: Goal and Scope Definition, Life cycle inventory analysis, Life cycle impact assessment, Interpretation, Functional unit, System Boundary Definition

In-Depth Life Cycle Assessment, ISO Standards and EPDs

Life cycle inventory analysis: data collection, calculation and allocation of flows and releases, Allocation procedures: Physical and Economic, ISO standards, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Advantages and limitations of LCA, Detailed Life cycle inventory analysis and Life cycle impact assessments, Environmental impact categories, Attributional and Consequential LCA, Cultural perspectives (Individualist, Hierarchist and Egalitarian)

Data collection and LCA Results Interpretation

Primary, secondary and tertiary data, Primary Data Collection: Types of primary data sources, Strategies for effective primary data collection, Secondary Data Collection: Commercial database sources, Literature and research sources, Managing challenges in data collection, Sensitivity Analysis (Local and Global Sensitivity Analysis, Derivative based methods, Elementary effect methods, Regression based methods, Variance based methods), Uncertainty analysis, Sampling methods (Random sampling, Stratifying approach: OAT, FFFS, and LHS)

Application of LCA on chemical and allied processes

Theory and practical case studies (with use of software tools such as OpenLCA) associated with LCA studies of process systems (Sustainability performance of chemical and allied processes over their entire life cycle, case studies such as evaluation of life cycle GHG emissions of a biofuel production process, green hydrogen production process etc.)

Introduce sustainability concepts and their relevance to life cycle thinking.

Explain the fundamentals and phases of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Develop understanding of LCA standards, inventory analysis, and impact assessment

Build skills in data collection, uncertainty, and sensitivity analysis in LCA

Apply LCA tools to evaluate sustainability of chemical and allied processes

Understand sustainability concepts and life cycle thinking in engineering systems

Describe the methodology and phases of Life Cycle Assessment.

Analyze life cycle inventory and impact assessment using standard methods

Evaluate data quality, uncertainty, and sensitivity in LCA studies

Apply LCA tools (e.g., OpenLCA) to assess environmental impacts of processes

Michael Z. Hauschild, Ralph K. Rosenbaum, Stig Irving Olsen, Life Cycle Assessment Theory and Practice, Springer Nature

Walter Klöpffer, Birgit Grahl, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A Guide to Best Practice, Wiley

Olivier Jolliet, Myriam Saade-Sbeih, Shanna Shaked, Alexandre Jolliet, Pierre Crettaz, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, Taylor and Francis Group