This course will introduce you to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA ) methodology, a tool to assess the environmental impact of products and systems over the whole product life cycle, from cradle to grave.
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Life Cycle Assessment
University of MichiganAbout this Course
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Intermediate Level
Approx. 34 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
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Shareable Certificate
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100% online
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Intermediate Level
Approx. 34 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?
Try Coursera for Business
Offered by
University of Michigan
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week1
Week 1
Product-Oriented environmental assessment : Introduction to LCA
This week we take a look at the sustainability performance of products over their entire life cycle, from cradle to cradle. After analyzing the large number of products-chemicals we are in daily contact with, we identify the need for LCA, learn about the motivations to conduct LCAs versus other environmental tools. The goals and system definition step defines the goal and scope of the study, including the product function, functional unit, and the product system and its boundaries
11 videos (Total 96 min), 6 readings, 4 quizzes
11 videos
Meet Your Instructors5mCourse Introduction11mHow to Use the $ in Excel: A Tutorial Activity7mIntroduction to LCA - Part A - Why LCA?10mIntroduction to LCA - Part B - Uses of LCA4mLCA From A to Z - Qualitative10mLCA From A to Z - Quantitative9mLCA From A to Z - Product Improvement12mA History of LCA Standards8mLCA Compared to Other Environmental Tools- Part A8mLCA compared to other environmental tools- Part B7m6 readings
Course Syllabus & Roadmap10mPre-Course Survey10mExpected Timetable for Case Study10mHow to Use the "$" Sign in Excel to Calculate Values10mChapter 3.1 Combined Slides10mIntroduction to LCA Illustrated Quiz 10m4 practice exercises
Knowledge Check: Introduction to LCA30mActivity 11 - LCA illustrated30mKnowledge Check 8a Introduction to LCA30mWeek 1 Assessment30mWeek2
Week 2
LCA Goal Definition
This week we take a look at the sustainability performance of products over their entire life cycle, from cradle to cradle. After analyzing the large number of products-chemicals we are in daily contact with, we identify the need for LCA, learn about the motivations to conduct LCAs versus other environmental tools. The goals and system definition step defines the goal and scope of the study, including the product function, functional unit, and the product system and its boundaries
11 videos (Total 103 min), 6 readings, 6 quizzes
11 videos
Goal and Scope Definition - Part A8mGoal and Scope Definition - Part B7mFunction & Functional Unit - Part A3mFunction & Functional Unit - Part B10mFunction & Functional Unit - Part C11mBuilding of Product System and Process Tree - Part A8mBuilding of Product System and Process Tree Part B6mBuilding of Product System and Process Tree Part C14mSystem Boundaries - Part A7mSystem Boundaries - Part B11mCase Study - Intermediary Presentation - week 312m6 readings
Chapter 3.2 Combined Slides10mDirections for Activity 12a Functional unit and reference flows10mActivity 12b Hand Drying Comparison10mActivity 13 Building the product system and process tree10mExpected Timetable for Case Study10mCase Study - Intermediary Presentation Model 10m5 practice exercises
Knowledge Check 9 Goal and scope30mActivity 12a Functional unit and reference flows30mKnowledge Check 10 Building the product system30mKnowledge Check 11 System boundaries5mWeek 2 Assessment30mWeek3
Week 3
Life Cycle Inventory Part 1
The Life Cycle Inventory, the second LCA phase, quantifies the inventory of the various elementary flows of resource extractions and substance emissions crossing the system boundary. We first learn how to build the life cycle inventory and determine aggregated elementary flows from cradle to gate. We then establish the energy and CO2 balance for several products, identifying the dominant stages in the life cycle. This module then provide an overview of existing databases, describes in further detail the widespread ecoinvent database, illustrating the inventory via a simple car example.
9 videos (Total 67 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes
9 videos
Life Cycle Inventory - Building the LCI Part A3mLife Cycle Inventory - Building the LCI Part B11mLife Cycle Inventory - Building the LCI Part C3mPrimary Energy and CO2 Emissions from Processes & Materials - Part A8mPrimary Energy and CO2 Emissions from Processes & Materials - Part B11mPrimary Energy and CO2 Balance - Part A4mPrimary Energy and CO2 Balance - Part B9mPrimary Energy and CO2 Balance - Part C8mPrimary Energy and CO2 Balance - Part D6m5 readings
Chapter 3.3 Combined Slides10mActivity 14 Building the LCI10mEnergy and CO2 balance Lighting template10mEnergy and CO2 balance Lighting template (Filled)10mActivity 15 Primary Energy and CO2 Balance - Part A10m5 practice exercises
Knowledge Check 12 Building the LCI5mBuilding the LCI 30mKnowledge Check 13a Primary Energy and CO2 Emissions30mKnowledge Check 13b Primary Energy and CO2 Balance30mWeek 3 Assessment30mWeek4
Week 4
Life Cycle Inventory Part 2
The chapter finally introduces us to two special topics of importance: the allocation of emission between co-products and the possibilities offered by Input-output allocation to complement the process LCA approach developed in detail in this chapter.
9 videos (Total 89 min), 4 readings, 6 quizzes
9 videos
Life Cycle Inventory - Databases - Part A11mLife Cycle Inventory - Databases - Part B8mLife Cycle Inventory - Databases - Part C7mLife Cycle Inventory - Databases - Part D11mFull Life Cycle Inventory - Car Case Study Part A11mFull Life Cycle Inventory - Car Case Study Part B9mLife Cycle Inventory - Special Topics - Part A Allocation13mLife Cycle Inventory - Special Topics - Part B Input-output9mLife Cycle Inventory - Special Topics - Part C Input-output6m4 readings
Activity 17 Car case study - Matrix calculation10mActivity 18 'Input-Output practice'10mWeek 4 Assessment Resource 15mCase Study - Intermediary Presentation10m5 practice exercises
Knowledge Check 14a: LCI databases30mWeek 4 Assessment30mCase Study Selection 5mCase Study: CAR Phase 1 Quiz30mCase Study: MILKPhase 1 Quiz30mWeek5
Week 5
Life Cycle Impact Assessment
The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is the third phase of an LCA. It use the inventory data to determine their environmental impacts and compare different types of impacts. The impact assessment methods are simple to apply, though their development can be relatively complex. After an introduction to LCIA and various environmental impacts, we first present the LCIA principles and framework. The module then details and illustrates using the Impact World+ method each LCIA step, i.e. a) the classification of emissions into different impact categories, b) the characterization of midpoint impacts, c) the damage (end point) characterization and the optional d) normalization and e) weighting steps. The module finishes by an overview of the existing LCIA methods and the present research efforts to arrive to a global consensus method.
16 videos (Total 149 min), 1 reading, 5 quizzes
16 videos
Introduction to LCIA6mOverview of Environmental Impact Categories - Part A9mOverview of Environmental Impact Categories - Part B8mPrinciples and Framework - Part A8mPrinciples and Framework - Part B8mLCIA in Practice- Part A9mLCIA in Practice- Part B12mLCIA in Practice- Part C12mLCIA in Practice - Part D 10mLCIA in Practice - Part E 10mLCIA in Practice- Part F6mLCIA in Practice- Part G11mLCIA in Practice- Part H10mOverview of LCIA Methods- Part A10mOverview of LCIA Methods - Part B8mOverview of LCIA Methods - Part C5m1 reading
Activity 19 Practice LCIA - Hands drying example10m5 practice exercises
Knowledge Check 15 LCIA principles and framework30mKnowledge Check 16 LCIA car case study - Midpoint and damage30mKnowledge Check 17 LCIA car case study - Normalization and weighting30mKnowledge Check 18 Overview of LCIA methods30mWeek 5 Assessment30mWeek6
Week 6
LCA Interpretation
This chapter aims to guide you in the interpretation of results, in the implementation of an LCA in the SIMAPRO software and in the environmental classification of products. After describing the main interpretation principles, we illustrate the interpretation steps using an example of desktop versus laptop computers. We then discuss strategies to check LCA results, and identify and discuss the main uncertainties in life cycle impact assessment results and illustrate it with the hands drying example. We then perform a SIMAPRO tutorial exercise, implementing the hand drying example in SIMAPRO. We finally discuss a simplified product classification and provide rules for sustainable design of products, also looking at reuse,recycling and (e-)waste strategies.
14 videos (Total 137 min), 4 readings, 9 quizzes
14 videos
Interpretation Principles10mInterpretation - PC Case Study - Part A12mInterpretation - PC Case Study - Part B11mInterpretation - PC Case Study - Part C10mCase Study - Final Presentation - week 512mChecks and uncertainty - Part A 8mChecks and uncertainty - Part B11mChecks and uncertainty - Part C11mChecks and uncertainties Part D9mProduct Classification - Part A10mProduct Classification - Part B6mProduct Classification - Part C7mCase Study - Intermediary Presentation - week 312mLCA Summary - LCA good practices in one page1m4 readings
Case Study Final Presentation10mActivity 22: Positioning Products10mCase Study: Abstract Models10mPost-Course Survey10m8 practice exercises
Knowledge Check 20 Interpretation principles30mKnowledge Check 21 Checks and uncertainties30mKnowledge Check 22 Product classification5mPositioning Products5mCase Study: CAR Phase 2 Quiz30mCase Study: MILK Phase 2 Quiz30mKnowledge Check 2330mWeek 6 Assessment30mFrequently Asked Questions
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