Life Cycle Assessments [LCAs] questions & answers latest update 2024

Life Cycle Assessments [LCAs] questions & answers latest update 2024What is a life cycle assessment? - correct answer Looks at every stage of a products life to assess the impact it would have on the environment What are the 4 stages of an LCA - correct answer choice of raw material, manufacture/packaging, product use, disposal Describe the 1st stage of an LCA - correct answer Getting Raw Materials: -extracting raw materials needed for a product can damage the local environment and cause pollution due to the amounts of energy needed - raw materials often need to be processed to extract the desired materials and this often needs large amounts of energy. E.g. extracting metals and ores or fractional distillation of crude oil Describe the 2nd stage of an LCA - correct answer Manufacturing & Packaging: - manufacturing products and their packaging can use a lot of energy resources and can also cause a lot of pollution. For example, harmful fumes such as CO or HCl - You also need to think about any waste products and how to dispose them. Chemical reactions used to make compounds from their raw materials can produce waste products. Some waste can be turned into other useful chemicals, reducing the amount that ends up polluting the environment. Describe the 3rd stage of an LCA - correct answer Using the Product: - The use of a product can damage the environment e.g. burning fuels releases greenhouse gases. Fertilisers can leach into streams & river, causing damage to ecosystems etc - How long a product is used for or how many uses it gets is also a factor - products that need lots of energy to produce but are used for ages mean less waste in the long run