Miljövärderingsanalyser/Evironmental evaluation

I. Methodology for evaluation of environmental impacts

Project leader: Erik Furusjö, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Ltd.

Introduction
Life cycle inventory models can be used to describe the environmental parameters as linear functions of the material flow with constant correlation coefficients. The coefficients are based on average historical impacts during a specified period of time for specified process conditions. There are limitations in current LCA/LCC methodology and thus the way LCA/LCC- models may be designed and used:

LCA models account for changes in material and energy flows between the sub-processes, which build up the model in terms of quantity only, not quality. Thus, using today's LCA technology it is not possible to model and assess the environmental consequences of changes in e.g. product quality. Conventional LCA models are too superficial to serve as design tools.·
LCA and LCC models are not homogeneous. Unit processes are defined in different ways. Overheads are allocated to products in different ways. This is a matter of common agreement rather than a scientific issue but it needs to be resolved

Goals

General
The purpose of the work in the project is two-fold:

To benchmark the work and technical solutions in selected projects with respect to cost and environmental impact from a life cycle perspective and to provide feed-back to the projects during their life-time.
To develop a generic tool that can be used to evaluate technical solutions in steel-making, both new and existing, with respect to cost and environmental impact from a life cycle perspective. The users of the tool will be steel manufacturing companies and product designers.

Industrial

To deliver methods for environmental valuation of processes and products in the steel eco-cycle.

Environmental

To calculate the environmental value of the program through case studies of selected products paths through the steel eco cycle.

Work plan
A modular system to describe the environmental and economical properties of steel-making and usage is developed in the project. Modules for all stages in the steel life cycle will be included. Each module ("box") will contain models of three types (that need to be interconnected internally):

A model to describe the environmental impact of that particular module in terms of emissions and resource consumption
A model to describe the economical cost associated with the module
A model to describe the process on a more fundamental level in order to quantify the intermediate product produced by the module as well as interactions and dependencies with other modules. The type of model and degree of detail will be different depending on the type of process and the amount of information available. It is possible to imagine everything from detailed mechanistic descriptions of chemical/physical processes to rough estimates of the properties of a process that is yet only an idea.

The first year of the project included establishment of a network for information exchange and collection of knowledge about the projects in the program whose effects are to be described by the model. Based on this information, draft conceptual models were formulated for some of the projects. A first case study product was selected and a draft baseline model was established as a basis of comparison for the new technology. With respect to implementation, selection of software platform was made.

During the second year some of the projects were subject to a first rough evaluation.

During the third year the evaluation of the already evaluated projects will be refined when more data is made available. The model of the dishwasher and several case studies in project 88044 will be used to evaluate the significance of the individual projects to the entire steel cycle. A first software prototype will be developed for demonstration.

Deliverables for 2004-2008
The overall deliverables are:

1. LCC/LCA support to selected research projects in the program.

2. Draft generic high-resolved assessment model and assessment methodology

3. Assessment of the environmental value of research projects as fas as data supply
allows.

Deliverables for 2004-2005

R & D acitvities	Status
First draft base-line LCA/LCC model for the whole steel cycle. Approximate LCI/LCC data will be defined for all necessary steel processes.	Delivered according to plan
First draft conceptual high-resolution model with a core set of parameters that define the steel processes of subproject 88011, 88020 and 88043 and their interaction with other parts of the steel cycle.	Delivered according to plan
Evaluation and decision on which software to be used for the final high-resolution model.	Delivered according to plan

Deliverables for 2006

R & D activities	Status
Refined conceptual models and draft quantitative models for projects 88011, 88020 and 88043	A refined conceptual model with some quantitative relations for energy use, fuel types, CO2 emissions etc. was established for 88020. It will be continuously refined. The work in projects 88011 and 88043 has not made enough progress to deliver data for quantitative models. These will be delivered when sufficient data is available.
Draft conceptual models for some of the remaining projects in the program	A draft conceptual model for 88031 was established. It does only contain estimates of the potential effects of the slag treatment and increased recirculation, since no data about costs or resources fro the treatment is available.
Draft evaluation of first case study	A draft evaluation of the environmental impact of the work in projects 88020 and 88031 has been done based on the dishwasher baseline model and input from the projects. The evaluation of 88020 shows potential for decreased CO2 emissions for ore based steel manufacturing but not for scrap based. In both cases use of non-renewable material and energy resources can be decreased. The evaluation of 88031 shows potential for somewhat decreased impact (e.g. 0.1% CO₂).
Draft requirements and specification for software tool implementation	A prototype of the software tool has been developed and demonstrated^a. The software specification and has been documented. Requirements have been compiled from a software viewpoint in order to meet the goal of a tool that can be used to evaluate new products and processes from a life-cycle perspective.

Deliverables for 2007

R & D activities	Status
Make a base-line LCA/LCC model for second case study including documentation.	The second case study was withdrawn during the second half of 2006. Consequently this task has not been commenced. Project 88044 will use a couple of separate case studies.
Implement the work in a software prototype to demonstrate the software tool concept	All modules of the base-line model, including ore-and scrap-based steel making, have been implemented. The flows through the modules can be simulated via a user interface. For each module (step of the steel cycle) resource consumption, waste generation and emissions can be assessed and utilised for LCA-based environmental assessments. Data from different scenarios can be compared and displayed as graphs.For a fully operational prototype a number of measures are still required, such as implementation of modules describing the newly developed processes of the steel cycle, testing/debugging, supplementing LCI data for waste handling and transports, and addition of tools for cost estimates. However, the work has been suspended during 2007 on instructions from the programme management.
Refine evaluation for projects 88020 and 88031 based on first and second case study and further information from the projects. A calculation base for evaluation of the projects environmental value is examined by the project group .The final work is calculated for the end of 2007, because lack of freely data for commercial production of eg ferrovanadium from ore.	A calculation base for evaluation of the projects environmental value is examined by the project group .The final work is calculated for the end of 2007, because lack of freely data for commercial production of eg ferrovanadium from ore.
Make a draft evaluation of further projects based on the first and second case study. The selection of projects will be based on the availability of necessary data, i.e. based on the progress in the projects, since this has shown to be the major limitation during the first two years.	All project in the programme will be inventored Calculation base and data is frequently discussed with the project managements.The environmental assessment is successively build up and will be summarised for each project next year.

Deliverables for 2008

R & D activities	Status
Conclusion and refinement of the evaluations of the projects.
Final report.

Fragmentering
/Shredding
... är en teknik som används för sönderdelning av skrot innan det smälts om till nytt stål. Genom att utveckla tekniken att finfördela skrotet kan variationerna i dess samman-sättning minskas och dess densitet ökas. Detta innebär att stålindustrin vid omsmältning av skrotet kan reducera både sitt elbehov och sina utsläpp av koldioxid.
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Laseranalys
/Laser analysis
... är en teknik som nu utvecklas för snabb bestämning av skrotets metallinnehåll. Stålindustrin väntas här få tillgång till en teknologi som kan komma att reducera behovet av jungfruliga metaller vid användning av skrot för tillverkning av nytt stål.
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Skrotflödet i samhället
/Recycling of steel
... är trots den höga återvinningsgraden föga dokumenterat. Med bättre kunskaper skapas förutsättningar för ökad återvinning och bättre styrning av skrotsorter för optimerad skrot-användning. Stålindustrin får möjlighet att effektivisera sin energianvänd-ning, stora ekonomiska värden tas till vara och miljöbelastningen minskar.
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Ytrening av skrot
/Surface cleaning of scrap
... är en teknik som skall bredda användningen av färg- och metallbelagt skrot som råvara till ett ökat antal stålsorter. För stålindustrin innebär användning av ytrenat och förvärmt skrot att både energi-användning och koldioxidutsläpp kan reduceras. Dessutom kan den avdrivna zinkbeläggningen komma att återanvändas inom zinkindustrin.
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Vanadinutvinning
/Recovery of Vanadium
Det finns låga halter av vanadin i svensk järnmalm. Genom utveckling av metoder för utvinning av vanadinet får en redan exploaterad naturresurs ett ökat miljövärde.
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Ökat metallutbyte vid smältning av stål/New melting processes EAF
... är teoretiskt möjligt genom metallurgisk manipulering under smältförloppet. Målet är att skapa sådana förhållanden att metaller överförs till stålet i stället för till slaggen. Detta innebär minskat behov av jungfruliga metaller, samtidigt som slaggen kan ges nya användnings-områden.
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Återvinning av slagg
/New slag systems EAF
... är tekniskt möjligt genom utveckling av nya metoder för lakning av olika metaller ur slagger, t.ex vanadin, och behandling av slagger så de kan användas som t.ex isoleringsmaterial eller cementråvara. Vissa slagger kan också användas som ny slaggbildare i stålprocessen, vilket minskar behovet av ny kalk. Återvinning av slagg miinskar både behovet av deponering och förbrukningen av nya naturresurser vid ståltillverkningen.
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Bevarande av alla ämnen i skrotet
/Tolerance of recycled elements
... är en teoretisk studie som skall söka klarlägga hur dessa kan nyttjas för att ge den färdiga stålproduktens önskade egenskaper. Om sådan "självlegering" blir praktisk möjlig kan de metalliska ämnen som finns i skrotet, och som normalt avlägsnas i processen, bevaras i det nya stålet. Detta innebär att förlusten av metaller ur stålets kretslopp kan reduceras.
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Nya höghållfasta stålprodukter
/Optimisation of hot rolling
... är ett forskningsprojekt som skall identifiera de processparametrar som vid värmning och valsning har störst inverkan på materialegenskaperna. De nya rönen kan ge stålindustrin möjligheter att med ökad precision framställa nya avancerade stålsorter och samtidigt minska förbrukningen av fossila bränslen.
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Metoder för lättare stålkonstruktioner
/High strength steel structures
...ska för avancerade höghållfasta stål utmynna i att stålets egenskaper kopplas till produkternas användning och återvinning ur ett livscykelperspektiv. Genom denna metodutveckling kan stål-, bygg- och verkstadsindustrin få nya infallsvinklar på användandet av stål som både kan minska behovet av jungfruliga metaller och reducera emissionerna vid såväl tillverkning som användning av produkterna.
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Miljövärderingsanalyser
/Environmental evaluation

I. Methodology for evaluation of environmental impact
...ska påvisa Stålkretsloppets miljövärde med beaktande av ekologiska, tekniska och sociala faktorer. Miljövärderingar ger forskare, industri, användare och samhället i övrigt möjlighet att värdera såväl stålets nytta för miljön som dess belastning på miljön ur ett livscykelperspektiv. En metod som gör miljövärderingar tillgängliga för objektiva beslut.
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II. Conjoint analysis as a decision tool for evaluation of environmental performance of for instance experts and consumers preferences
... tar fram en metod för att mäta olika experters och andra intressenters attityder till och värdering av komplexa miljöfrågor.
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