Crash course in life cycle analysis (LCA): explanation and illustration of the method.

Life cycle assessments (LCA) are widely used to evaluate the environmental impact of a process or product compared to conventional alternatives. An accompanying LCA is often required to obtain funding, and the result of the LCA can be significant in showing whether it is worthwhile to further develop certain processes.

Against this background, the presentation explains the basics of the LCA methodology, i.e. how it works, what it can do and what limitations it has. - The explanations are illustrated by a recent case study on an innovative pyro- and hydrometallurgical recycling process developed by a project consortium led by Accurec Recycling GmbH. - The case study shows how emission hotspots can be identified (chemicals for hydrometallurgy as well as electricity demand and process emissions of pyrolysis), where significant benefits arise (substitution of primary cobalt, nickel, steel and lithium), how sensitivity analyses can provide additional insights (e.g. the use of waste heat would greatly improve the results) and what cannot be answered by LCA (e.g. the comparison between a battery made from recycled materials and a battery made from primary materials).