Work package 7 – Life cycle assessment
The objective of this work package was to provide a comprehensive and quantitative sustainability assessment of the cyber-physical system designed by HyperCOG. Sustainability is here understood to encompass environmental, economic and social aspects and is assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methods. LCA accounts for the impact from the cradle to the grave of products and services, reducing the risk of shifting the burden elsewhere. The assessment focused on the three practical use cases (steel, chemical and cement sectors) and involved the following:
- An environmental LCA
- A life cycle costing (LCC)
- A social LCA
To identify the activities in the life cycle of the CPS solution that substantially contribute to the environmental/economic/social impacts, in order to guide technology development towards minimizing these effects.
The assessment will address the above topics, with the following goals:
- To determine whether or not the implementation of the CPS in the three use cases leads to a net environmental benefit, when compared to a business-as-usual scenario.
To conduct LCA in a dynamic manner for it to be effectively integrated with CPS during industrial operations.
To explore cleaner production activities and digital solutions to maximize environmental benefits.
