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Eutrophication Model Development for Life Cycle Impact Assessment in the United States (ICOSSE '18 presentation)
Citation:
Niblick, B., B. Morelli, T. Hawkins, A. Henderson, H. Golden, J. Compton, E. Cooter, AND J. Bare. Eutrophication Model Development for Life Cycle Impact Assessment in the United States (ICOSSE '18 presentation). ICOSSE '18: 7th International Congress on Sustainability Science & Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio, August 12 - 15, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Excess nutrients from soil runoff and the atmosphere can lead to water quality challenges, such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), resulting in depletion of oxygen (hypoxia), and in some cases the production of cyanotoxins. The associated work builds on a comprehensive review of environmental models and methods from EPA and others used to calculate and represent where nutrients end up in the environment (i.e. fate), what pathways they follow (i.e. transport), and what impacts nutrient-related releases and emissions can have on the environment. This advancement of research will be used to improve the eutrophication impact assessment category in life cycle assessment, which is a category based on the reviewed nutrient models. Preliminary results and recommendations will be presented to a conference audience consisting of academic researchers, federal research institutions, and members of industry.
Description:
Eutrophication describes the buildup of excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in a body of water. This buildup can lead to excess plant growth, such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), resulting in deficiency of dissolved oxygen (hypoxia), and in some cases the production of cyanotoxins. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can evaluate Eutrophication Potential (EP) over the life cycle of a product or service, but the way EP is calculated depends on the particular life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method used. Different methods rely on different fate and transport (F&T) models, which when paired together with varying user assumptions, can lead to vastly different results. Commonly used approaches to EP are currently most appropriate for screening-level analyses. The necessary simplification of F&T models, particularly with regard to spatial and temporal scopes, can make it difficult to inform eutrophication-based life-cycle decisions without including significant levels of uncertainty. Yet such decisions need to be made and these decisions have far-reaching effects on water quality, nutrient management, and environmental policies. This presentation builds on a critical review of nutrient F&T models (e.g. NEWS 2, WASP, AQUATOX) as well as eutrophication LCIA methods (e.g. TRACI, ReCiPe, IMPACT World+) and offers recommendations on how the EP impact category could be improved to better inform life-cycle decision-making, especially in the United States. These recommendations extend to EPA’s update of the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) and ongoing methodology research for other impact categories at EPA. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.