Practice Flashcards
Name the impact categories an LCA measures.
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All Flashcards in Topic 11.2
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11.2.14 cards
Name the impact categories an LCA measures.
Global warming potential, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, ecotoxicity, and resource depletion.
Why is global warming potential given in CO₂ equivalent?
Different gases trap different amounts of heat, so each is converted into the mass of CO₂ that would do the same damage, which lets a single total be quoted.
Give an LCA result that contradicts a common assumption.
A cotton tote must be reused dozens of times before it beats a thin plastic bag, because growing and processing cotton is far more damaging per bag.
Why does the boundary of an LCA matter?
Where it starts and stops decides the answer. Leave out extraction and a recycled product looks free; leave out use and an inefficient appliance looks harmless.
11.2.24 cards
Name the five cradle-to-grave stages.
Raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution and transport, use and maintenance, and disposal and recycling.
Which stage dominates, and how do you tell?
For a powered product, use. For a passive one, extraction. Ask whether the product consumes anything while it works.
What is the difference between cradle to grave and cradle to cradle?
Cradle to grave ends at disposal. Cradle to cradle recovers the material so it re-enters the first stage of the next product.
Why is a longer life usually the largest saving?
Doubling a working life halves the impact of everything that made it, per year of service — which almost no material substitution can match.
Topic 11.2 study notes
Full notes & explanations for Life-cycle analysis
Design Technology exam skills
Paper structures, command terms & tips
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