LCA-tool a tool to assess environmental impacts of landscaping. Frans Silvenius, MTT Bioteknologia ja elintarviketutkimus

Transcription

1 LCA-tool a tool to assess environmental impacts of landscaping Frans Silvenius, MTT Bioteknologia ja elintarviketutkimus

2 Partners: MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Hämeenlinna University of Applied Sciences HAMK, Viherrakenne Jaakkola Ltd (landscaping enterpirse) and The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries Duration: September 2010 December 2014

3 Project is concentrating to compare environmental impacts of peat and compost based growth medias investigate environmental impacts of the whole product chain of landscaping produce calculation tool to growth media producers and landscaping enterprises to optimize their function only lawn areas

4 We focused on lawn areas

5 System boundaries Peat production Composting of biowaste and sludge Transport of growth media, peat and mineral soil Establishment of lawn areas Fertilizers Lime Maintenance of lawn areas - Time period 20 years

6 Environmental impacts Fertilizing and replacing mineral fertilizers N- and P-leaches from lawn areas Energy consumption and greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions of composting Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from establishing processes of the lawn areas Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from maintenance of the lawn areas Transports of growth media Fuel consumption of establishment and maintenance of lawn areas Impacts of vitality of lawn areas

7 LCA-tool to growth media producers Impact classes: Climate impact Eutrophication Acidification Energy consumption

8 Parameters Amounts and compost of growth media Essential the amounts of peat and compost - Total -N and total- P contents of compost - NH4-content of growth media - Transport distances - Area of investigated lawn area - Investigated time period - Amounts of fertilizers and lime

9 Calculation Many equations are based on Boldrin et al 2010 CO2 of peat degradation essential, assumed 86 % of total-c in peat CO2 from degradation of compost biogenic carbon binding is assumed 14 % of total -C 50 % of nitrogen is assumed to be evaporated and 1,8 % of that N 2 O-N Methane is average between IPCC and EASEWASTE model 1,5 % of nitrogen of N-input is assumed to be evaporated as N 2 O-N in lawn areas Data source of transports Lipasto, VTT Finnish data bank Lime Nordkalk, fertilizers mainly Yara Fuel consumption of maintenance and establishment of lawns field experiments

10 Pilots Three different growth medias (1-3) Two scenarios (4, 5) One is using compost from biowaste, two compost from sewage sludge One is using peat in addition to compost because the compost is so rich with nutrients as organic material, others use peat in composting process Scenarios are theoretical growth medias, which have only peat and only compost as organic materials

11 Pilot growth medias Peat Compost Other Adhesive Growth media 1 Growth media 2 55 % 45 % Peat % Peat Growth media 3 Growth media 4 Growth media 5 24 % 12 % 65 % Wood chips 0 % Wood chips 0 % Wood chips

12 Growing media seems to have a key role

13 Climate impacts when using of different growth media, kg CO2-ekv/m2, Growth media 1, peat2 7,5 kg/m2 Growth media Growth media 2, peat 26,2 kg 3, peat 47,2 kg/m Growth media 4, peat 68kg/m2 Growth media 5, peat 0 kg/m Carbon binding Fertilizers Lime N2O-emissions from lawn Establishment of lawn Mowing Transports Composting Peat degradation Turpeen oton päästöt

14 Eutrophication potentials No local impacts where taken into account 13 % of nitrogen and 5 % of phosphorus are assumed to leach in 20 years Phosphorus leach is quite constant during 20 years, but nitrogen leach is very strong during the first year

15 Eutrophication impacts High compost content of growth media 1 is reason for high eutrophication potential High nutrient contents of growth media 3 is the main reason for high eutrophication potential

16 Eutrophication impacts when using different growth medias, gpo4-ekv/m Growth media 1, compost 55 % Growth media 2, compost 40 % Growth media 4, compost 9 % Growth media 5, compost 0 % Growth media 4, compost 55 %

17 Acidification impacts The most essential is ammonia during composting process and from nitrogen inputs to lawn areas Recovering rate of ammonia can be even 95 % in composting

18 Energy High peat concentration in growth media leads high use of primary energy The significance of transports and mowing is higher in category primary energy use than in other studied impact classes

19 Primary energy consumption, MJ/ha Transports Mowing Establishment of lawn area Peat Electricity, composting Diesel, composting 0 Growth media1 Growth media 2 Growth media 3 Growth media 4 Growth media 5

20 Factors causing uncertainty GHG-emissions of composting vary in relation to circumstances measurements show quite high dinitrogen monoxide and quite low methane emissions aeration has strong impact to these emissions that is not taken into account in LCA tool Variation of fuel consumption of mowing is quite wide

21 Introduction to LCA tool Calculation values (categories shown) Climate impact

22 Application possibilities for the LCA-tool: In designing growth medias products for various purposes the contents of compost and peat can be regulated in relation to the nutrient contents of compost to minimize eutrophication and climate impacts Different transportation alternatives can be compared by using the tool: low energy inputs lead usually also to low economical costs LCA tool divides the environmental impacts between production phases which helps the growth media producer to know the hot-spots of the production process. In planning establishment of a new lawn area the main points making an environmental impact can be identified. If the soil is changed the production process and characteristics of the growth media have a big role

23 Thank you for your attention!