NPLK14004U Life Cycle Assessment within Biological Production Systems
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
Life cycle assessment is a multi-disciplinary tool that is used
to assess all the environmental impacts associated with the
production of a product or a production system. The tool is
increasingly applied as an aid in political decision making and
knowledge about the tool is therefore highly relevant to students
interested in environmental science and management.
The course covers general LCA theory:
1. Goal and scope definition
2. Inventory analysis
3. Life impact assessment
4. Interpretation of results
This include important subjects like definition of functional unit,
system boundary delimitation, allocation, system expansion,
change-oriented versus accounting LCA, consequential versus
attributional modeling. Impact assessment methodology and
sensitivity analysis.
Special emphasis will be given to various environmental and
resource conservation problems that arise in conjunction with
products of biological production systems (e.g. horticultural
crops, field crops, production animals, aquaculture, food industry,
pharmaceutics). The students are also introduced to the concept of
cost benefit analysis (CBA) and illustrative examples of CBA based
on value transfer will be given.
The objective of the course is to learn the theory behind, and
to gain experience with applying life cycle assessment to
biological production systems. The course will teach the students
the basic principles for conducting an LCA and to evaluate
environmental impacts of biological production.
Upon completion of the course the students should be able
to:
Knowledge:
- Identify major environmental impacts of biological production
systems - Show overview of the theory of life cycle assessment
(LCA)
- outline the definition of scope, goal, inventory analysis and
impact assessment - Describe how LCA can be used for improving
production systems
- Reflect about pros and cons of LCA software.
- Summarize the transfer of LCA results to economic cost-benefit
analysis (CBA)
- Describe alternative environmental assessment tools and their
applicability
Skills:
- Use LCA software and apply it to practical cases
- Apply LCA on different kinds of products of biological production
systems - Analyse factors that influence the environmental impact
of biological systems directly or indirectly
- Assess the conclusions in LCA-reports
Competences:
- Discuss environmental problems associated with biological
production systems
- Present an understanding of potential consequences of the results
of an LCA
- Suggest improvements to biological production systems in terms of
environmental impact with the aid of LCA
- Link LCA-outcomes with the CBA of economists and discuss the
implications of this.
Course material will mainly be the book: - Henrikke Baumann and Anne-Marie Tillman: The hitch hiker's guide to LCA. Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden. In addition papers with background information for the cases and notes on CBA will be distributed during the course.
1. Introduction to the theory, principles and application of LCA;
2. Use of the acquired LCA competences on a self-chosen case-study of a product or process of a biological production system.
In the first part, the general theory of life cycle assessment will be presented the form of lectures and exercises and the students will be acquainted with life cycle thinking. In addition, the students will get hand-on experience with LCA software and acquainted with the possibilities of its use through exercises. A case study and several small exercises will illustrate the principles relevant to biological production systems such as land use, eutrophication, global warming etc.
In the second part the students will choose a case among a limited number of possibilities from a biological production system according to their interests. An expert in the area will act as a client requesting a LCA, while the student will act as LCA experts carrying out the assessment. This will be done in study groups, but the students will each write an individual discussion of the results. This case will serve to illustrate some of the practical problems with LCA in more detail and train the use of LCA software. In addition, lectures given by specialists of relevant fields, real life LCA application will be illustrated.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 39
- Practical exercises
- 30
- Preparation
- 44
- Project work
- 93
- Total
- 206
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- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 min. under invigilationWritten assignmentIndividual assigment app. 40%. Oral examination is weighted app. 60%. An overall assessment is made. 20 min. preparation time for the oral examination.
- Exam registration requirements
Two group reports made during the course must be approved.
Individual assignment must be submitted.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
One internal examiner
- Re-exam
As the ordinary exam.
Prerequisites for the reexamination: the two group reports handed in and approved. Submission individual assigment at least two weeks before the reexamination.
Criteria for exam assesment
The assessment is based on the fulfillment of the learning outcome for the course in relation to the criteria in the 7-scale grading system
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NPLK14004U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 4
- Schedule
- A
- Course capacity
- 25
- Continuing and further education
- Study board
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting departments
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
- Department of Food and Resource Economics
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management
Course Coordinators
- Sander Bruun (3-7765664474706972326f7932686f)
Lecturers
Bo Jellesmark Thorsen
Niclas Scott Bentsen