Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment for Critical Energy Materials: Developing a New Framework for Integrated Industrial Ecology Methods

1337095（肯德尔）。预计到2050年，与能源有关的温室气体排放量将翻一番，导致全球气候变暖6度或更多。为了改变这些排放的过程，需要迅速和广泛地部署可再生能源和节能技术。这一部署将增加对清洁能源技术重要材料的需求，导致一些材料成为关键能源材料。国家和国际机构越来越强调关键能源材料在满足气候变化减缓目标和发展美国清洁能源经济方面的作用。随着时间的推移，供应、需求和矿物开采延迟、障碍或激励措施的复杂相互作用将导致关键材料的资源限制和环境影响。因此，一个动态的和前瞻性的方法来模拟材料的可用性和环境影响，需要由技术开发商选择环保材料，并支持战略清洁能源政策。本研究将开发一个综合的生命周期评估（LCA）和物质流分析（MFA）框架，以创建一个动态的方法，材料的可持续性评估。生命周期评价从整体上分析技术的环境绩效，但目前的生命周期评价方法依赖于静态的生命周期清单数据，即使在评估未来的技术。本研究将结合产业生态学的两种方法：生命周期评价和多功能分析，发展一种前瞻性的动态方法。这种耦合产生了一个新的动态LCA框架，该框架承认采矿和精炼影响的空间变异性，并预测材料可用性和环境影响随时间的变化。该框架将适用于四种被认为是临界、近临界或观察名单上的金属：两种稀土，钕和镝;锂;和镁。这四个方面对于生产电动汽车至关重要，电动汽车是一种重要的清洁能源技术。未来电动汽车的动态LCA将作为这种新方法的说明性案例。生成的模型和数据集将有助于改进这种特定技术的生命周期设计、规划和材料选择，并为其他技术和材料开发类似工具和数据提供框架。这项研究将有助于解决LCA中尚未解决的问题，包括长寿命产品中材料的回收分配实践，以及未来LCA中联合生产的处理，从而促进工业生态学的其他方法进步。当可回收材料被束缚在长寿命产品中时，二次材料可用性的延迟是回收分配的一个有趣案例。此外，还将解决副产品分配问题，因为许多关键能源材料是作为副产品生产的，因为它们共同存在于地质矿床中。应用强化的生命周期评估方法有助于避免意外后果，提高减缓气候变化战略的有效性。这项研究将使清洁能源技术开发人员能够预测在设计中选择特定材料的长期负面环境后果，促进产品开发早期阶段的生命周期决策。这项研究还将帮助政策制定者和行业预测确定替代材料和资源以及开发强大的回收基础设施所需的时间。研究方法和成果将被纳入教育课程研究，并应有助于政策制定者和行业预测确定替代材料和资源以及开发强大的回收基础设施所需的时间。研究方法和成果将被纳入研究生和本科生课程的教育课程，让学生了解定量可持续发展方法和当前问题。此外，还将针对教育背景不利的一年级本科生和考虑或就读工程领域的社区学院转学生举办基于项目的研讨会。研讨会将使用环境可持续性主题的工程设计问题，以帮助学生将工程职业与社会相关主题联系起来。此外，还将通过教师培训材料针对6-12年级的学生。该项目将在所有年份支持一名博士生，并提供两个本科夏季研究经验。

1337095 (Kendall). Energy-related greenhouse gas emissions are expected to double by 2050, leading to warming of the global climate by 6 degrees or more. Rapid and extensive deployment of renewable and energy-efficient technologies is required to change the course of these emissions. This deployment will increase demands for materials important for clean energy technologies, leading to some becoming critical energy materials. National and international agencies have increasingly emphasized the role of critical energy materials in meeting climate change mitigation goals and for developing a vibrant economy for clean energy in the U.S. The complex interactions of supply, demand, and mineral extraction delays, barriers, or incentives will lead to varying resource restrictions and environmental impacts for critical materials over time. Thus, a dynamic and prospective approach to modeling material availability and environmental impacts is required for environmentally preferable material selection by technology developers, and to support strategic clean energy policies. This research will develop an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) framework to create a dynamic approach for material sustainability assessment. LCA holistically analyzes the environmental performance of technologies, yet current LCA methods rely on static life cycle inventory data even in assessments of future technologies. This research will develop a prospective and dynamic approach by coupling two methods from industrial ecology: LCA and MFA. This coupling results in a new framework for dynamic LCA, one that acknowledges spatial variability in mining and refining impacts, and anticipates changes in a material's availability and environmental impacts over time. The framework will be applied to four metals considered critical, near critical, or watch list: two rare earths, neodymium and dysprosium; lithium; and magnesium. All four are essential for producing electric vehicles, an important clean energy technology. A dynamic LCA of future electric vehicles will serve as an illustrative case for this new method. The models and datasets generated will contribute to improved life cycle design, planning, and material selection for this particular technology, and provide a framework for developing similar tools and data for other technologies and materials. This research will contribute to other methodological advancements in industrial ecology by addressing unresolved issues in LCA, including recycling allocation practices for materials in long-lived products, and the treatment of co-production in prospective LCAs. The delay in secondary material availability when recyclable materials are bound in long-lived products represents an interesting case for recycling allocation. In addition, co-product allocation issues will be addressed because many critical energy materials are produced as co-products because they co-occur in geologic deposits. Application of enhanced LCA methods can help avert unintended consequences and improve the effectiveness of climate change mitigation strategies. This research will allow clean energy technology developers to anticipate long-term negative environmental consequences of selecting a particular material in a design, facilitating life cycle decision-making at the earliest stages of product development. This research will also help policymakers and industry anticipate the timing required for identifying alternative materials and resources, and for developing robust recycling infrastructure. The research methods and outcomes will be incorporated into educational curricula research and should also help policymakers and industry anticipate the timing required for identifying alternative materials and resources, and for developing robust recycling infrastructure. The research methods and outcomes will be incorporated into educational curricula for graduate and undergraduate courses, exposing students to quantitative sustainability methods and current issues. In addition, project-based seminars will be developed to target first year undergraduates from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and community college transfer students considering or enrolled in engineering fields. Seminars will use engineering design problems with environmental sustainability themes to help students connect careers in engineering with socially relevant themes. In addition, students in grades 6-12 will be targeted through teacher training materials. The project will support one doctoral student in all years and provide two undergraduate summer research experiences.