Entropy Production and Resource Consumption in Life-Cycle Assessments

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511976049.015

11 - Entropy Production and Resource Consumption in Life-Cycle Assessments

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2011

Stefan Gößling-Reisemann

Edited by

Bhavik R. Bakshi ,

Timothy G. Gutowski and

Dušan P. Sekulić

Show author details

Stefan Gößling-Reisemann: Affiliation:
University of Bremen
Bhavik R. Bakshi: Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Timothy G. Gutowski: Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dušan P. Sekulić: Affiliation:
University of Kentucky

Book contents

Get access

Summary

Measuring Resource Consumption

This book is all about thermodynamics and resources, the meaning of resources, their interpretation in thermodynamics, their consumption, and the path to a sustainable way of managing resources. It has been clarified in other chapters that the consumption of resources is to be understood as a process of diminishing their usability. This is the basis for this chapter: understanding resource consumption as a loss of potential utility of these resources. The concept of potential utility is explained later in this chapter in more detail. For now it should suffice to note that consumption is only partly measurable in physical terms. We speak of consumption when the states of matter and energy change in a way that makes them less usable for human needs. Thus the general meaning of consumption has an anthropogenic notion, which cannot be evaluated in objective physical terms only. In some cases, this change in the usability of material or energy flows is accompanied by a proportional change in one or more of their physical properties, as, for example, when the temperature of a heat flow decreases. In these cases, measuring consumption is straightforward. In other cases, however, the changes in the material and energy flows are of a different nature with possibly no way of direct measurement. We might still be able to find changes in the physical, chemical, or biological properties of the flows that are responsible for the loss in usability, but the relation between consumption and the change in these properties is much more complicated.

Type: Chapter
Information: Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources , pp. 265 - 291

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511976049.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

,Merriam-Webster, Definition of “consumption.” Available at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumption (accessed Dec. 7, 2008, from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).

Kondepudi, D. and Prigogine, I., Modern Thermodynamics: From Heat Engines to Dissipative Structures(Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1998).CrossRef

Georgescu-Roegen, N., The Entropy Law and the Economic Process(Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971).CrossRef

Bejan, A., Entropy Generation Minimization: The Method of Thermodynamic Optimization of Finite-Size Systems and Finite-Time Processes, Vol. 2 of Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering Series (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1996).CrossRef

Ishida, M., Selected Papers From the Proceedings of Efficiency, Costs, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Aspects of Energy Systems (ECOS '99), Energy Conversion and Management, Special issue, 43.2002, 9/12 (Pergamon, Oxford, 2002).Google Scholar

Szargut, J., Ziebik, A., and Stanek, W., “Depletion of the non-renewable natural exergy resources as a measure of the ecological cost,” Energy Convers. Manage. 43, 1149–1164 (2002).CrossRef Google Scholar

Ayres, R. U., Ayres, L. W., and Martinás, K., “Eco-thermodynamics: Exergy and life cycle analysis,” INSEAD R&D Working Papers, 96/04/EPS (INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, 1996).

Ayres, R. U., Ayres, L. W., and Masini, A., “An application of exergy accounting to five basic metal industries,” in Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science: Sustainable Metals Management. Securing Our Future – Steps Towards a Closed Loop Economy, edited by Gleich, A., Ayres, R. U., and Gößling-Reisemann, S. (Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2006), pp. 141–194.

Szargut, J., Morris, D. R., and Steward, F. R., Exergy Analysis of Thermal, Chemical, and Metallurgical Processes(Hemisphere, New York, 1988).

Ayres, R. U., “Eco-thermodynamics: Economics and the second law,” Ecol. Econ. 26, 189–210 (1998).CrossRef Google Scholar

Ayres, R. U. and Martinás, K., “Waste potential entropy: The ultimate ecotoxic?,” INSEAD R&D Working Papers, 94/36/EPS (EPS, Fontainebleau, 1994).

Connelly, L. and Koshland, C. P., “Exergy and industrial ecology – Part 1: An exergy-based definition of consumption and a thermodynamic interpretation of ecosystem evolution,” Exergy 1, 146–165 (2001).CrossRef Google Scholar

Connelly, L. and Koshland, C. P., “Exergy and industrial ecology – Part 2: A non-dimensional analysis of means to reduce resource depletion,” Exergy 1, 234–255 (2001).CrossRef Google Scholar

Szargut, J., “Exergy in the thermal systems analysis,” in High Technology, Vol. 69 of Thermodynamic optimization of complex energy systems (Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Thermodynamics and the Optimization of Complex Energy Systems, Neptun, Romania, July 13–24, 1998), edited by Bejan, A. and Mamut, E. (Kluwer Academic, Boston, 1999).Google Scholar

Cornelissen, R. L., “Thermodynamics and sustainable development – The use of exergy analysis and the reduction of irreversibility,” Ph.D dissertation (University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands, 1997).

Cornelissen, R. L. and Gerard, G. Hirs, “The value of exergetic life cycle assessment besides LCA,” Energy Convers. Manage. 43, 1417–1424 (2002).CrossRef Google Scholar

Szargut, J. and Morris, D. R., “Cumulative exergy consumption and cumulative degree of perfection of chemical processes,” Intl. J. Energy Resources 11, 245–261 (1987); retrieved Dec. 8, 2008, from http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/er.4440110207.CrossRef

Dewulf, J., Langenhove, H., and Dirckx, J., “Exergy analysis in the assessment of the sustainability of waste gas treatment systems,” Sci. Total Environ. 273, 41–52 (2001).CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Dewulf, J. and Langenhove, H., “Quantitative assessment of solid waste treatment systems in the industrial ecology perspective by exergy analysis,” Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 1130–1135 (2002).CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Dewulf, J. and Langenhove, H., “Assessment of the sustainability of technology by means of a thermodynamically based life cycle analysis,” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Intl. 9, 267–273 (2002).CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Dincer, I. and Cengel, Y. A., “Energy, entropy and exergy concepts and their roles in thermal engineering,” Entropy 3, 116–149 (2001).CrossRef Google Scholar

Andresen, B., “Finite-time thermodynamics,” Ph.D. dissertation (University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1984).Google Scholar

, S. Gößling-Reisemann and Gleich, A., “Ressourcen, Kreislaufwirtschaft und Entropie am Beispiel der Metalle,” in G. Hösel, B. Bilitewski, W. Schenkel, and H. Schnurer (Eds.): Müllhandbuch (Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag, Lfg. 6/08, 2008), pp. 1–27.

Gleich, A., “Outlines of a sustainable metals industry,” in Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science: Sustainable Metals Management. Securing Our Future – Steps Towards a Closed Loop Economy, edited by Gleich, A., Ayres, R. U., and Gößling-Reisemann, S.(Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2006), pp. 3–39.

Guinée, J. B. and Lindeijer, E., Handbook on Life Cycle Assessment: Operational Guide to the ISO Standards, Vol. 7 of Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science series (Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2002).Google Scholar

Müller-Wenk, R., “Depletion of abiotic resources weighted on the base of ‘virtual’ impacts of lower grade deposits used in future, IWÖ-Diskussionspapier, 57(Institut für Wirtschaft und Ökologie, Universität St. Gallen, Switzerland, 1998).Google Scholar

Goedkoop, M. and Spriensma, R., “The Eco-Indicator 99 – A damage oriented method for life cycle assesment,” Method. Rep., Amersfoot, The Netherlands (2001) (available at http:\\www.pre.nl).

Stewart, M. and Weidema, B. P., “A consistent framework for assessing the impacts from resource use – A focus on resource functionality,” Intl. J. Life Cycle Assess. 10, 240–247 (2005).CrossRef Google Scholar

Finnveden, G. and Östlund, P., “Exergies of natural resources in life-cycle assessment and other applications,” Energy Oxford 22, 923–932 (1997).CrossRef Google Scholar

Ritthoff, M., Rohn, H., and Liedtke, C., Calculating MIPS: Resource productivity of products and services. Wuppertal spezial, 27. (Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Wuppertal, Germany, 2002).Google Scholar

Matthews, E., The Weight of Nations: Material Outflows From Industrial Economies(World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., 2000).Google Scholar

Ayres, R. U. and Simonis, U. E., Industrial Metabolism: Restructuring for Sustainable Development (United Nations University Press, Tokyo, New York, 1994).Google Scholar

Wackernagel, M. and Rees, W. E., Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth, Vol. 9 of The New Catalyst Bioregional Series (New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1998).Google Scholar

Gößling, S., “Entropy production as a measure for resource use: Method development and application to metallurgical processes,” Ph.D. dissertation (University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 2001), available http://www.sub.uni-hamburg.de/opus/volltexte/2004/1182/.

Lide, D. R., CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics: A Ready-Reference Book of Chemical and Physical Data, 77th ed. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1996).Google Scholar

Linstrom, P. and Mallard, W., editors, NIST Chemistry WebBook (http://webbook.nist.gov): NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69, June 2005. (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 2005).Google Scholar

,Centre for Research in Computational Thermochemistry, “F*A*C*T pure substances inorganic database – REACTION-Web” (2008), available from École Polytechnique de Montreál, http://www.crct.polymtl.ca/fact/.

Barin, I., Thermochemical Data of Pure Substances (VCH, Weinheim, 1989).CrossRef

Gößling-Reisemann, S., “What is resource consumption and how can it be measured?: Application of entropy analysis to copper production,” J. Ind. Ecol. 12, 570–582 (2008).CrossRef Google Scholar

Maldonado, P., Alvarado, S., and Jaques, I., “The Chilean copper industry and energy-related greenhouse gases emissions,” in Energy and Technology: Sustaining World Development Into the Next Millennium; 17th Congress of the World Energy Council(World Energy Council, London, 1998).

Gößling-Reisemann, S., “Thermodynamic costs and benefits of recycling,” presented at the Eco-X 2007 Conference, Vienna, May 9–11, 2007.

Gößling-Reisemann, S., “Entropy analysis of metal production and recycling,” Manage. Environ. Qual. 19, 487 (2008).CrossRef Google Scholar

Gößling-Reisemann, S., Gleich, A., Knobloch, V., Cebulla, B., “Bewertungsmaßstäbe für metallische Stoffströme: von Kritikalität bis Entropie,” in: F. Beckenbach, A.I. Urban (Eds.): Methoden der Stoffstromanalyse – Konzepte, agentenbasierte Modellierung und Ökobilanz (Metropolis Verlag, Marburg, Germany, 2011).Google Scholar