Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment

Learning objectives

The students

• analyse material and energy flows from a system’s and from a product/service perspective,
• use the standardized terminology,
• name and describe the steps for conducting MFA & LCA studies,
• discuss the achievements and shortcomings of common methodological toolsets and data bases in the field,
• gather necessary information, choose suitable methods, and apply these for simple MFA & LCA studies, and
• discuss the quality of material flow analysis studies and life cycle assessment studies.

Contents of the course

• Systems and life cycle thinking
• Material flow networks
• Material and energy flow balancing
• Material flow modelling
• Life Cycle Assessment
  • Goal and Scope definition
  • Life Cycle Inventories (LCI)
  • Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)
  • Interpretation and Disclosure
• Current trends and developments
• Software systems and data bases for material flow analysis and life cycle assessment
• Case studies