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methodological choices impact LCA results: the case of nickel","how-methodological-choices-impact-lca-results-the-case-of-nickel","article/how-methodological-choices-impact-lca-results-the-case-of-nickel",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":563,"content":573,"excerpt":720,"featured":50,"reporter":721,"_editable":725,"component":726,"seo_title":553,"categories":727,"visibility":733,"author_company":49,"featured_image":734,"seo_description":720,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":738,"formattedArticleDate":739},"1a19a440-4da8-43f3-9978-a0e090f373b3","2023-12-13 00:00",[560],{"slug":561,"name":562},"esg","ESG",[564],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":567},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":568,"image":569,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":570},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":574,"content":575},"doc",[576,591,596,601,606,613,618,623,628,633,638,651,656,661,670,675,680,685,690,695,700,705,710,715],{"type":577,"attrs":578,"content":579},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[580,589],{"text":581,"type":582,"marks":583},"Life Cycle Assessments","text",[584],{"type":585,"attrs":586},"link",{"href":587,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":588},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/esg/lca/","url",{"text":590,"type":582}," consider a broad range of environmental impact categories, yet the calculation of impacts across categories relies on methodological choices.",{"type":577,"attrs":592,"content":593},{"textAlign":49},[594],{"text":595,"type":582},"Industry guidelines serve as an indispensable framework for conducting LCAs and are crucial to enable comparability between different assessments. A lack of standardised rules may lead to LCA practitioners adopting different methodologies and thus hinder LCAs’ strive to be as consistent as possible. ",{"type":577,"attrs":597,"content":598},{"textAlign":49},[599],{"text":600,"type":582},"Importantly, however, assumptions and methodologies used should always be scrutinised.",{"type":577,"attrs":602,"content":603},{"textAlign":49},[604],{"text":605,"type":582},"The Nickel Institute has been particularly proactive in developing such guidelines, and other industries or commodity sectors are catching up with this. This trend towards establishing comprehensive industry guidelines signifies a broader commitment to enhancing the reliability and uniformity of LCAs in diverse sectors.",{"type":607,"attrs":608,"content":610},"heading",{"level":609,"textAlign":49},4,[611],{"text":612,"type":582},"Nickel mining impacts",{"type":577,"attrs":614,"content":615},{"textAlign":49},[616],{"text":617,"type":582},"Metals and mining processes account for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Nickel is responsible for 0.27% of global emissions, according to the Nickel Institute, and is the most carbon-intensive component of a nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) lithium ion battery. ",{"type":577,"attrs":619,"content":620},{"textAlign":49},[621],{"text":622,"type":582},"Impact categories include but are not limited to Global Warming Potential (GWP), water consumption, freshwater eutrophication, fine particulate matter formation, energy demand and human non-carcinogenic toxicity.",{"type":577,"attrs":624,"content":625},{"textAlign":49},[626],{"text":627,"type":582},"GWP accounts for the gases that contribute to the greenhouse gas effect, which is why it is also called “Greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide equivalents.” Freshwater eutrophication arises from the release of nutrients into the soil or freshwater bodies, leading to an increase in nutrient levels, such as phosphorus and nitrogen. ",{"type":577,"attrs":629,"content":630},{"textAlign":49},[631],{"text":632,"type":582},"Fine particulate matter formation represents a blend of organic and inorganic substances, which can cause harm for human health.",{"type":577,"attrs":634,"content":635},{"textAlign":49},[636],{"text":637,"type":582},"Different production routes and technologies used to produce nickel result in different environmental profiles. For example, the location of production, the specific technology used, and the type of ore processed play a significant role in shaping this profile. ",{"type":577,"attrs":639,"content":640},{"textAlign":49},[641,643,649],{"text":642,"type":582},"Benchmark’s ",{"text":644,"type":582,"marks":645},"Global Nickel LCA",[646],{"type":585,"attrs":647},{"href":648,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":588},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/esg/nickel/reports/",{"text":650,"type":582}," reveals that GWP of the dominant nickel production methods are associated with high energy demand. The range of impact is influenced by various variables, including ore type (sulfide or oxide), location, and the technology employed.",{"type":607,"attrs":652,"content":653},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[654],{"text":655,"type":582},"Factors affecting LCA choices",{"type":577,"attrs":657,"content":658},{"textAlign":49},[659],{"text":660,"type":582},"The choices made by LCA practitioners are important to consider as they can have substantial impacts on the results.",{"type":577,"attrs":662,"content":663},{"textAlign":49},[664],{"type":665,"attrs":666},"image",{"id":49,"alt":667,"src":668,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":669},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/66a78fdb1f/bm-system-boundary-diagram-13110172cf76.png",{},{"type":607,"attrs":671,"content":672},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[673],{"text":674,"type":582},"System boundaries ",{"type":577,"attrs":676,"content":677},{"textAlign":49},[678],{"text":679,"type":582},"The LCA system boundaries (i.e. life cycle stages and processes included in the calculation) affect the results of LCAs. For nickel production, it encompasses mining (both open pit and underground), ore preparation (for lateritic ores) and beneficiation (for sulphidic ores), primary extraction, and metal refining. Complementary processes like the transportation of raw materials, electricity generation (both on-site and off-site), and wastewater treatment and waste processing are also included.",{"type":607,"attrs":681,"content":682},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[683],{"text":684,"type":582},"System expansion",{"type":577,"attrs":686,"content":687},{"textAlign":49},[688],{"text":689,"type":582},"Production in the metal and mining industry benefits from adopting system expansion in LCAs, which considers the environmental benefits of producing by-products and treats them as the emissions theoretically avoided from manufacturing the same products via alternative production routes. They are often called “environmental credits.” In the case of nickel, it is used for non-metallic by-products, such as sulphuric acid.",{"type":607,"attrs":691,"content":692},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[693],{"text":694,"type":582},"Allocation methods",{"type":577,"attrs":696,"content":697},{"textAlign":49},[698],{"text":699,"type":582},"Allocation is arguably the most discussed topic amongst LCA practitioners, as a change in allocation factor can induce different LCA results and conclusions. ISO 14044 recommends to avoid allocation wherever possible, and suggests to use system expansion instead. ",{"type":577,"attrs":701,"content":702},{"textAlign":49},[703],{"text":704,"type":582},"When allocation is required, ISO 14044 advises to allocate inputs and outputs in a way that reflects physical or economic relationships. Besides, allocation methods also vary based on the type of base and precious metals being produced and whether they occur together in the same deposit. Amongst the by-products associated with nickel production, the best approaches as defined by the Nickel Institute are:",{"type":607,"attrs":706,"content":707},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[708],{"text":709,"type":582},"Harmonising LCA Methodologies ",{"type":577,"attrs":711,"content":712},{"textAlign":49},[713],{"text":714,"type":582},"The Nickel Institute has provided guidelines to harmonise LCA methodologies to enhance comparability. It recommended that system boundaries include end-of-life disposal and recycling, the use of avoided burden methodology (also referred to as the end-of-life method) for recycling allocation, which prevents double-counting of products recycled or reused, and determining co-product allocation based on the type of co-products. ",{"type":577,"attrs":716,"content":717},{"textAlign":49},[718],{"text":719,"type":582},"For a more complete view of the environmental impact of a product, its entire life cycle should be included to account for the benefits of its recyclability.","Life Cycle Assessments consider a broad range of environmental impact categories, yet the calculation of impacts across categories relies on methodological choices. Industry guidelines serve as an indispensable framework for conducting LCAs and are crucial to enable comparability between different assessments. A lack of standardised rules may lead to LCA practitioners adopting different methodologies and […]",[722],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":723},{"job_title":568,"image":724,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},{"filename":570},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"1a19a440-4da8-43f3-9978-a0e090f373b3\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[728,730],{"slug":729,"name":150},"nickel",{"slug":731,"name":732},"sustainability","Sustainability","private",{"id":49,"alt":667,"name":667,"focus":667,"title":667,"source":667,"filename":735,"copyright":667,"fieldtype":736,"meta_data":737,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/007a7be606/bm-nickel-indonesia-1.jpg","asset",{"alt":667,"title":667,"source":667,"copyright":667},"Dec 13, 2023","13th December 2023",[],[],1792773907026]