PRISMA LCA data of bulk and specialty materials

Milestone overview: The PRISMA project, under the milestone ’Preliminary LCA Data of Bulk and Specialty Materials’ aims to develop open and standardized interfaces between Integrated Assessment Models (IAM) and high-performance Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models. This milestone is pivotal in supplementing existing background LCA databases with material flow accounts of critical materials. PRISMA’s objective is to enable the representation of prospective material supply chains, along with their environmental and human health impacts worldwide. This will facilitate the identification of resource-efficient and environmentally sound pathways for climate transition, minimizing adverse side effects. Objective: The focus is on analyzing and presenting the comprehensive life cycle demand of critical specialty materials in key mitigation technologies. This includes a wide array of technologies such as internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles, various renewable energy forms (wind, photovoltaic, concentrated solar power), nuclear energy, and energy storage solutions like batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers, along with their subtechnologies. The project concentrates on “Critical Raw Materials” as identified in key policy reports and scientific literature, addressing global concerns about these materials. Methodology: Our approach involved extensive data collection from existing scientific literature and technical reports on the direct metal intensities associated with the identified technologies. This data provides updated direct intensities, which, when combined with the life cycle information from ecoinvent, offers a comprehensive view of material demands. ecoinvent also contributes robust data on bulk materials. Database and Usage: The “WP4 Milestone No 6.xlsx” Excel file contains detailed material intensity data for critical materials in various technologies. The file is structured with specific sheets for materials, technologies, and subtechnologies, each offering a range of data points processed to provide statistical values. This data will enhance the material intensity information in Ecoinvent, focusing on critical raw materials’ demand in different technologies. Users are encouraged to contribute to the database’s expansion. Detailed information on data integration into the ecoinvent database is available in our GitHub repository documentation. Contact Information: Christian Bauer ([e-mail]) Romain Sacchi ([e-mail]) Alvaro J. Hahn Menacho ([e-mail])