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AG2800 Life Cycle Assessment 7.5 credits

Administer About course

Products, services, and infrastructure cause environmental impact over their entire life cycle - from raw material extraction, through use, to waste management. LCA is a methodology to quantify impacts over the life cycle. It’s used to identify environmental hotspots and avoid problem-shifting. LCA and life cycle thinking is used for decision-making in industry and public planning and policy making. In this course, you learn the basics of the methodology, learn to use LCA software, and practice in projects.

Course offerings are missing for current or upcoming semesters.
Headings with content from the Course syllabus AG2800 (Autumn 2021–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

The course includes lectures and a group project. Lectures will cover the following areas:

  • LCA in relation to other environmental systems analysis tools.
  • Methodology for the different phases of an LCA (goal definition and scoping, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation).
  • Methodology for simplified LCA.
  • LCA software tools and databases.
  • Critical review of an LCA study.
  • Application areas of LCA and limitations.

Intended learning outcomes

The overall aim of this course is to develop your skills of systems thinking in environmental issues, related to your own area of expertise. This course will give you a basic analyst’s competence in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
After completing the course, you should be able to: 

  • Explain the overall purpose and principles of LCA.
  • Discuss possible applications and limitiations of LCA.-Describe the content and explain the purpose of the analytical steps of LCA.
  • Carry out a complete LCA of a product or service system, including:  
    1. identify and delimit the system,  
    2. specify and handle allocation problems,  
    3. identify and use relevant data from LCA databases,  
    4. collect and use data from other sources,  
    5. choose characterisation method based on coverage and relevance to the intended application,  
    6. implement and use a computer model of the system in the LCA software SimaPro,  
    7. analyse, explain, and interpret model results.
  • Write a report of the performed LCA, applying to the reporting guidelines and terminology as defined in the ISO standard for LCA.
  • Make a critical review of another LCA.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

- TSUTM year 2

- TMHIM year 2

- TCAEM year 2 , AL1301 or equivalent basic cours in environment and sustainable development

Others: Open for programme students at KTH with at least 180 ECTS or a Bachelor degree for other students, as well AL1301 or equivalent basic cours in environment and sustainable development

Recommended prerequisites

No information inserted

Equipment

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Literature

Curran, M. A. (ed) (2015) Life Cycle Assessment Student Handbook. Wiley

Examination and completion

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • PRO3 - Critical Review, 0.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • PRO4 - Project Report, 4.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
  • TENA - Home Exam, 2.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Other requirements for final grade

Examination (TENA; 2,5 hp)
Critical review (PRO3; 0,5 hp)
Project report (PRO4; 4,5 hp)
Final grade is a weighted average of the written exam and the project report. Pass grade on the critical review is required to receive a final grade.

Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination

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Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination

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Examiner

Profile picture Anna Björklund

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

ABE/Sustainability and Environmental Engineering

Main field of study

Built Environment, Environmental Engineering

Education cycle

Second cycle

Add-on studies

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