Application of Life Cycle Assessment in the Mining Industry

Author

Kwame Awuah-Offei, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Akim Adekpedjou, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow

Editor(s)

Curran, M. A. and Klöpffer, W.

Abstract

In spite of the increasing application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for engineering evaluation of systems and products, the application of LCA in the mining industry is limited. For example, a search in the Engineering Compendex database using the keywords “life cycle assessment” results in 2,257 results, but only 19 are related to the mining industry. Also, mining companies are increasingly adopting ISO 14001 certified environmental management systems (EMSs). A key requirement of ISO certified EMSs is continual improvement, which can be better managed with life cycle thinking. This paper presents a review of the current application of LCA in the mining industry. It discusses the current application, the issues, and challenges and makes relevant recommendations for new research to improve the current situation.

Recommended Citation

K. Awuah-Offei and A. Adekpedjou, "Application of Life Cycle Assessment in the Mining Industry," International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Springer Verlag, Jan 2011.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-010-0246-6

Department(s)

Mathematics and Statistics

Keywords and Phrases

LCA methodology; Life Cycle assessment; mining; sensitive analysis; uncertainty analysis

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0948-3349

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2011 Springer Verlag, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2011