Research on Life Cycle Assessment

Life cycle assessment of products, processes, and services remains a fundamental part of our research.  Life cycle assessment is a tool to analyze the impacts of a process, product, or system over the entire life cycle from raw materials extraction, parts manufacturing, use, and end-of-life. 

 Much of our LCA work utilizes our free, internet-based economic input-output life cycle assessment tool (EIO-LCA, available at www.eiolca.net), which allows general users to perform simple, quick, and free life cycle assessments.  It has been used more than 1 million times to facilitate LCA by people around the world.  Listed below are links to short one-page research summaries in PDF format.

On-going Projects

• Heavy Metal Flow Modelling - Troy Hawkins, Cortney Higgins, Amanda Rehr, Chris Hendrickson, Lester Lave, H. Scott Matthews and Mitchell Small
• Emissions Embodied in US International Trade - Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews
• Global and Distributional Aspects of American Household Carbon Footprint - Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews
• Economic Input-Output-Based Life Cycle Assessment by C. Hendrickson, A. Horvath, S. Joshi, O. Juarez, L. Lave, H.S. Matthews, F.C. McMichael and E. Cobas-Flores
• Hybrid Models for Environmental Life Cycle Assessment -- H. Scott Matthews, Chris Hendrickson, Arpad Horvath and Harald Florin

Previous Research Summaries

• Disaggregating the Power Generation Sector - Joe Marriott and H. Scott Matthews
• National and Statewide Environmental and Employment Impacts of NETL Employment by Anny Huang, Chris Hendrickson, Deb Lange, Lisa Phares (NETL) and Randall Jackson (WVU)
• Regional Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment by Gyorgyi Cicas, Chris Hendrickson and Scott Matthews
• Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology -- Shannon Lloyd and Lester Lave
• Disposition and End-of-Life Options for Personal Computers -- H. Scott Matthews, Chris T. Hendrickson, and Francis McMichael; with Deanna Hart of Concurrent Technologies Corporation. [You can also see the complete research paper]
• Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment in the Service Industries -- Jeff Rosenblum, Arpad Horvath and Chris Hendrickson
• Life Cycle Models of Conventional and Alternative-Fueled Automobiles -- Heather L. MacLean and Lester B. Lave

Previous Research Summaries (in HTML format)

• Life Cycle Assessment of Nickel-Cadmium Batteries -- Rebecca Lankey, Francis McMichael, Chris Hendrickson and Lester Lave
• Identification and Specification of Recycled Materials for Use in New Products: A Case Study in Post-Consumer Carpets -- Deanna Hart, Chris Hendrickson, Lester Lave, and Francis McMichael
• Life Cycle Assessment of Rechargeable Batteries in Portable Devices - Rebecca Lankey, Francis McMichael, Chris Hendrickson and Lester Lave