title: Emergy evaluation using the calculation software SCALE: case study, added value and potential improvements.
abstract: This paper reports the emergy-based evaluation (EME) of the ecological performance of four water treatment plants (WTPs) using three different approaches. The results obtained using the emergy calculation software SCALE (EMESCALE) are compared with those achieved through a conventional emergy evaluation procedure (EMECONV), as well as through the application of the Solar Energy Demand (SED) method. SCALE's results are based on a detailed representation of the chain of technological processes provided by the lifecycle inventory database ecoinvent®. They benefit from a higher level of details in the description of the technological network as compared to the ones calculated with a conventional EME and, unlike the SED results, are computed according to the emergy algebra rules. The analysis delves into the quantitative comparison of unit emergy values (UEVs) for individual technospheric inputs provided by each method, demonstrating the added value of SCALE to enhance reproducibility, accurateness and completeness of an EME. However, SCALE cannot presently include non-technospheric inputs in emergy accounting, like e.g. human labor and ecosystem services. Moreover, SCALE is limited by the approach used to build the dataset of UEVs for natural resources. Recommendations on the scope and accuracy of SCALE-based emergy accounting are suggested for further steps in software development, as well as preliminary quantitative methods to account for ecosystem services and human labor.
authors: Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies, 6A avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792, Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: damien.arbault@gmail.com.
authors: Damien
authors: D
authors: Arbault
authors: Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies, 6A avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
authors: Benedetto
authors: B
authors: Rugani
authors: Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies, 6A avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
authors: Antonino
authors: A
authors: Marvuglia
authors: Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies, 6A avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
authors: Enrico
authors: E
authors: Benetto
authors: Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792, Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France.
authors: Ligia
authors: L
authors: Tiruta-Barna
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D012984:Software; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Emergy; Life cycle impact assessment; Life cycle inventory; SCALE; SED; Water treatment plant