LCDA from industrial systems using control network: A monitoring and assessment scheme for sustainability

This article presents a study on life cycle assessment (LCA) and its implications in the industrial systems. It considers the implementation scenario of traditional LCA in terms of LCDA (life cycle data acquisition). LCDA is considered as scheme or methodology to advocate sustainability and evolution of industrial systems or infrastructure. In this article an implementation possibility study of LCDA is carried out. The usefulness of the LCDA from various prospective are discussed and summarized. Low cost, high performance . small size microprocessor networked technology, and sensing techniques are used to implement LCDA. Since industrial systems are distributed in nature we select fieldbus type system, the control networking system '. as one of the main implementation tools. Two industrial platforms such as an autonomous guided vehicle and a material handling system are chosen as the study targets. (c) 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 27: 66-78, 2008.