- Could you provide an overview of how INSA Toulouse plans to validate the prospective LCA methodologies for low-TRL bio-based systems within the LCA4Bio project? How will the validation process be conducted, and what are the key objectives of this validation?
The validation relies on case studies the choice is a real challenge. The validation methodology includes two aspects : 1) the validation of the feasibility of the p-LCA application including the foreground and the background parts of the life cycle system; 2) the validation of the foreground modeling approach for the inventory generation. The first aspect (or objective) should demonstrate that the methodologies and tools developed in WP2 and 3 are applicable together to perform p-LCA. This will be performed on high and low TRL case studies. We will identify here the necessary modeling and calculation tools (inventory calculation and impact calculation), and select them from the current practices and from those proposed in this project. The second aspect implies to validate the scale-up approach and the inventory calculation for the foreground processes. This validation is based on engineering methods and tools available in the field of bio- and chemical processes. Low TRL examples will be used for application and validation through these methods. Moreover, high TRL examples will be used for validation of specific unit processes already implemented at large scales, for example separation/purification processes (not new, but adapted to each production process). Note that a validation of low TRL inventory on collected data on site is not possible because these technologies do not exist yet.
- The LCA4Bio project involves the identification and benchmarking of Best-Available bio-based systems and technologies. How does INSA Toulouse contribute to this task, and what methodologies are being employed to identify these systems and technologies? Could you elaborate on the criteria used for selection and benchmarking?
The identification of best available technologies requires an extensive survey of existing bio-based technologies at high TRL. This task is performed by the project partners (especially the industrial partners) and in relation with other industrial actors. Then, we propose several selection criteria to shortlist the most relevant case studies. First, the chosen low TRL case studies should allow benchmarking of the modelling methods by including a large diversity of unit processes. Second, a specific bio-process must be at the core of the technology, or bioresources are used as raw materials. Circular approaches should be present as for example utilization of wastes as raw material or the recycling at the end of life of the main product obtained. The products obtained should be of large interest for the industry (as platform molecules) or for the end users.
- The project aims to provide final guidelines for performing LCA of bio-based systems at both high and low TRL. How is INSA Toulouse involved in the development of these guidelines, and what are the key aspects that will be addressed in these guidelines? Could you provide insights into the methodology and structure of these guidelines?
INSA will participate in the guide elaboration at two levels. The first one is the calculation of the inventory for the foreground processes based on the modeling approaches developed and analyzed in WP3 and WP5. Recommendations will be made on the type of modeling requested depending on the nature of the unit process (biological, chemical, low or high TRL) and on the global process integration modeling (to optimize the energy and water consumption as in the real process design). The second implication of INSA will be at the level of LCA system modeling and impact calculation, especially when dynamic LCA (dynamic inventory and impact calculation) is necessary. This will be the case of bio-based materials with variable lifetimes. Recommendations will include the necessary modelling parameters which are time-dependent, and the LCIA best methods for climate change assessment.
- How does INSA Toulouse intend to implement the proposed low-TRL methodology in the selected case studies to validate prospective LCA methodologies for bio-based systems? Can you outline the approach for validating the material and energy inventory at the level of each process unit (PU), taking into account the varying levels of novelty introduced by the PU?
Let’s come back to the validation aspect. For low-TRL technologies the validation can not be based on real data collected at factory. We can differentiate : unit processes completely new, existent but highly adapted to the novel product, existent unit processes applied without significant modification. The last ones can be validated on existent data at high TRL. The second requires some modeling for adaptation, and in this case the validation relies on different levels of model complexity; e.g. process simulation could be used to corroborate more simpler calculation methods. The first one requires new models to be developed based on laboratory or pilot data. The validation in this case relies on, e.g., numerical simulation of the lab-scale experiments and model calibration/validation, or on expert opinion.