The Design and Building of a Life Cycle-Based Process Model for Simulating Environmental Performance, Product Performance and Cost in Cement Manufacturing

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) models can identify the resource consumption and emissions associated with industrial production. The flows are normalized to the functional unit using specialized software. An alternative model that is more flexible is examined for application to other types of environmental assessments. This is applied to a model of a cement plant, and generates information on environmental performance, economic performance, and product performance. A calculational a-causal and object-oriented modeling approach is used to maximize model flexibility with respect to modularity and calculation requirements. The model can be applied to other purposes, including cement quality, and environmental impacts of alternative fuels.