EF database - some LCI processes have product flows as input: is it correct?

Question

Hello Community,

I am using the EF database in OpenLCA and I noted that a few processes from the same data generator, marked with a white P on purple background (which means that it is an LCI to me), have some product flows as input. These flows require for providers, but as far as I have understood, whenever I have a white-on-purple process I can expect only elementary flows are given as an input. The example is the process "Cheese from cow milk".

Where am I wrong in this interpretation?

Many thanks for any feedback!

Answer 1

Hi, good question; these datasets are indeed meant to be fully aggregated, thus "LCI" processes (in openLCA nomenclature), but some contain input products which means that they contain incomplete supply chains that are not followed up to the elementary flows. This can be result of a calculation in GaBi with looped systems, which is terminated before a loop is fully converged. You see the same effect in the older ELCD database.

So, you are right with the interpretation, but the PEF database is not perfectly providing fully aggregated datasets, for these cases.

Comments

Many thanks, Andreas! Good to know!
(Thought I have sent this thank you message months ago...sorry...! ;-)