How to correctly use data from different sources in OpenLCA

Question

Dear all, I try to create a product system based on data in ecoinvent 3.7.1. The problem is that I have to adopt some data from the Product Environmental Footprints (PEF) database. 

However, it turned out that the impact method never works out. Data from PEF rely on the Environmental Footprint (Mid-point indicator) method, but this method is not working for data in ecoinvent. 

Any ideas? Sorry that I am just a beginner.....

Answer 1

You are right, this is not an issue of openLCA however, but of the PEF database, which is designed and meant to be used in a silo, without connection to other databases, and with its own reference data system and LCIA method. For this reason, there is the EF3 adapted LCIA method which fits then for other databases (which is of course not the officially released version from the EC but modified).

Comments

Hi Andreas, thank you so much for the information! Yes, I noticed there is an EF3 adapted LCIA method in OpenLCA's method package. To be more specific, I am trying to incorporate the "Carbon fibre production, production mix, at plant, technology mix, 100% active substance" process in the PEF database into the Econinvent database. And you are certainly right that the EF3 adapted method works for Ecoinvnet data. The problem though is that the EF3 adapted method does not work for the carbon fibre process...

Do you have any advice on this? Is there a universal method that works for both?

Thank you!

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Hi, the EF adapted method is designed to work in ecoinvent and other databases, but not for EF datasets directly, they have their own method. You would need to do the same steps for this dataset that you are interested in, "migrate" all elementary flows to the openLCA reference data. This is quite possible, with the openLCA mapping, but quite some effort too. And probably not in line with the EF dataset license (remember the "silo" idea).

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Thank you so much for the clarification! I tried that and unfortunately, it never worked out...

The world would be easier if the databases can be freely cross-used in OpenLCA. Haha.