Not all EF 3.1 calculations results seem to give a correct result

Question

I have used the DAL to import the EF 3.1 database in OpenLCA 2.0.4 and have been running several calculations to check the data. If I compare the results from the calculation with the values listed under the impact analysis tab, than certain impact categories give a different result and I am wondering if this is correct.

I am finding other numbers for the impact categories:
- Eutrophication, terrestial
- Land use
- Water use

Am I doing something wrong or does it make sense that the results differ?

See for example Cellophane film:

(this image is from the ecoinvent EF 3.1 website)

The same values can be found in openLCA impact analysis tab:

However when I then run a calculation of 1 kg I get exactly the same result for climate change but not for the above 3 categories. See two examples below:

I also checked it with some other materials and there I also get different results for these 3 impact categories.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer 1

What you pointed out is the difference between regionalised results and non-regionalised results. Inside the impact analysis tab you see the results of all elementary flows inside a process (so also the regionalised ones) simply multiplied with their respective characterisation factors. This only works for system processes, since for unit processes you would only see the results for direct emissions inside the process and for system processes the direct emissions (elementary flows inside the process) are already the total inventory results.

Long story short, you see inside the impact analysis tab of the process in your specific case the regionalised results from elementary flows and corresponding characterisation factors for different regions (countries).

In case you want to see the same results after calculating a product system, you need to select "regionalised calculation" inside the calculation window.

Best wishes,

Conrad