Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Southern Yellow Pine ...

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY workers will frequently have clothes that become contaminated with herbicides and adjuvants. While no inventory or characterization data were available to quantify this impact, it is considered to present a risk of human exposures to toxic chemicals in the BAU scenario. 1.5.4 Lower Generation of Untreated Hazardous Waste The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) is used to classify wastes as hazardous under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The TCLP test method determines the mobility of chemicals as a way of measuring how the material may behave in the environment. Wood treated with CCA fails the TCLP for arsenic and meets the definition of a hazardous waste; however, the US EPA has provided an exemption for CCA wood used for utility poles. 49 At end-‐of-‐life, CCA treated poles are removed and are typically landfilled, but may be also illegally reused (see Figure 7) or incinerated. Only legal disposal of used CCA treated poles in a landfill is considered in this study. Failure to meet TCLP for arsenic suggests that if disposed in a landfill, the wood will leach mobile arsenic. This presents a risk to human health and the environment if wood poles are disposed of in municipal landfills. In many cases, wood poles will be illegally disposed of, or used in commercial or even residential settings; such inappropriate disposal methods present a risk to humans, flora, and fauna, through leaching of chemicals into soils and water (see Figure 7). Figure 7. Examples of illegal re-‐use of treated utility poles, for fence construction in the Southeastern US. The greenish hue of these poles indicates that CCA was the treatment chemical used. In these situations, the poles represent a risk to contamination of local soils from the leaching of arsenic and chromium. Steel pole production results in negligible untreated hazardous waste. The only untreated hazardous waste in the SPR scenario comes from the retired wood utility poles. In terms of the secondary consequences of replacing wood poles with steel poles, a significant reduction in the production of CCA-‐treated wood and associated hazardous waste from disposal would be anticipated. This is a major benefit of the SPR scenario. 49 Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Compliance Strategy. US EPA. June 22, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/cca_strategy5.pdf April 2013 | ©SCS Global Services ES-‐ 20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Indicator results in Table 1 show that a significant volume of untreated hazardous waste is generated in the BAU scenario – over 590,000 tons over the 40-‐year time horizon. The difference between the BAU and SPR scenarios is enough hazardous waste to completely fill nearly 300 Olympic-‐size swimming pools. 1.6 Discussion of the Environmental Advantages of the BAU Scenario 1.6.1 Lower Land Use Ecological Impacts in the Mesabi and Marquette Iron Ranges As shown in Table 1, the BAU and SPR scenarios impact different regions with different biomes and species affected. The BAU scenario does not impact three terrestrial species and one biome in the Mesabi and Marquette Iron Ranges. These lowered impacts include disturbance to Western Great Lakes forests, and the habitat of the Kirtland’s warbler, Wood turtle, and Blanding’s turtle.. 1.6.2 Lower Emissions Affecting Regional Acidification The BAU scenario category indicator results are lower for Regional Acidification. The emissions in the SPR scenario classified in this impact category are dominated by those resulting from steel production, hot-‐dipped galvanization, and zinc smelting; most of these emissions are occurring in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes region. These regions have sensitive soils, and a large fraction of acidifying emissions from steel production in this region deposit in sensitive areas, and can lead to acidification. In the BAU scenario, most emissions result from the electricity generation used in the production of the CCA treatment chemical. Though also occurring in relatively sensitive regions, the level of acidifying emissions in the BAU scenario is less, leading to a smaller indicator result. 1.6.3. Lower Emissions Leading to Ground Level Ozone and PM 2.5 Exposure Risks The BAU scenario results in fewer risks of the exposure to humans from both ground level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In the SPR scenario, the production of steel is the largest contributor to results for both of the impact categories of Ground Level Ozone Exposure Risks and PM 2.5 Exposure Risks. In the SPR scenario, the unit processes associated with steel production are concentrated in the United States Midwest and Great Lakes regions, both of which have relatively high population densities. This results in larger exposure risks from the emissions classified in these impact categories. In the BAU scenario, most emissions result from the production of the precursors going into CCA production, and the installation of wood utility poles. Though also occurring in relatively densely populated regions, the level of emissions in the BAU scenario is less, leading to a smaller indicator result. 1.6.4. Zinc Resource Depletion The depletion of zinc resources is a clear advantage of the BAU scenario. For galvanized steel utility poles, zinc provides a sacrificial coating and very little zinc is recovered at end-‐of-‐life. April 2013 | ©SCS Global Services ES-‐ 21
Page 1 and 2: FINAL REPORT SCS Global Services
Page 3 and 4: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 EXECUTIVE SUMM
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Table 1. Summar
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