Environmental assessment of transportation railway by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Model (Case study: Kerman province)

Safi Jahanshahi, Sara; RiyaziNejad, Morteza

doi:10.48306/jumee.2023.403329.1009

Environmental assessment of transportation railway by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Model (Case study: Kerman province)

Authors

Sara Safi Jahanshahi ¹

Morteza RiyaziNejad ²

¹ Faculty of Civil, University of Azad Islamic, Tehran, Iran

² Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.48306/jumee.2023.403329.1009

Abstract

Kerman province is a mineral and industrial region undergoing progress and development. Due to the growth of industries and the location of Kerman province in a strategic position, transportation systems, and environmental effects have received much attention. In this study, using life cycle assessment, the environmental effects of the rail and cargo fleet in Kerman province have been investigated. At first, the required information on the transportation of goods for the periods of one and five years was collected in the operation phase, and by using the OPENLCA software, the steps related to the life cycle assessment were carried out. Based on the CML baseline method, which is one of the most comprehensive evaluation methods in this software, the environmental effects of produced pollutants and consumed resources during the life cycle of two scenarios with a one-year and five-year time period were determined and calculated in 11 effect classes. These studies, which were carried out in the direction of sustainable development and environmental protection, provide the necessary information on the transportation of goods for a one-year and five-year period and its effect on the various effect points of acidification, climate change, destruction of aquatic resources - elements, final reserves. Taking aquatic resources, fossil fuels, eutrophication, freshwater toxicity, human toxicity, marine
aquatic toxicity, ozone layer destruction, photochemical smog, and soil toxicity showed. Therefore, the need for serious and detailed planning to overcome the aforementioned crises is felt more and more.

Keywords

Life Cycle Assessment

Railway Transportation

Environmental assessment

Rail Fleet

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