uslci-content - USLCI v1.2025-12.0

This USLCI Database release is Version 1 of the USLCI winter 2025 release (v1.2025-12.0). This USLCI database version is available on the NREL USLCI repo of the Federal LCA Commons Collaboration Server (FLCAC) as well as via the USLCI Release Downloads page of this GitHub site.

Overview of 1.2025-12.0 Changes:

• Added marine transportation processes
  • 72 unit processes, covering 18 representative global routes to/from the U.S. for chemical tankers and container ships powered by marine distillate and residual fuel oil. The data and modeling approach are available in a public GitHub repository: uslci-marine. Replacement/updates to the existing marine transportation processes will be evaluated in Q1 of 2026.
• Added representative transportation mixes for U.S. commodities
  • 41 unit processes that provide commodity-specific transport distances and modes based on the 2017 U.S. Census Commodity Flow Survey. These processes can be used to estimate transportation flows when no primary data are available. The data and modeling approach are available in a public GitHub repository: uslci-transport.
• Added rail transportation processes
  • 11 unit processes reflective of class 1 U.S. rail transport across emission tiers. Includes an update to the existing U.S. average rail process. The data and modeling approach are available in a public GitHub repository: uslci-rail.
• Added WARM end of life processes
  • 19 unit landfilling and/or combustion processes from WARM for mixed materials (electronics, plastics, organics, paper, and metals). Replaced cutoff end of life flows with these new flows where applicable.
• Added materials recovery facility processes
  • 4 types of material recovery facility unit processes (single stream, dual stream, mixed waste, presorted). These were incorporated into the existing recycled resin processes.
• Added aluminum beverage can processes from the Aluminum Association
  • 3 unit processes in the aluminum can supply chain: aluminum ingot/slab, combined hot and cold rolling, and manufacturing of aluminum cans.
• Added general extrusion and plastic sheet production processes
• Other updates
  • Standardized/added fuel flow properties
  • Added several new bridge processes to fill in cutoffs

More information about the data formatting process is provided here.

Issues resolved for this release are tagged as 2025 Q4.

As a reminder, in Q2 2024 the USLCI curation team introduced the FLCAC Electricity Baseline repository as a library to the USLCI database to enhance the quality of electricity processes for background data use. The Data Curators have also developed a standardized, repository-level version format for FLCAC repositories. Starting in June 2024, previous versions of USLCI are now stored on the FLCAC under the ‘Version’ dropdown. As of December 2024, a change log between versions is now available on the FLCAC.

The version of the Electricity Baseline that is currently a library in USLCI has been adapted from the public version of the repository. Documentation on this adaptation is provided here. The database from which the library has been generated from can be downloaded here.

Change Log, Versioning, & Data Submission

Please see the complete Change Log for details of all winter 2025 updates. Additionally, please note that current and deleted datasets are always also available in an archive managed by NREL (wherein current and previous USLCI database versions are available) at the USLCI Downloads Page. Finally, please see the FLCAC Submission Handbook and/or contact the contact the USLCI Data Curator if you have any data/metadata publishing goals for the next March 2026 spring release date. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Industrial Ecology - Life Cycle Assessment
Published by pweilerERG 3 months ago

uslci-content - USLCI v1.2025-09.0

This USLCI Database release is Version 1 of the USLCI fall 2025 release (v1.2025-09.0). This USLCI database version is available on the NREL USLCI repo of the Federal LCA Commons Collaboration Server (FLCAC) as well as via the USLCI Release Downloads page of this GitHub site.

Overview of 1.2025-09.0 Changes:

• Added industrial wastewater treatment processes
  • 16 unit processes - 7 with broad applicability and 9 specific to the cement, concrete and flat glass industries. Processes include sludge drying beds, settling lagoon, pH neutralization, granular media filtration, filter press, chlorination, dechlorination, chemically enhance clarification, and effluent release.
• Added end of life processes
  • Landfilling and combustion of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) and landfilling of construction materials (steel, glass, asphalt, concrete). Processes were adapted from the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) by connecting technosphere flows to USLCI and mapping elementary flows to the Federal Elementary Flow List (FEDEFL).
  • More information about the data formatting process is provided here.
• Filled in data gaps by mapping flows and adding bridges to USEEIO

Issues resolved for this release are tagged as 2025 Q3.

As a reminder, in Q2 2024 the USLCI curation team introduced the FLCAC Electricity Baseline repository as a library to the USLCI database to enhance the quality of electricity processes for background data use. The Data Curators have also developed a standardized, repository-level version format for FLCAC repositories. Starting in June 2024, previous versions of USLCI are now stored on the FLCAC under the ‘Version’ dropdown. As of December 2024, a change log between versions is now available on the FLCAC.

The version of the Electricity Baseline that is currently a library in USLCI has been adapted from the public version of the repository. Documentation on this adaptation is provided here. The database from which the library has been generated from can be downloaded here.

Change Log, Versioning, & Data Submission

Please see the complete Change Log for details of all fall 2025 updates. Additionally, please note that current and deleted datasets are always also available in an archive managed by NREL (wherein current and previous USLCI database versions are available) at the USLCI Downloads Page. Finally, please see the FLCAC Submission Handbook and/or contact the contact the USLCI Data Curator if you have any data/metadata publishing goals for the next December 2025 winter release date. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Industrial Ecology - Life Cycle Assessment
Published by pweilerERG 7 months ago

uslci-content - USLCI v1.2025-06.0

This USLCI Database release is Version 1 of the USLCI fall 2025 release (v1.2025-06.0). This USLCI database version is available on the NREL USLCI repo of the Federal LCA Commons Collaboration Server (FLCAC) as well as via the USLCI Release Downloads page of this GitHub site.

Overview of 1.2025-06.0 Changes:

• Updated U.S. Electricity Baseline library which contains 2022 data
• Added drinking water data developed by EPA and ERG
  • 23 drinking water acquisition, treatment and distribution processes
  • 46 drinking water treatment infrastructure processes
• Added US average wastewater treatment process
• Updated/added recycled plastics data developed by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and ERG
  • Updated recycled HDPE and PET resin processes
  • Added PP recycled resin process
  • Collection and material recovery facility processes will be updated/added next quarter
• Added unit and system processes for the average consumption mix of Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer developed by the Asphalt Institute and WAP
• Miscellaneous additional new processes
  • Galvanized steel nails and staples
  • Sodium bicarbonate
  • Formic acid
  • Sodium formate
• Added elementary energy resource flows to crude oil and natural gas extraction processes
• Updated location, flow property, and unit group objects to align with the openLCA reference data
• To fill in gaps in the drinking water and other inventories, several bridge processes to connect USLCI to USEEIO v2.0 were developed. To generate complete product systems that leverage these bridge processes, import USEEIOv2 into the same database as USLCI.

Issues resolved for this release are tagged as 2025 Q2.

As a reminder, in Q2 2024 the USLCI curation team introduced the FLCAC Electricity Baseline repository as a library to the USLCI database to enhance the quality of electricity processes for background data use. The Data Curators have also developed a standardized, repository-level version format for FLCAC repositories. Starting in June 2024, previous versions of USLCI are now stored on the FLCAC under the ‘Version’ dropdown. As of December 2024, a change log between versions is now available on the FLCAC.

• The version of the Electricity Baseline that is currently a library in USLCI has been adapted from the public version of the repository. Documentation on this adaptation is provided here. The database from which the library has been generated from can be downloaded here.

Change Log, Versioning, & Data Submission

Please see the complete Change Log for details of all summer 2025 updates. Additionally, please note that current and deleted datasets are always also available in an archive managed by NREL (wherein current and previous USLCI database versions are available) at the USLCI Downloads Page. Finally, please see the FLCAC Submission Handbook and/or contact the contact the USLCI Data Curator if you have any data/metadata publishing goals for the next September 2025 fall release date. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Industrial Ecology - Life Cycle Assessment
Published by pweilerERG 8 months ago

uslci-content - USLCI v1.2025-03.0

This USLCI Database release is Version 1 of the USLCI spring 2025 release (v1.2025-03.0). This USLCI database version is available on the NREL USLCI repo of the Federal LCA Commons Collaboration Server (FLCAC) as well as via the USLCI Release Downloads page of this GitHub site.

Overview of 1.2025-03.0 Changes:

• Updated/added 324 on-road trucking datasets from EPA MOVES. These datasets were prepared by ERG on behalf of NREL. This update replaced all existing on-road truck transportation processes and created new processes for use of CNG, E85, and battery-electric as the fuel. The data and modeling approach are available in a public GitHub repository: uslci-moves.
• Added nine new wastewater treatment pathways which include wastewater treatment, effluent release, sludge hauling and landfill processes, and biogas flaring (28 processes total). These datasets were prepared for the FLCAC by ERG, based on prior published research conducted for EPA’s Office of Water.
  • Conventional plug flow activated sludge, Level 1
  • Anaerobic/anoxic/oxic, Level 2-1
  • Activated sludge, 3-sludge system, Level 2-2
  • 5-Stage bardenpho, Level 3-1
  • Modified University of Cape Town, Level 3-2
  • 5-Stage bardenpho system with denitrification filter, Level 4-1
  • 4-Stage bardenpho membrane bioreactor, Level 4-2
  • 5-Stage bardenpho with sidestream reverse osmosis, Level 5-1
  • 5-Stage bardenpho membrane bioreactor with sidestream reverse osmosis, Level 5-2
• Updated PVC, EDC-VCM, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen processes based on new data from the Vinyl Institute and Sustainable Solutions Corporation. Removed the sodium hydroxide and hydrogen electrolysis processes and combined them with the chlorine electrolysis process using mass allocation.
• Added lithium hydroxide monohydrate production from pre-treated lithium brine and lithium hydroxide monohydrate production from spodumene concentrate (six processes total) from Natural Resources Canada and Argonne National Laboratory.
  • Lithium hydroxide monohydrate; production from pre-treated lithium brine
  • Pre-treated lithium brine
  • Lithium brine; extraction and reinjection
  • Lithium hydroxide monohydrate; production from spodumene concentrate
  • Spodumene mineral concentrate; beneficiation process
  • Spodumene ore; open pit mining
• To fill in gaps in the wastewater and other inventories, 13 bridge processes to connect USLCI to USEEIO v2.0 were developed. To generate complete product systems that leverage these bridge processes, import USEEIO v2.0 into the same database as USLCI. Read more about bridge process implementation here.
• Wastewater and other cutoff flows were mapped to the new wastewater flows or bridge processes where applicable.

As a reminder, in Q2 2024 the USLCI curation team introduced the FLCAC Electricity Baseline repository as a library to the USLCI database to enhance the quality of electricity processes for background data use. The Data Curators have also developed a standardized, repository-level version format for FLCAC repositories. Starting in June 2024, previous versions of USLCI are now stored on the FLCAC under the ‘Version’ dropdown. As of December 2024, a change log between versions is now available on the FLCAC.

• The version of the Electricity Baseline that is currently a library in USLCI has been adapted from the public version of the repository. Documentation on this adaptation is provided here. The database from which the library has been generated from can be downloaded here.

Change Log, Versioning, & Data Submission

Please see the complete Change Log for details of all spring 2025 updates. View past press releases on the Press Release page. Additionally, please note that current and deleted datasets are always also available in an archive managed by NREL (wherein current and previous USLCI database versions are available) at the USLCI Downloads Page. Finally, please see the FLCAC Submission Handbook and/or contact the contact the USLCI Data Curator if you have any data/metadata publishing goals for the next June 30, 2025 summer release date. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Industrial Ecology - Life Cycle Assessment
Published by pweilerERG 12 months ago