Multidimensional evaluation method and application based on life cycle carbon efficiency considering carbon emission, cost, and function

Low carbon research has currently become the most discussed environmental issue. Current comprehensive evaluation methods for low carbon consider carbon emission, cost, process parameters, and resource utilization, but the realization of low carbon may lead to cost fluctuations and functional changes and lack consideration of product functional requirements. Hence, this paper developed a multidimensional evaluation method for low-carbon research based on the association among three dimensions, namely, carbon emission, cost, and function. This multidimensional evaluation method was named life cycle carbon efficiency (LCCE), which is defined as the ratio between the value in the life cycle and the carbon emissions generated. The LCCE model was established, and then carbon emission calculation, cost assessment, and function quantification of the life cycle were performed according to the three dimensions. Case study and sensitivity analysis verified the feasibility of the proposed method. The method had comprehensive and accurate evaluation results, which provided theoretical support and optimized the low-carbon design.