Conversion method for obtaining CO₂ emission data from the life cycle inventory database of foreign countries

This study aimed to develop a method for converting CO₂ emission data from the life cycle inventory (LCI) of foreign countries into the one that is suitable for one's own country, to obtain CO₂ emission data of products or materials. CO₂ emission differs in the energy efficiency and the type of energy sources used in each country. The developed conversion method considered the average share of the energy sources that are used to manufacture products or materials, in addition to different energy efficiency. To verify the feasibility of the developed conversion method, the study applied it to steel rebar and the steel section of the European reference life cycle database (ELCD), which was established by the European Commission. The result was compared with the CO₂ emission data from the LCI of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) in South Korea. The result showed that the percent difference of the steel rebar and that of the steel section dropped from 36.29 to 12.28%, and 162.59 to 60.47%, respectively. In other words, the accuracy of the CO₂ emission data calculated by the conversion method was improved, compared with that of the original CO₂ emission data from the LCI of foreign countries. This indicates the feasibility of the conversion method developed in this study. Therefore, the developed conversion method can be useful for CO₂ emission data in the LCI of foreign countries when there is a lack of available LCI data.