Issues of the goal and scope definition phase of an LCA of a new technology for the inertization of msw fly ash

This paper focuses on the analysis of the critical issues to be addressed during the goal and scope definition of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a new technology process for the inertization of fly ash coming from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI). The LCA analysis conducted over a new technology bears some problems, due, for example, to the lack of primary data (i.e. data gathered on the field) or to the lack of consistency of secondary data (i.e. data taken from literature and databases) with respect to the data quality requirements. Of great interest for the LCA of the new technology process taken into account in the paper is the fact that a pilot plant for the MSWI fly ash inertization process will be available as a source of primary data. In the paper, for the main items of the goal and scope definition phase, the different possible alternative assumptions will be identified and discussed, also in order to define the advantages arising from the pilot plant availability.