1750 5. CONCLUSION This study assesses the cradle-to-gate aggregate production system boundary, encompassing operations such as rock material extraction, material handling, and the production process. DAE is used to estimate air emissions from on-site operations, and LCA to estimate environmental impacts covering on-site operations and the supply chain of consumed resources. The results from both methods indicate that the majority of the emissions and impacts originate during the material handling operation. For DAE, internal transport of this category gives the largest share. When analyzing the results, it was identified that the environmental impacts and emissions estimated from LCA and DAE, respectively, are not directly comparable. As a result, the raw elementary flow estimated during the LCI phase of the LCA was used to compare with DAE results. Upon comparison, differences were identified; for instance, CO2 emissions calculated in the LCI phase were higher than those calculated in the DAE. For TSP and PM emissions, DAE estimates higher values. The differences were attributed to the scope and the EFs used in the two methods. Although there are differences between the DAE and LCA methods, their results can be used for process improvements, as both can identify the significant sources of emissions and environmental impacts, respectively. This can be used as a guide for process improvement. Furthermore, results from the DAE can be used in LCA to capture site-specific diffused and stuck dust (TSP and PM) emissions. The two methods can complement each other. For instance, site-specific TSP and PM emissions estimated from DAE can be used in LCA to capture site-specific impacts from diffused dust emissions. Furthermore, the findings of this study are applicable to both the quarrying and mining industries and support decarbonization efforts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was performed under the project Rotate-Circular Ecological Essential & Critical Raw Materials, under Grant Agreement ID: 101058651, funded by the EU Horizon Europe. REFERENCES Baumann, H., & Tillman, A. M. (2004). The hitch hiker’s guide to LCA. Bjørn, A., Owsianiak, M., Molin, C., & Hauschild, M. Z. (2018). LCA History. In M. Z. Hauschild, R. K. Rosenbaum, & S. I. Olsen (Eds.), Life Cycle Assessment: Theory and Practice (pp. 17-30). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56475-3_3 de Bortoli, A. (2023). Understanding the environmental impacts of virgin aggregates: Critical literature review and primary comprehensive life cycle assessments. Journal of Cleaner Production, 415, 137629. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137629 European Environment Agency. (2023a). EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2023: 2.A.5.a Quarrying and mining of minerals other than coal. European Environment Agency. (2023b). EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2023: Non-road mobile sources and machinery. European Environment Agency. (2025). Emissions of major pollutants into the air by extractive industries (Indicator). http://eea.europa.eu/en/european-zero-pollution-dashboards/indicators/emissions-ofmajor-pollutants-into-the-air-by-extractive-industries-indicator Table 41 – EFs used in DAE and LCA for estimating emissions from diesel combustion. Resource Emissions Unit EFs in DAE EFs in LCA Diesel CO2 kgCO2/kg of diesel 3.160 3.004 NOx kg NOx/kg of diesel 0.033 0.024 PM2.5 kg PM2.5/kg of diesel 0.002 0.001
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