Abstract
Summary This article presents the application of life‐cycle assessment in early phases of process design in the context of technology that employs a bio‐based material. The goal is to identify hot spots in the process chains with regard to environmental impacts by performing a dominance analysis. By focusing his activities on the hot spots identified, the designer is given the opportunity to efficiently improve environmental performance. This approach is illustrated for the case of supercritical water gasification, a novel technology for the treatment of organic feedstock with high moisture content. In the reactor under supercritical conditions, organic components are converted into a high‐caloric synthesis gas, with hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide as the main products. The data used for the assessment are obtained from laboratory tests and the literature, completed by assumptions for missing data. The scope of assessment ranges from the extraction of raw materials to the product, that is, hydrogen (cradle to gate) with sewage sludge of a municipal wastewater treatment plant used as feedstock. The assessment identifies the main sources of environmental impacts. The predominant process step in terms of global warming potential is the supply of the gasification process with additional heat. The production of a blending agent in the dewatering step is the main source of the impact category of acidification, whereas the wastewater treatment plant is the origin of emissions that lead to eutrophication. The revealed sources are analyzed further and options for reducing the environmental impacts are discussed.