It will include construction of the facility, transportation of chemicals and other inputs, generation of electricity using solar and wind energy. The facility will produce 10,000 tons of e-methanol over its life time of 25 years. The LCA will also include dismantling of the facility and disposal of waste generated in the plant. The produced methanol will be sold to appropriate consumers.
Can this be considered as cradle to grave assessment or is it cradle to gate? what will be the most appropriate functional unit?
Since you are not evaluating the use phase (i.e., the environmental impacts of how consumers use the e-methanol) or its end-of-life (disposal of the methanol itself), the scope fits a cradle-to-gate LCA.
The most appropriate functional unit could be the 1 tone of e-methanol produced. Maybe you could select a functional unit that helps you compare it with other fossil fuels to add value to your work.
If you want to continue with the cradle-to-grave overview, could you tell us which use is expected for the e-methanol?
Indeed, if it were a cradle-to-grave LCA, using the kWh of energy used by the consumer as a functional unit would be more appropriate. This functional unit could be helpful when comparing this energy source to other energy sources.
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