Emergy Conversion Factors Derived from the EPA EmCF Life Cycle Assessment Database Using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) Baseline

Emergy Conversion Factors Derived from the EPA EmCF Life Cycle Assessment Database Using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) Baseline Author Mark T. Brown ORCID: 0000-0001-8931-170X Description This dataset provides emergy conversion factors derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EmCF Database for Life Cycle Assessment (“emcf-database-for-lca_508-compliant”). The original EPA database contains emergy characterization factors (EmCFs) developed for use in life cycle assessments, including minerals and fossil fuels in the ground, environmental flows, and biome-specific soils and organic matter. That database was developed at the Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida, under contract to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In this derivative dataset, the original EPA data have been systematically recalculated using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) baseline. The purpose of this dataset is to enable transparent reproduction of the emergy conversion factors that underpin a companion database of Unit Emergy Values (UEVs), archived on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18009214. That companion dataset supports the calculations, examples, and case studies presented in Emergy: The Coupling of Human and Natural Systems. Source Data The underlying data are derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EmCF Database for Life Cycle Assessment (“emcf-database-for-lca_508-compliant”). The EmCF database was developed at the Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida, under contract to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and was released by the EPA as a publicdomain resource to support life cycle assessment and related environmental analyses. As a work produced under contract to the U.S. federal government, the original EmCF database is in the public domain. Transformation Methodology The original EPA EmCF data were transformed by recalculating all relevant flows using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) baseline of: 40.0 × 10²⁴ solar emjoules per year (sej yr⁻¹) This baseline represents a dynamic measure of biospheric energy throughput and differs from earlier static geobiosphere-based baselines commonly used in emergy accounting. The transformation preserves the original flow definitions, system boundaries, and scope of the EPA EmCF database while expressing results in emergy terms consistent with dynamic emergy accounting practice. The recalculated values represent one internally consistent translation of the EPA EmCF data into dynamic emergy space. They are not intended to replace the original database, nor to imply regulatory authority or endorsement. Relationship to Other Datasets The EPA EmCF database serves as the primary source dataset for this work. It provides emergybased characterization of global and geologic resource flows, including minerals and fossil fuels in the ground, environmental flows, and biome-specific soils and organic matter. These flows represent resources in their pre-extraction, pre-refinement states, capturing the long-term geologic and biospheric work required for their formation and concentration. The companion Unit Emergy Value (UEV) database developed by the author and archived separately is derived in part from the EPA EmCF dataset, using the BDE-adjusted emergy conversion factors presented here as foundational inputs. That companion dataset extends the EPA-based values by incorporating downstream processes such as extraction, refinement, conversion, and delivery to final energy and material forms. In this way, the present dataset provides the upstream emergy foundation, while the companion UEV database represents applied emergy accounting consistent with the analyses presented in Emergy: The Coupling of Human and Natural Systems. The companion UEV database is archived separately on Zenodo (Brown, 2026, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18009214) Status of This Record Current status: This record presently serves as a documentation and placeholder release. The complete transformed dataset (Excel format) will be published in a subsequent version of this Zenodo record. All future releases will be versioned through Zenodo, ensuring persistent access to earlier versions. Disclaimer This dataset represents an independent academic transformation of publicly available data originally developed under contract to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The present dataset is not affiliated with, reviewed by, or endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Responsibility for the transformation, interpretation, and use of the data rests solely with the author. License This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Users are free to share and adapt the material for any purpose, provided appropriate attribution is given to the author and to the original EPA EmCF source. Citation Brown, M. T. (2026). Emergy Conversion Factors Derived from the EPA EmCF Life Cycle Assessment Database Using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) Baseline [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/xxxxx Contact For questions, corrections, or correspondence related to this dataset, please contact: Mark T. Brown [[email protected]]