Integrating Internet of Things (IoT) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Enhancing Sustainability of Saudi Arabian Oil and Gas Industry: A Conceptual Framework

Oil and gas industry plays a central role in Saudi Arabian economy. However, in face of increasing threat of catastrophic climate change, this industry needs to adapt sustainable practices and at the same time improve its efficiency. This paper presents a conceptual framework integrating internet of things (IoT) and life cycle assessment that can help to meet to enhance sustainability of oil and gas industry while improving operational efficiency. IoT enables real-time data collection, monitoring and analysis across upstream, midstream, and downstream activities of oil and gas industry. LCA, on the other hand, helps to quantify potential impacts across the complete life cycle phases including exploration, extraction, transportation, and processing. Combining IoT and LCA can lead to a more accurate, real-time, and data-driven sustainability re-porting and environmental decision making. The framework presented in this paper combines a four layered IoT architecture with five stages of LCA and lists key integration points and technological enablers. This framework can provide guidance for both LCA practitioners and sustainability managers to align sustainability targets and operational efficiency throughout the complete oil and gas value chain. The paper concludes by presenting implementation challenges and future work required for operationalizing this framework.