Unit Emergy Values (UEVs) for Energy, Materials, Products, and Environmental Flows

Unit Emergy Values (UEVs) for Energy, Materials, Products, and Environmental Flows - 10.5281/zenodo.18009214 Author Mark T. Brown ORCID: 0000-0001-8931-170X Description This dataset provides a comprehensive collection of Unit Emergy Values (UEVs) for energy carriers, materials, minerals, metals, refined products, and environmental flows used in emergy accounting and energy systems analysis. The dataset supports the calculations, examples, and case studies presented in Emergy: The Coupling of Human and Natural Systems. The UEVs compiled here represent delivered and processed forms of energy and materials, including extracted, refined, converted, and distributed resources. These values extend upstream emergy characterizations by incorporating technological processes, industrial transformations, and supply-chain activities required to make resources available for human use. Source Data This dataset draws upon a wide range of published emergy studies, process inventories, and original calculations. A central upstream foundation for many entries is provided by the EPA EmCF Database for Life Cycle Assessment, which was developed at the Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida, under contract to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Emergy conversion factors derived from the EPA EmCF database, recalculated using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) baseline, are archived separately on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18003590 and serve as primary inputs for global and geologic resource flows represented in this dataset. Additional source materials include peer-reviewed emergy literature, government energy statistics, industrial process data, and original synthesis conducted by the author. Methodological Framework All UEVs in this dataset are expressed within the framework of emergy accounting and energy systems theory. Where applicable, values have been recalculated or harmonized using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) baseline of: 40.0 × 10²⁴ solar emjoules per year (sej yr⁻¹) The dataset integrates: • upstream geologic and biospheric emergy inputs, • intermediate extraction and refinement processes, • downstream conversion and delivery stages. System boundaries, assumptions, and allocation choices are documented within the dataset to the extent possible. The resulting UEVs are internally consistent but are not presented as unique or definitive; they represent one coherent implementation of emergy accounting principles. Relationship to Other Datasets This dataset represents the downstream application of emergy accounting, focusing on energy and material forms as they are extracted, refined, converted, and delivered for use within human economies. The primary upstream emergy characterization of global and geologic resource flows is provided by a separate dataset: Emergy Conversion Factors Derived from the EPA EmCF Life Cycle Assessment Database Using a Biosphere Dynamic Empower (BDE) Baseline (Brown, 2026, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18003590). That dataset supplies emergy conversion factors for resources in their pre-extraction, pre-refinement states, capturing the long-term geologic and biospheric work required for their formation and concentration. The present UEV dataset is derived in part from those upstream values, extending them through technological and industrial transformations consistent with the analyses presented in Emergy: The Coupling of Human and Natural Systems. Together, the two datasets provide a continuous emergy accounting framework from global resource formation to delivered energy and materials. Status of This Record Current status: This record presently serves as a documentation and placeholder release. The complete UEV database (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 synthesis of published data and original calculations. It is not affiliated with, reviewed by, or endorsed by any government agency. Responsibility for the selection, 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 cited sources. Citation Brown, M. T. (2026). Unit Emergy Values (UEVs) for Energy, Materials, and Environmental Flows [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18009214. Contact For questions, corrections, or correspondence related to this dataset, please contact: Mark T. Brown [[email protected]]