What is new in Volca

Performance

LCIA batch scoring is becoming interactive

A recent EF 3.1 adapted benchmark across 911 products and 7 databases reduced the scoring phase from about 25 minutes to about 24 seconds — roughly 26 ms per product in that batch workload.

• Regionalized method scoring now precomputes per-activity weights.
• Mixed regional and non-regional method collections are handled in one efficient scoring path.
• The practical result is a better foundation for live product comparison and batch impact exploration.

Mapping

Flow-mapping audit workflow

A new guide explains how to detect missing characterization, diagnose mapping gaps, and close them with traceable suggestions.

• Post-scoring suggestions for unmapped or weakly mapped flows.
• Support for synonym expansion, CAS bridges, and comparison-oriented checks.
• Open the Flow Mapping Audit guide →

Correctness

More robust LCIA method handling

Recent engine work improves how Volca handles compartments, locations, incompatible unit conversions, and openLCA JSON-LD method data.

• Fewer silent-zero cases when characterization factors do not match flow metadata.
• Better ILCD location parsing and regionalized characterization behavior.
• More tests around regional LCIA scoring and method-table behavior.

Desktop and packaging

• Desktop support for Windows and Linux paths.
• Cleaner packaged build traceability and runtime version visibility.
• Continued hardening of startup and packaged server behavior.

Data and compatibility

• Improved BAFU handling, including unlinked-exchange fixes.
• Progress on older EcoSpold1-style data.
• Better reference-data and documented-configuration patterns.

Trust and operations

• Runtime license visibility through the API.
• Third-party license and notice packaging improvements.
• Commercial options are kept secondary while the public exploration path remains available.