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Life Cycle Analysis for Recycling
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Inputs Outputs
Raw Material Acquisition
Atmospheric Emissions
Co-Products
Recycle/Waste Management
Other release
Other waste
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Tillman 2004). As more research were carried out, Policy Makers with waste
management and Packaging industry became more away of LCA; one of the major
draw backs of LCA was that it wasn’t consistent with other studies and their
calculations were more rigorous as it was done without computers. By 1990,
methods of carrying out LCA became more unified and as more LCA were carried
out, there was a desire to be able to compare results however different methods
means that different among experts means different results on the same LCA
product but this differences was not because of alternative production and waste
disposal system (Russell Ekvall & Baumann 2005). The only option was to carry out
LCA in a standard manner. In 1991, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and
chemistry (SETAC) had a conference on Life cycle Analysis. It was not until 1992 that
this methodology was then called “Life Cycle Analysis” (Baumann & Tillman 2004). It
was in 1993 that SETAC published its first “Modus Operandi” that an LCA must
contain goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment and
improvement assessment (Consoli et al 1993). After the publication of LCA standard
of operation, International Organization for Standardization gave a standard method
of carrying out Life Cycle Assessments. The 14040 series was released in 1997 and
then updated in 2006. (ISO 2006a).
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International Organisation for Standardisation
Based on the work done by SETAC, The ISO was developed further and there was
an agreement on the series of standards for a LCA to be carried and they include
(McDougall et al 2009) they are
1. ISO 14040 environmental management: Life cycle assessment principles and
frame work (ISO1997)
2. ISO 14041 environmental management: Life cycle assessment – Goal and
scope definition and life cycle inventory analysis (ISO1998)
3. ISO 14042 environmental management:- Life cycle assessment- Life cycle
impact assessment (ISO/FDIS 1999)
4. ISO 14043 environmental management:- Life cycle assessment- Life cycle
interpretation.
Goal Definition and Scoping: Here the scope of the product or process is defined and
described. The boundaries and backgrounds are established on which the
assessment is to be made.
Inventory Analysis: Inputs and Outputs are counted based on material usage, energy,
water and environmental release (for example air emissions, solid waste disposal
and waste water discharges)
Impact Assessment: the effects of the usage of the energy, material and water on
the environment is taken into consideration and the release of wastes noted in the
inventory analysis
Interpretation: The results of inventory analysis and impact assessment are then
checked to select the product, technology or service with a sound discernment of
the unknown and assumptions used to derive results.
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Goal and
definition of
scope
Inventory Interpretation
Analysis
Impact
Assessment
Importance of LCA
LCA allows decision makers to choose product or processes that have the lowest of
impact on the environment. This with other factors such as cost and performance data
enables decision makers to choose the best product or process (US EPA 2006). Other
importance of LCA includes
1. LCA data identifies the transfer of environmental impact from one medium to
another (for example removing air emissions by forming a waste water effluent
instead) or from one life cycle to another (from use and recycling of product to the
raw material stage). If an LCA was not performed, this transfer will not be spotted.
2. It enables the gradual assessment of the environmental effects of a particular
product.
3. Evaluates various environmental decisions linked to one or more products or process
in order to win stake holders support (community, state) for a particular process or
product).
4. Measures environmental release to air, water and land relating to each life cycle or
major contributing process.
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5. Examines the human and ecological effects of consumption of raw materials and
release to the environment in the local community, state, country and the world.
6. Considers the health and ecological impacts between two or more rival product and
recognises the impact of a particular product or process.
7. Recognises impacts to one or more specific areas of environmental concern.
Goal and Scope: Their goal was to perform life cycle assessement of products and
processes required for material recycling of thermoplastic material from industrial
waste. The results were then evaluated using data given by recycling machinery
manufacturers and bibliographical data from other authors.
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FLOW CHART OF HDPE recycling culled from Garrain 2007.
Bibliographical Data
1. White et al: He carried out a LCI on Integerated management of solid waste. He took into
account the input and output of recycling methods in order to know their environmental
impact. Their data originated from internal reports (Deuroll T 1990) of a recycling plant,
which gave detailed information in mass and energy flows in recycling rigid HDPE bottles.
2. Perugini et al: As a follow up to the previous study, he then released a report on life cycle
analysis of mechanical recycling of plastic waste. This report covered a set of Italian firms
which made use of mechanical recycling of plastic waste and then compared other
environmental methods. For example incineration, land filling. The impacts of other post
recycling methods were then evaluated such as low temperature pyrolysis and other high
pressure hydrogenation. Their results showed that this data are more environmental
friendly than other accoustomed ones. The inventory data which was collected by the data
was related to the material and energy flows of recycled PET and polyethylene from plastic
waste.
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4. Pelletizing the plastic
In this case study, energy consumption figures were gotten from machinery manufacturers.
The author got specific consumption figures from production rates and required power inputs. The
plastic waste goes through the line as films or bales and comes out clean, dry bits prepared for
extrusion. Technical data for extrusion and pelletizing were obtained from Austrian manufacturer
Artec.
The data concerning manufacture of HDPE came from the database found in simapro 7.0 impact
assessment software
Impact Assessment
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Ecological Profile of recycling 1kg of HDPE culled from data source by Garrain et al 2007
The results clearly show that over the years, plastic recycling has been optimised
leading to a reduction in its environmental impact. This gives more support to
bringing up new recycled product for sustainable development.
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References
1. Baumann, H., & Tillman, A. (2004). The hitch hiker's guide to LCA: An orientation
in life cycle assessment methodology and application. Lund, Sweden:
Studentlitteratur AB.
2. Boustead I. Eco-profiles of the European Plastic Industry. HDPE Extrusion. A report
for Plastics Europe (APME), 2005.
3. Boyd, J. (2008). FROM OCEAN TO MARKET: THE LIFE CYCLE BIOPHYSICAL IMPACTS OF
THE SOUTHWEST NOVA SCOTIA LIVE LOBSTER INDUSTRY. Available:
http://www.fcrn.org.uk/researchLib/theses/Boyd_2008FromOceantoMarket.pdf. Last
accessed 12th Dec 2010.
4. Consoli, F., Allen, D., Boustead, I., Fava, J., Franklin, W., Jensen, A. A., et al (Eds.).
(1993). Guidelines for life-cycle assessment: A "Code of Practice" (1st ed.). Pensacola,
FL & Brussels BE: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC).
5. Curran, M. (2006). LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT principles and practise. Available:
http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lcaccess/pdfs/600r06060.pdf. Last accessed 10th Dec
2010.
6. Curran, M.A. (ed) 1996. Environmental Life Cycle Assessment. ISBN 0-07-015063-
X, McGraw-Hill
7. Deurloo T. Assessment of environmental impact of plastic recycling in P&G
packaging. Technical report of Procter&Gamble, 1990.
8. Ekvall, T., & Finnveden, G. (2001). Allocation in ISO 14041--a critical review.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 9(3), 197-208.
9. Ekvall, T., Tillman, A., & Molander, S. (2005). Normative ethics and methodology
for life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(13-14), 1225-1234.
10. Garrain,D,Martinez,P., Vidal,R. and Belles M.. (2007). LCA of thermoplastic
recycling. Available: http://www.lcm2007.org/paper/168.pdf. Last accessed 9th
Dec 2010
11. Habersatter K., Fecker I., Dall’aqua S., Fawer M., Falscheer F., Förster R., Maifeller
C., Ménard M., Reusser L., Som C., Stahel U., Zimmermann P. Life cycle
inventories for packaging, BUWAL(SAEFL, Swiss Agency for the Environment),
Environmental series n.250 (Buwal 250), 1998.
12. Hischier R. Life cycle inventories of packaging & graphical papers, Part II. Plastics.
Ecoinvent report n.11, 2004.
13. McDougall, R. White, P., Frank, M. and Hindle, P. (2009). Integrated Solid waste
management:A life cycle Inventory. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell science ltd. p88-
93.
14. Perugini F., Mastellone M.L., Arena U. A Life Cycle Assessment of Mechanical and
Feedstock Recycling Options for Management of Plastic Packaging Wastes,
Environmental Progress, Vol. 24,n.2, pp 137-154, 2005.
15. White P.R., Franke, M., Hindle, P. Integrated solid waste management. A life
cycle inventory. Ed: Blackie Academic & Professional, ISBN 0-7514-0046-7, 1995
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16. Williams, P. T. 2005. Waste treatment and disposal (2nd edition). Chichester:
John Wiley & Sons.
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