商用车铝合金与钢制轮辋生命周期环境影响评价对比分析

基于生命周期评价(LCA)理论,运用Ga Bi软件建模,采用EDIP 2003评价体系,对某款商用车铝合金轮辋和钢制轮辋的生命周期环境影响进行了评价和对比分析.结果表明:在原材料获取阶段铝合金轮辋对环境的影响要远远大于钢制轮辋;制造阶段两种轮辋对环境的影响相差不大;使用阶段钢制轮辋对环境的影响大于铝合金轮辋;综合所有阶段来看,当车辆总行驶里程低于11.6万km时,铝合金轮辋对环境的影响更大,超过11.6万km后,钢制轮辋对环境的影响更大.     

典型复合包装的全生命周期环境影响评价研究

采用生命周期评价法研究了牛奶纸塑铝复合包装的全生命周期环境影响,并与塑料包装的环境影响进行比较评价.通过现场和资料调研的方式获得整个生命周期的能量物质的输入输出和环境外排的数据.结果表明,纸塑铝复合包装和塑料包装的环境影响值分别为5.225, 4.670Pt,在整个生命周期中,环境影响比重最大的是原材料获取阶段,两者均在80%左右.塑料包装在化石资源消耗方面是纸塑铝复合包装的2倍多,由于化石资源消耗是不可再生的,因此其对环境的影响无法通过相关途径降低.纸塑铝复合包装的环境影响较大的原因是其尚未得到很好的回收再生利用,通过发展铝塑分离再生技术和提高纸塑铝复合包装回收率可以降低其环境影响.     

The recycling cycle of materials as a design project tool

Currently, a large number of companies consider recycling of materials as an opportunity to maximize profits and to reduce the environmental impact generated by these materials after they are disposed. However, there is also a strong constraint on the use of recycled materials mainly due to the lack of technical/scientific information, which would relate their physical properties to their recycling cycle. This information should be used in the initial phase of the product design to serve as reference for the simulation of a project to point out the physical properties obtained from recycling the Projected material (Pm). Thus, it would be possible to foresee some recycling strategy to keep the good characteristics of recycled materials by encouraging their use, regardless of the product to be designed.Therefore, the Recycling Cycle of Materials (RCM) is a tool that provides scientific/technical support in the selection of materials. It uses the information related to the physical properties of the Pm as a parameter for product design after five recycling cycles. For the case study, this tool has been applied to obtain the basic material of ABS/PC blend. Subsequently, this blend was evaluated using DSC, FTIR, traction and impact methods to obtain delimiting data for the definition of the mechanical properties resulting from the application of RCM.     

Environmental evaluation of localising production as a strategy for sustainable development: a case study of two consumer goods in Jamaica

The objective of this study was to compare the life-cycle environmental impacts of changed production structures for two consumer goods (high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shopping bags and beds) in Jamaica. A scenario technique was used to construct three alternative production structures for each product; each scenario reflecting an increase in local production in Jamaica which depended on an increased supply of input materials which may be sourced: (1) externally from overseas suppliers, (2) from post-consumer recycling, and (3) locally on the island of Jamaica. These three constructed scenarios were then compared to the existing supply chain or reference scenarios of the products. The results showed that for both case products the recycling scenario was most preferable for localising production, resulting in the lowest environmental impact. This was because the production of raw materials accounted for the largest effect on total environmental impact. As such, the most immediate environmental improvements were realised by lowering the production of virgin materials.     

建筑材料隐含环境影响评估

我国建筑业快速发展,建筑开发使用大量的建筑材料给资源和环境带来严重负荷.以上海市为案例,运用生命周期评价方法,基于北京工业大学和Ecoinvent数据库中的建筑材料生产数据,采用ReCiPe法对上海市建筑物的材料隐含环境影响进行评估,并对未来的环境影响潜值进行预测.结果表明:在上海市居住建筑和非居住建筑所产生的各类环境影响中人类毒性、金属损耗最为突出,约占总环境影响的45%和20%;环境影响主要来源于钢筋和木材的生产,对各类环境影响贡献度分别约为47%、17%;高层居住建筑和非居住建筑中的工厂建筑物化环境影响在各自类型中所占比例最高.按现有趋势发展,2020年上海市居住建筑开发规模和环境影响潜值均将达到2014年的1.52倍,非居住建筑则可达到2014年的1.14倍.针对上海市建筑材料环境影响分析结果,为有效减轻上海市建筑物的环境影响,需重点关注钢筋、铝材、木材以及混凝土的生产,识别生产过程中污染物转移环节进而改进工序;在设计阶段考虑选择环境影响负荷低的绿色建材,如混凝土砌块、高性能混凝土等,从而降低环境影响;同时,应重点关注隐含环境负荷高的高层居住和工厂建筑类建筑,通过降低建材使用量等方案降低环境影响.      

Reduction in toxicity and generation of slag in secondary lead process

This paper focuses on the improvement of a secondary lead recycling processing plant, giving special attention to the generation of lead slag. The study was conducted using two different industrial rotary furnaces that together produce three different slag types, which depend on charge composition and lead-containing raw material obtained from a lead-acid battery recycling process. First, characterization of three slag types from different batches was performed, and such characterization included chemical, mineralogical, and structural analyses. By analyzing these data and the operational conditions of the process, it was possible to identify certain deficiencies in the recycling process and implement modifications in order to improve it. A reduction of up to 25% in the quantity of slag generated could be achieved with certain charges. In addition to this process improvement, it was possible to reduce the toxicity of the slag produced when processing a charge containing the same proportion of paste and grid as the lead-acid battery. This improvement lessens the overall environmental impact of the process. By applying this methodology, it was possible to determine some principles of cleaner production in the lead recycling process. So, waste generation could be reduced via improvements in the process and slag characteristics were modified to decrease its toxicity (as determined by lead content in leaching tests).     

Emergy as a tool for Ecodesign: evaluating materials selection for beverage packages in Brazil

The life of a product begins with the initial product design concepts; the costs and potential impacts of a product are heavily influenced by the final design, the production processes, the economic and environmental costs of all raw materials. Additionally, both of these factors are very much affected by how the products are managed during and after consumer usage. Thus, there is an urgent need for a tool to facilitate the integration and assessment of environmental and economic demands into the product planning and development processes. The introduction of environmental accounting based on emergy as a tool to assist in product design is proposed. This complementary tool may be inserted into the conventional design methodology to facilitate in the selection of materials and processes as well as in the actual design of the products. To illustrate the application of the proposed method for material selection, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles and aluminum cans for beverage packaging are compared. Despite the exceptional condition of aluminum recycling in Brazil, results show that the best option for beverage packages is the PET bottles.     

纸塑铝复合包装处置方式的生命周期评价

采用生命周期评价(LCA)法研究了纸塑铝复合包装的全生命周期环境影响,并在处置阶段对不同处置方式的环境影响进行评价. 通过现场和资料调研的方式,获得所有生命周期阶段能量物质的输入/输出和环境外排数据. 结果表明:纸塑铝复合包装生命周期阶段中环境影响比重最大的是原料获取阶段,占75%以上. 纸塑铝复合包装的全生命周期环境影响主要集中在化石燃料、土地占用和无机物对人体损害3个方面,在矿产资源、气候变化、酸化富营养化和生态毒性方面影响稍小. 3种处置方式对环境影响由大到小依次为填埋＞焚烧＞再生,其中填埋和焚烧处置分别比纸塑铝复合包装处置阶段前的环境影响增加11%和7%,再生可降低23%,而进一步降低环境影响的方式为发展铝塑分离技术.      

Disassemblability of end-of-life vehicle: a critical review of evaluation methods

Environmental sustainability has become the main items of contest in the automotive industries. Therefore in the order to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life vehicles, European Union, Japan, USA, and Australia laws require manufacturers to take back their products at the end of their useful life and recycle them. In order to enhance the recycling rate of the vehicle, disassemblability of the automotive components has been a major concern. In the chain of end-of-life, except for landfill and incineration, components of economic value destined for reuse, remanufacture, or recycling have first to be disassembled from the end-of-life vehicles. There are several efforts within the academic community to rationalise design for disassembly and recycling, and several attempts by industry to study these issues in the context of specific products. Recent publications offer a broad perspective on recyclability and disassemblability. It is therefore necessary to determine the optimal stage of disassembly, when all economically valuable components are retrieved. This paper presents a review of several disassemblability methods, including spread sheet-like chart, end-of-life value and time for disassembly. The review concludes on the need for an effective disassembly method in order to enhance the recovery of products.     

Life cycle analysis and choice of natural gas-based automotive alternative fuels in Chongqing Municipality,China

Road transport produces significant amounts of emissions by using crude oil as the primary energy source. A reduction of emissions can be achieved by implementing alternative fuel chains. The objective of this study is to carry out an economic, environmental and energy (EEE) life cycle study on natural gas-based automotive fuels with conventional gasoline in an abundant region of China. A set of indices of four fuels/vehicle systems on the basis of life cycle are assessed in terms of impact of EEE, in which natural gas produces compressed natural gas (CNG), methanol, dimethylether (DME) and Fischer Tropsch diesel (FTD). The study included fuel production, vehicle production, vehicle operation, infrastructure and vehicle end of life as a system for each fuel/vehicle system. A generic gasoline fueled car is used as a baseline. Data have been reviewed and modified based on the best knowledge available to Chongqing local sources. Results indicated that when we could not change electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into commercial vehicles on a large scale, direct use of CNG in a dedicated or bi-fuel vehicle is an economical choice for the region which is most energy efficient and more environmental friendly. The study can be used to support decisions on how natural gas resources can best be utilized as a fuel/energy resource for automobiles, and what issues need to be resolved in Chongqing. The models and approaches for this study can be applied to other regions of China as long as all the assumptions are well defined and modified to find a substitute automotive energy source and establish an energy policy in a specific region.     

Development and environmental improvements of plastics for hydrophilic catheters in medical care: an environmental evaluation

Single-use medical devices have been under close scrutiny for several years, especially the choice of plastic materials. Many different requirements such as medical safety, treatment functionality and efficiency, environmental performance, etc. have to be fulfilled. Today, the most commonly used materials for hydrophilic urinary catheters are polyvinylchloride (PVC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In this research study, these two materials' environmental performance was evaluated. In light of the knowledge gained in that study a new plastic material for use in urinary catheters was developed. The aim of the development of this new material was to design a high performance material with superior environmental performance. The newly developed plastic material is a polyolefin-based elastomer. The ecological environmental performance of the new material was evaluated and compared to the existing plastic materials. The study focused exclusively on the choice of plastic materials and their ecological environmental performance.The analysis has been performed using a system perspective and a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The functional unit has been set to the treatment of one patient during one year. The results from the LCA models have been presented both in terms of direct inventory data, such as energy use and formed emissions, and in terms of the results from four different impact assessment methods. Analysis of the results based on direct inventory data, i.e. common inventory results such as energy resource uses and emissions of CO₂, NO_x and SO₂ show an overall better environmental performance for the new polyolefin-based elastomer compared to the existing PVC and TPU plastic materials. The normalization and weighting steps in the analyzes have indicated the importance of energy resource uses and global warming as indicator for the environmental performance even if other impact categories also can play a role. In the environmental impact assessment, the polyolefin-based elastomer showed a clearly better environmental performance than the TPU material. Compared to PVC plastic material the new polyolefin-based elastomer showed an almost equivalent environmental performance. This can be mainly explained by the different materials' energy use. The new material has thus also shown to be an environmentally good alternative to PVC if a PVC-free material is requested. Basing the plastic formula, on simple bulk plastics with low energy use in the production of single-use medical devices, has been shown to be a successful method of producing high quality products with superior environmental performance.     

Is European end-of-life vehicle legislation living up to expectations? Assessing the impact of the ELV Directive on ‘green’ innovation and vehicle recovery

The end-of-life vehicle (ELV) Directive in Europe aims to generate environmental gains through increased levels of vehicle recovery and a reduction in the use of hazardous substances. This paper presents an evaluation framework based on five anticipated changes that could result from the ELV Directive. These changes relate to three areas: (a) vehicle design, (b) level of ELV recovery, and (c) information provision. We evaluate the extent to which expected outcomes have materialized since the establishment of the ELV Directive. Current information provides an emerging picture of the impact of ELV legislation. We show that legislative factors and market forces have led to innovation in recycling, increased hazardous substance removal and improved information dissemination. Such actions may be sufficient to reach ELV Directive targets and could have spill-over benefits to other industries. Carmakers are also taking steps to design for recycling and for disassembly. However, movement toward design for re-use and remanufacturing seems limited. Increasing the level of re-use and remanufacturing will be a key part of moving toward sustainable vehicle production.     

LCA of spent fluorescent lamps in Thailand at various rates of recycling

This paper presents environmental impact of a fluorescent lamp (a long straight tube 36 watts, 200 g and 13,600 h for mean time before failure) when considering different disposal methods (recycle and non-recycle) of its spent fluorescent lamp (SFL). The study was applied for the case in Thailand using life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool. All materials, energy use, and pollutant emissions to the environment from each related process were identified and analyzed. Impact assessment was conducted for 10 environmental impact potentials: carcinogens, respiratory organics, respiratory inorganics, climate change, radiation, ozone layer, ecotoxicity, acidification/eutrophication, land use and minerals. The analysis followed Eco-Indicator 99 method, individualist version 2.1. The main focus of the study was to compare the impact of SFL recycling with non-recycling before landfilling. The impact intermittent activities, production of raw material and energy used in all the concerned processes were taken into account. However, transportation activities were excluded. The results showed that for all recycling rates, cement production is the main contributor to the environmental impacts, while sodium sulfide production is second and electrical production, the third. Mercury vapor emission showed a small contribution in carcinogens and ecotoxicity. The impacts are reduced when recycling rate is increased. The reduction of cement consumption in disposal processes or the process improvement of cement production may also help to reduce environmental impacts.     

基于物质代谢分析的高铝煤炭循环利用全产业链评估研究

高铝煤炭广泛分布于我国内蒙古自治区中西部煤田,富含丰富的铝、硅、锂、镓等有价元素,对其进行资源协同开发,有望大幅提升我国铝资源供给体系韧性并提高固废利用率,以及改善燃煤电厂的飞灰堆存等环境污染问题. 本研究以大唐国际托电园区的高铝粉煤灰示范生产线为案例,解析了高铝煤炭中各类无机资源的分布规律,并在全面梳理“原料—工艺—技术—产品/副产品”匹配机制的基础上,构建了集成“高铝煤炭清洁燃烧工艺-多级预脱硅工艺-氧化铝低能耗提取工艺”于一体的高铝煤炭循环利用全产业链;采用物质代谢分析方法,研究高铝煤炭循环利用全过程中有价元素的迁移转化规律,建立了高铝煤炭伴生有价元素的走向与分配模型,识别了该产业链中物质代谢优化调控的关键环节;此外,以传统铝土矿炼铝产业和木浆造纸产业为参考基准,核算了该产业链推广应用的经济、环境效益. 结果表明,高铝煤炭循环利用全产业链中有价元素总体循环回收利用率超过80.0%,在内蒙古自治区推广应用该产业链,每年可生产1 303.0×104 t氧化铝,联产964.0×104 t活性硅酸钙和3 192.0×104 t硅钙渣,创造年收入401.2×108元,节约3 505.0×104 t铝土矿,保护11.5 km2植被. 研究显示,高铝煤炭循环利用全产业链的有价元素回收率高,具有良好的环境和经济效益.      

An assessment of waste issues associated with the production of new,lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles

This article assesses solid and hazardous wastes that would be generated through the production of new, lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles. In these vehicles, steel is replaced with aluminum, titanium, magnesium, plastics, and glass and carbon fibers. In addition to total volumes, we pay particular attention to a subset of highly toxic chemical constituents in hazardous waste. The article also examines capacity in the United States to manage the solid and hazardous waste generation changes. Finally, we review the distribution of environmental impacts that changes in material composition would cause. The estimated generation of solid and hazardous wastes for each of the three new vehicles is greater than wastes for a base vehicle, although the United States has sufficient waste management capacity to handle these increases. Production of a subset of chemical constituents of hazardous waste, specifically those that are highly toxic, will decrease in most cases for the three new vehicles. Moving to these new materials could reduce mining for iron ore in the United States but increase the mining of bauxite for aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and other materials in such major countries as Canada, China, and Russia and in many small, developing countries, such as Guinea, Jamaica, and Sierra Leone.     

工程材料LCA中环境效益的分析与研究

论述了材料环境效益性的目标因素,详细分析产品材料在LCA中的环境效应性、能量消耗性和经济回收性;通过LCI分析建立环境效应、能量度量、经济度量的决策模型和数学模型实现材料环境效益性的目标;先整体定性分析LCA工艺,再定量计算环境效益的三属性值,建立目标函数、分层优化算法确定影响因子和相应的权重系数之间的关系以及对产品材料的环境效益性的影响,最后以家用小型风扇回收处理中各种材料环境效益性为例进行具体分析和决策,进一步明确和决策优化出环境效益性好的工程材料。     

上海废电池回收实证分析及相关宣传教育对策探讨

回顾了上海市废电池回收过程;通过对2个试点项目实施效果的分析,指出了目前废电池回收存在的误区及原因。在相关宣传教育方面,指出针对废电池回收的宣传教育并未随政策改变而作相应调整,宣传教育形式比较单一,内容相对陈旧,效果不理想。提出了提高公众认识、调整宣教内容、在环境宣传教育中增强专业性和创新性等建议。     

Carbon footprint analysis for increasing water supply and sanitation in South Africa: a case study

This study investigates the environmental burdens due to the provision of potable water and sanitation in the eThekwini Municipality (Durban), South Africa. This was achieved by employing LCA studies for the individual parts of the urban water system (impoundment, water treatment, distribution, collection, sewage treatment and water recycling). Based on the results of the individual LCAs a base case was constructed.For the provision of potable water and sanitation to new customers, which have not been previously served, two different scenarios (200 000 new customers in an urban environment with waterborne sewage and in a peri-urban environment with on-site sanitation) and three different options (maximising use of existing assets, recycling water and building new infrastructure) were considered and analysed. With regard to the impact scores calculated for both scenarios (urban and peri-urban), the recycling of water is followed by maximising the use of existing assets as the most environmentally friendly options. The construction of new infrastructure carries a higher environmental burden and the use of bottled water for drinking (an additional scenario) carries the highest environmental burden.     

我国城乡居民环境维权方式调查分析——以大学生实践及调查问卷为样本

严重的环境污染势必会带来对公民财产和人身的损害。为探寻我国城乡居民环境维权的具体方式,选择了一些地区对其进行了调查。通过调查资料及现场调查内容的汇总分析,发现：不同维权方式、不同的雏权群体、不同环境污染（或生态破坏）类型、不同的环境污染（或生态破坏）的认知度等情形下,会有不同环境维权方式;在环境维权中,公民对政府的依赖性较大;公民理性维权需要政府与相关主体的引导。     

Life cycle assessment of lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – Critical issues

The main aim of the study was to explore how LCA can be used to optimize the design of lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Two lithium-ion batteries, both based on lithium iron phosphate, but using different solvents during cell manufacturing, were studied by means of life cycle assessment, LCA. The general conclusions are limited to results showing robustness against variation in critical data. The study showed that it is environmentally preferable to use water as a solvent instead of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, NMP, in the slurry for casting the cathode and anode of lithium-ion batteries. Recent years’ improvements in battery technology, especially related to cycle life, have decreased production phase environmental impacts almost to the level of use phase impacts. In the use phase, environmental impacts related to internal battery efficiency are two to six times larger than the impact from losses due to battery weight in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, assuming 90% internal battery efficiency. Thus, internal battery efficiency is a very important parameter; at least as important as battery weight. Areas, in which data is missing or inadequate and the environmental impact is or may be significant, include: production of binders, production of lithium salts, cell manufacturing and assembly, the relationship between weight of vehicle and vehicle energy consumption, information about internal battery efficiency and recycling of lithium-ion batteries based on lithium iron phosphate.