Teil IV: Nachwachsende Rohstoffe als Alternative zu Kunststoffen

This paper presents a Life Cycle Assessment of a hemp fibre reinforced component for automotive parts. Its aim is to identify the optimisation strategies within the product system and also provide decision support for automotive engineers for or against the employment of renewable raw materials within the production process. The investigated life cycle contains the agricultural cultivation of the fibre plant, the method of harvesting and the processing of the crop. The analysis includes the further processing of the fibre, i.e. the manufacturing of the fibre composite matrix, on which the production of form press components for the automotive industry is based. Manufacturing the required preproducts is also taken into account. The differences of energy demand (CED) and emission amount during the use phase of a passenger car and different disposal options for the end of the life cycle (deposition or incineration) are assessed as well. It is shown that the natural fibre composite is ecologically preferable to the injection moulded reference as the results of the Eco-indicator 95 method show. Optimisation is necessary for the epoxy-resin-hardener system, although the cultivation of fibre plants is ecologically an insignificant process regarding the system boundaries. The weight difference and resulting energy savings during the use phase of a car reveal further advantages of a fibre panel.