Comparative Life Cycle Studies on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-Based Composites as Potential Replacement for Conventional Petrochemical Plastics

Pietrini, Matteo; Roes, Lex; Patel, Martin Kumar; Chiellini, Emo

doi:10.1021/bm0700892

Cited by 109 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Conversely, in a plastic bottle case study, Rebitzer et al (2002) concluded that corn-based PHB caused higher environmental impacts than its petrochemical counterparts due to corn-glucose production and heating requirements. Rebitzer et al's (2002) results have been supported by Pietrini et al (2007) who also pointed out that expanding the system boundary from factory gate to grave led to PHB having a higher impact than PP even though on per kg of polymer (cradle-to-gate) basis PHB had a lower impact than PP.…”

Section: Lca Of Light-weight Eco-compositesmentioning

confidence: 82%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Light-Weight Eco-composites

Guo¹

2012

Springer Theses

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LCA of Light-weight Eco-composites Statement of originality 2 Statement of originalityI hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person.Contributions made to the research of this thesis by others, with whom I have worked with are explicitly acknowledged. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others with data collection and modification of process-oriented model DNDC is acknowledged. Miao GuoSep 2010 LCA of Light-weight Eco-compositesAbstract 3 AbstractThe environmental profiles of novel wheat based foam materials were investigated in this thesis using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. The LCAs were developed using primary data collected from industrial sources combined with new laboratory experiments supplemented with secondary data from publicly available sources.Laboratory research was conducted to obtain important missing data on WBFs for the LCA modelling, including physico-chemical parameters, biodegradability and energy recovery under anaerobic digestion conditions.Contribution analysis suggested that the emissions evolved from the wheat agroecosystem and PVOH production, together with the energy and infrastructure involved in WBF production were the major contributors to the environmental burdens of the WBF life cycle in most impact categories. The atmospheric emissions resulting from WBF degradation at the end-of-life also emerged as another important contributor to environmental impact. Amongst the diverse ‗end-of-life' scenarios examined, AD and home composting were suggested to be the optimum choices for WBF waste treatment. This research discusses two N 2 O modelling approaches and presents a method to expand the system boundary by integrating the process-oriented model DNDC for field emissions into the LCA. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the environmental profiles of agricultural products are influenced substantially by the system boundary definition. LCA of Light-weight Eco-compositesAbstract 4 Furthermore, it suggests that the ‗general rule' in LCA practice by applying an empirical model or a default emission factor (EF) could deliver unreliable LCA findings.This study also evaluated the sensitivity of the LCA results to methodology and data variations and quantified the uncertainties in the LCA outcomes arising from uncertainty in the inventory and data variability. This has led to an increase in confidence in the LCA findings. At the same time it indicates the areas where improvements in data or methods are needed in order for robust conclusions to be drawn and unbiased information to be delivered e.g. the methodological rigidity of characterization models, the IPCC Tier 1 EF uncertainty range. LCA of Light-weight Eco-compositesAcknowledgements 5

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Section: Lca Of Light-weight Eco-compositesmentioning

confidence: 82%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Light-Weight Eco-composites

Guo¹

2012

Springer Theses

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“…Bio-based or biodegradable polymers have the potential to replace conventional petrochemical plastics [27], high-strength polymer nanocomposites can replace steel, aluminum, or other metals in industrial applications [25,26] and also, they can be used in the production of alternative fuel cells [29]. Results obtained from the reviewed studies vary in terms of carbon emissions of nanomaterial-based polymers compared to alternative technologies.…”

Section: Polymer Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the study of Hervy et al [26], application of nanofibrillated cellulose reinforced epoxy composites as applied in vehicle body panels resulted in almost breakeven of carbon emissions compared to neat polylactide (PLA) and glass fiber/polypropylene (GF/PP) alternatives. In the study of Pietrini et al [27] the use of nanoscaled organophilic montmorillonite PHBs (poly3-hydroxybutyrate) resulted in a better carbon impact in the case of CRT monitors (using HIPS) and in a comparable carbon impact in the case of car body panels (using GF-PP). In the study of Notter et al [29], multiwalled carbon nanotubes are used in the production of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM FCs).…”

Section: Polymer Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the study of Pietrini et al [27], the use of nanoscaled organophilic montmorillonite poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) in CRT monitors results in better performance in terms of carbon emissions compared to conventionally produced CRT monitors from high-impact polystyrene. The reason for this finding is that the production of PHB from sugar cane results in negative non-renewable energy use.…”

Section: Polymer Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the reviewed studies in the polymer sector, the synthesis of nanomaterials appears to be one of the most significant contributors to carbon emissions and energy consumption [25][26][27]. The application of nano-based polymers to vehicle body panels reduces the weight of the vehicle compared to the alternatives.…”

Section: Main Contributors Of Climate Change and Energy Demandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Green and Clean: Reviewing the Justification of Claims for Nanomaterials from a Sustainability Point of View

et al. 2018

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Nanotechnology is an emerging technology with the potential to contribute towards sustainability. However, there are growing concerns about the potential environmental and human health impacts of nanomaterials. Clearly, nanomaterials have advantages and disadvantages, and a balanced view is needed to assess the overall benefit. The current "green and clean" claims of proponents of nanomaterials across different sectors of the economy are evaluated in this review study. Focusing on carbon emissions and energy use, we have reviewed 18 life cycle assessment studies on nanomaterials in the solar, energy, polymer, medical and food sectors. We find that the "green and clean" claims are not supported for the majority of the reviewed studies in the energy sector. In the solar sector, only specific technologies tend to support the "green and clean" claims. In the polymer sector, only some applications support the "green and clean" claims. The main findings show that nanomaterials have high cradle-to-gate energy demand that result in high carbon emissions. Synthesis of nanomaterials is the main contributor of carbon emissions in the majority of the studies. Future improvements in reducing parameter uncertainties and in the energy efficiency of the synthesis processes of nanomaterials might improve the environmental performance of nanotechnologies.

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