IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v84y2014icp1-14.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Use of recycled natural fibres in industrial products: A comparative LCA case study on acoustic components in the Brazilian automotive sector

Author

Listed:
  • Pegoretti, Thaís dos Santos
  • Mathieux, Fabrice
  • Evrard, Damien
  • Brissaud, Daniel
  • Arruda, José Roberto de França

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results and the lessons learnt from an LCA case study comparing acoustic automotive components. Three alternative acoustic components produced by the Brazilian automotive sector are considered: dual-layer polyurethane (DL-PU) panel, recycled textile absorption-barrier-absorption (ABA-cotton) panel and recycled textile DL (DL-cotton) panel. DL-PU is a “status-quo” alternative, composed mainly of synthetic plastics and the two other alternatives are mainly made of recycled cotton fibres. Using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, the three following phases of the panels’ life cycle are examined: production, use and end-of-life. For the latter, two end-of-life scenarios are analysed: landfill and incineration with energy recovery. For the LCA model, some Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) datasets have been adapted from the data available in the EcoInvent database in order to adjust to the Brazilian context. LCA results show that, within the entire life cycle, the DL-cotton option, which combines two layers of recycled fibres of different densities, is overall the best alternative from an environmental perspective. This result is therefore independent from the end-of-life scenario. This is mainly due to the lower weight of this component, which is extremely important for the transportation aspects, but also due to its lower consumption of fossil resources, to the energy saving during its production and to the avoidance of textile disposal that would happen otherwise. The obtained results confirm the available literature dealing with the use of renewable fibres in industrial products. The particular behaviour of recycled fibres compared to virgin ones (in terms of shared contribution of agricultural production and of avoidance of landfilling) is highlighted in this paper, thanks to the application of the “50/50” allocation rule. LCA results are discussed in terms of their potential use in an R&D context. Further research needs are also derived from the case study, including the potential benefits of developing multi-objective optimization methods that include environmental impact to be used in the design of such a component.

Suggested Citation

  • Pegoretti, Thaís dos Santos & Mathieux, Fabrice & Evrard, Damien & Brissaud, Daniel & Arruda, José Roberto de França, 2014. "Use of recycled natural fibres in industrial products: A comparative LCA case study on acoustic components in the Brazilian automotive sector," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1-14.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:84:y:2014:i:c:p:1-14
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.12.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344913002760
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.12.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simic, Vladimir & Dimitrijevic, Branka, 2012. "Production planning for vehicle recycling factories in the EU legislative and global business environments," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 78-88.
    2. Luz, Sandra M. & Caldeira-Pires, Armando & Ferrão, Paulo M.C., 2010. "Environmental benefits of substituting talc by sugarcane bagasse fibers as reinforcement in polypropylene composites: Ecodesign and LCA as strategy for automotive components," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(12), pages 1135-1144.
    3. Allacker, K. & Mathieux, F. & Manfredi, S. & Pelletier, N. & De Camillis, C. & Ardente, F. & Pant, R., 2014. "Allocation solutions for secondary material production and end of life recovery: Proposals for product policy initiatives," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Mathieux, Fabrice & Brissaud, Daniel, 2010. "End-of-life product-specific material flow analysis. Application to aluminum coming from end-of-life commercial vehicles in Europe," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 92-105.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Toniolo, Sara & Mazzi, Anna & Pieretto, Chiara & Scipioni, Antonio, 2017. "Allocation strategies in comparative life cycle assessment for recycling: Considerations from case studies," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 249-261.
    2. Nicoleta Ungureanu & Valentin Vlăduț & Sorin-Ștefan Biriș, 2022. "Sustainable Valorization of Waste and By-Products from Sugarcane Processing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-27, September.
    3. Toniolo, Sara & Mazzi, Anna & Garato, Valentina Giulia & Aguiari, Filippo & Scipioni, Antonio, 2014. "Assessing the “design paradox” with life cycle assessment: A case study of a municipal solid waste incineration plant," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 109-116.
    4. Väntsi, Olli & Kärki, Timo, 2015. "Environmental assessment of recycled mineral wool and polypropylene utilized in wood polymer composites," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 38-48.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simic, Vladimir & Dimitrijevic, Branka, 2013. "Risk explicit interval linear programming model for long-term planning of vehicle recycling in the EU legislative context under uncertainty," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 197-210.
    2. Simic, Vladimir, 2015. "A two-stage interval-stochastic programming model for planning end-of-life vehicles allocation under uncertainty," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 19-29.
    3. Toniolo, Sara & Mazzi, Anna & Garato, Valentina Giulia & Aguiari, Filippo & Scipioni, Antonio, 2014. "Assessing the “design paradox” with life cycle assessment: A case study of a municipal solid waste incineration plant," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 109-116.
    4. Vermeulen, Isabel & Block, Chantal & Van Caneghem, Jo & Dewulf, Wim & Sikdar, Subhas K. & Vandecasteele, Carlo, 2012. "Sustainability assessment of industrial waste treatment processes: The case of automotive shredder residue," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 17-28.
    5. Huysman, Sofie & Sala, Serenella & Mancini, Lucia & Ardente, Fulvio & Alvarenga, Rodrigo A.F. & De Meester, Steven & Mathieux, Fabrice & Dewulf, Jo, 2015. "Toward a systematized framework for resource efficiency indicators," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 68-76.
    6. Stotz, Philippe Maurice & Niero, Monia & Bey, Niki & Paraskevas, Dimos, 2017. "Environmental screening of novel technologies to increase material circularity: A case study on aluminium cans," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 96-106.
    7. Cambero, Claudia & Hans Alexandre, Mariane & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2015. "Life cycle greenhouse gas analysis of bioenergy generation alternatives using forest and wood residues in remote locations: A case study in British Columbia, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 59-72.
    8. Huang, Chu-Long & Vause, Jonathan & Ma, Hwong-Wen & Yu, Chang-Ping, 2012. "Using material/substance flow analysis to support sustainable development assessment: A literature review and outlook," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 104-116.
    9. Väntsi, Olli & Kärki, Timo, 2015. "Environmental assessment of recycled mineral wool and polypropylene utilized in wood polymer composites," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 38-48.
    10. Chaukura, Nhamo & Gwenzi, Willis & Bunhu, Tavengwa & Ruziwa, Deborah T. & Pumure, Innocent, 2016. "Potential uses and value-added products derived from waste polystyrene in developing countries: A review," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 157-165.
    11. Huaixi Song & Quanxi Li & Kailing Liu & Yi Li, 2022. "The Recycling Strategy of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering CSR under the Government’s Reward–Penalty Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-16, October.
    12. Buchner, Hanno & Laner, David & Rechberger, Helmut & Fellner, Johann, 2014. "In-depth analysis of aluminum flows in Austria as a basis to increase resource efficiency," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 112-123.
    13. Ardente, Fulvio & Calero Pastor, Maria & Mathieux, Fabrice & Talens Peiró, Laura, 2015. "Analysis of end-of-life treatments of commercial refrigerating appliances: Bridging product and waste policies," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 42-52.
    14. Dinler, Esra & Güngör, Zülal, 2017. "Planning decisions for recycling products containing hazardous and explosive substances: A fuzzy multi-objective model," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 93-101.
    15. Niero, Monia & Olsen, Stig Irving, 2016. "Circular economy: To be or not to be in a closed product loop? A Life Cycle Assessment of aluminium cans with inclusion of alloying elements," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 18-31.
    16. Toniolo, Sara & Mazzi, Anna & Pieretto, Chiara & Scipioni, Antonio, 2017. "Allocation strategies in comparative life cycle assessment for recycling: Considerations from case studies," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 249-261.
    17. Jessica Dunn & Kabian Ritter & Jesús M. Velázquez & Alissa Kendall, 2023. "Should high‐cobalt EV batteries be repurposed? Using LCA to assess the impact of technological innovation on the waste hierarchy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(5), pages 1277-1290, October.
    18. Nakatani, Jun & Konno, Kiyoto & Moriguchi, Yuichi, 2017. "Variability-based optimal design for robust plastic recycling systems," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 53-60.
    19. Jain, K.P. & Pruyn, J.F.J. & Hopman, J.J., 2016. "Quantitative assessment of material composition of end-of-life ships using onboard documentation," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-9.
    20. Simic, Vladimir, 2016. "End-of-life vehicles allocation management under multiple uncertainties: An interval-parameter two-stage stochastic full-infinite programming approach," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1-17.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:84:y:2014:i:c:p:1-14. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.