IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

Table of Contents
1.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.0 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 6.0 6.1 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 8.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2 Material Overview ...................................................................................................................... 2 Glass Fiber ............................................................................................................................... 3 Flax Fiber ................................................................................................................................. 3 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ........................................................................................................ 3 Phases of LCA .......................................................................................................................... 4 Goal and Scope definition of LCA............................................................................................ 4 Boundaries of LCA ................................................................................................................... 4 Life Cycle Inventory analysis ....................................................................................................... 4 Life Cycle Impact Assessment ..................................................................................................... 8 Global warming ....................................................................................................................... 8 Acidification ............................................................................................................................ 9 Human Toxicity ....................................................................................................................... 9 Depletion of none-renewable resources ................................................................................ 9 Life Cycle Interpretation ........................................................................................................... 10 Suggestions ........................................................................................................................... 10 Limitations of Life Cycle Assessment ........................................................................................ 11 Completeness........................................................................................................................ 11 Accuracy ................................................................................................................................ 12 Relevance .............................................................................................................................. 12 References ................................................................................................................................ 13

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

1.0 Introduction
Ural is an automobile company, which located in United Kingdom under the rules and regulations of European Union. After ten years of service in automobile industry ABC have become major automobile dealer and supplier in the same industry. New technology and methodologies lead them to become more competitive and improved than its competitors. The company is specialized in producing automobile parts from glass/carbon fibers, which is not an environmental friendly reinforcement. Wastes from those organic automobile parts are hazardous and it may toxic to the environment. Environmental issues such as global warming, ozone depletion, climate changes will arise due to unmanaged wastes. Moreover this hazardous waste will be harmful to human and animal health. According to the European Union legislations it has covered area of controlling hazardous wastes. Therefore the EU is well concern about the hazardous wastes and its impact to the environment. So this leads to increase the tension between company and European Union. Due to intense pressure from European Union the upper management of the company decides to re-examine the methods of manufacturing and material use. So they decide to introduce environmental friendly natural fibers such as flax, jute, and hemp as reinforcements to replace glass\carbon fiber reinforced composite materials. Before switching to natural fiber undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for both glass\carbon fiber and natural fiber will assist upper management of the company to select most feasible reinforcement for their production.

2.0 Material Overview

Fiber is an excellent reinforcement to enhance the strength and hardness of composite materials in automobile parts. Fiber can produce from natural forms and manmade forms of chemicals. In this LCA we are considering Flax fiber as a natural green fiber, wile Glass Fiber as an artificial reinforcement for manufacturing process

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2.1 Glass Fiber

Due to the high performances Glass Fiber became a frequent reinforcement in manufacturing industry. Silicon Oxide is a main compound use in Glass fiber. Characteristics such as low cost, transparency, resistance to high temperature and acidic environments are lead manufactures to stick with the glass fiber. Fiber glass is an ideal reinforcement to build automobile parts to increase the performances.

2.2 Flax Fiber

Flax is a natural fiber, which used as reinforcement for manufacturing industry since centuries before. Compared to the artificial Glass fibers, characteristics like lightweight, absorbing heat, low cost, and reusability are lead manufactures to use Flax as reinforcement. Catching fire easily and no equal quality maintain within the production can take as a disadvantages in use of Flax fiber. To improve the sustainability green fibers such as Flax is a best solution ever found.

3.0 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life cycle assessment is a method of evaluating the environmental burden products and its impact to an environment during the lifetime of product. LAC is considering the entire life cycle stages such as resource acquisition, manufacturing, use, reuse, disposal, etc. Therefore this is called as a Cradle- to- Grave analysis. This cradle to grave approach will enable top management of company to choose desire composite material, by understanding and monitor the accidental impacts, identifying the opportunities that can improve the business and environmental performances, Moreover this approach will help company to attain sustainability objectives by designing new products.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

3.1 Phases of LCA

Goal and scope definition Inventory analysis Impact analysis Interpretation

3.2 Goal and Scope definition of LCA

Planning is a first step of Life cycle assessment. During this phase definition of goal and scope has to determine. The upper management of Ural Automobile has to define the purpose of the LCA. The phase is also discuses limitations, parameters, and boundaries of LCA, while considering the types of environmental impacts and methods of study those impacts to ensure the constant flow of LCA for rest of the phases. In this comparative LCA between glass fiber and Flax fiber to measure the impact from the fiber reinforcement we have to consider functional unit. Therefore one tone of fiber yarn can take as a functional unit in this LCA.

3.3 Boundaries of LCA

Waste from the automobile parts should either recycled, deposit in the landfills, or incinerate. There was a high energy waste can happen when preparing Glass fiber, since the elements for these fibers has to make through the chemical reactions and that process needs high temperature. So that will leads to global warming. By the other hand natural fibers will become scarce resources some day. So they have manufacturer has to use these resources cautiously.

4.0 Life Cycle Inventory analysis

Throughout this phase we are considering material and energy requirement by measuring inputs and outputs of both reinforcements. Moreover we have to analyze wastes and emissions due to use of reinforcement products. The first step in Life cycle inventory analysis is constructing product life Cycle flow charts.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

1.1 Life Cycle of Flax Fiber

Flax Crop Cultivation

Flax Fiber Extraction

Manufacturing Natural Fiber components

Landfill

Use

Waste

Incinerate

Compost

1.2 Life Cycle of Glass Fiber

Glass Manufacture

Fiber Glass Manufacture

Landfill

Use

Waste

Incinerate

Recycle

Both flow charts represent the life cycle of fibers through raw material extraction to discharge into environment. Life cycle flow charts show the boundaries of the processors to determine the goal and scope of LCA.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

In the end of the glass fiber process the waste has to be either incinerate, recycled or land filled. But in the Flax fiber manufacturing consumed automobile parts can be composted. So compost waste can reuse as a fertilizer. Although incinerate of glass fiber components will release harmful chemicals, incineration of Flax fiber will release only less harmful chemicals to the environment.

Then the next step is to analysis of energy consumption and material use for the production by collecting relevant data from measuring inputs and outputs of the reinforced fiber. We are assuming one tone of both products to get quantitative date for input and output during production.

Inputs of Flax fiber production are fertilizers, pesticides, land, and Flax fiber processing methodologies, while Silica sand (SiO2), Quartz, Fillers, Glass matt, and Asphalt saturant are the inputs in fiber glass industry. Inputs of both reinforcements are summarized below associate with one tone of fiber yarn production. 2.1 Inventory data of Flax Fiber

INPUTS
Materials Seeds Fertilizers Pesticides Total Units (Kg/ Tone) 497.00 381.35 10.20 888.55

2.2 Inventory data of Glass Fiber

INPUTS
Materials Silicon Sand Glass Matt Fillers Asphalt staurant Total Units (Kg/ Tone) 421.11 149.59 221.10 208.20 1,000.00

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

So compared to Glass fiber process of preparing Flax fiber requires less materials, while Glass fiber need more inputs to complete its process. Raw materials for Glass fiber production are expensive than materials of Flax fiber production. Therefore the total cost inputs for producing glass fiber materials are more expensive than flax fiber. Energy consumptions for fiber reinforcements as follow. 3.1 Energy consumption in Flax Fiber Manufacturing

Energy MJ/Kg
0.48 0.53 1.56 4.20 Retting Spinning Hakling 22.40 Decortication Carding

3.2 Energy consumption in Glass Fiber Manufacturing

Energy KJ/Kg
5.90 1 Mixing Melting 31.40 Spinning

According above energy comparison of charts Glass fiber acquires 38.3 MJ/Kg, while Flax fiber automobile parts manufacturing gain only 29.17 MJ/Kg of energy. So the energy requirement for Glass fiber ten time greater than Flax fiber manufacturing.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

Considering all the above aspects the conservational method of manufacturing fiber components will have a lesser impact to the environment.

5.0 Life Cycle Impact Assessment

This stage in the LCA is to identify and assess the degree of the impact to the environment during the life cycle of product. Impact assessment of product is achieving through the categorization of environmental related information of products. The main steps involve in Life cycle impact assessment are as follow. Classification according to the effect on the environment store the substance in the relevant impact categories. Characterization calculate the degree of the impact in each category of impact. Normalization assign reference value to the quantified impacts in the previous stage. E.g.; average carbon emission per year. Weighting assign value to certain impact categories in the characterization stage to get total value for environmental impact.

The main impact categories in impact analysis with Ural Automobile are Global Warming, Acidification, Human Health, and depletion of non renewable resources.

5.1 Global warming

Due to the atmospheric emission of gasses CO2, NOx, and SOx leads to increase the temperature in the earth to affect Climate Changers, and Green House effects to cause Global Warming. Following are the emission quantities in Flax Fiber and Glass Fiber.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery Flax Fiber Emission methods Value (Kg/Tone) CO2 145.55 NOX 8.7 SO2 0.004 NH3 0.062 Dust 2824 Shive 7010 Glass Fiber Emission methods Value (Kg/Tone) CO2 488.55 NOX 1.0005 SO2 2.5919 VOC 6..108 CO 0.4491 CH4 0.2605

Compared to Flax fiber CO2 and SO2 emission is high in use of Glass fiber reinforcement. Moreover the energy consumption in glass fiber is again higher than Flax fiber. So this exposed heat energy, and various air emissions will tends to increase the temperature in earth to cause Global Warming. Therefore the risk of using Fiber Glass as reinforcement is high.

5.2 Acidification
Acidification occurs due to emission of SOx, NOx, and NH4 (Ammonia) gasses. Acid rains, loss of biodiversity reactions with water and vapors are the impacts of acidification and those are toxic to the human and animal health. During the manufacturing process of glass fibers more of above eco-toxic gasses are releasing. So the risk is high in the fiberglass manufacturing.

5.3 Human Toxicity

Due to the climate change, ozone layer depletion, acidification, and water retting, health effects such as disability, Skin damages, and anticipated death can happen. Emission of toxic gases and dust are the major circumstances for the affect human health. Most of the toxic gasses are release through the process of glass fiber manufacturing. Moreover pesticides and fertilizer in Flex industry also release human toxic chemicals.

5.4 Depletion of none-renewable resources

In both fiber productions it consumes diesel and electricity. Electricity generates from coal, natural gases, nuclear and other resources. So those are non renewable resources and
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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

might get extinct some day. So the demand for the energy will increase in the future. So the industry will increase the risk depletion of none renewable resources.

6.0 Life Cycle Interpretation

Interpretation stage in the LCA is performing to conclude the LCA by analyzing the data from previous stages to find recommendations for environmental impacts during product life cycle. During this phase environmental impacts are evaluate systematical way to minimize the environmental impact by the product, while determining the goal and scope of the LCA. When comparing the lifetime of both reinforcements manufacturing of Flax fiber is most conservational method manufacturing fiber and having less impact on environmental impacts. Although the wastes from both fiber components can be recycled or incinerated, the impact to the environment from the Flax fiber is less, since it producing fewer amount of green house gasses when the element discharging. Eco-toxic gasses in the fiber glass industry having direct impact to the human and animal health, while ruining biodiversity in forests.

Energy consumption to produce Glass fiber is comparatively higher than the Flax fiber. So it generates more heat when producing glass fiber components. This will leads to a global warming by means of green house effect.

6.1 Suggestions
So the substitution for Glass Fiber with Flax Fiber is more environmental beneficial. Using alternative renewable power resources such as Solar Energy, Wind Power, and Natural gasses to improve the sustainability. Manage recycling of end consumed fiber components in environment friendly manner to decrease overall environmental impacts.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

Employ conservational method of fiber manufacturing for better profitability, since materials are cheap than the conventional method.

7.0 Limitations of Life Cycle Assessment

There are major two types of life cycle assessments available analyze the life cycle of product. Attributional and Consequential are the two types. According to Attributional LCA is only illustrating the environmental impacts within the boundary of life cycle, while Consequential method responsible to undertake the changers within the product lifecycle. The Comparative LCA between Flax fiber and Glass fiber is also consequential since the upper management of Ural needs make a decision of replacing Flax fiber with Glass fiber. The major limitations in consequential LCA are due to problems with completeness, accuracy, and relevance to the problem.

7.1 Completeness
Completeness of the LCA arises due to uncertainty of the future. The requirements of the LCA can change during the LCA. New technology arrivals in to the certain manufacturing industry will change the goal and the scope of the LCA in the future. Data gaps in available data such as less knowledge about the process, no data available for environmental exchange of the process, merely having low knowledge about the environmental impacts, Environmental impacts parameters not weighted according to its issues etc.

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IT364- Strategies for Resource Conservation and Recovery

7.2 Accuracy
Accuracy of the LCA is losing due to complexity of the LCA. Change in economic mechanism will lead the complexity of the LCA. When increasing the number of decisions, conversions, and interpretations will increase the complexity of the LCA.

7.3 Relevance
According to the preference and knowledge of the environmental properties of the decision maker the decisions can varied and widen from the goal and scope of the LCA. Lack of knowledge about the evaluation schemes of environmental impacts will not determining the goal and scope of LCA. So the relevance of the LCA loses due to such circumstances.

The above factors in the LCA will waste more time to understand the LCA, while incurring the considerable cost to complete the analysis. Shifting from Glass Fiber to Flax Fiber the manicure have to bare shifting cost, while facing the changers in methodologies of process within the industry.

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8.0 References
James A OBrien, George M Marakas, Ramesh Behl, (2009) Management Information Systems, 9th edition, TATA McGraw Hill, New Delhi. Scribd, Mobile device security, (2010) (http://www.scribd.com/doc/5561376/MotorolaMobile-Device-Security), Date accessed 03.11.2010 Buzzle.com, Types of Computer crimes, (2010) (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-computer-crimes.html), Date accessed 03.11.2010 Handheld device trends in US Insurance industry,(pdf) (2010), (http://us.blackberry.com/business/industry/RIM_TG_Insurance_WP.pdf), Date accessed 04.11.2010 Scribd, Wireless handheld device security, (2010), (hhttp://www.infosecwriters.com/text_resources/pdf/PDA_TOlzak.pdf ), Date accessed 04.11.2010 White Paper-Phishing (pdf) ,(2010), (http://www.strikeforcetech.com/pdf/WhitePaper-Phishing.pdf), Date accessed 04.11.2010 10 Ways to use mobile device to run your business,(2010), (http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/09/mobile-devices-to-run-your-business.html), Date accessed 05.11.2010 Handheld computing magazine, handheld device security,(2010), (http://www.hhcmag.com/features/handheldsecurity/index.htm), Date accessed 05.11.2010

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