MSc (Eng), School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand / This study utilises the Life Cycle Environmental Management tool, Life cycle
Assessment (LCA) to compare the overall environmental impact of the life cycles
of three manufactured emulsions. The emulsions - Aquapel, Hi-phase/composite
(liquid/solid rosin) - fulfil a specific function as a sizing agent in the cardboard
box industry within the confines of South Africa. As the origins and use of these
emulsions are different, the impact assessments of each were evaluated.
Using the Simapro Impact 2002+ assessment method, the mid-point impact
categories show the most significant impacts in descending order to be Toxicity
Impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, Respiratory Inorganics, Climate Change and
Non Renewable Energy resources.
It would appear that toxicity impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, is the most
significant impact. Emission of respiratory inorganics followed by effluent
treatment, then electricity used in the emulsion process itself has the next highest
contribution in all three processes. The higher contribution to respiratory
inorganics by the process using liquid rosin is due to a relatively high contribution
from the production of tall oil, a relatively energy intensive process. Climate
change is the third most significant contribution. Non renewable energy resources
for the Aquapel process shows the highest impact because of its raw material,
wax. It is also based on a non-renewable energy resource, crude-oil, whilst the
raw material for the Hi-phase/composite process, rosin, is bio-based.
When comparing the three emulsion processes according to the Impact 2002+
damage or end point impact categories the relative contributions of the processes
shows the relatively close performance of the three processes. The liquid rosin
process shows slightly higher potential damages in three out of the four damage
categories. The explanation for the differences between the systems follows from
the explanations given for the mid-point impact categories.
The sensitivity analysis for the Aquapel emulsion process shows negative impacts
are produced in descending order for liquid effluent in the ecosystem and human
health damage categories. For electricity and paraffin wax negative impacts in the
human health and climate change damage categories. The best interventions to
reduce life cycle damages is to reduce water and electricity consumption and if
possible to find a substitute for paraffin wax.
For the Hi-phase/composite liquid / solid rosin emulsion process shows negative
impacts are produced in descending order for liquid effluent in the ecosystem and
human health / climate change and resources damage categories respectively. The
electricity and steam used in both the liquid / solid process produce negative
impacts in the human health and climate change damage categories. The best
interventions to reduce life cycle damages for the rosin emulsion process are to
reduce water, electricity and steam consumption.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/9902 |
| Date | 24 May 2011 |
| Creators | Ram Reddi, Manogaran |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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