Life cycle assessment of sanitaryware production: A case study in Italy. (1st April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Silvestri, Luca; Forcina, Antonio; Silvestri, Cecilia; Ioppolo, Giuseppe
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 251(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04-01
• Subjects: Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119708
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Sanitaryware products are one of the most diffused ceramic materials. In the present study, an environmental assessment of sanitaryware production was carried out. The Life Cycle Assessment was performed with a cradle-to-gate approach, considering the product life cycle from resource extraction to the factory gate of an Italian company and it aims to evaluate the environmental weight of sanitaryware production, identifying hotspots and comparing different energetic scenarios. The study was performed according to the current international standards and choosing, as the functional unit, 1000 kg of heterogeneous sanitaryware products. The system boundary includes raw materials extraction, transportation of raw materials and all the manufacturing activities within the factory, including electric and thermal energy supply. The results show how the study factory have implemented a mature green-based manufacturing and represents a reference point to estimate how the environmental impact can be improved by energy saving technologies and recycling water. Such technologies were compared to conventional ones and with results of other recent literature research. In addition, a potential improvement, based on cogeneration, was evaluated to consider if the economic improvement goes together with a minor environmental impact. Results show how economic benefit due to the implementation of cogeneration agrees with environmental impact, presenting only an increase in Global Warming Potential and Abiotic Depletion of fossil fuels. This is the inspiration for a further research where Life Cycle Assessment can be coupled to a Life Cycle Cost. Highlights: Environmental impacts of sanitaryware production in Italy are evaluated. A cogeneration solution reduces environmental impacts and leads to costs reduction. Firing and drying cause the greatest Thermal Energy consumption in the process. Raw materials mining and transport provide the highest environmental impacts. The order of magnitude of CO2 emission is consistent with other ceramic productions.