1 / 54

Life Cycle Assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites

Life Cycle Assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites. Nilmini Dissanayake, John Summerscales, Stephen Grove and Miggy Singh. This talk will …. look at some global drivers introduce flax as a potential reinforcement for composites introduce life cycle assessment (LCA)

sorcha
Download Presentation

Life Cycle Assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Life Cycle Assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites Nilmini Dissanayake,John Summerscales, Stephen Grove and Miggy Singh

  2. This talk will … • look at some global drivers • introduce flax as a potential reinforcement for composites • introduce life cycle assessment (LCA) • consider embodied energy in flax • other environmental burdens • compare flax (cottage industry) to glass (mega-factory) fibre • draw some conclusions • open the floor for discussion

  3. Global warming July 2016 was the globe’s warmest month since modern records began in 1880, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88607 Tuesday 13 September 2016 was the UK hottest September day since 1911. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/13/uks-hottest-september-day-since-1949-32c-heathrow

  4. CO2 now permanently >400 ppm • September 2016, whenatmospheric CO2 normally at minimum, the monthly valuefailed to drop <400 ppm. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/world-passes-400-ppm-threshold-permanently-20738

  5. Ed Hawkins (University of Reading)climate scientist’s graphic … http://giphy.com/gifs/climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-3oKIPeQ8nGqJC2NAhW

  6. Robert Costanza et al, The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital  Nature, 1997, 387, 253 - 260. • estimated the value of the non-marketed contributionof the world’s ecosystem services to human welfareat US$16-54 trillion per year (with a mean of US$33 trillion) in $1994.  • corresponding global GNP at $18 trillion per year. • US$33 trillion considered to be an underestimate. • Toman [2] suggested that "economic assessment of ecosystem benefits and opportunity costs … must go into social decision making” and"a default value of zero for a difficult-to-measure ecological value …is no more defensible scientifically than a default value of infinity“. • Michael Toman, Why not to calculate the value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital, Ecological Economics, 1998, 25(1), 57-70.

  7. ML Imhoff and L Bounoua J Geophysical Research, 2006, 111, D22S13 • human species constitutes ~0.5% oftotal biomass of organisms that require organic compounds for growth and development • globally they consume 20% of the net primary production from the land • M Kern, J Agronomy and Crop Science,2002, 188 (5), 291–305.summarised the debate about food, feed, fibre, fuel and industrial products.

  8. mini … not now! mini (1959)mini (2016) increase Length 3054 mm 4097 mm +34% Width 1397 mm 1788 mm +28% Height 1346 mm 1562 mm +16% Kerb wt.617-686 kg 1340-1465 kg+115% Data and images from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini https://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/mini-countryman-dimensions-0423

  9. Population Matters Magazine • Summer 2016, (29), page 15. • Sir David Attenborough:"[young people] actually believe that humanity, the human species, has no right to destroy and despoil regardless.They feel that very powerfully“. • Paul Ehrlich:“Overdrafts on aquifers [leading to] water shortages will bring the human population explosion to a halt.There are substitutes for oil; there is no substitute for fresh water”. • Sir David Attenborough:"I've never seen a problem that wouldn't be easier to solve with fewer people ~ or harder, and ultimately impossible, with more".  

  10. Population growth (B= billion) • 2015 ~ 7.3 B • 2030 ~ 8.5 B • 2050 ~ 9.7 B • 2100 ~ 11.2 B but 11.3/7.3 = +53% • need thermodynamic breakthrough, or only 2/3 resource/person by 2100. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html

  11. Earth Overshoot Day • the day in which we exhaustour ecological budget for the year: • 19 December 1987 • 21 August 2010 • 08 August 2016 • days/earth used by human population[Mathis Wackernagel]

  12. System is broken Capitalism premised on infinite growth but we are on a finite planet! For future generations sake, we must • do the right thing • do the thing right • and have evidence for those choices The methodology is life cycle assessment

  13. Fibre-reinforced composites:typical applications J-boats Poma-Otis mass transit Images from www.tpicomp.com Reitnouer flat bed trailer NABI 30-foot bus

  14. Content • Flax • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • goal and scope • system boundaries • Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI) • 3 scenarios • energy • Environmental Impact Classification Factors (EICF) • Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) - results • Conclusions

  15. Flax • Linum usitatissimum • temperate zone plant • flax – grown for fibre linseed – grown for seed oil • sown in March-May in UK • life cycle of the plant 45-60 day vegetative period 15-25 day flowering period 30-40 day maturation period

  16. Why Flax ? • flax is the most agro-chemical intensive bast fibre used as reinforcement • other bast fibres may be “greener”provided yield/hectare andperformance/durability are satisfactory

  17. Growth stages • Life cycle of the flax plant consists of • a 45 to 60 day vegetative period, • a 15 to 25 day flowering period and • a maturation period of 30 to 40 days • From J A Turner “Linseed Law” BASF (UK) Limited, 1987via http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/images UK harvest

  18. Flax grown on campus • 4 x 4 x 2 replicates behind Portland Villas • three fertilisers (N, P, K) or none • 0, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 times recommended level •  no significant differences (soil too good ?)

  19. Flax: from plant to fibre • tillage and growth • harvest (combining or pulling) • retting (dew-, wet-, stand- or enzyme-retting) • enzymes (e.g. pectinase digests pectin binder) • decortication/scutching (hammer mill, fluted rollers, willower) • cleaning (removal of shive) • carding (brushing/combing aligns fibres) > sliver • spinning (twisting binds fibres) > yarn/filament

  20. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Interpretation Goal and Scope Definition Inventory Analysis Impact Assessment

  21. Goal and Scope • To determine the sustainability of natural fibres as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites (referenced to glass fibres) • Cradle-to-factory gate • agricultural operations (from ploughing to harvest) • fibre extraction operations (retting and decortication) • fibre preparation operations (hackling and carding) • fibre processing operations (spinning or finishing) • The functional unit : “one tonne of flax fibres for reinforcement in polymer matrix composites” (assumes Eflax = 42 GPa  equal specific modulus) • Co-products allocated burdens only for post-separation handling

  22. System Boundaries seed, fertiliser, pesticides, diesel machinery Crop Production Dry, green flax stems Retting diesel, machinery, water Dry, retted flax atmospheric emissions, emissions into water, co-products and waste Scutching electricity Scutched long fibre Hackling electricity SLIVER Wet Spinning electricity, water YARN

  23. Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Three scenarios linking different tillage and retting methods: • No-till & water retting - minimum impact? 2. Conservation till (chisel) & stand/dew retting - average impact? 3. Conventional till (mouldboard) & bio-retting - maximum impact?

  24. Tillage Methods

  25. Fibre Processing

  26. Mass loss during the production < Sliver

  27. LCI results – energy consumption

  28. Energy consumption - breakdown Scenario 1- Sliver (54 GJ/tonne)

  29. LCI results – energy consumption

  30. Energy consumption - breakdown Scenario 1- Yarn (80GJ/tonne)

  31. Energy consumption

  32. Energy consumption UK: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuel_mix/fuel_mix.aspx France:http://ieepa.org/news/Other/20100917174353200.pdf

  33. Environmental Impact Classification Factors From Adisa Azapagic (and ISO 14047) Acidification Potential (AP) Aquatic Toxicity Potential (ATP) – ecotoxicity Eutrophication Potential (EP) - nitrification Global Warming Potential (GWP) - climate change Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) Non-Renewable/Abiotic Resource Depletion Potential (NRADP) Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential (POCP) – smog Draft BS8905 adds “land use”

  34. EICF definitions I • Acidification Potential (AP)consequence of acids (and other compounds which can be transformed into acids)being emitted to the atmosphere and subsequently deposited in  surface soils and water • Aquatic Toxicity Potential (ATP)– ecotoxicitybased on the maximum tolerable concentrations of different toxic substances in water by aquatic organismswhat about insects and birds ? • Eutrophication Potential (EP)– nitrificationthe potential of nutrients to cause over-fertilisation of water and soil which in turn can result in increased growth of biomass • Global Warming Potential (GWP)- climate changecaused by the atmosphere's ability to reflect some of the heat radiated from the earth's surface:reflectivity is increased by the greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphererelatively difficult to quantify climate change

  35. EICF definitions II • Human Toxicity Potential (HTP)persistent chemicals reaching undesirable concentrations in each of the three elements of the environment (air, soil and water) leading to damage to humans, animals and eco-systems • Non-Renewable/Abiotic Resource Depletion Potential (NRADP)depletion of fossil fuels, metals and minerals • Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)potential for emissions of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds and other halogenated hydrocarbons to deplete the ozone layer • Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential (POCP)– summer smogrelated to the potential for VOCs and oxides of nitrogen to generate photochemical or summer smog

  36. Environmental Impact for Flax fibre : See also http://www.netcomposites.com/downloads/03Thurs_Summerscales.pdf - slide 15

  37. Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI)

  38. Life Cycle Impact Assessment – LCIA methodology In the impact assessment interpretation of the LCI data, Environmental impact potential, where: Bjx = burden (release of emission j or consumption of resource j per functional unit) ec1= characterisation factor for emission j continues …

  39. Non-renewable/abiotic resource depletion potential is calculated using : Where: Bj = burden (consumption of resource j per functional unit) ec1= estimated total world reserves of resource j. As defined by Adisa Azapagic et al (2003, 2004) in Polymers, the Environment and Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development in practice –case studies for engineers and scientists

  40. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) For the production of flax sliver continues …

  41. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) For the production of flax yarn

  42. No-till/water-ret flax vs glass fibres… GF data from Sustainability at Owens Corning – 2008 Summary Progress Report

  43. However …. • our analysis uses100% burden to long fibre • economic apportionment:If long fibre = 10% weight at 90 p/kgand short fibre/dust = 90% at 10p/kg,then burdens on long fibre halved • if mass apportionment (indefensible?), then long fibre burden reduced to ~10%

  44. A Le Duigou et al, JBMBE, 2011. • environmental impact analysis onFrench flax fibers using different underlying assumptionsto Dissanayake et al for UK fibersconcluded that“without the allocation procedurethe results from the two studieswould be similar.”

  45. Le Duigou vs Dissanayake key differences • UK plants desiccated at mid-point flowering but French plants allowed to set seed • UK yield only 6000 kg/ha but French yield 7500 kg/ha at harvest • UK study excluded photosynthesis and CO2 sequestration • Higher level of nuclear power in the French energy mix • UK study allocated all burdens to fiberFrench study allocated on mass of product and co-products

  46. This study did not address: • sequestration of CO2 • use phase – assumed comparable to glass • disposal – flax could be compostedbut degradation leads to “biogas [which] is typically 60-65% methane, 35% carbon dioxide and a small amount of other impurities” [Jana et al, 2001] S Jana, NR Chakrabarty and SC Sarkar, Removal of Carbon Dioxide from Biogas for Methane Generation, Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, August 2001, 12(3).

  47. This study did not address: • glass fibres are inert • natural fibres burn GJ/tonne* • Flax (Top-F) 16.36±0.05 • Hemp (Strick H) 17.20±0.24 • Jute (Wingham) 17.46±0.14 • Jute (Virk) 17.75±0.17 • but that will release the sequestered CO2 * Parr 1356 bomb calorimeter data by Adam Smith

  48. However … • long flax fibre could bea by-product/co-productif flax grown for seed (Ω3 health food) • … but more difficultto separate fibre from stem

  49. Conclusions I • no-till and water retting scenario • lowest global warming potential • using bio-retting process • increased global warming • reduced eutrophication, acidification and toxicity • fibre mass as % green flax stems • 5% in bio-retting • 4% in water retting • 2% in dew retting • the embodied energies for flax (no-till agriculture): • 54 GJ/tonne for sliver(55 GJ/tonne for glass mat) • 80 GJ/tonne for yarn(32 GJ/tonne for continuous glass)

  50. Burdens from … minimum <average < maximum • no till <conservation agriculture<mouldboard plough • organic fertiliser <agro-chemicals • biological control of pests<pesticides • water- <dew- <bio-retting • sliver <spun yarn

More Related