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Lifecycle: Allocation in LCA of Flax Fibres

Lifecycle: Allocation in LCA of Flax Fibres. , John Summerscales and Nilmini Dissanayake. This talk will …. look at the broader context review outcomes of an earlier LCA adopt the Ekvall and Finnveden allocation consider allocation amongst (by-/co-)products discuss potential routes forward.

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Lifecycle: Allocation in LCA of Flax Fibres

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  1. Lifecycle:Allocation in LCA of Flax Fibres ,John Summerscales and Nilmini Dissanayake

  2. This talk will … • look at the broader context • review outcomes of an earlier LCA • adopt the Ekvall and Finnveden allocation • consider allocation amongst (by-/co-)products • discuss potential routes forward

  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. 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.

  6. 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

  7. 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]

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. Why Flax for this LCA ? • 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

  11. 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

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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 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] 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).

  16. 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?

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

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

  19. Energy consumption

  20. Environmental Impact Classification Factors • From Adisa Azapagic (and ISO 14047) • Acidification Potential (AP) • Aquatic Toxicity Potential (ATP*) – ecotoxicity(biodiversity) • 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) – (Montréal protocol) • Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential (POCP) – smog • BS8905 adds “land use” • soil depletion (Montgomery ~ Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations) * not presented as radar plots as assessed as negligible factors

  21. Environmental Impact for Flax fibre :

  22. Ekvall and Finnveden (2001) • critical review of adequacy and feasibility ofmethods recommended for allocation • focus on multi-functional systems. • recommended, “that all of the environmental burdens of the multifunction process be allocatedto the [principal] product investigated”.

  23. Flax seed • long flax fibre could bea by-product/co-productif flax grown for seed (Ω3 health food) • seeds/hectare*: 52-57% fibre mass • flaxseed ~ £3/kg as health supplementbut delayed harvest > lignification • … but more difficultto separate fibre from lignified stem *AbdEl-Mohsen AA, Abdallah AM and Mahmoud GO,Optimizing and describing the influence of planting dates andseeding rates on flax cultivars under Middle Egypt region conditionsWorld Essays Journal, 2013, 1 (4), 142-152.

  24. Yields, allocation andassigned relative burdensfor flax products

  25. Global warming potential Common magnitude on each axis within each radar plot NB: maximum value on second plot may be significantly reduced Fibre as by-product of seed Flax sliver vs glass

  26. Acidification Potential Flax sliver vs glass

  27. Eutrophication Potential Flax sliver vs glass

  28. Human Toxicity Potential Flax sliver vs glass

  29. Ozone Depletion Potential Flax sliver vs glass

  30. Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential Flax sliver vs glass

  31. Comparison of GWP, AP, EP, HTP, ODP and POCP flax sliver asprimary product flax seed asprimary product

  32. Conclusions • assumed no additional burdens in extracting and processing mature flax • Flax as primary productis difficult to defend as sustainable • Flax as secondary product to seedis clearly the sustainable choice

  33. Thank you for your attention. Any questions? http://www.fose1.plymouth.ac.uk/sme/acmc/lca.htm This presentation: https://www.fose1.plymouth.ac.uk/sme/composites/C2017_Flax_LCA_allocation.ppt PhD thesis download: http://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/483

  34. References • Environmental Management - Life Cycle Assessment - principles and frameworks,ISO 14040:2006. 2006. • Environment Management - Life Cycle Assessment - requirements and guidelines,ISO 14044:2006. 2006. • Abd El-Mohsen AA, Abdallah AM and Mahmoud GO, Optimizing and describing the influence of planting dates and seeding rates on flax cultivars under Middle Egypt region conditions,World Essays Journal, 2013, 1 (4), 142-152. • Azapagic A, Perdan S and Clift R, Polymers, the Environment and Sustainable Development,John Wiley & Sons, 2003.. • Azapagic A, Perdan S, Clift R, Sustainable Development in Practice,John Wiley & Sons, 2004. • Azapagic A, Aquatic Toxicity Potential. Private Communication, 25/02/2009. • Dissanayake NPJ, Summerscales J, Grove SM and Singh MM, Energy use in production of flax fibre for the reinforcement in composites. Journal of Natural Fibres, October 2009, 6(4), 331-346. • Dissanayake NPJ, Summerscales J, Grove SM, Singh MM, Life cycle impact assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites<Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 2009, 3(3), 245-248 • Le Duigou A, Davies P and Baley C, Environmental impact analysis of the productionof flax fibres to be used as composite material reinforcement,Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy , 2011, 5,153–165. • Turner JA, Linseed Law: A handbook for growers and advisers,BASF (UK) Limited, Hadleigh, 1987. • West TO and McBride AC, The contribution of agricultural lime to carbon dioxide emissions in the United States: dissolution, transport, and net emissions. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2005. 108(2): p. 145-154.

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