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1. Wiring in the automobile industry: Life cycle assessment of an innovative cable solution.

Author

Villanueva-Rey, P., Belo, S., Quinteiro, P., Arroja, L., and Dias, A.C.

Subjects
*AUTOMOBILE industry, *LIFE cycle costing, *LIGHTWEIGHT construction, *ENERGY consumption & the environment, *SUSTAINABILITY
Abstract

Abstract The automobile industry is demanding new car components to reduce vehicle emissions and increase efficiency. Lightweighting strategies are the most followed by manufacturers to reduce the weight and fuel consumption of vehicles. In this study, an innovative signal cable solution for the wire harnesses of vehicle is analysed through a life cycle assessment (LCA) and benchmarked with the replaced cable. The innovative cable is made up of a copper-tin alloy, while the traditional cable is made of copper. Both products are twisted and insulated with plasticised polyvinyl chloride. The new cable reduces the weight and volume by 53% and 41%, respectively, compared to the traditional cable. The production of raw and ancillary materials was found to be the main impact contributor, mainly due to the production of the conductive and insulation materials. Similarly, electricity consumption was the main impact carrier for the manufacturing stage. The environmental burdens obtained for the innovative cable were, on average, 54% lower than those obtained for the replaced one. Additionally, the potential marginal gains for the automobile industry were evaluated in terms of fuel consumption reduction, which is linked to vehicle weight, and the derived emissions, obtaining a significant exhaust emission reduction of 160 kg CO 2 eq when compared to the baseline scenario. Finally, the LCA of these products was decisively influenced by the consumption of raw materials and, therefore, the reduction of the thickness of the wire makes the cables considerably more sustainable from an environmental point of view. Highlights • Innovative cable reduces the amount of materials consumed and the cable weight • The reduction of the cable weight results in lower environmental impacts • Raw and ancillary material production is the main impact carrier • The lightweighting cable leads to a reduction in vehicle fuel consumption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2018
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2. A comparative life cycle assessment of centralised and decentralised wood pellets production for residential heating

Author

Paula Quinteiro, Francesco Greco, Ana Cláudia Dias, Luís Arroja, Luís A.C. Tarelho, Serena Righi, Quinteiro P., Greco F., da Cruz Tarelho L.A., Righi S., Arroja L., and Dias A.C.

Subjects
Environmental Engineering, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Pellets, 010501 environmental sciences, Raw material, 01 natural sciences, complex mixtures, Environmental impact, Bioenergy, Pellet, Environmental Chemistry, Waste Management and Disposal, Life-cycle assessment, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Waste management, business.industry, LCA, Fossil fuel, digestive, oral, and skin physiology, Renewable fuels, Pollution, Pellet stove, visual_art, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Residential heating, Environmental science, Sawdust, business
Abstract

Recently, wood pellets have become a reliable and clean renewable fuel for residential heating, replacing fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Wood pellets are normally produced in industrial pellet plants (centralised production), but decentralised small-scale local production also occurs. This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify and compare the environmental profile of one centralised and two decentralised alternatives for wood pellet production for residential heating in Portugal: (1) industrial wood pellets production (centralised), (2) wood pellets production at sawmills (decentralised) and (3) wood pellets production at households (decentralised). System boundaries include the stages of forest management, wood pellet production, wood pellet distribution and wood pellet energetic conversion. The impact results show that industrial pellet production ranks as the worst alternative, while pellet production at households has the best environmental profile for all the impact categories under study. However, the environmental impacts of pellet production at the sawmill do not differ greatly from those of the pellet production at households; they are 14 to 16% higher for global warming and fossil resources scarcity and 0.3 to 3% higher for the remaining impact categories. The worst environmental performance of the industrial pellet production alternative is mainly due to high electricity and diesel consumption during wood pellet production and the use of logging residues to generate heat for drying biomass feedstock. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of changing the distance travelled during the transport of packed pellets to stores and sawdust to households. The results show changes in the environmental performance ranking, highlighting that for short distances, both decentralised alternatives can be more sustainable from an environmental perspective than the centralised alternative, but for larger distances, the pellet production at households should be avoided.

Published
2020

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