Automotive LCA -
Automotive LCA - Methodology and tools BioMat_LCA - Integration of environmental indicators of biobased materials in the industrial planning and design process E nvironmental indicators and their interpretation are becoming increasingly important in many sectors of the economy, including plastics. In this context, the interdisciplinary research project BioMat_LCA aims to develop application-specific and robust environmental indicators based on environmental impact categories like Climate Change, Acidification or Land Use for biobased as well as conventional plastics. These indicators can then be integrated as early as possible in the industrial design process. Thus, the environmental performance shall be considered to facilitate a proper material selection already at the product design phase. Main objective and core concept of the BioMat_LCA project is to guide the designer/engineer through the whole construction process by considering environmental criteria. The aim is to find the most environmentally sound solution, including not only a material property specific ranking but also a component production specific ranking. The design of the necessary tools and database therefore are discussed in close cooperation with the representatives from the industry. The core concept of the Biomat_LCA project is illustrated in Figure 1 and 2. An important step towards a sustainable material selection in the design and the construction process is the standardized collection and processing of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data. Within the project, productspecific category rules (PCR) for biobased polymers and natural fibres are established to define the set of rules, requirements and guidelines for conducting LCAs of such products. Thus, uniform and transparent life cycle inventory data are generated thereby supporting existing generic data (see Figure 2). One of the main problems addressed in the project is dealing with a thorough documentation of the relevant steps in the production chain of biobased polymers and natural fibres, including a critical analysis of these production chains. The inventory data collected according to the PCR, in combination with the developed process visualisation of the complete product chains, is used to build LCA models for biobased polymers and natural fibres, thereby generating reliable data for the selected environmental indicators. The LCA data are then combined with material and production data to allow the integration of environmental aspects as early as possible in the industrial design process. Another critical aspect addressed by this project is to understand where in the design/construction process of an automotive component, the integration of environmental indicators is most applicable. The consortium is working closely together with the industry to gather this information. Once the required tools as well as the approach to integrate them seamlessly in the construction process are defined, the proposed process will be validated. As a validation step, the findings and developed methods are tested on a real injection-moulded component and corresponding comparative analyses are carried out. General industrial design processes are considered for this project along with the development of sector-specific scenarios for the automotive industry. MT In memory of Theo Besgen, the authors would like to thank the former project partner, CEO of BeoPlast for the good cooperation www.ford.de | bionik.fk5.hs-bremen.de/ | www.ifbb-hannover.de www.lyondellbasell.com | www.m-base.de | www.see.tu-berlin.de Material specific Component specific A B C kg CO 2 / kg kg CO 2 /kg Ranking Ranking 0.2 4 1. A 0.4 4 3. 0.9 1 2. 0.4 3 3. B C 0.9 1 1. 0.5 3 2. Values (mass related) Values (production specific) B mm A 1 2 C Parameter setting Database & tools Production LCA + benefit + EoL Fig. 1: Illustration of the approach of the Biomat_LCA project. In the example above, the environmental indicator CO 2 /kg (emissions of CO 2 per kg of an injection-moulded component) is considered not only as a material property specific ranking but also as a component specific ranking after accounting the production specifics. Depending on the kind of ranking the best solution could be a biobased polymer (B), a natural fibrereinforced polymer (C) or a petro chemical based one (A). 16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/19] Vol. 14
Automotive Fig. 2: Illustration of the approach adopted to standardized collection and processing of LCA data + + Internat. standards + Harmonisation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. + LCAs PCR Database + & tools The partners in this project (01 Feb 2017 – 31 Jan 2020), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR), are Ford Motor Company (Cologne, Germany), Biomimetics- Innovation-Centre of Bremen University of Applied Sciences (Bremen, Germany), IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics und Biocomposites, Hochschule Hannover - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Hannover, Germany) LyondellBasell (Wesseling, Germany), M-Base (Aachen, Germany), Sustainable Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin, Germany) and Beoplast (Langenfeld, Germany) More information on the project can be found at: https://www.ifbb-hannover.de/de/forschungsprojekt/biomat_lca.html www.co2-chemistry.eu Leading Event on Carbon Capture and Utilisation 20–21 March 2019, Maternushaus Cologne (Germany) Innovation Award Sponsor Conference highlights and main topics Gold Sponsor Premium Partner • CO 2 for Chemistry and Polymers • CO 2 for Fuels • CO 2 for Mineralisation • Hydrogen Production / Carbon Capture / Artificial Photosynthesis • Sustainability & Climate Change Mitigation Potential • Visions / Strategy / Political Framework www.co2-chemistry.eu Apply for the Innovation Award “Best CO 2 Utilisation 2019”! Newsticker on Carbon Capture and Utilisation! Free access: www.co2-chemistry.eu/news Dominik Vogt Conference Manager +49 (0)2233 4814-49 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de Venue Maternushaus Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1 50668 Cologne www.maternushaus.de Organiser nova-Institut GmbH Chemiepark Knapsack Industriestraße 300 50354 Hürth, Germany bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/19] Vol. 14 17
