Household Food Wraps Life Cycle Assessment

1
Household Food Wraps Life Cycle Assessment

• Betsy Boatner
• Rob Frederick
• Hyung Chul Kim
• Yasmin Ullah
• April 12, 1999

2
Goal Definition

• Conduct a life cycle assessment of
• PVC (Reynolds Plastic Wrap)
• PVDC (Saran Wrap)
• PE (Handi-Wrap)
• Al (Reynolds Aluminum Foil)

3
Overview

• Introduction
• Life Cycle Inventory Analysis
• Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• Life Cycle Interpretation

4
INTRODUCTION
5
Performance Characteristics

• Consumer objective coverage
• Ability to seal/enclose
• Cling
• Resist tearing
• Hot/cold, clarity, and gas permeability are
  outside of the scope

6
LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY
7
System Boundary
Raw Material Extraction
Manufacturing
Use
End of Life
Input
End of Life Landfill IncinerationRecycle
Bauxite Petroleum
Al, PVC, PVDC, PE Production
Film Manufacture
Wrap Manufacture
Wrap Use
Output
Human Health
Wood Pulp
Cardboard Production
Tube Box Manufacture
Recycling
8
PVC Food Wrap Production
Mining
Extraction
Plasticizer
Stabilizer
Rock Salt Methane
Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction
Chlorination
Electrolysis
Cl2
VCM

Calendering
PVC Food Wrap


9

PVDC Food Wrap Production
Mining
Extraction
Rock salt Methane
Chlorination
Electrolysis
Chlorination
Vinyl Chloride
Cl2
Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction
Vinylidene Chloride
Calendering
PVDC Food Wrap
10
PE Food Wrap Production
Oil Well Drilling
Refinery
Water
Steam Cracking
Ethylene
Oil
Stabilizers Additives
Polymerisation
Rolling
Extrusion
Polyethylene Food Wrap
11
Aluminum Foil Production
Mining
Mining
Cathode/Anode Manufacture
Limestone
Bauxite
NaOH
Na-Al-Ca Fluoride
Carbon
Al oxide Manufacture
Electrolysis
Al metal
Rolling/ Annealing
Casting
Aluminum Foil Wrap
12
Cost Comparison
13
Weight Distribution
14
Material Consumption
15
Energy Consumption
70
60
feedstock
precomb. comb.
50
40
Energy (MJ)
30
20
10
0
PE
PVC
PVDC
Al (Reynolds
(Reynolds
(Saran Wrap)
(Handi Wrap)
Plastic Wrap)
Alum. Foil)

• Aluminum production has high electricity demands

16
Air Emissions of Criteria Pollutants
17
Water Emissions
Suspended Solids
Nitrogen
18
Water Emissions (contd)
Salts and Acids
Metals
19
Water Emissions (contd)
Total Organic Carbons
20
Transportation Energy

• Cardboard tube for plastic wrap weighs more than
  for aluminum

21
End of Life

• Aluminum foil has 9 recycle rate
• Scrap aluminum foil is worth 1050 per ton /
  0.85 per roll

22
LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
23
Critical Volume

• Pollutants included are Fl, Cl, NH3, Pb, Hg,
  HCl, CO, SOX, NOX, Hydrocarbons, and Dust/Part.

24
GWP100 Relative to CO2

• Greenhouse gases included are CO2, N20, CH4,
  and Halon-1301.

25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
Health Concerns Aluminum Production Recovery

• Production
• - Link between aluminum smelting asthma
• chronic airway disease
• - Acid mine drainage
• Recycling
• - Neurobehavioral, rheumatic, respiratory
  impairments
• (Al, Mn, VCM)

32
LIFE CYCLE INTERPRETATION
33
Report Card
34
Recommendations

• Examine changes in manufacturing techniques to
  reduce migration
• Conduct more research on migration and health
  effects
• Investigate alternative plasticizers (e.g.,
  polymerized, benzoic acid based)
• Recover and utilize chlorine discharges

35
Recommendations (contd)

• Reuse or recycle aluminum foil
• Avoid use of heavy duty foil
• Minimize contact of PVC/PVDC wrap with food

36
Which would you choose?