Speakers
Description
This work aims to determine the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing phase of polyethylene carrier bags produced from recycled plastic waste in Ghana using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach according to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. A “gate-to-gate” approach was used, considering 100,000 polyethylene carrier bags produced/year as a functional unit. The analysis focuses on the contributions of key materials, such as carbon black and sodium nitrate, to climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and abiotic depletion (fossil). The sensitivity analysis of the change in sodium nitrate and carbon black input amounts was performed using SimaPro 9.6.0.1 software and the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) V1.09/ World (2010) H evaluation method, considering six environmental indicators namely climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and abiotic depletion (fossil) potential. Results showed that the aggregate contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is approximately 7594 kg CO2 eq per 100,000 bags produced annually. The following environmental impact results were also obtained: freshwater ecotoxicity 262.5 kg 1,4-DCB eq, terrestrial ecotoxicity 72182.5 kg 1,4-DCB, human toxicity (carcinogenic) 1104.6 kg 1,4-DCB eq, human toxicity (non-carcinogenic) 5590.1 kg 1,4-DCB eq, and abiotic depletion (fossil) 3154.1 kg oil eq. The sensitivity analysis reveals that carbon black significantly influences climate change and abiotic depletion (fossil), while sodium nitrate is a major driver of both terrestrial and freshwater ecotoxicity and human toxicity. The study also highlights the importance of optimizing material choices and energy sources in manufacturing to enhance environmental performance.