Carbon Footprint of Mechanical Recycling of Post-Industrial Plastic Waste: Study of ABS, PA66GF30, PC and POM Regrinds

Jan Tinz (), Tim de Ancos and Holger Rohn
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Jan Tinz: Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, University of Applied Sciences, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Tim de Ancos: Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, University of Applied Sciences, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Holger Rohn: Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, University of Applied Sciences, 35390 Gießen, Germany

Waste, 2022, vol. 1, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: In view of the increasing amount of plastic waste due to a yearly rise in production volume, mechanical recycling of post-industrial waste offers a way to use the scarce resources on earth more efficiently in addition to reducing the global warming potential in the production of raw materials. Therefore, this study addresses the calculation of the product carbon footprint for sorted industrial waste according to the specifications of ISO 14067. The plastics acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymer (ABS), polyamide 6.6 with 30% glass fiber (PA66GF30), polycarbonate (PC) and polyoxymethylene (POM) were balanced in Umberto LCA+ using the Ecoinvent v3.8 and GaBi SP40 2020 databases and primary data collection from the recycling company Occhipinti. A cut-off approach was applied as an allocation method for evaluating the industrial waste so that the plastic for grinding was imported without burdens from the previous product system. The results show that for all plastics under study, one of the main drivers of the carbon footprint is plastic dust from the grinding process. This insight was used in sensitivity analyses to optimize the modelled processes for a more sustainable production. Improvement potentials were identified by using solar power and disposing of the plastic dust separately according to the type of plastic.

Keywords: LCA; carbon footprint; mechanical recycling; ABS; PA66GF30; PC; POM; post-industrial waste; regrind (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q16 Q18 Q2 Q20 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q28 Q3 Q31 Q38 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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