Nuclear power can replace fossil fuels and will have a decisive impact on the change in the approach to conventional energy. However, nuclear (or radioactive) wastes are produced by the operation of the nuclear reactors should be safely and properly disposed of. This paper assesses the uranium resources and the global state of nuclear power plants and determines the energy mixes in different countries using the most nuclear energy. Furthermore, this paper analysed the nuclear waste management and disposal and the depletion of abiotic resources, and the primary energy sources of a basic production process using electricity mix and nuclear electricity for a basic production (PET bottle manufacturing) process. The life cycle assessment was completed by applying the GaBi 8.0 (version 10.6) software and the CML method. In this study, we limit our discussion to high-level nuclear waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste. We do not consider waste generated from uranium mining and milling, which is usually disposed of in near-surface impoundments close to the mine or the mill. The investigation of waste management methods is limited to European countries. This research work is relevant because determining abiotic resources is important in a life cycle assessment and current literature available on LCA analysis for nuclear powers remains under-developed. These results can guide and compare manufacturing processes involving a nuclear electricity and electricity grid mix input. The results of this research can be used to develop production processes using nuclear energy with lower abiotic depletion impacts. This research work facilitates the industry in making predictions for a production-scale plant using an LCA of production processes with nuclear energy consumption.

No abstract

This paper assesses the environmental burdens of a polypropylene product throughout the product’s life cycle, especially focusing on the injection-moulding stage. The complete life cycle model of the polypropylene product has been developed from the raw material extraction and production phase through its usage to the end-of-life stage with the help of the life cycle assessment method. To find the answers to the posed problems, different impacts were analysed by GaBi 8.0 software. The analysis lasted from the cradle to the grave, expanding the analysis of the looping method. The aim of the research was to determine the energy and material resources, emissions, and environmental impact indicators. Basically, the article tried to answer three questions: (1) How can we optimize the production phase for the looping method? (2) Which materials and streams are recyclable in the design of the production process? (3) What is the relationship between life cycle stages and total life cycle of the product? As we inspect the life cycle of the product, the load on the environment was distributed as follows: 91% in the production phase, 3% in the use phase, and 6% in the end-of-life phase. The results of the research can be used to develop technologies, especially the injection-moulding process, with a lower environmental impact.

No abstract

The persistent organic pollutants (POPs) waste take the main place in the group of organic industrial waste and the residues of the POPs waste generated in the processes of the chemical industry. There are green chemistry methods and some other treatment approaches for decreasing the quantity of the organic industrial waste, but currently thermic treatment processes are the most popular alternatives. This paper summarises thermic utilisation processes with a comparison between the different technologies, stressing factors affecting their applicability and operational suitability. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can play an important role in such research. With the application of LCA for the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies, their economic and environmental efficiency can be determined. Their advantages and disadvantages are examined in such a multi-component matrix. The LCA software GaBi 5 Professional is the basis for life-cycle impact assessment. The research can set up prognoses and models with LCA analyses and the conscious application of scientific methods, which can offer a prognosis for untested situations. While examining the above viewpoints, it worked out a new mathematical method which, in addition to the LCA, takes time and probability into consideration with the combination of a programming language, and which may mark a new direction for solutions and decision making in waste management. Despite the fact that chemical industry and environmental protection are closely interlocked, there is fairly poor national and international professional literature available about the two connected professions.