Environmental and Economic Perspectives in the Analysis of Two Options for Hand Drying At an University Campus

Abstract

Abstract-nvironmental criteria can be part of global energy policies for the establishment of support and development actions for different technologies. Minimization of greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit to all citizens of the world, as these emissions have global scope. The objective of this study was to determine the best option for hand drying in a university campus building, from economic and environmental viewpoints, for a range of commercially available equipment. For the economic analysis, the capital and operation costs were considered along with the lifetime of the equipment. For the environmental analysis, the Life Cycle Assessment methodology was utilized. Eight options for hand drying were considered on an annual basis: five electric hand dryers and three types of paper towels. Electric hand dryers presented lower annual environmental impacts and lower annual economic costs. It is discussed that environmental impacts can and must be an active factor for the selection of one technology or another. The novelty of this study was the application of the LCA methodology to compare the carbon footprint associated with different commercially available options for hand drying in public restrooms, providing information to the consumer on which alternative is more environmentally-friendly.

Carbon emissions associated with two types of foundations: CP-II Portland cement-based composite vs. geopolymer concrete

“…LCA has been applied to quantify the environmental impacts associated with the red ceramics industry [14] and firewood consumption [15], to evaluate four disposal scenarios for urban pruning waste [16], within thermodynamic analyses [17,18], to analyze of two options for hand drying at an university campus [19] , to compare two frying processes for homemade potato chips [20], to quantify the carbon and water footprints of irrigated corn and non-irrigated wheat [21], and to evaluate a refrigeration system [22]. Finally, considerations regarding the use of LCA within the optimization of systems was the focus of [23].…”

Carbon footprint associated with a mono‐Si cell photovoltaic ceramic roof tile system

“…Life Cycle Assessment helps identify opportunities to improve environmental performance [5,[13][14][15][16][17], and enables the selection of relevant environmental performance indicators and the incorporation of measurement and marketing techniques [18][19][20]. The LCA methodology is appropriate for evaluating products and services in a holistic form.…”