Influence of Different Allocation Methods for Recycling and Dynamic Inventory on CO2 Savings and Payback Times of Light-Weighted Vehicles Computed under Product- and Fleet-Based Analyses: A Case of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles

Abstract

Light weighting by material substitution is a key to reducing GHG emissions during vehicle operation. The GHG benefits are a salient factor in selecting lightweight materials for vehicles. Although the literature has performed lightweight material selections using GHG benefits under product- and fleet-based life-cycle inventory (LCI) analyses, recycling effects have therein been accounted for by arbitrarily selecting allocation methods for recycling, as the consensus on their selection is absent. Furthermore, studies have mistreated the temporal variations of the LCI parameters (the dynamic inventory (DI)), though that could be an important factor affecting the overall LCI results when allocation methods for recycling are in place. Therefore, to investigate their influence on greenhouse gas (GHG) benefit evaluations, an LCI case study was conducted, centered on aluminum- and magnesium-substituted internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) at the product- and fleet- levels. “CO2 savings” and the “CO2 payback time”, as well as four allocation methods for recycling, were considered to represent the GHG benefits and address the recycling effects, respectively. The dynamic inventory was based on the world average electricity grid mix change. The results indicate that changing the conditions of the DI and the allocation methods for recycling could alter the better performing material under fleet-based analyses. Therefore, we ascertained that the choice of the allocation method for recycling and conducting fleet-scale dynamic LCI analyses in the presence of the DI is pivotal for material selections.

Social Sustainability of Raw Rubber Production: A Supply Chain Analysis under Sri Lankan Scenario

“…Managers may pay thorough attention to the hotpots identified herein in the first place and try to avoid those hotspots as much as possible and carry out importation from low-risk countries considering the trade-offs with economic and environmental aspects [66]. Once the hotspots identified herein are addressed, new ones may emerge.…”

Unveiling the Environmental Impacts of Concentrated Latex Manufacturing in Sri Lanka through a Life Cycle Assessment

“…LCA is a valuable tool that helps us understand the environmental impact of a prod uct or service throughout its entire life cycle [20, 27,28]. The framework of life cycle assess ment follows ISO 14040/44 standards and involves four main stages: goal and scope defi nition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation [20,29].…”