Page 364 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

L1644_C08.fm Page 328 Tuesday, October 21, 2003 3:03 PM

8.3.3.2 Inventory of the Universal Remote
After introducing the previously presented input data in the software model (EIME),
the ecobalance or inventory of the universal remote (1 unit) has been automatically
calculated. The complete inventory was integrated by 187 environmental loads
(inputs and outputs): energy and raw materials consumed, hazardous wastes pro-
duced, and emissions to air, water and soil. The main inputs and outputs of the
system that contribute more than 5% to any of the environmental impact indicators
subsequently considered are shown in Table 8.13.

8.3.4 IMPACT ASSESSMENT
To carry out this phase of the LCA case study, the following 11 impact categories
have been considered: RMD, GW, OD, AT, POC, AA, WT, WE, ED, WD and HWP.
The specific environmental impact indicators used in each of the environmental
impact categories mentioned earlier are shown in Table 8.14.
The environmental loads (inputs and outputs), previously inventoried, have been
classified under their corresponding environmental impact indicators by following
the classification criteria specified in these indicators. Then, to characterize the
environmental loads or, in other words, to quantify the potential contribution of each
environmental load in the different impact indicators, characterization factors have
been used. These factors are pre-established in each impact indicator. Finally, the
corresponding potential contributions have been determined by multiplying the mass
of the environmental loads per these characterization factors (for example, 29.5 or
3.0 × 10 g of methane × 56 g equiv. of carbon dioxide/g methane = 1652 or 1.7 ×
1
3
10 g equiv. of carbon dioxide).
The inventoried environmental loads are classified under their corresponding
impact indicators with their respective characterization factors in Table 8.15. The
total potential contribution of each environmental load in each impact indicator is
presented, as well as the corresponding contribution percentage for the three stages
considered (manufacturing, distribution and use of the universal remote).

8.3.5 INTERPRETATION
As can be seen in Figure 8.12 and Table 8.16, the remote’s manufacturing stage
contributes more than 60% to each of the environmental impact indicators consid-
ered, this stage being the environmentally most relevant within the remote life-cycle.
During the use stage, consumption of alkaline batteries (two batteries per 1.5 years
during the total remote lifetime of 10 years) contributes between 2 and 36% to each
of the indicators. During the distribution stage, transport of the remote from the
manufacturing site to retailers in a heavy- and a light-duty truck (750 and 250 km,
respectively) contributes less than 1.5% to each of the indicators, this stage being
the environmentally less relevant within the remote life-cycle.
Due to the environmental relevance of the manufacturing stage in the total remote
life-cycle, in the following paragraphs the manufacturing stage of the universal
remote will be studied and discussed in more detail. Table 8.17 shows the environ-

© 2004 CRC Press LLC