Substitution of Hazardous substances in Process industry using results of Life Cycle Assessment
About this good practice
Nowadays, hazardous substances are still being used and released in many technological processes of different industries. As for example, in the company where case study was applied, the problematic substances are different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted in amounts nearly 46 thousand tons per year. The analysed company were exceeding the VOC emission limits and were using hazardous substances listed in Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) (2010/75/EU) (EU 2010) and Paints Directive 2004/42/EC (EU 2004). Public authorities have been negotiating with the company to achieve conformity with EU requirements. In response, the company decided to substitute their shop primer paint with another alternative shop primer. The goal of this study was the evaluation and comparison of life cycle environmental impacts of 2 ‘shop primer’ paint products. Emissions from the company shall not exceed the limit values, considering also the background pollution.
The results indicated the importance of conducting LCA for decision-making and pointed out the shortcomings of human intuition and local assessments (i.e., assessments that exclude the life cycle stages).
The main stakeholders of this exercise were the company, workers at the manufacturing site, and regional environmental authority as well as city municipality representing citizens to be protected from air pollution and wastes.
Resources needed
The analysis was performed by a group of scientists, in consultation with industry managers - app. 200 hours for the full case study development, equipment – software and databases. The LCA was performed according to the ISO standard 14 040.
Evidence of success
In this study, Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to justify product substitution in a company due to regulatory concerns. Supportive communication from the Environmental Protection Agency was the background for the LCA project initiation. The results indicated that the substitution to the less hazardous substances was beneficial for the company not only from environmental point of view, but also from simplified work safety requirements, compliance with req. of the law and resource efficiency.
Potential for learning or transfer
The results indicated that the substitution was beneficial in all environmental impact categories. The main benefits and why the hazardous substances should be substituted:
smaller hazardous waste management costs;
simpler chemical inventory;
simplified work safety requirements;
on the market product can be positioned as consumer health and environmentally friendly;
compliance with requirements of the law, which are or will come into force in the near future;
substitution may enable new innovations and resource efficiency;
changes in product costs;
and etc.
This good practice was implemented in the metal processing company. However, the LCA methodology could be useful for any processing industry, where hazardous chemicals are used.
Further information
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Kaunas University of Technology