Assignment 02 Solutions
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University of Toronto *
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1715H
Subject
Industrial Engineering
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
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6
Uploaded by HARPREETCH
Assignment 02
Student Name: Harpreet Singh
Student Number: 1010646909
Course name: Life Cycle Engineering
Course code: MIE1715 H
Professor: Dr. Payam Rahimi
Teacher Assistant Professor: Sherry-Ann Ram
Department: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE)
1.
Find one example of a product where the largest or most detrimental environmental
impact presumably derived from each of the following (i.e., one example per category):
•
Raw Material Acquisition
•
Production
•
Consumption
•
Disposal
Solution 01:
The following examples of each category of product with detrimental effects on the
environment are mentioned below:
1.
Raw Material Acquisition.
Example: Coal Mining.
Environmental Impact:
Coal extraction in India or other regions of the globe has an
essential impact on the environment. The coal mining process involves deforestation, the
use of heavy machinery, energy-intensive activities, soil erosion, and destruction of the
ecosystem. Moreover, the use of fuels to meet the energy requirement in mining activities
increases the air emission. Natural water resources near mining sites are also exploited
and polluted to due mining activities.
2.
Production.
Example: Leather products Manufacturing.
Environmental Impact:
The production of leather products such as bags, and shoes
involves intensive use of water, energy, and chemical processes. Moreover, livestock
vendors are involved in contributing to deforestation, ecosystem impact, and disturbance
in the food chain. Overall, this product production impacts human health, the environment,
the ecosystem, and resources.
3.
Consumption.
Example: Fashion Clothing
Environmental Impact:
Fashion Clothing that is inexpensive and used rapidly for a short
period of time. This type of clothing is designed to be replaced quickly. This pattern of
clothing results in a high consumption rate as well as the disposal of large quantities of
clothes.
Fashion products are associated with being resource-intensive, textile waste, and low-
quality materials which quickly end up in landfills.
4.
Disposal.
Example: Electronic Waste.
Environmental Impact:
E-waste poses a significant environmental impact during disposal. E-
waste disposal contains hazardous materials such as mercury, lead, and cadmium. These
materials can have a significant impact on human health, ecosystems, water, and soil if not
disposed of properly. Increased demand for electronic products is also associated with an
increase in E-waste.
These examples indicate the environmental, ecosystem, and human health impact of a product
during its Life cycle.
6/10
2.
In the example below only the outputs of products are displayed for the sake of
simplicity. Functional units can be based on inputs as well as outputs. The goal of the
study is to compare plywood boxes with other packaging options (e.g., carton boxes,
and plastic boxes). Choose a suitable functional unit for inventorying the CO2 emissions
from the system (i.e., CO2 emission per functional unit).
Solution 02:
When conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) study to compare the CO2
emissions of different packaging options (plywood box, carton box, plastic box), we can choose
a functional unit that best suits your study's goals.
Functional Unit
: It defines what you're measuring and comparing, and it should be relevant to
your specific objectives.
For comparing the environmental impact of these packaging options in terms of CO2 emissions,
we can choose a functional unit based on the number of packaging units. This allows us to assess
the CO2 emissions per unit of packaging, making it a practical choice. The suitable functional unit
for this comparison study is:
Functional Unit:
1 Packaging Unit.
This functional unit allows us to measure the CO2 emissions associated with manufacturing to
disposal of each category of packaging unit. (e.g., Plywood box, plastic box, and carton box.).
CO2 emissions per packaging unit for each category from manufacturing to disposal are
mentioned below:
1.
Plywood Box:
178 g CO2/plywood box
(from question 3
rd
calculation)
2.
Plastic Box:
3.50kg
carbon emissions per 1kg of packaging
(Click here for Data Resource)
3.
Carton Box:
0.94kg
carbon emissions per 1kg of packaging.
(Click here for Data Resource
To conclude we can compare carbon emissions from each type of packaging material. However,
data suggests that plywood boxes are more environmentally friendly as compared to plastic and
carton boxes.
Unit?
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