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@PHDTHESIS{Bachmann:988442,
author = {Bachmann, Marvin},
othercontributors = {Bardow, André and von der Aßen, Niklas Vincenz},
title = {{F}rom life cycle assessment to absolute environmental
sustainability of plastics from alternative carbon
feedstocks; 1. {A}uflage},
volume = {50},
school = {RWTH Aachen University},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Aachen},
publisher = {Wissenschaftsverlag Mainz GmbH},
reportid = {RWTH-2024-06179},
series = {Aachener Beiträge zur technischen Thermodynamik},
pages = {1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen},
year = {2024},
note = {Druckausgabe: 2024. - Auch veröffentlicht auf dem
Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University; Dissertation,
RWTH Aachen University, 2024},
abstract = {Plastics have become indispensable part of our modern
society, but their environmental impact has raised concerns
globally. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
encompass the production of plastics from alternative carbon
feedstocks, namely plastic waste, biomass, CO2, and steel
mill off-gases (mill gas). Previous studies have shown the
climate benefits of using these feedstocks, but this thesis
identifies critical scientific gaps in the current
assessment practice. These scientific gaps include
unexplored environmental synergies, disregarded system-wide
environmental impacts, and insufficient consideration of
other environmental impacts than climate change. To address
these scientific gaps, this thesis explores environmental
synergies from combined utilization of biomass and CO2. The
results show that combined utilization saves about 13 $\%$
more greenhouse gas emissions than the individual
utilization of either biomass or CO2. In addition, combined
utilization saves about 25 $\%$ of limited resources and
mitigates burden shifting from climate change to other
environmental impacts. Furthermore, this thesis conducts a
comparative life cycle assessment of alternative syngas
pathways, considering both direct environmental impacts and
system-wide environmental consequences. The results identify
bio- and mill gas-based syngas as the most
climate-beneficial options, although system-wide impacts
diminish these benefits. System-wide environmental impacts
result from using limited feedstocks that have already been
used in other applications. Accordingly, this thesis
highlights the need to consider the conventional use of
limited feedstocks in life cycle assessments. Lastly, this
thesis assesses the absolute environmental sustainability of
plastics from alternative carbon feedstocks. Combining a
model of the global plastics industry with the planetary
boundary framework, this thesis determines the planetary
footprints of plastics from fossil and alternative sources.
The results demonstrate that the current fossil-based
plastics industry is highly unsustainable, while a balanced
solution involving improved recycling technologies, biomass
utilization, and carbon capture and utilization can lead to
a scenario in which plastics comply with their assigned safe
operating space in 2030. However, technological improvements
alone cannot address the predicted increase in plastic
demand by 2050. Therefore, society must change its
perception of plastics as cheap and disposable and embrace
their value to support the transition towards an
environmentally sustainable plastics industry.},
cin = {412110},
ddc = {620},
cid = {$I:(DE-82)412110_20140620$},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)11 / PUB:(DE-HGF)3},
doi = {10.18154/RWTH-2024-06179},
url = {https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/988442},
}
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