MTE4593 Materials and sustainability

This assignment consists of two components:

An abridged lifecycle assessment of one the products listed below (different one for each student), modeled on the matrix scheme demonstrated in the article “Matrix Approaches to Abridged Life Cycle Assessment” by Graedel, Allen and Comrie (1995) .
An Eco-Audit of the same product using CSE-Edupack software

The students will supply answers to the following question

What materials(s) is the object made from? Are they “critical raw materials” in terms of their availability?
What properties does the material(s) have that make it appropriate for this application
Are there any other materials that could have been used? i.e., cheaper?, better?
What type of processing conditions would be needed to make the product? Are there any cheaper alternatives?
What are the main competitor materials and manufacturing processes? Are there any?
Is the design appropriate to the material and the application?
Could it be designed with less material waste?
How would the material perform property-wise after recycling? [Can it be recycled?]
Is it better recycled into (a) the same object? or (b) re-used in other applications? Why?
Is it difficult to sort from the waste-stream (i.e., is the material always separated?) If the waste-stream is commingled, how can it be separated? What type of other material is it normally commingled with?

Each student will perform a Graedel-type analysis on his or her chosen item, including a bullseye (aka “radar”) target plot and an environmentally responsible product (ERP) score out of 100.

You must explain along the way your answers and scores, giving references or other justification for your score.

Your assignment should also discuss the final ERP score out of a 100, looking back at the component scores that resulted in this value and discussing their relative importance.

Conduct an Eco-Audit using the CES-Edupack software. You may need to employ one of the Advanced Databases in some cases. Assume the object is used in Melbourne, but in some cases may have originated from overseas or interstate. Even local items require some transport to the point of sale. Most items consist of several different materials. You will need to estimate the proportion of each component.

Provide the detailed report in your submission and outline the major issues associated with the object.

How does the Eco-Audit compare with the Graedel analysis in the conclusions you draw? Is it more or less useful?

Can you suggest ways in which the object, could be made, used more sustainably or its end-of-life issues addressed? What would YOU as an individual do to create a more sustainable life cycle for that type of object?