Life cycle analysis of HDPE Pipe Manufacturing – A Case Study from an Indian Industry

Abstract

The growth in thermoplastic market is increasing rapidly as a replacement of cement, wooden, and metal products. The growth in plastic production has been around 9% since 1950s. 80% of the consumed plastic is thermoplastic. HDPE pipes are commonly used thermoplastic for the municipal pipelines, industrial pipeline, mining, cable duct, etc. as HDPE costs less and require fewer repairs. The plastic at end of life has nearly zero biodegradability, consumes natural resources (i.e. fossil fuel) and requires large area for landfills. This study assesses the environmental impact of the HDPE pipe by means of life cycle assessment methodology. The inventory analysis was carried out at the production site of a company. The Umberto NXT Universal software has been used to visualize the material and energy flow modeling and to conduct the impact assessment. The well-known eco-invent dataset is utilized for development of material and energy flow model. Impact assessment has been carried out by using ReCiPe method. Both mid-point and end-point impact assessments have been carried out to visualize the environmental impacts in details. It is found in the study that the raw material phase of the HDPE pipe production has highest environmental impact, followed by end-of-life and manufacturing phases.