I'm currently trying to model a system which uses recycled material. However it is unclear to me as to what data to use as there is no data for recycled materials.
If I wanted to model a plastic bag made from 50% virgin LDPE and 50% recycled LDPE how would I do this? I can use the data set for LDPE for the 50% virgin material but how do I model the 50% recycled proportion?
There is no data sets for the 'recycling' of materials either.
I would really appreciate any help that can be given as recycling is an important issue for many of the assessments I deal with.
Many thanks
Can anyone help with this as I'm still struggling to find an answer?
Many thanks
Dear Leigh,
Are you familiar with the LCA discussion list?
http://www.pre-sustainability.com/lca-discussion-list
Many LCA-experts are reading the posts on this list, it might help to post your question there.
Kind regards, Marijn
Hi, did you get the answer?
I am keen about this topic as well, perhaps you can share.
Thank you!
If you are using the cut-off approach, then you could just use 50% virgin material and for the recycled content, you could just add the refurbishing details. I hope that helps
Best,
Dear all,
the ecoinvent Database does contain ativities representing the recycling of certain products. These activities do not necessarily include the world "recycling" as such. For version 3.6, for example, you can find data for the formal and informal recycling process of plastic from consumer electronics in India.
The datasets representing the recycling chain are:
-treatment of waste plastic, consumer electronics, dismantling, sorting and cleaning, formal sector
-treatment of waste plastic, consumer electronics, manual dismantling, sorting and cleaning, informal sector
-plastic flake production, consumer electronics, for recycling, by grinding/shredding, formal sector
-plastic flake production, consumer electronics, for recycling, by grinding/shredding, informal sector
-plastic granulate production, unspecified, recycled, formal sector
-plastic granulate production, unspecified, recycled, informal sector
The above is just an example which is documented in Muthusezhiyan N., Gangane P., Samuel S., (2017). Life Cycle Inventories of Plastic Recycling – India. ecoinvent Association, Zürich, Switzerland. The report is accessible by registering here.
Recycling is taken into account in all system models but in a different way, learn more about system models here.
Best regards,
Lucia Valsasina, Junior Project Manger, ecoinvent Association
Hi,
I find this really surprising that recycling is not covered in the ecoinvent database. Nowadays, when many LCAs either either speciffically model recycling and waste management, or deal with circular economy and with different fates of EoL products, the non-existence of even the most basic datasets such as mechanical recycling of post-consumer plastic waste is startling.
Can the users, who pay a fair price for the ecoinvent licence, expect in the near future an update on this?
Meanwhile, I have used the paper by Haupt et al. 2018 to partially fill the gap: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340918305730
Best regards,
Jáchym Judl, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE
Dear Jáchym Judl,
Thank you for your thread. We do have recycling of certain materials, but I guess plastic is the one you have in mind when you insubstantially claim that "recycling is not covered in the ecoinvent database".
We have a very accurate picture of EoL processess such as disposal processes. If you have an issue you can email me directly. There is no plan for updating this sector in -at least- the next version of 3.8. For updates you can also subscribe to our newsletter and directly receive the news.
Best regards,
Avraam Symeonidis
Data analyst, ecoinvent Association