Eco-profiling of Bio-epoxies via Life cycle Assessment
SAE-PP-00231
02/03/2021
- Content
- Epoxies, synthesized from bisphenol-A (BPA) and epichlorohydrin (ECH), are predominantly used as coatings, adhesives, and as matrix material in fiber-reinforced composites for body-in-white (BiW) applications in the automotive sector. However, given the production of conventional epoxies from non-renewable petroleum resource and toxicity of BPA, several initiatives have been undertaken by researchers to synthesize alternative epoxies from various bio-sources that are free of BPA and exhibit similar mechanical performance. As a result, such bio-sourced epoxies are almost immediately termed as “eco-friendly”, despite the lack of comprehensive evaluation of their ecological performance that takes into account enhanced natural resource usage and associated impacts accompanying such epoxies. Hence, this work aims at addressing this gap by evaluating the environmental impacts of such bio-sourced epoxies via cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment to determine the genuine credentials of their ecofriendliness. Epoxies synthesized from three different bio-sources – namely, bark extractives, lignin, and triglyceride – were chosen, to evaluate their ecological performance. ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint methods were used to evaluate these epoxies in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. Among the three bio-epoxies, lignin-based epoxy exhibits poor eco-performance mainly due to the use of large amount of chemicals during extraction of lignin, involving delignification and valorization. On the contrary, bio-epoxy synthesized from triglycerides were found to be eco-friendly compared to other bio-epoxies. All bio-epoxies are observed to contribute significantly to toxicity-related categories, mainly due to higher electricity consumption during both epoxy synthesis and manufacturing processes. Overall, this work sheds light on various avenues for synthesizing truly sustainable epoxies that exhibit mechanical performance comparable to their conventional counterparts.
- Citation
- Anthony, L., and Jackson, A., "Eco-profiling of Bio-epoxies via Life cycle Assessment," SAE MobilityRxiv™ Preprint, submitted February 3, 2021, https://doi.org/10.47953/SAE-PP-00231.