Environmental impact assessment of WF/PLA and WF/LLDPE composites

• 1、School of materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Technological University,Xi'an,Shaanxi,710021

Abstract：An input-output model was used to calculate the energy consumption, water consumption and environmental impact load (EIL) of wood fiber (WF) modified polylactide (PLA) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) composites when they are used as logistics pallets, to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impact of petroleum-based and bio-based polymer materials via life cycle assessment method. The results show that one ton of PLA composite with 10 wt% of WF (Sample 1) consumes 1.95×108 kJ of energy and 61.1 m3 of water, and produces 44.4 kg solid waste during its cradle-to-gate stage. Their counterpart values of Sample 4 are 1.72×108 kJ, 44.9 m3 and 51.1 kg, respectively. Among the six environmental categories, photochemical oxidation potential (PCOP) accounted for the largest proportion for both WF/PLA and WF/LLDPE composites. The EIL values of Sample 1-6 were 3.234, 3.121, 3.007, 3.408, 3.276 and 3.143, respectively. This indicates that environmental impacts of the resultant composites can be reduced with higher WF content. What\'s more, PLA composite is more environmentally friendly than LLDPE composite with the same WF content. This finding is useful for the design, production, utilization and sustainable development of polymer composites and helpful to realize our carbon neutrality goal.

Keywords： Polylactide Linear low density polyethylene Wood fiber Life cycle assessment Environmental impact load