Effect of functional unit and processing types on carbon footprint and specific energy consumption assessment of Thailand tableware products

Thailand's Table 5 ceramic industry is one of the most important industries in the country in terms of export figures. However, production consumes a large amount of energy and raw materials, which causes adverse environmental impacts. Thus, a carbon footprint assessment of different methods of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sustainable engineering 2021-05, Vol.14 (3), p.460-470
Main Authors: Usubharatana, Phairat, Phungrassami, Harnpon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Carbon footprint
ceramic
Ceramics
Data acquisition
Energy consumption
Environmental impact
Evaluation
Footprint analysis
Greenhouse gases
Life cycle analysis
Life cycle assessment
Life cycles
Raw materials
Ships
Specific energy
specific energy consumption
Tableware
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Summary:Thailand's Table 5 ceramic industry is one of the most important industries in the country in terms of export figures. However, production consumes a large amount of energy and raw materials, which causes adverse environmental impacts. Thus, a carbon footprint assessment of different methods of forming Thai ceramic tableware evaluated by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) as the assessment tool. The evaluation of specific energy consumption (SEC) was also conducted. The functional units were set as 1 kg and 1 L of ceramic tableware. The system boundaries included the raw material acquisition phases until the factory gate, and then being ready to ship to customers. All primary data was acquired and collected on-site through collaboration with the selected factory. The study showed that the most significant environmental impact was due to the biscuit and ghost firing processes used during the production phase, accounting for an average of 74% of the total carbon footprint. The SEC results were an average of 79 % for LPG, while electricity had a 21% share. Different forming methods did not exhibit significantly different results. Moreover, the forecasting of GHG emissions from the ceramic tableware sector by 2030 and further solution was also included in the discussion.
ISSN:1939-7038
1939-7046
DOI:10.1080/19397038.2021.1910749