Comparative life cycle assessment of cement, sintered bricks and non-sintered bricks manufacturing using water-based drilling cuttings from shale gas production in the Sichuan Basin, China

This study determined the environmental impacts of three recycling pathways for water-based drilling cuttings (WDC), namely cement, sintered bricks, and non-sintered bricks, based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. A life cycle inventory was developed with based on the resource utilization o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental management 2022-07, Vol.314, p.115135-115135, Article 115135
Main Authors: Liu, Wenshi, He, Dongxue, Geng, Tie, Peng, Zicheng, Mou, Zishen, Li, Maochuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brick
Cement
Life cycle assessment
Recycling
Water-based drilling cuttings
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Summary:This study determined the environmental impacts of three recycling pathways for water-based drilling cuttings (WDC), namely cement, sintered bricks, and non-sintered bricks, based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. A life cycle inventory was developed with based on the resource utilization of 1t drilling cuttings as the functional unit, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the essential materials and energy consumption. The results showed that the sequence of the environmental impact index for the three recycling pathways was cement, non-sintered brick and sintered brick. Primary energy demand and direct emissions were the main reasons for this difference. Direct emissions, electricity, and binder were the largest contributors to the inventory of cement, sintered bricks, and non-sintered bricks, accounting for 54%, 33.4%, and 62.1% of the environmental impact burden, respectively. Furthermore, a 5% reduction in direct emissions, electricity, and binder decreased the integrated impact index by approximately 2.67%, 3.04%, and 3.38% for cement, sintered bricks, and non-sintered bricks, respectively. Based on the LCA results, strategies for reducing emissions and conserving energy were proposed. These results provide a useful reference for creating a sustainable system for recycling water-based drilling cuttings. •Life cycle inventories of WDC recycling scenarios were established.•A comparative LCA of cement, sintered brick and non-sintered brick was prepared using WDC.•Key materials and energy consumption have been recognized and recommendations have been proposed.
ISSN:0301-4797
1095-8630
DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115135