LCA of a novel hybrid glass-hemp/thermoset composite

Bio-based materials have come increasingly into focus during the lastyears, as alternatives to conventional materials such as fossil-basedpolymers, metals, and glass. The present paper is an application of lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology in order to explore the possibility ofimproving the eco efficiency of glass fibre composite materials byreplacing part of the glass fibres with hemp mats. The main purpose andcontribution of this study is the exploration of the eco-efficiency of thisnew material. To a minor degree, it is also a contribution in the sense that itprovides life cycle inventory data on composites, which as yet is scarce inthe LCA community. The study is a development of a previous workconducted on a pipe system used to transport cooling sea waters in aSicilian petrochemical company. A comparative LCA was performed oftwo different elbow–fittings made of glass fibre/thermoset composite andhybrid (glass fibre-hemp)/thermoset composite, respectively. Primary datawere collected mainly for the manufacturing process of the composite,while the Ecoinvent v2.2 database was used to model other parts of thesystem. Significant environmental benefits of using hemp mats were foundmainly in the production phase. An LCC was also carried out from cradleto grave to find ways to optimise the costs. Material costs reduction wassignificant for the hybrid elbow formulation.