Life Cycle Assessment as a Decision Tool in Material Development—Experiences from a Multi-year Carbon Fibre Composite Development Project

Journal article, 2023

This paper describes what type of advice life cycle assessment can provide in different parts of a material development project. Based on experiences from a multi-year research project aiming to decrease the environmental impacts of carbon fibre composites, we aim to show and discuss what type of input we could provide the material developers at different times. The goal is to guide life cycle assessment practitioners and material developers on what role life cycle assessment can play in various project parts. Cradle-to-gate data collected at different points in time throughout the project are compiled and recalculated to the same functional unit. Assessment results from all stages clearly show that even if the carbon fibres constitute a minor share of the composite, they are the environmental hotspot with considerable potential for improvements. Depending on the timing of the project, advice ranges from being careful with the source of nitrogen in the production process to using microwave heating in carbon fibre production. We recommend material developers to include life cycle assessment as early as possible in the project. We also recommend life cycle assessment practitioners continuously work with material developers in updating the models and inventory. Additionally, we recommend that life cycle assessment practitioners add more details to the assessment and expand the study’s foreground system as the project progresses. This could be done in combination with assessing the technology readiness level of the routes. By doing so, the life cycle assessment practitioner can provide material developers insight into potential routes worth developing. It also identifies the lowest-hanging fruits for reducing the materials’ environmental impact.