Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts
Bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp dominates global pulp production, yet the environmental impacts of its bleaching sequences in Brazil are not fully explored. Addressing this gap, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of three bleaching sequences: conventional elemental chlorine-...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Cleaner Environmental Systems |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789424000722 |
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| author | Rhonald Ortega Naycari Forfora Isabel Urdaneta Ivana Azuaje Keren A. Vivas Ramon E. Vera Jorge Franco Ryen Frazier Camilla Abbati Daniel Saloni Hasan Jameel Richard Venditti Ronalds Gonzalez |
| author_facet | Rhonald Ortega Naycari Forfora Isabel Urdaneta Ivana Azuaje Keren A. Vivas Ramon E. Vera Jorge Franco Ryen Frazier Camilla Abbati Daniel Saloni Hasan Jameel Richard Venditti Ronalds Gonzalez |
| author_sort | Rhonald Ortega |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp dominates global pulp production, yet the environmental impacts of its bleaching sequences in Brazil are not fully explored. Addressing this gap, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of three bleaching sequences: conventional elemental chlorine-free (ECF), ECF with oxygen delignification, and ECF with oxygen delignification plus acid washing. We estimated the average global warming potential (GWP) for BEK delivered to the U.S. and examined how forest carbon cycle (FCC) elements, specifically biogenic GWP (GWPbio) and potential soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, influence GWP outcomes. Results show that the ECF sequence with oxygen delignification and acid washing reduces GWP by 11% and outperforms conventional ECF in 10 out of 11 environmental impact categories. The average GWP for Brazilian BEK delivered to the U.S. is 576 kg CO₂-eq/ton. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate that adding GWPbio increases GWP by 18%, whereas accounting for potential SOC sequestration reduces it by 39%. These findings highlight the necessity of optimizing bleaching processes and developing a standardized BEK LCA model for comparing the environmental impact of different fibers. This work sets a precedent for integrating FCC elements into LCAs and underscores the potential of SOC sequestration in mitigating climate change impacts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ed1ae2a5bcfb464a89aff6f63ed8a978 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2666-7894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cleaner Environmental Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-ed1ae2a5bcfb464a89aff6f63ed8a9782025-08-20T02:52:17ZengElsevierCleaner Environmental Systems2666-78942024-12-011510023410.1016/j.cesys.2024.100234Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impactsRhonald Ortega0Naycari Forfora1Isabel Urdaneta2Ivana Azuaje3Keren A. Vivas4Ramon E. Vera5Jorge Franco6Ryen Frazier7Camilla Abbati8Daniel Saloni9Hasan Jameel10Richard Venditti11Ronalds Gonzalez12Sustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USADepartment of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USASustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative, Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USA; Corresponding author.Bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp dominates global pulp production, yet the environmental impacts of its bleaching sequences in Brazil are not fully explored. Addressing this gap, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of three bleaching sequences: conventional elemental chlorine-free (ECF), ECF with oxygen delignification, and ECF with oxygen delignification plus acid washing. We estimated the average global warming potential (GWP) for BEK delivered to the U.S. and examined how forest carbon cycle (FCC) elements, specifically biogenic GWP (GWPbio) and potential soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, influence GWP outcomes. Results show that the ECF sequence with oxygen delignification and acid washing reduces GWP by 11% and outperforms conventional ECF in 10 out of 11 environmental impact categories. The average GWP for Brazilian BEK delivered to the U.S. is 576 kg CO₂-eq/ton. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate that adding GWPbio increases GWP by 18%, whereas accounting for potential SOC sequestration reduces it by 39%. These findings highlight the necessity of optimizing bleaching processes and developing a standardized BEK LCA model for comparing the environmental impact of different fibers. This work sets a precedent for integrating FCC elements into LCAs and underscores the potential of SOC sequestration in mitigating climate change impacts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789424000722Oxygen delignificationAcid washingAquatic ecosystemForest carbon dynamicsSoil carbon sequestrationClimate change mitigation |
| spellingShingle | Rhonald Ortega Naycari Forfora Isabel Urdaneta Ivana Azuaje Keren A. Vivas Ramon E. Vera Jorge Franco Ryen Frazier Camilla Abbati Daniel Saloni Hasan Jameel Richard Venditti Ronalds Gonzalez Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts Cleaner Environmental Systems Oxygen delignification Acid washing Aquatic ecosystem Forest carbon dynamics Soil carbon sequestration Climate change mitigation |
| title | Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| title_full | Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| title_fullStr | Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| title_short | Life cycle assessment of Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp: Integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| title_sort | life cycle assessment of brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp integrating bleaching processes and biogenic carbon impacts |
| topic | Oxygen delignification Acid washing Aquatic ecosystem Forest carbon dynamics Soil carbon sequestration Climate change mitigation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789424000722 |
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