Bioplastic polymer that is produced from cassava has been considered the most promising alternative to
conventional plastics as there is an abundant renewable resource in Thailand. The objective of this study
was to analyze the life cycle environmental performance of polylactic acid (PLA) drinking water bottles
produced in Thailand with an emphasis on different end-of-life scenarios. The functional unit was set at
1000 units of 250-ml drinking water bottles. The system boundary of the study covered all stages in the
life cycle, including cultivation and harvesting, cassava starch production, transportation, glucose pro-
duction, the polymerization process to produce PLA resin, PLA bottles production, and disposal process.
The inputeoutput data included the use of resources (water, chemicals, materials), energy (electricity,
fuels), and all emissions based on the functional unit. The life cycle environmental performance of PLA
drinking water bottles was compared with that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for the same
functional unit. The global warming potential, fossil energy demand, acidification, eutrophication, and
human toxicity were selected in the analysis. The results obtained in this study showed that the envi-
ronmental performance of cassava-based PLA bottles was better than PET bottles in terms of global
warming, reduction of dependency on fossil energy, and human toxicity. In addition, it was shown that
improving cassava starch process by combining with biogas production and utilization will lead to sig-
nificant reduction in global warming potential and eutrophication potential.
Bioplastic polymer that is produced from cassava has been considered the most promising alternative to
conventional plastics as there is an abundant renewable resource in Thailand. The objective of this study
was to analyze the life cycle environmental performance of polylactic acid (PLA) drinking water bottles
produced in Thailand with an emphasis on different end-of-life scenarios. The functional unit was set at
1000 units of 250-ml drinking water bottles. The system boundary of the study covered all stages in the
life cycle, including cultivation and harvesting, cassava starch production, transportation, glucose pro-
duction, the polymerization process to produce PLA resin, PLA bottles production, and disposal process.
The inputeoutput data included the use of resources (water, chemicals, materials), energy (electricity,
fuels), and all emissions based on the functional unit. The life cycle environmental performance of PLA
drinking water bottles was compared with that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for the same
functional unit. The global warming potential, fossil energy demand, acidification, eutrophication, and
human toxicity were selected in the analysis. The results obtained in this study showed that the envi-
ronmental performance of cassava-based PLA bottles was better than PET bottles in terms of global
warming, reduction of dependency on fossil energy, and human toxicity. In addition, it was shown that
improving cassava starch process by combining with biogas production and utilization will lead to sig-
nificant reduction in global warming potential and eutrophication potential.
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