Quantification of Greenhouse Gases at Visy Industries using

1,02

MB

Life Cycle Assessment

186

stron

5242

ID

Swinburne University of Technology

2003

rok

Table of Contents

1. Introduction .1

1.2 The Greenhouse Effect6

1.3 The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect .7

1.4 The effect of climate change on the environment .8

1.5 The effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) on climate change .9

1.5.1 GHG atmospheric lifetimes9

1.5.2 Atmospheric GHG concentrations .10

1.5.3 Global Warming Potential13

1.6 Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGGI) .15

1.7 Kyoto Protocol 19

1.8 Australia’s response to the Kyoto Protocol.23

1.9 Papermaking processes25

1.9.1 Virgin papermaking process.25

1.9.2 Recycled papermaking process 27

1.10.1 Reasons for conducting GHG research at Visy:.28

1.11 Research goals.29

2. Environmental decision-making support tools31

2.1 Analysis of environmental support tools.33

2.2 Visy LCAs–General overview 43

2.3 LCA methodology as applied to the Visy papermaking processes .43

2.3.1 Goal and scope .43

2.3.2 Functional unit and initial system boundaries46

2.3.3 Activities included and assumptions used49

2.3.4 Selected inputs and outputs 50

2.3.5 Data considerations 50

2.3.6 Quantification of GHGs .54

2.3.7 Accuracy of data used 59

2.3.8 LCA evaluation, conclusions and recommendation.60

3. Visy paper recycling LCA model61

3.1 Stage 1: Quantification of GHG emissions at the paper recycling plants .62

3.1.1 Paper recycling plants-GHG emission results65

3.1.2 Paper Recycling Plant Studies 1-3 (1996/97 data).66

3.1.3 Comparison between 1996/97 (Study 3) and 1998/99 (Study 4) .67

3.1.4 Emissions by source during 1996/97 & 1998/99 .69

3.1.5 Summary of findings-paper recycling plants .73

3.2 Stage 2: Paper recycling LCA studies.73

3.2.1 Initial system boundaries73

3.2.2 Paper recycling LCA emission assumptions and exclusions .76

3.2.3 Visy paper recycling LCA results 85

3.3 Visy paper recycling GHG reduction strategies and business opportunities 87

3.3.1 GHG reduction strategies-Visy paper recycling plants88

3.3.2 GHG reduction strategies-Visy paper recycling process .91

4. Visy virgin LCA model.95

4.1 Visy Virgin LCA studies.96

4.2 Initial system boundaries.98

4.3 Assumptions and emission exclusions 101

4.4 Visy Virgin LCA results107

4.5 GHG emissions for the proposed pulp mill.108

4.5.1 Emissions due to Visy owned activities.108

4.5.2 Emissions due to non-Visy owned activities109

4.5.3 Effect of using recycled fibre at the pulp mill110

4.5.4 Emissions avoided by import replacement.112

4.5.5 Pulp mill-emissions summary 113

4.6 Visy Virgin GHG reduction strategies and opportunities .114

4.7 Plantation carbon sinks116

5. Visy recycling and virgin LCA comparison .122

5.1 Comparison between the two Visy papermaking processes .122

5.2 Results of the LCA comparison 124

5.3 Effect of using different functional units on both LCA models128

5.4 Emissions assigned to Australian sourced wastepaper132

5.5 Assume some virgin fibre was recycled134

6. Conclusions 136

6.1 Visy papermaking processes - GHG emissions 136

6.1.1 Visy recycling papermaking process136

6.1.2 Visy virgin papermaking process.138

6.1.3 Value of Greenpower .138

6.1.4 Ownership of plantation carbon rights .139

6.2 LCA models 139

7. Recommendations 143

7.1 Business and political143

7.2 Technical .145

8. Appendices .147

9. References .159

10. Publications .164

11. Glossary.165