Life cycle assessment of wood-plastic composites: Analysing alternative materials and identifying an environmental sound end-of-life option

Published Date
February 2017, Vol.117:235–248, doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.10.012

Author

Philipp F. Sommerhuber ^a,,

Jan L. Wenker ^a,

Sebastian Rüter ^a,

Andreas Krause ^b,

• aThünen Institute of Wood Research, Leuschnerstr. 91c, 21031 Hamburg, Germany
• bInstitute of Mechanical Wood Technology, Department of Wood Sciences, Leuschnerstr. 91c, 21031 Hamburg, Germany

Received 10 May 2016. Revised 19 October 2016. Accepted 21 October 2016. Available online 2 November 2016. 

Highlights

• •
  Environmental impacts of upstream and downstream of WPC were analysed by LCA methods.
• •
  Substitution potentials of alternative materials for WPC were addressed.
• •
  Recycling was found to be the favourable end-of-life of WPC.
• •
  This is in contrast to the applied disposal pathway of WPC today.

Abstract

In the drive towards a sustainable Bioeconomy, a growing interest in the development of composite materials made of plastics compounded with wood particles, known as wood-plastic composites (WPC), can be observed. Wood is seen as one of the cornerstones for sustainable economic growth, while the use of thermoplastics from hydrocarbon fossil resources and additives for WPC potentially cause severe environmental impacts along the entire life cycle. In this study, the life cycle stages of raw material supply and end-of-life pathways of WPC were assessed environmentally from different perspectives with life cycle assessment (LCA). The utilization of alternative raw materials reflected the WPC producer’s point of view. Harmonized product LCA standards were applied and combined with physical parameters of actually produced composites to give credit to substitution potentials in terms of resource quality. The downstream pathways of post-consumer WPC products reflected the recycler’s perspective. A system LCA approach was needed where systems with equal functions were generated to secure a comparison of end-of-life (EoL) treatment systems. Results showed that WPC produced from secondary materials is the ecologically and technically superior alternative. Recycling of the composites would be the ecologically preferable pathway, but the recycled WPC content in novel WPC is a sensitive issue when comparing both EoL treatment systems. Yet, incineration of the composites is the predominant EoL pathway due to current recycling directives and lack of markets for secondary WPC material.

Keywords

Life cycle assessment

Wood-plastic composites

Resource efficiency

Circular economy

End-of-life

Waste management

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  Corresponding author.

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