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1
Environmental Footprint Calculator (EFC)
2
Solvent Processing?
Thermal Processing?
Liquid Processing?
What is the Best Choice for My Business?
3
One Size Fits All?
• A printer’s choice of plate processing technology depends upon several factors: – Graphic Requirements
– Ink Compatibility
– Available Equipment Footprint
– Most Important Environmental Impacts
• No one solution works for everyone
4
Variables
• How do the following variables affect the environmental impact of various plate processing technologies?
•Geographic location?
•Plate gauge?
•Plate size?
5
6
UT Center for Clean Products• Established in 1992• A multi-disciplinary research center housed within UT• Dedicated to the development, evaluation, and adoption of clean products and
materials• Conducted several projects within the printing industry, including a pollution
prevention project for the Gravure Association of America• Conducted a number of corporate endeavors where they have developed
environmental impact calculators that evaluate the overall environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of various products
ecoform• Founded in 2006• Practitioners working through a variety of corporate and university organizations,
including the University of Tennessee’s Center for Clean Products• Has worked with organizations such as Rubbermaid Commercial Products,
Evercare, and the Natural Stone Council
7
Definition: Life Cycle Assessment
• The investigation and evaluation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence.
Source: www.epa.gov
8
The LCA Process
• Goal Definition & Scoping
• Inventory Analysis
• Impact Assessment
• Interpretation
Source: Lifecycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA
Goal Definition &
Scope
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
9
The LCA Process
• Goal Definition & Scoping
• Inventory Analysis
• Impact Assessment
• Interpretation
Source: Lifecycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA
Goal Definition &
Scope
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
10
Goal and Scope
• Goal: – To develop an interactive sustainability tool that will enable
users to determine the relative environmental impacts of digital solvent, digital thermal and liquid plate processing while incorporating customer-specific variables such as geographic location, plate gauge, plate size and number of plates.
• Scope: – Raw material production and processing– Production of the photopolymer material– Processing of the photopolymer plate
.
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Scope
Plate manufacture Imaging
Plate Mounting Printing Converting
Waste Recycled
Waste Waste Waste
Within Scope Outside Scope
Note: Transportation of raw materials was not included within the scope of this study
12
The LCA Process
• Goal Definition & Scoping
• Inventory Analysis
• Impact Assessment
• Interpretation
Source: Lifecycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA
Goal Definition &
Scope
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
13
Inventory Analysis
• Data Collection and Modeling of the Product System• Description and Verification of Data
• Inputs– Materials– Energy– Chemicals
• Outputs: – Air emissions– Water emissions– Solid Waste– Final product
14
Assumptions
• A steady state of production
• A production rate of 80% maximum capacity at largest format available for each processing method
• A 50% image area
• 50% relief
15
Photopolymer Manufacturer Workflow
Manufacturing Process
Energy Inp
uts
Ou
tpu
ts
Raw materials
Photopolymer
Waste
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Sheet Photopolymer – Digital Solvent Processing
DigitalPlate
LaserImager
UVExposure
PX/DTDryerWashout
FinishedPlate
PET coversheet
Dust(negligible)
Dirty solvent(Solvent + dissolvedphotopolymer)
Distillation
CleanSolvent
Still bottoms(haz waste)
CleanSolvent
SolventVapor
Electrical Power Inp
uts
Ou
tpu
ts90% recovery
17
Sheet Photopolymer – Digital Thermal Processing
DigitalPlate
LaserImager
UVExposure
PX/DTLAVA
System
FinishedPlate
PET coversheet
Carbondust
(negligible)
Organicvapors
C Filter
Usedfilter w/
capturedorganics
Cleanair
Electrical Power Inp
uts
Ou
tpu
ts
Usedblotter
Blottermaterial
18
Liquid Photopolymer
Liquidphotopolymer
Casting +Exposure
Reclaim DTPXWashout
FinishedPlate
1. Film negative 2. Coverlay3. PET substrate
SolublePhotopolymer
In water
Water +Detergent
Electrical Power Inp
uts
Ou
tpu
ts
Dryer
Water +salts
Water +Salts
Watervapor
Disposal
Rinsewater
Rinsewater
19
The LCA Process
• Goal Definition & Scoping
• Inventory Analysis
• Impact Assessment
• Interpretation
Source: Lifecycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA
Goal Definition &
Scope
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
20
Impact Categories
• Energy Consumption: The total quantity of energy consumed within the life cycle of the product.
• Water Consumption: The total quantity of water consumed within the life cycle of the product
• Acidification of Water: The process by which the pH of a body of water is decreased due to the entry of acidifying compounds, particularly nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
• Eutrophication of Water: The process of nutrient enrichment [namely phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N)]. The increased food supply results in extensive growth of algae, in turn causing highly turbid water.
• Global Warming: An increase in the planet’s average tropospheric temperature. To some extent, this occurs naturally on earth, but is exacerbated by the excess of heat trapping compunds – known as greenhouse gases – in the earth’s atmosphere.
• Ozone Depletion: Refers to the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer which filters out the most intense ultraviolet light from the sun’s radiant energy.
• Smog Generation: The formation of photochemical smog in the troposphere. Smog forms from the reaction of nitric oxide (NO), oxygen (O2), and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) in
the presence of sunlight.
21
Environmental Footprint Calculator (EFC)
22
Energy Grids
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Canad
a
Fran
ce
United
King
dom
United
Sta
tes (
aver
age)
*
U.S E
ast N
orth
Cen
tral
U.S. E
ast S
outh
Cen
tral
U.S. M
iddle
Atlantic
U.S. M
ount
ain
U.S. N
ew E
ngla
nd
U.S. P
acific
cont
iguou
s
U.S. P
acific
non
cont
iguou
s
U.S. S
outh
Atla
ntic
U.S. W
est Nor
th C
entra
l
U.S. W
est Sou
th C
entra
l
Nation or Region of United States
Po
rtio
n o
f G
rid
(%
)
Others
Wind
Solar
Hydro
Geothermal
Waste
Peat
Solid biomass
GaseousbiomassNuclear
Natural gas
Heavy fuel oil
Hard coal
Brown coal
Blast furnace gas
Figure 1. Composition of energy grids used for the MacDermid Environmental Footprint Calculator.
23
The LCA Process
• Goal Definition & Scoping
• Inventory Analysis
• Impact Assessment
• Interpretation
Source: Lifecycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA
Goal Definition &
Scope
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
24
Interpretation: Key Findings
• In terms of environmental impacts, generally speaking: . .
Solvent > Thermal > Liquid
25
Interpretation
• Compared to Solvent Processing– Liquid processing results in higher water consumption and smog generation,
but has significantly lower impacts in all other categories. – Thermal processing has a slightly higher impact on eutrophication of water but
has significantly lower impacts in all other categories.
• Compared to Thermal Processing– Both liquid and solvent processing use much more water
– Liquid processing consumes less energy and contributes fewer CO2 emissions to the atmosphere (Global Warming Impact).
• Compared to Liquid Processing– Both solvent and thermal processing use much more energy than liquid
processing– Thermal processing produces fewer kgs of CFC equivalents (ozone depletion)
than liquid platemaking.
26
Reasons Why
Liquid Platemaking generally has a smaller environmental footprint than solvent and thermal processing because:
• No solvents are used
• Un-imaged photopolymer can be reclaimed
Thermal Processing generally has a smaller environmental footprint than solvent because:
• Energy usage required by the still
27
Reasons Why: Energy Use
x x xxx xx x
Solvent Processing Workflow Thermal Processing Workflow
28
Looking Forward
• First Iteration of the EFC
• Will continue to refine data as we move forward
• Collection of raw material LCA input data growing more complete
• EFC creates areas for improvement (i.e., water usage in Liquid)
• Recycling photopolymer materials at end-of-life
29
Thank You!
Heather P. Barrett
MacDermid Printing Solutions
404.699.3338