Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Assessment Model (LCC/LCA Model) For Dry Abrasive Blasting Process

摘要

This paper presents a computer model developed with funding from the Office of Naval Research, which serves as a life cycle cost and life cycle assessment model (LCC/LCA Model) for dry abrasive blasting process. This model assists in both, (1) minimizing direct, indirect, and societal costs, and (2) minimizing multi-media wastes, its impact on the environment and public health. Types of costs considered by this model are: (1) Direct costs (material costs, equipment costs, energy costs, and labor costs), (2) Indirect costs (waste disposal costs, environmental fee, compliance costs, worker health care, and costs associated with environmental operations), and (3) Societal costs (health related costs; those borne by the public and the government). Dry abrasive blasting generates solid wastes, hazardous wastes, and air pollutants. Airborne particulate matter (PM) may also contain toxic metals depending on contamination of abrasive and the substrate. Wastes generated form dry abrasive blasting depend on important parameters viz. abrasive type, abrasive size/grade, blast pressures, feed rate, and nozzle size. Disposal costs for solid/hazardous wastes and emission fee for air pollutants depend on quantity and characteristics of waste streams. Wastes generated, both solid/hazardous wastes and air emissions, also have a bearing on the societal costs. Published literature on productivity (surface cleaning rate; ft~2/hr), abrasive consumption (lb/ft~2), waste (solid/hazardous) generation potential (lb/ft~2), air pollutant emission factors (lb/ft~2), waste treatment costs, and health costs were considered in developing the LCC/LCA Model. A software application was developed integrating the above LCC/LCA approach. This application helps in selecting best materials and process conditions that will minimize direct, indirect, and societal costs while minimizing impact on the environmental and public health. This paper should help other researchers in applying similar techniques to other polluting sources/processes, through due modifications.