Life Cycle Primary Energy Demand and Greenhouse Gas Emission benefits of vehicle lightweighting with recycled carbon fibre

Abstract

Recycled carbon fibre (rCF) is a potential material for sustainable vehicle lightweighting but its realistic environmental impacts are still unclear. In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) investigates the primary energy demand (PED) and global warming potential (GWP) of using rCF reinforced Polyamide 66 (PA66) for a side-view mirror bracket, in comparison with its conventional cast aluminium counterpart. Results indicate that using rCF+PA66 with 40wt% rCF in the US can achieve around 13% and 34% reduction in the PED/GWP of the cradle-to-gate phases and the use phase, respectively. Scenario analysis is also carried out to understand the impact of geographical setting and fibre content in rCF+PA66. It shows that replacing aluminium with 40wt% rCF+PA66 in the EU saves 31.5% and 29.7% more cradle-to-gate PED and GWP, respectively, than in the US. A higher reduction of 43.4% and 41.2% in the cradle-to-grave PED and GWP compared to aluminium can be achieved by increasing fibre mass fraction.