IME540 Environmentally ConsciousDesign and Manufacturing

Module 5: End of Life Options

Sample Lecture Material

Agenda – The Big Picture of

Module 5Session 1: Lecture, define assignment

Session 2: Visit the landfill

Session 3: Discussion questions, more lecture, group presentationand evaluation

Learning Objective: Propose design changes to a product toenhance recycling, reuse and/or remanufacturing capability

with consideration of the economics of these activities.

Pre-reading: case study of a landfill “A case study in thedevelopment of a landfill gas-to-energy project for the Antioch,Illinois, Community School District” by Torresani & Poetter

Life Cycle Stages

Typical Cradle-to-Grave life cycle stages:

Cradle-to-gate stage:

1. Raw materials extraction/acquisition

2. Materials processing

3. Product manufacture

Use stage:

4. Product use, maintenance, repair

End-of-life stage:

5. Final disposition/end of life

Costs?

Life Cycle Stages

A product is assumed to be at the end of life when

any of the following occur:

1. It has served its useful life

2. It is no longer functional

3. It is rendered unusable due to

technological/style obsolescence,

changing market demands, innovation-

driven product improvements, or mature

products are simply replaced by better

technology

Define End of Life Options

What are the choices for the end-of-life of a product?

!"Disposal

# Incineration

#Landfill

• Solid Waste

• Hazardous

$"Recycle

#With disassembly

#Without disassembly

%"Reuse through service

&"Refurbishment through remanufacture

Life Cycle Stages

Life Cycle Inventory techniques can compare two

products with a similar function for their

environmental impact at the end of their useful life.

Example: Comparison of desktop computer displays

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays

vs

LCD (active matrix Liquid Crystal Display or flat

panels) displays

Life Cycle Stages

50%25%Solid Waste Landfill

5%46%Hazardous Landfill

15%3%Remanufacturing

15%11%Recycling

15%15%Incineration

LCDCRTDisposition

Sources: NSC, 1999; EPA, 1998; CIA, 1997; EIA, 1999; Vorhes, 2000; TORNRC, 2001.

Distribution of EOL disposition assumptions for the CRT and LCD

Costs?

Define End of Life Options

“The goal is cradle to reincarnation (or cradle-to-

cradle), since if one is practicing industrial ecology

correctly there is no grave.”

- Kumar Patel, AT&T Bell Labs

The efficiency with which the cradle-to-cradle

objective is achieved is highly dependent on the

design of products and processes.

Define End of Life Options

Define End of Life Options

Disposal – Incineration

Describe the Landfill

Today’s Landfill

Form Groups/Assign roles, PerformWeb Search, Report on Product

1. Form groups and assign team roles – recorder andspokesperson. Recorder will capture results for postingon Blackboard discussion board. Spokesperson willpresent findings to class.

2. Perform a web search to illustrate what makes up alandfill and the impact of your chosen product. Answerthe question “What are the categories of products thatmake up a landfill and which are biological versustechnological?”(10 min)

3. Report back to group with web search results for yourchosen product - post to Blackboard(5 min)

Costs.

The Recycling Process Costs?

Environmental Assessment Tool

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) isenvironmental criteria as contained in a public standard, IEEE1680.

EPEAT evaluates electronic products according to three tiers ofenvironmental performance:

• Bronze: Meets all 23 required criteria• Silver: Meets all 23 required criteria plus at least 50% of the

optional criteria• Gold: Meets all 23 required criteria plus at least 75% of the

optional criteriaThere are 51 total environmental criteria in IEEE 1680: 23required criteria and 28 optional criteria.

Environmental Assessment Tool

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) isenvironmental criteria as contained in a public standard, IEEE1680 with assessment:

1. Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials2. Materials selection3. Design for end of life4. Product longevity/life cycle extension5. Energy conservation6. End of life management7. Corporate performance8. Packaging

WEEE: Waste Electrical andElectronic Equipment

Reference: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/275207/1631119/?version=1&lang=_e, retreived 2/20/1997

There are ten categories of WEEE:

1. Large household appliances

2. Small household appliances

3. IT and telecommunications equipment

4. Consumer equipment

5. Lighting equipment

6. Electrical and electronic tools

7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment

8. Medical devices

9. Monitoring and control equipment

10. Automatic dispensers

The WEEE Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in the

above categories with a voltage of up to 1000 volts AC or up to 1500 volts DC.

Assignment• Continue working in pre-assigned groups for product

assessment. Recorder and spokesperson are to switch rolesfor the next session.

• Brainstorm ideas for redesigning your chosen product that willprevent the product from ending up in a landfill at the end ofit’s useful life.

• Prepare a persuasive presentation to convince managementthat your redesign idea will be profitable.

• Some time was allocated in class but group is encouraged tomeet outside of class and to ride together to the landfill tocontinue discussion.

Costs!

References1. Baxter Sustainability Report, retrieved 2/19/2007,

http://sustainability.baxter.com/product/product_end_of_life.html

2. Duranceau, Claudia, “Opportunities for Using Recycled Materials in

New Vehicles,” Ford Motor Company Presentation to Kettering

University students on 6/8/2004 and 7/26/2005.

3. Graedel, T.E., and B.R. Allenby, “Industrial Ecology,” second edition,

Prentice Hall, NJ, 2003.

4. Hickman Jr., H. L., and R. Eldredge, “A Brief History of Solid Waste

Management in the US During the Last 50 Years,” MSW Management

website, http://www.forester.net/msw_0001_history.html, retrieved

February16, 2007.

5. IME454 Kettering University Capstone Students, Student Group

Presentation, Summer 2006.

6. Reference: WEEE Directive,

http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/275207/1631119/?version=1&lang

=_e, retreived 2/20/2007