Environmental life-cycle assessment of a military explosive production unit: a preliminary approach

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Daniele Costa
Erick Galante
Izabela Andrade
Jéssica Cunha

Abstract

It is generally known that plants of the chemical industry have great potential to generate environmental impacts and health hazards. However, systematic measurements of these impacts are not common. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that allows quantitative environmental impacts evaluation and it was applied in a preliminary approach to analyze selected subsystems in a RDX (1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine) military production unit. LCA was applied through analysis of the plant data in the free software OpenLCA, using ELCD (European Reference Lyfe Cycle Database) and the TRACI (Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts) method. As a result, the following impact categories were assessed: acidification, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, global warming, human health, ozone depletion, photochemical oxidation and resource depletion.

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Author Biographies

Daniele Costa, Universidade do Porto

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Ambiental
Faculdade de Engenharia
Universidade do Porto
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias
4200-465 PORTO
Portugal

Erick Galante, Military Institute of Engineering

Military Institute of Engineering
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil

Izabela Andrade, Military Institute of Engineering

Military Institute of Engineering
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil

Jéssica Cunha, Military Institute of Engineering

Military Institute of Engineering
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil