Sustainable System: Hand Dryer LCA and Environmental Impact Analysis

This report presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of hand dryers, comparing their environmental impact using GaBi software. The study identifies key contributors to global warming potential (primarily cargo plane transport), ozone depletion, eutrophication, and acidification. The analysis reveals that the materials used, particularly aluminum profiles and extracts, negatively impact the environment. Remedial measures suggest using biodegradable plastics as an alternative to reduce both the global warming and ozone layer depletion potentials. The report concludes that while individual components have minimal impact, transport and material choices significantly affect the overall environmental footprint. The report highlights the importance of considering alternative materials and transport methods to minimize the environmental consequences of hand dryer production and use. The functional unit considered for the assessment was hand drying instances of 100,000 times.

Running head: SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Sustainable system
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Executive Summary
The most environment friendly option chosen for the life cycle assessment of hand dryer is the
GaBi software. The GaBi software analysis of the life cycle assessment it can be inferred that the
individual components contribute about 0.01 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent of emission, the
electricity grid mix has a 0.03 Kg of carbon dioxide equivalent of emission. It is important to
highlight that transport alone contributes to the majority of the global warming potential. The
cargo plane contributes the most of the carbon dioxide emission with an average of 102.91 kg
carbon dioxide equivalent. The materials used in the manufacture of the hand dryer has
contributed about 0.001e-9 kg R11 ozone layer depletion potential. While the electric grid mix
contributes about 0.641e-9 kg R11 equivalent of ozone layer depletion potential. The materials
used in the manufacture of the hand dryer contributes zero eutrophication potential of Kg
Phosphate equivalent. The cargo plane and the kerosene fuel used in the transport contributes to
the eutrophication potential. Similarly, the materials used in the manufacture of the hand dryer
does not contribute to the acidification potential. Here also, the cargo plane and kerosene used
for transportation contributes to the acidification potential. Aluminium profiles and the
aluminium extract is found to impact the environment negatively. Thus, plastic can be used
alternatively to reduce both the global warming and the ozone layer depletion potential. Also, the
transport fuel (kerosene) and the cargo airplane in the transport of the finished products impacts
the environment negatively.

2SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Estimated weight of each of the components used..........................................................................4
Well defined functional unit............................................................................................................5
Impact analysis................................................................................................................................0
Hotspot identification......................................................................................................................2
Remedial measures for the identified hotspot and the feasibility of the improvement options......3
Best alternative................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
Reference.........................................................................................................................................5

3SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Introduction
Life cycle assessment provides a detailed information on how a product actually impacts
the environment and the way it enables the assessors to assess the products footprint. The chosen
service for the study is a hand dryer and the two alternatives chosen are the Dyson hand dryers
and Mitsubishi hand dryers. The most environment friendly option chosen for the life cycle
assessment of hand dryer is the GaBi software. It is important to note that an average hand dryer
uses electricity of about 0.019 kilowatt hours and the time taken is generally 30 seconds. Also, a
total of 2,200 watts are required to power a hand dryer. This equals to about 27 pounds of carbon
dioxide emission and it equals to drying hands for 3 times.
According to the ISO 14040, the various stages of the life cycle assessment includes:
 Extraction and upstream production
 Manufacture
 Use
 Recycle or disposal
The various phases or the portions of the life cycle assessment include the following:
 Goal and scoping
 Inventory analysis
 Impact analysis
 Last step is the interpretation which includes the assessment of all the three
phases (Buyle, Braet and Audenaert 2013).

4SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Stages in the life cycle assessment ISO 14040
Extraction and Upstream production
Manufacture
Use
Recycle or disposal
Estimated weight of each of the components used
Table of components (Joseph et al. 2015)
Materials Amount (mg) Flow
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer 0.023 Input
Aluminium 26.3 Input
Copper 0.028 Input
Glass Fibre 0.448 Input
Melamine 1.8 Input
Polyethylene granulate 0.432 Input
Polycarbonate 0.376 Input
Polypropylene, granulate 3.56 Input
Polystyrene 1.9 Input
Polyurethane 0.07 Input
Polyvinylchloride 0.5 Input
Steel, converter, chromium steel 18/8, at plant 1.36 Input
Synthetic rubber 2 Input
Stainless Steel Hot Rolled Sheet (ELCD) 7.14 Input
Total weightage of the components 45.937 output

5SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Well defined functional unit
The functional unit is a vital element for life cycle assessment and it needs to be defined
clearly. The functional unit provides a measure of the unit and the functions of a unit studied.
Defining a functional unit provides a reference to both the output and the input and this can be
related. The functional unit provides hand drying instances of 100,000 times (Buxel, Esenduran
and Griffin 2015).

Running head: SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Figure 1: Flow diagram of hand dryer [done by author on GaBi

Running head: SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Impact analysis
The global warming potential for 100 years is calculated and the it totalled around 119 kg
carbon dioxide equivalent, and the global warming potential from the cargo air plane is
calculated to be 103 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (figure 2). The ozone layer depletion potential
is found to be a total of 1.5e-9 (figure 3). The eutrophication potential for the hand dryer unit is
found to be totalling around 0.07 kg phosphate equivalent (figure 4). The acidification potential
for the hand dryer is found to be totalling around 0.4 kg SO2 equivalent.
Figure 2: Global warming potential of hand dryer [sourced from GaBi]

1SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Figure 3: Ozone depletion potential for hand dryer [sourced from GaBi]
Figure 4: Eutrophication potential for hand dryer [sourced from GaBi]

2SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Figure 5: Acidification potential for hand dryer [sourced from GaBi]
Hotspot identification
From the GaBi software analysis of the life cycle assessment it can be inferred that the
individual components contribute about 0.01 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent of emission, the
electricity grid mix has a 0.03 Kg of carbon dioxide equivalent of emission. It is important to
highlight that transport alone contributes to the majority of the global warming potential. The
cargo plane contributes the most of the carbon dioxide emission with an average of 102.91 kg
carbon dioxide equivalent (figure 2). The materials used in the manufacture of the hand dryer has
contributed about 0.001e-9 kg R11 ozone layer depletion potential. While the electric grid mix
contributes about 0.641e-9 kg R11 equivalent of ozone layer depletion potential (figure 3). The
materials used in the manufacture of the hand dryer contributes zero eutrophication potential of

3SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Kg Phosphate equivalent. The cargo plane and the kerosene fuel used in the transport contributes
to the eutrophication potential (figure 4). Similarly, the materials used in the manufacture of the
hand dryer does not contribute to the acidification potential. Here also, the cargo plane and
kerosene used for transportation contributes to the acidification potential (figure 5).
Remedial measures for the identified hotspot and the feasibility of the improvement
options
It is seen from the life cycle assessment study that the materials that is used in the
manufacture of had dryer contributes minimally to the environment. The remedial measures
suggested for each of the process will contribute to the reduction of the ozone layer potential
arising from the electricity mix grid, aluminium profile, aluminium extraction and diesel mix at
the refinery. Instead of using the using the aluminium parts in the hand dryer, bio-degradable
plastics can be used to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and at the same time reduce the
ozone layer depletion potential (Jung et a;. 2013).
Best alternative
Here, after the analysis the aluminium extract and aluminium profile are both
contributing to the global warming potential and ozone layer depletion potential. Thus, it is
important to note that instead of using the aluminium in the hand dryer, plastics can be used that
are bio-degradable or that can be recycled later. It is thus important to mention that plastics will
contribute to lesser global warming potential and lesser ozone depletion potential (Modaresi et
al. 2014).

4SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Conclusion
Thus, from the above discussion it can be concluded that the in the life cycle assessment
of the hand dryer, there are certain components in the manufacturing process that leads to the
increased emission of carbon dioxide and it acts to play a contributory role in the global warming
potential and ozone depletion potential. Aluminium profiles and the aluminium extract is found
to impact the environment negatively. Thus, plastic can be used alternatively to reduce both the
global warming and the ozone layer depletion potential. Also, the transport fuel (kerosene) and
the cargo airplane in the transport of the finished products impacts the environment negatively.

5SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM
Reference
Buxel, H., Esenduran, G. and Griffin, S., 2015. Strategic sustainability: Creating business value
with life cycle analysis. Business Horizons, 58(1), pp.109-122.
Buyle, M., Braet, J. and Audenaert, A., 2013. Life cycle assessment in the construction sector: A
review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 26, pp.379-388.
Joseph, T., Baah, K., Jahanfar, A. and Dubey, B., 2015. A comparative life cycle assessment of
conventional hand dryer and roll paper towel as hand drying methods. Science of the Total
Environment, 515, pp.109-117.
Jung, K.W., Kawahito, Y., Takahashi, M. and Katayama, S., 2013. Laser direct joining of carbon
fiber reinforced plastic to aluminum alloy. Journal of Laser Applications, 25(3), p.032003.
Modaresi, R., Pauliuk, S., Løvik, A.N. and Müller, D.B., 2014. Global carbon benefits of
material substitution in passenger cars until 2050 and the impact on the steel and aluminum
industries. Environmental science & technology, 48(18), pp.10776-10784.