Manufacturing of a Non-road Diesel Engine from the Life Cycle Perspective

• Main Author: Rouhento, Viivi
• Other Authors: Kemia ja biotekniikka – Chemistry and Bioengineering, Teknis-luonnontieteellinen tiedekunta - Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tampere University of Technology, Rintala, Jukka
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Ympäristö- ja energiatekniikka; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://trepo.tuni.fi//handle/123456789/26360

The goal of this study was to identify and quantify the environmental impacts produced during the life cycle of a tractor’s diesel engine with the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Furthermore, the goal was to recognize which life cycle stages impact the environment the most. Opportunities to reduce environmental impacts were also examined. The focus of this study was on the manufacturing of the engine due to the intended audience of the study, the engine manufacturer AGCO Power. LCA of the diesel engine was performed using SimaPro software and the chosen environmental impact method was the ILCD Midpoint 2011+ method. The examined environmental impact categories were climate change, eutrophication (land, fresh water and ocean), acidification, photochemical ozone formation, ozone depletion and mineral, fossil and renewable resource depletion. The life cycle stages of the of the engine included in the study were raw material extraction and production, manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life stages. Data related to input and output flows of unit processes were collected from the engine manufacturer, the producers and suppliers of materials, waste handlers and the tractor manufacturer and the distributor. Some data was also obtained from the EcoInvent database and literature. The environmental impact results showed that the use of the diesel engine produced most of the environmental impacts in each impact category. The engine manufacturer is able to influence the environmental impact of the use stage by technical means, which they have already done in obligation to the Directive 97/68/EC. However, the environmental impacts of the use stage could also be reduced by using renewable diesel instead of conventional. Though, the type of fuel used in the engine is up to the user of the tractor and cannot be influenced by the engine manufacturer. After the use stage, the greatest environmental impacts rose from the extraction and production of raw materials. Distribution, end-of-life and manufacturing stages each ...