Exercise 4: Calculate the GWP per product and GWP for 25 years of service for cast iron and polypropylene based on the provided data.
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for calculations related to the global warming potential (GWP) and embodied energy for different materials used in garden furniture. It requires an understanding of how to apply given formulas to these contexts.
Answer
For Cast Iron: GWP $= 25.7 \, \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$, Embodied Energy $= 334.4 \, \text{MJ}$. For Polypropylene: GWP $= 4.7 \, \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$, Embodied Energy $= 110.8 \, \text{MJ}$.
Answer for screen readers
For Cast Iron:
- GWP per product: $25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
- Embodied energy per product: $334.4 , \text{MJ}$
- GWP (25 years service): $25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
For Polypropylene:
- GWP per product: $4.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
- Embodied energy per product: $110.8 , \text{MJ}$
- GWP (25 years service): $23.3 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
Steps to Solve
- Calculate GWP per product for Cast Iron
For Cast Iron:
- Given GWP value: $2.33 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq/kg}$.
- Quantity: $11 , \text{kg}$.
Using the formula:
$$ \text{GWP} = \text{GWP value} \times \text{Quantity} $$
Substituting values:
$$ \text{GWP}_{\text{Cast Iron}} = 2.33 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq/kg} \times 11 , \text{kg} = 25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq} $$
- Calculate Embodied Energy per product for Cast Iron
Given Embodied Energy value: $30.4 , \text{MJ/kg}$.
Using the same quantity:
$$ \text{Embodied Energy}_{\text{Cast Iron}} = 30.4 , \text{MJ/kg} \times 11 , \text{kg} = 334.4 , \text{MJ} $$
- Calculate GWP for 25 years service for Cast Iron
For the 25 years service GWP calculation, the GWP value remains the same.
Using:
$$ \text{GWP (25 years)} = \text{GWP}_{\text{Cast Iron}} = 25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq} $$
- Calculate GWP per product for Polypropylene (PP)
For Polypropylene:
- Given GWP value: $2.92 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq/kg}$.
- Quantity: $1.6 , \text{kg}$.
Using:
$$ \text{GWP}_{\text{PP}} = 2.92 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq/kg} \times 1.6 , \text{kg} = 4.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq} $$
- Calculate Embodied Energy per product for Polypropylene (PP)
Given Embodied Energy value: $69.25 , \text{MJ/kg}$.
Using:
$$ \text{Embodied Energy}_{\text{PP}} = 69.25 , \text{MJ/kg} \times 1.6 , \text{kg} = 110.8 , \text{MJ} $$
- Calculate GWP for 25 years service for Polypropylene
Using the same approach as before:
$$ \text{GWP (25 years)} = 23.3 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq} $$
For Cast Iron:
- GWP per product: $25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
- Embodied energy per product: $334.4 , \text{MJ}$
- GWP (25 years service): $25.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
For Polypropylene:
- GWP per product: $4.7 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
- Embodied energy per product: $110.8 , \text{MJ}$
- GWP (25 years service): $23.3 , \text{kg CO}_2\text{eq}$
More Information
The GWP (Global Warming Potential) indicates how much a particular substance contributes to global warming compared to carbon dioxide, while embodied energy measures the total energy required to produce a material. These values help assess the environmental impacts of materials used in products like garden furniture.
Tips
- Confusing units: Ensure all measurements are in consistent units when performing calculations.
- Incorrectly applying formulas: Double-check that the correct formulas are used for GWP and embodied energy; each value must correspond correctly to the material.
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