oa Life cycle assessment of polymers in Qatar

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is gaining wider acceptance as a method that evaluates the environmental burdens associated with a product, process or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, and assesses the impact of the energy and material used and released to the environment. It is also considered as one of the best environmental management tools that can be used to compare alternative eco-performances of recycling or disposal systems.

In this study, life cycle assessments of polymer recycling are reviewed with a view to protecting the global environment and to control waste in the polymer industry in Qatar. Incremental increases in population in this region have resulted in a dramatic increase in plastic consumption and unfortunately, the waste management system has not been properly managed to date. During the study, real data from the industry was used in the analysis of the environmental impact of plastics recycling by applying the LCA methodology to the products and processes involved in recycling. The results obtained will help to understand the importance of the use of recycled polymer materials and highlight the clear advantages from an eco-efficiency viewpoint, of plastic recycling against direct manufacturing from petroleum.