Browsing by Author "Genet Getachew"

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    Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Plastic and Glass Bottle for Soft Drink Packaging: Case of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-07) Genet Getachew; Andualem Mekonnen; Sileshi Degefa
    This study investigated the environmental effects of plastic and glass bottles throughout their life cycle. To evaluate the environmental impacts of plastic and glass bottles, this study utilized the ISO14040 and ISO 14044 frameworks and guidelines. Relevant data on the life cycle of plastic and glass bottles were collected, and the impact of the process was analysed using Open LCA 1.11 software, eco invent 3.9 database and CML v4.8 2016 impact assessment method by considering nine impact categories. The results revealed Plastic bottle has acidification 0.00032 Kg SO2-Eq, abiotic depletion potential 1.18 x10-5 Kg Sb-Eq, energy depletion 2.87 MJ, terrestrial eco toxicity 0.0032 Kg 1,4 DCB-Eq, freshwater eco toxicity 0.039 Kg 1,4 DCB-Eq, ozone depletion 3.76x10-7 Kg CFC-11-Eq, photochemical oxidant formation 3.04x10-5 ethylene-Eq, human toxicity 0.109 Kg 1,4 DCB-Eq and global warming potential 0.125 Kg CO2-Eq impact amount to the environment. In addition, glass bottle that is reused three to four times has environmental impact of acidification 0.00171 Kg SO2-Eq, material/ resource depletion 3.8x10-6 Kg Sb-Eq, photochemical oxidant formation 8.9x10-5 Kg ethylene-Eq, energy depletion potential 4.1 MJ, terrestrial eco toxicity 0.0021 Kg 1,4 DCB-Eq, freshwater eco toxicity 0.22 Kg 1,4 DCB-Eq, human toxicity of 0.331 Kg 1,4 DCB, Ozone depletion potential 0.33x10-8 Kg CFC-11-Eq and global warming potential of 0.35 Kg CO2-Eq. Based on these nine categories, glass bottles were found to have a higher environmental impact as compared to plastic bottles. Therefore, companies that use glass bottles are advised to either improve their production process to reduce environmental impacts or consider alternative packaging materials with lower environmental impacts.