Life Cycle Impacts of Commercial Guayule Rubber Production Es ...

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Abstract

Natural rubber is a commodity used for manufacturing various goods, from medical products to automobile tires, and can be produced from the guayule plant (Parthenium argentatum), which is a low input perennial shrub native to Mexico and the American Southwest. Guayule rubber has the potential to replace Hevea (Hevea brasiliensis) rubber, the most common natural rubber that is currently imported to the United States. The solvent extraction method for rubber production in two batch processes (termed batch and upgraded batch) was compared to a commercial-scale process. A life cycle assessment (LCA) model was constructed to evaluate the environmental impacts (ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, acidification potential, photochemical oxidation potential (or smog), respiratory effects, and fossil fuel depletion) of a current guayule extraction processes and estimate future impacts from large-scale facilities. Actual data from a facility in Arizona were used for the batch processes supplemented by data from literature. Statistical methods were used to obtain data from a formerly operated commercial facility for the commercial-scale process. Results showed that in the batch processes total solvent loss (i.e., losses of solvents in the process and fugitive losses) is responsible for more than 90 percent of environmental impacts. However, solvent losses diminished, and energy consumption (due to propane and electricity) was found to be the greatest contributor to impacts in the commercial-scale process. Process improvements in the upgraded batch process led to 35 percent lower impacts on an average compared to the batch process, whereas the commercial-scale process contributed 65 percent lower impacts on an average compared to the batch process.