A method for estimating CO2 emissions given off over the entire life cycle of various types of residential buildings was examined. In the method for estimating CO2 emissions, the life cycle of a residential building was divided into four stages (manufacturing, construction, operation, and demolition). The result showed that CO2 emissions resulting from construction, including manufacturing building materials for residential building, were in the range of 381.1–620.1 kg-C/10 m2 for each building type. However, most CO2 emissions given off during the residential building life cycle were due to the building operation having 87.5–96.9% of total CO2 emissions. And when comparing residential building types, single-family houses using liquefied petroleum gas as the main heating energy source had the lowest CO2 emissions, with 5,260 kg-C/10 m2 of floor area during their life cycles. On the other hand, single-family houses using briquette as the main heating energy source had the highest CO2 emissions (15,100 kg-C...

When disposing of waste metal resources in landfills, environmental issues such as soil contamination may arise. Recycling these resources not only recovers valuable metals but also mitigates environmental pollution. Platinum (Pt), a valuable metal used in fuel cells for its high water production activity, will see increased future demand as a fossil fuel alternative. This study analyzes the environmental and resource reduction effects of recycled Pt, considering the growing emphasis on its recycling for stable supply and demand of Pt. The environmental impact and resource consumption of recycled Pt with primary Pt (from natural mines) were compared and analyzed using the Life Cycle Assessment technique. The results revealed that resource consumption for primary Pt was 8.25 × 10¹ kg Sb-eq./kg, significantly more than the 5.45 × 10⁰ kg Sb-eq./kg for recycled Pt. This represents an environmental reduction effect of approximately 93%. In the case of greenhouse gas emissions, primary Pt emitted 1.35 × 10⁴ kg CO₂-eq./kg, while recycled Pt emitted 6.94 × 10² kg CO₂-eq./kg, resulting in an environmental reduction effect of approximately 95%. In conclusion, recycling Pt, compared to primary extraction, offers substantial environmental and resource reduction benefits. This study underscores the significance of recycling and highlights the potential environmental improvements achievable through sustainable practices.

Recently, remanufacturing approach/technology, which includes a series of the processes of disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, repairing/reconditioning, reassembling components for resale, is becoming more popular as companies look for a way to combat the current climate crisis, and as it allows companies to reduce environmental impacts and to save energy and resources. This study analyzed the reduction effect of six environmental impacts and the savings effect of energy and resources by turbocharger remanufacturing compared to its newly manufacturing using a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The results show that the most significant benefit of the turbocharger remanufacturing related to environmental impacts was the global warming potential (GWP), which could be reduced by 52.2%, followed by the abiotic depletion potential (ADP), terrestrial ecotoxicity potential (TETP), human toxicity potential (HTP), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity potential (FAETP) and marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (MAETP) which could be reduced by 51.9%, 44.8%, 44.2%, 42.6%, and 36.7%, respectively. Also, its resource saving could be obtained from 21.7 to 73.5% depending on the type of resources. Furthermore, turbocharger remanufacturing offered a significant energy saving of 83.9%. The results obtained from this study could be used for national policy-making to a net-zero carbon transition.

Plastics follow a linear economic structure, leading to detrimental environmental effects, such as global warming and ecosystem destruction, through incineration and accumulation throughout their life cycle. This study examined the types, potential generation amounts, and properties of recycled plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to assess the feasibility of the closed-loop recycling of plastics from WEEE under South Korea’s EPR system. Actual data from companies were used to determine the factors, such as the processing volume of WEEE. As of 2021, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (53,363 tons), polypropylene (14,320 tons), and polystyrene (8199 tons) were the recycled plastics produced by both large and small WEEE. The properties of recycled plastics meet the specifications of new electrical and electronic products. In addition, an analysis using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology showed that the recycling effect (avoided emissions) reached 262,033 tons of CO₂ eq. per year. Therefore, closed-loop recycling is the most suitable and effective method for reducing greenhouse gases. This paper presents the potential amount of recycled plastics generated from WEEE within South Korea’s regulatory framework, providing valuable foundational data for policy development for promoting the use of recycled plastics.