Life cycle assessment of glass fibre versus flax fibre reinforced composite ship hulls

A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted between a recreational ship hull made of flax fibre-reinforced bio-based epoxy resin and a traditional ship hull made of glass fibre-reinforced polyester. Since small fibreglass boats pose an environmental problem after the end of life (EoL), the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of the biocomposite material and identify recommendations for the future eco-design of recreational boats. The LCA study was developed according to the ISO 14,040 (ISO 14040, 2006), 14,044 (ISO 14044, 2006) methodology and the OpenLCA 2.0.4 software with the Ecoinvent v.3.9.1 database. Compared to the traditional one, the LCA of the biocomposite ship hull showed positive environmental impacts for all indicators except Terrestrial Ecotoxicity (TETP), which increased by 357% due to the use of fertilisers in flax production. Remarkably, the Global Warning Potential (GWP) decreased by 14%, the Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) diminished by 13%, and the Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP) related to material resources was reduced by 75%. The sensitivity analysis shows that electricity consumption is the primary environmental impact driver for the FFRB ship hull. Thus, selecting renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, can significantly enhance sustainability. It is important to note that these impacts are influenced by the system and boundary conditions considered in the study. It was suggested that the local production of flax fibre and the use of recyclable bio-resin could improve the eco-design of the ship hull.