Environmental impact of aluminium industry waste management in Thailand using life cycle assessment (LCA)

Abstract The aluminium industry plays a crucial role in Thailand’s economy with numerous studies exploring its various facets. While the environmental impacts of aluminium production have been extensively researched, this study focuses on the industry’s waste management practices, utilizing data from 2017 to 2020 that provided the most comprehensive dataset available for analysing waste generation and disposal methods. Employing material flow analysis (MFA) through STAN, the study examined waste disposal options in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Industry of Thailand. Results indicated that 48.14% of waste from the aluminium industry was recycled (method 04), followed by sorting 41.71% and disposal 8.82%. For impact assessment, this study concentrated on Method 04 (Recycling) and Method 07 (Disposal). A life cycle assessment (LCA) using SimaPro with the ReCiPe was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts of Method 07 (Disposal) across three cases: sanitary landfill, secure landfill, and incineration. Analysis results revealed that all cases significantly impacted human health, followed by ecosystem and natural resources with varying degrees. The study identified that some of the wastes currently managed under Method 07 had high potential for recycling. Subsequently, an alternative scenario that involves recycling was developed to compare the environmental impacts with those of the baseline.