Carbon Emission Assessment and Reduction Pathways of Teaching and Research Equipment in Application-Oriented University in China Based on Life-Cycle Analysis

In this study, 7647 scrapped pieces of teaching and research equipment (T&R equipment) in an application-oriented university in China in 2024 were employed to assess their carbon emissions using lifecycle analysis. A lifecycle accounting framework was established based on expenditure–environmental expansion input–output (EEIO) models, and the greenhouse gas emissions across the producing, using, and scrapping stages of the T&R equipment at this type of university were estimated. Carbon emission reduction pathways for T&R equipment at this type of university were proposed. It is clear that the lifecycle emissions of the scrapped equipment at this type of university equal 8350.8 tCO2, including producing, using, and scrapping stage emissions of 2277.9 tCO2, 5848.9 tCO2, and 223.9 tCO2, respectively. It is noted that the producing stage accounts for the dominant contributor to carbon emissions, with 70.0% of the total amount. In view of subcategory emissions, information technology equipment (A0201) contributes the most emissions, with 18.0% during the producing and scrapping stages, whereas instruments (A0210) and electrical/electronic production equipment (A0233) contribute the most, with 21.4% and 15.7%, in the using stage. The results of scenario analysis show that, for most equipment, total carbon emissions can be reduced by about 233 tCO2/a on average if scrapped one year in advance. However, for information technology equipment (A0201), emissions increase by 48 tCO2/a. This method offers comparability and replicability in scenarios lacking physical measurements, providing quantitative evidence and carbon reduction pathways for green procurement, asset renewal, and end-of-life recycling in higher education institutions.