Tina Dettmer

Using Jatropha Oil Based Metalworking Fluids in Machining Processes: A Functional and Ecological Life Cycle Evaluation

Metalworking fluids (MWFs) are used to ensure requirements in terms of component quality and process stability in metal machining. A large proportion of MWFs are based on the non-renewable resource mineral oil. An alternative to mineral oil are MWFs based on renewable resources. A possible substitute in this context is the oil of the jatropha curcas seeds. The jatropha oil shows a suitable fatty acid pattern and is inedible for humans and animals. It can be grown under marginal conditions which can avoid the direct competition for food and animal feed production. This paper describes and performs a functional and an ecological evaluation of a jatropha oil based MWF life cycle.

Coolants made of native ester — technical, ecological and cost assessment from a life cycle perspective

The use of conventional coolants at the machining of metals causes different environmental problems. Besides plant seed oil, animal fat and used cooking oil proved to be other possible raw material sources for alternative ester based coolants. In this paper their properties are compared with those of mineral oil and plant seed oil ester products regarding technical, economical and ecological aspects from a life cycle perspective. In this context grinding tests, Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing were performed. The three disciplines are brought together in a material flow model and therefore results are well harmonized.

A Forecasting Model for the Evaluation of Future Resource Availability

Natural resource availability and scarcity have become a central concern for the mid- and long-term economic development. Much of this relies on non-renewable resources, which are limited in their total availability. The aim of this paper is to develop a quantitative forecasting model which evaluates future resource availability. A focus is set on non-renewable resources in Australia. The presented model is based on existing statistical approaches for predicting future resource availability. From its application possible implications for Australia are revealed. The general results are complemented with a brief case study that assesses the introduction of electric vehicles and its impact on resource availability.

Environmental Footprint of Single-Use Surgical Instruments in Comparison with Multi-Use Surgical Instruments

Manufacturers have been driven towards sustainable manufacturing due to various external and internal forces. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is widely used to assess a product’s environmental performance in order to meet arising challenges. This research presents the environmental footprint assessment of single-use and multi-use surgical scissors which are manufactured by AESCULAP AG and a single-use surgical scissors produced by a comparable manufacturer. The cradle-to-gate and the cradle-to-grave assessments were conducted to compare the three surgical scissors using the IPCC GWP100 and Eco-indicator 99 methods. A break-even analysis estimates the preference between single-use and multi-use scissors depending on the use scenario.