QUANTIFICATION THE LIFECYCLE IMPACT OF A BALL-POINT PEN

Abstract

Because of its global consumer base, the ball-point pen has recently become one of the essential products. Most of the time, the ball-point pen manufacturing companies use the barrel of the pen for the purpose of marketing and to get the attraction of customers. From the raw material extraction stage through the disposal stage, the ball-point pen production process raises a slew of environmental concerns. Identifying and measuring such alerts would help to mitigate the effects in a substantial way. One of the most effective strategies for accomplishing this goal is Life Cycle Assessment. The study's major goal is to measure the negative environmental effect of the ball-point pen product throughout its lifecycle in the Sri Lankan context. Furthermore, the environmental effect of a fully completed ball-point pen and a ball-point pen ink chamber at the end of use disposal scenarios was compared (landfilling). A gate-to-gate analysis was done with the declared unit of one ball-point pen and one ball-point pen ink chamber. As a research method, questionnaires and LCA tool-based databases were used. The SimaPro faculty version was used to assess the life cycle impact. ReCiPe 2016 is the characterization model used for generating midpoint impact categories and endpoint damage categories. The fully assembled ball-point pens highest normalized result shown in the LCA is in the assembly stage. The highest normalized result shown in the LCA of ballpoint pen refill is in there refill stage. Fully assembled ball-point pen characterized figures resulting from the LCA Simapro software in the disposal stage are 0.000321875 kg 1,4-DCB for Freshwater ecotoxicity, 0.000316736 kg CO2 eq for Global warming, 0.000109794 kg 1,4-DCB for Human non-carcinogenic toxicity, 0.000104089 kg 1,4-DCB for Marine ecotoxicity. And the ball-point pen ink chamber characterized figures resulting from the LCA Simapro software in the stage of disposal are 0.000623842 kg CO2 eq for Global warming, 0.000192234 kg 1,4-DCB for Freshwater ecotoxicity, 0.0000576 kg 1,4-DCB for Marine ecotoxicity, 0.000031 kg 1,4-DCB for Human non-carcinogenic toxicity. A drawing of 1 cm line by using a full assembled ball-point pen can increase the global warming by 0.00003924 kgCO2 eq, increase the Fossil resource scarcity by 0.00002086 Kg oil eq, increase the Terrestrial ecotoxicity by 0.00000481 Kg1,4-DCB, increase the water consumption by 0.0000006 m3 and a drawing of 1 cm line by using a ball-point pen refill can increase the global warming by 0.00000006 kgCO2 eq, increase the Terrestrial ecotoxicity by 0.00000067 Kg 1,4-DCB, increase the Freshwater ecotoxicity by 0.00000012 Kg 1,4-DCB. Given v the findings, it is advised that appropriate recycling be used as end-of-life treatment and that following a minimalist approach with possible products is the best method to reduce the total effect. According to further research suggestions, it is suggested to quantify the direct and indirect benefits that manufacturers and customers obtain by shifting the production process from fully built ball-point pen manufacturing to ballpoint pen refill manufacturing.