Environmental Impact Assessment of Hybrid Natural Bio Composite For Pipeline Repair Application Using Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Abstract

Awareness of sustainable materials and their applications have increased in the past decades due to environmental crises. Natural composites are environment friendly and have reasonable strength over conventional materials. Application of natural composites in pipeline repair applications increased due to its low cost, being easy to repair, and not requiring special skills for repairing. In this context, a life cycle assessment (LCA) study was performed on using hybrid natural composite in pipeline repair applications. The composition of the composite is polylactic acid, linseed straw, and soybean straw, and the results are compared with conventional polyvinyl chloride glass fiber composite. From the LCA results, the global warming potential and cumulative energy demand for glass fiber composite was higher, while natural fiber composite showed better environmental performance. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.