The aim of the master’s thesis was to assess the life cycle (LCA) of a work roll for sheet metal rolling, with a focus on evaluating its environmental and human health impacts. The theoretical part of the thesis presents the legal and strategic frameworks of European environmental policy, as well as the LCA methodology according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. The steps of the LCA are described in detail: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation of results.
The empirical part of the thesis includes a description of the roll manufacturing process at the company Valji d.o.o., where the analysed roll was produced for a client from Brazil. The analysis includes data on chemical composition, microstructure, thermal and mechanical treatments, as well as data on roll use, such as wear, grinding, and the quantity of rolled sheet metal.The LCA was limited to the “gate-to-gate” phase, considering only the production and transport stages. The final interpretation of results, presented in the concluding part of the thesis, showed that, in terms of impact categories, the most significant were material consumption and global warming, the latter being a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions due to energy consumption during production and transport.
The key proposed guidelines for impact reduction include: increased use of recycled and secondary materials in roll production, reduction of energy consumption or transition to renewable energy sources, transport optimisation, and monitoring and potential reduction of smaller but present environmental impacts.
The conducted study can serve as a foundation for further research and contribute to the development of a sustainable strategy in the field of roll manufacturing.
|
