Hwang, H.; Kweon, T.; Kang, H.; Hwang, Y. Resource and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Effects through Recycling of Platinum-Containing Waste. Sustainability2024, 16, 80.
Hwang, H.; Kweon, T.; Kang, H.; Hwang, Y. Resource and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Effects through Recycling of Platinum-Containing Waste. Sustainability 2024, 16, 80.
Hwang, H.; Kweon, T.; Kang, H.; Hwang, Y. Resource and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Effects through Recycling of Platinum-Containing Waste. Sustainability2024, 16, 80.
Hwang, H.; Kweon, T.; Kang, H.; Hwang, Y. Resource and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Effects through Recycling of Platinum-Containing Waste. Sustainability 2024, 16, 80.
Abstract
When disposing of waste metal resources in landfills, environmental issues such as soil contamination may arise. Recycling these resources not only recovers valuable metals but also mitigates environmental pollution. Platinum (Pt), a valuable metal used in fuel cells for its high water production activity, will see increased future demand as a fossil fuel alternative. This study analyzes the environmental and resource reduction effects of recycled Pt, considering the growing emphasis on its recycling for stable supply and demand of Pt. The environmental impact and resource consumption of recycled Pt with primary Pt (from natural mines) were compared and analyzed using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique. Results revealed that resource consumption for primary Pt was 8.25E+01 kg Sb-eq./kg, significantly more than the 5.45E+00 kg Sb-eq./kg for recycled Pt. This represents an environmental reduction effect of approximately 93%. In the case of greenhouse gas emissions, primary Pt emitted 1.35E+04 kg CO2-eq./kg, while recycled Pt emitted 6.94E+02 kg CO2-eq./kg, resulting in an environmental reduction effect of approximately 95%. In conclusion, recycling Pt, compared to primary extraction, offers substantial environmental and resource reduction benefits. This study underscores the significance of recycling and highlights the potential environmental improvements achievable through sustainable practices.
Keywords
circular economy; platinum recycling; greenhouse gas emission reduction; resource saving; life cycle assessment
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Sustainable Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
