Figueroa Marti, Zulma I.

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    Comparison of selected waste management scenarios for PET bottles in PR using SLCA methodology
    (2021-05-14) Figueroa Marti, Zulma I.; Baigés Valentín, Iván J.; College of Engineering; Suárez, O. Marcelo; Quintero Aguiló, Pedro O.; Valentín Rullán, Ricky; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Hernández Hernández, Carlos I.
    An increase in bottled water consumption and a failure to recover the plastic bottles at the end of their life are decreasing the capacity and useful life of sanitary landfills, having a direct impact on the environment. Hence, this study proposes the evaluation of end-of-life (EOL) waste management scenarios using a streamlined life cycle assessment in GaBi software. This research compared the environmental performance of several EOL bottled water stages: landfill, incineration, and recycling of both resin and aluminum. A known bottling company was used as a case study; however, several GaBi default values were used due to missing or proprietary data. Results show that the EOL scenario with the least environmental impact in both manufacturing processes was recycling, while the greatest EOL environmental impact was landfill. Also, the life cycle of canned water resulted less harmful to the environment than that of bottled water. This study demonstrates that it is necessary to evaluate and promote other waste management alternatives to reduce the environmental impact of post-consumer water bottles.