A comparison of environmental performance of electronic and bound-thesis using life cycle assessment
Dematerialization through information technology aids in advancing environmental sustainability. Replacing a bound thesis with an e-thesis for a university dissertation will be a complementary paradigm shift for higher environmental performance. Hence, the study intended to determine and compare the...
Saved in:
| Published in: | Journal of cleaner production Vol. 437; p. 140650 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
15-01-2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Dematerialization through information technology aids in advancing environmental sustainability. Replacing a bound thesis with an e-thesis for a university dissertation will be a complementary paradigm shift for higher environmental performance. Hence, the study intended to determine and compare the environmental performance parameters of conventional paper-based bound-thesis and e-thesis. Moreover, the study aimed to identify the activities causing higher environmental burdens during the production of bound and e-thesis. Open LCA 1.11 was employed for a conventional bound thesis with its e-version submitted by the undergraduates of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. The study utilized U.S. EPA life-cycle inventory data. The analysis demonstrated that the overall global warming potential of a 40-page hard cover thesis was 4,839,000.00 kg CO2-eq to which paper and cover import and paper manufacturing stages contributed more than 99% (4,830,000.0 kg CO2-eq). In comparison, a 0.084 MB soft copy of an e-thesis reported a negligible (0.09936 kg CO2-eq) global warming potential value. Ozone formation-human health, ozone formation-terrestrial ecosystems, terrestrial acidification, fine particulate matter formation, and marine eutrophication potential were 265,584.31 kg NOx eq, 265,583.21 kg NOx eq, 177,451.5 kg SO2 eq, 52,948 kg PM2.5 eq, and 29,041.0 kg N-eq for bound thesis production system. Except for the stratospheric ozone depletion impact and water consumption, environmental performance indicators of e-thesis were superior to the conventional-bound thesis. The study recommends the preparation of e-thesis as an environmentally sound approach. Switching to renewables, extended lifespan, and material recycling of devices at the end of use, sustainable forestry practices, process optimization, and cleaner production technologies can further enhance the environmental performance of e-thesis.
[Display omitted]
•The environmental burdens of the bound thesis and its alternative e-thesis were analyzed using OpenLCA 1.11 from a lifecycle perspective.•The global warming potential of the 40-page hard cover bound-thesis was 4839 ton CO2-eq with the marine eutrophication of 29,041 kg N-eq.•Paper manufacturing and the transportation of paper and hardcover by ship accounted for 99% of the total global warming potential of a bound thesis.•E-thesis exhibiting superior environmental performance compared to bound thesis reporting only 99 g CO2 eq.•The environmental cost of e-thesis reading is higher than e-thesis downloading.•Water consumption and stratospheric ozone depletion impact categories exhibited higher values for e-thesis than the bound thesis. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0959-6526 1879-1786 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140650 |