Department of Biomaterials, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, No. 8 Futong Eastern Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100102, China; SFA and Beijing Co-Built Key Laboratory of Bamboo and Rattan Science & Technology, State Forestry Administration, Beijing, 100102, China.
Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forestry Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China.
J Environ Manage. 2021 May 15;286:112190. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112190. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
As an abundant and fast-growing biomass, bamboo can be used as construction materials owing to its desirable physical and mechanical properties, environmentally friendly features, and alternative to replace toxic and hazardous wastes in industrial processing. In this study, grid material made from bamboo (termed 'bamboo grid') was developed and compared to commercially used polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as packing material in cooling towers; PVC packing has drawbacks such as fouling, deposit buildup, low durability, and is harmful to environments. The cooling capacity, energy efficiency and environmental impact of bamboo grid packing were evaluated via life cycle assessment (LCA), particularly the cumulative energy demand (CED) and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES). Although the thermal performance of the PVC packing was found higher than that of the bamboo grid packing, the bamboo grid packing showed improved resistance characteristic, recording a total saving of 529.2 tons of standard coal during a six-month field test in a real thermal power generation plant. LCA results revealed that the utilization of bamboo-grid packing to replace PVC packing in cooling towers reduced total CED from 3420 MJ to 561 MJ per functional unit, achieving 6 times reduction. A desirable reduction ranging from 1.5 to 10.5 times was also recorded for the BEES indices. This LCA comparison analysis confirmed the improvement of energy efficiency and reduction of environmental impact by using the bamboo grid to replace PVC as packing material in cooling towers. The major environmental impact (BEES) indices (e.g., the total Global warming potential, Acidification, Eutrophication and Smog) were reduced by 1.5-10.5 times via the use of bamboo grid. The results demonstrate that bamboo grid packing is a good alternative to replace existing grid packing materials such as concrete and PVC that are harmful to human health and environments.
作为一种丰富且快速增长的生物质，竹子因其理想的物理和机械性能、环保特性以及替代有毒有害工业加工废物的能力，可用作建筑材料。在本研究中，开发了一种由竹子制成的网格材料（称为“竹网格”），并将其与商业上使用的聚氯乙烯（PVC）作为冷却塔的包装材料进行了比较；PVC 包装存在结垢、沉积物堆积、耐久性低和对环境有害等缺点。通过生命周期评估（LCA）评估了竹网格包装的冷却能力、能源效率和环境影响，特别是累计能源需求（CED）和建筑环境和经济可持续性（BEES）。尽管 PVC 包装的热性能发现高于竹网格包装，但竹网格包装表现出了更好的耐腐蚀性，在火力发电厂的实际现场测试中，六个月的测试记录了总计 529.2 吨标准煤的节约。LCA 结果表明，在冷却塔中使用竹网格包装代替 PVC 包装，将功能单位的总 CED 从 3420 MJ 降低到 561 MJ，减少了 6 倍。在 BEES 指数方面，也记录到了 1.5 到 10.5 倍的理想减少。这项生命周期评估比较分析证实了使用竹网格代替 PVC 作为冷却塔包装材料可以提高能源效率和减少环境影响。主要环境影响（BEES）指数（例如，总全球变暖潜能、酸化、富营养化和烟雾）通过使用竹网格减少了 1.5-10.5 倍。结果表明，竹网格包装是替代现有网格包装材料（如混凝土和 PVC）的良好选择，这些材料对人类健康和环境有害。
