Life Cycle Assessment of Typical Sanitary Ceramic Products in China

The ceramic sector contributes significantly to the consumption of resources and energy, as well as the impact to the natural environment in China. In this study, the environmental impact of sanitary ceramic products was quantified and analyzed using life cycle assessment methodology with a “cradle to gate” perspective. The results showed that fossil depletion (FDP) were the most serious environmental impacts which account for the total damage (62.02%), followed by global warming potential (GWP) (28.75%) and particulate matter formation (PMFP) (8.12%). In addition, the energy production phase was the stage that resulted to the major environment load due to natural gas production and power generation. The natural gas and coal consumption, as well as CO2 emissions represented significant contribution to the total impact which account for 37.06, 18.92 and 28.44%, respectively. Moreover, it was indicated that the sensitivity of natural gas and electricity consumption to sanitary ceramics were greater than other substances. Therefore, reducing the consumption of natural gas, electricity and resin are the effective way to achieve energy saving and emission reduction in sanitary ceramic industry.