LCA to evaluate the environmental impact for chemical pre-treatment in plastics metallization

Abstract

The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used to calculate the environmental impacts of the current chemical pre-treatment with chromium (VI) for electroplating acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The inventory comprised: the procurement of chemicals; the manufacturing process with successive baths and rinses that requires, in addition to chemicals, energy to heat baths, air agitation, filtration, and so forth, wastewater treatment and air emissions; and also the treatment of sludges from wastewater treatment and exhausted baths. Chromic acid was almost the unique responsible of eco-toxicity (97.5%) and human toxicity-cancer (99.8%) and it was one of the highest contributor to climate change, cumulative energy demand, fossil fuel depletion, human toxicity non-cancer, and in abiotic depletion.