Application Prospect of Life Cycle Assessment in E-waste Management
HONG Mei1, SONG Boyu1,2,3, DING Qiong2, HE Liansheng3, LIN Hongyi1
1. College of Environment and Resources, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China;2. Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100035, China;3. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Abstract:The e-waste, characterized by its large quantity, the great hazard and a high potential value, is also called the "urban mine" due to various recyclable resources in it. However, the e-waste is related to a severe environment pollution and will become a threat to human health and ecological safety, if not properly managed. The life cycle assessment is a type of technology that evaluates the potential environment effects of products and services. This technology will help to identify the potential environment hazard in the management process of abandoned electrical products, to guide the design and the flow of electrical products, to establish the conception of abandoned products, and to support the management on the decision-making, by generating a series of systematic conclusions, including parameters in the consuming, emission and pollution processes after the electrical products are abandoned. This paper discusses the application prospect and existing difficulties of the lifecycle assessment in the e-waste management.