Cradle-to-Gate Environmental Impact Assessment of a Polylactic Acid Polymer-Based Adjustable Air Stone for Adjustable Microbubbles Generation

Aeration is important in the application of aquaponics and hydroponics to sustain adequate oxygen levels in water systems to support the biological processes of fish, plants, and other organisms. The study concentrated on the production to retail life cycle assessment of a 3D-printed, adjustable aquarium air stone made of a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer filament. Input-process-output was employed to describe the structure and behavior of a system or process. It was used in conjunction with the life cycle assessment (LCA) software, openLCA. ReCiPe (H) 2016 was the impact assessment technique employed in this investigation as the life cycle analysis approach to quantify a specific set of parameters that represent the environmental effects of emissions and resource extractions and turns them into numerical data. From the simulated calculations of the Life Cycle Inventory Assessment, it was determined that terrestrial ecotoxicity, global warming, and fossil resource scarcity are the top three contributors in the air stone's environmental impact having the highest numerical value in the different impact categories with values amounting to 14.75476 kg 1,4-DCB, 8.38423 kg CO2 eq, and 1.89515 kg oil eq respectively. Implying that the product has a high potential to impair the health and diversity of terrestrial organisms, the global climate system's balance, and the availability and of fossil energy supplies. It implies that the environmental impact of 3D printing PLA-based air stones is assessed mostly during the process of production, rather than during use or end-of-life.