Light-weighting of automobiles has been a key issue for reasons of meeting stringent requirements on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Aluminium alloys are widely used and accepted by the industry, though magnesium is lighter than aluminium and has superior casting properties that make it attractive. This apparent advantage of using magnesium has to be assessed in light of the environmental burden created in the entire life cycle of the magnesium component, including the fuel savings in the use stage. This study reports on such an assessment, using lifecycle assessment (LCA) of an engine block (EB) that can be substituted for light-weighting. The magnesium EB for a V6 3.0 litre engine weighs 30 kg compared to 39 kg and 84.6 kg, respectively, for an aluminium and cast iron block. At each stage of production, the impact of adopting more sustainable technologies (such as the use of low-impact cover gas for protecting magnesium melt from oxidation in place of high-impact sulphur hexafluoride) are taken into account. Instead of SF6, HFC-134 may be used in casting manufacture and SO2 in producing primary magnesium. The environmental performance of the magnesium EB is compared with functionally equivalent blocks made from aluminium and conventional cast iron and the new compacted graphite iron (CGI). The environmental advantage in using magnesium can diminish, depending on the impact of the source of magnesium used, in particular the high impact magnesium metal produced by the Pidgeon process in China.
Is there an environmental advantage of using magnesium components for light-weighting cars?
Bringen Magnesiumbauteile in Leichtbaufahrzeugen Umweltnutzen?
Journal of Cleaner Production ; 15 , 11/12 ; 1007-1013
2007
7 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 25 Quellen
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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