Circular Economy in Manufacturing
This assessment paper requires a sustainability manager of an electric mobility scooters manufacturing company to investigate the need of applying the concept of the circular economy to the manufacturing company and also to the manufactured products. The current method used by the company in the production of the electric mobility scooter for the disabled is the linear energy and the material flows.
A circular economy is a sustainable approach in which there is the creation of economic models with no production of advanced environmental impacts. The circular economy is characterized by the reuse and recycling of materials used in the manufacturing process. There is also the need for evaluating the extent to which the future business model and products used in the manufacturing process may impact on the sustainability of the company.
The assessment will also entail the systematic understanding of the activities and processes that take place during the industrial production of electric mobility scooter for the disabled and also the life cycle of the materials used in the manufacture from their raw materials until they are disposed of. The materials used in the mobility scooter manufacturing can be classified into electrical, miscellaneous, and structural components. The individual materials used in the mobility scooter manufacturing include wheel, chassis, seat assembly, wires, switches, motors, tyres, transmission system, bodywork, and upholstery (Allwood, 2011).
Some of these materials are supplied by other producers are then assembled by the company when making the mobility scooter, while others are manufactured within the company and then assembled during the process of manufacturing. Majority of the electrical materials are supplied to the firm by other producers and all the structural components are manufactured by the component and then assembled (Bakker, 2013). The figure below shows the components used in the production of the electric mobility scooter:
Circular Flow of Components
Structural Components 775052, 778442
The structural materials used during electric mobility scooter manufacturing include chassis, wheels, suspension system, and seat assembly. Most structural components are directly produced by the company making it easy for the firm to recycle or reuse the disposed of components by the operators.
The chassis is the interior structural section of the E-scooter which provides support to the transmission system, steering and wheel systems. The materials used in the production of chassis include titanium, aluminium, steel, and magnesium. The system of suspension is an assembly of shock absorbers and springs and can be of two classes, specifically front and rear suspension. The convertible hood is also a structural component and is used to protect the driver from advanced weather conditions like rain, dust, or sunlight (Boothroyd, 2009).
Lifecycle of Electric Mobility Scooter Components
One of the major ways in which the company can ensure the circular flow of structural materials mentioned above is to reduce the weight and size of these parts, this will promote energy efficiency while reducing the cost of repair and construction of roads. This step has been promoted because of pressure to reduce pollution and escalate the prices and scarcity of raw materials. Many companies are currently engaging in numerous arrangements focused on the product advances and technological processes.
During the process of disassembly, the valuable structural components should be removed after removing hazardous components. The structural materials that are cost-effective include chassis, bodywork, and suspension and these components can easily be recycled and significant metals like magnesium, copper, and aluminium are recovered (Charter, 2009).
The first process of evaluating the life cycle of components used in the manufacture of electric mobility scooter circular is to sort the disposed of structural components. Sorting of these components makes it easy for the company to recycle these components or to the reused as spare parts to replace the damaged parts of the operating mobility scooters. The sorting and disassembly process starts with the removal of valuable components such as wheels, chassis, and suspension system. The metallic structural components can be reused in the manufacture of other metals through repairing and painting, or even recycling them through melting in a huge furnace with a substantial quantity of energy (Commons, 2010).
Electrical Components
The major electrical materials used during electric mobility scooter manufacturing include switches, circuit boards, motors, and batteries. The batteries are the major source of power for this mobility scooter and they are kept on board. The batteries can be charged through an onboard battery charger unit. The motors are also electrical components used in the vehicle for the purposes of driving each wheel independently through relays.
The recommended type of batteries is the lead-acid battery whose monitors and chargers ensure a more efficient and reliable energy storage hence improving its lifespan and preventing flat battery. Numerous electrical materials are produced by the suppliers and then supplied to the firm to be assembled. This makes their recycle and reuse difficult since the firm may not have the essential expertise and equipment to handle the electrical components (Daan, 2010).
The energy flow of lead-acid batteries or the lithium-ion batteries may be made circular by carrying out the process of recycling which majorly include battery breaking, lead reduction, and lead refining. Before beginning the process of recycling the batteries, they should be drained first and the acid neutralized and treated. This is then followed by a hammer mill where the battery is broken down and the remains from the broken battery will be a mixture of metallic lead, lead sulphate, calcium, copper, antimony, and lead oxide (Gutowski, 2017). The most effective method of ensuring that the materials flow of the electrical components is made circular is through first to remove the hazardous components such as the batteries from the disposed of scoters. The figure below shows the recycling process of the lithium batteries:
Structural Components
The DC motors are composed of the rotor which entails a steel structure and a permanent magnet. Sorting of the motors is very important since the permanent magnet has advanced effects on the environment and there is the need for recycling it through a series of physical treatment after sorting it.
The valuable disposed electrical components which are made of aluminium, copper and plastics materials can be recovered through the smelting process so as to recover these materials. Circuit boards and PCBs should be first removed during the disassembly process to prevent their destructions. These components can easily be reused during the manufacture of other new mobility scooters or even be used as spare parts in case they are not completely destroyed before the disposal of the old scooter (Hauschild, 2009).
Miscellaneous Components
The materials used during the electric mobility scooters manufacturing such as tyres, transmission system, bodywork, and upholstery are known as miscellaneous components. The upholstery is used to cover the seats of the mobility scooter to prevent the fabric of the seats from getting dirty. The manufacturing company should focus on improving the general energy efficiency of the mobility scooters while improving the safety when it is being operated. Safety initiatives will lengthen the lifespan of the mobility scooter since the chances of accidents occurring and the scooter getting damaged wit to be significantly reduced. This can be made possible by purchasing cost-effective and long-lasting tyres, transmission system, and upholstery (Hollander, 2016).
Tyres are currently one of the materials that are difficult to recycle due to the nature of technology that they require. However, the disposed of tyres can be reused in making other products such as in road construction or in making flower vessels. The company should also consider eco-innovation through advancing in technology specifically through re-designing and modification of product or process, such as improved power management systems, energy-saving tyres, and painting process. The tyres can be reused through retreading waste or disposed tyres and then reusing them in replacing other used tyres which are waiting to retread (Johansson, 2012).
Future Sustainable Industrial System (Lifecycle of Mobility Scooter)
Lifecycle assessment of the E-scooter seeks to evaluate the environmental weight of the recycling materials used in the manufacturing process and the E-scooter as a whole after the material and energy flows have been made as circular as possible. This lifecycle assessment seeks to evaluate the manufacturing phase, life phases, and use phases of the mobility scooter (Laubscher, 2014). The figure below shows the lifecycle assessment of the electric mobility scooter:
Electrical Components
Manufacturing Phase
In the manufacturing phase, the stages that are considered include the scooter assembly, lithium battery, and the electronic power trail. The drive train of the mobility scooter is made of Li-ion battery, brushless DC controller, and the electric motor. The brushless DC controller is used in controlling the electric components of the E-scooter and has a total weight of 2.2kg. The electric motor has the power of 1500W with a total weight of 12kg. The latest electric mobility scooter models use LiMn2O4 battery weighing 32kg. The chassis of the scooter is normally made of steel, however, the company can replace this material with a combination of aluminium and plastics so as reduce the overall weight of the scooter which will automatically reduce the energy consumption and the cost of repairing roads (Richards, 2009).
The process of manufacturing the E-scooter is similar to the manufacture of an ordinary car. In additional to the present manufacturing steps that are being used, injection moulding is added into the process since many components of plastics are made by the application of this method. During the manufacturing phase, numerous materials are used in the assembly of the various electrical, structural, and miscellaneous components. The percentage materials used in the manufacture of electric mobility scooters are shown in the table below:
Use Phase
The use phase includes the maintenance and operation of the electric mobility scooter by the disabled person from its time of purchase until it is disposed of. The approximated lifespan of the E-scooter is approximately 5000km. The cost of maintenance accounts for 5% of metals and 15% of metals in the primary cost of the components used in the manufacture of an E-scooter. The operation of the mobility scooter is characterized by emissions from wearing out of components such as brake systems, tyres, and transmission systems. The percentage composition of plastic components in the mobility scooter is approximately 50%, these components need to be substituted once in the whole operational life of the scooter (Roome, 2009).
During the operation of the mobility scooter, the infrastructure is also negatively affected as a result of wearing out of the surfaces by the wheels, this denotes that there is need of repairing and maintaining the roads and paths that these scooters are operated. 10% of the components made of steel are likely to be substituted during the operating life of the E-scooter. The Lithium-ion battery is rechargeable for approximately 500 times during the lifespan of mobility scooter which is about four years with a mileage of 15000km. The tyres of the mobility scooter have a lifespan of 2 years with a corresponding distance of 5000km after which they can be replaced with new once (Scheepens, 2016).
Miscellaneous Components
Disposal Phase
The cut-off approach is the method that the company will be using during the process of waste management of the disposed mobility scooter. In this approach, the components are recycled before their lifespan is are not completely terminated. The management of waste using the cut-off approach accounts for the incineration of polymers, rubber, zinc, and synthetic rubber disposed of. The rest of the components can be either reused or recycled, hence they do not justify for the mobility scooter lifecycle according to the cut-off model. Tyres are currently one of the materials that are difficult to recycle due to the nature of technology that they require. However, the disposed of tyres can be reused in making other products such as in road construction or in making flower vessels (Stahel, 2013).
The components made of plastics can be incinerated and the tyres retreated or supplied to the companies dealing in cement production. The environmental impacts of the disposed of electric mobility scooter by considering the materials used in its manufactures such as LiMnO2, NeFeB, and Au is as displayed in the figure below:
Short-term and Long terms steps to Sustainable System
The flow of components and materials used in the electric mobility scooter manufacturing can be made circular to ensure sustainability by making some long term and short term steps which will promote recycling, disposal, reuse, and reduction of the structural, electrical, and miscellaneous components. The various steps that can be incorporated on each of the materials used in the manufacture of mobility scooter are explained below:
Structural Components
The short-term and long terms step that may be incorporated by the organization to promote the sustainability of the structural components is the implementation of the 3Rs in the company operations. The 3Rs namely include recycle, reduce, and reuse. The company can make a step of using the structural components such as the suspension systems and chassis which are still in good working condition as spare parts for other E-scooters. This can be made possible by setting up a metal waste collection point near the dealers and sellers of the mobility scooters. This will make it easier for the company to collect the waste (Staudinger, 2011).
This system of the collection has been implemented in EU countries and has actually encouraged the collection of waste and recycling of the materials used in the manufacture of vehicles. There is also a need for reducing the weight of the structural components used in the electric mobility manufacturing which will automatically result in lighter vehicles hence reducing the consumption of energy. There is also a need of grouping the structural components into either polymers or metals from the point of collection for easy recycling and reuse (Sullivan, 2010).
Future Sustainable Industrial System
Electrical Components
There is a necessity for the manufacturing company of the mobility scooter to incorporate the process of product disassembly to promote reuse and recycling of the electrical components. This can be made to be effective by setting up a department within the company whose specific role is to carry out the process of disassembly which will be carried out by qualifies personnel. The process can be done by following the three basic steps of disassembly. The first step is the removal of hazardous components from the disposed mobility scooter, these hazardous components include circuit boards, motors, transmission fluids, and batteries (Sundin, 2009).
The organization should also consider substituting the present cathode technology of Lithium-ion batteries with a dissimilar technology which possesses a higher capacity for storage, high cyclability, high energy efficiency, and high Columbian efficiency. These cathode technologies include LiFePO4, LiMnO2, and LiCoO2. The recommended technologies are the second and third technologies since they are less expensive and also less risk to the environment. There is also a need of replacing the current electric motor of the electric mobility scooter with the recommended brushless DC motor which is characterized by high specific power. The company also need to communicate its sustainability goals within the organization and also creating conditions that support innovations related to sustainability (Teece, 2010).
Miscellaneous Components
In this types of components, the short-term and long-term step that can be made by the organization is the incorporation of the retreading process on the old tyres. The tyres are the major components of the mobility scooter that need to be constantly be replaced. The company should make it a policy to retread the old tyres and then using them in manufacturing new mobility scooters. The company should also incorporate the process of thermal recovery in its systems which will be used in the recycling of tyres, metals, and polymers. The valorization of the energy of disposed tyres can be attained through pyrolysis reaction which involves the decomposition of the tyres by thermal treatment to release gas, oil, and oil phase in the ratio of the total weight (Transport, 2015).
There is also a need for engaging with value chain members such as operators and suppliers who directly handle the materials used in the manufacture of the mobility scooter or operate the finished vehicle. This engagement will really be effective during the collection of the disposed of components of the mobility scooter and also it will help in creating awareness of the disposal points of the damaged components.
Conclusion
There is also a need for the manufacturing company to establish a national dialogue on the responsible operation of the electric mobility scooter as well as the disposal points for the damaged components. There is also a necessity for the company to create condition within the organization which favours innovations associated with sustainability. The current innovation that is currently being considered is the substitution to the lithium-ion batteries with the solar panels coupled with the solar batteries (Webster, 2017).
Conclusion
This assessment paper requires a sustainability manager of an electric mobility scooters manufacturing company to investigate the need of applying the concept of the circular economy to the organization and also to the manufactured product. A circular economy is a sustainable approach in which there is the creation of economic models with no production of advanced environmental impacts. One of the major ways in which the company can ensure the circular flow of structural materials mentioned above is to reduce the weight and size of these parts, this will promote energy efficiency while reducing the cost of repair and construction of roads.
The first process of evaluating the life cycle of components used in the manufacture of mobility scooter circular is to sort the disposed of structural components. There is also a need for reducing the weight of the structural materials used in the electric mobility manufacturing which will automatically result in lighter vehicles hence reducing the consumption of energy.
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