THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Thermal Science - Online First

Miloš D. Đorđević

,

Nenad Đ Zrnić

,

Milica M. Perić

,

Mirko S. Komatina

online first only

LCA of a short-flight belt conveyor

ABSTRACT
This paper presents a parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a short-flight belt conveyor (BC) installed on the Bucket Wheel Excavator (BWE) SchRs 1200 x 22 / 2. The primary objective of this study is to identify environmental hotspots linked to the manufacturing and use phases of the BC, introduce potential improvements in design, materials, and energy consumption, and establish a flexible parametric model applicable to various short-flight conveyor systems. The LCA was conducted using SimaPro 8 software, applying the CML-IA baseline method. In most analyzed impact categories, the production of the belting and pulleys exhibits the biggest impact, primarily due to the environmental impact of steel and rubber production. The environmental impact of the impact and return rollers is also noticeable for the same reason. The contribution of the EM is most prominent in the abiotic depletion category due to copper extraction. When the use phase is considered, the impact of electricity consumption for EM operating exhibits the highest impact results primarily because Serbia's electricity is largely generated from lignite combustion. The resulting LCA model provides a robust foundation for decision-making in Ecodesign and sustainability optimization of short-flight belt conveyors.
KEYWORDS
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), short-flight belt conveyor, environmental performance, sustainability
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-05-16
PAPER REVISED: 2025-07-24
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-08-01
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2025-09-13
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI250516155D
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LCA of a short-flight belt conveyor