Avaliação simplificada de ciclo de vida: uma análise comparativa entre as ferramentas existentes e estudo de caso

Abstract

With the technological advances generated by the industrial revolutions, there was an unbridled use of natural resources, generating major environmental impacts. The industrial sector, aiming to reduce these effects and adopt more sustainable practices, began to adopt the management tool called life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA is a technique that assesses the potential environmental impacts of products and production systems generated throughout their life cycle. Despite its benefits, this tool has limitations, such as the difficulty in creating an inventory and the long time required for analysis. Then, simplified life cycle assessment tools (S-LCA) emerged, aiming to facilitate and disseminate the application of LCA. This work consisted of investigating the existing simplified tools through a bibliographic review, analyzing them based on applicability criteria, defined by research, in order to determine which is the most advantageous and apply it in a real case. To carry out the case study, a small industry in the metallurgical sector was chosen, where one of the products is the milling head with shank. Once the chosen methodology was applied, the steps considered most critical were the production of the 4140 steel alloy itself, the second machining and the chemical nickel bath. Afterwards, it was possible to propose suggestions for improvements in the process, according to these most environmentally impactful steps. By applying the improvements, it is expected that there will be a reduction in operating costs, a reduction in environmental impacts and greater awareness regarding sustainable practices. Regarding practical implications, the research sought to contribute to the popularization of simplified LCA tools, especially in small and medium-sized companies, the search for new approaches and, by identifying limitations, opening paths for the development of new methodologies or improvement of existing ones.