Construction and application of life cycle carbon emission calculation model for magnesium hydroxide flame retardant cable materials
Against the background of the global "dual carbon" strategy and green manufacturing transformation, the environmental performance of flame retardant cable materials has become a core concern of the power, construction, transportation and other industries. Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂), as a high-efficiency inorganic flame retardant, is gradually replacing traditional halogen flame retardants due to its low smoke, non-toxic, high thermal stability and other characteristics. However, there is still a technical gap in the quantitative assessment of its full life cycle carbon emissions. This paper focuses on the "life cycle carbon emission calculation model of magnesium hydroxide flame retardant cable materials", systematically analyzes its environmental benefits and modeling methods, and provides a scientific basis for enterprises to achieve low-carbon transformation.
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I. Environmental advantages and carbon emission challenges of magnesium hydroxide flame retardants
1.1 Performance comparison of magnesium hydroxide and traditional flame retardants
Magnesium hydroxide decomposes at high temperature to generate magnesium oxide and water vapor, and the reaction formula is:
Mg(OH)₂ → MgO + H₂O↑
This process not only effectively absorbs heat and dilutes oxygen concentration, but also the decomposition products have no corrosive gas, which meets the requirements of EU RoHS, REACH and other environmental regulations. In contrast, halogen flame retardants release toxic substances such as dioxins and hydrogen halides when burned, and their use has been restricted by many countries.
.2 Necessity of assessing carbon emissions throughout the life cycle
Although magnesium hydroxide flame retardants themselves have environmentally friendly properties, they still generate carbon emissions throughout the entire process from raw material mining, processing, transportation to waste disposal. For example:
- Raw material stage: energy consumption of magnesite mining, ore transportation distance
- Production stage: energy type (electricity, natural gas) of magnesium hydroxide surface modification process
- Application stage: cable material processing temperature control, waste recycling rate
Building an accurate carbon emission model can quantify the environmental impact of each link and provide data support for process optimization.
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2. Construction framework of life cycle assessment (LCA) model
2.1 Model design principles
According to ISO 14040/44 standards, the LCA model of magnesium hydroxide flame retardant cable materials needs to cover the following four stages:
1. Definition of objectives and scope: clarify functional units (such as 1 ton of flame retardant cable materials) and system boundaries (whether the cable finished product use stage is included).
2. Inventory analysis: Collect energy consumption, raw material input and emission data of each link.
3. Impact assessment: Calculate the global warming potential (GWP) using the IPCC 2021 method.
4. Result interpretation: Identify high-carbon emission links and propose improvement suggestions.
2.2 Key data collection and calculation methods
(1) Raw material acquisition stage
- Carbon emissions from magnesite mining: The calculation formula is:
E₁ = Q × (EF_{mining} + EF_{transport})
Where Q is the amount of ore used, EF is the mining energy consumption coefficient (kWh/ton) and the transportation emission factor (kg CO₂/ton·km).
(2) Magnesium hydroxide processing stage
- Surface modification process optimization: The use of silane coupling agent treatment can improve the compatibility of magnesium hydroxide and polymers, but it requires additional energy consumption. Carbon emission calculation needs to be combined with reaction temperature, time and equipment efficiency.
(3) Cable material production and application
- Extrusion molding energy consumption: Direct emissions are calculated based on the power (kW), operating time (h) and grid emission factor (kg CO₂/kWh) of the screw extruder.
(4) Waste treatment stage
- The impact of recycling rate on carbon emissions: If flame-retardant cable materials can be recycled and reused, their carbon emissions can be reduced by 30%-50%. The model needs to set up a comparative analysis of different recycling scenarios.
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III. Model application cases and emission reduction paths
3.1 Carbon emission diagnosis example of a cable company
A company uses magnesium hydroxide flame retardant to produce PVC cable materials. Through LCA model analysis, it was found that:
- Raw material transportation accounts for 22% of total emissions (due to reliance on imported magnesite);
- Natural gas is used for heating in the surface modification process, and the carbon emission intensity is relatively high.
Optimization plan:
1. Use local high-purity ore to shorten the transportation radius;
2. Introduce microwave modification technology to reduce energy consumption by 40%;
3. Increase the waste recycling rate from 15% to 35%
After implementation, carbon emissions per ton of product dropped from 1.8 tons of CO₂ equivalent to 1.2 tons.
3.2 Industry-level emission reduction strategies
1. Process innovation: Develop low-temperature modification technology and water-based dispersion technology to reduce heat energy consumption.
2. Supply chain collaboration: Establish a magnesite-flame retardant-cable material industry cluster to reduce logistics emissions.
3. Policy guidance: Refer to the EU "Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)" standard to promote carbon label certification.
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IV. Future trends: digitalization and standardization
With the popularization of blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, companies can improve model accuracy in the following ways:
- Real-time data collection: Install sensors in mines and factories to dynamically monitor energy consumption and emissions;
- AI prediction optimization: Use machine learning algorithms to simulate the impact of different process parameters on carbon emissions;
- Industry database co-construction: Establish a flame retardant LCA public database to reduce corporate data acquisition costs.
Constructing a life cycle carbon emission model for magnesium hydroxide flame-retardant cable materials can not only quantify its environmental benefits, but also provide decision-making support for material research and development, production process improvement and supply chain management. In the future, with the implementation of policies such as green finance and carbon tariffs, flame-retardant materials with low-carbon properties will occupy an advantageous position in market competition. Enterprises need to accelerate the application of LCA tools to promote the realization of carbon neutrality goals across the entire industry chain.