การประเมินผลกระทบสิ่งแวดล้อมในการจัดการตู้เย็นที่ใช้แล้ว

Surus Tangpaitoon; Weawboon Yamsaengsung; Sekson Papong

Authors

Surus Tangpaitoon School of Science and Technology, Sukhothai Thammathirat.
Weawboon Yamsaengsung School of Science and Technology, Sukhothai Thammathirat.
Sekson Papong National Metal and Materials Technology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency.

Keywords:

Environmental Impact Assessment; LCA; SimaPro; End-of-Life Refrigerator

Abstract

At present, as global temperatures continue to rise, electrical appliances such as refrigerators and cooling equipment have become increasingly important to human well-being. These appliances, which use refrigerants as a key component, cause significant environmental impacts, particularly in terms of electricity consumption and refrigerant emissions. This research aimed to: (1) Study and comparatively analyze the environmental impacts of end-of-life refrigerators between informal e-waste management units and formal e-waste management units; and (2) Propose guidelines for managing hazardous waste from end-of-life refrigerators in order to support Thailand’s electronic waste (e-waste) management measures. The sample group consisted of five household refrigerator waste samples per study area. The functional unit was defined as a 6.0–7.0 cubic-foot, single-door refrigerator using R134a refrigerant, with a service life of more than 10 years. This study examined informal refrigerator waste management units in Buriram Province and formal management units in Chonburi Province. The system boundaries covered the processes from collection of end-of-life refrigerators from households to collection points, dismantling and sorting, transportation, recycling, and final disposal. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted using SimaPro 8.3 software. The results indicated that: (1) Climate change impact was the highest impact category in both management systems. This was followed by terrestrial ecotoxicity, which occurred only in the informal management system, and ozone depletion impacts, with differing proportions. The formal management system generated only 3.21 kg CO₂eq of greenhouse gas emissions, whereas the informal system emitted 192.20 kg CO₂eq approximately 59.87 times higher. (2)The study proposed improvements in collection processes, dismantling of end-of-life refrigerators, refrigerant management, and material management to enhance environmental friendliness.

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