Embodied Energy of Electronic Enclosure Materials
Recently we have been having the discussion as to which material is environmentally better to use for electronic enclosures.
So I did some research:
Caution: The figures below were obtained from reputable sources but should not be taken on face value.
- Extruded Aluminium takes approximately 40-80% more energy (KWh/Kg) to produce than ABS plastic [1][2] *
- Aluminium is widely and easily recycled (even if its been anodised [2]) and the recycled product is of just as high a quality as the original. ABS plastic can be recycled in some locations but the recycled product is of much lower quality than the original, 'downcycling' would be a better term!
- Recycled aluminium takes about 30% less energy (KWh/Kg) to produce than ABS plastic [3].
- Plastic is made from oil which is a non-renewable fossil fuel.
- Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, extracting it requires lots of electricity which could be generated from renewable sources.
What do you think?
References:
[1] http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/withouthotair/c15/page_88.shtml
[2] www.victoria.ac.nz/cbpr/documents/pdfs/ee-coefficients.pdf
[3] http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005656.html
*Aluminium is about 2.6 times denser than plastic therefore a similar case made from plastic could be lighter. Further research is required before drawing a conclusion.
*Aluminium is about 2.6 times denser than plastic therefore a similar case made from plastic could be lighter. Further research is required before drawing a conclusion.