Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of the Manufacturing of Conventional and Innovative Aerators: A Case Study in China

Abstract

China aims to achieve a 50% rate of mechanization for aquaculture by 2025. Aerators are crucial mechanical equipment in aquaculture for increasing yield, but their manufacturing has an environmental impact. Improving the yield and controlling the environmental impacts of aerators in China is an important issue have to be considered, as is comparing the environmental impact of manufacturing innovative and conventional aerators. Herein, life cycle assessment (LCA) as a quantitative analysis method was used, and six models of three widely used aerators (impeller, paddle wheel, and wave) were selected as an example to compare the environmental impacts of conventional and innovative aerators from large-scale aerator manufacturing enterprises in Taizhou, China. The results showed that the conventional paddle wheel aerator (SC-1.5) had the largest environmental impact, while the innovative paddle wheel aerator (GSC-1.5) had the lowest environmental impact, reduced by 30%. In addition, the environmental impact of the innovative impeller aerator (SYL-1.5) and wave aerator (GYL-1.5) was less than that of the conventional impeller aerator (YL-1.5) wave aerator (SW-1.5), but only by 0.21% and 0.02%, respectively. Human toxic potential (HTP) made the largest contribution, and the manufacturing of copper wire was critical; the environmental impact was from 96.50% to 98.21% for all material inputs. The contributions of iron and stainless steel were 1.05–1.28% and 0.74–1.04%, respectively. Therefore, conductive materials with excellent environmental performance, such as carbon nanomaterials and nano copper wire, should replace copper wire in aerator manufacturing. The results expand aquaculture life cycle knowledge and could reduce the environmental impacts of aerator manufacturing in China.