The Life Cycle Assessment of the Hydroxyapatite Synthesis from Food Waste Using the Wet Precipitation Method

Abstract

In Malaysia, food waste had become a significant problem. These recyclable natural waste resources are channeled towards the production of value-added products e.g. hydroxyapatite; which can be used as photo catalyst and many other applications. This study synthesized hydroxyapatite (HAP; Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) powder from food waste using wet precipitation method. FTIR analysis was done on the synthesized hydroxyapatite powder, calcined samples and raw materials for each resource to study the functional group and the changes of composition in each sample. The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) study done in this paper comprises of goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment as well as interpretation of data. Based on the results obtained, FTIR analysis shows that the synthesized powder is indeed hydroxyapatite based on the presence of important feature such as CO32- and PO43- and OH group and egg shell is proven to be the eco-friendliest resource as the production process contributed only 1% to environmental impact.