Abstract:
For years the brick kiln industry has been perceived as the main stationary source of
environmental pollution. Life cycle assessments (LCA) are necessary to comprehend and
improve process leakages and environmental risks associated with the expansion of this
sector. The present study offers a comparative approach to analyze economic statistics
and environmental impacts of three different brick-making technologies in Pakistan.
Emission factors for various pollutants were calculated from the three brick kilns
followed by determining the concentration of various pollutants. SimaPro software was
used to perform LCA analysis on all stages of brick making at selected brick kilns sites.
At the Hoffman kiln, the brick production-based emission factors for CO, PM2.5, CO2,
and SO2 resulted in 33%, 82%, 29%, and 58% reduction compared to the Fixed Chimney
Bull’s Trench Kiln (FCBTK) technology. The characterized impacts indicated that woods
chips burdened 9 out of 10 impact categories at FCBTK while at Induced Draught Zigzag
Kiln (IDZZK) and Hoffman kiln, the hard coal turned out to have a major negative
influence on the environment. An on-grid photovoltaic (PV) system of 47 kW at Hoffman
kiln was modeled on RETScreen expert software generating a total of 64544 kWh units of
electricity, delivering 64284 kWh to the kiln load, and exporting 260 kWh back to the
grid on annual basis. The system generated substantial financial and environmental
benefits with the payback time of 3 years, benefits to cost ratio of 12.2, and reduction of
66.3 tons of CO2 released per year thus reducing the problem of harmful emissions being
released at power generation end. The outcome of this study highlights that Hoffman
kilns in Pakistan can result in lesser emissions, better resource efficiency, increased
sustainability, and better quality of bricks.
