Audrey DeNeffe
DES 40A Final Project
3/13/13
Raw Materials of Hippo Roller
The Hippo Roller is an innovative tool created to benefit some of the one billion people across the world that don’t have access to tap water. The simple technology of a large hollow drum attached to a steel handle allows people to easily retrieve and move a large amount of water from one place to the next, making water transportation much easier and more efficient. The Hippo roller holds up to twenty-four gallons of water versus the traditional process of carrying five gallons of water at a time. The materials used to create Hippo Rollers are intended to withstand rough terrain and on average last six years. The fifteen-year-old design has been successful in serving over three hundred thousand people, and has hopes of continuing to improve the design and become a worldwide tool used in daily lives. The Hippo Roller project’s goal is to create a positive social impact while using recyclable yet sturdy materials which is why they decided on using UV-stabilized low density polyethylene and steel to create their final product. [1]
The main material used to create the large hollow drum of the Hippo Roller that holds water is UV stabilized low-density polyethylene. The intentions of the Hippo Roller project were to keep the product environmentally friendly, but also long lasting. Using low density versus high density polyethylene assures that there is less of an environmental impact because this plastic is less sturdy and more degradable over time than high density polyethylene. Low density polyethylene is produced under high pressure which makes the material less dense.[2] However, this material is UV stabilized which protects the plastic from degradation that is caused from being exposed to ultraviolet radiation. UV stabilized low density polyethylene provides a sturdy, safe and adaptable medium to create the Hippo Roller.
When I researched UV stabilization, I was unsuccessful in finding the materials needed to perform this process on polyethylene specifically. However, I found that UV stabilized products can be created using benzophenones to absorb UV radiation and create a UV stabilized product. Therefore it can be assumed that this same process is used to stabilize plastics such as polyethylene. Benzophenones are created through the reaction of benzene and hydrolysis, which creates diphenyldichloromethane.[3] As a side note, I’m not exactly a chemist so this is confusing to me, however I think of this process and this solution as something similar to sunscreen. When researching I found that other forms of benzophenones can be used in sunscreen, which I found interesting because similarly, it is effective by absorbing the UV radiation, however dissipating it as heat which ends up protecting your skin.[4] By UV stabilizing the Hippo Roller by applying benzophenones, no UV ray damage will occur, making the product last longer.
The Hippo Roller project uses a polyethylene powder that they receive locally to create the hollow drum that holds water. Polyethylene is created from ethylene, a hydrocarbon with the formula of C2H4. Ethylene is originates from natural gases, ethane, methane and propane, and through an exothermic reaction called polymerization, ethylene becomes polyethylene. Ethylene is also made up of petroleum, or crude oil, which is created from a compound consisting of hydrogen and carbon. Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be obtained by through oil drilling, as it is found beneath earth’s surface. By going through a cracking process that heats petroleum intensely, ethylene is created. This form of ethylene is a gas, and when it is polymerized it turns into a thicker liquid substance, which sets to become a solid and eventually is turned into the powder.[5] This is the powder that is used to create plastics in the Hippo Roller project. This project uses local resources as providers for their materials such as polyethylene powder, as they do for the majority of their materials. I have made the assumption that the company Cargill is used as a manufacturer, because they are listed on the Hippo Roller’s partnership page and they are known as a company that produces plastics.
In order to form the actual product out of polyethylene powder, rotational moulding is used. This process uses a large heating oven that melts the powder and is rotated until the plastic fills the mold evenly, assuring consistency throughout the plastic. The product is then dried and cooled with water and air drying technology. The material used to create the moulds that shape the polyethylene is a sheet of stainless steel.[6] Both the drum of the Hippo Roller as well as the caps are created with the same materials and through the same process, just with a different mould. This process is done locally in South Africa and the Hippo Roller project is working towards making more local plants across the world in places that are in high demand of the Hippo Roller.
Steel is another big part of the materials used to create the final product for the Hippo Roller. The steel is used to make a rectangular handle that allows a person to push the roller along the ground and to roll it more efficiently. Similar to the production of polyethylene, the steel is moulded and then assembled to create the Hippo Roller locally in South Africa. Steel is used due to its sturdiness and strong structure. Using steel in the Hippo Roller also allows it to be reusable overtime, and easily recyclable. The benefits of steel also include its rapid construction and the fact that it’s known as the safest material for building.
The raw materials that are used to create steel include, iron ore, coal, and limestone. Iron ore is extracted from rocks and minerals using a blast furnace. Iron ore is essential in creating steel and is mined across the world, mainly in Brazil and Australia. Carbon is needed in creating steal as the main source of fuel in the furnace. Through the process called coking, coal is transformed to make carbon. Limestone is used as a tool to remove the impurities in steel by reacting and creating an equilibrium with the impurities and making them easier to remove at the end of the process which essentially makes iron into steel.
Each of these raw materials are necessary in the production of steel and are all put into a blast furnace that creates iron. Once iron is created, it is put into an oxygen furnace and is heated once again to create steel. Steel is a much stronger version of iron that is used so commonly in product manufacturing. Through a casting process, steel is moulded and shaped into round handles.[7]
The last process the steel goes through before it ready to be used in products is galvanization. The purpose behind galvanizing steel is to apply zinc to protect the steel against rusting and deterioration. This process is known as a very cost efficient and easy process that can lengthen the life of steel greatly. To galvanize steel, the handles are hot-dipped into molten zinc, in which the steel not only has a layer of zinc applied, but it also absorbs the zinc which is a reason why this procedure makes steel last much longer. This process is mainly used to prevent the rusting of steel, and to make it stronger and more effective in products such as the Hippo Roller.[8] It has been assumed that this process also happens locally at the manufacturing plants of the Hippo Roller. Shipping prices can be very high for large products, which is a reason why the project’s goal is to make everything nearby the areas that use the Hippo Roller.
The ability to disassemble this Hippo Roller makes recycling its parts easy over time. Low density polyethylene is one hundred percent recyclable and goes through a process of shredding and melting in order to eventually be used in other products. Once products are sorted and shredded, they are put into large drums that are rotated and heated intensely until they melt. This creates a more uniform result of plastic that can be reproduced into new products to create a sustainable process. Similarly, steel is extremely easy to recycle and reuse. Once steel is collected and sorted, its shredded into strips then placed into a furnace and melted together. Steel is usually then created into sheets that can then be molded into new products. Steel recycling is very effective because it never looses its quality, so therefore can still be used in products that require strong and sturdy materials. Plastics, however, face a quality control issue when melted down and recycled and can only be used in some products. [9]
What interests me about the evolution of the Hippo Roller design is the desire to make more of a social impact rather than an environmental one in terms of the materials used to create the product. In our modern world there is a constant desire to use sustainable materials instead of non-biodegradable or new products. Emily Pilloton, the founder of Project H Design, a nonprofit organization that encourages designers and innovative designs around the world, delved into the Hippo Roller Project and offered her input on the design. Her intentions were to create a new design for this project that used more sustainable materials such as recycled plastics. There were problems, however, when it came to the material’s ability to remain sturdy as well as quality control of the plastic. It’s possible for a Hippo Roller to be created from recycled plastics to make it more sustainable, but the trade off is a product wouldn’t last as long than when created with polyethylene. [10]
The Hippo Roller has been successful in creating an innovative design, even without the use of recycled materials. Polyethylene is an environmental friendly substance even though it isn’t biodegradable. However, if this product were to be improved over the next few years, incorporating some recycled materials into the design of the Hippo Roller could decrease the environmental impact that it has, even if not all materials are previously recycled. The drum of the Hippo Roller takes the most pressure and wear and tear from being dragged along rough terrain, however the caps that are taken off to fill the drum up with water don’t require as much durability however are also made out of polyethylene. Making part of the product out of recycled plastics can make the Hippo Roller a bit more sustainable, yet still serve its purpose as a long lasting design.
Researching the products used for the Hippo Roller project show the extensive life cycles of different materials that start with raw materials and processes that I never thought would result in products such as plastics or steel. There are many natural resources that are absolutely necessary in creating materials that we use every day. In creating steel for example, the raw material of iron ore is mined from rocks and sediment below our earth’s surface and has the problem of being a nonrenewable. However it is possible to recycle steel and use another version of it that is just as strong as the original form. Plastics face the same problem with petroleum and other raw materials that cant be replenished or replaced. Paying attention to raw materials needed to create everyday products and taking every effort to use recycled materials whenever possible are essential in keeping benefiting our environment.
Bibliography
Viswanathan, Ramaswamy, and Robert Isaac Jaffee. 2 1/4Cr-1Mo Steels for Coal Conversion Pressure Vessels. Palo Alto, CA: Electric Power Research Institute, 1981. Print.
Katz, Sylvia. Plastics: Designs and Materials. London: Studio Vista, 1978. Print.
Newman, Thelma R. Plastics as Design Form. Philadelphia: Chilton Book, 1972. Print.
Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"SRI - Steel Recycling Institute | Steel Recycling Information, News & Resources." SRI - Steel Recycling Institute | Steel Recycling Information, News & Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"A-Z of Polyethylene." Plastics.sabic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Welcome." Galvanizers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
WALKER, ALISSA. "Balancing Tradeoffs: The Evolution of the Hippo Roller." Fast Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Burgess, William A. Recognition of Health Hazards in Industry: A Review of Materials and Processes. New York: Wiley, 1981. Print.
Pilloton, Emily. Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People. New York, NY: Metropolis, 2009. Print.
Lipka, Nate. "Earth911.com - Find Where and How to Recycle." Earth911com RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Bugayev, K. Iron and Steel Production. New York: for Business, 2001. Print.
[1] http://hipporoller.org
[2] http://plastics.sabic.eu/_en/
[3] http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v29/n6/full/jid1957119a.html
[4] http://www.smartskincare.com/
[5] Newman 103
[6] Katz 175
[7] Viswanathan 83
[8] Burgess 20
[9] http://earth911.com/
[10] Fast Company: Balancing Tradeoffs
Danielle Johnson
DES 40A
Professor Christina Cogdell
13 March 2013
Energy Use in the Life Cycle of Hippo Rollers
Hippo Water Rollers were first created in 1991 by Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker in South Africa. This invention was made to meet a need of the people living in Africa who did not have easy access to clean drinking water and therefore had to carry water jugs for long distances by hand, or in many cases by head. The creation and subsequent production and large-scale distribution of Hippo Water Rollers allowed for the transport of up to twenty four gallons of water with significantly less effort than the former method of transport by hand. Hippo Rollers are used by pushing or pulling the handle of a cylindrical plastic container across often rocky and uneven terrain. The limitations facing those who needed to carry large amounts of water for far distances gave birth to their form; each Hippo Roller composes of a steel handle attached to a body made out of durable UV stabilized low-density polyethylene[1].
In fifteen years, word of this durable water transport system has reached continents such as South America and Asia, allowing the Hippo Water Roller organization to streamline their production and create a specific manufacturing process in which thermal, chemical, kinetic, mechanical, and electrical energies are all utilized to produce various usable products as well as to transport materials and finished Water Rollers to all regions of Africa and around the world. While Hippo Rollers create a positive social impact, they are not made of recycled materials despite the fact that the plastic used for the body of the hippo roller, polyethylene, is recyclable[2]. Energy would be more efficiently used in the creation of Hippo Rollers if the plastic bodies and lids were created from recycled materials and if the steel handles could be reused or repurposed for new uses.
To maintain a large social and decreasingly small environmental impact, the Hippo Water Roller Company has focused on local manufacturing and shipping of their products. Raw and secondary materials are transported to Hippo Roller’s main manufacturing location in Johannesburg, South Africa via truck from local raw material manufacturers while finished Hippo Rollers are shipped by means of truck or cargo ship to far away locations. In order to discover how far and by what means the materials used travel to reach manufacturing plants, the Hippo Roller Organization was contacted on February 17, 2013 and March 9, 2013. On March 11, 2013, a response was received by the company stating that “exporting of the materials and complete Hippo rollers is [done] by shipping container (sea-freight) as needed depending on the destination, [and] in some cases, trucking is an option” (Gibbs 2013). The energy sources used by both truck and cargo ship to export Hippo rollers are internal combustion engines of various magnitudes. It can be assumed that between each production phase detailed in this paper, materials are transported from one manufacturing site to the next by land.
Combustion engines function by transforming gasoline or diesel fuel into usable mechanical energy. For combustion to occur, fuel is introduced into an engine embodying potential energy where oxygen is present and through a chemical reaction, the fuel is ignited and emits thermal energy. The fuel expands as a result of this heated reaction and does work by powering the pistols of the engine, causing the pistols to move by means of kinetic energy[3]. For combustion engines to work properly, these controlled explosions must occur constantly to maintain the power and movement of the various engine parts. The final energy produced by combustion engines is mechanical energy, by which the movements of the sum of the parts within the engine work to power the rest of the vehicle for short and long distance transportation. Internal combustion engines and engines that require similar processes take place in the trucks and watercrafts used by the companies that transport materials to the Hippo Water Roller manufacturing site and also by the Hippo Roller company to ship their product to their consumers around the world. To reduce their environmental impact, the Hippo Roller company has created a plan to ship small, moveable manufacturing plants to areas of high demand in order to reduce the wastes emitted by frequent large-scale travel[4].
Three main raw substances are used to create the secondary materials used by the Hippo organization to make their water rollers. These raw materials are ethylene, iron ore, coke, and limestone. Ethylene is found naturally in a gaseous state from decomposing organic matter but is most widely produced in laboratories by heating ethanol and acetylene via thermal energy to produce a chemical reaction by which ethylene is released[5]. Iron ore, coke, and limestone combine when heated to temperatures of 1300 ºF via thermal energy. To create iron and ultimately steel, iron is heated again in a basic oxygen furnace which uses thermal energy or and electric furnace which uses electric energy to purify the iron into steel[6]. Iron ore is found in its purest form below the earth’s surface. It is extracted from the ground using both mechanical energy from machines and kinetic energy from human work and serves as the metallic base from which steel is created[7]. Coke is coal that has been purified by means of heating with thermal energy and helps to remove oxygen from the iron ore to transform it into a solid metal during the production of steel[8]. Limestone is found naturally underwater where high pressures have allowed ocean sediment to calcify. Limestone is extracted mechanically and is used to remove impurities during the firing process to create steel[9].
The secondary material used to create the barrel of Hippo’s water rollers is a plastic called polyethylene. This substance is a product of the polymorphism of the ethylene found in natural gas. In a gas-phase reactor, ethylene, an aluminum based catalyst, and 70-300 Cº of heat are introduced and under pressures ranging from 10 to 80 bars polyethylene is produced through chemical reactions[10]. To transform ethylene into polyethylene, chemical energy from the aluminum based catalyst, kinetic energy in the form of pressure, and thermal energy are used. Polyethylene powder is the resulting product of this process and is the material used to create the plastic barrel used in Hippo Rollers.
The second primary material used to create Hippo Rollers is the galvanized steel that is used for the handle. Iron ore and limestone are converted in a blast furnace that uses thermal heat from burning coal and kinetic and mechanical energies to move the materials through the blast furnace as it becomes iron[11]. The iron is heated again in an oxygen furnace to reduce the carbon levels, creating a strong alloy of iron, called steel[12]. This second firing uses thermal energy to heat the materials and kinetic and mechanical energy to push the iron through the machine as it is fired. This finished steel product is shaped into rods using the continuous casting process which utilizes thermal heat, mechanical energy, and kinetic energy to assume its final shape. Finally, to galvanize the metal, it is dipped in a hot chloride mixture which heats the metal through thermal energy and coats it in a thin zinc layer that protects the metal from rusting when left out to the elements[13].
The process for creating the final form of the Hippo Roller’s polyethylene shell and lid are made using a rotational molding process. This is done by a centrifuge like casting machine where the polyethylene is poured, heated and turned in a metallic mold until it takes the mold’s shape[14]. This process uses thermal energy, kinetic energy, mechanical energy, and electrical energy to power the machine. The lid is made in the same fashion using a similar machine with a different mold. The polyethylene plastic is continually spun as it cools so that is keeps shape. The cooling process is facilitated using an air blower that is powered by electrical energy to spin a fan that directs air flow at the spinning shell and lid as they cool[15].
The materials used to create Hippo Rollers are recyclable, yet not biodegradable. When polyethylene is recycled, it is not as strong as it is in its purest form. Because the steel handles of Hippo Rollers do not receive as much wear and tear as the plastic barrel, their reuse does not pose as great of an issue for recycling of retired Hippo Rollers. The plastic of the Hippo Rollers can be melted down using thermal energy to release impurities and create a material ready to be reshaped. The Hippo Roller Company is currently facing an issue that many other companies experience when the problem of environmental benefit and energy conservation are trumped by quality control and often times, the need to stay financially lucrative. The Hippo Roller company is currently working with Emily Pilloton to create a business model through which recycled polyethylene will be able to be used without compromising the lifespan of these life changing water carriers[16].
Throughout the research process, I focused on the types of energy needed to create each element used in the production of Hippo Rollers. These types of energy combine to create the complete sum of embodied energy used in the production of Hippo Rollers. The total embodied energy also includes the types and amounts of energy needed for the transportation of these elements and of completed Hippo Rollers as they are shipped to locations locally and internationally. The research process on the energy used to create Hippo Rollers led me on several paths on which it was possible and necessary to dig deeper and go more in depth to discuss elements that I did not know were involved in the production of Hippo Rollers. While a large amount of information was able to be attained from books and online, there were some research topics that could not be found. It was not evident exactly which companies are used by Hippo Roller to obtain readymade raw and secondary materials. Because this specific could not be found and was not answered by the company when contacted directly, the embodied energies generated from the creation of polyethylene and steel and their transportation were assumed and approximated based on the research of presumably similar processes. If this information had been attained, a more complete estimation of the total embodied energy used could have been approximated.
It is so easy to take material objects for granted when their sources and methods of manufacture are not known. It is fascinating to see that even the most advanced materials, such as plastics and durable metals are the products of raw materials found in natural forms from within the earth. It is even more astounding that these products are not reused to their maximum capacity to reduce the wastes and emissions resulting from their creation and shipment. Hippo Rollers are socially friendly products that have enhanced the quality of life for millions, but there is still room for improvement for this relatively young company. The Hippo Roller organization could improve its environmental impact by utilizing recycled plastics for their products because of the reduction in required processes that would be necessary to make the plastics and steel that go into the rollers. This change would reduce the amount of total embodied energy necessary for the complete lifecycle of the Hippo Roller. It is encouraging to see companies, such as the Hippo Water Roller organization, trying to find solutions to this problem by redesigning their product until neither environment, nor social impact is compromised. Through the use of thermal, chemical, mechanical, kinetic, potential and electric energies, Hippo Rollers are able to be produced for the benefit of people in need around the world. These energies make up the embodied energy needed to create a Hippo Water Roller and in the future, using recycled materials and local manufacturing plants, this amount will be dramatically decreased for the benefit of the environment and Water Roller consumers alike.
Bibliography and Works Cited
"A Brief History of Iron and Steel Manufacture." A Brief History of Iron and Steel Manufacture. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Balancing Tradeoffs: The Evolution of the Hippo Roller." Fast Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Burgess, William A. "Iron and Steel." Recognition of Health Hazards in Industry: A Review of Materials and Processes. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995. 20-30. Print.
"Coke: Carbonized Coal Used Primarily in Steel Production." Coke: Carbonized Coal Used Primarily in Steel Production. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Comparison of Ethylene Polymerization in Gas-phase and Slurry Reactors." - Macromolecules (ACS Publications). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Hippo Roller." - Akvopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
"Hippo Water Roller Inquiry." Message to the author from Grant Gibbs. 12 Mar. 2013. E-mail.
Le Roux, Pierre. "Hippo Water Roller Project." Hippo Water Roller Project. Imvubu Projects, 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Newman, Thelma R. "Plastic Facts and Generic Extents." Plastics as Design Form. Philadelphia: Chilton Book, 1972. 43. Print.
"NZMIA Resources for Schools Industrial Minerals Limestone Case Study." Limestone. OMYA, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
“Polyethylene”. www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=96016&aid=3114. 13 March 2013.
"Practical Guide to Polyethylene." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Walker, Harry O. "Petroleum." Energy: Options and Issues. Davis, CA: University of California, Davis, 1977. 107-14. Print.
"Want to Know It? Answers to Life's Questions." Where Does Iron Come From. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
[1] hipporoller.org
[2] http://www.fastcompany.com/1309505/balancing-tradeoffs-evolution-hippo-roller
[3] Walker 107-114
[4] http://www.fastcompany.com/1309505/balancing-tradeoffs-evolution-hippo-roller
[5] www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=96016&aid=3114
[6] Burgess 20-22
[7] http://wanttoknowit.com/where-does-iron-come-from/
[8] http://www.wva-usa.com/history/mthope/coke.php
[9]http://www.minerals.co.nz/html/main_topics/resources_for_schools/industrial_minerals/indmin_cs_limestone.html
[10] http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/polymers/10J.pdf
[11] http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/h-carnegie-steel.htm
[12] Burgess 21-23
[13] Burgess 28-30
[14] Newman 43
[15] http://akvo.org/wiki/index.php/Hippo_roller
[16] http://www.fastcompany.com/1309505/balancing-tradeoffs-evolution-hippo-roller
Hannah Feldman
DES40: Cogdell
March 13, 2012
The Hippo Water Roller Project:
Part Three: Waste
The first thing I thought about when our research project was introduced was Emily Pilloton’s book Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People because of the ingenious product innovations she highlights. My group members, Audrey Deneffe and Danielle Johnson, and I were initially drawn to the section on water products because the incredible impact that some of the products seem to have on the quality of life around the world. It was from there that we found the Hippo Water Roller Project, a safe, efficient alternative to fetching and transporting water in South African communities.[1] As someone who loves to spend time outdoors, I have grown more and more interested in environmentalism over the past few years; so when I read the part descriptions, I was most intrigued by the waste aspect of the life-cycle assessment. Although the Hippo roller is a relatively new project, we can assess the life cycle based on it’s production process, lifespan, and projected disposal. In this paper, I am delving deeper into the emission factors from the extraction of it’s raw materials, primary and secondary resources, manufacturing, recycling and disposal processes, and the transportation used in order to gain a perspective on the wastes emitted during the Hippo roller’s life cycle.
The low-density polyethylene used in the body and lid of the Hippo roller is derived from petroleum and natural gas. Obtaining these primary resources results in process energy and CO2 emissions from the extraction and refining processes necessary to make them usable. These primary resources must also be transported to the plastic manufactures, resulting in further carbon emissions.[2]
Once these primary resources have reached the plastic manufacturing facility, they are transformed into the usable secondary resource low-density polyethylene using cracking and processing, two processes which both require high-energy inputs and yield carbon waste. The cracking process consists of heating hydrocarbons from refined petroleum and natural gas to extremely high temperatures to break down the larger molecules into the hydrocarbon ethylene. From there, these smaller, simpler molecules are processed into polymer chains, which are then combined to make plastic resins.[3] As a result of these chemical reactions, methane is released into the environment with each step.
The plastic resin is then transformed into the shell and lid of the Hippo roller using a rotational molding process.[4] Polyethylene is poured into a centrifuge like casting machine where it is heated and turned into a metallic mold, taking the desired shape of the body and lid. This process emits carbon from natural gas pipelines and the processing of natural gas that is used to produce steam in the manufacturing.[5] Waste is also generated as trim during this process; however, I am assuming here that the Hippo roller manufactures recycle this waste by turning the waste film into pellets, which can then be reused. Once the body and the lid of the Hippo roller are produced, they are ready to be assembled with the steel handles.
Although the bulk of the Hippo Roller is made of plastic, a huge portion of the waste emitted in its life cycle is generated during the production of the steel handle. I thought this was an interesting paradox because I originally planned to write most of my paper on the wastes emitted during the low-density polyethylene production; however, I found the information on the carbon dioxide and other wastes associated with steel production a lot more interesting. This led me to focus more on manufacturing of the small steel handle portion of the Hippo Roller than on the more visibly prominent plastic body and lid.
Despite my extensive research, I could not find that much information regarding the Hippo roller’s specific manufacture of steel. Because the Hippo roller is a relatively new project, most of the information I found about its specific production process was online and focused mainly on the plastic components. Therefore, in order to generate a more thorough idea of the wastes and emissions caused by the steel component of the Hippo roller, I combined the information I found on the Hippo roller specifically with speculation based on common steel production trends.
In order to understand the wastes resulting from the steel handle, we have to look at the sum of the wastes from the entire steel production process. Steel production starts by reducing iron oxide ores in a blast furnace to produce crude iron. Carbon monoxide, produced through the combustion of coke, petroleum coke, or coal, reduces the iron oxides to iron and provides additional heat that melts the iron and removes impurities. This use of carbon monoxide yields carbon dioxide emissions as the coke or coal is oxidized.[6]
In addition to the CO2 emissions, the iron production process emits several more carbon bearing products. As coal is converted to coke, coke, coke oven gas, tar, and residual fuel oil are generated as byproducts. Blast furnace gas is additionally produced as the crude iron is formed. It is critically important to recover these emitted gasses because they contain methane and other hydrocarbon components, meaning that both coke oven gas and blast furnace gas can be used as fuel gases.[7] Typically these gasses can be used for oven under-firing and as a combustion gas for the furnaces and boilers used to provide electricity and steam to steel plants. All by-products can therefore be either be used in the plants themselves or sold to other off-site companies to be used in various other production processes.[8]
Further CO2 emissions result from the calcinations of carbonate fluxes. This calcination process occurs during iron production when the heat of the blast furnace causes fluxes that contain limestone (CaC03) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) to form lime (CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO), and C02. While the limestone, magnesium carbonate, and a small amount of carbon are used in the iron production process to balance acid constituents from the coke and iron ore, most of the carbon (about 96%) is emitted as waste. I put my minimal chemistry knowledge from science classes to the test writing out this equation and trying to balance it in order to see for myself how CO2 was produced as a result of this equation and, while I realized very quickly that I did not retain all that much from my high school chemistry course, I thought it was really interesting to see it all laid out and to trace how each of the carbon atoms was either used or discarded in the oxidization of iron.
The steel that is then produced from this oxidized iron can be produced in one of two types of furnaces. In the basic oxygen furnace (BOF), a mixture consisting of crude iron and scrap steel is converted into molten steel using a jet of high purity oxygen that oxidizes the carbon and the silicon in the molten iron, removes these products, and provides heat for melting the scrap. While carbon emissions still occur during this process, they are at a much lesser extent than the carbon emitted in the production of crude iron. Alternatively, an electric arc furnace (EAF) uses electric heating of scrap steel through graphite electrodes, producing carbon and alloy steels. CO2 emissions occur as these electrodes are consumed.[9]
I could not recover information regarding which of these steel-making processes the Hippo roller manufactures uses. Although the majority of current steel making producers uses a BOF, the fiscal costs of using an EAF are about the same. I researched the various environmental burdens of both production methods to try and gain further insight but was unable to determine which produced less waste. Both the crude iron production necessary for the BOF and the consumption of electrodes necessary for the EAF result in some amount of CO2 emissions, but because I couldn’t find the levels at which this CO2 was emitted and I could not conclude which of these steel-producing mechanisms is better for the environment. In the case that the Hippo rollers use a BOF system, the additional iron production must be accounted for in the total carbon emissions. If an EAF steel-making process is used however, then the carbon emissions from the employed electrodes must be factored in. Based on the amount of electrode used and the carbon content of the electrode, the carbon emissions in the EAF steel-making process varies slightly.
I failed here to find out what the carbon emission would be if the Hippo rollers used an EAF steel-making process because I couldn’t find the necessary information to piece together the equation. In the Climate Leader’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol Core Module Guidance I found the default method for calculating emissions is “to determine the amount of electrode used from measurements or purchase records and multiply by a carbon content of electrode found through measurement or analysis of the electrodes.”[10] However, I couldn’t find either the purchase records or an analysis of the electrodes used in the Hippo roller production, so I failed to yield any results using this method.
Although I was unable to determine which of the steel-manufacturing processed Hippo roller’s use, all Hippo rollers are currently manufactured and shipped from specific facilities South Africa so I am assuming that they produce the steel on-site. This is important because it is often assumed that all of the carbon in the fuel or flux is emitted as C02. As I mentioned previously however, some of the carbon is actually retained in by-products from on-site coking operations and off-gases from the coking and iron production processes. If these byproducts are combusted on site, then they don’t need to be factored into the total iron and steel CO2 emissions. Furthermore, in most on-site steel production facilities, the only iron being made is used for the steel production. I think it’s safe to assume that the Hippo roller company only manufactures iron on-site for the steel bar production so we don’t need to adjust the total carbon emissions to include any iron and steel CO2 emissions retained in finished steel products that are shipped off-site.
Once the steel handle has been produced, it is assembled with the plastic components to create the finished Hippo roller. Here we have to take into account the energy used in the assembly and the ensuring emissions that result from the manufacturing facilities. From there, the final product must be transported out of the factories. I failed to find information regarding the transport of the Hippo roller’s within South Africa from the manufacturing sites to the distribution points; however, I would infer that they are moved via trucks because for the most part they are transported relatively short distances and across land. Exporting completed Hippo rollers to other countries is a completely different story, however. Exporting these large, heavy object is not only expensive, it results in carbon emissions from the trucks and cargo ships necessary to move them. Hippo Water Rollers has solved this problem by introducing a mobile manufacturing unit whereby rollers can be built locally in other countries at a lower cost. This mobile unit is more long-term cost effective because it only requires the one-time shipping of one container. The raw materials are then transported directly to the manufacturing sites without having to go through the South American Hippo roller facilities.[11]
Once the Hippo roller has been distributed, it is built to last approximately six years, during which time it secretes no known waste products. After they are rendered unusable, there are a few options for disposing of the waste. Low-density polyethylene is not subject to aerobic bacterial degradation, so it cannot be composted, however, combustion, landfilling, and recycling are all viable options.[12]
Because of the fossil fuels that comprise the plastic, the combustion of the Hippo roller would release carbon emissions into the environment. Additionally, the transportation of the plastic waste to waste-to-energy facilities increases the carbon impact. Low-density polyethylene consists solely of hydrogen and carbon atoms, the incineration process is straightforward and comparable to oil. However, while only water and carbon dioxide are produced in an incineration plant, the additives such as UV stabilizers, dyeing agents, and fire protectors do produce additional waste products.[13]
When accounting for of the emission savings associated with the avoided emissions of burning fossil fuels, landfilling had less of a negative environmental impact than combustion does. Because the plastic does not contain biodegradable carbon, it does not generate methane over time. This means that the plastic can be landfilled without yielding any additional carbon emissions other than those used to transport the product to and into the landfill.
When compared to landfill and combustion, however, recycling stands as the most practical way of disposing of the Hippo rollers because it saves carbon emissions dramatically and reuses the materials in a productive way. Although there are carbon emissions associated with the transport of recycled materials to and from material recovery facilities and the recycled manufacture process, the impact from re-melting the plastic back down into usable form yields far less carbon waste. Much like the plastic, steel can be recycled and put back into an EAF to be reused, although in the case of recycled steel this does yield further carbon emissions from the electrodes used in the process. Although the laws of conservation of energy state that energy is never lost, the laws of entropy suggest that amount of usable energy decreases with every cycle. We can therefore infer that although the entirety of the Hippo roller can be recycled, there is a somewhat significant quality loss to the plastic and steel with each recycling process.
In conclusion, the main emission factors in the life cycle of the Hippo roller range from the raw materials acquisition to the manufacturing to the deconstruction. Although there are many wastes associated with this lifespan, there are also many ways in which to reuse them, making the process more efficient and environmentally friendly. Before beginning this project, I honestly had no idea how many different production factors went into the life of a seemingly simple product. After a quarter of researching, in many ways I feel like I have barely grazed the surface on the amount of waste emitted throughout this production and the efforts to make it more sustainable. It definitely makes me look at each and every piece of plastic that surrounds us in modern society with a newfound respect and concern.
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[1] Pilloton, pg. 66
[2] Lepoutre, Priscilla. "The Manufacture of Polyethylene."
[3] “Plastics.” US Environmental Protection Agency.
[4] Newman, pg. 43
[5] “Plastics.” US Environmental Protection Agency.
[6] Burgess, pgs. 28-30
[7] Burgess, 28-30
[8] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Direct Emissions from Iron & Steel Production."
[9] Bugayev, K. Iron and Steel Production.
[10] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Direct Emissions from Iron & Steel Production."
[11] "Hippo Water Roller Project." Hippo Water Roller Project.
[12] “Plastics.” US Environmental Protection Agency.
[13] Greenhouse Gas Emissions From the Management of Selected Materials.