Citation:

Chea, J., Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado, Raymond L. Smith, Michael A. Gonzalez, AND David E. Meyer. Sustainability assessment of additive manufacturing end-of-life material management. Next Sustainability. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, 5:100085, (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100085

Impact/Purpose:

The additive manufacturing (AM) processes stand out for their ability to rapidly produce precise commercial products from diverse material types. However, AM processes also cause unintentional environmental releases in the end-of-life (EoL) stage, compromising the overall sustainability of the process. This study adapted sustainability indicators from the Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for the Environmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi-Objective Process Evaluator (GREENSCOPE) to identify the critical sustainability challenges regarding the efficiency, environmental impact, energy consumption, and economic viability of end-of-life (EoL) material management derived from AM processes. The trade-off analysis demonstrated that targeted solutions can improve specific aspects of sustainability in AM EoL material management but can also inadvertently worsen other sustainability aspects. Policymakers may use these findings to impose more stringent regulations regarding proper material disposal during the manufacturing stage. Improper disposal of EoL materials can be expected given that AM processes may also be performed in decentralized settings, releasing potentially toxic EoL materials into the environmental compartment and hazardous material exposure to EoL material management workers. Manufacturers may also gain insight into the fate of the materials discarded and adjust the feedstock usage accordingly to promote more sustainable manufacturing and mitigate long-term environmental impacts.

Description:

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods enable complex, customized, and on-demand production of many products from different material types across various industries. The growing demand for flexible and more sustainable manufacturing solutions places AM in the mix of processes considered for non-commodities. However, AM processes also present unintentional environmental releases in end-of-life (EoL) material management, compromising overall sustainability. Data availability to assess the sustainability of individual EoL material management from individual AM processes is limited. Even so, EoL materials generated across AM practices frequently overlap, supporting high-level assessment as an alternative approach. Therefore, a holistic AM EoL material management sustainability analysis was completed using a customized list of efficiency, environmental, energy, and economic indicators from the Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for the Environmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi-Objective Process Evaluator (GREENSCOPE) methodology. Subsequently, this assessment identified low material recycling rates and high energy costs in some EoL material management processes, such as incineration and recovery. Subsequently, a trade-off analysis was performed to determine process modification opportunities, including implementing recycling to reduce the amount of hazardous waste at the expense of additional energy and cost investment. The AM EoL-specific sustainability analysis serves as a resource to offer insights and empower policymakers and stakeholders to enhance pollution prevention strategies and optimize the existing EoL material management processes.

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