Development of a sustainable decision framework for the implementation of end-of-life (EoL) options for the railcar indu
- PDF / 1,381,211 Bytes
- 21 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 88 Downloads / 152 Views
Development of a sustainable decision framework for the implementation of end‑of‑life (EoL) options for the railcar industry Humbulani Simon Phuluwa1 · Ilesanmi Daniyan1 · Khumbulani Mpofu1 Received: 9 December 2019 / Accepted: 6 October 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract The concept of sustainability and circular economy is crucial in the recovery of products that have reached the end-of-life (EoL). However, lack of a suitable framework for the recovery products at their EoL in the rail industry is a constraint in achieving a sustainable circular economy. There has been a growing concern about the environmental impact caused by railcar components that have reached their end-of-life. Hence, this study provides a sustainable decision framework for the selection and implementation of the EoL options for railcar components. Using the railcar bogie as a case study, the EoL recovery processes identified, namely refurbishment, reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing were incorporated into the decision model. The recovery rate of the steel material employed for the development of the bogie transom, bogie gear box and bogie motor were obtained as 95%, 96% and 98%, respectively, while aluminum material for the development of the brake cylinder also boast of high rate recovery (90%) at the end of its life cycle. Furthermore, the mathematical models for the estimation of the cost relating to the identified EoL options were developed in order to project the cost-effectiveness and the profitability of the EoL identified options. The cost implications of the EoL options as well as the projected profit from the cost models were estimated. Recommendations were also made to increase the level of awareness of the circular economy in order to promote economic, environmental sustainability and safe guide public health. It is envisaged that the findings of this work will assist railcar manufacturers, and operators to achieve sustainability in terms of material, energy, economic, social, and environment during the life cycle of a railcar. Keywords Circular economy · Decision framework · EoL · Mathematical model · Sustainability
* Humbulani Simon Phuluwa [email protected] 1
Department of Industrial Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
H. S. Phuluwa et al.
1 Introduction The concept of sustainability in manufacturing involves the development of products via economically viable processes leading to significant material, energy, and environmental conservation (Moldavska and Welo 2017). Manufacturing sustainability is aimed at the development of products that will enhance the quality of life, financial emancipation and promote environmental protection. Many manufacturing industries are prioritizing the concept of sustainability in order to achieve growth, global competitiveness, performance, and meet the regulatory standards. With the increasing environmental concerns due to greenhouse gas emissions during the product’s life cycle, there is a need for manufacturi
Data Loading...
