Environmental performance assessment of biocomposite production reinforced with plantain pseudostem using life cycle assessment (LCA)

Composites incorporating bio-based materials, such as natural fibers (NFs), represent a promising alternative for utilizing agricultural waste, promoting sustainability and a circular economy by transforming NFs into high-value resources with diverse applications. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of biocomposites reinforced with plantain pseudostem fiber and a polyester resin matrix under a "cradle-to-manufacture" approach. Two scenarios with chemical treatment and two without treatment, each with different fiber content, were analyzed. The environmental impact assessment applied the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2021) method, expressed as the 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) in kg of CO₂, and the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) 2016 method for 16 impact categories, using SimaPro software. The scenario with treatment and an 86% fiber content showed a higher environmental impact according to the IPCC 2021 (GWP100) method, with emissions of 27.6 kg of CO₂ per kilogram of composite material. In the ReCiPe 2016 analysis, the most affected impact categories included terrestrial and marine ecotoxicity, fossil resource scarcity, and human carcinogenic toxicity, primarily due to the chemical treatment involving acetic acid and sodium hydroxide, which significantly increased CO₂ emissions. Conversely, untreated scenarios exhibited significantly lower impacts across multiple categories, positioning them as more sustainable alternatives.