Remanufacturing and Refurbishment of Truck Spare Parts A Mapping and Environmental Assessment of Circular Processes

Abstract

The transition towards a circular economy is considered important for reducing resource use and environmental impacts within the automotive industry. Remanufacturing and refurbishment are two circular strategies that extend the lifetime of components through a number of re-engineering processes. While this save materials, it is still important to evaluate the environmental impact from these activities. The purpose of this thesis was to map circular process steps and component flows within remanufacturing and refurbishment of three truck spare parts at Volvo Group: a diesel particulate filter (DPF), an engine, and an electric vehicle battery. This was done through a semi-quantitative Material Flow Analysis (MFA). Additionally, the study aimed to assess the environmental impacts associated with the remanufacturing of the DPF and the engine through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Hotspot and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify key environmental impact drivers and evaluate the influence of transportation modelling assumptions. The results of the semi-quantitative MFA showed that remanufacturing and refurbishment of components vary depending on the component characteristics. The LCA further showed that the environmental impact of remanufacturing is influenced by both component type and process complexity, with transportation and material replacement significantly affecting the results. These aspects should therefore be considered when assessing the environmental benefits of remanufacturing.