Quantitative Estimate of CO2 Emission Reduction from Reuse of Automobile Parts in Japan

In general, reusing automobile parts reduces not only the cost of replacing the failed parts but also the environmental load of manufacturing new parts. However, these effects have not yet been quantified. The present study focuses on determining the emitted CO2 during production and quantitatively evaluating its reduction by the reuse of automobile parts. First, CO2 emissions are calculated during the reused parts production process at the factory site. Thirty-nine automobiles from 27 models prepared in Japan are examined to measure the amount of CO2 emitted in the production of new parts. Furthermore, the CO2 emission reduction effect for different automobile models is estimated through multiple regression analysis. The CO2 emissions are assumed to be the objective variable, whereas the explanatory variables are derived from the data provided in the automobile inspection certificates. The presented quantitative estimate of CO2 emission reduction owing to the exploitation of reused parts is expected to promote policies for further reducing CO2 emissions and arouse public awareness regarding the benefits of recycling automobile parts

Environmental Load Evaluation of Reuse Parts for Automobiles

Abstract Reuse parts are parts removed from scrap automobiles that can be still used. In general, reuse parts reduce not only the cost for replacement of failed parts but also the environmental load. This study quantitatively evaluates environmental loads, such as the amount of CO2 emission during the production of brand new parts, in order to quantify the beneficial effect of the reuse parts. The amount of CO2 emission can be calculated from the power consumption and operating time of each tool and machine employed. Reuse parts generate 0.62 kg of CO2 per automobile when produced, which corresponds to 1,212 kg per year. However, the amount of CO2 emitted from scrapping automobiles without producing new replacement parts is 3,063 kg per year. Therefore, the production of replacement parts emits three times less CO2 than scrapping

DNA barcoding and morphological analyses revealed validity of Diadema clarki Ikeda, 1939 (Echinodermata, Echinoidea, Diadematidae)

A long-spined sea urchin Diadema-sp reported from Japanese waters was genetically distinct from all known Diadema species, but it remained undescribed. Extensive field surveys in Japan with molecular identification performed in the present study determined five phenotypes (I to V) in Diadema-sp according to the presence and/or shape of a white streak and blue iridophore lines in the naked space of the interambulacral area. All phenotypes were distinct from Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) and Diadema savignyi (Audouin, 1829), of which a major type (I) corresponded to Diadema clarki Ikeda, 1939 that was questioned and synonymized with D. setosum by Mortensen (1940). The holotype of D. clarki has not been found, but three unlabeled dried tests of Diadema were found among Ikeda’s original collection held in the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History, Fukuoka, Japan. A short mtDNA COI fragment (ca. 350bp) was amplified from one of the tests, and the nucleotide sequence determined (275bp) was nearly identical with that of Diadema-sp. Arrangements of the primary tubercles on the coronal plates in Diadema-sp and the museum specimen also conformed with D. clarki, indicating that Diadema-sp is identical to D. clarki and a valid species. Narrow latitudinal distribution (31°N to 35°N) of D. clarki in Japan was observed, where it co-existed with abundant D. setosum and rare D. savignyi. No D. clarki was found in the southern islands in Japan, such as Satsunan Islands to Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Island, where D. setosum and D. savignyi were commonly observed