LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (CRADLE-TO-GATE) KARBON AKTIF LIMBAH BIOMASSA SEBAGAI ALTERNATIF COUNTER-ELECTRODE GRAFIT DALAM MEWUJUDKAN KONSEP GREEN-DSSC

Abstract

The development of environmentally friendly Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (Green-DSSC) encourages the utilization of sustainable alternative materials as electrode components. This study aims to evaluate the potential of biomass-based activated carbon derived from rice husk and coconut shell as an alternative to commercial graphite counter-electrodes using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach with a cradle-to-gate system boundary. The functional unit applied in this study is 1 cm² of DSSC counter-electrode area.The Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) was developed using a combination of secondary data, baseline database references, and process engineering approaches to estimate energy requirements at each thermochemical stage, including dehydration, devolatilization, carbonization, and activation. Energy contribution analysis was conducted through energy balance calculations and reaction enthalpy data, while environmental impact assessment was performed across several major Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) categories. Scenario evaluation of energy distribution changes was also carried out to assess the influence of energy supply strategies using a Theory of Change (ToC) approach.The results indicate that biomass-based activated carbon counter-electrodes exhibit category-specific environmental performance and reveal trade-offs among impact categories. Biomass-based counter-electrodes have not yet outperformed natural graphite counter-electrodes in several impact categories, although they perform better than synthetic graphite-based counter-electrodes. Following optimization through the Theory of Change (ToC) energy distribution scenario, overall environmental impacts can be reduced; however, new trade-offs emerge across certain impact categories.The carbonization and activation stages were identified as the main contributors to the system’s energy burden. Changes in energy source distribution demonstrate potential environmental impact reductions, particularly in categories sensitive to energy combustion, and offer promising opportunities for further process optimization to minimize environmental impacts.