| dc.description.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. | en_US |
