The Impact of Energy Efficiency Measures on Carbon Reduction: An Integrated LCA-Exergy Approach
Main Article Content
Abstract
In this study, the technical, environmental, and economic impacts of waste heat recovery (WHR)–based energy efficiency measures implemented in industrial facilities are evaluated using an integrated energy–exergy–carbon footprint–life cycle assessment (LCA) framework. Pre- and post-implementation scenarios are compared for three textile plants. The energy analysis results indicate a 9.8–11.7% reduction in total energy consumption, corresponding to an annual natural gas saving of approximately 4,858 MWh, while no significant change is observed in electricity consumption. The exergy analysis reveals that exergy efficiency increases from 36–41% to 44–50%, accompanied by a substantial reduction in system exergy losses. Carbon footprint calculations demonstrate a total emission reduction of approximately 981 t CO₂ per year. Assuming a carbon price of 80 € per ton of CO₂, the annual economic benefit is estimated at approximately 78,500 € per year, with a payback period of 2–3 years. Cradle-to-gate LCA results show a 9.6–11.7% decrease in Global Warming Potential (GWP), along with consistent improvements in Acidification Potential (AP) and Eutrophication Potential (EP) indicators. The findings demonstrate that waste heat recovery is a technically feasible, environmentally effective, and economically attractive energy efficiency strategy for thermally intensive processes commonly used in the textile industry.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
1. International Energy Agency. (2024). Energy efficiency 2024. Paris, France.
2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.
3. Altın, H. (2024). The impact of energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions in G7 countries. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 17(1), 134–145.
4. Khan, M. (2025). Does governance quality moderate the impact of energy efficiency on CO₂ emissions? A cross-country analysis. Energy Efficiency, 18(8).
5. Gamard, C. M., & Bourgeois, G. (2025). Enhancing energy efficiency to tackle climate change: The impact of environmental policy stringency in European OECD countries. Energy Policy. Advance online publication.
6. Appiah, M. (2025). Environmental policies and energy efficiency: Its implications on environmental degradation among OECD countries. Environmental Economics. Advance online publication.
7. International Energy Agency. (2013). Energy efficiency market report 2013. IEA.
8. International Energy Agency. (2023). Energy efficiency 2023. IEA.
9. Hu, Y., & Man, Y. (2023). Energy consumption and carbon emissions forecasting for industrial processes: Status, challenges and perspectives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 182, 113405.
10. Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. (2025). Türkiye enerji verimliliği görünümü 2025.
11. Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. (2024). Türkiye iklim değişikliği azaltım stratejisi ve eylem planı (2024–2030).
12. Takım, A., & Çökerdenoğlu, M. (2025). Türkiye imalat sanayisinde enerji tüketimi, karbon emisyonu ve ihracat: Eşbütünleşme ve nedensellik analizi. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 24(2), 845–861.
13. Wang, G., Luo, T., Luo, H., Liu, R., Liu, Y., & Liu, Z. (2024). A comprehensive review of building lifecycle carbon emissions and reduction approaches. City and Built Environment, 2(1).
14. Asdrubali, F., Colladon, A. F., Segneri, L., & Gandola, D. M. (2024). LCA and energy efficiency in buildings: Mapping more than twenty years of research. arXiv.
15. Pak, A. N., Lahonian, M., Mirzaei, H., Aminian, S., & Ranjbari, L. (2023). Exergy and economic analyses of CCP system using full capacity of steam production and waste heat recovery in Kurdistan petrochemical complex. SN Applied Sciences, 5(8), 215.
16. Rahbari, H. R., Elmegaard, B., Bellos, E., Tzivanidis, C., & Arabkoohsar, A. (2025). Thermochemical technologies for industrial waste heat recovery: A comprehensive review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 215, 115598.
17. Rahman, M. M., Bandhan, L. R., Asma-Ul-Husna, Monir, L., & Das, B. K. (2025). Energy, exergy, sustainability, and economic analysis of a waste heat recovery system for a heavy fuel oil-based power plant using Kalina–Rankine combined cycle. Next Research, 2(2), 100398.
18. Li, P., Lei, X., Yin, H., Su, H., Zhou, C., Wensheng, Z., & Han, Z. (2025). Research on exergy flow analysis and operation optimization of integrated energy system. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 17(5).
19. Ji, Q., Cheng, L., Liang, Z., Shi, F., Zhang, J., & Li, K. (2025). Energy–carbon comprehensive efficiency evaluation of hydrogen metallurgy system considering low-temperature waste heat recovery. arXiv.
20. Wijesekara, D., Amarasinghe, P., Induranga, A., Vithanage, V., & Koswattage, K. R. (2025). Energy, exergy, and environmental impact analysis and optimization of coal–biomass combustion combined cycle CHP systems. Sustainability, 17(6), 2363.
21. Krzempek, J. (2025). Exploring the nexus between life cycle assessment and energy efficiency in buildings: A literature review. E3S Web of Conferences, 641, 01021.
22. Yıldız, C. (2024). Sanayide enerji verimliliğinde son gelişmeler: Türkiye örneği. Gazi University Journal of Science Part C: Design and Technology.
23. Samuel, S. (2025). Carbon pricing mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging sustainable industrial practices. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 25(2), 1–15.
24. Pujol, A., Heuckendorff, M., Pedersen, T. H., & van der Spek, M. (2025). Prospective life cycle and techno-economic analysis of direct air capture-to-urea production under CBAM. Journal of Cleaner Production, 533, 146984.
25. Kaygusuz, K. (2020). Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for industrial sector. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 213–245). Elsevier.
26. Bai, Q., & Raza, M. Y. (2024). Analysis of energy consumption and change structure in major economic sectors of Pakistan. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e030xxxx.
27. Author, Z. (2023). Exergy efficiency and exergy destruction analysis in thermal systems. Entropy, 27, 1108.
28. Erdoğan, M., & Acar, M. Ş. (2024). Thermodynamic analysis of a tunnel biscuit oven and heat recovery system. WAPRIME, 1(1), 1-15.
29. Ünal, F. (2021). Energy and exergy analysis of an industrial corn dryer operated by two different fuels. International Journal of Exergy, 34, 475–491.
30. Arango-Miranda, R., Hausler, R., Romero-López, R., Glaus, M., & Ibarra-Zavaleta, S. P. (2018). An overview of energy and exergy analysis to the industrial sector: A contribution to sustainability. Sustainability, 10(1), 153.
31. Bahrami, M. (2018). Exergy of a flowing fluid. Simon Fraser University. https://www.sfu.ca/~mbahrami/ENSC461/Notes/Exergy.pdf
32. Valverde, J. L., Ferro, V. R., Postolache, L. V., & Giroir-Fendler, A. (2024). Efficient exergy analysis of chemical processes through process engineering software. Journal of Computer Science Research, 6(3), 23–34.
33. Ünal, F., Akan, A. E., Demir, B., & Yaman, K. (2022). 4E analysis of an underfloor heating system integrated to the geothermal heat pump for greenhouse heating. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 46(5), 762-780.
34. Bilgili, M., Cardak, E., Aktaş, A. E., & Ekinci, F. (2019). Thermodynamic analysis of an intercity bus air-conditioning system working with HCFC, HFC, CFC and HC refrigerants. International Journal of Automotive Engineering and Technologies, 8(1), 29–39.
35. Rosen, M. A., Dinçer, İ., & Kanoğlu, M. (2007). Role of exergy in increasing efficiency and sustainability and reducing environmental impact. Energy Policy, 36(1), 128–137.
36. Bertolini, M., Duttilo, P., & Lisi, F. (2025). Accounting carbon emissions from electricity generation: A review and comparison of emission factor-based methods. Applied Energy, 392, 125992.
37. International Energy Agency. (2023). IEA emission factors database 2023.
38. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2006). 2006 IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories: Volume 2 – Energy. IPCC.
39. Busato, F., & Noro, M. (2025). Energy savings in industrial processes: The influence of electricity emission factor and financial parameters on the evaluation of long-term economics and carbon savings. Applied Sciences, 15(22), 11852.
40. Şahin, S. (2025). Comprehensive carbon footprint assessment using EPA and DEFRA emission factors. DergiPark Journal of Carbon Accounting.
41. Akın, F. (2025). Karbon emisyonlarını azaltmada yenilenebilir enerjinin rolü: Çevresel performans endeksinde başarılı olan 10 ülkeden kanıtlar. 3. Sektör Sosyal Ekonomi Dergisi, 60(2), 1525–1546.
42. Patterson, M. (1996). What is energy efficiency? Energy Policy, 24(5), 377–390.
43. Kaynak, E., Piri, I., & Das, O. (2025). Revisiting the basics of life cycle assessment and lifecycle thinking. Sustainability, 17(16), 7444.
44. Üçtuğ, F. G., Ediger, V. Ş., Küçüker, M. A., Berk, İ., İnan, A., & Fereidani, B. M. (2025). Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of heavy machinery manufacturing: A case study in Türkiye. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 30(5), 939–954.
45. Rihner, M. C. S., Whittle, J. W., Gadelhaq, M. H. A., Mohamad, S. A., Yuan, R., Rothman, R., Fletcher, D., Walkley, B., & Koh, L. (2024). Life cycle assessment in energy-intensive industries: Cement, steel, glass, plastic. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 211, 115245.
46. Serrano, T., Kampmann, T. H., & Ryberg, M. (2022). Comparative life-cycle assessment of restoration and renovation of a traditional Danish farmer house. Building and Environment, 219, 109174.
47. Kır, A., Öztürk, E., Yetiş, Ü., & Kitiş, M. (2024). Resource utilization in the sub-sectors of the textile industry: Opportunities for sustainability. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(17), 25312–25327.
48. Hasanbeigi, A., & Price, L. (2015). A technical review of emerging technologies for energy and water efficiency and pollution reduction in the textile industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 95, 30–44.
49. Öztürk, H. K. (2005). Energy usage and cost in textile industry: A case study for Turkey. Energy, 30(13), 2424–2446.
50. Alm, C., & Persson, V. (2018). Investigation and evaluation of energy efficiency measures in a textile industry. Energy Procedia, 147, 53–60.
51. Bereketoğlu, S. (2024). Energy analysis of the provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia Region: An evaluation using artificial and natural insulation materials with the degree-day method. WAPRIME, 1(1), 26-44.
52. Egilegor, B., Jouhara, H., Zuazua, J., Al-Mansour, F., Plesnik, K., Montorsi, L., & Manzini, L. (2019). ETEKINA: Analysis of the potential for waste heat recovery in three sectors: Aluminium low pressure die casting, steel sector and ceramic tiles manufacturing sector. International Journal of Thermofluids, 100002.
53. Ozbür, Ç., & Gürlek, G. (2025). A case study: The effects of waste heat recovery applications on energy consumption, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions in the wheels production process. Acta Scientiarum. Technology, 47(1).
54. Yaman, K., Dölek, S., & Arslan, G. (2025). Performance analysis of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) for waste heat recovery. WAPRIME, 2(1), 13-20.