Abstract
Increasing cooling requirements for residential space owing to the rise in global temperature have led to an increased demand for room air conditioners. The pursuit for comfort in the residential and commercial spaces accompanied by expanding economic activities has increased the market size of this consumer durable globally by about three times in 2021 as compared to the 1990 levels. The high electricity consumption by air conditioners and their contribution toward greenhouse gas emission (994 Mt CO2) have necessitated the innovation of energy-efficient technologies. The neodymium-iron-boron rare earth permanent magnet-based motor architecture in air compressors helps in reducing electricity consumption by 58%. This study projects the growth of the residential air conditioner segment in India considering the plausible near-to-medium-term scenarios and estimates the demand for the rare earth elements used in the compressor motors in India till 2030. However, the escalated demand for rare earth materials is anticipated as a major roadblock to the aspirational ‘green and energy-efficient transition’ since it could lead to raw material shortage. Therefore, recycling essential components from the air conditioner units is envisaged as a suitable solution for sustaining the product supply chain. Different scenarios have been considered regarding the collection of end-of-life air conditioners while analyzing the impact of material recovery and recycling. Recovery, recycling, and reuse would likely result in the efficient utilization of critical materials with limited availability worldwide. The magnet-based rare earth elements recovered from consumer durables can be used in other value chains of commercial as well as strategic importance. The suggested closed-loop recovery and recycling of magnetic materials from the end-of-life air compressors are aimed at strengthening an alternate supply chain for fulfilling the growing demand for energy-efficient heavy consumer durables.
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The corresponding author (Rudrodip Majumdar) is highly grateful to Dr. Shailesh Nayak (Director, NIAS) for his invaluable insights and comments, which helped in enhancing the quality of the chapter.
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Pandey, A., Majumdar, R. (2023). Assessing End-of-Life Room Air Conditioner Recycling Potential for Sustainable Resource Utilization in India: A Case Study for Reducing Environmental Burden. In: Pathak, P., Srivastava, R.R., Ilyas, S. (eds) Anthropogenic Environmental Hazards. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41013-0_3
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