Originally Posted by
willibrord
Steel has a high carbon footprint, as high CO2 coking coal is burned in the steel making process .Al uses a lot of electrical energy to refine, it was very expensive to make Alu until electrical power became plentiful. Carbon fiber sequesters carbon in the bike frame, it isn't emitted into the atmosphere as GHG gases.
Come on now, please address my post with specific questions pertaining to each material's 'dirty factor'.
- Do you include water use when determining which is a worse material for the environment? And if not, why not?
- Do you include recyclability when determining which is a worse material for the environment? And if not, why not?
- Do you include typical length of product life when determining which is a worse material for the environment? And if not, why not?
- Do you include overall energy use when determining which is a worse material for the environment? And if not, why not?