Life Cycle Assessment of Refractory Alumina Products: Use of Hotspot and Scenario Analysis as Ecodesign Support Tools

Refractories are advanced ceramics essential for high-temperature operations in the steel, glass, cement, and power sectors. In response to growing sustainability requirements, life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly applied to quantify and mitigate their environmental impacts. However, current refractory-related LCA research remains limited by the scarcity of comprehensive inventories and the lack of systematic evaluation of uncertainties affecting results and ecodesign strategies. This study addresses these gaps by presenting the first published LCAs of tabular alumina, white fused alumina, and fused cast high-alumina block production, thereby expanding the environmental knowledge base across alumina products. The analysis shows that uncertainties in characterization models can significantly influence impact-category prioritization, underscoring the need for robust interpretation frameworks. Differences in category criticality across methodological levels and LCIA methods are examined, highlighting the suitability of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) approach for refractory applications due to its explicit consideration of model uncertainty and comprehensive coverage of impact categories. Results indicate that alumina products significantly contribute to climate change, fossil resource depletion, particulate matter formation, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and non-cancer human toxicity. Energy supply constitutes the main environmental hotspot, both through its direct consumption and its indirect contribution during raw material preparation. Red mud disposal is also a major contributor to impacts associated with calcined alumina production. Based on these insights, improvement strategies are proposed, demonstrating the value of LCA as an ecodesign tool. Scenario analysis for fused cast high-alumina block further quantifies the potential for impact reduction under varying operational conditions.