Synergistic optimization for industrial decarbonization: Balancing environmental impact, economic benefits, and performance in steel machining


Dokecekli S., Özbey S., Tıkız İ.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PART E-JOURNAL OF PROCESS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

Özet

Improved optimization to systematically balance environmental sustainability with economic viability must be applied throughout the manufacturing process for decarbonization. In this study, a systematic optimization framework using established statistical methods (Taguchi L27 design, grey relational analysis, and ANOVA), integrated with a quantitative carbon footprint assessment (ISO 14064-1 compliant) and detailed techno-economic analysis, is proposed for the dry turning of AISI 8620 steel. The methodological contribution consists of combining detailed optimization studies with both environmental and economic evaluations in a systematic manner to address CFEs, providing comprehensive, industrially actionable decarbonization strategies. The feed rate had the highest contribution values for energy efficiency (95.6%) and surface integrity (83.2%), and the flow rate contributed significantly to primarily improving the tool life. In an optimized regime at 1100 rpm, 0.05 mm/rev and 2.9 bar, the carbon emissions were reduced by a factor of >91% compared to the baseline, and the tool costs were dropped thirty fold this should question the business-as-usual wisdom running on compromise such that the advantage in terms of the environment is traded with economic loss. In addition, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and UN SDG 12, among other key global sustainability frameworks, should be included in the manufacturing practices embodied in the synergistic optimization model. Carbon footprint analysis indicates that at a moderate scale, 0.154 kg CO2 is saved per part, coupled with economic savings of & euro;0.094 per component. This techno-economic-environmental coupling represents a transformative solution for scaling sustainable industrial decarbonization, allowing manufacturers to produce more while emitting less. Providing a reproducible and scalable method for designing sustainable noauxetic-based alloys optimized both experimentally from an optimization standpoint and associated with policy-driven manufacturing requirements may further the practical implementation of this technology, which is relevant to ESG-compliant production systems during the transition towards low-carbon industrial processes.