Page 51 - Market Analysis Report of Optical Communications Field in China & Global market 2023

vapor deposition process and 40% attributed to the acrylate Figure 5. Cable carbon footprint is improved with reduced diameter
coating. In general, for an optical fiber with smaller coating optical fiber
diameter, less coating material is needed, resulting in a
lower CF of the fiber. In fact, the LCA confirmed that the
raw material CF of a 125 μm glass diameter and 190 μm
in coating diameter fiber is 17% less than the raw material
CF of the standard 242 μm coating diameter fiber with
similar glass diameter. This represents a 3% reduction
in overall CF between the two fiber types. As industry
trends continue to drive towards increased density, reduced
coating diameter fibers result in a favorable impact in both
fiber and cable CF.

Figure 4. Coating diameter reduction impact on optical fiber carbon
footprint

an electricity-intensive process. Process water, thermal
energy, and waste have a negligible impact compared to the
electricity requirements for manufacturing optical fiber and
to the raw materials previously discussed.

Corning’s LCA study uses data from relevant factories,
which use electricity from the standard grid mix. Since
electricity impacts 70-80% of the total optical fiber CF, the
value of continued energy efficiency efforts and a greener
High-performance fibers with reduced coating diameters electricity mix is clear. Corning is on a path to 100%
like Corning’s SMF-28? Contour optical fiber portfolio renewable electricity in the next four to six years in the
enable increased cable and duct density while reducing United States and Europe, where most of its optical fiber
size and materials in cables and solutions. This poses is manufactured. The impact of renewable electricity was
yet another opportunity for further improvements in studied and the LCA confirms that CF can decrease by up
optical fiber CF. As the impact of raw material is reduced, to 70% leading to a 0.70 kg CO2eq/km value [9], further
the fraction of contribution from electricity increases, improving the current CF advantage over copper-based
with conversion to renewable electricity providing an networks by a factor of 3.
opportunity to significantly reduce cable’s CF.
The future is fiber
Manufacturing impact and contribution of More than ever, the world depends on data, and optical
electricity fiber has demonstrated superior capabilities over all other
Upstream impact of materials is an important part of alternatives,offering massive capacity that expands the
Cradle-to-Gate studies, but it does not consider the whole bandwidth of human potential while reducing power
picture.The utilities required to convert those materials consumption and embodied carbon.
into the final product, optical fiber, were also included in
the LCA. As previously mentioned, fiber production is The digital divide persists and to connect the unconnected,

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