scholarly journals The Potential and Limitations of Critical Raw Material Recycling: The Case of LED Lamps

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Julia S. Nikulski ◽  
Michael Ritthoff ◽  
Nadja von Gries
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Material Recycling ◽  
Evaluation Scheme

Supply risks and environmental concerns drive the interest in critical raw material recycling in the European Union. Globally, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is projected to increase by almost 40% until 2030. This waste stream can be a source of secondary raw materials. The determination of the economic feasibility of recycling and recovering specific materials is a data-intensive, time-consuming, and case-specific task. This study introduced a two-part evaluation scheme consisting of upper continental crust concentrations and raw material prices as a simple tool to indicate the potential and limitations of critical raw material recycling. It was applied to the case of light-emitting diodes (LED) lamps in the EU. A material flow analysis was conducted, and the projected waste amounts were analyzed using the new scheme. Indium, gallium, and the rare earth elements appeared in low concentrations and low absolute masses and showed only a small revenue potential. Precious metals represented the largest revenue share. Future research should confirm the validity and usefulness of the evaluation scheme.

scholarly journals Method for Quantifying Supply and Demand of Construction Minerals in Urban Regions—A Case Study of Hanoi and Its Hinterland

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4358
Author(s):  
Georg Schiller ◽  
Tamara Bimesmeier ◽  
Anh T.V. Pham
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Resource Efficiency ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Urban Structures

Urbanization is a global trend: Since 2007 more than 50% of the world’s population have been living in urban areas, and rates of urbanization are continuing to rise everywhere. This growth in urbanization has led to an increased demand for natural resources, in particular non-metallic minerals such as stones, sand and clay, which account for one third of the entire flow of materials. Generally, these materials are traded within regional markets. This close geographical link between the demand for building materials in urban areas and the material supply in the hinterland leads to massive interventions in the natural environment and landscape. These urban–rural linkages can be revealed by applying Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to the built environment in order to trace the flows of building materials. The objective of this paper is to present a method for quantifying regional material flows by considering the supply and demand of building materials. This will be applied to the Vietnamese case study area of Hanoi and its hinterland province Hoa Binh. The results indicate a consumption of almost 60% of the construction mineral reserves in total secured by planning in the hinterland province considering a period of 15 years. However, this does not allow for the general conclusion that raw materials are sufficiently available. The sand reservoirs are only sufficient for eight years and clay reserves are used up after four years. This increases the need to exploit further raw material reserves, which are becoming increasingly scarce and results in stronger interventions in nature In order to safeguard the hinterland from the negative impacts of urbanization, a new understanding of resource efficiency is needed—one that acknowledges both resource efficiency in the construction of urban structures and appropriate resource conservation in the provision of the raw materials from the hinterland. This will require the creation of new integrated planning approaches between urban and regional planning authorities. Regional MFA is one way of realising such an approach.

scholarly journals Crushed Bricks: Demolition Waste as a Sustainable Raw Material for Geopolymers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7572
Author(s):  
Gigliola D’Angelo ◽  
Marina Fumo ◽  
Mercedes del Rio Merino ◽  
Ilaria Capasso ◽  
Assunta Campanile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Crushed Brick

Demolition activity plays an important role in the total energy consumption of the construction industry in the European Union. The indiscriminate use of non-renewable raw materials, energy consumption, and unsustainable design has led to a redefinition of the criteria to ensure environmental protection. This article introduces an experimental plan that determines the viability of a new type of construction material, obtained from crushed brick waste, to be introduced into the construction market. The potential of crushed brick waste as a raw material in the production of building precast products, obtained by curing a geopolymeric blend at 60 °C for 3 days, has been exploited. Geopolymers represent an important alternative in reducing emissions and energy consumption, whilst, at the same time, achieving a considerable mechanical performance. The results obtained from this study show that the geopolymers produced from crushed brick were characterized by good properties in terms of open porosity, water absorption, mechanical strength, and surface resistance values when compared to building materials produced using traditional technologies.

Feasibility of cereal straw for industrial utilization in Minnesota

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.C. Wagner ◽  
S. Ramaswamy ◽  
U. Tschirner
Keyword(s):  
Animal Feed ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Cereal Straw ◽  
Industrial Utilization ◽  
Industrial Use ◽  
On Farm ◽  
And Storage

AbstractA pre-economic feasibility study was undertaken to determine the potential of cereal straw for industrial utilization in Minnesota. Specifically, utilizing straw for pulp and paper manufacture was of interest. The availability of cereal straw fiber supplies at various locations across the state of Minnesota, along with pre-processing issues such as transportation, harvesting, handling, and storage, are discussed and priced. The greatest economic advantage of straw for industrial use appears to be the low cost of the raw material compared to traditional raw materials. This also provides an excellent opportunity for additional income for farmers. The methodology and information provided here should be helpful in evaluating the feasibility of utilizing straw for other industrial purposes in other parts of the world. However, in some Third World countries, long-standing on-farm, traditional uses of cereal straws for fuel, fiber, and animal feed may limit their availability for industrial utilization.

scholarly journals HOW TO INCREASE CIRCULARITY IN THE SWISS ECONOMY?

Detritus ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 25-31
Author(s):  
Cecilia Matasci ◽  
Marcel Gauch ◽  
Heinz Boeni
Keyword(s):  
Economic System ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flows ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
High Level ◽  
Recycled Waste

Environmental threats are triggered by the overconsumption of raw materials. It is therefore necessary to move towards a society that both reduces extraction and keeps the majority of the extracted raw materials in the socio-economic system. Circular economy is a key strategy to reach these goals. To implement it effectively, it is necessary to understand and monitor material flows and to define hotspots, i.e. materials that need to be tackled with the highest priority. This paper is aimed at determining how to increase circularity in the Swiss economy by means of a Material Flow Analysis coupled with a simplified Life Cycle Assessment. After having characterized material flows, we analyzed two types of hotspots: i) Raw materials consumed and/or disposed at high level, and ii) Raw materials whose extraction and production generates high environmental impacts. The Material Flow Analysis shows that each year 119 Mt of raw materials enter the Swiss economy. Therefrom, 15 Mt are derived from recycled waste inside the country; 67 Mt leave the system yearly; 27 Mt towards disposal. Out of the disposed materials, 56% are recycled and re-enter the socio-economic system as secondary materials. Looking at hotspots; concrete, asphalt, gravel and sand are among materials that are consumed and disposed at high level. Yet, looking at greenhouse gas emissions generated during extraction and production, metals - including the ones in electrical and electronic equipment - as well as textiles are among the categories that carry the biggest burden on the environment per unit of material.

scholarly journals Application of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) in Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Management: A Review

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (23) ◽  
pp. 1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Tasbirul Islam ◽  
Nazmul Huda
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Material Recovery ◽  
Research Perspectives

This paper reviews around 41 articles providing the trends, characteristics, research gaps and challenges of these studies that may help e-waste management-related academics and practitioners with an overview of the need for such tool to be applied. The results and highlighted future research perspectives discussed in this study will definitely help to analyze e-waste management systems with more critical aspects, i.e., hidden and known flows of waste products and associated materials, economic assessment of material recovery and the role of responsible authorities.

scholarly journals Macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy in Slovakia

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 03017
Author(s):  
Henrieta Pavolová ◽  
Zuzana Šimková ◽  
Andrea Seňová ◽  
Gabriel Wittenberger
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
The State ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Material Policy ◽  
National Economic ◽  
Macroeconomic Indicators ◽  
National Economic Policy

This paper points to the development tendencies of selected macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy in Slovakia, which forms an integral part of the national economic policy of the state. It describes in detail selected macroeconomic indicators of exploitation of raw materials, which form the basic platform of functioning of all national economic sectors in Slovakia. It also points out the benefits for the Slovak economy in the form of revenues from mining activities to the state budget, municipal budget and environmental fund. At the end the article summarizes the partial findings from the development tendencies of macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy, which is currently an integral part of the industrial policy of the European Union.

Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of Steel Resources in China Based on Circular Economy Theory

2013 ◽  
Vol 813 ◽  
pp. 64-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Ze Yi Jiang ◽  
Xin Yi Geng ◽  
Shi Yu Hao
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
National Level ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Basic Material

The circular economy (CE) is a new development strategy for China to alleviate the contradiction between rapid economic growth and the shortage of raw materials and energy. As the basic material, steel is a key driver of the world's economy. Therefore, it is essential to set up CE indicators system to understand the mechanism of steel resources role in the circular economy. In this paper, a national level material flow evaluation framework based on CE theory is presented at the first. Then steel resources national lifetime cycle diagram is built based on dynamic Material Flow Analysis (MFA) method considering the steel lifetime circular flow characteristics. Under the guidance of this diagram, the material flow results of various stages (such as production process, fabrication & manufacturing process, in-use process, etc.) of steel lifetime cycle between 2001-2010 in China is obtained, including the end-of-life scarp amount of nine downstream industries. The results indicate that China steel resources has made gratifying achievements in improving productivity, reducing energy consumption and related pollution emission, but the degree of overall circulation remains to be improved urgently. In the end, a sketch of the future relevant policy recommendations are provided.

scholarly journals Lonicera caerulea L. as a Source of Biologically Active Compounds for the Enrichment of Fermented Milk Product

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-456
Author(s):  
Dalija Segliņa ◽  
Inta Krasnova ◽  
Sanita Alsiņa
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Fermented Milk ◽  
Biologically Active Compounds ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Milk Product ◽  
Lonicera Caerulea ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Promising Source

Abstract Lonicera caerulea L., also known as honeysuckle berries, are rich in biologically active compounds, which makes them a valuable raw material for the development of functional foods. The objects of the research were three honeysuckle cultivars (‘Zoluška’, ‘Siņaja Ptica’, ‘Goluboje Vereteno’), four genotypes (No 2A; No 3; No 5; No 8) and kefir, enriched with various amounts (3–10%) of fruit puree. Physical and chemical analyses to determine the qualitative indicators of raw materials and products were performed. The degree of liking of kefir was assessed using sensory analysis: hedonic and line scales. The results obtained showed that among the cultivars the highest content of anthocyanins (1103.5 mg·100 g−1), total phenols (693.3 mg·100 g−1), flavonoids (753.9 mg·100 g−1), and tannins (1.6 mg·100 g−1), were found in ‘Siņaja Ptica’ berries, while among the genotypes, berries of No 8 had the highest concentration of the aforesaid compounds. Both samples also showed the highest antiradical activity: ABTS+• on average by 71.7% and DPPH− by 43.7%. According to the sensory evaluation, kefir with 10% honeysuckle puree was rated the highest. Honeysuckle berries could be used as a promising source of natural anti-oxidants in future research aimed at developing different new products that could meet consumer expectations.

scholarly journals Justification of economic performance of processing of grain crops in biogas

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazar Tkach ◽  
◽  
Tetiana Mirzoieva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Material Base ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Investment Projects

The article presents a study on the justification of the economic feasibility of processing cereals into biogas. Аt the first stage the sown areas and productivity of separate agricultural crops in the investigated enterprises of Brovarsky district, Kyiv region were analyzed. The tendency to increase the yield of agricultural crops in the studied enterprises was revealed. This was seen as evidence that they could potentially be fully self-sufficient in raw materials for the production of gaseous biofuels. At the second stage of the study, the potential volume of the raw material base for biogas production in the studied enterprises was calculated, potential volume of biogas production and economically feasible volume of biogas production for each enterprise. It is proposed to use part of the grown grain for bioenergy production, and this part should be 10-15% of the gross harvest of grain enterprises in order to prevent the food crisis in the country. At the third stage of the study to determine the economic efficiency of biogas production from wheat and corn, investment costs were calculated, necessary for the implementation of the project to install a biogas plant in the studied enterprises. The authors calculated the investment costs required to implement the project of installing a biogas plant at the studied enterprises. The authors also analyzed the costs of each company for future projects. Finally, the economic efficiency of the proposed project for biogas production in the studied enterprises of Brovary district, Kyiv region is calculated, the economic efficiency of the project in the long run is analyzed with the use of discounted indicators of economic efficiency with a life cycle of 5 years. It was found that the implementation of projects for biogas production may be accompanied by high efficiency, all enterprises will receive profits from the implementation of investment projects for the production of biogas and biofertilizers with the subsequent sale of biogas and the use of biofertilizers for their own needs.

scholarly journals European Union Legislation Overview about Used Vegetable Oils Recycling: The Spanish and Italian Case Studies

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Jesus Ibanez ◽  
Sonia Martel Martín ◽  
Salvatore Baldino ◽  
Cristina Prandi ◽  
Alberto Mannu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Vegetable Oils ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
New Production ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Eu

The employment of used vegetable oils (UVOs) as raw materials in key sectors as energy production or bio-lubricant synthesis represents one of the most relevant priorities in the European Union (EU) normative context. In many countries, the development of new production processes based on the circular economy model, as well as the definition of future energy and production targets, involve the utilization of wastes as raw material. In this context, the main currently applied EU regulations are presented and discussed. As in the EU, the general legislative process consists of the definition in each State Member of specific legislation, which transposes the EU indications. Two relevant countries are herein considered: Italy and Spain. Through the analysis of the conditions required in both countries for UVOs’ collection, disposal, storage, and recycling, a wide panorama of the current situation is provided.

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