Material Flow Analysis for PET Bottles and Greenhouse Gas Reduction by Recycling Towards a Circular Economy

In order to study the development of regional recycling economy, the material inputs and outputs of the eco-economic system in Shandong Province during the period from 1996 to 2009 were systematically analyzed by the material flow analysis(MFA). The results show that, (1)excluding water, material inputs and outputs rose persistently, but both were lower than the rate of GDP growth. (2)Water supply had a turning point in 2003, from 25.239 billion tons down to 21.934 billion tons, followed by the total annual water supply has been maintained at 220 million tons. At the same time the amount of wastewater emissions is increasing, especially domestic wastewater emissions had faster growth and that increased pressure on the regional water environment;(3) Steady increase in material input intensity, material output intensity presented a first increased and then decreased trend, that showed since Shandong Province proposed the strategic planning to develop circular economy, the development of regional circular economy have improved the material utilization efficiency and made a material reduction in output in the case of material input growth achieved. The rapid increase of material input and output efficiency further illustrated the efficiency of resource comprehensive utilization and waste output have been significantly improved.

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HOW TO INCREASE CIRCULARITY IN THE SWISS ECONOMY?

Detritus ◽

10.31025/2611-4135/2021.14057 ◽

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.

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Using regional material flow analysis and geospatial mapping to support the transition to a circular economy for plastics

Resources Conservation and Recycling ◽

10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.106085 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 179 ◽

pp. 106085

Author(s):

Neha Mehta ◽

Eoin Cunningham ◽

Martin Doherty ◽

Peter Sainsbury ◽

Ife Bolaji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Material Flow ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Geospatial Mapping

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Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of PET, PE, and PP Flows in Europe: Evaluation of the Potential for Circular Economy

Environmental Science & Technology ◽

10.1021/acs.est.0c03435 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (24) ◽

pp. 16166-16175

Author(s):

Marie Kampmann Eriksen ◽

Kostyantyn Pivnenko ◽

Giorgia Faraca ◽

Alessio Boldrin ◽

Thomas Fruergaard Astrup

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Material Flow ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis

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Material flow analysis on venous industrial park - taking Tianjin Ziya Circular Economy Park for example

2010 IEEE 17Th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management ◽

10.1109/icieem.2010.5645913 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yan Tang ◽

Jian Li

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Material Flow ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Industrial Park

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

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.813.64 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 813 ◽

pp. 64-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Contribution Towards a Comprehensive Methodology for Wood-Based Biomass Material Flow Analysis in a Circular Economy Setting

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11010106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Alexandra Marques ◽

Jorge Cunha ◽

Annelies De Meyer ◽

Kranti Navare

Keyword(s):

Scenario Analysis ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Material Flow ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Practical Implementation ◽

Strategic Decisions ◽

Wood Resource ◽

Infrastructure Investments

It is challenging to quantify the production of wood-based biomass, to define the type and where it comes from, how it is used, and the amount that remains available. This information is crucial for the implementation of national and transnational regulations and is a pillar for the development of the future bio-based circular economy. A variety of studies estimate the production of biomass, performs material flow analyses, or addresses supply chain modelling. These studies are often built upon distinct assumptions, tailored to a specific purpose, and often poorly described. This makes comparison amongst studies, generalization of results, or replication hard to even impossible. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for wood-based biomass material flow analysis, anchored in Material Flow Analysis, built upon literature review and deducted through systematization of previous studies. This is a five-step approach, consisting of (1) adopt proper terminology; (2) obtain accurate estimates for the biomass flows; (3) Sankey diagram for resource balance representation; (4) scenario analysis; (5) stakeholders validation. The focus is to provide instructions for producing a generalized Sankey diagram, from the categorization of biomass resources, uses/applications in a circular economy setting, towards the development of scenario analysis. Its practical implementation is presented by defining the yearly wood-based biomass resource balance of Portugal and the waste wood resource balance of Flanders. The main data sources for the quantification of the biomass sources and uses/applications are identified. Based on the insights from these case studies, our methodological approach already shows to be replicable and with comparable results. This enables the comparison of resource flows between different regions and countries and also monitoring the progress over time. This leads to improved data which can be instruments for supporting companies’ decision-making processes (e.g., infrastructure investments or other strategic decisions), as well as designing policy strategies and incentives.

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Combining the worlds of energy systems and material flow analysis: a review

Energy Sustainability and Society ◽

10.1186/s13705-021-00289-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Felix Kullmann ◽

Peter Markewitz ◽

Detlef Stolten ◽

Martin Robinius

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Material Flow ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Coupled Model ◽

Energy System ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

System Models ◽

Material Recycling

AbstractRecent studies focusing on greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies indicate that material recycling has a significant impact on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The question arises how these effects can be quantified. Material recycling is not at all or insufficiently considered in energy system models, which are used today to derive climate gas mitigation strategies. To better assess and quantify the effects one option would be to couple energy system models and material flow models. The barriers and challenges of a successful coupling are addressed in this article. The greatest obstacles are diverging temporal horizons, the mismatching of system boundaries, data quality and availability, and the underrepresentation of industrial processes. A coupled model would enable access to more robust and significant results, a response to a greater variety of research questions and useful analyses. Further to this, collaborative models developed jointly by the energy system and material analysis communities are required for more cohesive and interdisciplinary assessments.

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