Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a potential outcome of renting products to multiple users instead of selling them?
What is a potential outcome of renting products to multiple users instead of selling them?
- Reduced overall product functionality
- Increased ownership of products
- Maintaining value for material suppliers
- Consumers willing to pay more for renting (correct)
What does the micro-level strategy in circular economy focus on?
What does the micro-level strategy in circular economy focus on?
- Global decision-making processes
- Individual products or business innovations (correct)
- Supply chain management
- Activities across businesses
Which of the following is a limitation to achieving circularity?
Which of the following is a limitation to achieving circularity?
- Low demand for new technologies
- Global population increase (correct)
- Availability of materials to recycle (correct)
- High energy requirements for recycling (correct)
What does the term 'rebound effect' refer to?
What does the term 'rebound effect' refer to?
What is one of the main limitations of Material Flow Analysis (MFA)?
What is one of the main limitations of Material Flow Analysis (MFA)?
At the meso-level, which strategy is prioritized within the circular economy?
At the meso-level, which strategy is prioritized within the circular economy?
What is a consequence of changing fashion and technology in relation to product desirability?
What is a consequence of changing fashion and technology in relation to product desirability?
Which type of uncertainty can be introduced when defining the system scope in MFA?
Which type of uncertainty can be introduced when defining the system scope in MFA?
Which of the following strategies could help mitigate the constraints of circularity?
Which of the following strategies could help mitigate the constraints of circularity?
In the fridge scenario described, what is the total amount of groceries Martha, Stuart, and John buy in four weeks?
In the fridge scenario described, what is the total amount of groceries Martha, Stuart, and John buy in four weeks?
Which approach is not typically involved in achieving circularity?
Which approach is not typically involved in achieving circularity?
How does MFA deal with missing data when conducting an assessment?
How does MFA deal with missing data when conducting an assessment?
Which of the following accurately reflects a common stock-and-flow issue?
Which of the following accurately reflects a common stock-and-flow issue?
What percentage of leftover food in the fridge goes bad each week according to the scenario?
What percentage of leftover food in the fridge goes bad each week according to the scenario?
What is one way Martha, Stuart, and John could potentially reduce food waste?
What is one way Martha, Stuart, and John could potentially reduce food waste?
Which aspect is NOT a part of uncertainty in MFA?
Which aspect is NOT a part of uncertainty in MFA?
What is the primary benefit of energy recovery from municipal solid waste (MSW)?
What is the primary benefit of energy recovery from municipal solid waste (MSW)?
Which property of a waste fuel is most relevant for energy recovery processes?
Which property of a waste fuel is most relevant for energy recovery processes?
What is the role of the boiler in the MSW incineration process?
What is the role of the boiler in the MSW incineration process?
Which of the following methods yields fuels that are combusted to release heat?
Which of the following methods yields fuels that are combusted to release heat?
What is the heat of vaporization of water typically considered in energy calculations?
What is the heat of vaporization of water typically considered in energy calculations?
Why is the destruction of organic content in MSW significant in waste management?
Why is the destruction of organic content in MSW significant in waste management?
What additional information is necessary to calculate the higher heating value (HHV) of a fuel?
What additional information is necessary to calculate the higher heating value (HHV) of a fuel?
What is a significant feature of gasification compared to combustion?
What is a significant feature of gasification compared to combustion?
What does the term 'flow' represent in the context of material flow analysis?
What does the term 'flow' represent in the context of material flow analysis?
What best describes a 'stock' in material flow analysis?
What best describes a 'stock' in material flow analysis?
Which of the following is an example of a transfer coefficient?
Which of the following is an example of a transfer coefficient?
What is a key factor that influences the relationship between stocks and flows?
What is a key factor that influences the relationship between stocks and flows?
What is the purpose of a generic process diagram in material flow analysis?
What is the purpose of a generic process diagram in material flow analysis?
How can the number of scrapped cars be inferred?
How can the number of scrapped cars be inferred?
What is a potential use for air pollution control residue (APCR)?
What is a potential use for air pollution control residue (APCR)?
What impact do contaminants in APCR have on cement production?
What impact do contaminants in APCR have on cement production?
What is the primary function of the induced-draft fan in the flue gas system?
What is the primary function of the induced-draft fan in the flue gas system?
Which components are primarily contained in flue gas from municipal waste incineration?
Which components are primarily contained in flue gas from municipal waste incineration?
What type of scrubbers are commonly used to react with acid gases in the flue gas stream?
What type of scrubbers are commonly used to react with acid gases in the flue gas stream?
Which of the following technologies is used for reducing NOx in flue gas emissions?
Which of the following technologies is used for reducing NOx in flue gas emissions?
What is the primary environmental concern associated with the emissions from incinerators?
What is the primary environmental concern associated with the emissions from incinerators?
What technology combination does the European Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for Waste Incineration refer to?
What technology combination does the European Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for Waste Incineration refer to?
Which type of filtration system is commonly used in modern incinerators for particulate removal?
Which type of filtration system is commonly used in modern incinerators for particulate removal?
Why are modern incinerators designed to avoid the formation of dioxins and furans?
Why are modern incinerators designed to avoid the formation of dioxins and furans?
What are the four impact categories examined in the study?
What are the four impact categories examined in the study?
In which climate was the impact of building types NOT tested according to the study?
In which climate was the impact of building types NOT tested according to the study?
What is the primary reason supporting the sustainability of building renovation over new construction?
What is the primary reason supporting the sustainability of building renovation over new construction?
Which UN Sustainable Development Goal is NOT directly supported by LCA in the construction sector?
Which UN Sustainable Development Goal is NOT directly supported by LCA in the construction sector?
How long can it take for a new energy-efficient building to overcome the environmental impacts of its construction?
How long can it take for a new energy-efficient building to overcome the environmental impacts of its construction?
What is the importance of examining multiple building types in different climates in this study?
What is the importance of examining multiple building types in different climates in this study?
What common misconception about new energy-efficient buildings is highlighted in the study?
What common misconception about new energy-efficient buildings is highlighted in the study?
Which statement about building renovation versus new construction is accurate based on the findings of the study?
Which statement about building renovation versus new construction is accurate based on the findings of the study?
Flashcards
Product-as-a-Service
Product-as-a-Service
Extending product functionality by renting instead of selling, appealing to consumers who prioritize access over ownership.
Micro-level Circularity
Micro-level Circularity
Strategies that address resource management at the individual product or business level, focusing on product design and business model innovation.
Meso-level Circularity
Meso-level Circularity
Strategies that focus on improving resource flows across multiple businesses, such as optimizing supply chains and promoting collaborative resource use.
Macro-level Circularity
Macro-level Circularity
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Limits to Circularity: Global Growth
Limits to Circularity: Global Growth
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Limits to Circularity: Material Flows
Limits to Circularity: Material Flows
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Rebound Effect
Rebound Effect
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Direct Rebound
Direct Rebound
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
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Green Building
Green Building
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Building Renovation
Building Renovation
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New Construction
New Construction
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Payback Period
Payback Period
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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)
Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)
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Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
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Model Uncertainty in MFA
Model Uncertainty in MFA
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Data Uncertainty in MFA
Data Uncertainty in MFA
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Data Quality Assessment
Data Quality Assessment
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MFA Limitation: No Impact Assessment
MFA Limitation: No Impact Assessment
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Stock and Flow Analysis Problem
Stock and Flow Analysis Problem
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System Boundary in MFA
System Boundary in MFA
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Key Processes, Flows, and Stocks
Key Processes, Flows, and Stocks
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Product Lifetime in MFA
Product Lifetime in MFA
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Material Flow
Material Flow
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Material Stock
Material Stock
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Transfer Coefficient
Transfer Coefficient
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Product Lifetime
Product Lifetime
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Process Diagram
Process Diagram
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Data Gap Closure Techniques
Data Gap Closure Techniques
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Proxy Data
Proxy Data
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Coprocessing
Coprocessing
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Purpose of Energy Recovery and Controlled Disposal
Purpose of Energy Recovery and Controlled Disposal
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MSW Incineration
MSW Incineration
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Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic Digestion
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Landfill Design and Operation
Landfill Design and Operation
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Landfill Closure
Landfill Closure
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Landfill Mining
Landfill Mining
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Other Disposal Methods
Other Disposal Methods
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Heating Values of Waste Fuels (HHV and LHV)
Heating Values of Waste Fuels (HHV and LHV)
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How does a waste incinerator generate electricity?
How does a waste incinerator generate electricity?
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What are the main components of flue gas from waste incineration?
What are the main components of flue gas from waste incineration?
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What are dioxins and furans?
What are dioxins and furans?
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How do modern incinerators limit dioxins and furans?
How do modern incinerators limit dioxins and furans?
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How are acid gases removed in flue gas cleaning?
How are acid gases removed in flue gas cleaning?
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How is mercury removed from flue gas?
How is mercury removed from flue gas?
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How are solid byproducts removed from flue gas?
How are solid byproducts removed from flue gas?
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What type of filter is commonly used in modern incinerators for particulate removal?
What type of filter is commonly used in modern incinerators for particulate removal?
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Study Notes
Circular Economy
- A circular economy is an economic system that aims to achieve sustainability goals through more efficient and circular use of materials.
- It's defined as a model of production and consumption, involving sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials & products for as long as possible.
- A circular economy replaces the linear take-make-dispose model with one where materials and products are used more intensively, for longer, and repeatedly.
Learning Objectives (Circular Economy)
- Explain the idea, concepts, and principles of a circular economy.
- Describe the main types and purposes of material loops.
- Explain the major strategies for achieving a circular economy.
- Explain how a transition to circularity may take place.
- Reflect on challenges and limitations regarding circularity.
The Environment
- Sustainable yield; the rate at which materials are extracted should not exceed the rate at which they regrow.
- Stocks of non-renewable materials should be substituted with renewable materials in the long run.
- Respect limits to the environmental pressures that ecosystems can endure.
- Circular economy (CE) is tailored to addressing environmental pressures directly related to material use; it is not a comprehensive strategy for all manners of environmental protection.
Economy
- In the long term, the economy should gain from the protection of the natural environment, because it critically depends on it for the provision of natural resources.
- Cost savings may result from extended and repeated use of materials, reducing virgin material demand and input costs for businesses.
- Price volatility of raw materials can be reduced.
- Recycling and other circular activities reduce dependence on raw materials.
- Businesses expect increasing demand for circular products and services (marketing advantages).
Society
- A circular economy has the potential to address profound social impacts of production and consumption, although it is often promoted for its environmental and economic benefits.
- The circular economy is relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Material Circularity
- CE often distinguishes between two types of materials or 'nutrients': biotic and abiotic.
- Narrower loops are generally preferred to wider loops because they tend to be more environmentally friendly and require less effort per unit of time.
Value Creation
- The circular economy is driven by the observation that many common activities destroy material value.
- Maintaining value in a circular economy can be achieved by maximizing added value.
Circular Strategies
- Micro-level: Strategies that relate to individual products or businesses include product design and business model innovation.
- Meso-level: Strategies that relate to cross-business activities, focus on improving supply chains and industrial symbiosis.
- Macro-level: Strategies focused on decision-making at the city, region, national or global level to monitor and support micro- and meso-level activity.
Limits to Circularity
- All circular-economy activity requires energy (for transport, cleaning, and disassembly).
- Many materials are not available to be circled back into the economy and 100% efficient circulation of materials is rarely possible.
- Global growth in consumption, and changing fashion and technology pose challenges.
- The rebound effect exists: when waste prevention reduces the cost of a product, people often buy more, leading to further environmental impact.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- LCA is a powerful tool used to assess the environmental impact of products, processes, and services throughout their entire life cycle.
- The course focuses on LCA of products and processes related to buildings, infrastructure, and the built environment in general.
- Environmental impact includes a wide range of negative effects (stressors).
- Life cycle thinking is a crucial approach for LCA, based on three key principles: Systems perspective, Long-term view, and Interdisciplinary approach.
- A YouTube video explains how to map out the life cycle of a product.
Environmental Footprint
- Environmental footprint measures the impact of buildings and infrastructure on the environment.
- Types of environmental footprint include Water Footprint, Carbon Footprint (Climate Change Footprint), Resource Footprint, Atmospheric Footprint, Waste Footprint, and Biodiversity Footprint (Ecological Footprint).
LCA for Sustainable Construction
- LCA helps with key decisions about building design, material selection, and construction methods.
- LCA helps with sustainable infrastructure planning, urban development and impact assessment.
- LCA can help mitigate climate change, reduce water pollution and reduce resource depletion.
Benefits of LCA
- LCA enables the construction sector to contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- LCA enables life cycle design.
- LCA practical applications include Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which provide transparent and comparable information about the environmental performance of products over their life cycle, including resource depletion, global warming potential, energy consumption, water consumption, and emissions to air, water, and soil.
- LEED awards points for using building materials with verified EPDs.
LCA in Practice
- Examining impact categories (climate change, human health, ecosystem quality, resource depletion) for different building types and climates; helps determine the environmental impacts of building renovation vs. new construction.
- Examples of LCA application are the National Trust for Historic Preservation comparing new and renovated building's impact on the environment.
Hazardous Waste and Risk Management
- This involves careful handling, specialized containers & transport, and licensed disposal facilities to manage hazardous waste.
- Specific regulations (e.g., EPA in the US) must be strictly adhered to for liability and risk management purposes.
- Proper industrial waste management can be expensive.
Waste Collection and Treatment
- The purpose and concept of waste treatment (physical, physicochemical, biological & thermal) is covered.
- The technological basis of widely applied waste treatments include topics like: different treatment processes, the Waste Hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose), global waste statistics, and zero-waste philosophies.
- Main environmental impacts are discussed for treatment technologies.
Assessment Methods
- Main purposes of conducting an impact assessment include material flow analysis (MFA) and lifecycle assessment (LCA).
- MFA is a systematic assessment of the flows and stocks of materials with a defined system scope/boundary, Input – Output = Stock change.
- The process diagram is an iterative data-collection process. Methods to address data gaps are presented (e.g., using stock dynamics, stoichiometry, and proxies).
- Various sources of uncertainty (gaps in data sources) are outlined in MFA, including aspects of data quality. Examples of MFA studies and their importance are provided, e.g., on mapping current flows and recycling potential of paper lifecycle in the EU economy.
Energy Recovery and Disposal
- The purpose of energy recovery and controlled disposal, is to understand the process and main aspects of anaerobic digestion, MSW incineration, landfill design, operation, closure and landfill mining and to describe the various final disposal methods.
- Energy recovery has the additional benefit of replacing some fossil fuels with energy recovered from waste and various waste types as fuel are described in comparison with coal and natural gas
- Detailed aspects of flue gas cleaning during incineration are provided, covering the common technologies employed for acid gases, NOx and fly ash removal.
Waste Recycling
- Purpose, concept, types, process, challenges, limitations and benefits of recycling in material industries, and economic motivations are discussed.
- The concept of recycling is the reprocessing of waste into a feedstock for making new materials/products.
- Recycling consists of collection, separation, cleaning/processing into a secondary feedstock.
- Recycling can reduce impacts from extraction of primary materials, reducing energy, transport and emissions, but may require more water or chemicals, plus some differences in production technology.
- Recycling and product lifetimes are discussed regarding the completeness of the recycle process.
- Cases from Jordan and Lebanon regarding waste management efficiency are discussed.
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Description
This quiz explores key concepts and strategies related to the circular economy, including micro and meso-level approaches, limitations to achieving circularity, and the impact of consumer behavior. Test your understanding of terms like rebound effect and material flow analysis.