1,721,050 research outputs found
Applicazione del Life Cycle Assessment al servizio di erogazione di acqua potabile in Romagna
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MFA e LCA applicate a risorse “critiche” nel settore dell’illuminazione: l'esempio dell'europio
No full textLa ricerca di sistemi di illuminazione ad alta efficienza è tra le misure di contrasto al cambiamento climatico adottate dall’Unione Europea. Tuttavia, se da un lato lampade a fluorescenza e light-emitting diodes (LED) hanno ridotto la domanda di energia per l’illuminazione, dall’altro hanno vincolato lo sviluppo su metalli come le terre rare, ritenute “critiche” per l’elevato rischio di approvvigionamento dovuto alla scarsità di depositi naturali e una produzione interconnessa.
Tra le terre rare, l’europio ha scandito gli avanzamenti tecnologici nel settore dell’illuminazione dalla retroilluminazione di televisori a tubo catodico fino agli schermi piatti attuali, dalle lampade compatte a fluorescenza ai LED di nuova generazione.
Il riciclo a fine vita dell’europio, oggi inesistente, permetterebbe di garantire l’accesso a risorse essenziali per l’industria europea e di ridurre l’impatto ambientale associato alla produzione da fonti primarie. Queste potenzialità sono state esplorate combinando Life Cycle Assessment e un modello di analisi dei flussi di materia (Material Flow Analysis).
Lo studio stima che più di 50 tonnellate/anno di europio potrebbero essere riciclate dal flusso secondario in Europa. Il riciclo dell’europio dalle lampade a fine vita è energeticamente intensivo, richiedendo operazioni meccaniche, termiche e processi idrometallurgici. Tuttavia, si stima che più dell’80% degli impatti ambientali associati alla produzione da fonti primarie possano essere evitati grazie al riciclo.
L’analisi LCA si pone come metodologia essenziale per l’analisi della relazione tra domanda e approvvigionamento di risorse, consumo di energia e contrasto al cambiamento climatico
Environmental implications of future copper demand and supply in Europe
Get PDFCopper is the third metal by production volume after iron and aluminium, but its wide use in modern technology can be affected by high vulnerability to supply restriction due to the anticipated mine production peak. Securing access to copper forms is of particular importance for countries highly depending on imports, notably many EU Member States. Recycling of postconsumer scrap can help to reduce Europe’s reliance on natural reserves and to reduce the environmental impacts associated with primary copper production, but end-of-life management of copper scrap is far from perfect recycling performance. In this work, we combined material flow analysis, scenario analysis and life cycle assessment to explore the possible evolution of copper demand in the EU-28 to 2050 and discussed the potentials for energy savings and climate mitigation achievable under the creation of a circular economy in the EU-28
Closing the copper cycle in the EU-28: scenario analysis and potentials for GHG emissions reduction
No full textCopper is widely used in modern society, finding application in traditional end-uses such as plumbing, infrastructure, and transportation, but it is also an essential material in emerging green energy technologies. Europe (i.e., EU-28) has modest natural deposits and strongly depends on imports to meet the domestic demand. In light of such an extended import reliance and possible supply shortages, end-of-life recycling can secure access to secondary copper forms and support the implementation of a circular economy.
In addition, as copper recycling is generally less energy intensive than primary copper production, closing the elemental cycle through recycling would result in significant environmental benefits. However, despite a well-established industry network in the copper value chain, the EU-28 is still far from perfect recycling highlighting wide margins for improvements.
Some of these potentials for copper circularity and environmental benefits were explored combining four well-regarded UNEP scenarios with material flow analysis. For each scenario, the copper demand and supply in the region was modeled to 2050. We commented the results in the case of stationary end-of-life recycling performance and under the hypothetical implementation of a near-perfect recycling condition. Life cycle assessment indicators were modeled to evaluate the resulting energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
The results show that copper recycling can contribute significantly to reduce the energy requirements and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with the regional copper industry. However, for three out of the four scenarios the current recycling performance seems not to be enough to close the copper cycle. Fundamental constraints are likely to limit the implementation of a circular economy unless dramatic changes occur in the current pattern of copper production, consumption and recycling at end-of-life
The QUMEC project: Urban mines and the metal-energy-climate change nexus
No full textSecuring access to raw materials is of particular concern for countries highly dependent on imports. This is the case of many EU States. Because of issues related to decreasing ore grades and scarcity of supply of primary metal forms, recycling of above-ground deposits of metal-bearing waste (or “in-use stock”) will become an increasingly important to secure resources and provide essential building blocks to the European industry.
Recycling of metal in-use stock has the further potential of avoiding consuming the large amounts of energy required in primary metal production and of reducing related greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, however, because of metal losses during and after use, end-of-life recycling rate (EOL-RR) for many metals are very low, so the potential for improving recycling efficiencies is an important consideration for the achievement of a more resource efficient economy and sustainable development in Europe.
This project adopted a comprehensive research line merging complementary drivers in the assessment of the metal-energy-climate change nexus for (i) estimating the size of current urban mines for selected, critical metals; (ii) assessing future opportunities and barriers to their recycling, and (iii) related potentials for energy savings and carbon emissions reduction. Copper, indium, neodymium, and europium have been selected as target metals in virtue of the considerable insights that can be provided in the general potential for improving end-of-life recycling.
The study presents the results of the “QUEMC” project, which has received funding under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 704633. The results of this project are expected to reach a wide impact in the research community and to constitute an evidence-based for enhancing resource efficiency and recycling in the European economy
The Anthropogenic Cycle of Europium and the Demand for Critical Resources in the Lighting Sector
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