Browsing by Keyword "Circular economy"
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Item Behaviour and Properties of Eco-Cement Pastes Elaborated with Recycled Concrete Powder from Construction and Demolition Wastes(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2021-03-08) Caneda-Martínez, Laura; Monasterio, Manuel; Moreno-Juez, Jaime; Martínez-Ramírez, Sagrario; García, Rosario; Frías, MoisésThis work analyses the influence of fine concrete fractions (<5 mm) of different natures —calcareous (HcG) and siliceous (HsT)—obtained from construction and demolition waste (C&DW) on the behaviour of blended cement pastes with partial replacements between 5 and 10%. The two C&DW fractions were characterised by different instrumental techniques. Subsequently, their limefixing capacity and the physico-mechanical properties of the blended cement pastes were analysed. Lastly, the environmental benefits of reusing these fine wastes in the manufacture of future ecoefficient cement pastes were examined. The results show that HsT and HcG exhibit weak pozzolanic activity, owing to their low reactive silica and alumina content. Despite this, the new cement pastes meet the physical and mechanical requirements of the existing regulations for common cements. It should be highlighted that the blended cement pastes initially showed a coarser pore network, but then they underwent a refinement process between 2 and 28 days, along with a gain in compressive strength, possibly due to the double pozzolanic and filler effect of the wastes. The environmental viability of the blended cements was evaluated in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) concluding that the overall environmental impact could be reduced in the same proportion of the replacement rate. This is in line with the Circular Economy goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.Item Collaborative Robots in e-waste Management(2017) Alvarez-de-los-Mozos, Esther; Renteria, Arantxa; Robótica MédicaNowadays manufacturing companies are going through an increasing public and government pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. But when dealing with e-waste, some difficulties arise in classifying and dismantling electronic devices. Manual operations are financially prohibitive and full automation is also discarded due to the lack of uniformity of the disposed devices. A halfway solution is to let a human operator and a robot share the process. The goal of this research is the optimization of the recycling process of electronic equipments, applying both technical and economic criteria, and taking into account the latest developments in collaborative robots.Item Does circular economy mitigate the extraction of natural resources? Empirical evidence based on analysis of 28 European economies over the past decade(2023-01) Bianchi, Marco; Cordella, Mauro; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; ECONOMÍA CIRCULARMoving towards a circular economy (CE) has become one of the main strategic initiatives on a global scale in the search for sustainable economic systems. However, the conceptual relationship between sustainable development and the circular economy is a matter of ongoing debate. In particular, the extent to which CE initiatives are contributing to the mitigation of resource extraction seems to be a still unclear topic. This paper investigates the relationship between the extraction of natural resources and the CE, and also analyses the effects of critical socioeconomic drivers such as economic and population growth and economic structures. The analysis is based on a panel data covering 28 European countries during the period 2010–2019. Results confirm that promoting a shift towards more circular economic systems can reduce the extraction of primary resources. However, the mitigating effect of CE initiatives remains rather marginal when compared to the impact of economic growth. Namely, estimates show that the primary resources extracted annually linked to economic growth are roughly four times the resources saved by CE initiatives. The findings provide evidence that the circularity of economic systems should be approached from a systemic perspective that includes both production and consumption as well as waste management. In particular, complementary measures addressing behavioural consumption are needed if we want to achieve a sustainable development.Item Human-Robot Collaboration as a new paradigm in circular economy for WEEE management(2019) Renteria, Arantxa; Alvarez-de-los-Mozos, Esther; Robótica MédicaE-waste is a priority waste stream as identified by the European Commission due to fast technological changes and eagerness of consumers to acquire new products. The value chain of the Waste on Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has to face several challenges: the EU directives requesting collection targets for 2019–2022, the costs of disassembly processes which is highly dependent on the applied technology and type of discarded device, and the sale of the obtained components and/or raw materials, with market prices varying according to uncontrolled variables at world level. This paper presents a human-robot collaboration for a recycling process where tasks are opportunistically assigned to either a human-being or a robot depending on the condition of the discarded electronic device. This solution presents some important advantages; i.e. tedious and dangerous tasks are assigned to robots whereas more value-added tasks are allocated to humans, thus preserving jobs and increasing job satisfaction. Furthermore, first results from a prototype show greater productivity and profitable projected investment.Item Improving the understanding of Circular Economy potential at territorial level using Systems Thinking(2021-07) Bassi, Dr. Andrea Marcello; Bianchi, Dr. Marco; Guzzetti, Mr. Marco; Pallaske, Mr. Georg; Tapia, Dr. Carlos; ECONOMÍA CIRCULAR; Tecnalia Research & InnovationThe definition of Circular Economy (CE) has evolved over time. It includes intervention options for reducing consumption, improving the efficiency of production, introducing recycling and reuse for materials management, including new business models geared at waste prevention. With the use of Systems Thinking and the creation of Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) we explore how CE strategies are related to territorial dynamics and how the outcomes of such strategies can support sustainable development. We first reviewed the literature, to identify the main drivers of change (i.e. feedback loops) triggered by CE interventions. We then applied the same systemic approach to six case studies across Europe in synergy with ESPON CIRCTER project. This allowed us to review, validate and improve the general systemic approach and further explore the role that specific territorial characteristics can play in the identification, selection and effective implementation of CE interventions. We find that some of the feedback loops emerged from the case studies are not found in the literature. On the one hand, new balancing loops have emerged, representing localized challenges to the implementation of CE strategies. On the other hand, new dynamics related to behavioural change have also emerged, which lead to self-reinforcing mechanisms in the case studies analysed, creating a stronger will for the implementation of CE interventions. The main result of our research is comprehensive CLD that can be used to assess and compare different CE strategies, fully considering the complexity of the CE and its various outcomes across social, economic and environmental indicators.Item Laboratory-scale study and semi-industrial validation of viability of inorganic CDW fine fractions as SCMs in blended cements(2021-02-15) Moreno-Juez, J.; Vegas, Iñigo J.; Frías Rojas, M.; Vigil de la Villa, R.; Guede-Vázquez, E.; TRAZABILIDAD CIRCULAR; GENERALThe construction industry and more particularly cement manufacture industry are European Green Deal strategic priorities for the circularity of Europe’s construction and demolition waste (CDW) stream with a view to reducing CO2 emissions. The industry is engaged in a number of strategies to that end, one of which is to manufacture new low-carbon, lower clinker/cement ratio cements by replacing portland clinker with inorganic fractions of CDW featuring hydraulic or pozzolanic properties. Against the backdrop of that global challenge, the present study explores the cementitious potential of the limestone and siliceous concrete fines and shatterproof building glass found in CDW as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in new blended cements. The research was conducted in two stages: generation of new laboratory-scale knowledge; and industrial validation of the viability of using the highest volume waste streams. The laboratory-scale findings revealed that the presence of the filler effect and pozzolanicity in micronised inorganic fractions of concrete and building glass waste induces the neoformation of hydrated phases and C-S-H gel. Those two developments improve the short- and long-term physical and mechanical properties of the new blended cements at optimal replacement ratios of 5–7%. The order of material effectiveness in shortening setting times, increasing the heat of hydration and maintaining mechanical strength was observed to be as follows: limestone concrete > siliceous concrete > glass waste. Laboratory analysis was followed by a pilot study consisting in the manufacture of 184 t of blended cement in which 5% of the clinker was replaced by recycled concrete. Higher product performance than the commercial reference cement confirmed the industrial, technical, economic and environmental viability of the new product, estimated to hold potential for CO2 emissions abatement on the order of 41 kg CO2 eq./t of cement, which could translate into 80 Mt CO2 eq./year worldwide.Item On the Use of Carbon Cables from Plastic Solvent Combinations of Polystyrene and Toluene in Carbon Nanotube Synthesis(2021-12-21) Orbaek White, Alvin; Hedayati, Ali; Yick, Tim; Gangoli, Varun Shenoy; Niu, Yubiao; Lethbridge, Sean; Tsampanakis, Ioannis; Swan, Gemma; Pointeaux, Léo; Crane, Abigail; Charles, Rhys; Sallah-Conteh, Jainaba; Anderson, Andrew O.; Davies, Matthew Lloyd; Corr, Stuart. J.; Palmer, Richard E.; Tecnalia Research & InnovationFor every three people on the planet, there are approximately two Tonnes (Te) of plastic waste. We show that carbon recovery from polystyrene (PS) plastic is enhanced by the coaddition of solvents to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by liquid injection chemical vapour deposition. Polystyrene was loaded up to 4 wt% in toluene and heated to 780 °C in the presence of a ferrocene catalyst and a hydrogen/argon carrier gas at a 1:19 ratio. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The PS addition in the range from 0 to 4 wt% showed improved quality and CNT homogeneity; Raman “Graphitic/Defective” (G/D) values increased from 1.9 to 2.3; mean CNT diameters increased from 43.0 to 49.2 nm; and maximum CNT yield increased from 11.37% to 14.31%. Since both the CNT diameters and the percentage yield increased following the addition of polystyrene, we conclude that carbon from PS contributes to the carbon within the MWCNTs. The electrical contact resistance of acid-washed Bucky papers produced from each loading ranged from 2.2 to 4.4 Ohm, with no direct correlation to PS loading. Due to this narrow range, materials with different loadings were mixed to create the six wires of an Ethernet cable and tested using iPerf3; the cable achieved up- and down- link speeds of ~99.5 Mbps, i.e., comparable to Cu wire with the same dimensions (~99.5 Mbps). The lifecycle assessment (LCA) of CNT wire production was compared to copper wire production for a use case in a Boeing 747-400 over the lifespan of the aircraft. Due to their lightweight nature, the CNT wires decreased the CO2 footprint by 21 kTonnes (kTe) over the aircraft’s lifespan.Item Regeneration of Exhausted Palladium-Based Membranes: Recycling Process and Economics: Recycling Process and Economics(2022-07-21) Toro, Luigi; Moscardini, Emanuela; Baldassari, Ludovica M.; Forte, Flavia; Coletta, Jacopo; Palo, Emma; Cosentino, Vittoria; Angelini, Fabio; Arratibel Plazaola, Alba; Pagnanelli, Francesca; Altimari, Pietro; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; TECNOLOGÍA DE MEMBRANAS E INTENSIFICACIÓN DE PROCESOSThe aim of the present work is the recycling treatment of tubular α-Al2O3-supported ceramic membranes with a Pd/Ag selective layer, employed in hydrogen production with integrated CO2 capture. A nitric acid leaching treatment was investigated, and recovered ceramic supports were characterized, demonstrating their suitability for the production of novel efficient membranes. The main objective was the metal dissolution that preserved the support integrity in order to allow the recovered membrane to be suitable for a new deposition of the selective layer. The conditions that obtained a satisfactory dissolution rate of the Pd/Ag layer while avoiding the support to be damaged are as follows: nitric acid 3 M, 60 °C and 3.5 h of reaction time. The efficiency of the recovered supports was determined by nitrogen permeance and surface roughness analysis, and the economic figures were analysed to evaluate the convenience of the regeneration process and the advantage of a recycled membrane over a new membrane. The experimentation carried out demonstrates the proposed process feasibility both in terms of recycling and economic results.Item Regional monitoring frameworks for the circular economy: implications from a territorial perspective: implications from a territorial perspective(2022-03-28) Bianchi, Marco; Cordella, Mauro; Menger, Pierre; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; ECONOMÍA CIRCULARProgress in implementing circular solutions in European regions has so far been limited. This is partly due to the multifaceted territorial contexts characterizing the continent. Ultimately, the understanding of territorial dynamics is key to envisage a successful transition to a circular economy (CE). However, CE discussion from a regional standpoint is still limited and CE frameworks that can be applied to monitor and measure the CE potential in a specific territory remain at a rather theoretical level. This paper contributes to this research gap by (1) presenting a regional monitoring framework across three case studies; (2) analysing the respective territorial patterns from a CE perspective. The three case studies include the central cross-border Scandinavian area, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and the Duchy of Luxembourg. The results reveal that circular initiatives are generally designed on the basis of available local resources and, depending on these, regional strategies seek to optimize the technical and/or biological cycles of local economies. Furthermore, the increasing levels of waste generation observed in all case studies challenge traditional waste policy approaches, generally centred on end-of-life management, in favour of more ambitious initiatives aimed at optimizing use of resources and preventing waste.Item Towards a territorial definition of a circular economy:: exploring the role of territorial factors in closed-loop systems(2021) Tapia, Carlos; Bianchi, Marco; Pallaske, Georg; Bassi, Andrea M.; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; ECONOMÍA CIRCULARThis paper deals with the territorial dimension of a circular economy. We review the territorial factors shaping closed-loop systems, upon which a territorial definition of a circular economy is developed. We consider six categories of territorial factors: (1) Land-based factors emphasize the significance of physical endowment to satisfy the growing demand of secondary and biotic materials in a circular economy; (2) agglomeration factors are important determinants for a circular economy, as these provide circular businesses with the necessary access to resources, knowledge and collaboration, as well as viable markets; some of these functions are enabled by (3) hard territorial factors, in particular by accessibility and connectivity infrastructures as well as by (4) access to state-of-the-art technologies; softer territorial factors, including (5) knowledge-related factors and (6) governance and institutional arrangements, support collaboration among companies and between them, as well as among consumers and public institutions. Our review shows that agglomeration and land-based factors contribute to define the framework conditions of circular transformations, the harder territorial factors (accessibility and technologies) enable the circular economy in practice, and the softer factors (knowledge, awareness, governance and milieus) contribute to catalyse circular transformations. These findings base and complement research done in the ESPON CIRCTER project.