Search results for "CIRCULAR ECONOMY"
showing 10 items of 179 documents
Towards sustainable production of minerals and chemicals through seawater brine treatment using Eutectic freeze crystallization and Electrodialysis w…
2022
European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of minerals and chemicals. In this respect, desalination brines do contain a dramatic amount of valuable minerals and can be valorized through appropriate treatments rather than releasing them into the environment. This paper proposes an innovative brine recovery system for obtaining high purity chemicals through the integration of Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane (EDBM) technologies. Two separate laboratory-scale experimental campaigns were carried out to validate the potential integration of the two processes. Mirabilite (Na2SO4∙10H2O) h…
Life Cycle Assessment for Supporting Eco-Design: The Case Study of Sodium–Nickel Chloride Cells
2021
The European Union is moving towards a sustainable, decarbonized, and circular economy. It has identified seven key value chains in which to intervene, with the battery and vehicle value chain being one of them. Thus, actions and strategies for the sustainability of batteries need to be developed. Since Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a strategic tool for evaluating environmental sustainability, this paper investigates its application to two configurations of a sodium–nickel chloride cell (planar and tubular), focusing on the active material and the anode, with the purpose of identifying the configuration characterized by the lowest environmental impacts. The results, based on a “from cradle…
Innovative Non-Thermal Technologies for Recovery and Valorization of Value-Added Products from Crustacean Processing By-Products—An Opportunity for a…
2021
The crustacean processing industry has experienced significant growth over recent decades resulting in the production of a great number of by-products. Crustacean by-products contain several valuable components such as proteins, lipids, and carotenoids, especially astaxanthin and chitin. When isolated, these valuable compounds are characterized by bioactivities such as anti-microbial, antioxidant, and anti-cancer ones, and that could be used as nutraceutical ingredients or additives in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Different innovative non-thermal technologies have appeared as promising, safe, and efficient tools to recover these valuable compounds. This review aims at …
Grounds and Challenges for Implementing a Circular Economy in the European Road transport Sector
2017
Environmental challenges, especially in the form of resource depletion, pollution and greenhouse gas emission, are very important challenges for the socio-economic development. For this reason, the concept of a circular economy has been developed and is being implemented in different areas. In 2015, the European Union adopted the Circular Economy Package consisting of an “EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy”, presenting a set of actions aimed at achieving objectives of the circular economy in Europe. The goal of the paper is to describe and discuss key challenges facing implementation of the concept of the circular economy in the European road transport sector. First, the concept of a c…
CLOSING THE LOOP: STUDY OF INTEGRATED CYCLES WITH NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY, MINERALS AND FRESH WATER
STATE OF PRACTICE IN THE C&DW SECTOR WHILE PURSUING CIRCULAR ECONOMY: THE ITALIAN RECYCLED MATERIALS MARKET IN ROAD ENGINEERING
2022
Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is mainly produced during the construction, demolition, or renovation activities of engineering structures and it accounts for a remarkable amount of the total C&DW generated, as it is estimated to be around 30%. This proportion differs across countries belonging to different types of economies and tends to be greater in countries with developing economies reaching 74% of total annual production. There is a plethora of applications that C&DW can be used for under a circular economic model and in this research study a focus is being given in the utilization of C&DW within the pavement engineering sector, and more specifically, in the u…
Understanding the current state of practice in the construction and demolition waste sector through the lenses of circular economy: The Italian recyc…
Construction and demolition waste (CeDw) is mainly produced during the construction, demolition, or renovation activities of civil engineering structures and it accounts for a remarkable amount of the total C&Dw generated, as it is estimated to be around 30%. This proportion differs between countries belonging to different types of economies and tends to be greater in countries with developing economies reaching 74% of total annual production. There is a plethora of applications that C&Dw can be used for under a circular economic model and in this research a focus is being given in the exploitation of C&Dw within the pavement engineering sector, and more specifically, in the uti…
The Sustainability of Reclaimed Asphalt as a Resource for Road Pavement Management through a Circular Economic Model
2019
The transition of the road engineering industry to a circular way of doing business requires more efficient and sustainable resources, energy, and waste management. The rates in which reclaimed asphalt is being recycled or reused in the asphalt mixture production process constitutes a crucial parameter in this transition. This paper aims at establishing a further step towards the combined circularity and sustainability of asphalt pavements, by introducing a framework for quantifying their Material Circularity Index. The framework is based on the methodology proposed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and accordingly tailored for the context of asphalt pavements. This study, thus, attempts to…
Understanding formability and geometrical accuracy of SPIF process used as reshaping approach
2021
Putting in place Circular Economy strategies is an urgent action to be undertaken. Manufacturing processes play a relevant role as efficient material reuse enabler. Scientists have to make an effort either to find new process or to rethink old process to reprocess End-of-life (EoL) components to recover both material and functions. In this paper, Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) process is used for reshaping sheet metal EoL components. Deep drawing process as well as uniaxial pre-straining (to imitate the End-of-Life component) followed by SPIF operations (to obtain the reshaped components) are set- up and implemented to form and reform aluminum sheet metal components. As the authors…
An energy efficiency analysis of single point incremental forming as an approach for sheet metal based component reuse
2020
Producing materials causes about 25% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Metals play a significant role, steel and aluminum account for 24% and 3% of worldwide material related emissions respectively. Fostering resources efficiency strategies in the field of sheet components could lead to a significant environmental impact reduction. Reshaping could be one of the most efficient strategy to foster material reuse and lower the environmental impact due to material production. Specifically, for aluminum recycling, the overall energy efficiency of conventional route is very low and, more importantly, permanent material losses occur during re-melting because of oxidation. The present paper aims a…