Search results for "Circular Economy"
showing 10 items of 179 documents
Life Cycle Assessment of repurposed electric vehicle batteries: an adapted method based on modelling energy flows
2018
Abstract After their first use in electric vehicles (EVs), the residual capacity of traction batteries can make them valuable in other applications. Although reusing EV batteries remains an undeveloped market, second-use applications of EV batteries are in line with circular economy principles and the waste management hierarchy. Although substantial environmental benefits are expected from reusing traction batteries, further efforts are needed in data collection, modelling the life-cycle stages and calculating impact indicators to propose a harmonized and adapted life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. To properly assess the environmental benefits and drawbacks of using repurposed EV batteries …
Dual removal and selective recovery of phosphate and an organophosphorus pesticide from water by a Zr-based metal-organic framework
2021
The authors express their thanks for the financial support provided by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019-EF-ST-888972-PSustMOF, F.J.C.; H2020-MSCA-IF-2016-GF-749359-EnanSET, N.M.P.) within the European Union H2020 programme and EU FEDER. MINECO (CTQ2017-84692-R, PID2020-113608RB-I00, PEJ2018-004022-A), Universidad de Granada (Plan Propio de Investigacion and Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucia 2014-2020: B-FQM-364-UGR18), Junta de Andalucia (P18-RT-612) and 2020 Post-doctoral Junior Leadere-Retaining Fellowship, la Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434 and fellowship code LCF/BQ/PR20/11770014, N.M.P.) are also acknowledged for funding. Funding for open access cha…
Valorisation of SWRO brines in a remote island through a circular approach: Techno-economic analysis and perspectives
2022
Nowadays, small remote islands rely heavily on desalination technologies to overcome freshwater scarcity. Unfortunately, these technologies are accompanied by the production of brines which can affect the receiving water bodies i.e., the aquatic ecosystem. Yet, it is extremely appealing how such brines constitute an abundant source of valuable raw materials (such as magnesium). In this work, a novel hybrid system is introduced to capture the value of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brines produced in the minor Sicilian island of Pantelleria. The “Minimal Liquid Discharge” (MLD) process consists of: (i) Nanofiltration NF (separation of bivalent from monovalent ions), (ii) Mg Reactive Crystal…
Design e ficodindia : per uno sviluppo locale sostenibile
2017
L’articolo descrive il rapporto tra il design e un prodotto dell’agroalimentare siciliano, il ficodindia di Roccapalumba, per uno sviluppo economico e territoriale nel rispetto dell’ambiente. A tal fine il ficodindia è considerato risorsa in grado di avviare delle innovazioni, come la valorizzazione degli scarti e la relazione tra gli attori locali. Nell’articolo, per generare una seconda vita agli scarti, si è studiato il ciclo di vita del ficodindia e tra i vari output si è considerato la potatura dei cladodi da cui si è ricavato una fibra, utilizzata in modo innovativo e secondo una visione locale, puntando sul patrimonio culturale e sulle tradizioni. The article describes the relationsh…
European National Road Authorities and Circular Economy: An Insight into Their Approaches
2020
The pavement engineering industry, having realized the significance of the impacts that it imposes on the environment through the production, construction and management of its products and assets, has been driven towards a more sustainable and circular way of operating. This has partly been through asphalt recycling, which is an area that many road authorities have prioritized. However, not all the National Road Authorities (NRAs) and/or sector stakeholders seem to be adequately familiar with the Circular Economy (CE) concept. This paper attempts to assist the transition of NRAs to a more circular way of doing business, by analyzing the current situation of CE within national/regional auth…
Innovation strategies geared toward the circular economy: A case study of the organic olive-oil industry
2018
Circular Economy (CE) focuses on the (re)design of processes and products aiming to minimize negative environmental impact, by reducing the use of non-renewable resources, increasing products durability, improving waste management and enhancing the market for secondary raw materials. In the management field very few contributions deal with the topic of CE as a model that firms can implement from a business model perspective. The aim of the present study is to describe, by using a case study in olive oil industry, how firms in practice adapt their business model towards CE paradigm and the influence of personal drivers and stakeholders in this adaptation. The findings reveal that circular ec…
On the way to ‘zero waste’ management: Recovery potential of elements, including rare earth elements, from fine fraction of waste
2018
Abstract Existing schemes of solid waste handling have been improved implementing advanced systems for recovery and reuse of various materials. Nowadays, the ‘zero waste’ concept is becoming more topical through the reduction of disposed waste. Recovery of metals, nutrients and other materials that can be returned to the material cycles still remain as a challenge for future. Landfill mining (LFM) is one of the approaches that can deal with former dumpsites, and derived materials may become important for circular economy within the concept ‘beyond the zero waste’. Perspectives of material recovery can include recycling of critical industrial metals, including rare earth elements (REEs). The…
New frontiers from removal to recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater in the Circular Economy
2020
[EN] Nutrient recovery technologies are rapidly expanding due to the need for the appropriate recycling of key elements from waste resources in order to move towards a truly sustainable modern society based on the Circular Economy. Nutrient recycling is a promising strategy for reducing the depletion of non-renewable resources and the environmental impact linked to their extraction and manufacture. However, nutrient recovery technologies are not yet fully mature, as further research is needed to optimize process efficiency and enhance their commercial applicability. This paper reviews state-of-the-art of nutrient recovery, focusing on frontier technological advances and economic and environ…
A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt
2023
Resource depletion and climate change, amongst others, are increasingly worrying environmental challenges for which the road engineering sector is a major contributor. Globally, viable solutions that comply with the principles of circular economy (CE) are being investigated that can replace conventional asphalt mixtures in a post-fossil fuel society. The use of reclaimed asphalt (RA) is a widely used and well-established method to reduce the environmental and economic impacts of asphalt mixtures while increasing their circularity. However, RA’s market supply and demand have not yet been systematically analyzed and established. Moreover, the actual circularity potential and the opportu…
Combined membrane and thermal desalination processes for the treatment of ion exchange resins spent brine
2019
Abstract The disposal of industrial wastewater effluents represents a critical environmental issue. This work focuses on the treatment of the spent brine produced by the regeneration of ion exchange resins employed for water softening. For the first time, a comprehensive techno-economic assessment and an analysis of the energy requirements of the treatment chain are carried out, via the simulation of ad hoc implemented models. The chain is composed of nanofiltration, double-stage crystallization and multi-effect distillation. The valuable product is the brine produced by the multi-effect distillation, which can be re-used for the regeneration. Therefore, the treatment chain’s economic feasi…