tools to assess and optimise the sustainability of circular economy solutions · ·...

June 21st, 2017

Tools to assess and optimise the

sustainability of circular economy

solutions

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST):

“Mission-driven Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) that develops

advanced technologies and delivers innovative products and services. By

transferring these to society as well as local companies, LIST contributes

strongly to the building of tomorrow’s Luxembourg”

Three main domains:

1. IT for innovative services (ITIS)

2. Materials Research and Technology (MRT)

3. Environmental research and Innovation (ERIN)

Life Cycle Sustainability and Risk Assessment (LiSRA) unit of ERIN:

“Identify the factors undermining environmental health and opportunities for

reducing the environmental impacts and risks associated with industrial

activities and human consumption patterns”

INTRODUCING OUR COMPANY AND UNIT

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• OptiHeat: a regional and industrial symbiosis tool for waste heat valorisation

– Luxembourgish case study.

• LCA: a tool to evaluate the environmental performance of circular economy

business models - case studies on plastic and PVC-flooring recycling

solutions in Belgium and Luxembourg.

A FOCUS ON TWO TOOLS OF LISRA

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Alexandre BertrandJune 21st, 2017

OptiHeat: a regional and industrial

symbiosis tool for waste heat

valorisation – Luxembourgish case

study.

Internal waste heat valorisation in industries often not viable: too high payback time or absolute investment costs.

Real interest for external valorisation for industrial or residential heat users – but need for third party actor (energy service company – ESCo) for the planning, implementation and management of the project.

Approximately 90% of the EU residential and service sectors heating demand could theoretically be covered by excess heat from manufacturing industries, power production and

waste incineration [1]

Need for viable business case for the ESCo to engage in the project : selection of optimal waste heat valorisation opportunity maximising profits.

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OPTIHEAT

THE BARRIERS

[1] U. Persson and S.Werner. District heating in sequential energy supply. Applied Energy, 95(0):123 – 131, 2012.

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OPTIHEAT

THE PROBLEM – COMPLEXITY

Industrial heat sources

Industrial heat sinks

Urban heat sinks

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OPTIHEAT

THE OPTIMISATION TOOL – USER INPUTS

• Energy prices,

• Specific heating utility efficiency,

• Load and temperature levels of heat sources and industrial as well as urban sinks (generic models available)

• Outdoor temperatures

• Market data on load and prices of various heating technologies (boilers, CHPs, heat pumps)

• Standard pipe sizes, costs and thermal insulation

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OPTIHEAT

THE OPTIMISATION TOOL – OUTPUTS

• Global profits,

• Revenues, payback time, operating and investment costs per site

• Load, temperature level and pipe size per connection

• Optimal backup heating technology selection

• Resulting heat losses

• Waste heat and fossil fuel consumptions

• Electricity production from waste heat turbines and CHP plants

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OPTIHEAT

THE CASE STUDY

Objective: Maximise the profits :

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OPTIHEAT

THE THEORY – MATH. OPTIMISATION

Adaptation of the model to optimise the valorisation of

material waste into secondary material considering

constraints of quality (limit downcycling), economic

viability (profits) and environmental impacts to support

circular economy and industrial symbiosis concepts

Development of circularity metrics to assess the

adequacy of a circular approach

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OPTIHEAT

THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Thomas SchaubroeckJune 21st, 2017

LCA: a tool to evaluate the

environmental performance of

circular economy business models

- case studies on plastic and PVC-

flooring recycling solutions in

Belgium and Luxembourg

• Sustainability: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”Three pillars: Environmental, Social and Economic

• Circular Economy (CE) solutions seem to be sustainable but are they for sure?

“Proponents of CE often fail to consider issues of material loss and the additional energy input needed to sustain circularity.“ (Cullen, 2017; Journal of Industrial Ecology)

For example: It might in some cases be more environmentally sustainable to burn waste(with cogeneration) than to transport over long distances to a high-energy demandingrecycling facility

“the circular economy works against both the laws of thermodynamics and the underpinning principles of nature” (Skene, 2017; Sustainability Science)

For example: While fossil fuels encompass a lot of energy they are not easily (re)used bynature and have been piling up (just like waste), implying that nature does not alwaysrecycle

Conclusion: We need to still (!) assess the sustainability of CE solutions; Here we focus on life cycle assessment as a tool to do so

Are circular economy solutions sustainable?

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

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• Life cycle assessment is a tool to assess environmental impacts associated

with a product's life from raw material extraction up until disposal or recycling.

LCA to assess sustainability of CE solutions


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• fgh.


15 Huysman S, Debaveye S, Schaubroeck T, De Meester S, Ardente F, Mathieux F, Dewulf J 2015. Application and further development of the recyclability benefit rate indicator for closed-loop and

open-loop systems: a case study on plastic recycling in Flanders. Resour Conserv Recy 101: 53-60.

2 case studies of plastics recycling in Flanders

Research question: What is the benefit of recycling regarding resource consumption?Resource accounting as the amount of Joules (exergy) extracted





Closed-loop recycling (Galloo)

Resource consumption for recycling/disposal

Displaced resources consumptionof substituted virgin products

ConclusionsThe impact of the recycling itself is much higher than incineration orLandfilling

The avoided impact of recycling,and displacement, is much higher(mainly fossil fuels because it’s aplastic)

Overall, recycling is estimated tolead to considerable resourcesavings (in terms of exergy), for incineration as wellbut not for land filling





Open-loop recycling (Ekol)

Resource consumption for recycling/disposal

Displaced resources consumptionof substituted virgin products

ConclusionsThe impact of the recycling itself is much higher than incineration orLandfilling

The avoided impact of recycling,and displacement, is much higher• mainly fossil for iron• Mainly land resources for wood

Overall, recycling is estimated tolead to considerable resourcesavings (more for wooden bench), for incineration as wellbut not for land filling

• LCA methodology is complex and difficult to apply

Solution by LIST: Provide user-friendly software to easily conduct LCA,

specifically for CE solutions: ECOPACT (explained at booth)

• LCA methodology is limited (e.g. social aspects of recycling not considered)

Solution by LIST: Improve LCA methodology and apply to case studies (of

companies)

For example FLOREC-project (PPP funded by FNR) together with Tarkett:

Sustainability assessment of circular business models of PVC flooring recycling

Two paths forward in LCA applications by LIST


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EPDECOPACT

Industrial specific data

An advanced LCA on PVC flooring recycling


ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND COST OF INDUSTRIAL LIFE

CYCLE ALTERNATIVES- Life Cycle

Assessment

Environmental impact and cost/profit(e.g. 1 kg CO2 eq. m-2 waste PVC)

INPUT: (monetary) inventoryof industrial chains

(production until recycling/disposal),

collected with Tarkett

INPUT: inventory ofbackground industry and impact assessment using LIST software



CONSUMER(RECYCLING)BEHAVIOUR

- Agent Based Modelling



Assessment

Picked business models andshares of to be recycled

and disposed PVC flooring waste(e.g. 40% recycled and 60% disposed)

Product-service formulas andIncentives by

Tarkett(e.g. advertisement

at retailers)

Environmental impact and cost/profitfor given incentives

(e.g. 1 kg CO2 eq. m-2 waste PVC foradvertisement at retailers)

INPUT: consumer response data collection and

modelling with Tarkett




INPUT: generic info and data on recycling behaviour from literature (models)




CONSUMER(RECYCLING)BEHAVIOUR

- Agent Based Modelling



Assessment

STOCKS AND FLOWS IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT- Dynamic Stock

Modelling

Picked business models andshares of to be recycled


Product-service formulas andIncentives by

Tarkett(e.g. advertisement

at retailers)

Environmental impact and cost/profitfor given incentives

differentiated over time and space(e.g. 1 kg CO2 eq. m-2 waste PVC for

advertisement at retailers;110 t CO2 eq. for LUX in the year

2016)

Disposal and recycling flooring waste amounts over time and space(e.g. 110 and 200 t to be recycled

and disposed in 2016 for LUX)

Picked business modelsand shares of to be recycled


INPUT: consumer response data collection and

modelling with Tarkett




INPUT: sales dataover time and space of PVC-flooring

from Tarkett

INPUT: generic info and data on recycling behaviour from literature (models)


INPUT: age and spatial distributionof amount of (disposed) flooring areafrom LIST-model and statistics

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

[email protected]

[email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

LIST is interested to deliver innovative products and services to companies and

society but also to collaborate with them, this specifically regarding CE

solutions.

As a public research institute LIST can attract R&D funding from:

• National research funding schemes such as the FNR

• International research funding schemes, e.g. Horizon2020 funding from the

European Union

• …

These schemes can encompass Public Private Partnerships, implying the

collaboration (possibly with co-funding) between companies and public sector.

Opportunities

COLLABORATION AND FUNDING

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1. Are (your) circular economy solutions sustainable?

2. Can LCA or Optiheat tools be applied to your system?

3. Practical collaboration aspects (funding, timing, intellectual property etc.)

Topics

PANEL DISCUSSION

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tools to assess and optimise the sustainability of circular economy solutions · ·...

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