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Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems

Author

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  • Brogaard, Line K.
  • Damgaard, Anders
  • Jensen, Morten B.
  • Barlaz, Morton
  • Christensen, Thomas H.

Abstract

This paper reviews databases on material recycling (primary as well as secondary production) used in life cycle assessments (LCA) of waste management systems. A total of 366 datasets, from 1980 to 2010 and covering 14 materials, were collected from databases and reports. Totals for CO2-equivalent emissions were compared to illustrate variations in the data. It was hypothesised that emissions from material production and the recycling industry had decreased over time due to increasing regulation, energy costs and process optimisation, but the reported datasets did not reveal such a general trend. Data representing the same processes varied considerably between databases, and proper background information was hard to obtain, which in turn made it difficult to explain the large differences observed. Those differences between the highest and lowest estimated CO2 emissions (equivalents) from the primary production of newsprint, HDPE and glass were 238%, 443% and 452%, respectively. For steel and aluminium the differences were 1761% and 235%, respectively. There is a severe lack of data for some recycled materials; for example, only one dataset existed for secondary cardboard. The study shows that the choice of dataset used to represent the environmental load of a material recycling process and credited emissions from the avoided production of virgin materials is crucial for the outcome of an LCA on waste management. Great care and a high degree of transparency are mandatory, but advice on which datasets to use could not be determined from the study. However, from the gathered data, recycling in general showed lower emission of CO2 per kg material than primary production, so the recycling of materials (considered in this study) is thus beneficial in most cases.

Suggested Citation

  • Brogaard, Line K. & Damgaard, Anders & Jensen, Morten B. & Barlaz, Morton & Christensen, Thomas H., 2014. "Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 30-45.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:87:y:2014:i:c:p:30-45
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.03.011
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel Hoornweg & Perinaz Bhada-Tata & Chris Kennedy, 2013. "Environment: Waste production must peak this century," Nature, Nature, vol. 502(7473), pages 615-617, October.
    2. Fitzgerald, Garrett C. & Krones, Jonathan S. & Themelis, Nickolas J., 2012. "Greenhouse gas impact of dual stream and single stream collection and separation of recyclables," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 50-56.
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    Cited by:

    1. Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan D. & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Foley, Aoife M. & Griffiths, Steve & Bazilian, Morgan & Kim, Jinsoo & Rooney, David, 2022. "Decarbonizing the glass industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    2. Niero, Monia & Olsen, Stig Irving, 2016. "Circular economy: To be or not to be in a closed product loop? A Life Cycle Assessment of aluminium cans with inclusion of alloying elements," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 18-31.
    3. Stotz, Philippe Maurice & Niero, Monia & Bey, Niki & Paraskevas, Dimos, 2017. "Environmental screening of novel technologies to increase material circularity: A case study on aluminium cans," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 96-106.
    4. Diyamandoglu, Vasil & Fortuna, Lorena M., 2015. "Deconstruction of wood-framed houses: Material recovery and environmental impact," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 21-30.
    5. Lausselet, Carine & Cherubini, Francesco & Oreggioni, Gabriel David & del Alamo Serrano, Gonzalo & Becidan, Michael & Hu, Xiangping & Rørstad, Per Kr. & Strømman, Anders Hammer, 2017. "Norwegian Waste-to-Energy: Climate change, circular economy and carbon capture and storage," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 50-61.
    6. Angélica F. M. Streit & Marianna P. Santana & Daliomar Lourenço Oliveira Júnior & Mariana M. Bassaco & Eduardo H. Tanabe & Guilherme L. Dotto & Daniel A. Bertuol, 2022. "Development of a pre-treatment process of polymeric wastes (HDPE, LDPE/LLDPE, PP) for application in the qualification of selectors of recyclable materials," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6349-6371, May.
    7. Turner, David A. & Williams, Ian D. & Kemp, Simon, 2015. "Greenhouse gas emission factors for recycling of source-segregated waste materials," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 186-197.

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