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Flashcards in Exam: Material and Resources Deck (22)
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1
Q

Resources vs Reserves

A

Resources:
We have a large amount but still a limited amount of resources on Earth. We don’t know all the resources we have (both known and unknown are included) but we can estimate the amount.

Reserves:
Feasible to extract (economically and technologically

To limiting axes:

Degree of certainty:
Proved, probable, possible, not possible yet, undiscovered

Economic feasibility:
Profitable, unprofitable

2
Q

Rucksack

A

Rucksack: [Mtonnes/year]

Material that is not used but has to be moved at the extraction

A lot of the rucksack material is either from soil removal in open mining pits or from deluded materials like copper. Very small percentage is actually copper in the mining extraction.

3
Q

Renewable vs non-renewable

A

Renewable: (ecosphere)

  • food
  • biomaterials
  • bioenergy
  • water
  • air

Non-renewable: (lithosphere)

  • fossil fuels
  • metals
  • non-metallic materials
4
Q

Emissions of substances:

A

Emissions of substances:

  • acidification
  • eutrophication
  • climate change
  • toxicity
  • ozone-depletion
  • ground ozone
How fast are they degraded/removed?
Do they accumulate?
What amount/level is harmful?
Where do they end up?
What/Who is sensitive to this?
5
Q

Increase of energy use from 1900 to 2000

A

1900: less than 50 EJ
2000: almost 450 EJ

Fossil gas, coal and oil are clearly largest and increasing most

6
Q

World population growth

A

[Billion, Miljarder]

1000: 0.3
1700: 0.5 (growth starts)
1900: 1.6
2000: 6
2017: 7.5

1000: 0.3
1500: 0.4
1700: 0.5 (growth starts)
1800: 0.9
1900: 1.6
1960: 3
1980: 4.4
2000: 6
2017: 7.5

7
Q

Total use of materials (kg)

A

= Material efficiency (m) *
* Welfare, lifestyle (u) *
* Population (P)
=muP

m : [kg/utility]
u : [utility per capita]
P: [capita, population]

8
Q

total environmental impact:

sustainability equation

A

I=imuP

i : [impact/kg]
m : [kg/utility]
u : [utility per capita]
P: [capita, population]

muP : Total use of materials (kg)
im = impact/kgMaterial efficiency = Technology

9
Q

Material life cycle (cradle to grave)

A
Extraction
Refining/ Material production
Product manufacturing
Use phase (end use)
Waste handling
10
Q

Restrictions (limits) for sustainable use of materials

A
  • Limited availability of resources
  • Limited assimilation capacity of emitted substances
  • Limited space (land-use, waste)
11
Q

Assimilation capacity:

A

The ability of nature to degrade and incorporate substances into the natural cyclic flows of substances

12
Q

Resource availability:

A

Stock: resource, reserve

Extraction rate: economy, technology

Distribution: geography, politics

13
Q

Limits for fossil energy resources (100 yr)

A

Limited: (100 yr)
Oil, gas, uranium

Unlimited: (100 yr)
Unconventional gas, coal

14
Q

Land use competition:

A

• Bio-energy (forestry and agriculture)
• Food (agriculture)
• Material (forestry)
• Nature conservation
• Buildings, infrastructure, industrial activities
- mining
(Mainly local effects and relatively small compared to other land use in a global perspective)

15
Q

4 socio-ecological principles for sustainability:

A
  1. Substances extracted from the lithosphere
    - must not systematically accumulate in the ecosphere
  2. Society-produced substances
    - must not systematically accumulate in the ecosphere
  3. The physical conditions for production and diversity within the ecosphere
    - must not systematically be deteriorated
  4. The use of resources
    - must be efficient and just, with respect to meeting human needs
16
Q

Transmaterialization:

A

Decrease i [impact/kg] (1. and 2.)

Substitute a material for:

  • a less harmful
  • a less scarce
  • a renewable
17
Q

Dematerialization:

A

Decrease m [kg/utility] (4.)

Reducing the flow of materials (incl. energy efficiency) Slowing down the flow
Closing the flow

Reducing the flow:

  1. Use the material more efficiently
  2. Increase the quality of the material
  3. Miniaturization
  4. Multi-functionality

Slow the flow:

  1. Make the equipment last longer
  2. Protect the material in the equipment
  3. Better maintenance
  4. Reparability

Closing the flow: Use the material again

  1. Re-use the goods
  2. Recycling in production processes (new scrap)
  3. Recycling in consumer goods (old scrap)
  4. Cascading or down-cycling
18
Q

Low recycling rates, can be imposed by

A

• Social behaviour:
– Share of products that are left for recycling

• Product design:
– Combinations of substances
– Possibility for dismantling

• Recycling technology:
– E.g. separation into material fractions

• Thermodynamics of separation of materials:
– Alloys or other mix of substances

19
Q

Improve recycling rates by:

A
  • Increased collection rates of discarded products
  • Improved design for recycling
  • Enhanced deployment of modern recycling methodology

• Charges and subsidies, e.g.:
– Charge for landfilling
• Legislation, e.g.:
– Extended producer liability: Producers are responsible for taking care of and recycle their products after use

20
Q

Reasons for recycling materials:

A

• Increase the availability of resources:
–The material itself
–Reduced energy use for recycled metals

• Reduce the need of space for mining, landfill

• Reduce emissions:
–From mining
–From energy use

21
Q

Recycling rates of metals:

A

• Recycled content (r/(P+r)):
- I.e. the share of scrap in metal production
Problems:
- Depends on the life times of products and growth in metal use
- Does not distinguish between new and old scrap

• End-of-life recycling rate:
- I.e. the fraction of metals in discarded products that is recycled in such a way as to retain its functional properties

22
Q

New and old scrap:

A

New scrap:
- From industry, have not gone through the use phase. Left over material that can reenter the material flow. Still new material in a sense.

Old scrap:
- Recycled material from end of life of a product.