L7

Question 1

MFA

Answer 1

Material flows analysis is the assessment of the flows and stocks of materials within a system defined in space and time.

Question 2

Materials Cycling

Answer 2

The movement of materials within a system.

Question 3

Anthropogenic Vs Natural Materials Cycling

Answer 3

Anthropogenic materials cycling is the movement of materials due to man made processes and activities.

Question 4

Motivation for MFA

Answer 4

To locate local réservoirs of materials.
To identify opportunities to improve efficiency in a materials cycle.
To forecast the effect of disruptive flows.
To develop resource sustainability indicators.

Question 5

Functional Vs non-functional recycling

Answer 5

Functional - Recycling a material back into a product where its specialist qualities are required/taken advantage of.

Question 6

Applications of MFA

Answer 6

Defence agencies who want to know what they need to stockpile.
Investors who want to know the supply and demand of materials.
Businesses to help them develop strategies.
Advising/understanding the effect of policies.

Question 7

System boundaries need to specify:

Answer 7

Location, time and material involved in the MFA.

Question 8

Goal and Scope for MFA in comparison to LCA

Answer 8

Less elaborate because its a descriptive analysis method.

Question 9

Substance Vs Product

Answer 9

Homogenous Vs made up of substances and is an economic entity.

Question 10

Transformative, Distributive and storage

Answer 10

Converts inputs to outputs.
A MFA construct to aid the balance calculations, useful when the source/destination of the flow is unknown. Used to proportion the flows between transformative processes.
A place where stock is deposited and withdrawn.

Question 11

Material Vs Product system

Answer 11

Product system is a series of interlinked unit processes between which there are intermediate flows, with the aim of making a product. Materials system is interlinked processes that describe the movement of material.