Material Flow Analysis Method Research Articles

A comprehensive evaluation on industrial & urban symbiosis by combining MFA, carbon footprint and emergy methods—Case of Kawasaki, Japan

One proposed strategy to solve current environmental challenges is industrial and urban symbiosis (I/UrS); however, appropriate evaluation methods are needed so that the potential benefits of I/UrS can be quantified. Several evaluation methods have been applied separately to study I/UrS, but no integrated studies have been conducted by applying different methods in the same case study area. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a comprehensive framework to evaluate I/UrS by combining the material flow analysis (MFA), carbon footprint (CF) and emergy methods. First, we developed a unified database and step-by-step process to clarify the waste distribution and recycling processes in an industrial city. Then a baseline scenario and an I/UrS scenario were set up to define the baselines and effects of I/UrS and compare the results. Finally, the three methods were applied to identify physical features in the I/UrS system. The MFA-based results showed that the use of I/UrS led to a 6.4% reduction in the physical value of material use. The CF-based results indicated that reduction of waste and by-products results in a 13.8% reduction in CO2e emissions. The emergy-based results showed that, with the implementation of I/UrS, the value of the emergy sustainability index (excluding labor and services) improved greatly (a 49.2% emergy reduction) as compared with the baseline case (a 14.3% reduction). In addition, the effects of implementing I/UrS by waste and by-product exchanges for blast furnace slag, scrap steel, waste paper, and waste plastic were evaluated. Whereas the CF reductions of unit ton of blast furnace slag is relatively low, emergy reductions of that is comparatively high. If policymakers only consider CF results when addressing the issue of climate change, the effects on emergy will be underestimated in this case. We conclude that the main actors in this area release huge emissions, but they also have a high potential to reduce their environmental loads. In addition, with appropriate designs, waste paper and plastics recycling could be highly efficient. Finally, the integration of the three evaluation methods should contribute to creating a low carbon and more resource independent society.

Enhanced Performance of the Eurostat Method for Comprehensive Assessment of Urban Metabolism: A Material Flow Analysis of Amsterdam

SummarySustainable urban resource management depends essentially on a sound understanding of a city's resource flows. One established method for analyzing the urban metabolism (UM) is the Eurostat material flow analysis (MFA). However, for a comprehensive assessment of the UM, this method has its limitations. It does not account for all relevant resource flows, such as locally sourced resources, and it does not differentiate between flows that are associated with the city's resource consumption and resources that only pass through the city. This research sought to gain insights into the UM of Amsterdam by performing an MFA employing the Eurostat method. Modifications to that method were made to enhance its performance for comprehensive UM analyses. A case study of Amsterdam for the year 2012 was conducted and the results of the Eurostat and the modified Eurostat method were compared. The results show that Amsterdam's metabolism is dominated by water flows and by port‐related throughput of fossil fuels. The modified Eurostat method provides a deeper understanding of the UM than the urban Eurostat MFA attributed to three major benefits of the proposed modifications. First, the MFA presents a more complete image of the flows in the UM. Second, the modified resource classification presents findings in more detail. Third, explicating throughput flows yields a much‐improved insight into the nature of a city's imports, exports, and stock. Overall, these advancements provide a deeper understanding of the UM and make the MFA method more useful for sustainable urban resource management.

Environment and economic feasibility of municipal solid waste central sorting strategy: a case study in Beijing

Although Beijing has carried out municipal solid waste (MSW) source separation since 1996, it has largely been ineffective. In 2012, a “Green House” program was established as a new attempt for central sorting. In this study, the authors used material flow analysis (MFA) and cost benefit analysis (CBA) methods to investigate Green House’s environment and economic feasibility. Results showed that the program did have significant environmental benefits on waste reduction, which reduced the amount of waste by 34%. If the Green House program is implemented in a residential community with wet waste ratio of 66%, the proportion of waste reduction can reach 37%. However, the Green House is now running with a monthly loss of 1982 CNY. This is mainly because most of its benefits come from waste reduction (i.e., 5878 CNY per month), which does not turn a monetary benefit, but is instead distributed to the whole of society as positive environmental externalities. Lack of government involvement, small program scale, and technical/managerial deficiency are three main barriers of the Green House. We, thus, make three recommendations: involve government authority and financial support, expand the program scale to separate 91.4 tons of waste every month, and use more professional equipment/technologies. If the Green House program can successfully adopt these suggestions, 33.8 tons of waste can be reduced monthly, and it would be able to flip the loss into a profit worth 35034 CNY. Open image in new window

Mercury flow analysis and reduction pathways for fluorescent lamps in mainland China

China is one of the largest consumers and producers of fluorescent lamps in the world, and mercury from a large number of spent fluorescent lamps can enter the solid waste stream every year. However, detailed information about the quantity and the fate of mercury caused by fluorescent lamps is unavailable. This study quantified and determined the fate and flow of mercury in fluorescent lamps from manufacture to disposal using the material flow analysis (MFA) method. Indirect mercury emissions, which were from coal consumption during the use phase, were calculated. The pathways for mercury reduction were also discussed. It was estimated that the mercury contained in fluorescent lamps for domestic production, export and import in 2011 was 29.31, 12.81 and 3.95 tons, respectively. The mercury in the domestic usage category was 20.45 tons, of which 3.89 tons was sent for incineration and 15.54 tons was sent to landfill at the end-of-life phase, but only 0.97 tons of mercury was recovered. During the use phase, 27.51 tons of mercury was released to the atmosphere, and 11.79 tons was released to the land. The total amount of mercury emissions to the atmosphere and land was 28.31 and 30.47 tons, respectively. Manufacturing low-mercury-content lamps, reducing coal consumption during the generation of electricity and increasing the recycling rate of lamps can all significantly reduce mercury emissions to the environment.

Challenges for the application of material flow analysis at the level of production processes – case study: Blast furnace process

The method of material flow analysis (MFA) is used to trace flows and stocks of goods and substances within different systems, such as cities and regions, enterprises and industrial processes. However, detailed MFA on an enterprise level hardly exist. The goal of the present paper is to apply MFA on a blast furnace process and to discuss the challenges arising. In particular, heavy metal flows (Chromium, Mercury) through the process are modelled. In a first step transfer coefficients (TC) of the heavy metals have been determined for one particular year (2009) and checked for plausibility. In the second step, these TC have been applied to simulate the heavy metal flows in the outputs of the blast furnace process for the year 2011. These flows have subsequently been compared with the outputs measured. The results show that the application of TC for Cr delivers plausible results for the output flows. Also for Hg the application of the TC seems to be justified, although a detailed investigation of the Hg balance indicates significant differences between the total input and output of Hg. As the amount of Hg detected in the output is larger than in the input (mass balance error greater than 80%), this difference originates most likely from non-detectable Hg contents (concentrations below the limit of quantification) in different iron bearing input flows.

A new approach for measuring the environmental sustainability of renewable energy production systems: Focused on the modelling of green gas production pathways

A transparent and comparable understanding of the energy efficiency, carbon footprint, and environmental impacts of renewable resources are required in the decision making and planning process towards a more sustainable energy system. Therefore, a new approach is proposed for measuring the environmental sustainability of anaerobic digestion green gas production pathways. The approach is based on the industrial metabolism concept, and is expanded with three known methods. First, the Material Flow Analysis method is used to simulate the decentralized energy system. Second, the Material and Energy Flow Analysis method is used to determine the direct energy and material requirements. Finally, Life Cycle Analysis is used to calculate the indirect material and energy requirements, including the embodied energy of the components and required maintenance. Complexity will be handled through a modular approach, which allows for the simplification of the green gas production pathway while also allowing for easy modification in order to determine the environmental impacts for specific conditions and scenarios. Temporal dynamics will be introduced in the approach through the use of hourly intervals and yearly scenarios. The environmental sustainability of green gas production is expressed in (Process) Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Carbon Footprint, and EcoPoints. The proposed approach within this article can be used for generating and identifying sustainable solutions. By demanding a clear and structured Material and Energy Flow Analysis of the production pathway and clear expression for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability the analysis or model can become more transparent and therefore easier to interpret and compare. Hence, a clear ruler and measuring technique can aid in the decision making and planning process towards a more sustainable energy system.

Assessing environmental risks for high intensity agriculture using the material flow analysis method--a case study of the Dongting Lake basin in South Central China.

This study primarily examined the assessment of environmental risk in high intensity agricultural areas. Dongting Lake basin was taken as a case study, which is one of the major grain producing areas in China. Using data obtained from 1989 to 2012, we applied Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to show the material consumption, pollutant output and production storage in the agricultural-environmental system and assessed the environmental risk index on the basis of the MFA results. The results predicted that the status of the environmental quality of the Dongting Lake area is unsatisfactory for the foreseeable future. The direct material input (DMI) declined by 13.9%, the domestic processed output (DPO) increased by 28.21%, the intensity of material consumption (IMC) decreased by 36.7%, the intensity of material discharge (IMD) increased by 10%, the material productivity (MP) increased by 27 times, the environmental efficiency (EE) increased by 15.31 times, and the material storage (PAS) increased by 0.23%. The DMI and DPO was higher at rural places on the edge of cities, whereas the risk of urban agriculture has arisen due to the higher increasing rate of DMI and DPO in cities compared with the counties. The composite environmental risk index increased from 0.33 to 0.96, indicating that the total environmental risk changed gradually but seriously during the 24 years assessed. The driving factors that affect environmental risk in high intensity agriculture can be divided into five classes: social, economic, human, natural and disruptive incidents. This study discussed a number of effective measures for protecting the environment while ensuring food production yields. Additional research in other areas and certain improvements of this method in future studies may be necessary to develop a more effective method of managing and controlling agricultural-environmental interactions.

The potential of wastes to improve nutrient levels in agricultural soils: A material flow analysis case study from Busia District, Uganda

Like many other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Uganda faces a remarkable soil nutrient deficit in farmland soils. In order to cope with this deficit, many authors suggest increasing the recycling of hitherto unused nutrient sources from human excrement and urban municipal solid waste (MSW). However, a quantification of the potential of these nutrient sources to overcome soil nutrient deficits in Uganda has not been carried out so far. This research paper presents a case study calculating the soil nutrient balance for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), as well as the potential of hitherto unused human excrement and urban MSW to decrease soil nutrient deficits in agricultural land by applying the method of material flow analysis (MFA) in Busia District (Uganda). Results show a high soil nutrient deficit of agricultural soils in the district, with values of −33kgNha−1, −6kgPha−1, and −41kgKha−1. The potential to reduce these negative balances is negligible for hitherto unused urban MSW (1–3%), but higher for human excrement (17–60%). The low potential of urban MSW as well as the hygienic problems associated with human excrement (particularly feces) means that other measures such as soil conservation and mineral fertilizer application should not be ignored in the effort to increase agricultural productivity. This is not only valid for Busia District, but also for other regions in SSA.

ANALISIS LAJU ALIR SAMPAH DAN EMISI CARBON YANG DIHASILKAN KOTA BANDA ACEH

This research aims to analyze the material flow of solid waste of Banda Aceh city by using Material Flow Analysis (MFA) method. The domestic wastes used in this research are limited to organic waste, plastic and paper. Results show that the solid wastes in Banda Aceh city do not treated well and thus required further treatment process. Wastes are separated at the kampong Jawa waste treatment process. Leaves waste are treated for compost, while no treatment process for plastic and paper wastes. The percentage of organic wastes, paper and plastic produced from Banda Aceh city were 89,1 %; 2,5 %; 0,74 %, respectively. Total amount of waste in the city of Banda Aceh is 86057,64 t/month producing carbon emission of 83726,6 t/month.

In-depth analysis of aluminum flows in Austria as a basis to increase resource efficiency

Based on the method of material flow analysis (MFA), a static model of Austrian aluminum (Al) flows in 2010 was developed. Extensive data research on Al production, consumption, trade and waste management was conducted and resulted in a detailed model of national Al resources. Data uncertainty was considered in the model based on the application of a rigorous concept for data quality assessment. The model results indicated that the growth of the Austrian “in-use” Al stock amounts to 11±3.1kgyr−1cap−1. The total “in-use” Al stock was determined using a bottom-up approach, which produced an estimate of 260kgAlcap−1. Approximately 7±1kg of Alyr−1cap−1 of old scrap was generated in 2010, of which 20% was not recovered because of losses in waste management processes. Quantitatively, approximately 40% of the total scrap input to secondary Al production originated from net imports, highlighting the import dependency of Austrian Al refiners and remelters. Uncertainties in the calculation of recycling indicators for the Austrian Al system with high shares of foreign scrap trade were exemplarily illustrated for the old scrap ratio (OSR) in secondary Al production, resulting in a possible range of OSRs between 0 and 66%. Overall, the detailed MFA in this study provides a basis to identify resource potentials as well as resource losses in the national Al system, and it will serve as a starting point for a dynamic Al model to be developed in the future.

Based on material flow analysis: Value chain analysis of China iron resources

Iron is an important basic resource for national economic development in China. It is of great strategic importance for the sustainable development of China's economy to study the utilization and circulation status of iron resources. In this paper, using the material flow and value chain analysis method, we quantitatively analyzed the value flow of iron resources in China. According to the value chain and price theory of element M, a value stream diagram of iron resources corresponding to the substance flow chart was plotted. Based on the previous material flow analysis result of iron resources, the diagram quantitatively depicted the value of the circulating flow of iron resources in China in 2011. The results show that by recycling materials, the value of the circulating flow of iron resources can bring considerable economic benefits to both producers and consumers. In the production stage, the expenditures of the entire economic system was reduced by 91.77 billion RMB by circulating iron and the income increased by 95 billion RMB by recycling home scrap, which was generated in the crude steel production stage. In the use stage of iron and steel products, the recycling of old scrap enabled the entire economic system to recover 370.78 billion RMB. It should be noted that analysis within a single framework of physical and economic characteristics of iron resources in the economic system can further extend the research chain of substance flow and value flow at the macro level, enhancing the economic value of substances flow research. In addition, by tracking and depicting the value flow cycle of elements, the improvement potentials and the value situations can be determined to provide useful information for conducting processing and technological innovation for waste minimization.

Assessment of physical economy through economy-wide material flow analysis in developing Uzbekistan

In this paper, we assess the physical dimensions of Uzbekistan's economy during 1992–2011 by using the economy-wide material flow analysis (EW-MFA) method, which is an internationally recognized tool for such assessments. There have been a number of studies using methodological standardization of EW-MFA, but to the best of our knowledge, it has never been used to assess the metabolism of Central Asian economies, especially, in this case, the Republic of Uzbekistan.Our analysis strives to empirically evaluate macroscopic economic activities by considering the accounting of material flows. The material flows data-set comprises of consistent data for domestic extraction, imports, and exports, as well as other derived MFA-based indicators.The derived indicators are internationally compared for further evaluation of national economic development performance in a given period. The indicators of direct material input (DMI) and total material requirements (TMR) showed a slight increase in 1992–2011 with an average annual increase of 2.79% and 2.34%. The trends of TMR, DMI, domestic material consumption (DMC) and material efficiency, which is indicated by GDP/DMI, displayed lower values than other industrialized countries referenced in the international comparison. Although national economic performance data showed particularly remarkable success, indicators measuring material inputs and DMC reveal an insignificant increase during the period of study. During the second decade of study period, relative decoupling has occurred which indicated that the economic indicator (GDP) grows faster than DMC and other macro indicators grow.

Life Cycle Energy and GHG Emission within the Turin Metropolitan Area Urban Water Cycle

Abstract This study analyze the urban water cycle in the Turin Metropolitan Area (Northwestern Italy), with a focus on quantifying the annual life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, using Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment methods. The annual direct and indirect energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have been quantified as related to system-wide energy consumption and production and transportation of chemicals used in water/wastewater treatment plants. Results says that the wastewater treatment consumes the biggest share of the total energy (44%), but a significant part of this energy demand is provided by the energy in biogas produced from wastewater sludge.

물질흐름분석(MFA)을 활용한 주방 음식물쓰레기 저감 전문가시스템

In this paper, the expert system to reduce the amount of food waste is proposed. The method of material flow analysis (MFA) is applied. Proper handling of waste beyond the terms of the need for proactive research been mentioned before, but actually cause the waste generator research focuses on consumer behavior and the business community to analyze the flow of materials within the study are insufficient . In this paper, the type of food consumption and food waste, look at the relationship between the occurrence of secondary schools in the diet is provided for students to examine the preferences of the target model diet expert system was reconfigured . Preference for leaving the food in the diet leads to the important information that is Each diet recipes that make up the target material flow analysis (MFA) was constructed to perform all the database . This database is currently being generated from the rain while cooking diet edible plants and materials to reflect the self-esteem following the recommended diet is used to create . Reducing food waste is actually being used currently in research knowledge to the knowledge base was constructed . Future Home Smart System was developed in conjunction with the system to the user , by providing guidelines for the utilization can be expected.

Potential e-waste generated from households in Indonesia using material flow analysis

Waste of electronic and electrical equipment (e-waste) generated in Indonesia is expected to increase due to high growth of the Indonesian economy and fast development in technology. As Indonesia has not yet had specified criteria on e-waste, in this study, e-waste is defined as any obsolete or unwanted electronic and electrical equipment that is introduced into the recycling and disposal process. The objective of this study is to estimate the e-waste generated in Indonesian households using the method of material flow analysis. The amount of generated e-waste could be used for constructing an e-waste recycling management system in Indonesia. E-waste materials that need to be treated could be known. In this study, some types of equipment, such as television, washing machine, refrigerator, personal computer, and mobile phone, were chosen to be tracers. Using the modified material flow analysis model proposed by Steubing et al. (Waste Manage 30:473–482, 38), the potential e-waste that was generated from households was estimated. The total estimated accumulation of generated e-waste from households in 2015 and 2025 is about 285,000 and 622,000 tonnes, respectively. If a proper recycling system was in place, a new source for valuable materials recovery would be created, as well as protecting the environment and health.

Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of Steel Resources in China Based on Circular Economy Theory

The circular economy (CE) is a new development strategy for China to alleviate the contradiction between rapid economic growth and the shortage of raw materials and energy. As the basic material, steel is a key driver of the world's economy. Therefore, it is essential to set up CE indicators system to understand the mechanism of steel resources role in the circular economy. In this paper, a national level material flow evaluation framework based on CE theory is presented at the first. Then steel resources national lifetime cycle diagram is built based on dynamic Material Flow Analysis (MFA) method considering the steel lifetime circular flow characteristics. Under the guidance of this diagram, the material flow results of various stages (such as production process, fabrication & manufacturing process, in-use process, etc.) of steel lifetime cycle between 2001-2010 in China is obtained, including the end-of-life scarp amount of nine downstream industries. The results indicate that China steel resources has made gratifying achievements in improving productivity, reducing energy consumption and related pollution emission, but the degree of overall circulation remains to be improved urgently. In the end, a sketch of the future relevant policy recommendations are provided.

Dynamic material flow analysis of zinc resources in China

Zinc is one of the most widely applied nonferrous metals in China. Study on the applications and recurrent situation of zinc resources is of great strategic importance for the sustainable development of China's economy. In this paper, a dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) method has been adopted to analyze quantificationally zinc resources in China, as well as to analyze and predict the quantity of zinc product scrap and their recycling situation. The weighted average method was applied to calculate average lifetimes of six major zinc products in China. The average lifetimes of battery, zinc oxide, zinc die-casting alloys, zinc material products, galvanized zinc and brass are 0.17, 5.3, 11.1, 12, 21 and 30 years, respectively. Assuming the lifetime of zinc product group obeys the Weibull distribution and the consumption of zinc products varies linearly with time, the future consumption and scrap generation of zinc products will increase continuously. It is expected that they would increase from 49% to 76% during 2004–2020, respectively. Assuming the recycling rate remains unchanged with time, the zinc old scrap index, both the theoretical and actual values, would continue increasing in China. The values are expected to reach 0.402 and 0.076 by 2020, respectively. Therefore, the regeneration resource of depreciated zinc is actually insufficient in China. According to the scenario analysis, the actual value of old scrap indexes is positively correlated with the recycling rate of zinc products. Because galvanized products are the largest consumption area of zinc products in China, the influence of their recycling rate on old scrap index is obviously larger than other zinc products. Through the analysis, this paper suggests that the increase of the recycling rate of zinc products could not only improve to a certain degree China's relative shortage of zinc resources, but greatly relive the supply pressure of zinc in the world.

Modelling of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Flow in Wastewater Management: Case Study for Terengganu, Malaysia

The Material Flow Analysis (MFA) method is often discussed in terms of water resources management. This paper attempts to measure and analyze the flow of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater sources to assess the trends and patterns of strain in environmental metabolism.Comparison between nitrogen and phosphorus accumulates in wastewater shows that, P discharged values to sewer system are lower as compared to N. Kemaman dan Kuala Terengganu are the dominant region that generating high volume of P and N-wastewater discharge.The study also delved mostly into recycling level of effluent and sludge, with only 3 to 5% of both products were reuse for agriculture and economic purpose. In conclusion, MFA techniques have been proposed to help the decision-makers in waste and nutrient management planning especially on implementing policies related to water and wastewater sectors.

基于物质流和生态足迹的可持续发展指标体系构建——以安徽省铜陵市为例

将物质流分析方法和生态足迹模型相结合,构建可持续发展指标体系,利用因子分析法对安徽省铜陵市2000-2010年间的可持续发展状况进行了评价。结果表明:(1)铜陵市直接物质输入(DMI)总体呈增长趋势,2010年相比2000年增长2.65倍,进口比重有所下降,区域资源开采活动有所增强,但直接物质输入仍主要依赖于进口,区内加工排放(DPO)总体呈上升趋势,区域内隐藏流(DHF)成为环境压力的主要来源;(2)铜陵市物质生产力数据显示其在物质利用效益方面有了改善,但与同期国内平均水平相比,仍存在一定差距;(3)铜陵市人均生态足迹持续上升,2010年达到7 hm²/人,生态足迹与生态承载力之间的矛盾逐渐加大;(4)可持续发展指标体系评价表明,铜陵市可持续发展状况呈现下降趋势。铜陵市应从调整三次产业关系、转变经济运行方式等角度出发,实现真正意义上的可持续发展。;The study combines the Material Flow Analysis method and the Ecological Footprint Model to establish an indicator system of sustainable development. On the base of the indicator system, the state of ecological sustainable development during 2000-2010 in Tongling City was appraised. The results show that: (1) The direct material input (DMI) keeps increasing averagely, with a value in 2010 2.65 times higher than in 2000. The proportion of imports goes downward, while the DMI still depends heavily on import activities. Domestic hidden flow takes a large percentage in DPO; (2) The resource productivity of Tongling City has lagged behind the average of the whole country, though a progress has been made in the past decade; (3) Ecological footprint shows an increasing trend, with 7 hm²per capita in 2010. The gap between the ecological footprint and the ecological carrying capacity has been widening; (4) The indicator system shows that the level of sustainable development of the city is gradually decreasing. To achieve a real sustainable development, it is necessary to adjust the proportions among the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, and transform the mode of economic development by building circulation economy.

The Method of Material Flow Analysis about Circular Economy in Coal Mining Area

Coal plays an important role in economical development and social progress, how to use it efficiently and how to set up circular economy system and evaluate its efficiency is a topic of most concern.Material flow analysis is provided as a useful to in the field of circular economy in coal mining area. In this paper, circular economy development model in coal mining area is analyzed, based on this, the framework about coal flow in circular process of coal production and usage is put forward. The method of the evaluation about the circular economy in coal mining area is also given out.