Eco-efficient waste glass recycling: Integrated waste management and green product development through LCA

Journal Article · Tue May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.10.018· OSTI ID:21612977

Busto, Mirko ^[1]; Fantoni, Moris ^[2]; Fino, Debora ^[3]

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1. DISPEA - Department of Production Systems and Business Economics, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin (Italy)
2. DITAG - Department of Land, Environment and Geo-Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin (Italy)
3. DISMIC - Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin (Italy)

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new eco-efficient recycling route for post-consumer waste glass was implemented. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Integrated waste management and industrial production are crucial to green products. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Most of the waste glass rejects are sent back to the glass industry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Recovered co-products give more environmental gains than does avoided landfill. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Energy intensive recycling must be limited to waste that cannot be closed-loop recycled. - Abstract: As part of the EU Life + NOVEDI project, a new eco-efficient recycling route has been implemented to maximise resources and energy recovery from post-consumer waste glass, through integrated waste management and industrial production. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to identify engineering solutions to sustainability during the development of green building products. The new process and the related LCA are framed within a meaningful case of industrial symbiosis, where multiple waste streams are utilised in a multi-output industrial process. The input is a mix of rejected waste glass from conventional container glass recycling and waste special glass such as monitor glass, bulbs and glass fibres. The green building product is a recycled foam glass (RFG) to be used in high efficiency thermally insulating and lightweight concrete. The environmental gains have been contrasted against induced impacts and improvements have been proposed. Recovered co-products, such as glass fragments/powders, plastics and metals, correspond to environmental gains that are higher than those related to landfill avoidance, whereas the latter is cancelled due to increased transportation distances. In accordance to an eco-efficiency principle, it has been highlighted that recourse to highly energy intensive recycling should be limited to waste that cannot be closed-loop recycled.

• OSTI ID: 21612977
• Journal Information: Waste Management, Journal Name: Waste Management Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 32; ISSN WAMAE2; ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BUILDING MATERIALS
BULBS
CONCRETES
CONTAINERS
EFFICIENCY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RECOVERY
FIBERS
GLASS
GLASS INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLASTICS
POLYMERS
RECYCLING
RESOURCES
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES