Designing a Circular Economy for Plastics: The Role of Chemical Recycling in Germany

Greenhouse gas emissions from human economic activity are causing global warming, leading to numerous impacts, including sea level rise, biodiversity loss, and increases in extreme weather events. For this reason, parties involved in the Paris Climate Agreement agreed to limit global warming to reduce its impacts. The second largest global emitter of carbon dioxide is the industrial production of goods. Within industrial production, the chemical industry with the production of olefins and other high-value chemicals for, among other things, plastic production, has a significant impact. Therefore, the present dissertation addresses designing a circular economy for plastics employing chemical recycling, contributing to the decarbonization and defossilization of the German chemical industry. Five studies published as companion articles address substantial aspects of the chemical recycling of plastic waste as well as barriers to establishing a circular economy. Study A assesses chemical recycling via pyrolysis for lightweight packaging waste and shows that combining the currently predominant mechanical recycling with chemical recycling has economic and environmental advantages over employing these technologies individually. At the same time, more carbon can be recycled, reducing the dependence on fossil resources. Study B shows the importance of integrating the quality of secondary materials in assessing recycling routes. The preferable recycling technology can change based on the quality metrics and their integration into the assessment. Study C conducts pyrolysis experiments for automotive plastic waste and includes the generated data in an economic and environmental assessment of a chemical recycling route. Different economic and environmentally preferable waste handling options are identified when comparing chemical recycling with waste incineration with energy recovery. Study D examines the economics of automotive plastic waste pyrolysis and identifies the minimum plant input capacity at which the pyrolysis is economically feasible in German framework conditions. Study E combines the collected findings in a facility location optimization model for pyrolysis plants treating lightweight packaging and automotive plastic waste in Germany\u27s current waste treatment network. Political steering strategies are analyzed to align economic and environmental objectives in the waste treatment sector. In addition to the detailed results of the individual studies, four overarching implications are derived: First, waste containing primarily polyolefins and engineering plastics can be technically pyrolyzed and are a suitable feedstock for chemical recycling. However, the most significant waste quantities studied are generated in short-lived lightweight packaging. Second, chemical recycling is environmentally preferable over waste incineration with energy recovery for all assessed waste streams. Economically, chemical recycling is not preferable compared to waste incineration with energy recovery for automotive plastic waste resulting in a conflict of economical and environmentally preferable waste handling options. Third, the quality of the secondary materials must be considered when assessing waste recycling options, as this strongly influences economic and environmental assessment. Fourth, political steering strategies like the extension of CO$_{2}$ certificate trading and introducing recycling rates for waste that is a feedstock for waste incineration with energy recovery can align economical and environmentally preferable waste treatment options. Consequently, the present dissertation provides valuable insights into the role of chemical recycling when designing a circular economy for plastics. Therefore, it has the potential to significantly contribute to closing the circularity gap of plastics

Effects of addition of mushroom dietary fiber on the physical properties of bakery and extruded products.

Cheung, Wing Kwun.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-116).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Abstract --- p.i摘要 --- p.iiiList of Tables --- p.vList of Figures --- p.viiiChapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Dietary fiber --- p.1Chapter 1.1.1 --- Introduction of dietary fiber --- p.1Chapter 1.1.2 --- Sclerotia of Pleurotus tuber-regium as a source of dietary fiber --- p.2Chapter 1.2 --- Bakery products --- p.3Chapter 1.2.1 --- Wheat --- p.3Chapter 1.2.2 --- Flour --- p.4Chapter 1.2.2.1 --- Flour protein --- p.4Chapter 1.2.2.2 --- Rheological test of flour quality --- p.5Chapter 1.2.3 --- Bread --- p.8Chapter 1.2.3.1 --- Ingredient --- p.8Chapter 1.2.3.2 --- Bread-making process --- p.10Chapter 1.2.4 --- Crackers and cookies --- p.12Chapter 1.2.5 --- Effect of addition of dietary fiber in bakery products --- p.14Chapter 1.3 --- Extrusion cooking --- p.18Chapter 1.3.1 --- Introduction of extrusion cooking --- p.18Chapter 1.3.2 --- Food extruders --- p.19Chapter 1.3.3 --- Application of extrusion --- p.21Chapter 1.3.4 --- Extrusion of starchy materials --- p.23Chapter 1.3.5 --- Effect of extrusion dietary fiber content --- p.24Chapter 1.3.6 --- Effect of extrusion on other nutritional properties --- p.26Chapter 1.4 --- Objectives --- p.28Chapter 2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.29Chapter 2.1 --- Mushroom powder --- p.29Chapter 2.2 --- Flour --- p.29Chapter 2.2.1 --- Crude protein content --- p.29Chapter 2.2.2 --- Moisture content --- p.30Chapter 2.2.3 --- Farinograph --- p.30Chapter 2.3 --- Bakery products --- p.31Chapter 2.3.1 --- Bread --- p.31Chapter 2.3.2 --- Crackers --- p.33Chapter 2.3.3 --- Cookies --- p.35Chapter 2.4 --- Extrudates --- p.36Chapter 2.5 --- Physical measurement --- p.37Chapter 2.5.1 --- Bread --- p.37Chapter 2.5.1.1 --- "Weight, volume and density" --- p.37Chapter 2.5.1.2 --- Hardness --- p.38Chapter 2.5.2 --- Crackers --- p.40Chapter 2.5.2.1 --- "Weight, dimensions and thickness" --- p.40Chapter 2.5.2.2 --- Volume --- p.40Chapter 2.5.2.3 --- Hardness --- p.40Chapter 2.5.2.4 --- Moisture --- p.41Chapter 2.5.3 --- Cookies --- p.42Chapter 2.5.3.1 --- "Weight, thickness and diameter" --- p.42Chapter 2.5.3.2 --- Hardness --- p.42Chapter 2.5.4 --- Extrudates --- p.43Chapter 2.5.4.1 --- Expansion ratio --- p.43Chapter 2.5.4.2 --- Density --- p.43Chapter 2.5.4.3 --- Hardness --- p.43Chapter 2.5.4.4 --- Water absorption index (WAI) --- p.43Chapter 2.5.4.5 --- Water solubility index (WSI) --- p.44Chapter 2.6 --- Dietary fiber content --- p.44Chapter 2.6.1 --- Preparation of samples --- p.44Chapter 2.6.2 --- "Total dietary fiber (TDF), Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and Soluble dietary fiber (SDF)" --- p.45Chapter 2.6.3 --- Protein and ash correction --- p.46Chapter 2.7 --- Nutritional evaluation of extrudates using rat model --- p.47Chapter 2.7.1 --- Determination of crude protein content in extrudates --- p.47Chapter 2.7.2 --- Diet preparation --- p.47Chapter 2.7.3 --- Feeding experiments --- p.50Chapter 2.7.4 --- Nitrogen balance experiment --- p.50Chapter 2.7.5 --- Determination of serum lipid profile --- p.51Chapter 2.7.5.1 --- Serum total triglyceride (TG) --- p.51Chapter 2.7.5.2 --- Serum total cholesterol (TC) --- p.51Chapter 2.7.5.3 --- Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) --- p.52Chapter 2.8 --- Statistical analysis --- p.53Chapter 3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.54Chapter 3.1 --- MP-enriched flours --- p.54Chapter 3.1.1 --- Crude protein content of plain flour --- p.54Chapter 3.1.2 --- Moisture content of plain flour --- p.55Chapter 3.1.3 --- Farinograph of MP-enriched flours --- p.56Chapter 3.2 --- Physical characteristics of MP-containing bakery products --- p.59Chapter 3.2.1 --- MP-enriched bread --- p.59Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- "Weight, volume and density" --- p.59Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Hardness --- p.61Chapter 3.2.2 --- MP-enriched crackers --- p.63Chapter 3.2.2.1 --- "Weight, dimensions and thickness" --- p.63Chapter 3.2.2.2 --- Volume --- p.65Chapter 3.2.2.3 --- Hardness --- p.66Chapter 3.2.3 --- MP-enriched cookies --- p.68Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- "Weight, thickness and diameter" --- p.68Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Hardness --- p.70Chapter 3.2.4 --- Extrudates of MP-enriched pastry flour --- p.71Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Expansion ratio --- p.71Chapter 3.2.4.2 --- Density --- p.75Chapter 3.2.4.3 --- Hardness --- p.75Chapter 3.2.4.4 --- Water absorption index (WAI) --- p.78Chapter 3.2.4.5 --- Water solubility index (WSI) --- p.80Chapter 3.2.4.6 --- Effect of extrusion condition on physical attributes of extrudates --- p.81Chapter 3.3 --- Dietary fiber content in MP-containing bakery products --- p.87Chapter 3.3.1 --- MP-enriched bread --- p.87Chapter 3.3.2 --- MP-enriched crackers --- p.88Chapter 3.3.3 --- MP-enriched cookies --- p.89Chapter 3.3.4 --- Extrudates produced form MP-enriched pastry flour --- p.90Chapter 3.4 --- Nutritional evaluation of extrudates using rat model --- p.93Chapter 3.4.1 --- Weight of animals --- p.93Chapter 3.4.2 --- Weight of vital organs --- p.93Chapter 3.4.3 --- Nitrogen balance experiment --- p.94Chapter 3.4.4 --- Serum lipid profile --- p.96Chapter 4 --- Conclusion --- p.98Chapter 5 --- References --- p.10

Digital twins for process industry

[EN] Digital Twins are virtual plants with an architecture and functionalities that make them actual useful tools for improving many aspects related to process operation, from its control to optimization. Nevertheless, there are several open problems that demand additional research before Digital Twins can be used in real-time as useful tools in decision making. Among them we can cite those related to model updating in real-time and the explicit consideration of uncertainty in models and processes. This paper discusses its architecture and role in the context of Industry 4.0 and, at the same time, analyzes one case study referred to the hydrogen network of an oil refinery that illustrates the possibilities of industrial use of digital twins, as well as the open problems associated to its implementation in the process industry.[ES] Los gemelos digitales son plantas virtuales dotadas de una arquitectura y funcionalidades que les convierten en herramientas útiles para mejorar muchos aspectos de la operación de los procesos, desde el control a la optimización de los mismos. No obstante, para ser usados en tiempo real como herramientas eficaces de toma de decisiones, hay varios problemas abiertos que requieren investigación adicional, entre ellos los relativos a la actualización de los modelos en tiempo real y a la consideración explícita de las incertidumbres presentes en los modelos y los procesos. Este artículo discute su arquitectura y papel en el contexto de Industria 4.0, y recoge y analiza una experiencia concreta referida a la red de hidrogeno de una refinería de petróleo que ilustra las posibilidades de utilización industrial de los gemelos digitales, así como los problemas abiertos que presenta su implantaciónen la industria de procesos.Este trabajo ha sido realizado parcialmente gracias al apoyo del MICINN de España a través del proyecto “Control y Optimización de planta completa integrados para Industria 4.0” (InCO4In) con referencia PGC2018-099312-B-C31De Prada, C.; Galán-Casado, S.; Pitarch Pérez, JL.; Sarabia, D.; Galán, A.; Gutiérrez, G. (2022). Gemelos Digitales en la Industria de Procesos. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 19(3):285-296. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2022.16901OJS28529619

The Focus, Volume Vl Number 2, March 1916

https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/special_studentpubs/1066/thumbnail.jp

Tectonics and crustal evolution

We thank the Natural Environment Research Council (grants NE/J021822/1 and NE/K008862/1) for funding.The continental crust is the archive of Earth's history. Its rock units record events that are heterogeneous in time with distinctive peaks and troughs of ages for igneous crystallization, metamorphism, continental margins, and mineralization. This temporal distribution is argued largely to reflect the different preservation potential of rocks generated in different tectonic settings, rather than fundamental pulses of activity, and the peaks of ages are linked to the timing of supercontinent assembly. Isotopic and elemental data from zircons and whole rock crustal compositions suggest that the overall growth of continental crust (crustal addition from the mantle minus recycling of material to the mantle) has been continuous throughout Earth's history. A decrease in the rate of crustal growth ca. 3.0 Ga is related to increased recycling associated with the onset of plate tectonics. We recognize five stages of Earth's evolution: (1) initial accretion and differentiation of the core/mantle system within the first few tens of millions of years; (2) generation of crust in a pre-plate tectonic regime in the period prior to 3.0 Ga; (3) early plate tectonics involving hot subduction with shallow slab breakoff over the period from 3.0 to 1.7 Ga; (4) Earth's middle age from 1.7 to 0.75 Ga, characterized by environmental, evolutionary, and lithospheric stability; (5) modern cold subduction, which has existed for the past 0.75 b.y. Cycles of supercontinent formation and breakup have operated during the last three stages. This evolving tectonic character has likely been controlled by secular changes in mantle temperature and how that impacts on lithospheric behavior. Crustal volumes, reflecting the interplay of crust generation and recycling, increased until Earth's middle age, and they may have decreased in the past ∼1 b.y.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Experimental Investigation And Aspen Plus Simulation Of The Msw Pyrolysis Process

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a potential feedstock for producing transportation fuels because it is readily available using an existing collection/transportation infrastructure and fees are provided by the suppliers or government agencies to treat MSW. North Carolina with a population of 9.4 millions generates 3.629 million metric tons of MSW each year, which contains about 113,396,356 TJs of energy. The average moisture content of MSW samples is 44.3% on a wet basis. About 77% of the dry MSW mass is combustible components including paper, organics, textile and plastics. The average heating values of MSW were 9.7, 17.5, and 22.7 MJ/kg on a wet basis, dry basis and dry combustible basis, respectively. The MSW generated in North Carolina can produce 7.619 million barrels of crude bio-oil or around 4% of total petroleum consumption in North Carolina. MSW can be thermally pyrolyzed into bio-oil in the absence of oxygen or air at a temperature of 500oC or above. As bio-oil can be easily stored and transported, compared to bulky MSW, landfill gas and electricity, pyrolysis offers significant logistical and economic advantages over landfilling and other thermal conversion processes such as combustion and gasification. Crude bio-oils produced from the pyrolysis of MSW can be further refined to transportation fuels in existing petroleum refinery facilities. The objective of this research is to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of pyrolyzing MSW into liquid transportation fuels. A combined thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) instrument, which can serve as a micro-scale pyrolysis reactor, was used to simultaneously determine the degradation characteristics of MSW during pyrolysis. An ASPEN Plus-based mathematical model was further developed to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of pyrolysing of MSW into liquid transportation fuels in fixed bed reactors at varying operating conditions

Holland City News, Volume 30, Number 25: July 5, 1901

Newspaper published in Holland, Michigan, from 1872-1977, to serve the English-speaking people in Holland, Michigan. Purchased by local Dutch language newspaper, De Grondwet, owner in 1888.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/hcn_1901/1026/thumbnail.jp