Reprocessing of polymer blends from WEEE: A methodology for predicting embrittlement

For recycling purposes, the thermal degradation of post-consumed (pc) ABS/HIPS and PP/PE blends derived from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was obtained by multiple extrusions. The evolution of molar mass (Mw), melt flow index (MFI), and ultimate elongation (εr) of reprocessed blends was evaluated as a function of extrusion cycles. The degradation mechanism of ABS/HIPS blends corresponds to a random chain scission as indicated by a diminution of εr correlated to an increase in MFI and decrease in Mw after 30 cycles of extrusion. The same type of degradation mechanism occurs on the PP/PE blend as shown by the drop in Mw and thus an increase in MFI by a factor of six but only after 11 cycles, thus suggesting the higher thermomechanical resistance of ABS/HIPS. The beginning of the critical molar mass for embrittlement (M'c) zone was reached around 130 and 200 kg/mol for ABS/HIPS and PP/PE, respectively, which can be related to the beginning of the critical MFI zone around 12 and 63 g/10 min (230 °C/2.06 kg), respectively. As a result, we propose an innovative embrittlement criterion using MFI measurements that allow a quick and easy analysis of post-consumed polymer blends

Life cycle assessment of end-of-life scenarios: tablet case study

This work presents a case study for a tablet treated in France. The objective was to assess the impacts of the end-of-life stage and its influence in the final results when considering different waste management scenarios. After a first analysis of the global electronic waste management scenario, three scenarios were selected: (1) optimistic scenario, in which the tablet is recycled considering the best available technologies; (2) a conservative scenario, which considers only the best referenced recycling channels; (3) a pessimist scenario considering the worst situation in terms of recycling. For some impact categories, the recycling activities result in higher environmental impacts than the scenarios with poor recycling, among others due to the increase in energy consumption during recycling. When the benefits of recycling are considered in the assessment, the advantage of recycling is evident, reinforcing the importance of the recycling channels as a provider of secondary materials that have lower environmental impacts. The differences in the results of the three scenarios reinforce the importance of clearly report the scenario considered in the end-of-life.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) and Ecologic (a French compliance scheme)

CIRCULARITY OF PLASTICS THROUGH ECODESIGN: THE CASE OF FRENCH WEEE

Collaboration/Projet : EcoSD NetworkWhile innovation in waste treatment processes continue to advance, plastics are still often put aside in comparison to other materials. It is especially the case for WEEE-plastics: as they are included in complex equipment, their recovery is disregarded, in aid of critical metals and rare earths. The recycling of plastics is hindered by the low re-integration rate of these materials, due to concerns around their quality and their availability. Ecodesign of EEE thus seems to be a robust solution. This paper details two approaches to assess product design, by respectively evaluating the product recyclability and the implementation of predefined ecodesign guidelines. Based on these methods, the construction of a quality standard for recycled plastics in France is presented. The definition of the quality includes mechanical properties, but chemical, logistics, and regulatory aspects are also at stake. Eventually, ecodesign indexes and indicators are selected, and a method for their formal construction is proposed. The goal of this study is to provide ways to assess the overall quality and usability of recycled plastics, along with design for circularity methods to integrate them in new manufactured products

Recycling chains : a proposal for an exhaustive definition

Connected with the French ECOSD networkIn the context of a circular economy, recycling presents as an interesting solution to reduce the impact of raw materials extraction and to reduce the quantity of waste that is incinerated or landfilled. However nowadays, there is no global and complete definition (which could be used as a common reference) of recycling chains. Listing the parameters to be taken into account, such a definition would allow manufacturers and researchers to better assess the efficiency and the stability of supply chains (not only at the beginning of the product lifecycle, but also towards the next one), and to accurately compare them. Therefore, we need a better definition of recycling chains, describing the system in its whole dimension (i.e. all internal and external factors) so as to improve (i) our understanding of the system and (ii) its inherent problems. Firstly, the recycling chain will be defined and described as exhaustively as possible. Then, the second part will focus on the best way to integrate this information when analyzing and optimizing recycling chains. Lastly, perspectives of this preliminary work will be detailed.ADEME, ECOS

Product Recoverability: A Review of Assessment Methods

Merci de lier cette communication au catalogue EcoSD de HallToday, companies need to assess the recoverability of their products from the design phase, not only for legislative reasons but also to appraise how they will be able to recover all or part of their value when they reach end of life. The main reference calculation methods are both the norm ISO 22628, which addresses the automotive industry, and the IEC/TR 62635 report, which addresses the electrical and electronic equipment industry. Both reference methods only focus on mass preservation indicators (as legislation requires) but ignore important aspects such as material quality loss, environmental impacts, and economic value preservation. Indeed, multi-criteria assessment is needed as it can be a key factor for both improving product design and to help designers integrate recycled materials into their products. In that regard, several other studies exploring multi-criteria analysis (i.e. technical, economic and/or environmental-based) do exist. The aim of this paper is to (i) present a critical review of current recoverability assessment methods and (ii) find the existing gaps by comparing whether the used indicators meet the designer needs or not.Travail co-financé par l'ADEME, l'ENSAM et l'Institut Carnot Arts Travail mené dans le cadre du réseau national EcoS

Efficacité potentielle de valorisation: Proposition d’indicateurs à l’usage du concepteur pour mieux prendre en compte l’efficacité des voies de traitement du produit en fin de vie

EcoSD NetworkDepuis les années 1970, des réglementations de plus en plus contraignantes ont été mises en place pour résoudre les problématiques environnementales et mieux valoriser les déchets, dans une optique d’économie circulaire. Deux axes sont généralement proposés pour résoudre la problématique de la gestion de déchets. Le premier consiste à ce que les déchets soient gérés par des filières de traitement dont les objectifs de valorisation sont contraints par typologie de produits. Le second se base sur la prévention de la génération de déchets par l’écoconception du produit qui (i) permet de prolonger la durée de vie du produit, et (ii) assure qu’il soit mieux recyclé en fin de vie. Cet article s’intéresse au renforcement du lien entre ces deux axes en proposant des indicateurs complémentaires aux taux de valorisabilité permettant aux concepteurs de mieux comprendre l’efficacité de la valorisation dans les différentes voies de traitement en fin de vie

Economic models used in consequential life cycle assessment: a literature review

Réseau EcoSDThe construction sector is a key actor for achieving the sustainable development goals, particularly from an environmental point of view, due to the significant sector's contribution to energy consumption, greenhouse gas and pollutants emissions, waste generation, resources depletion etc. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a multi-criteria tool to assess environmental impacts, preventing the impact transferring from one life cycle stage to another and thus is widely used to support decision-making. Consequential LCA (CLCA) can be particularly relevant for decisions involving non-marginal changes and may have an important role in supporting decision-makers of the construction sector by giving a wider comprehension of the environmental impacts associated with the changes caused by their decisions. Particularly when assessing large-scale consequences, it is recommended to couple an economic model to the CLCA methodology to assess the changes in the background system. Therefore, this research aims at reviewing the CLCA works applied to the construction sector and the use of economic models in CLCA for assessing non-marginal changes. For that, the review is divided in two parts: the first reviews the CLCA works and papers in the construction sector; and the second part reviews CLCA studies that assess non-marginal changes, regardless the activity or sector

Plastics in WEEE Screens: Difficulties and Opportunities to Improve the Recycling Rate

Nowadays the screens collected by the official e-waste schemes in France are mostly comprised of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). Nevertheless, Flat Panel Display (FPD) collection should increase in the following years. Among other differences in material compositions, FPD screens have higher plastic content. In order to keep complying with the recycling targets for screens, as well as to increase the recycling performance per material, it is necessary to improve plastics recycling. The goal of this study is to quantify the plastic flows in screens generated, collected and recycled in France and to identify the current scenario of plastic recycling. The presence of flame retardants and additives in the plastics, the variety of polymer types, as well as the high volumes of black plastics are among the main challenges in plastics sorting and recycling. From the economic outlook, it is necessary to develop the market that uses secondary raw materials to ensure the profitability of the WEEE chain

ENVIRONMENTAL LABELING OF ELECTRICAL ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (EEE) IN FRANCE: INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS

The current regulatory framework for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is changing and now requires manufacturers to disclose the environmental performance of their products. This means that manufacturers must perform a life cycle analysis (LCA) on their entire range of products. An LCA is a recognized and standardized methodology for assessing the environmental impact of activities. However, communicating this information to consumers is challenging because it can be complicated.Despite this challenge, there is currently no common standard for communicating environmental information to consumers. The objective of this study is to explore the best practices for conveying environmental information. To achive this, a review of current environmental labeling approaches and recommendations available in the literature is conducted. Additionally, consumer requirements are collected and analyzed through a questionnaire that employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. The information collected is then used to develop the best practices for implementing environmental labeling for EEE

Effect of metakaolin addition on the mechanical performance of granulated blast furnace slag based geopolymer mortar with micro-encapsulated phase change materials

The incorporation of microcapsule phase change materials (MPCM) in geopolymer is one of the effective technologies that contribute to improve the thermal comfort of buildings on the one hand and replace the use of Portland cement-based materials on the other hand. Although MPCM increases the thermal capacity of the cementitious matrix, whether it is based on cement or geopolymer, their incorporation has unfortunately several negative effects on the mechanical performances. This scientific problem is still unsolved and several researchers have pointed it out. This study aim to investigate the effect of 10 and 20% metakaolin(MK) inclusion on the mechanical performance of geopolymer-MPCM mortars based on granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and to compares them with Portland cement-MPCM based mortars. Different tests were performed for to types of mortar in the aim to characterize their properties such as workability, porosity, compressive strength, dynamic Young's modulus and dynamic shear modulus. The results show that the inclusion of two proportions of metakaolin compensated well for the loss of mechanical strength related to the incorporation of MPCM. Therefore, with up to 20% of MPCM the inclusion of metkaolin increased the compressive strength by about 10 MPA. In addition, all geopolymer-MPCM mortars showed high compressive strength, improved workability and reduced porosity compared to Portland cement-MPCM based mortars