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Prof. Sarah McCormack
Trinity College Dublin

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0 Solar Energy
0 Sustainable Energy
0 Thermal Energy Storage
0 Solar energy conversion
0 Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems

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Solar Energy
Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems
Thermal Energy Storage
Solar energy conversion

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Journal article
Published: 04 July 2021 in Energies
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Phase change materials (PCMs) have a large number of applications for thermal energy storage (TES) and temperature reduction in buildings due to their thermal characteristics and latent heat storage capabilities. The thermal mass of typical brick walls can be substantially increased using a suitable PCM primarily based on phase change temperature and heat of fusion for different weather conditions in summer and winter. This study proposed a novel dual-layer PCM configuration for brick walls to maintain human comfort for hot and cold climatic conditions in Islamabad, Pakistan. Numerical simulations were performed using Ansys Fluent for dual PCMs layered within a brick wall for June and January with melting temperatures of 29 °C and 13 °C. This study examined and discussed the charging and discharging cycles of PCMs over an extended period (one month) to establish whether the efficacy of PCMs is hindered due to difficulties in discharging. The results show that the combined use of both PCMs stated above provides better human comfort with reduced energy requirements in Islamabad throughout the year than using a single PCM (29 °C) for summer or winter (13 °C) alone.

ACS Style

Atiq Rehman; Shakil Sheikh; Zareena Kausar; Sarah McCormack. Numerical Simulation of a Novel Dual Layered Phase Change Material Brick Wall for Human Comfort in Hot and Cold Climatic Conditions. Energies 2021, 14, 4032 .

AMA Style

Atiq Rehman, Shakil Sheikh, Zareena Kausar, Sarah McCormack. Numerical Simulation of a Novel Dual Layered Phase Change Material Brick Wall for Human Comfort in Hot and Cold Climatic Conditions. Energies. 2021; 14 (13):4032.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Atiq Rehman; Shakil Sheikh; Zareena Kausar; Sarah McCormack. 2021. "Numerical Simulation of a Novel Dual Layered Phase Change Material Brick Wall for Human Comfort in Hot and Cold Climatic Conditions." Energies 14, no. 13: 4032.

Journal article
Published: 20 May 2021 in Chemosensors
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The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is a grid-based, robust, and straightforward method to model the optical properties of metal nanoparticles (MNPs). Modelling accuracy and optical properties can be enhanced by increasing FDTD grid resolution; however, the resolution of the grid size is limited by the memory and computational requirements. In this paper, a 3D optimized FDTD (OFDTD) was designed and developed, which introduced new FDTD approximation terms based on the physical events occurring during the plasmonic oscillations in MNP. The proposed method not only required ~52% less memory than conventional FDTD, but also reduced the calculation requirements by ~9%. The 3D OFDTD method was used to model and obtain the extinction spectrum, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) frequency, and the electric field enhancement factor (EF) for spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The model’s predicted results were compared with traditional FDTD as well as experimental results to validate the model. The OFDTD results were found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental results. The EF accuracy was improved by 74% with respect to FDTD simulation, which helped reaching a near-unity OFDTD accuracy of ~99%. The λLSPR discrepancy reduced from 20 nm to 3 nm. The EF peak position discrepancy improved from ±5.5 nm to only ±0.5 nm.

ACS Style

Mehran Rafiee; Subhash Chandra; Hind Ahmed; Sarah McCormack. Optimized 3D Finite-Difference-Time-Domain Algorithm to Model the Plasmonic Properties of Metal Nanoparticles with Near-Unity Accuracy. Chemosensors 2021, 9, 114 .

AMA Style

Mehran Rafiee, Subhash Chandra, Hind Ahmed, Sarah McCormack. Optimized 3D Finite-Difference-Time-Domain Algorithm to Model the Plasmonic Properties of Metal Nanoparticles with Near-Unity Accuracy. Chemosensors. 2021; 9 (5):114.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mehran Rafiee; Subhash Chandra; Hind Ahmed; Sarah McCormack. 2021. "Optimized 3D Finite-Difference-Time-Domain Algorithm to Model the Plasmonic Properties of Metal Nanoparticles with Near-Unity Accuracy." Chemosensors 9, no. 5: 114.

Journal article
Published: 10 September 2020 in Waste Management
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Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used in waste management for the last two decades and hundreds of journal papers have been published. The use of LCA in waste management has provided a much-improved holistic view of waste management including waste flows and potential environmental impacts. Although much knowledge has been obtained from LCA studies, there is still a need to use LCA models in integrated waste management. This paper describes six areas where LCA is expected to play a role in waste management in the future: 1) understanding an existing waste management system; 2) improving existing waste management systems; 3) comparing alternative technologies/ technology performance; 4) technology development/prospective technologies; 5) policy development/strategic development; and 6) reporting. Illustrative examples are provided for each application area.

ACS Style

T.H. Christensen; A. Damgaard; J. Levis; Y. Zhao; A. Björklund; U. Arena; M.A. Barlaz; V. Starostina; A. Boldrin; T.F. Astrup; V. Bisinella. Application of LCA modelling in integrated waste management. Waste Management 2020, 118, 313 -322.

AMA Style

T.H. Christensen, A. Damgaard, J. Levis, Y. Zhao, A. Björklund, U. Arena, M.A. Barlaz, V. Starostina, A. Boldrin, T.F. Astrup, V. Bisinella. Application of LCA modelling in integrated waste management. Waste Management. 2020; 118 ():313-322.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T.H. Christensen; A. Damgaard; J. Levis; Y. Zhao; A. Björklund; U. Arena; M.A. Barlaz; V. Starostina; A. Boldrin; T.F. Astrup; V. Bisinella. 2020. "Application of LCA modelling in integrated waste management." Waste Management 118, no. : 313-322.

Research and analysis
Published: 23 July 2020 in Journal of Industrial Ecology
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A shortcoming in current data quality assessment schemes is that the data quality information is not used systematically to identify the critical data in a life cycle inventory (LCI) model. In addition, existing criteria employed to evaluate representativeness lack relevance to the specific context of a study. A novel framework is proposed herein for the evaluation of the representativeness of LCI data, including an analysis of the importance of the data and a modification of quality criteria based on unit process characteristics. Temporal characteristics are analyzed by identifying the technology shift, because data generated before this time are considered outdated. Geographical and technological characteristics are analyzed by defining a “related area” and a “related technology,” which is done by identifying a number of relevant geographical and technical factors, and then comparing the collected data with these factors. The framework was illustrated in a case study on household waste incineration in Denmark. The results demonstrated the applicability of the method in practice, and they provided data quality criteria unique to waste incineration unit processes, for example, different time intervals to evaluate temporal representativeness. However, the proposed method is time demanding, and thus sector‐level characteristic analyses are feasible instead of the user having to do the analyses.

ACS Style

Trine Henriksen; Thomas F. Astrup; Anders Damgaard. Data representativeness in LCA: A framework for the systematic assessment of data quality relative to technology characteristics. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2020, 25, 51 -66.

AMA Style

Trine Henriksen, Thomas F. Astrup, Anders Damgaard. Data representativeness in LCA: A framework for the systematic assessment of data quality relative to technology characteristics. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2020; 25 (1):51-66.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Trine Henriksen; Thomas F. Astrup; Anders Damgaard. 2020. "Data representativeness in LCA: A framework for the systematic assessment of data quality relative to technology characteristics." Journal of Industrial Ecology 25, no. 1: 51-66.

Review article
Published: 16 July 2020 in Waste Management
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The concept of biorefinery expands the possibilities to extract value from organic matter in form of either bespoke crops or organic waste. The viability of biorefinery schemes depends on the recovery of higher-value chemicals with potential for a wide distribution and an untapped marketability. The feasibility of biorefining organic waste is enhanced by the fact that the biorefinery will typically receive a waste management fee for accepting organic waste. The development and implementation of waste biorefinery concepts can open up a wide array of possibilities to shift waste management towards higher sustainability. However, barriers encompassing environmental, technical, economic, logistic, social and legislative aspects need to be overcome. For instance, waste biorefineries are likely to be complex systems due to the variability, heterogeneity and low purity of waste materials as opposed to dedicated biomasses. This article discusses the drivers that can make the biorefinery concept applicable to waste management and the possibilities for its development to full scale. Technological, strategic and market constraints affect the successful implementations of these systems. Fluctuations in waste characteristics, the level of contamination in the organic waste fraction, the proximity of the organic waste resource, the markets for the biorefinery products, the potential for integration with other industrial processes and disposal of final residues are all critical aspects requiring detailed analysis. Furthermore, interventions from policy makers are necessary to foster sustainable bio-based solutions for waste management.

ACS Style

Luca Alibardi; Thomas F. Astrup; Fabiano Asunis; William P. Clarke; Giorgia De Gioannis; Paolo Dessì; Piet N.L. Lens; Maria Cristina Lavagnolo; Lidia Lombardi; Aldo Muntoni; Alberto Pivato; Alessandra Polettini; Raffaella Pomi; Andreina Rossi; Alessandro Spagni; Daniela Spiga. Organic waste biorefineries: Looking towards implementation. Waste Management 2020, 114, 274 -286.

AMA Style

Luca Alibardi, Thomas F. Astrup, Fabiano Asunis, William P. Clarke, Giorgia De Gioannis, Paolo Dessì, Piet N.L. Lens, Maria Cristina Lavagnolo, Lidia Lombardi, Aldo Muntoni, Alberto Pivato, Alessandra Polettini, Raffaella Pomi, Andreina Rossi, Alessandro Spagni, Daniela Spiga. Organic waste biorefineries: Looking towards implementation. Waste Management. 2020; 114 ():274-286.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Alibardi; Thomas F. Astrup; Fabiano Asunis; William P. Clarke; Giorgia De Gioannis; Paolo Dessì; Piet N.L. Lens; Maria Cristina Lavagnolo; Lidia Lombardi; Aldo Muntoni; Alberto Pivato; Alessandra Polettini; Raffaella Pomi; Andreina Rossi; Alessandro Spagni; Daniela Spiga. 2020. "Organic waste biorefineries: Looking towards implementation." Waste Management 114, no. : 274-286.

Journal article
Published: 09 July 2020 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Several are the challenges related to plastic waste, spanning from littering, high collection costs, and low recycling rates. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is considered a key initiative to tackle some of these issues. To evaluate EPR role and effectiveness, 40 management scenarios focused on plastic packaging waste generated by Italian households were investigated, and their environmental performance (via a consequential life cycle assessment) and the economic sustainability of their waste value chain (via a cost-benefit analysis for each stakeholder) were compared to the recycling targets. Overall, packaging waste management represented an environmental burden. Yet, environmental benefits can be achieved by maximizing the collection rate, while minimizing the impurities collected with the source-segregated plastic and the processing losses in the recycling chain. Furthermore, the cost-benefit analysis showed that the recyclers are the weakest link in the value chain, and recycling of soft plastic and mixed polyolefin is generally not profitable. This increases the risk of exporting low-quality materials outside Europe, where their fate is uncertain. Finally, the results demonstrate that improving plastic packaging recyclability and strengthening the market for secondary plastic is critical for reaching the European recycling targets of 55% in 2030.

ACS Style

Susanna Andreasi Bassi; Alessio Boldrin; Giorgia Faraca; Thomas F. Astrup. Extended producer responsibility: How to unlock the environmental and economic potential of plastic packaging waste? Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 162, 105030 .

AMA Style

Susanna Andreasi Bassi, Alessio Boldrin, Giorgia Faraca, Thomas F. Astrup. Extended producer responsibility: How to unlock the environmental and economic potential of plastic packaging waste? Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 162 ():105030.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Susanna Andreasi Bassi; Alessio Boldrin; Giorgia Faraca; Thomas F. Astrup. 2020. "Extended producer responsibility: How to unlock the environmental and economic potential of plastic packaging waste?" Resources, Conservation and Recycling 162, no. : 105030.

Journal article
Published: 19 June 2020 in Nanomaterials
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Exploiting solar energy using photo-thermal (PT) and/or hybridised photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) systems can represent a viable alternative to the growing demand for renewable energy. For large-scale implementation, such systems require thermal fluids able to enhance the combined conversion efficiency achievable by controlling the ‘thermal’ and ‘electrical’ components of the solar spectrum. Nanofluids are typically employed for these purposes and they should exhibit high heat-transfer capabilities and optical properties tuned towards the peak performance spectral window of the photovoltaic (PV) component. In this work, novel nanofluids, composed of highly luminescent organic molecules and Ag nanoparticles dispersed within a base fluid, were tested for PT and PVT applications. These nanofluids were designed to mimic the behaviour of luminescent down-shifting molecules while offering enhanced thermo-physical characteristics over the host base fluid. The nanofluids’ conversion efficiency was evaluated under a standard AM1.5G weighted solar spectrum. The results revealed that the Ag nanoparticles’ inclusion in the composite fluid has the potential to improve the total solar energy conversion. The nanoparticles’ presence minimizes the losses in the electrical power component of the PVT systems as the thermal conversion increases. The enhanced performances recorded suggest that these nanofluids could represent suitable candidates for solar energy conversion applications.

ACS Style

James Walshe; Pauraic Mc Carron; Conor McLoughlin; Sarah McCormack; John Doran; George Amarandei. Nanofluid Development Using Silver Nanoparticles and Organic-Luminescent Molecules for Solar-Thermal and Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Applications. Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 1201 .

AMA Style

James Walshe, Pauraic Mc Carron, Conor McLoughlin, Sarah McCormack, John Doran, George Amarandei. Nanofluid Development Using Silver Nanoparticles and Organic-Luminescent Molecules for Solar-Thermal and Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Applications. Nanomaterials. 2020; 10 (6):1201.

Chicago/Turabian Style

James Walshe; Pauraic Mc Carron; Conor McLoughlin; Sarah McCormack; John Doran; George Amarandei. 2020. "Nanofluid Development Using Silver Nanoparticles and Organic-Luminescent Molecules for Solar-Thermal and Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Applications." Nanomaterials 10, no. 6: 1201.

Journal article
Published: 22 January 2020 in Energies
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The work presents a heat transfer analysis carried out with the use of COMSOL Multiphysics software applied to a new solar concentrator, defined as the Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) system. The experimental measures have been conducted for a truncated CPC prototype system with a half-acceptance angle of 60°, parabola coefficient of 4 m−1 and four solar cells in both covered and uncovered configurations. These data are used to validate the numerical scenario, to be able to use the simulations for different future systems and works. The second challenge has been to change the reflector geometry, the half-acceptance angle (60° ÷ 75°) and the parabola coefficient (3 m−1 ÷ 6 m−1) to enhance the concentration of sun rays on the solar cells. The results show that the discrepancy between experimental data and COMSOL Multiphysics (CM) have led to validate the scenarios considering the average temperature on the solar cells. These scenarios are used for the parametric analysis, observing that the optimal geometry for the higher power and efficiency of the whole system is reached with a lower half-acceptance angle and parabola coefficient.

ACS Style

Maurizio Carlini; Sarah Josephine McCormack; Sonia Castellucci; Anita Ortega; Mirko Rotondo; Andrea Mennuni. Modelling and Numerical Simulation for an Innovative Compound Solar Concentrator: Thermal Analysis by FEM Approach. Energies 2020, 13, 548 .

AMA Style

Maurizio Carlini, Sarah Josephine McCormack, Sonia Castellucci, Anita Ortega, Mirko Rotondo, Andrea Mennuni. Modelling and Numerical Simulation for an Innovative Compound Solar Concentrator: Thermal Analysis by FEM Approach. Energies. 2020; 13 (3):548.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Carlini; Sarah Josephine McCormack; Sonia Castellucci; Anita Ortega; Mirko Rotondo; Andrea Mennuni. 2020. "Modelling and Numerical Simulation for an Innovative Compound Solar Concentrator: Thermal Analysis by FEM Approach." Energies 13, no. 3: 548.

Journal article
Published: 08 November 2019 in Journal of Hazardous Materials
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Due to the variability of additives and polymer types used in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), and in accordance with the European Directive 2012/19/EU, an implementation of sound management practices is necessary. This work focuses on assessing the content of tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) and their polymer blends (i.e. PC/ABS). A total of 36 plastic housing samples originating from microwave ovens, electric irons, vacuum cleaners and DVD/CD players were subjected to microwave-assisted-extraction (MAE) and/or ultrasound-assisted-extraction (UAE). Maximum mean concentration values of TBBPA measured in DVD/CD players and vacuum cleaners ranged between 754-1146 μg/kg, and varied per polymer type, as follows: 510-2515 μg/kg in ABS and 55-3109 μg/kg in PP. The results indicated that MAE was more sufficient than UAE in the extraction of TBBPA from ABS. To optimize the UAE procedure, various solvents were tested. Higher amounts of TBBPA were obtained from ABS and PP using a binary mixture of a polar-non-polar solvent, isopropanol:n-hexane (1:1), whereas the sole use of isopropanol exhibited incomplete extraction.

ACS Style

Athanasia Kousaiti; John N. Hahladakis; Vasiliki Savvilotidou; Kostyantyn Pivnenko; Konstantina Tyrovola; Nikolaos Xekoukoulotakis; Thomas F. Astrup; Evangelos Gidarakos. Assessment of tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) content in plastic waste recovered from WEEE. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2019, 390, 121641 .

AMA Style

Athanasia Kousaiti, John N. Hahladakis, Vasiliki Savvilotidou, Kostyantyn Pivnenko, Konstantina Tyrovola, Nikolaos Xekoukoulotakis, Thomas F. Astrup, Evangelos Gidarakos. Assessment of tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) content in plastic waste recovered from WEEE. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2019; 390 ():121641.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Athanasia Kousaiti; John N. Hahladakis; Vasiliki Savvilotidou; Kostyantyn Pivnenko; Konstantina Tyrovola; Nikolaos Xekoukoulotakis; Thomas F. Astrup; Evangelos Gidarakos. 2019. "Assessment of tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) content in plastic waste recovered from WEEE." Journal of Hazardous Materials 390, no. : 121641.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2019 in Solar Energy
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For photovoltaic (PV) systems to become fully integrated into networks, efficient and cost-effective energy storage systems must be utilized together with intelligent demand side management. As the global solar photovoltaic market grows beyond 76 GW, increasing onsite consumption of power generated by PV technology will become important to maintain electricity grid stability. This review paper provides the first detailed breakdown of all types of energy storage systems that can be integrated with PV encompassing electrical and thermal energy storage systems. The integration of PV-energy storage in smart buildings is discussed together with the role of energy storage for PV in the context of future energy storage developments.

ACS Style

Hoda Akbari; Maria C. Browne; Anita Ortega; Ming Jun Huang; Neil J. Hewitt; Brian Norton; Sarah McCormack. Efficient energy storage technologies for photovoltaic systems. Solar Energy 2019, 192, 144 -168.

AMA Style

Hoda Akbari, Maria C. Browne, Anita Ortega, Ming Jun Huang, Neil J. Hewitt, Brian Norton, Sarah McCormack. Efficient energy storage technologies for photovoltaic systems. Solar Energy. 2019; 192 ():144-168.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hoda Akbari; Maria C. Browne; Anita Ortega; Ming Jun Huang; Neil J. Hewitt; Brian Norton; Sarah McCormack. 2019. "Efficient energy storage technologies for photovoltaic systems." Solar Energy 192, no. : 144-168.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2019 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Citizens increasingly dispose their waste at household waste recycling centres (HWRC). To enhance the collection of recyclables materials, local authorities and waste management companies invest considerable resources in planning. While the planning of these centres requires a comprehensive understanding of collected solid waste, only limited studies have consistently investigated waste data from HWRC. To fill this knowledge gap, historical data for HWRC from the Greater Copenhagen, Central Zealand, Silkeborg and Djursland in Denmark were analysed with regards to temporal and geographical variation. The results showed the mass of collected waste varies seasonally; this trend was consistently seen during the period 2010-2016. Moreover, the data revealed that the total waste collected was principally driven by the number of visitors. The geometric bar plot and ternary plot depicted an increase in the percentage of recyclable materials, whereas the percentage of incinerated waste decreased during the period 2010-2016. The waste characterisation study indicated that about 7% of small miscellaneous combustible waste was brought in black plastic bag, although these bags were forbidden; the results suggest that the percentage of misplaced recyclable materials could considerably decrease if citizens bring their waste in clear plastic bags.

ACS Style

Maklawe Essonanawe Edjabou; Giorgia Faraca; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. Temporal and geographical patterns of solid waste collected at recycling centres. Journal of Environmental Management 2019, 245, 384 -397.

AMA Style

Maklawe Essonanawe Edjabou, Giorgia Faraca, Alessio Boldrin, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. Temporal and geographical patterns of solid waste collected at recycling centres. Journal of Environmental Management. 2019; 245 ():384-397.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maklawe Essonanawe Edjabou; Giorgia Faraca; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. 2019. "Temporal and geographical patterns of solid waste collected at recycling centres." Journal of Environmental Management 245, no. : 384-397.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2019 in Waste Management
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Recycling of plastic is an important step towards circular economy. However, plastic from household waste (HHW) is a heterogeneous and contaminated resource, leading to recycled plastic with reduced quality, limiting the potential for closed-loop recycling. In addition to regulatory requirements for the chemical composition of recycled plastic, reduced physical and mechanical properties may limit the potential for closed-loop recycling. Consequently, this study analyses the thermal degradation, processability and mechanical properties of a range of reprocessed PET, PE and PP samples from source-separated plastic in HHW. On this basis, the potential for closed-loop recycling is evaluated. The study demonstrated that PET, PE and PP recycling represent different challenges. Potential degradation of the PET polymer can be reversed in a decontamination process, making PET waste well-suited for closed-loop, multiple times recycling, even when the degree of heterogeneity in the waste is high. The processability of different kinds of PE and PP packaging types varied considerably, especially for PP. Consequently, current recycling of mixed PP waste and even separate recycling of individual PP waste packaging types, will not technically facilitate recycling into new packaging products. This highlights the importance of PE and PP waste homogeneity when sent to reprocessing. Such homogeneity may be achieved through additional plastic sorting and regulatory harmonisation of product design, accounting for polymer properties and recyclability. Degradation of PP during recycling was shown to be substantial, representing another important limitation for PP recycling, necessary to address in the future.

ACS Style

M.K. Eriksen; J.D. Christiansen; Anders Egede Daugaard; T.F. Astrup. Closing the loop for PET, PE and PP waste from households: Influence of material properties and product design for plastic recycling. Waste Management 2019, 96, 75 -85.

AMA Style

M.K. Eriksen, J.D. Christiansen, Anders Egede Daugaard, T.F. Astrup. Closing the loop for PET, PE and PP waste from households: Influence of material properties and product design for plastic recycling. Waste Management. 2019; 96 ():75-85.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M.K. Eriksen; J.D. Christiansen; Anders Egede Daugaard; T.F. Astrup. 2019. "Closing the loop for PET, PE and PP waste from households: Influence of material properties and product design for plastic recycling." Waste Management 96, no. : 75-85.

Lca of waste management systems
Published: 26 July 2019 in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
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In life-cycle assessment (LCA), environmental technologies are often modelled as “black-box processes”, where inputs and outputs are typically not linked through physical and/or (bio) chemical relationships. This limits transparency and usability of environmental modelling of resource systems for which the conversion of materials and chemical substances in the materials is essential for the environmental performance. We introduce an advanced “process-oriented” modelling framework allowing quantitative and parameterised physical-chemical relationships between input material composition, conversion process units and subsequent output products, promoting mass and substance balanced conversion modelling and environmental assessment. A dedicated LCA model, EASETECH, has been used to provide a user-friendly platform for performing advanced LCA of complex technologies, without the need for additional software/tools. In the modelling framework, the technology is subdivided into individual unit processes. In each process, the characterisation of the input feedstock material into biochemical, physical, chemical and nutritional properties is taken into consideration in each multi-output production flow. For each unit process, the processes governing the mass/energy/substance transition and transformation are described by mathematical equations (i.e. relationships between inputs and outputs) through the use of parameters. A range of new operators were developed to establish these relationships that allow for non-linear responses whereby changes in one flow can give a non-linear response in other flows. The modelling framework and the involved operators are explained and applied to a biorefinery case study. The model facilitates “tracking” of the feedstock material properties from the input to the final products, by establishing mass, substance and energy balances for each conversion unit process. In addition, the process-oriented modelling framework appropriately represents material/substance transition and transformations. The choice of process parameters has considerable importance for the overall results. This was illustrated by one-at-a-time changes in parameter values in two different biorefinery unit processes (i.e. hydrolysis, and fermentation and distillation). In addition, the relevance of feedstock characteristics for the performance of the individual unit processes was proved with fixed parameter sets with different feedstocks. The biorefinery case study demonstrated that the LCA model can be applied to technology cases with different process configurations (e.g. different efficiencies) and different input feedstock properties, where it automatically adjusts to these changes in properties. The advanced process-oriented modelling framework offers more flexible modelling of the conversion technology than previously available, improved options for technology development in view of environmental performance, and potentially more accurate results. This provides a significantly improved basis for environmental modelling and decision-making in relation to resource systems.

ACS Style

Concetta Lodato; Davide Tonini; Anders Damgaard; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. A process-oriented life-cycle assessment (LCA) model for environmental and resource-related technologies (EASETECH). The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 25, 73 -88.

AMA Style

Concetta Lodato, Davide Tonini, Anders Damgaard, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. A process-oriented life-cycle assessment (LCA) model for environmental and resource-related technologies (EASETECH). The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 25 (1):73-88.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Concetta Lodato; Davide Tonini; Anders Damgaard; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. 2019. "A process-oriented life-cycle assessment (LCA) model for environmental and resource-related technologies (EASETECH)." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 1: 73-88.

Journal article
Published: 25 June 2019 in Waste Management
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While recycling has been recognised as the preferred plastic waste management solution, little is known about the detailed characteristics of plastic waste and how these may affect its recycling. In this study hard plastic, plastic film and PVC waste collected at three Danish recycling centres were sampled and characterised according to product applications, legislative requirements (quality), expected product life time, polymer types and presence of potential impurities such as coloured plastics, non-plastic materials and multi-polymer products. The obtained information was applied for estimation of overall recycling potentials for selected archetype recycling process chains based on material flow analysis. In addition to providing detailed data for the composition of the plastic waste products, the results showed that impurities represented 28% (wet weight) of the plastic waste, and that about 75% of the plastic waste was characterised as Low Quality applications, indicating some legislative recovery restrictions. By accounting for the level/type of impurities, the overall recycling potential was found to be 52% for hard plastics, 59% for plastic films and 79% for PVC waste. The results showed that while varying according to polymer type, the recyclability of “High Quality” plastic waste was 12–35% higher than “Low Quality” applications. While actual results are representative of Danish conditions, the study demonstrates that detailed characteristics of plastic waste are needed to identify potential challenges to recycling and thereby potentially improving the design (and recovery efficiency) of recycling facilities.

ACS Style

Giorgia Faraca; Thomas Astrup. Plastic waste from recycling centres: Characterisation and evaluation of plastic recyclability. Waste Management 2019, 95, 388 -398.

AMA Style

Giorgia Faraca, Thomas Astrup. Plastic waste from recycling centres: Characterisation and evaluation of plastic recyclability. Waste Management. 2019; 95 ():388-398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giorgia Faraca; Thomas Astrup. 2019. "Plastic waste from recycling centres: Characterisation and evaluation of plastic recyclability." Waste Management 95, no. : 388-398.

Journal article
Published: 28 April 2019 in Waste Management
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The retail sector, generating large amounts of food waste in a limited and well-defined number of locations, represents a unique opportunity for the implementation of waste minimisation policies targeting food waste and surplus food. France has introduced policy measures forcing retailers to prioritise the redistribution of surplus food to charity (donation) and/or diversion to animal feed. To evaluate the environmental benefits from such initiatives, this study provides a bottom-up consequential life cycle assessment of surplus food management at twenty retail outlets in France. A cradle-to-grave assessment was performed, including land-use changes, and the impacts were evaluated for ten impact categories. Four scenarios were considered, using monthly data on waste flows and management. Alongside assessing the current management (i.e. redistribution and/or use of surplus food for animal feed with anaerobic digestion and incineration of residual streams), three additional scenarios were evaluated: (i) prevention (used as benchmark), (ii) anaerobic digestion and (iii) incineration. The results demonstrated that redistribution leads to substantial environmental savings when accounting for all potentially induced benefits, second only to prevention but nevertheless of similar magnitude. Neither anaerobic digestion nor incineration can compete environmentally with redistribution and use as animal feed, especially in a low-carbon energy system. A cost analysis, including tax credits implemented in the French regulation, demonstrated that retailers donating high-value products also achieved lower costs and higher environmental savings overall. The results clearly suggest that similar initiatives should be encouraged, and the study offers a consistent basis for evaluating similar initiatives also for other countries.

ACS Style

Paola Federica Albizzati; Davide Tonini; Charlotte Boyer Chammard; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. Valorisation of surplus food in the French retail sector: Environmental and economic impacts. Waste Management 2019, 90, 141 -151.

AMA Style

Paola Federica Albizzati, Davide Tonini, Charlotte Boyer Chammard, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. Valorisation of surplus food in the French retail sector: Environmental and economic impacts. Waste Management. 2019; 90 ():141-151.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paola Federica Albizzati; Davide Tonini; Charlotte Boyer Chammard; Thomas Fruergaard Astrup. 2019. "Valorisation of surplus food in the French retail sector: Environmental and economic impacts." Waste Management 90, no. : 141-151.

Journal article
Published: 16 April 2019 in Waste Management
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Europe is currently adapting its waste management strategies towards the increased recycling of waste materials, motivated by ambitious recycling targets. This requires correctly sorting and recovering of all relevant waste flows. In Denmark, a considerable share of residential household waste is collected at recycling centres, 16% of which is sent to energy recovery in the form of “small combustible waste”. Although essential in order to enhance the management of household waste, very little information exists on its composition. In this study, 25 tonnes of small combustible waste were sampled from eight Danish recycling centres and classified according to material fraction, application and physical properties. On this basis, the potential contribution to the overall recycling rate was evaluated together with estimation of the potential environmental savings associated with recycling of these fractions. Less than half of the sampled waste comprised combustible materials, whereas recyclable fractions accounted for 47–64%, mainly including textiles, plastics and paper waste. Assuming this composition applicable to the national level, recycling these waste materials collected as small combustibles increased national recycling rates for households by 12%, calculated as waste received at recycling processes. Moreover, the potential climate change savings associated with recycling of Danish household waste increased by 30% compared to the current level. Plastics, textiles and paper were the main contributors to this increase, suggesting that improved sorting practices for these materials should be prioritised. The study demonstrates that detailed compositional data for waste materials has paramount importance when estimating recycling potentials and quantifying the associated environmental benefits.

ACS Style

Giorgia Faraca; Vincent M. Edjabou; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Astrup. Combustible waste collected at Danish recycling centres: Characterisation, recycling potentials and contribution to environmental savings. Waste Management 2019, 89, 354 -365.

AMA Style

Giorgia Faraca, Vincent M. Edjabou, Alessio Boldrin, Thomas Astrup. Combustible waste collected at Danish recycling centres: Characterisation, recycling potentials and contribution to environmental savings. Waste Management. 2019; 89 ():354-365.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giorgia Faraca; Vincent M. Edjabou; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Astrup. 2019. "Combustible waste collected at Danish recycling centres: Characterisation, recycling potentials and contribution to environmental savings." Waste Management 89, no. : 354-365.

Journal article
Published: 26 March 2019 in Optical Materials
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A Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC) is an optical waveguide of transparent host material doped with luminophores. LSC technology works by trapping incident solar radiation, converting the spectrum to the wavelength-band of interest and concentrating the light by total internal reflection (TIR) to the edge of the LSC where photovoltaic (PV) solar cell is attached. During the waveguiding process of solar radiation, a considerable proportion of photons are lost through mechanisms such as re-absorption, attenuation, scattering and escape cone losses which decrease the device optical efficiency (OE). In recent decades, various LSC generations with different configurations have been introduced and investigated to mitigate the inherent optical losses and enhance the device performance. Due to the achieved optical improvements, LSC has recently captured a significant growing interest implying its leading role as a low cost and passive technology for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PV systems. In this paper, large and small scale LSCs have been comprehensively reviewed to study the impact of device configuration (such as shape, geometric gain, host material, luminescent species, doping concentration and PV solar cell type) on the LSC loss mechanisms and optical performance. LSC generations are categorised and shortlisted based on their configurations; moreover, their limitations, best performance conditions, best achieved results, and their eligibility for large-scale building integrated PV (BIPV) applications are discussed.

ACS Style

Mehran Rafiee; Subhash Chandra; Hind Ahmed; Sarah J. McCormack. An overview of various configurations of Luminescent Solar Concentrators for photovoltaic applications. Optical Materials 2019, 91, 212 -227.

AMA Style

Mehran Rafiee, Subhash Chandra, Hind Ahmed, Sarah J. McCormack. An overview of various configurations of Luminescent Solar Concentrators for photovoltaic applications. Optical Materials. 2019; 91 ():212-227.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mehran Rafiee; Subhash Chandra; Hind Ahmed; Sarah J. McCormack. 2019. "An overview of various configurations of Luminescent Solar Concentrators for photovoltaic applications." Optical Materials 91, no. : 212-227.

Journal article
Published: 08 February 2019 in Waste Management
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Recycling of plastic from household waste (HHW) is crucial in the transition towards a circular plastic economy. Plastic from HHW consists of numerous immiscible polymers, product types and product designs (e.g. colour, polymer separability), which often lead to considerable physical losses during sorting, and low-quality recycled plastic. Consequently, recycling initiatives have been proposed to enhance the quantity and quality of plastic recycling from HHW. To quantify the potential effects of such initiatives, a detailed composition of plastic waste is necessary. The aim was to provide such detailed composition of Danish source-separated rigid plastic waste, including information regarding the polymer of the main product component, product type, polymer design and separability as well as colour. The potential effects on recycled quantity and quality from implementing selected recycling initiatives were quantified and recommendations provided. PET, PE and PP made up >90% of the source-separated plastic and both food- and non-food packaging existed in all three polymers. In total, 10–11% of the plastic was black, and around 44% consisted of multiple polymers, of which one-third was non-separable. Initiatives improving product design for recycling will likely result in increased quantity of recycled plastic. By effectively separating food from non-food packaging, e.g. by introducing two bins in the households or politically aligning polymers and product types (all food packaging in PET and PP, all non-food packaging in PE), 39–63% of the waste could potentially be recycled in a closed loop into food-grade quality packaging. The overall highest benefits were reached by combining initiatives.

ACS Style

M.K. Eriksen; T.F. Astrup. Characterisation of source-separated, rigid plastic waste and evaluation of recycling initiatives: Effects of product design and source-separation system. Waste Management 2019, 87, 161 -172.

AMA Style

M.K. Eriksen, T.F. Astrup. Characterisation of source-separated, rigid plastic waste and evaluation of recycling initiatives: Effects of product design and source-separation system. Waste Management. 2019; 87 ():161-172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M.K. Eriksen; T.F. Astrup. 2019. "Characterisation of source-separated, rigid plastic waste and evaluation of recycling initiatives: Effects of product design and source-separation system." Waste Management 87, no. : 161-172.

Journal article
Published: 08 February 2019 in Waste Management
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Recycling of post-consumer wood waste into particleboard may be hindered by the presence of physical and chemical impurities in the waste stream, therefore calling for increased attention on the quality of wood waste. However, wood waste comprises several uses/types of wood, along with different levels of contamination. This study provides the detailed sampling and characterisation of wood waste according to its source, type and resource quality grade. Eight tonnes of wood waste, intended for recycling and collected at three Danish recycling centres, were subdivided into 34 individual material fractions and characterised with respect to the presence of three classes of physical impurities (misplacements, interfering materials and low-quality wood waste) as well as chemical concentrations of more than hundred chemical elements and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The results demonstrated that contaminant and concentration levels vary significantly according to wood waste type and source, thus emphasising that wood waste should not be viewed as a single material flow but rather be understood and managed according to the presence of individual fractions. Including only clean wood waste fractions at the three recycling centres, 41–87% of the collected wood waste per weight could be recycled – the rest being physical impurities. The results showed that chemical contamination was significantly higher for low-quality wood waste, thus clearly indicating that improvements in separate collection, sorting and handling of wood waste may improve the resource quality of wood waste and potentially achieve cleaner recycling practices.

ACS Style

Giorgia Faraca; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Astrup. Resource quality of wood waste: The importance of physical and chemical impurities in wood waste for recycling. Waste Management 2019, 87, 135 -147.

AMA Style

Giorgia Faraca, Alessio Boldrin, Thomas Astrup. Resource quality of wood waste: The importance of physical and chemical impurities in wood waste for recycling. Waste Management. 2019; 87 ():135-147.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giorgia Faraca; Alessio Boldrin; Thomas Astrup. 2019. "Resource quality of wood waste: The importance of physical and chemical impurities in wood waste for recycling." Waste Management 87, no. : 135-147.

Journal article
Published: 15 January 2019 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Recycling of plastic waste is promoted by the European Union as an important step toward a circular economy. Recovered plastic waste is a complex and heterogeneous material, and the impurities and/or untargeted polymers associated to plastic waste may affect the recycling process and potentially decrease the intended benefits. An environmental and financial assessment was conducted on one tonne of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres. Three management scenarios were considered: two mechanical recycling (a simpler and a more advanced configuration, namely sMR and aMR) and a feedstock recycling (FR) scenario based on conversion through pyrolysis. Scenario aMR provided the largest savings in the highest number of impact categories (including global warming potential) and total costs; scenarios sMR and FR provided smaller savings (or even burdens), depending on the environmental impact category considered. A scenario analysis evaluating the type of energy provision, location of recycling facilities and the application of the recycled material confirmed the ranking of results with respect to global warming potential and total costs. A global sensitivity assessment of model data inputs demonstrated that three to nine parameters were typically sufficient to achieve more than 90% of total variance of the results; critical parameters were mainly related to sorting efficiencies, technical yields and market substitution factors. The study demonstrates that if high quality of the recycled plastic is achieved, both environmental savings and financial revenues are possible.

ACS Style

Giorgia Faraca; Veronica Martinez-Sanchez; Thomas F. Astrup. Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2019, 143, 299 -309.

AMA Style

Giorgia Faraca, Veronica Martinez-Sanchez, Thomas F. Astrup. Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019; 143 ():299-309.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giorgia Faraca; Veronica Martinez-Sanchez; Thomas F. Astrup. 2019. "Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 143, no. : 299-309.