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Reducing material flows and their associated environmental impacts substantially contributes to moving toward a more sustainable society. Both individual consumption behavior and governmental regulations play a crucial role in reaching sustainability goals. In this article, we present a Material Flow Analysis combined with a simplified Life Cycle Assessment of the Swiss economy. Results were linked to an analysis of consumption patterns. This allowed us to evaluate the direct influence of consumer behavior on national greenhouse gas emissions using a consumption-based approach and the quantification of the range of these emissions from different lifestyles. We conclude that the consumer has a direct influence on slightly more than 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Domestic Material Consumption. If everybody were to behave like the 20% of the population with the most climate-friendly behavior, emissions would decrease by merely 16%. Cooperation between stakeholders at all levels of society is therefore needed. This study provides a contribution to decreasing material and energy consumption and defining possible future pathways with the final aim to bring anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions down to zero in Switzerland.
Cecilia Matasci; Marcel Gauch; Heinz Böni; Patrick Wäger. The Influence of Consumer Behavior on Climate Change: The Case of Switzerland. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2966 .
AMA StyleCecilia Matasci, Marcel Gauch, Heinz Böni, Patrick Wäger. The Influence of Consumer Behavior on Climate Change: The Case of Switzerland. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (5):2966.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCecilia Matasci; Marcel Gauch; Heinz Böni; Patrick Wäger. 2021. "The Influence of Consumer Behavior on Climate Change: The Case of Switzerland." Sustainability 13, no. 5: 2966.
The challenges posed to humanity by climate change require innovative approaches. Well-designed games are powerful tools with the potential to support solving climate related challenges. In this article, we present a mapping review study of games that address climate change issues (climate games). In a search and selection process, we identified 115 climate games that were classified by applying a newly developed game typology. This allowed gaining an overview of existing climate games and identifying potentials for future game development. The game classification revealed that the majority of climate games (75%) were designed for learning purposes and addressed heterogeneous target audiences such as students, professionals, or the “general public”. The identified games covered a wide range of characteristics, e.g., regarding the topic addressed, player interaction, game-play, level of abstraction, or the media used for play. Nevertheless, we identified areas where only few or no games were found. These “gaps” provide opportunities where future games could help solving climate challenges and include, amongst others, games designed for professionals to address specific needs and games that create a direct impact outside the game environment. Regarding game design, experimenting with the abstraction of games is currently underexplored and offers potential for future developments.
Andreas Gerber; Markus Ulrich; Flurin Wäger; Marta Roca-Puigròs; João Gonçalves; Patrick Wäger. Games on Climate Change: Identifying Development Potentials through Advanced Classification and Game Characteristics Mapping. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1997 .
AMA StyleAndreas Gerber, Markus Ulrich, Flurin Wäger, Marta Roca-Puigròs, João Gonçalves, Patrick Wäger. Games on Climate Change: Identifying Development Potentials through Advanced Classification and Game Characteristics Mapping. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1997.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndreas Gerber; Markus Ulrich; Flurin Wäger; Marta Roca-Puigròs; João Gonçalves; Patrick Wäger. 2021. "Games on Climate Change: Identifying Development Potentials through Advanced Classification and Game Characteristics Mapping." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1997.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing facemasks became common. Many initiatives arose to develop new types of reusable textile masks in order to overcome a shortage of surgical masks for the health care personnel and for the civil society. Having such high demand of facemasks raises the question about what factors define their environmental sustainability. This paper presents a first simplified Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) comparing surgical masks and 2-layered cotton masks. The aim of the paper is to identify and understand the relevant ecological factors in order to support decision making on how textile masks could be designed in a more sustainable manner. The results of our simplified LCA show that the cotton masks were performing better than the surgical masks and vice versa depending on the environmental impact that was looked at. It was also found that the lifespan and the weight of the cotton masks are two variables having a great importance for their overall environmental performance.
Mélanie Schmutz; Roland Hischier; Till Batt; Peter Wick; Bernd Nowack; Patrick Wäger; Claudia Som. Cotton and Surgical Masks—What Ecological Factors Are Relevant for Their Sustainability? Sustainability 2020, 12, 10245 .
AMA StyleMélanie Schmutz, Roland Hischier, Till Batt, Peter Wick, Bernd Nowack, Patrick Wäger, Claudia Som. Cotton and Surgical Masks—What Ecological Factors Are Relevant for Their Sustainability? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (24):10245.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMélanie Schmutz; Roland Hischier; Till Batt; Peter Wick; Bernd Nowack; Patrick Wäger; Claudia Som. 2020. "Cotton and Surgical Masks—What Ecological Factors Are Relevant for Their Sustainability?" Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10245.
Marta Roca-Puigròs; Romain Guillaume Billy; Andreas Gerber; Patrick Wäger; Daniel Beat Müller. Pathways toward a carbon-neutral Swiss residential building stock. Buildings and Cities 2020, 1, 579 -593.
AMA StyleMarta Roca-Puigròs, Romain Guillaume Billy, Andreas Gerber, Patrick Wäger, Daniel Beat Müller. Pathways toward a carbon-neutral Swiss residential building stock. Buildings and Cities. 2020; 1 (1):579-593.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Roca-Puigròs; Romain Guillaume Billy; Andreas Gerber; Patrick Wäger; Daniel Beat Müller. 2020. "Pathways toward a carbon-neutral Swiss residential building stock." Buildings and Cities 1, no. 1: 579-593.
Luis Tercero Espinoza; Dieuwertje Schrijvers; Wei-Qiang Chen; Jo Dewulf; Roderick Eggert; James Goddin; Komal Habib; Christian Hagelüken; Alan J. Hurd; René Kleijn; Anthony Y. Ku; Min-Ha Lee; Keisuke Nansai; Philip Nuss; David Peck; Evi Petavratzi; Guido Sonnemann; Ester van der Voet; Patrick A. Wäger; Steven B. Young; Alessandra Hool. Greater circularity leads to lower criticality, and other links between criticality and the circular economy. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 159, 104718 .
AMA StyleLuis Tercero Espinoza, Dieuwertje Schrijvers, Wei-Qiang Chen, Jo Dewulf, Roderick Eggert, James Goddin, Komal Habib, Christian Hagelüken, Alan J. Hurd, René Kleijn, Anthony Y. Ku, Min-Ha Lee, Keisuke Nansai, Philip Nuss, David Peck, Evi Petavratzi, Guido Sonnemann, Ester van der Voet, Patrick A. Wäger, Steven B. Young, Alessandra Hool. Greater circularity leads to lower criticality, and other links between criticality and the circular economy. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 159 ():104718.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLuis Tercero Espinoza; Dieuwertje Schrijvers; Wei-Qiang Chen; Jo Dewulf; Roderick Eggert; James Goddin; Komal Habib; Christian Hagelüken; Alan J. Hurd; René Kleijn; Anthony Y. Ku; Min-Ha Lee; Keisuke Nansai; Philip Nuss; David Peck; Evi Petavratzi; Guido Sonnemann; Ester van der Voet; Patrick A. Wäger; Steven B. Young; Alessandra Hool. 2020. "Greater circularity leads to lower criticality, and other links between criticality and the circular economy." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 159, no. : 104718.
This research explores the material recovery from bottom-ash, which is a residue from municipal solid waste incineration. The investigations aimed to characterize, evaluate, categorize and classify the development status of the recovery projects in the Canton of Zürich, including two technology pathways, i.e. dry and wet bottom-ash recovery. The temporal scale commenced with the exploration phase in 2003 and concluded with two technological pathways, both operating commercial projects in 2017. A retrospective view allowed the identification of enablers and barriers that affected the development status of the recovery projects. Further the recovery perspective allowed the results to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). The investigation showed two main trends. Firstly, the development status of the recovery projects from exploration to commercial project phase was mainly driven by the knowledge increase regarding sampling and metal characterization in bottom-ash, the readiness and effectiveness of the recovery technologies and the changes of the legal and financial environment. Secondly, the amount of recovered material (dry matter content) increased from about 6900 tons in 2003 to 16,500 tons in 2017, which is congruent with an increase in the recovery rate from 5 to 14 percent per weight. In particular, the amount of elements recoverable with an economic and environmental benefit, such as copper, gold and silver, increased. Correspondingly, the residual particular metal content in the disposable bottom-ash (fraction 2–16 mm) decreased to < 1 percent per weight dry matter and therefore reduced the risk for environmental at the sanitary landfills. The findings provide ‘lessons learned’ for companies, authorities and investors who intend to develop material recovery projects. Even though the recovery potentials depend on site-specific conditions, the UNFC allows comparing individual recovery projects under different boundary conditions.
Sandra R. Mueller; Ulrich Kral; Patrick A. Wäger. Developing material recovery projects: Lessons learned from processing municipal solid waste incineration residues. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 259, 120490 .
AMA StyleSandra R. Mueller, Ulrich Kral, Patrick A. Wäger. Developing material recovery projects: Lessons learned from processing municipal solid waste incineration residues. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 259 ():120490.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSandra R. Mueller; Ulrich Kral; Patrick A. Wäger. 2020. "Developing material recovery projects: Lessons learned from processing municipal solid waste incineration residues." Journal of Cleaner Production 259, no. : 120490.
This study proposes a method to estimate the appropriability of renewable energy resources at the global scale, when Earth system boundaries/needs and the human demand for chemical energy are respected. The method is based on an engineering approach, i.e., uncertainties of parameters and models are considered and potentials calculated with 99 % confidence. We used literature data to test our method and provide initial results for global appropriable technical potentials (ATP) that sum up to 71 TW , which is significantly larger than the current global energy demand. Consequently, there is sufficient renewable energy potentially available to increase energy access for a growing world population as well as for a development towards increasingly closed material cycles within the technosphere. Solar energy collected on the built environment ( 29 % ) and in desert areas ( 69 % ) represent the dominant part of this potential, followed in great distance by hydro ( 0.6 % ), terrestrial heat ( 0.4 % ), wind ( 0.35 % ), and biomass ( 0.2 % ). Furthermore, we propose indicators to evaluate an energy mix on different levels, from an energy mix in single products to the mix used by the global economy, against the estimated RE potentials, which allow an evaluation and consideration in the design of sustainable–circular products and systems.
Harald Desing; Rolf Widmer; Didier Beloin-Saint-Pierre; Roland Hischier; Patrick Wäger. Powering a Sustainable and Circular Economy—An Engineering Approach to Estimating Renewable Energy Potentials within Earth System Boundaries. Energies 2019, 12, 4723 .
AMA StyleHarald Desing, Rolf Widmer, Didier Beloin-Saint-Pierre, Roland Hischier, Patrick Wäger. Powering a Sustainable and Circular Economy—An Engineering Approach to Estimating Renewable Energy Potentials within Earth System Boundaries. Energies. 2019; 12 (24):4723.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHarald Desing; Rolf Widmer; Didier Beloin-Saint-Pierre; Roland Hischier; Patrick Wäger. 2019. "Powering a Sustainable and Circular Economy—An Engineering Approach to Estimating Renewable Energy Potentials within Earth System Boundaries." Energies 12, no. 24: 4723.
The assessment of the criticality of raw materials allows the identification of the likelihood of a supply disruption of a material and the vulnerability of a system (e.g. a national economy, technology, or company) to this disruption. Inconclusive outcomes of various studies suggest that criticality assessments would benefit from the identification of best practices. To prepare the field for such guidance, this paper aims to clarify the mechanisms that affect methodological choices which influence the results of a study. This is achieved via literature review and round table discussions among international experts. The paper demonstrates that criticality studies are divergent in the system under study, the anticipated risk, the purpose of the study, and material selection. These differences in goal and scope naturally result in different choices regarding indicator selection, the required level of aggregation as well as the subsequent choice of aggregation method, and the need for a threshold value. However, this link is often weak, which suggests a lack of understanding of cause-and-effect mechanisms of indicators and outcomes. Data availability is a key factor that limits the evaluation of criticality. Furthermore, data quality, including both data uncertainty and data representativeness, is rarely addressed in the interpretation and communication of results. Clear guidance in the formulation of goals and scopes of criticality studies, the selection of adequate indicators and aggregation methods, and the interpretation of the outcomes, are important initial steps in improving the quality of criticality assessments.
Dieuwertje Schrijvers; Alessandra Hool; Gian Andrea Blengini; Wei-Qiang Chen; Jo Dewulf; Roderick Eggert; Layla Van Ellen; Roland Gauss; James Goddin; Komal Habib; Christian Hagelüken; Atsufumi Hirohata; Margarethe Hofmann-Amtenbrink; Jan Kosmol; Maïté Le Gleuher; Milan Grohol; Anthony Ku; Min-Ha Lee; Gang Liu; Keisuke Nansai; Philip Nuss; David Peck; Armin Reller; Guido Sonnemann; Luis Tercero; Andrea Thorenz; Patrick A. Wäger. A review of methods and data to determine raw material criticality. Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X 2019, 100023 .
AMA StyleDieuwertje Schrijvers, Alessandra Hool, Gian Andrea Blengini, Wei-Qiang Chen, Jo Dewulf, Roderick Eggert, Layla Van Ellen, Roland Gauss, James Goddin, Komal Habib, Christian Hagelüken, Atsufumi Hirohata, Margarethe Hofmann-Amtenbrink, Jan Kosmol, Maïté Le Gleuher, Milan Grohol, Anthony Ku, Min-Ha Lee, Gang Liu, Keisuke Nansai, Philip Nuss, David Peck, Armin Reller, Guido Sonnemann, Luis Tercero, Andrea Thorenz, Patrick A. Wäger. A review of methods and data to determine raw material criticality. Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X. 2019; ():100023.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDieuwertje Schrijvers; Alessandra Hool; Gian Andrea Blengini; Wei-Qiang Chen; Jo Dewulf; Roderick Eggert; Layla Van Ellen; Roland Gauss; James Goddin; Komal Habib; Christian Hagelüken; Atsufumi Hirohata; Margarethe Hofmann-Amtenbrink; Jan Kosmol; Maïté Le Gleuher; Milan Grohol; Anthony Ku; Min-Ha Lee; Gang Liu; Keisuke Nansai; Philip Nuss; David Peck; Armin Reller; Guido Sonnemann; Luis Tercero; Andrea Thorenz; Patrick A. Wäger. 2019. "A review of methods and data to determine raw material criticality." Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X , no. : 100023.
The treatment of end-of-life vehicles generates large amounts of automobile shredder residue (ASR), a potential source of recycled metals. Reliable measurement methods are required to determine the composition of ASR and evaluate the resource potential. We reported on research undertaken to investigate bias and variability in the process of measuring trace metals in ASR. Two primary samples of shredder light fraction (SLF) underwent extensive physical sample preparation and chemical analysis. The samples were spiked to control random variations and systematic effects during physical sample preparation. Chemical analysis was conducted using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WD-XRF), a fully validated wet-chemical analysis, and a wet-chemical analysis representing an “in-house” lab procedure. Physical sample preparation introduced deviations up to a factor of 2, likely due to preferential losses and heterogeneity. Deviations for WD-XRF measurements of elements were in the range +100%/−50%. In-house chemical analysis produced results that were in good agreement with validated results for Al, Fe and Sn, but led to biased results or high variability for Cd, Dy, La, Nd, Pb, Pd, Pt and Sb. To improve the chemical analysis of trace metals in SLF, we recommended reducing particle size to less than 0.1 mm before chemical analysis and using a larger number of repeated digestions.
Amund N. Løvik; Renato Figi; Claudia Schreiner; Matthias Rösslein; Rolf Widmer; Rainer Bunge; Thomas Pohl; Nathalie Korf; Claudia Kuntz; Paul Martin Mählitz; Vera Susanne Rotter; Patrick Wäger. Variability and Bias in Measurements of Metals Mass Fractions in Automobile Shredder Residue. Recycling 2019, 4, 34 .
AMA StyleAmund N. Løvik, Renato Figi, Claudia Schreiner, Matthias Rösslein, Rolf Widmer, Rainer Bunge, Thomas Pohl, Nathalie Korf, Claudia Kuntz, Paul Martin Mählitz, Vera Susanne Rotter, Patrick Wäger. Variability and Bias in Measurements of Metals Mass Fractions in Automobile Shredder Residue. Recycling. 2019; 4 (3):34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmund N. Løvik; Renato Figi; Claudia Schreiner; Matthias Rösslein; Rolf Widmer; Rainer Bunge; Thomas Pohl; Nathalie Korf; Claudia Kuntz; Paul Martin Mählitz; Vera Susanne Rotter; Patrick Wäger. 2019. "Variability and Bias in Measurements of Metals Mass Fractions in Automobile Shredder Residue." Recycling 4, no. 3: 34.
Anthropogenic mineral residues are characterized by their material complexity and heterogeneity, which pose challenges to the chemical analysis of multiple elements. However, creating an urban mine knowledge database requires data using affordable and simple chemical analysis methods, providing accurate and valid results. In this study, we assess the applicability of simplified multi-element chemical analysis methods for two anthropogenic mineral waste matrices: (1) lithium-ion battery ash that was obtained from thermal pre-treatment and (2) rare earth elements (REE)-bearing iron-apatite ore from a Swedish tailing dam. For both samples, simplified methods comprising ‘inhouse’ wet-chemical analysis and energy-dispersive Xray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry were compared to the results of the developed matrix-specific validated methods. Simplified wet-chemical analyses showed significant differences when compared to the validated method, despite proven internal quality assurance, such as verification of sample homogeneity, precision, and accuracy. Matrix-specific problems, such as incomplete digestion and overlapping spectra due to similar spectral lines (ICP-OES) or element masses (ICP-MS), can result in quadruple overestimations or underestimation by half when compared to the reference value. ED-XRF analysis proved to be applicable as semi-quantitative analysis for elements with mass fractions higher than 1000 ppm and an atomic number between Z 12 and Z 50. For elements with low mass fractions, ED-XRF analysis performed poorly and showed deviations of up to 90 times the validated value. Concerning all the results, we conclude that the characterization of anthropogenic mineral residues is prone to matrix-specific interferences, which have to be addressed with additional quality assurance measures.
Paul Martin Mählitz; Amund N. Løvik; Renato Figi; Claudia Schreiner; Claudia Kuntz; Nathalie Korf; Matthias Rösslein; Patrick Wäger; Vera Susanne Rotter. Characterizing the Urban Mine–Challenges of Simplified Chemical Analysis of Anthropogenic Mineral Residues. Resources 2019, 8, 132 .
AMA StylePaul Martin Mählitz, Amund N. Løvik, Renato Figi, Claudia Schreiner, Claudia Kuntz, Nathalie Korf, Matthias Rösslein, Patrick Wäger, Vera Susanne Rotter. Characterizing the Urban Mine–Challenges of Simplified Chemical Analysis of Anthropogenic Mineral Residues. Resources. 2019; 8 (3):132.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaul Martin Mählitz; Amund N. Løvik; Renato Figi; Claudia Schreiner; Claudia Kuntz; Nathalie Korf; Matthias Rösslein; Patrick Wäger; Vera Susanne Rotter. 2019. "Characterizing the Urban Mine–Challenges of Simplified Chemical Analysis of Anthropogenic Mineral Residues." Resources 8, no. 3: 132.
In partizipativen TA-Projekten treffen Teilnehmende mit unterschiedlichen normativen Orientierungen aufeinander. Wir stellen einen methodischen Ansatz vor, der alle Beteiligten dabei unterstützen soll, mit dieser Wertepluralität offen und transparent umzugehen, indem die Diskussion in einem Workshop mittels eines Online-Tools zur Befragung der potenziell Teilnehmenden vorbereitet wird. Die „LOTA“ (Landscape of Opinions for Technology Assessment) genannte Methode stützt sich auf globale Ziele, die den Teilnehmenden als normativer Referenzrahmen vorgegeben werden. Diese können Ziele auswählen und priorisieren und auf diese Weise ihre normativen Orientierungen ausdrücken. Das gleichnamige Software-Tool visualisiert eine „Meinungslandschaft“ basierend auf den Daten aus der Online-Befragung.
Clemens Mader; Lorenz M. Hilty; Claudia Som; Patrick Wäger. Transparenz normativer Orientierungen in partizipativen TA-Projekten. TATuP - Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis 2019, 28, 58 -64.
AMA StyleClemens Mader, Lorenz M. Hilty, Claudia Som, Patrick Wäger. Transparenz normativer Orientierungen in partizipativen TA-Projekten. TATuP - Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis. 2019; 28 (1):58-64.
Chicago/Turabian StyleClemens Mader; Lorenz M. Hilty; Claudia Som; Patrick Wäger. 2019. "Transparenz normativer Orientierungen in partizipativen TA-Projekten." TATuP - Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis 28, no. 1: 58-64.
Car electronics form a large but poorly utilized source for secondary critical raw materials (CRMs). To capitalize on this potential, it is necessary to understand the mechanism in which car electronics enter and exit the vehicle fleet over time. We analyze the historical penetration of selected car electronic control systems (ECS) in 65,475 car models sold in the past 14 years by means of statistical learning. We find that the historical penetration of ECS tends to follow S-shaped curves, however with substantial variations in penetration speed and saturation level. Although electronic functions are increasing rapidly, comfort-related ECS tend to remain below 40% penetration even after 14 years on the market. In contrast, safety regulations lead to rapid ECS penetration approaching 100%, while environmental emission regulations seem to indirectly push related ECS to a medium penetration level (e.g., growing to 60% after six years). The trend towards integration of individual ECS poses long-term challenges for car electronics dismantling and recycling. Monitoring the ECS embedded in new cars, such as carried out in this study, can inform timely updates for such strategies. The results also provide a framework for developing scenarios to identify related future CRM stocks and flows.
Eliette Restrepo; Amund N. Løvik; Rolf Widmer; Patrick Wäger; Daniel B. Müller. Historical Penetration Patterns of Automobile Electronic Control Systems and Implications for Critical Raw Materials Recycling. Resources 2019, 8, 58 .
AMA StyleEliette Restrepo, Amund N. Løvik, Rolf Widmer, Patrick Wäger, Daniel B. Müller. Historical Penetration Patterns of Automobile Electronic Control Systems and Implications for Critical Raw Materials Recycling. Resources. 2019; 8 (2):58.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEliette Restrepo; Amund N. Løvik; Rolf Widmer; Patrick Wäger; Daniel B. Müller. 2019. "Historical Penetration Patterns of Automobile Electronic Control Systems and Implications for Critical Raw Materials Recycling." Resources 8, no. 2: 58.
According to the reports on critical raw materials for the EU, a raw material is considered critical if it has a high economic importance to the EU combined with high supply risk. Supply risk is considered to arise from a combination of several factors, namely a high concentration of production in countries with poor governance, limited material substitutability, and poor end-of-life recycling rates. A number of industry activities, policy initiatives and research projects have recently been initiated in Europe with the aim to secure an adequate supply of raw materials. In this article, we review such ongoing developments with a focus on publicly funded research projects on critical metals in Europe, and discuss their contribution to reaching the objectives of the Raw Materials Initiative as well as the more general goals of sustainability. We found that current research puts a strong emphasis on rare earth elements, being addressed in almost half of the identified projects. Other frequently studied metals include cobalt, indium and platinum group metals. The efforts are roughly evenly distributed between the three main domains of supply security measures: primary supply, secondary supply, and material efficiency and substitution, with a somewhat larger budget allocated to secondary supply. Current research is coherent with the aims of the Raw Materials Initiative in that it addresses primary production, recycling, and substitution as means to secure the supply of critical metals. However, the prioritization of certain metals, especially rare earth elements, is stronger than what seems justified by differences in economic risk (as a quantitative interpretation of criticality), and should perhaps be replaced by a more balanced distribution of funds. For example, more product-centric research considering a larger part of the materials cycle may facilitate recycling of a wider spectrum of metals. Particularly neglected metals and topics include beryllium, magnesium, recycling from end-of-life vehicles, design for recycling, and waste collection.
Amund N. Løvik; Christian Hagelüken; Patrick Wäger. Improving supply security of critical metals: Current developments and research in the EU. Sustainable Materials and Technologies 2018, 15, 9 -18.
AMA StyleAmund N. Løvik, Christian Hagelüken, Patrick Wäger. Improving supply security of critical metals: Current developments and research in the EU. Sustainable Materials and Technologies. 2018; 15 ():9-18.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmund N. Løvik; Christian Hagelüken; Patrick Wäger. 2018. "Improving supply security of critical metals: Current developments and research in the EU." Sustainable Materials and Technologies 15, no. : 9-18.
An increasing number of geochemically scarce metallic raw materials are entering into our lives via new technologies. A reversal of this trend is not foreseeable, leading to concerns regarding the security of their supply. However, the evaluation of raw material supply is currently hampered by inconsistent use of fundamental terminologies and incomplete assessment criteria. In this paper, we aim to establish a consistent framework for evaluating raw material supply from both anthropogenic and geological sources. A method for concept extraction was applied to evaluate systematically the use of fundamental terms in the evaluation of raw material supply. The results have shown that 'availability' is commonly used in raw material supply evaluations, whilst other researchers suggest that raw material supply should be evaluated based on 'accessibility'. It was revealed that 'accessibility' actually comprises two aspects: 'availability' and 'approachability'. Raw material 'approachability' has not previously been explicitly addressed at a system level. A novel, consistent framework for evaluating raw material supply was therefore developed. To demonstrate the application of the established framework, we evaluated the raw material supply of four rare earth element case studies. Three case studies are End-of-Life products (the anthroposphere) from Switzerland: (i) phosphors in fluorescent lamps, (i) permanent magnets in the drive motors of electric cars and (iii) fibre optic cable. The fourth case study source is the Earth's crust (the geosphere): Mount Weld deposit in Australia. The framework comprises a comprehensive evaluation of six components relating to raw material mining and processing: their geological knowledge, eligibility, technology, economic, societal and environmental impacts. Our results show that metals are not considered to be fully accessible in any of the case studies due to a lack of necessary technologies and potential societal and environmental impacts. The framework presented here can serve as a starting point for the development of an evaluation framework for raw material accessibility at an early project development stage.
Sandra R. Mueller; Patrick A. Wäger; David A. Turner; Peter J. Shaw; Ian D. Williams. A framework for evaluating the accessibility of raw materials from end-of-life products and the Earth’s crust. Waste Management 2017, 68, 534 -546.
AMA StyleSandra R. Mueller, Patrick A. Wäger, David A. Turner, Peter J. Shaw, Ian D. Williams. A framework for evaluating the accessibility of raw materials from end-of-life products and the Earth’s crust. Waste Management. 2017; 68 ():534-546.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSandra R. Mueller; Patrick A. Wäger; David A. Turner; Peter J. Shaw; Ian D. Williams. 2017. "A framework for evaluating the accessibility of raw materials from end-of-life products and the Earth’s crust." Waste Management 68, no. : 534-546.
The mining of material resources requires knowledge about geogenic and anthropogenic deposits, in particular on the location of the deposits with the comparatively highest concentration of raw materials. In this study, we develop a framework that allows the establishment of analogies between geological and anthropogenic processes. These analogies were applied to three selected products containing rare earth elements (REE) in order to identify the most concentrated deposits in the anthropogenic cycle. The three identified anthropogenic deposits were characterised according to criteria such as "host rock", "REE mineralisation" and "age of mineralisation", i.e. regarding their "geological" setting. The results of this characterisation demonstrated that anthropogenic deposits have both a higher concentration of REE and a longer mine life than the evaluated geogenic deposit (Mount Weld, Australia). The results were further evaluated by comparison with the geological knowledge category of the United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 (UNFC-2009) to determine the confidence level in the deposit quantities. The application of our approach to the three selected cases shows a potential for recovery of REE in anthropogenic deposits; however, further exploration of both potential and limitations is required.
Sandra R. Mueller; Patrick A. Wäger; Rolf Widmer; Ian D. Williams. A geological reconnaissance of electrical and electronic waste as a source for rare earth metals. Waste Management 2015, 45, 226 -234.
AMA StyleSandra R. Mueller, Patrick A. Wäger, Rolf Widmer, Ian D. Williams. A geological reconnaissance of electrical and electronic waste as a source for rare earth metals. Waste Management. 2015; 45 ():226-234.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSandra R. Mueller; Patrick A. Wäger; Rolf Widmer; Ian D. Williams. 2015. "A geological reconnaissance of electrical and electronic waste as a source for rare earth metals." Waste Management 45, no. : 226-234.
Plastics play an increasingly important role in reaching the recovery and recycling rates defined in the European WEEE Directive. In a recent study we have determined the life cycle environmental impacts of post-consumer plastics production from mixed, plastics-rich WEEE treatment residues in the Central European plant of a market-leading plastics recycler, both from the perspective of the customers delivering the residues and the customers buying the obtained post-consumer recycled plastics. The results of our life cycle assessments, which were extensively tested with sensitivity analyses, show that from both perspectives plastics recycling is clearly superior to the alternatives considered in this study (i.e. municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) and virgin plastics production). For the three ReCiPe endpoint damage categories, incineration in an MSWI plant results in an impact exceeding that of the examined plastics recycling facility each by about a factor of 4, and the production of virgin plastics has an impact exceeding that of the post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics production each by a factor of 6-10. On a midpoint indicator level the picture is more differentiated, showing that the environmental impacts of the recycling options are lower by 50% and more for almost all impact factors. While this provides the necessary evidence for the environmental benefits of plastics recycling compared to existing alternatives, it can, however, not be taken as conclusive evidence. To be conclusive, future research will have to address the fate of hazardous substances in the outputs of such recycling systems in more detail.
Patrick A. Wäger; Roland Hischier. Life cycle assessment of post-consumer plastics production from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment residues in a Central European plastics recycling plant. Science of The Total Environment 2015, 529, 158 -167.
AMA StylePatrick A. Wäger, Roland Hischier. Life cycle assessment of post-consumer plastics production from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment residues in a Central European plastics recycling plant. Science of The Total Environment. 2015; 529 ():158-167.
Chicago/Turabian StylePatrick A. Wäger; Roland Hischier. 2015. "Life cycle assessment of post-consumer plastics production from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment residues in a Central European plastics recycling plant." Science of The Total Environment 529, no. : 158-167.
Concurrent with the demand for cleaner, lighter, and more efficient vehicles, many scarce metals (SMs) are used in passenger vehicles because of their unique physical and chemical properties. To explore the recycling potential of these metals, it is important to understand their distribution in the vehicles as well as their fate at the vehicles' end-of-life. However, this information remains very scattered and sparse. In this paper, we present a study investigating the distribution of 31 SMs in selected electrical and electronic (EE) components of conventional passenger vehicles and in the end-of-life vehicle shredder fractions from a shredder plant in Switzerland. The results of the chemical analyses show that the mass fractions of Co, Sn, Sr, Ta, Y, and Zr were dominant with >20,000 g/t in the selected EE components and Ag, Ga, Mo, Sb, Sn, Sr, and Zr with >50 g/t in the analyzed shredder fractions. The largest masses of 17 SMs were found in the shredder light fraction, which is incinerated in municipal waste treatment plants mainly in Switzerland; thus, these SMs are currently not recovered. The SM mass fractions in both the EE components and the shredder fractions were projected to their total masses in 100 hypothetical midrange passenger vehicles. The resulting mass balance showed a mismatch of >50% for 23 metals, which indicates other important SM sources such as alloys.
Rolf Widmer; Xiaoyue Du; Olaf Haag; Eliette Restrepo; Patrick A. Wäger. Scarce Metals in Conventional Passenger Vehicles and End-of-Life Vehicle Shredder Output. Environmental Science & Technology 2015, 49, 4591 -4599.
AMA StyleRolf Widmer, Xiaoyue Du, Olaf Haag, Eliette Restrepo, Patrick A. Wäger. Scarce Metals in Conventional Passenger Vehicles and End-of-Life Vehicle Shredder Output. Environmental Science & Technology. 2015; 49 (7):4591-4599.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRolf Widmer; Xiaoyue Du; Olaf Haag; Eliette Restrepo; Patrick A. Wäger. 2015. "Scarce Metals in Conventional Passenger Vehicles and End-of-Life Vehicle Shredder Output." Environmental Science & Technology 49, no. 7: 4591-4599.
Anna Stamp; Patrick A. Wäger; Stefanie Hellweg. Linking energy scenarios with metal demand modeling–The case of indium in CIGS solar cells. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2014, 93, 156 -167.
AMA StyleAnna Stamp, Patrick A. Wäger, Stefanie Hellweg. Linking energy scenarios with metal demand modeling–The case of indium in CIGS solar cells. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2014; 93 ():156-167.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnna Stamp; Patrick A. Wäger; Stefanie Hellweg. 2014. "Linking energy scenarios with metal demand modeling–The case of indium in CIGS solar cells." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 93, no. : 156-167.
Sales statistics of computing devices show that users are not replacing units one by one, but rather adding additional devices to their hardware portfolios. This chapter describes the outcomes of a first attempt to quantify the ecological implications of changes in the use of ICT hardware for computing services by using LCA and applying three different perspectives ranging from individual devices to global sales of desktop, laptop, and tablet computers. In particular, it addresses the question of which effect actually predominates: the increase in efficiency induced by the emergence of new technologies or the growing energy consumption due to an increased number of devices combined with a higher utilization rate by individual users. The comparison shows a clear reduction of the environmental impact per hour of active use; and the smaller the device, the smaller the impact due to the active use of the device. However, when the evolution in the use of these kinds of devices is taken into account as well, the picture changes. The calculations show that the higher in-use efficiency of individual devices is fully compensated by the efforts for the production of the increasing number of devices in use, without even considering increased use time. If increased use intensity is assumed as well, a clear increase of the overall impact per day can be observed.
Roland Hischier; Patrick A. Wäger. The Transition from Desktop Computers to Tablets: A Model for Increasing Resource Efficiency? Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 2014, 310, 243 -256.
AMA StyleRoland Hischier, Patrick A. Wäger. The Transition from Desktop Computers to Tablets: A Model for Increasing Resource Efficiency? Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 2014; 310 ():243-256.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoland Hischier; Patrick A. Wäger. 2014. "The Transition from Desktop Computers to Tablets: A Model for Increasing Resource Efficiency?" Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 310, no. : 243-256.
Technologies for storing, transmitting, and processing information have made astounding progress in dematerialization. The amount of physical mass needed to represent one bit of information has dramatically decreased in the last few years, and is still declining. However, information will always need a material basis. In this chapter, we address both the upstream (from mining to the product) and the downstream (from the product to final disposal) implications of the composition of an average Swiss end-of-life (EoL) consumer ICT device from a materials perspective. Regarding the upstream implications, we calculate the scores of the MIPS material rucksack indicator and the ReCiPe mineral resource depletion indicator for selected materials contained in ICT devices, namely polymers, the base metals Al, Cu, and Fe, and the geochemically scarce metals Ag, Au, and Pd. For primary production of one kg of raw material found in consumer ICT devices, the highest material rucksack and resource depletion scores are obtained for the three scarce metals Ag, Au, and Pd; almost the entire material rucksack for these metals is determined by the mining and refining processes. This picture changes when indicator scores are scaled to their relative mass per kg average Swiss EoL consumer ICT device: the base metals Fe and in particular Cu now score much higher than the scarce metals for both indicators. Regarding the downstream implications, we determine the effects of a substitution of primary raw materials in ICT devices with secondary raw materials recovered from EoL consumer ICT devices on both indicator scores. According to our results, such a substitution leads to benefits which are highest for the base metals, followed by scarce metals. The recovery of secondary raw materials from EoL consumer ICT devices can significantly reduce the need for primary raw materials and subsequently the material rucksacks and related impacts. However, increased recycling is not a panacea: the current rapid growth of the materials stock in the technosphere necessitates continuous natural resource depletion, and recycling itself is ultimately limited by thermodynamics.
Patrick A. Wäger; Roland Hischier; Rolf Widmer. The Material Basis of ICT. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 2014, 209 -221.
AMA StylePatrick A. Wäger, Roland Hischier, Rolf Widmer. The Material Basis of ICT. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 2014; ():209-221.
Chicago/Turabian StylePatrick A. Wäger; Roland Hischier; Rolf Widmer. 2014. "The Material Basis of ICT." Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing , no. : 209-221.