In the last few years, the circular economy has received considerable attention worldwide because it offers an opportunity to optimise and promote sustainable production and consumption through new...

A systematic review on drivers, barriers, and practices towards circular economy: a supply chain perspective

Circular economy design considerations for research and process development in the chemical sciences

The wealth of the society depends on several metals, including base metals, precious metals and increasingly rare earth elements (REE). They are collectively termed as technology metals. Numerous applications stimulated the use of technology metals, and their supply is at stake, owing to the high demand and uneven geographical distribution of these metals. Their stable supply is crucial for the transition to a sustainable and circular economy. There is an increasing interest in secondary sources of these metals. This article outlines the global state of electronic waste, its management and the latest technological developments in metal recovery from various streams of electronic waste. An emphasis is given to printed circuit boards (PCB), hard disc drives (HDD) and displays regarding their critical metal content. Physical, pyrometallurgical and (bio)hydrometallurgical metal recovery technologies are overviewed. In addition, perspectives on electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals are given.

Electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals: Management and recovery technologies

This article proposes a revised definition of the circular economy after having analyzed and compared the most prominent related concepts. Based on an analysis of academic literature, defining characteristics of different concepts are identified to structure the field of research. The comparison of concepts serves as a basis for the synthesis: a revised definition of the circular economy. While most concepts overlap, they emphasize different issues. Our classification helps to distinguish how concepts are situated in dimensions such as industry/service oriented, efficiency/zero waste target, or micro/macro scope. The revised definition distinguishes between core characteristics of a circular economy and framing conditions enabling its implementation. It has the potential to support both researchers and practitioners to develop clearer guidelines for the path to a circular economy.

The circular economy and circular economic concepts—a literature analysis and redefinition

A number of efforts have been launched to solve the global electronic waste (e-waste) problem. The efficiency of e-waste recycling is subject to variable national legislation, technical capacity, consumer participation, and even detoxification. E-waste management activities result in procedural irregularities and risk disparities across national boundaries. We review these variables to reveal opportunities for research and policy to reduce the risks from accumulating e-waste and ineffective recycling. Full regulation and consumer participation should be controlled and reinforced to improve local e-waste system. Aiming at standardizing best practice, we alter and identify modular recycling process and infrastructure in eco-industrial parks that will be expectantly effective in countries and regions to handle the similar e-waste stream. Toxicity can be deleted through material substitution and detoxification during the life cycle of electronics. Based on the idea of “Control-Alt-Delete”, four patterns of th...

/pdf/control-alt-delete-rebooting-solutions-for-the-e-waste-4pmls1n1if.pdf

“Control-Alt-Delete”: Rebooting Solutions for the E-Waste Problem

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0734242X15626015

Circular economy: European policy on shaky ground.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0734242X12448521

Review of material recovery from used electric and electronic equipment-alternative options for resource conservation.

Competition of different methods for recovering energy from waste.

Optimising waste from electric and electronic equipment collection systems: A comparison of approaches in European countries:

In the 7th Environment Action Programme, the European Commission targets two essential goals in the handling of substances and materials known by the buzzwords “non-toxic environment” and “circular economy”. There are numerous interfaces in product, waste and chemicals legislation in these two areas. This leads to conflicting objectives, e.g. with regard to the classification of waste in analogy to chemicals as well as at the border between waste and secondary raw materials that are further processed into products. We investigate how these conflicting objectives can be mitigated or resolved. In our view, it is necessary to provide operators in the waste management sector with considerably more information on the composition of used products than before; this should include not only hazardous substances but also materials that interfere with the recycling process as well as recyclable or valuable materials. Waste management legislation largely follows risk considerations—a 1:1 transfer of hazard classifications of chemicals and products to waste management would be counterproductive to achieving the Commission’s objectives. In the case of contaminated secondary raw materials, their input into products can be justified in specific cases. However, this requires a risk assessment that includes in particular physicochemical factors, patterns of utilisation and controlled collection routes. Internationally recognised lists of secondary materials are an important condition for determining end-of-waste status and thus for increasing material recycling. A common guiding principle for chemicals policy and waste management is urgently needed.

/pdf/how-should-we-deal-with-the-interfaces-between-chemicals-2ao9gwxboy.pdf

Henning Friege

Papers

Circular economy: European policy on shaky ground.

Review of material recovery from used electric and electronic equipment-alternative options for resource conservation.

Competition of different methods for recovering energy from waste.

Optimising waste from electric and electronic equipment collection systems: A comparison of approaches in European countries:

How should we deal with the interfaces between chemicals, product and waste legislation?