Three-dimensional printing has already been shown to be beneficial to the fabrication of custom-f... more Three-dimensional printing has already been shown to be beneficial to the fabrication of custom-fit and functional products in different industry sectors such as orthopaedics, implantology and dental technology. Especially in personal protective equipment and sportswear, three-dimensional printing offers opportunities to produce functional garments fitted to body contours by directly printing protective and (posture) supporting elements on textiles. In this article, different flexible thermoplastic elastomers, namely, thermoplastic polyurethanes and thermoplastic styrene block copolymers with a Shore hardness range of 67A–86A are tested as suitable printing materials by means of extrusion-based fused deposition modelling. For this, adhesion force, abrasion and wash resistance tests are conducted using various knitted and woven workwear and sportswear fabrics primarily made of cotton, polyester or aramid as textile substrates. Due to polar interactions between thermoplastic polyureth...
1 Research Group EnVOC, Department of Sustainable Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bi... more 1 Research Group EnVOC, Department of Sustainable Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent 2 Department of Industrial Biological Sciences, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Graaf Karel De Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk 3 European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy E-mail contact: [email protected]
A linear economy approach results in many environmental challenges: resources become depleted and... more A linear economy approach results in many environmental challenges: resources become depleted and end up as waste and emissions. One of the key strategies to overcome these problems is using waste as a resource, i.e. evolving toward a circular economy. To monitor this transition, suitable indicators are needed that focus on sustainability issues whilst taking into account the technical reality. In this paper, we develop such an indicator to quantify the circular economy performance of different plastic waste treatment options. This indicator is based on the technical quality of the plastic waste stream and evaluates resource consumption by using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE) method. To illustrate the use of this new indicator, it was applied in a case study on post-industrial plastic waste treatment. The results show that the indicator can be a very useful approach to guide waste streams towards their optimal valorization option, based on quality of the waste flow and the environmental benefit of the different options.
Although our whole society depends on the use of natural resources, they are not always used in a... more Although our whole society depends on the use of natural resources, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To achieve a more sustainable development, resource consumption needs to be measured. Therefore, resource footprint frameworks are being developed. These frameworks integrate inventory methodologies, which quantify the specific resources consumed by a system, with resource accounting impact methodologies, addressing the environmental impact of resource consumption, e.g. the Ecological Footprint. To calculate the inventory of systems at micro-level (processes, products), process-models are generally used, as applied in process-based Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). For systems at meso- and macro-level (sectors, countries), economic input-output/IO-models are mostly used instead of process-models, as applied in IO-analysis and IO-based LCA. The objective of this paper is the development of a new resource footprint framework called IO-CEENE, in which a world IO-model (Exiobase),...
The last decades, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling, cons... more The last decades, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling, considering waste as resources. To quantitatively monitor the progress in this transition, a wide range of indicators has been developed. One of these indicators developed by the European Commission is the recyclability benefit rate (RBR), defined as the ratio of the environmental benefits that can be achieved from recycling over the environmental losses related to virgin production and disposal. These environmental benefits and losses are expressed in terms of environmental impacts obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). To assess the usefulness of this indicator, we applied it on two cases of plastic waste treatment in Flanders, Belgium: closed-loop recycling (case A) and open-loop recycling (case B). The environmental impact of resource consumption is quantified as the Cumulative Exergy Extraction of the Natural Environment (CEENE). Case A considers plastic waste from electronic app...
Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Yet resources are not always managed i... more Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Yet resources are not always managed in a sustainable way, causing worldwide environmental problems. These are not only direct problems, e.g. the availability of metals, but also many indirect problems, e.g. climate change through combustion of fossil fuels. To monitor the transition towards a more sustainable society in terms of natural resource use, a wide variety of indicators has been developed over the years. The overall aim of this thesis was to analyse and further develop these indicators. Two major types of indicators were identified: footprint and efficiency indicators. Footprint indicators represent the human demand on nature in absolute values. In this thesis, an overall resource footprint indicator was developed, which can be applied at the macro-economic level (e.g. countries, regions). This footprint accounts for all natural resource types in an adequate way: metals, minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, land...
Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Despite the fact that most natural res... more Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Despite the fact that most natural resources are limited, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To monitor the transition towards a more resource efficient society, a wide variety of indicators has been developed over the years, both within a policy context and an industrial context. However, these indicators are not univocally defined, which generates confusion about the real meaning of resource efficiency. Indeed, the term resource efficiency is interpreted in different ways: from the simple accounting of resource extraction to environmental impact assessment related to resource availability and provision of resources ; from the micro-level of products and companies to the macro-level of regions and countries ; from a gate-to-gate perspective to a life cycle perspective or from a national perspective1 to a global perspective . Also the considered resource range (which natural resource types are taken into account)...
Over the last few years, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recyclin... more Over the last few years, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling and recovery and are considering waste as a potential new resource. To monitor the progress in these waste management strategies, governmental policies have developed a wide range of indicators. In this study, we analyzed the concept of the recyclability benefit rate indicator, which expresses the potential environmental savings that can be achieved from recycling the product over the environmental burdens of virgin production followed by disposal. This indicator is therefore, based on estimated environmental impact values obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practices. We quantify the environmental impact in terms of resource consumption using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment method. This research applied this indicator to two cases of plastic waste recycling in Flanders: closed-loop recycling (case A) and open-loop recycling (case B). Each case is compared to an incineration scenario and a landfilling scenario. The considered plastic waste originates from small domestic appliances and household waste other than plastic bottles. However, the existing recyclability benefit rate indicator does not consider the potential substitution of different materials occurring in open-loop recycling. To address this issue, we further developed the indicator for open-loop recycling and cascaded use. Overall, the results show that both closed-loop and open-loop recycling are more resource efficient than landfilling and incineration with energy recovery.
Although natural resources form the basis of our economy, they are not always used in a sustainab... more Although natural resources form the basis of our economy, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To achieve a more sustainable economic growth, resource consumption needs to be measured. Therefore, resource footprint frameworks (RFF) are being developed. To easily provide results, these RFF integrate inventory methodologies, at macrolevel mostly input-output (IO) models, with resource accounting methodologies, of which the Ecological Footprint is probably the best known one. The objective of this work is the development of a new RFF, in which a world IOmodel (Exiobase), providing a global perspective, is integrated with the CEENE methodology (Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment), offering a more complete resource range: fossil fuels, metals, minerals, nuclear resources, water resources, land resources, abiotic renewable resources, and atmospheric resources. This RFF, called IO-CEENE, allows one to calculate resource footprints for products or services consumed in different countries as the exergy extracted from nature. The way the framework is constructed makes it possible to show which resources and countries contribute to the total footprint. This was illustrated by a case study, presenting the benefits of the framework's worldwide perspective. Additionally, a software file is provided to easily calculate results.
The transition toward resource efficient production and consumption patterns is currently one of ... more The transition toward resource efficient production and consumption patterns is currently one of the main challenges in engineering, environmental science and especially in governmental policies. This transition has led to a proliferation of meanings related to the resource efficiency concept, resulting in a wide variety of indicators. In this paper, we propose a systematized framework in which resource efficiency indicators can be structured and comprehensively positioned. The aim is to provide a proper understanding of the scope and limitations of particular existing resource efficiency indicators in order to assist policy makers and the scientific community in the application and further development of indicators. This framework covers all different resource use-related aspects evaluated in existing approaches, including simple accounting of resource extraction and use; environmental impact assessment due to resource extraction and use; accounting and environmental impact assessment of specific processes and of full supply chains; analyses at micro-scale and macro-scale; and analysis of both natural resources versus waste-as-resources. To illustrate the potential application of the framework, a set of currently used indicators was selected, whereupon these indicators were structured and evaluated within the framework.
Three-dimensional printing has already been shown to be beneficial to the fabrication of custom-f... more Three-dimensional printing has already been shown to be beneficial to the fabrication of custom-fit and functional products in different industry sectors such as orthopaedics, implantology and dental technology. Especially in personal protective equipment and sportswear, three-dimensional printing offers opportunities to produce functional garments fitted to body contours by directly printing protective and (posture) supporting elements on textiles. In this article, different flexible thermoplastic elastomers, namely, thermoplastic polyurethanes and thermoplastic styrene block copolymers with a Shore hardness range of 67A–86A are tested as suitable printing materials by means of extrusion-based fused deposition modelling. For this, adhesion force, abrasion and wash resistance tests are conducted using various knitted and woven workwear and sportswear fabrics primarily made of cotton, polyester or aramid as textile substrates. Due to polar interactions between thermoplastic polyureth...
1 Research Group EnVOC, Department of Sustainable Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bi... more 1 Research Group EnVOC, Department of Sustainable Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent 2 Department of Industrial Biological Sciences, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Graaf Karel De Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk 3 European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy E-mail contact: [email protected]
A linear economy approach results in many environmental challenges: resources become depleted and... more A linear economy approach results in many environmental challenges: resources become depleted and end up as waste and emissions. One of the key strategies to overcome these problems is using waste as a resource, i.e. evolving toward a circular economy. To monitor this transition, suitable indicators are needed that focus on sustainability issues whilst taking into account the technical reality. In this paper, we develop such an indicator to quantify the circular economy performance of different plastic waste treatment options. This indicator is based on the technical quality of the plastic waste stream and evaluates resource consumption by using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE) method. To illustrate the use of this new indicator, it was applied in a case study on post-industrial plastic waste treatment. The results show that the indicator can be a very useful approach to guide waste streams towards their optimal valorization option, based on quality of the waste flow and the environmental benefit of the different options.
Although our whole society depends on the use of natural resources, they are not always used in a... more Although our whole society depends on the use of natural resources, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To achieve a more sustainable development, resource consumption needs to be measured. Therefore, resource footprint frameworks are being developed. These frameworks integrate inventory methodologies, which quantify the specific resources consumed by a system, with resource accounting impact methodologies, addressing the environmental impact of resource consumption, e.g. the Ecological Footprint. To calculate the inventory of systems at micro-level (processes, products), process-models are generally used, as applied in process-based Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). For systems at meso- and macro-level (sectors, countries), economic input-output/IO-models are mostly used instead of process-models, as applied in IO-analysis and IO-based LCA. The objective of this paper is the development of a new resource footprint framework called IO-CEENE, in which a world IO-model (Exiobase),...
The last decades, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling, cons... more The last decades, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling, considering waste as resources. To quantitatively monitor the progress in this transition, a wide range of indicators has been developed. One of these indicators developed by the European Commission is the recyclability benefit rate (RBR), defined as the ratio of the environmental benefits that can be achieved from recycling over the environmental losses related to virgin production and disposal. These environmental benefits and losses are expressed in terms of environmental impacts obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). To assess the usefulness of this indicator, we applied it on two cases of plastic waste treatment in Flanders, Belgium: closed-loop recycling (case A) and open-loop recycling (case B). The environmental impact of resource consumption is quantified as the Cumulative Exergy Extraction of the Natural Environment (CEENE). Case A considers plastic waste from electronic app...
Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Yet resources are not always managed i... more Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Yet resources are not always managed in a sustainable way, causing worldwide environmental problems. These are not only direct problems, e.g. the availability of metals, but also many indirect problems, e.g. climate change through combustion of fossil fuels. To monitor the transition towards a more sustainable society in terms of natural resource use, a wide variety of indicators has been developed over the years. The overall aim of this thesis was to analyse and further develop these indicators. Two major types of indicators were identified: footprint and efficiency indicators. Footprint indicators represent the human demand on nature in absolute values. In this thesis, an overall resource footprint indicator was developed, which can be applied at the macro-economic level (e.g. countries, regions). This footprint accounts for all natural resource types in an adequate way: metals, minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, land...
Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Despite the fact that most natural res... more Our whole society depends on the use of natural resources. Despite the fact that most natural resources are limited, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To monitor the transition towards a more resource efficient society, a wide variety of indicators has been developed over the years, both within a policy context and an industrial context. However, these indicators are not univocally defined, which generates confusion about the real meaning of resource efficiency. Indeed, the term resource efficiency is interpreted in different ways: from the simple accounting of resource extraction to environmental impact assessment related to resource availability and provision of resources ; from the micro-level of products and companies to the macro-level of regions and countries ; from a gate-to-gate perspective to a life cycle perspective or from a national perspective1 to a global perspective . Also the considered resource range (which natural resource types are taken into account)...
Over the last few years, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recyclin... more Over the last few years, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling and recovery and are considering waste as a potential new resource. To monitor the progress in these waste management strategies, governmental policies have developed a wide range of indicators. In this study, we analyzed the concept of the recyclability benefit rate indicator, which expresses the potential environmental savings that can be achieved from recycling the product over the environmental burdens of virgin production followed by disposal. This indicator is therefore, based on estimated environmental impact values obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practices. We quantify the environmental impact in terms of resource consumption using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment method. This research applied this indicator to two cases of plastic waste recycling in Flanders: closed-loop recycling (case A) and open-loop recycling (case B). Each case is compared to an incineration scenario and a landfilling scenario. The considered plastic waste originates from small domestic appliances and household waste other than plastic bottles. However, the existing recyclability benefit rate indicator does not consider the potential substitution of different materials occurring in open-loop recycling. To address this issue, we further developed the indicator for open-loop recycling and cascaded use. Overall, the results show that both closed-loop and open-loop recycling are more resource efficient than landfilling and incineration with energy recovery.
Although natural resources form the basis of our economy, they are not always used in a sustainab... more Although natural resources form the basis of our economy, they are not always used in a sustainable way. To achieve a more sustainable economic growth, resource consumption needs to be measured. Therefore, resource footprint frameworks (RFF) are being developed. To easily provide results, these RFF integrate inventory methodologies, at macrolevel mostly input-output (IO) models, with resource accounting methodologies, of which the Ecological Footprint is probably the best known one. The objective of this work is the development of a new RFF, in which a world IOmodel (Exiobase), providing a global perspective, is integrated with the CEENE methodology (Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment), offering a more complete resource range: fossil fuels, metals, minerals, nuclear resources, water resources, land resources, abiotic renewable resources, and atmospheric resources. This RFF, called IO-CEENE, allows one to calculate resource footprints for products or services consumed in different countries as the exergy extracted from nature. The way the framework is constructed makes it possible to show which resources and countries contribute to the total footprint. This was illustrated by a case study, presenting the benefits of the framework's worldwide perspective. Additionally, a software file is provided to easily calculate results.
The transition toward resource efficient production and consumption patterns is currently one of ... more The transition toward resource efficient production and consumption patterns is currently one of the main challenges in engineering, environmental science and especially in governmental policies. This transition has led to a proliferation of meanings related to the resource efficiency concept, resulting in a wide variety of indicators. In this paper, we propose a systematized framework in which resource efficiency indicators can be structured and comprehensively positioned. The aim is to provide a proper understanding of the scope and limitations of particular existing resource efficiency indicators in order to assist policy makers and the scientific community in the application and further development of indicators. This framework covers all different resource use-related aspects evaluated in existing approaches, including simple accounting of resource extraction and use; environmental impact assessment due to resource extraction and use; accounting and environmental impact assessment of specific processes and of full supply chains; analyses at micro-scale and macro-scale; and analysis of both natural resources versus waste-as-resources. To illustrate the potential application of the framework, a set of currently used indicators was selected, whereupon these indicators were structured and evaluated within the framework.
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Papers by Sofie Huysman