Engineering the Circular Economy Resource Efficiency and Waste Management
Christopher Cheeseman
Professor of Materials Resources EngineeringEnvironmental and Water Resources EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringImperial College London
President Hotel, Athens21‐23 May 2015
One planet……
Use of science and engineering to develop waste treatment and waste valorisation for the benefit of humanity
Increasing world population
Too many people…
Increasing urban population
Too many people….
Supply of clean water
Food supply
Adequate housing
Global Waste Generation
Global waste generation predictions (Hoornweg, Bhada‐Tata and Kennedy, 2013)
Waste management systems and infrastructure
Linear vs circular economy
Industry and the life cycle of materials
A new, critically important industrialsector
Municipal solid waste management in Europe
Eurostat data, 2011
Landfills are not waste dumps
Engineered landfill
Paper, plastics, metals, glass
Energy from waste
Optimum solution for MSW
Waste Resource opportunity
ResearchMaterials science and processing
The best opportunities need research to make them happen……..
Transition of wastes to resources
CIVIL ENGINEERING
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS SCIENCEAND PROCESSING
Industrially focussed applied researchWaste materials as resources
Research area
Engineering the circular economy
Engineering the Circular Economy
Examples of problematic wastes to products…..
Tunnelling spoil into cementitious materials
Waste glass into a engineered absorbent granules
Raw materials(glass powder + bloating agent)
Grind + Sieve(Ball mill)
WaterMixing + Pelletisation
Rapid Firing(Rotary Furnace)
Foamed Glass Granules
(Eirich Mixer)
Incinerator bottom ash into ceramic tiles
Air pollution control residues into geopolymers
PLASMA ZONE> 10,000 K
High Temperature Destruction of Organics
Metallic PhaseRecovery of Metal Value
High Intensity UVCatalysis of Photo-Chemical Reaction
Environmentally Stable Slag
Repository for Heavy Metals
Furnace Off GasCombustible Gases and Volatile Species
PLASMA ZONE> 10,000 K
High Temperature Destruction of Organics
Metallic PhaseRecovery of Metal Value
High Intensity UVCatalysis of Photo-Chemical Reaction
Environmentally Stable Slag
Repository for Heavy Metals
Furnace Off GasCombustible Gases and Volatile Species
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2 4 6 8 10 12
[NaOH] in the activating solution (molar concentration)
Com
pres
sive
Str
engt
h (M
Pa)
7 Days curing
28 days curing
Sewage sludge ash to extract phosphate
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
2θ degrees
Cou
nts
(offs
et fo
r cla
rity)
Q
Q
W
H
W
H HH
W
HHH
WQ
W Q QQW
QW
Q Q QQQ
H
Q
WXN
Beck
UU
Knos
Esh
CVI
BBM
Q - Quartz SiO2 - various formsH - Haematite Fe2O3 - various formsW - Whitlockite Ca3(PO4)2 - various forms
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Reaction time (mins)
% to
tal e
lem
ent e
xtra
cted
ZnFeMgCaAlP
Paper sludge ash into hydrophobic powder
Disposable cups into reinforced plastics
0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1002468
101214161820222426283032
0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1002468
101214161820222426283032
0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1002468
101214161820222426283032 MRF/40wt% Solocup/2wt% 907P
Engi
neer
ing
Stre
ss (N
/mm
2 )
Engineering Strain
MRF MRF/40wt% Solocup
Engineering a Circular Economy
The circular economy: an opportunity worth in excess of 1 trillion US$ for the global economyMcKinsey & Company
http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
Engineering the Circular Economy Resource Efficiency and Waste Management
Christopher [email protected]
President Hotel, Athens21‐23 May 2015
Professor of Materials Resources EngineeringEnvironmental and Water Resources EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringImperial College London
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