Resource Recirculation and Circular Economy [January Thematic Report]by Fermaud ADOUMADJI MBAIORNOM | 30-01-2023 09:11 |
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 The ultimate objective of the circular economy (CE) is to succeed in decoupling economic growth from the depletion of natural resources by creating positive value loops with each use or reuse of the material or product before final destruction. It is inspired by the functioning of natural ecosystems, and their expertise acquired throughout evolution to combine the efficiency of the use of resources, the creation of economic value, cooperation, the well-being of individuals and the protection of biodiversity. It emphasizes innovative public policies for new ways of designing, producing and consuming, extending the life of products, using rather than owning goods, reusing and recycling components. The Circular Economy is an alternative to the so-called linear economy paradigm The circular economy presents itself as a more sustainable path. It targets the sober and efficient management of resources. The general principle is to move from a classic linear economy model that is resource-intensive to a circular model that makes better use of resources and recovers waste to loop it back into a new production cycle = fewer withdrawals from nature and less polluting discharges. However, a truly circular economy is not only a system of exchanges and productions aimed at increasing the efficiency of the use of resources. It constitutes an alternative global vision that is meaningful, ambitious, mobilizing and which offers the opportunity to populations to regain a certain level of control over their environment at the local leve The circular economy is an economic and industrial model that aims to keep products, their components and materials in circulation for as long as possible, while ensuring the quality of their use. This model contrasts with the linear economy, which is based on the following diagram: extraction or harvesting of resources, manufacture and assembly of goods, distribution and use, and, finally, production of waste. It is mainly at the level of this last stage that the circular economy and the linear economy oppose each other since, in the first, waste or end-of-life products find a new utility (through reuse, recycling, energy recovery, etc.), while in the second they are simply eliminated. The linear model currently encountering a series of significant limits (environmental impact, depletion of resources, etc.), the idea of a transition to a more circular model is meeting with ever-increasing support. Carbon recycling This patented technology is an advanced thermochemical process that allows the chemical recycling of carbon molecules contained in waste into value-added products such as renewable methanol and ethanol. It takes less than five minutes to produce syngas and turn it into advanced low-carbon transportation biofuel, which is enough to power more than 400,000 cars with a 5% ethanol blend. In turn, biofuels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 60% compared to fossil fuel production and landfilling. Although light and strong, carbon fiber composites, or CFRP, are materials whose recycling is particularly problematic. Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed a pyrolysis separation method that allows 90% of the mechanical properties of the fibers to be retained. For the recycling of the carbon fibers contained in the composites, the team of researchers from the University of Sydney proposes an optimized process, in two stages. The first step, pyrolysis, destroys the matrix by thermal degradation. This step has the disadvantage of depositing a carbonization residue around the fibers, which prevents the development of a good chemical bond during incorporation into a resin matrix. To remedy this, a second step, high temperature oxidation, is used to eliminate these residues. Plastics have proven benefits in the use phase, for example preventing food loss in packaging, lightweight vehicle construction and building insulation. However, plastic litter, and in particular plastic litter in the context of marine litter, is a major global challenge. There is also growing regulatory pressure regarding recycling targets and recyclability, on the one hand, and a strong commitment from our customers to increase the proportion of recycled materials in their offerings, on the other. Solving these problems requires innovative and concerted efforts across the value chain. We are helping to fix it. For example, BASF is a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, because a joint effort of businesses, governments and private organizations, as well as civil society, is needed to address the global challenge of mismanaged plastic waste. Since mechanical recycling is limited, for example due to high sorting requirements and decreasing material quality, BASF is responding to this challenge by developing innovative technologies that promote the recycling of plastics. This includes research and development of new materials and additives that facilitate recycling processes, as well as various chemical recycling processes to create value from plastic waste. The recycling of raw materials makes it possible to recycle plastics for which no recycling solution exists today, thus complementing mechanical recycling. Facts About Chemical Recycling • Complementary: while large quantities of single-stream sorted plastics can and should be mechanically recycled, chemical recycling can support, for example, mixed plastic waste for which it is impossible or very inefficient to sort them for recycling. high quality mechanical recycling. Through pyrolysis, approximately 70% of mixed plastic waste can be transformed into secondary raw materials. • Original quality: Through chemical recycling, plastic waste streams can be converted back into raw materials for the chemical industry and allocated, through mass balance, to products produced in BASF's integrated production system. These products have exactly the same properties as products made from fossil raw materials. • Ease of use: our customers can process these products in the same way as conventionally produced products and use them in applications requiring high quality, hygiene and performance. These include, for example, medical applications, food packaging or safety-relevant automotive components. In this climate change, it is important to guide and bring together political, institutional, technical, scientific and financial initiatives to deal with climate change. More specifically, promote energy efficiency and renewable energies, including solar, wind and biogas, in all sectors. Encourage sustainable land and forest management to reduce emissions from degradation and deforestation. In order to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience, adaptation needs affect human, institutional and technical capacity building, financial support and technology transfer. Inform, educate and communicate on climate risks and adaptation technologies (development of the capacities of populations to react); Strengthen the skills of actors (especially women and farmers) on new technical routes within the framework of intensified and sustainable production methods; Support research and encourage technology transfer between research organizations and agro-sylvo-pastoral actors; Support the institutions in defining adaptation priorities according to the socio-economic sectors according to the needs of the population and promote intersectoral coherence, in particular during the development of the National Adaptation Plan. Definition of a vision and strategy that allow better management of the concerns of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable groups; Definition of appropriate organizational structures; Establishment of fundraising mechanisms and resource management systems (financial and human. Local authorities need capacities in participatory formulation and implementation of strategies, programs and projects for adaptation to climate change that are integrated into municipal plans for sustainable development; Construction of protective structures against the impacts of climate change; Design and operationalization of more ecological modes of production and consumption; Identification of vulnerable species; Design and development of systems for alerting and preventing disasters resulting from climate change; sources : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjo1pSh_-38AhU7RaQEHbNSDSgQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubs.acs.org%2Fdoi%2F10.1021%2Facssuschemeng.1c05133&usg=AOvVaw3zrLzPMqNlI1mWmNRcds2o https://www.un.org/fr/global-issues/climate-change |
