TY - JOUR
T1 - A consequential approach to life cycle sustainability assessment with an agent-based model to determine the potential contribution of chemical recycling to UN Sustainable Development Goals
AU - Voss, Raoul
AU - Lee, Roh Pin
AU - Fröhling, Magnus
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Industrial Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of the International Society for Industrial Ecology.
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Chemical recycling (CR) could support a circular approach for municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment. In promoting the recirculation of recyclable carbon-containing waste as secondary feedstock for chemical production, it could contribute to resource conservation, emissions reduction, and supply security. To evaluate CR's contribution to the transition from a linear to a circular carbon economy—and correspondingly to the achievement of environmental, economic, and social sustainability as indicated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)—this study builds on extant literature of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) to investigate consequential environmental, economic, and social CR impacts. Specifically, an integrated approach whereby process-based life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and social indicators are linked in the framework of an agent-based model is developed to investigate sustainability consequences of CR via gasification of residual MSW in Germany. Results suggest that CR contributes to reducing climate change and to addressing terrestrial acidification and fossil resource scarcity. However, its deployment will be associated with significant system costs. Hence, to promote CR implementation, measures such as obliging direct waste incineration to trade CO2 certificates—provided that certificate prices increase sharply in the future—as well as implementing a recycling rate are found to be necessary to gap economic disadvantages. This study not only contributes to extending life cycle approaches for LCSA methodologically, it furthermore provides valuable insights into temporal and spatial interactions in waste management systems to inform science, industry, and politics about the sustainability impacts of CR on the achievement of the UN-SDGs. This article met the requirements for a gold-gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges. (Figure presented.).
AB - Chemical recycling (CR) could support a circular approach for municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment. In promoting the recirculation of recyclable carbon-containing waste as secondary feedstock for chemical production, it could contribute to resource conservation, emissions reduction, and supply security. To evaluate CR's contribution to the transition from a linear to a circular carbon economy—and correspondingly to the achievement of environmental, economic, and social sustainability as indicated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)—this study builds on extant literature of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) to investigate consequential environmental, economic, and social CR impacts. Specifically, an integrated approach whereby process-based life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and social indicators are linked in the framework of an agent-based model is developed to investigate sustainability consequences of CR via gasification of residual MSW in Germany. Results suggest that CR contributes to reducing climate change and to addressing terrestrial acidification and fossil resource scarcity. However, its deployment will be associated with significant system costs. Hence, to promote CR implementation, measures such as obliging direct waste incineration to trade CO2 certificates—provided that certificate prices increase sharply in the future—as well as implementing a recycling rate are found to be necessary to gap economic disadvantages. This study not only contributes to extending life cycle approaches for LCSA methodologically, it furthermore provides valuable insights into temporal and spatial interactions in waste management systems to inform science, industry, and politics about the sustainability impacts of CR on the achievement of the UN-SDGs. This article met the requirements for a gold-gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges. (Figure presented.).
KW - circular economy
KW - gasification
KW - industrial ecology
KW - municipal solid waste
KW - techno-economic analysis
KW - waste incineration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135129294&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jiec.13303
DO - 10.1111/jiec.13303
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85135129294
SN - 1088-1980
VL - 27
SP - 726
EP - 745
JO - Journal of Industrial Ecology
JF - Journal of Industrial Ecology
IS - 3
ER -