Integrated synthesis, modeling, and assessment (iSMA) of waste-to-resource alternatives towards a circular economy: the case of the chemical recycling of plastic waste management

The need to transform economic models to implement a circular use of resources is crucial due to the current waste accumulation crisis. New waste-to-resource alternatives are constantly emerging to close material loops; therefore, tools are needed to identify the best synergies to upcycle waste. An...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pacheco López, Adrián|||0000-0002-5064-7545, Gómez Reyes, Edward, Graells Sobré, Moisès|||0000-0002-0553-2191, Espuña Camarasa, Antonio|||0000-0002-1238-8108, Somoza Tornos, Ana|||0000-0002-4715-204X
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/395063
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/395063
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2023.108255
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Sustainable development
Refuse and refuse disposal
Circular economy
Waste-to-resource
Ontologies
Chemical recycling
Plastic waste treatment
Integrated modeling
Desenvolupament sostenible
Residus -- Eliminació
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química
Descripción
Sumario:The need to transform economic models to implement a circular use of resources is crucial due to the current waste accumulation crisis. New waste-to-resource alternatives are constantly emerging to close material loops; therefore, tools are needed to identify the best synergies to upcycle waste. An approach has been developed to identify and assess waste-to-resource processing routes not currently implemented at the industrial level to valorize waste. The proposed framework consists of several interconnected modules that include ontologies for knowledge management, graph theory and short-path algorithms for the generation of paths and pre-assessment of processes, a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model for superstructure optimization; and the rigorous design, simulation, and optimization exclusively of those alternatives that show the best performance in previous steps. A case study for the treatment of mixed plastic waste reveals chemical recycling and the pro- duction of pyrolytic fuels as tentatively favorable options, both environmentally and economically.