Urban Metabolism and Waste Management Paul H. Brunner Vienna University of Technology, Austria
The last 100 years: unprecedented growth in materials Germany 1920 Japan 2010 2/19
and energy flows! England 1840 China 2010 3/19
Large and growing material stocks 4/19
Today s stocks are tomorrow s wastes Example of construction materials in a growing in economy 40 years: ~ 15 t/c.y 20 massflow [tons/person.year] 15 10 5 material input 40 years waste output 3x 1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 today: ~ 5 t/c.y 5/19
Household metabolism: Key activities and material flows Activity Input Output Stock Sewage Off gas Solid residues [t/c.y] [t/c.y] [t/c] To nourish 5,7 0,9 4,7 0,1 < 0,1 To clean 60 60 0 0,02 0,1 To reside 10 0 7,6 1 100 + 1 To transport 10 0 6 1,6 160 + 2 Total 86 61 19 2,7 260 + 3 Material flows into stocks equal the amount of solid residues 6/19
Urban metabolism: the case of Vienna Input ~ 200 t/c.y Output ~ 195 t/c.y Water Air 36 43 Off-gas Sewage Fluxes [t/(c.yr)] Stocks [t] 147 144 Fossil fuels 2 Construct. materials & consumer goods 12-18 4-10 Stock: 350 Export goods 3 Solid wastes 3 Municipal solid wastes 0.3 Source: Daxbeck et al. 1996 (updated) 7/19
Cities grow implications for wm? Abundance of holes - or scarcity of landfill space? - the substance problem! [ 10 6 t/a ] +8,5 8/19
The stock our future resource (the case of iron) 344 0,8 11 primary production 2 production 4 waste managment consumption 3 44 1 7 0,8 [10 6 tons] 6 0,3 2,7 pedo-/ lithosphere 140* 4 1,5 other disposal 350 300 250 geogenic iron reserve 350 300 anthropogenic iron stock 250 344 200 150 100 140 200 150 100 194 50 0 40 0 2000 2050 2100 50 0 44 2000 2050 2100 9/19
Goals and principles of waste management General and global goals - Protection of men and environment - Resource conservation - After care free wm: no export in time and space Regionally appropriate means EU: prevention recycling disposal Bangla Desh: disposal recycling - prevention -> means depend on GDP! 10/19
Means of waste management depend on GDP Collection + Transport Treatment Disposal 12% 10% 9% 9% 29% 90% 82% 59% region Dhaka (GDP 450 US$/c.y) Damascus (GDP 1600 US$/c.y) Vienna GDP 33 000 US$/c.y)) WM costs [US$/c.y] 0.8 4.6 130 % of GDP 0.2 0.3 0.4 -> Globalization of EU waste hierarchy? 11/19
Better waste management based on metabolism The case of Phosphorous: how to reach the goals of wm? industrial 4 agriculture 1 processing/ 0.4 distribution private household 3 0.6 0.4 Flows [kg P/c.y] Agricultural wastes Production wastes Sewage and MSW 12/19
New design based on metabolism 0 Phosphorus 100% (=0.4kg/(c.yr)) Respiration transpiration private household [ % of input ] Food Human body Kitchen Feces Urine 9 5 23 63 Waste Garbage Total food wastes to sewer system Sewage 91 STP MSW treatment 13/19
WM decisions based on metabolism the case of plastics Packaging plastic waste view 19 [kg/c.y] Total plastic waste view 140 consumption consumption +50 0 2 17 5 10 75 recycling incineration landfill +17 recycling incineration landfill +75 14 % 100% 14/19
Total plastic flows and stocks in Austria IMPORT 6 % packaging ordinance Source: R. Fehringer, 1998 raw material 1.100 primary processing stock: 40 intermediate products 990 plastic products 530 regranulate 26 regranulate 17 49 wastes recycling stock: 0 250 product manufacturing stock: 50 600 duro- and polymers plastic products consumption Einsatz stock: 7100+400 720 wastes collection, transporting, sorting stock: 45+42 71 wastes energy recovery stock: 0 duro- and polymers plastic products 420 210 intermediate products production wastes 28 590 wastes landfill stock: 9700+590 850 71 off gas [ kt/y 1994] EXPORT 37% landfill ordinance 15/19
Additives are crucial for plastic recycling decisions Material & additives Total consumption % in packaging material Total stock [kt/yr] [kt/yr] [%] [kt] Plastics 1,100 Softeners 14 Ba/Cd stabilizers 0.27 Pb stabilizers 1.8 Fire retardants 2.3 200 18 0.2 2 0.0002 <1 0.002 <1 0 ~0 7,100 140 2.6 18 22 16/19
Metabolism needs sinks: incinerators and landfills objectives: - mineralization of OC - immobilization of HM main barrier: - waste properties additional barriers: - natural attenuation - monitoring 17/19
Conclusions 1. Goals of wm can be reached effectively only if total metabolism is known 2. New knowledge base needed about material flows and stocks 3. Focusing on metabolism allows: - early recognition of future problems - setting priorities - designing effective wm systems 18/19
Vienna, where ISWA World Conference 2013 will take place hank you http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12806 19/19