Press Release of March 2, 2023
Software solution for a better circular economy
Improved decision-making tool for a more complete production and product assessment
Saving energy and raw materials as well as reducing environmental impacts is as urgent as never before. That´s why consumers and suppliers alike seek to understand how to get reliable material, production, or recycling information to make better-informed designing and purchasing decisions for a circular economy. European researchers with participation of scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) within the TripleLink project created a software-based solution of existing and new developed software packages to overcome limitations and create opportunities for the implementation of circular strategies by industry and policy-makers.
Today´s products and processes are mostly designed for functionality, efficiency, and low costs. However, growing awareness of environmental challenges draws the attention to decarbonisation and circular economy approaches that focus on increasing resource efficiency and reduction of environmental impacts. Over the past years, various assessment methods and tools have been developed to evaluate specific aspects of sustainability such as the carbon footprint. However, the missing connections between the single methods and the complexities surrounding the collection of process data and new challenges like circularity limits their use. For a more complete and realistic assessment of production processes of raw materials and entire products, a system that combines different methods is urgently necessary.
The TripleLink project, funded by Europe´s largest raw materials alliance EIT RawMaterials and led by the University of Bordeaux addressed this challenge. During the last three years, the project team created a software-based solution that connects two software packages HSC Chemistry and openLCA into a single software ecosystem and integrates existing but also completely new developed assessment methods in the form of resource indicators.
“Thanks to the software connection, precise and transparent inventory data of individual unit process steps for these production steps could finally be included into the assessment and reveals new contributions to environmental impact. Something that was not possible before”, highlights Tina Pereira, project responsible at the HZDR. The research centre was not only involved in the linking but also developed process models for the case studies to demonstrate the advantage of this solution.
One example is the recycling of car batteries for which the project team determined recyclability, the environmental impacts of the recycling, and the potential to extend the material´s lifetime by means of repair, reuse or recycling have been investigated. The project team also integrated the newly developed GeoPolRisk indicator to understand the supply risk for critical raw materials needed and how using locally produced recycled materials can lower that risk. This case study explored how the performance of the pyrometallurgical recycling process changed with adding a pre-treatment step. The assessments indicate that battery recyclability increases considerably when pre-treatment is in place. The multi-step pre-treatment process is more efficient in separating battery materials and results in purer waste streams that can be recycled at a higher quality with overall lower environmental impacts. Specifically, the aluminium and plastics included in batteries can be removed and forwarded to recycling to be recovered instead of being burned.
The TripleLink partners:
- University of Bordeaux (coordinator)
- Bordeaux INP
- HZDR presented by the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF)
- Eramet
- Eramet Norway
- GreenDelta GmbH
- Metso:Outotec
- Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO
- University of Waterloo
Publications:
Koyamparambath, Anish & Santillan Saldivar, Jair & Mclellan, Benjamin & Sonnemann, Guido. (2021). Supply risk evolution of raw materials for batteries and fossil fuels for selected OECD countries (2000-2018). Resources Policy. 75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102465
Rinne, M., Elomaa, H. & Lundström, M. Life cycle assessment and process simulation of prospective battery-grade cobalt sulfate production from Co-Au ores in Finland. Int J Life Cycle Assess 26, 2127–2142 (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-01965-3
Further information:
Tina Pereira | Project Manager
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 4423 | Email: t.pereira@hzdr.de
AND
Guido Sonnemann | Professor for Sustainable Chemistry
Université de Bordeaux
Phone: + 33 540 003090 | Email: guido.sonnemann@u-bordeaux.fr
Press Contact:
Anne-Kristin Jentzsch | Press Officer
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 4429 | Email: a.jentzsch@hzdr.de