Implementation of Life Cycle Based Tools in the Circular Economy Context—Case Study of Plastic Waste

Abstract

This article describes research done within the CIRCE2020 project, implemented under the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE 2014–2020 Programme. The main aim is to present the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) carried out for a recycling plant in Wielkopolska. From the LCA perspective, the analyzed recycling plant performs two functions; therefore, two research approaches were adopted: from the final waste management perspective (Approach 1) and from the production of secondary products (Approach 2). From the first perspective, the total environmental impact for the reference flow (215.140 kg of multi-material waste) was 552.32 Pt. When focused on the second perspective, the environmental impact for the production of plastic boards (3.073 boards) reached 659.58 Pt. The difference in the obtained values results from the fact that the second analysis, besides waste processing, included additionally the generation of raw materials corrected by the quality factor. The total production cost of boards made of multi-material waste was PLN 165,957.23. Energy consumption is the main cost-generating element of production and also the most important environmental hot spot. To increase environmental efficiency and reduce costs, the use of technology allowing for the reduction of energy demand should be considered first.

Plastic Waste Management: A Review of Existing Life Cycle Assessment Studies

“…The screening process illustrated in Figure 3 was followed, aiming to generate a good selection of LCA studies with a broad geographical range and using a variety of different LCIA methodologies. Review papers were excluded from the assessment criteria but were checked to identify any further references for consideration [3][4][5][6][7]. This produced an additional 265 references for screening.…”

“…One way to compare the environmental impacts of different processes is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is a method for quantifying all the different impacts a process may have on the environment, allowing comparison to other processes. A variety of research [3][4][5][6][7] has been conducted in this field, and a range of LCAs have been undertaken on plastic waste management. This study reviews past works, discussing and comparing the outcomes from each.…”

Analysis of the global market of technologies in the field of collection, sorting and recycling of polymer waste

“…Since 2015, research activities in technologies for polymer waste are guided by the principles of the «Circular Economy» [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25]. These papers describe possible options for a closed cycle for polymer products including processes at production, consumption, and utilization stages.…”

Recommendations for life-cycle assessment of recyclable plastics in a circular economy

“…11,28,65,66 Other allocation methods for open-loop recycling (e.g., substitution method, loss of quality method, circular footprint formula) attempt to capture what is a known issue for plastics: varying quality of recycled material. 11,28,[65][66][67][68][69][70] Mechanical recycling can yield lower-quality downcycled materials or material that is not approved for specic applications (e.g., food contact materials), whereas advanced chemical or solvent-based methods may produce higher quality recyclate. Accurately capturing the spectrum of quality in recyclates adds complexity because the quality requirements for plastics are so application specic and not as standardized as some other materials, such as steel.…”