Recycling and Ecological Production

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NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF
ATHENSDEPARTMENT OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL
ENGINEERINGLABORATORY OF METALLURGYGR-157 80
ZOGRAFOS, ATHENSGREECE
Recycling and Ecological Production (WP3) Prof.
I. Paspaliaris Draft Workpackage Report Katowice,
21-23 April 2004
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INTRODUCTION

• Issues addressed within WP3
• Mineral production influences land usage, air,
  waste and water management, subsidence
• Reduction of waste and emissions is very
  important
• Many abandoned mine areas face environmental
  problems
• Environmental restrictions and regulations have
  raised
• Various Research Activities (Projects, Networks,
  Concerted
• Actions) have been realised over the last 20
  years to approach
• and solve the above problems
• WP3 is in close relation to WP2 (Waste
  Minimisation and Resource
• Management) Many of their activities are
  dictated by common objectives

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Background on Extractive Industries (Activities
and needs)

• Extractive Industry involves 4 main Sectors
• MINING Metallic and Energy ores
• INDUSTRIAL MINERALS (IM)
• NATURAL STONES
• CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Sand and Gravel
• PROCESSING

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Background on Extractive Industries (Activities
and needs)

• MINING
• Main problems
• Shrinking reserves, Accessibility of resources
• High production costs and decreased price of
  minerals
• High international competition, Low
  profitability in Europe
• Gradual decrease of ore grade
• Increased demand on ecological aspects
• Increased dependence of EU on external
  metallic ore resources
• High number of abandoned mines
• Research should focus on
• Development of continuous mining systems
• Development of distance mining methods
• Integrated transportation systems
• Minimisation, recycling and reuse of mining
  wastes
• Ground and surface water protection, safe
  tailings disposal
• Rehabilitation of sites polluted from mining
  activities

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Background on Extractive Industries (Activities
and needs)

• INDUSTRIAL MINERALS (IM)
• Main problems
• IM are essential for the EU manufacturing
  industry (automobiles, aerospace, telecom,
  construction)
• The IM availability is of great importance
• Recycling level should be increased
• Research should focus on
• Recycling of industrial minerals
• Production of added value and high-tech
  products from ordinary IM

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Background on Extractive Industries (Activities
and needs)

• NATURAL STONES
• Main problems
• Low efficiency of stone quarrying and
  processing operations
• Big losses of stone material during sawing of
  stone blocks
• environmental impact of operations sawing of
  stone blocks
• Land aesthetic problems
• Huge amount of stones produced and disposed in
  the environment
• Fluctuation of stone product quality
• Toxic materials used for stone cohesion
• High amount of raw material consumed per unit
  of final product
• Area of land needed for waste disposal
• Research should focus on
• Reduction of primary materials demand
• Optimisation of the production processes
• Substitution by renewable materials wherever
  possible

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RTD Actions of the Extractive Industry Sector
funded by EC

• Fourth Framework Programme (FP4) 1994-1998
• EC contribution 40 million ECU
• Themes covered Mining and Tunnelling
  technologies, Ornamental Stones, Clean Processing
  Technologies for Ores and IM, Exploration
  Technologies
• Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) 1998-2002
• Competitive and Sustainable Growth Innovative
  Products, Processes and Organisation through
  generic activities and new and improved materials
• CRAFT centered on the SMEs needs and priorities
• Thematic Programme for Energy, Environment and
  Sustainable Development
• Key aim Produce advanced guidelines for better
  environmental protection
• Sustainable Management and Quality of Water
  rehabilitation of sites polluted by extractive
  activities, management of water leaching from
  mining sites

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Thematic Strategy Development for the future

• Thematic Strategy on Recycling and Ecological
  Production
• Main themes
• Strategy on the sustainable use of Natural
  Resources
• Strategy on the prevention and recycling of
  wastes
• Integrated product policy to address the
  environmental impact of products
• Factors that influence
• Environmental policies
• soil protection
• Water Framework Directive
• Targets
• Management of Natural Resources
• Ensure the availability of supplies
• Manage the environmental impact of resource use

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How will Research and Innovation contribute to
fulfill the EU objectives?

• Research and Innovation should AIM to assess the
  feasibility of optimising resource use according
  to the following OBJECTIVES
• Identify the framework of resource regulation,
  economic structure and related environmental
  impact
• Provide assessment on individual resource use
  regarding environmental, social and financial
  issues by combining methodologies like life
  cycle, material flow and cost-benefit analysis.
• Review the impact of managerial or
  technological solutions (materials substitution,
  material recovery, reuse/recycling, etc)
• Identify the best pathways (policy mixes,
  technological solutions, etc) for optimisation of
  resources use
• Compare and contrast experience and outlook in
  the Extractive Industry Sector

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EVALUATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING WP3

• Specific questions for WP3 referred to the
  following items
• Recycling strategy application for solid
  wastes
• Percentage of recycled wastes
• Income from wastes marketing
• Landfill taxes payment for waste disposal
• LCA methodology application to assess the
  wastes environmental impact

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EVALUATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING WP3

• DATA EVALUATION
• Responses
• 43 Organisations
• 14 EU Member States and Candidate Countries
• General Aspects
• Quite satisfactory responses in number and
  representivity of countries
• Clear difficulties in replying due to the lack
  of information or data or technical problems
• The rating 0-10 was rather confusing

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EVALUATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING WP3
Figure 1 Allocation of Questionnaire responses
according to the organisations nature
Figure 2 Number of organisation responses from
each country
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EVALUATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING WP3

• Remarks
• Relatively low percentage (28) of the
  organisations claimed to implement recycling
  strategy for their wastes
• Recycling strategy in Germany, UK, Spain,
  Greece, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria
• Very low percentage of organisations (12)
  have any kind of income from wastes marketing
• Wastes marketing income at Spain, Greece,
  Germany, Bulgaria
• Landfill taxes payment in 6 countries (out of
  14 that replied) but not in all their
  organisations
• LCA methodology application is rare (only in 5
  organisations out of 43)
• Wastes recycling percentage has an average of
  0-20. Six organisations do not recycle their
  wastes and other 6 recycle a 21-60.

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EVALUATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING WP3

• Quality of information/Conclusions
• Not very detailed and very brief
• No reference to the kind of the recycling
  strategy or possible barriers that reduce the
  wastes recycling percentage
• The landfilling taxes payment should act as
  the driving force towards the implementation of a
  common strategy
• LCA methodology makes its first steps. Action
  should focus on the use of LCA as a tool for
  assessing environmental impact

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Identification of Areas of Interest according to
  industrial objectives and RTD problems
• Area of Interest
• Development of new processes and flexible and
  intelligent manufacturing systems
• RTD problems
• Efficient use of raw material resources
• Depletion of high grade mineral reserves
• High production cost of raw materials and
  reduced metal prices
• Advances required
• More efficient and cost effective production
  methods preserving the environment
• Modernisation of the existing production
  systems
• Production of new, high added value materials
• Beneficial use of wastes

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Suggested Actions
• Integrated Projects on
• New exploration, extraction, leaching and
  recovery technologies
• Technologies for upgrading raw materials
• Development of advanced and flexible
  production systems
• Development of advanced software for mineral
  exploration and exploitation systems,
  visualisation of production activities and
  real-time optimisation of mineral processing
  operations performance
• Networks of Excellence on
• New uses and applications of IM
• Integrated mining and quarrying systems

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Area of Interest
• Systems approach and hazard control
• RTD problems
• Missing of adequate data concerning the
  environmental impact of the abandoned extractive
  industries sites in Europe
• Long-term behavior of rehabilitated sites
• Advances required
• Efficient remediation and rehabilitation
  techniques
• Development of standard protocols for wastes
  characterisation

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Suggested Actions
• Integrated Projects on
• Technologies for the sustainable development
  and efficient environmental management in the
  Extractive Industries operation
• Technologies for the rehabilitation of
  abandoned mines
• Networks of Excellence on
• Management of Extractive Industries wastes
• Rehabilitation and remediation technologies

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Area of Interest
• Optimising the life-cycle of industrial systems,
  products and services
• RTD problems
• Quantification of the environmental impacts of
  Extractive Industry
• Metal and mineral market and societal need
  scenarios
• Selection of best processes and products in
  respect to technological, economic, ecological
  and social constraints
• Advances required
• Adaptation of LCA methodology to create and
  maintain a balance between needs and constraints
• Life cycle evaluation and optimisation

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IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES FOR EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO FP6

• Suggested Actions
• Integrated Projects on
• Application of LCA methodology
• Redesign of production processes and products
  using LCA to comply with the environmental and
  market requirements
• Networks of Excellence on
• Sustainable life cycle of minerals

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GENERAL CONCLUSIONS GAPS AND NEEDS

• General Conclusions
• Much more data outside the limitations of a
  Questionnaire are available in many countries,
  but a lack of structuring and accessibility or
  even awareness hinders their use
• Harmonisation of problems/solutions monitoring
  can be provided through preparation of
  indicator-based reports and not only results
  reports
• Public authorities and individual parties
  should be more involved in actions
• Need for more participation on NESMI actions
  and events

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GENERAL CONCLUSIONS GAPS AND NEEDS

• Bridging the Gap by
• Completion of Questionnaires and participation
  on surveys from all interested parties
• Dissemination of results with the use of modern
  communication systems and internet sources
• Provision of helpdesk support that will follow
  up on current trends ad research findings
• Building and strengthening of Networking
  activities
• Promote collaboration and links between
  institutions and industry