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Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Opportunities and challenges of the European Green Deal for the chemical industry: An approach measuring circularityThe European Green Deal aims to address the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation and plans to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring, among other things, that there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and economic growth is decoupled from resource use. The European Commission has issued a Circular Economy Action Plan. The action plan announces initiatives along the entire life cycle of products. What opportunities and challenges can be expected from the implementation of the European Green Deal for the chemical industry in the EU? A circular economy offers innovative solutions to sustainability challenges by moving from a take-make-use-dispose economy to an improved resource management. However, the implementation of a closed loop economy for the chemical industry is not only reflected in the value chain within its own production processes but also in possible changes in customer demand due to circularity. Based on this observation, a methodology is developed to assess the impact of the circular economy on the customers of products provided by the chemical industry. The methodology developed is applied within a case study using the EU chemical industry as an example. The results of this case study show an increase in demand for chemicals compared to the baseline due to circular economy trends; for example, in the medium-term (2030), the circular economy drivers will lead to around 18 Bn. € of increased demand compared to today (2020). In the long-term (2045), the effects of circular economy will be softened to a certain extent and an increase in demand of around 6 Bn. € is expected. For example, demand for plastics as well as paints and inks in the automotive industry will increase in the medium-term. This is directly related to the growing demand for electro mobility, the trend towards lightweight materials and the increasing use of plastics (composite materials) in automotive construction. The methodology presented here provides a future perspective of the impact of circularity on the respective product demand of customers in the chemical industry and attempts to inspire discussions that support the transition to a sustainable circular economy.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 1 33 170 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Opportunities and Challenges of the European Green Deal for the Chemical Industry: An Approach Measuring Innovations in Bioeconomy(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2021-09-08); ; The Circular Economy Action Plan, as part of the European Green Deal announced by the European Commission, is highly relevant to the chemical industry in relation to the production of sustainable products. Accordingly, the chemical industry faces the question of how far it can promote its own manufacture of sustainable products. Within this context, this article presents an approach on how to measure innovations in bioeconomy. The methodological framework developed provides the chemical industry with an approach to assess the effectiveness of innovative conversion technologies producing biogenic intermediate products (e.g., bulk chemicals). The innovations within the bioeconomy (TRL > 4; TRL—technology readiness level) are compared in terms of technical, economic, and environmental indicators for the current status, for the medium- and long-term as well as for different production sites. The methodological approach developed here is exemplarily applied, assessing the production of intermediate biogenic products via thermo-chemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. The results show the successful applicability of the developed assessment approach as well as significant differences in efficiency, costs, and environmental impact, both from the perspective of time and in spatial terms within the European Union. Thus, the methodological approach developed and presented enables the chemical industry to reduce challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 7 179 261 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , PGE production in Southern Africa, part I: Production and market trends(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2017-11-18); ; ; Platinum group elements (PGEs) are an important resource for many applications, such as automotive catalytic converters for vehicles, jewelry, electrical devices and as catalysts in the chemical and petroleum industries. At present, the greatest share of global PGE supply is extracted from the South African Bushveld Complex and from the Zimbabwean Great Dyke. In this context, this article provides a comprehensive summary of detailed mining data between 2010 and 2015 and discusses these in regard to the global PGE market. On the supply side, the data reveal that the production volumes as well as the ore grades fluctuated in recent years, while the mining and processing of economically less favorable Upper Group 2 (UG2) ore increased. The average head grade from 2010 to 2015 was 3.58 g 6E/t. In the long term, the ore grades decreased. On the market side, PGE prices and increasing (primary) production costs can be observed. On the market side, the demand for vehicles is expected to grow globally resulting in an increase in PGE demand. At the same time, secondary production is expected to increase and will eventually compete with primary production. These findings indicate challenging conditions for the Southern African PGE industry.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 19 591 625 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , PGE production in Southern Africa, part II: Environmental aspects(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2017-11-18); ; ; Platinum group elements (PGEs, 6E PGE = Pt + Pd + Rh + Ru + Ir + Au) are used in numerous applications that seek to reduce environmental impacts of mobility and energy generation. Consequently, the future demand for PGEs is predicted to increase. Previous studies indicate that environmental impacts of PGE production change over time emphasizing the need of up-to-date data and assessments. In this context, an analysis of environmental aspects of PGE production is needed to support the environmental assessment of technologies using PGEs, to reveal environmental hotspots within the production chain and to identify optimization potential. Therefore, this paper assesses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cumulative fossil energy demand (CED<sub>fossil</sub>), sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) emissions and water use of primary PGE production in Southern Africa, where most of today’s supply originates from. The analysis shows that in 2015, emissions amounted to 45 t CO<sub>2</sub>-eq. and 502 kg SO<sub>2</sub> per kg 6E PGE in the case GHG and SO<sub>2</sub> emissions, respectively. GHG emissions are dominated by emissions from electricity provision contributing more than 90% to the overall GHG emissions. The CED<sub>fossil</sub> amounted to 0.60 TJ per kg 6E PGE. A detailed analysis of the CED<sub>fossil</sub> reveals that electricity provision based on coal power consumes the most fossil energy carriers among all energy forms. Results show that the emissions are directly related to the electricity demand. Thus, the reduction in the electricity demand presents the major lever to reduce the consumption of fossil energy resources and the emission of GHGs and SO<sub>2</sub>. In 2015, the water withdrawal amounted to 0.272 million L per kg 6E PGE. Additionally, 0.402 million L of recycled water were used per kg 6E PGE. All assessed indicators except ore grades and production volumes reveal increasing trends in the period from 2010 to 2015. It can be concluded that difficult market conditions (see part I of this paper series) and increasing environmental impacts present a challenging situation for the Southern African PGE mining industry.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 8 1212 694 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Fuels from pyrolysis(2017-08-09); This chapter provides a review on the production of biokerosene via pyrolysis of biomass. Accordingly, the technology of pyrolysis is described and classified into different operation modes, paying special attention to those conditions, reactors and biomass sources more suitable for the type of product (liquid fraction) targeted. The pyrolysis oil properties are characterized and compared with the specifications of conventional kerosene. These properties show that to implement pyrolysis oil as a "drop-in" fuel in the already existing kerosene infrastructure, some technical limitations need to be overcome. At present, challenges in the composition of pyrolysis oil remain, such as high acidity, chemical instability and high water and oxygen contents. For the purpose of increasing the quality of the pyrolysis oil, physical and chemical upgrading processes are described, including catalytic fast pyrolysis. The complexities of processes and reactions associated with increasing quality of pyrolysis oil are discussed. Finally, a brief overview of the current maturity level of the technology for biokerosene production via pyrolysis oil upgrading is presented.Publicationtype: Book Part73