arvi Material Value Chains
MATERIAL VALUE CHAINS RES E ARC H RESU LTS F RO M C IRCU L A R ECO NO M Y
BACKGROUND OF THE RESE ARCH
The sustainable recycling of materials requires first-class technology and a clear perception of the entire system – circular economy. The research program Material Value Chains strengthened both.
The significance of circular economy is increasing globally as the climate is warming, waste amounts are growing and natural resources are diminishing. In circular economy products get new users and use before they are parted with and their materials are reused. The research program Material Value Chains focused primarily on the sustainable recycling of materials. The program brought together the industry’s most significant Finnish technology and service companies, as well as research institutes to work on joint research questions for the first time. Thanks to the program, researchers were able to study material flows from a systemic perspective, i.e. with a holistic view of the whole, and explore their significance for circular economy in Finland and abroad. The research results offer ways to promote methods of recovery and reusing individual materials. In addition, the operational procedures created in the program support local analysis of material flows and thus promote the large-scale recycling of materials. All in all, the program strengthened domestic competence in the industry and proficiency in the growing international markets. In this report we present examples of research results. The nearly three-year ARVI Material Value Chains research program ended at the close of 2016. The program’s participants included 22 companies and 10 research institutes. The full value of the research was 10 million euro of which 35 percent came from companies, 15 percent from public research institutes and 50 percent from Tekes. The research program is a part of CLIC Innovation Ltd’s venture portfolio. CLIC Innovation Ltd was born with the merger of CLEEN, a hub of cutting edge strategic energy and environmental competence, and bioeconomy hub FIBIC in September 2015.
Pirjo Kaivos, ARVI Program Manager, CLIC Innovation Ltd
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CONTENTS BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH Material recycling is increasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
RESEARCH AREAS AND BENEFITS Managing material value chains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Benefits for participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A comment from the Scientific Advisory Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
RESULTS Material value chains as a part of local circular economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A systemic solution for recycling – Case China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Collaboration continues on the market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Nutrient recovery from wastewater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Packaging plastic recovered even from mixed waste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Plastic composites from recycled material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Construction waste put into use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wood fiber recovery from a pulp mill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Liquid packaging board into terrace boards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Waste rubber brings elasticity and friction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
More precise recovery of precious metals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Recycling is taken into consideration in equipment design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Precise information of the amount of precious metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Making use of the ashes and the slags from energy plants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Precious metals from bottom ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Immediate information on ash quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lifecycle data to an open database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Waste collection efficiency with monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Material recycling is increasing Materials must be recovered and recycled with increasing accuracy. This requires input from everyone that comes in contact with the product or material’s lifecycle. Knowledge of climate change and the diminishing of natural resources is guiding humankind from a linear economy back to a circular economy. In a linear economy raw material creates a product and the product eventually becomes waste, whereas in a circular economy one person’s waste is another person’s raw material. In circular economy products and materials are circulated for as long as they have value. Value is maintained for increasingly longer periods of time if products are created to be shared, reused and from material that can be recycled. It is in any case to be expected that material recovery will require much more in upcoming years as people wish to salvage smaller and smaller amounts of material, while the amount of waste is continuously rising hand in hand with the global standard of living. “Circular economy has an increasingly clearer impact on every single industrial actor and consumer,” emphasizes Toni Andersson, Chairman of the Material Value Chain research program’s Steering group.
Cautious recycling as a starting point It has been common for quite some time to store and make use of side streams in Finnish industry, either as material or as energy. Consumers in turn recycle their household goods. Andersson wishes to see an increase in household and other community waste recycling, as recycling at an early stage creates cleaner waste components, which are easier to utilize. He says that separate collection of several waste components is, however, not always logistically economical for example in areas of dispersed settlement, and industrial sorting and mixed waste processing may be more techno-economically efficient. “Waste processing technology must be developed so that we will also be able to recover more usable materials from mixed waste.”
BACKGROUND OF THE RESE ARCH
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Circular economy has an increasingly clearer impact on every single industrial actor and consumer. Regulations drive waste cycles Because so far there is only a shortage of a few raw materials, waste recycling and material flows are mostly driven by national regulation. According to the EU’s prioritization principle waste production should be avoided for example with reuse, and all waste should be utilized primarily as material and alternatively as energy. Final disposal at a dump is the last option. In the beginning of 2016 Finland was among the last EU countries to restrict placing organic substance in dumps. The tight restriction has led to growing amounts of waste being utilized as energy and with this growth, the pre-processing of burnable waste and developing technology for waste burning have become increasingly important. “The ashes from waste burning are immensely interesting. They contain small amounts of a great deal of metals, which we could recover in the future,” says Jyri Talja, who acted as Chairman of the Steering group prior to Andersson.
New material flows and business models Talja expects to see new methods and business models for handling material flows within a few years. A company could for instance specialize in handling one, hard-to-recover material flow. “The material need not necessarily change owners, as a company can charge for the material processing as a service,” Talja visualizes. He expects that as circular economy advances it will drive the birth of new recycling material flows which Finnish industry can utilize profitably. Profitability is influenced by whether the law stipulates that a material is a product or waste, as an environmental permit must be sought to make use of the latter. In the end, the material’s market price is the most important factor.
“In metal recycling the greatest business risk comes from metal price fluctuation, which can be considerable. The price of plastic follows oil prices quite directly.”
Finnish technology is recycling around the world Andersson and Talja find several reasons why circular economy is interesting for Finland. Besides adding to the lifecycle of products and materials, it can also prove to be a significant source of new technology and business, and increase exports. The first Chairman of the Material Value Chain research program’s Steering group Hannu Lepomäki concurs. “In Finland, we have incredibly good technology and a great deal of companies that can export in the large and rapidly growing markets. During the next 25 years the industry’s investment markets will be several hundreds of billions of euro and the industry relating to maintenance and use of the facilities will also be hundreds of billions,” says Lepomäki. He anticipates that export companies can gather experience by building full-scale facilities also in Finland. “Through them new competence and new jobs will be created in Finland and naturally circular economy will also develop,” says Lepomäki. The three Chairmen emphasize the meaning of cooperation both on the market and in research and products development. “With collaborative ventures we attract the industry’s best talents to participate from Finnish and international universities, research institutes and companies,” Andersson sums up.
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BACKGROUND OF THE RESE ARCH
The Material Value Chain research project’s Chairmen: 1) Eera Waste Refining Ltd’s CEO Hannu Lepomäki, who during the research program worked as VP, Technology at BMH Technology Ltd 2) Jyri Talja, who during the research program worked as VP, Technology at Kuusakoski Ltd 3) Ekokem Plc’s Research and Development Manager Toni Andersson
BACKGROUND OF THE RESE ARCH
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RESE ARCH ARE A S AND BENEFITS
Managing material value chains The ARVI research program focused on material value chains with a systemic perspective, i.e. by looking into large entities and the interaction of their parts. The program created methods and models of operation to promote the sustainable recycling of materials. Analysis in different geographic locations:
Potential use for recycled material:
– A systemic foundation and examples from Finland, China and Brazil, results p. 14 – 15
– Plastic composites, results p. 22 – 23
Operational models for market collaboration: – Collaboration after the research programs, results p. 16
Methods for material recovery: – Nutrients from wastewaters, results p. 18 – 19 – Packaging plastic from mixed waste, results p. 20 – 21 – Metals from electronic waste, results p. 24 – 25 – Metals from ashes and slags, results p. 26 – 27
Data systems to support recycling: – Sharing lifecycle data, results p. 28 – Monitoring waste collection, results p. 29
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RESE ARCH ARE A S AND BENEFITS
Results
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CO N F E R E N C E PA P E R S
PEER REVIEWED AC A D E M I C P U B L I C AT I O N S
P H . D. T H E S I S
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B AC H E LO R ’ S T H E S E S
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MA STER’S THESES
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TECHNICAL REPORTS FOR INDUSTRY
A R V I DATA B A S E
– Designed tools and methods to enhance material recovery and reuse – Built a scientific base for the systemic monitoring of material flows – Added competence to map the global business opportunities of circular economy – Launched fruitful cooperation between companies and research institutes – Strengthened international cooperation and research networks – Heightened competence in the field and competitiveness in international markets – Created conditions to develop toward a circular economy
WORKSHOPS ON R E C YC L I N G B U S I N E S S MODELS
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RESE ARCH ARE A S AND BENEFITS
Benefits for participants ARVI has been a very good initiative. We have brought together a group and started large-scale, nationally significant research. This will surely lead to further research projects and we hope to see it also lead to international development work. –Toni Andersson, Research and Development Manager, Ekokem Plc
Through ARVI, we acquired new competence and understanding of how we can analyze systemic operation in very different environments from Finland. Versatile cooperation is always required in order to understand a systemic operation –Hannu Lepomäki, VP, Technology, BMH Technology Ltd
This is the first time such a large consortium of industrial companies and research institutes have studied circular economy together. ARVI adds to our understanding of circular economy on many levels of society and at its best it generates new business. In general, it is important to explore circular economy as an entity. It simplifies identifying the impact that different actors have on each other. –Jyri Talja, VP, Technology, Kuusakoski Ltd
RESE ARCH ARE A S AND BENEFITS
A comment from the Scientific Advisory Board “It was very far-sighted of Finland to initiate an extensive research program on circular economy, which is constantly growing in importance all over the world. Therefore, it was also quite disappointing to see the ongoing program cut short due to changes in public funding. I was, however, very impressed by the goals achieved within these limitations. The ARVI research program established an intensive collaboration between companies and research institutes on various levels, which is very rare. Thanks to the collaboration, researchers of different material flows were able to piece together whole systems and to learn from each other. It was also exceptional that the research program took into account the social significance of material flows in various countries. A global viewpoint was commendably ensured by International collaboration. On the whole, the research program generated academically and commercially significant results, which will eventually influence the future of our environment and society. The program strengthened Finland’s position among forerunners of circular economy. Now it is important to maintain activity in the collaboration network and to continue high-quality research in Finland and also in EU programs.” Professor Clemens Holzer Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
The ARVI research program was monitored and evaluated by a Scientific Advisory Board that assembled twice during the program. The Advisory Board includes: Professor Emeritus Alok Chakrabarti, New Jersey Institute of Technology, the United States Professor Thomas Hatfield, California State University, Northridge, the United States Professor Clemens Holzer, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria Professor Xiaodong Li, Zhejiang University, China Professor Helmut Rechberger, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
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RESULTS
Material value chains as a part of local circular economy The quality and routes of material value chains vary strongly depending on the country and city. A systemic approach helps recycling technology export companies identify the environment in which their customers operate. When a power plant is built in Europe that uses solid recycling fuel, companies operating in the field in Europe can fairly well take for granted what kind of equipment and services the plant might need and who these should be offered to. Outside of Europe technology providers have to find out how the circular economy works at a given country and city. They need to know how the responsibilities of corporations, officials, and consumers are divided across the material value chain. They also must be able to anticipate upcoming regulations, how landfills are filling and how the standard of living is developing. “You need to understand the local systems on societal, corporate and technology levels. For example, in Brazil there are poor people who collect valuable material from landfills as their occupation. This too is part of the value chain,” points out Assistant Professor Leena Aarikka-Stenroos from Tampere University of Technology.
In the ARVI research program, material value chains were evaluated with a systemic approach, i.e. as a part of the larger picture in Finland, São Paulo Brazil and in Hangzhou China. “We created competence that enables us to map the principles of circular economy essentially everywhere in the world. The mapping requires a new kind of systemic thinking,” says Hannu Lepomäki, VP Technology at BMH Technology Oy. Lepomäki emphasizes the meaning of systemic thinking particularly when Finnish companies wish to sell large-scale solutions instead of individual equipment. “In order for companies to be able to sell technology solutions packaged together as systemic solutions, the customers must also be systemic, i.e. entities made up of corporations and perhaps also officials.”
RESULTS
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Research exchange through company contacts BMH Technology has created contacts and conducted business with Chinese parties for a few years now. As a result, BMH experts had contacts at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou already at the start of the ARVI research program. “Business in China requires knowing a broad range of people from companies, government and universities as well,” says VP of Technology at BMH Hannu Lepomäki. When Lepomäki introduced a Chinese Professor to a Finnish Professor participating in the ARVI research program, the foundation was built for new collaboration. A researcher from Lappeenranta University of Technology went to Zhejiang University for a three-month visit and after this, Chinese researchers visited Finland.
Research collaboration supported business “We entered China on the route opened by BHM Technology and the ARVI research program. We made contact with the right people and gained knowledge of a market area which was new to us. This all impacted us accomplishing a significant opening in a new market area. We sold a circulating fluidized bed boiler for a Chinese waste-to-energy plant,” says Plant Solutions Manager Tero Joronen, Valmet
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A systemic solution for recycling – Case China The amount of waste in Hangzhou city has increased considerably in recent years, hand in hand with the rising standard of living. 40 percent of the waste created by consumers is incinerated in the city’s four waste-to-energy plants and the rest of the waste is sent to landfills. Compared to the state of affairs in the rest of China this is a good situation, but from an environmental perspective it is still a poor solution. Up to 60 percent of the municipal solid waste is kitchen waste which creates a great deal greenhouse gas discharge at landfills. Kitchen waste also hinders burning as its moisture decreases the energy waste’s temperature. Hence coal is typically used in the plants as a supplementary fuel.
Finnish researchers in turn received information from both local companies and officials with support from their Chinese colleagues. Lappeenranta University of Technology’s Professor Mika Horttanainen describes the collaboration as highly interesting and versatile.
Researchers from Lappeenranta University of Technology and Hangzhou based Zhejiang University combined efforts in the ARVI research program and looked into the basic outlines of the city’s circular economy to find development areas in waste management and waste disposal.
“Waste incineration is increasing at a significant pace in China and at the same time so does the populations’ awareness of the risks of waste incineration. In China the government is looking for ways to make waste burning more ecological and accepted,” Horttanainen says.
“The collaboration was extremely rewarding. Our research focuses on fuel technology and controlling emissions, whereas competence in waste management and lifecycle analysis came from Finland,” explains Professor Xiaodong Li from Zhejiang University.
“It is highly important that we encourage our city to improve waste sorting before waste treatments. I believe we can suggest good practices based on our research,” Li points out.
“We built scenarios of the future in which Finnish technology helps reduce the environmental impact of waste incineration at the different stages of waste management,” says Horttanainen. In the future, the research methods can be used in other cities and countries and Horttanainen also anticipates that the research may have practical consequences in Hangzhou.
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RESULTS
Collaboration continues on the market Before long, the outcomes of successful collaboration move from the laboratory to the market. At best, collaboration also moves to the market. In Circular economy, this may even be necessary. International success in circular economy requires local knowledge and a strong understanding of the entire system. Technology and service companies must understand how the materials flow in different areas, how legislation is developing and what kind of actors participate in the circular economy. Successful parties are able to offer individual products or broad comprehensive solutions depending on the situation. “It is important to have in-depth understanding of potential customers and to constantly follow their operating environment. Creating market understanding is a long-term investment,” says Director of Innovation Jatta Jussila-Suokas from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. She calls for an agile business ecosystem model with which companies can combine their local presence and offering as need be. This idea was contemplated in workshops arranged toward the end of the ARVI program. “At the workshops participants reflected on how companies and research institutions could continue collaboration relating to each one of the material flows after the program ends. They came up with ideas of how they could market together and what kinds of business models they could use,” says ARVI Program Manager Pirjo Kaivos from CLIC Innovation
Ltd. The workshops utilized known development methods for business models and value promises. Kaivos says one prerequisite is finding a forerunner company that is willing to represent a network of companies on the market. Business ideas on the other hand came up already in the workshops. “Great ideas were presented for offering and pilot ventures. For example, in the mixed waste work shop we looked into ideas for the favelas in Brazil and at this time also dealt with the social aspects of waste management that have a significant impact especially in developing communities in growing economies,” says Jussila-Suokas who facilitated the workshops. She hopes the cooperation will also create new methods of approaching customers. When consumers plan their kitchens in this day and age with visual tools, what does the corporate customer do? What tools are there available for an enthusiastic official who wants to be able to present the opportunities of waste management to decision makers in a credible way? “New digital services could supplement local presence,” says Jussila-Suokas.
RESULTS
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One prerequisite is finding a forerunner company that is willing to represent a network of companies on the market.
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RESULTS
Nutrient recovery from wastewater sludge Wastewater sludge containing harmful substances is typically incinerated as such although it contains valuable nutrients. It is, however, possible to recover nutrients before incineration. In Finnish wastewater treatment plants, it is increasingly common to digest the wastewater sludge and recover the biogas formed during the digestion process. The nutrient-rich digestate is even better suitable for fertilizing than the original sludge, as it contains nutrients such as nitrogen in an easilyusable form.
“An important research finding was that the recovered nitrogen remained as ammonia nitrogen, which plants can easily utilize,” points out Horttanainen. The researchers also found out what kind of material ammonia nitrogen can be bound to so it would keep during storage and in its time, be released for plants to utilize.
“Sludge is, however, not suited for use everywhere as a fertilizer. Outside Finland in many large cities and particularly in developing countries industrial wastewaters also end up in the wastewater networks. When this is the case, the sludge separated from wastewaters can contain harmful heavy metals and materials containing oil, and the sludge ends up being incinerated,” says professor Mika Horttanainen from Lappeenranta University of Technology. The ARVI research program studied how nitrogen can be separated and recovered from wastewater sludge that will be incinerated.
UPM took part in the research. UPM produces biosludge as side flow of pulp and paper production. Usually the biosludge is incinerated but UPM is also assessing possibilities to utilize biosludge as fertilizers.
The researchers were able to recover most of the wastewater’s ammonia nitrogen and the ammonia solved into the water utilizing industrial salvaging methods during the heat drying of the sludge. Part of the nitrogen remained in the sludge, bound to the organic compounds.
“In our sludge the nitrogen is mainly in organic form that plants cannot rapidly utilize. We researched for example if the organic nitrogen would turn into ammonium nitrogen because of the high temperature, but this did not occur in any significant quantity,” says Senior R&D Engineer Kati Mustonen from UPM. She found the ARVI program a good opportunity to map side streams with help from external experts. “Our knowledge and understanding of the world of fertilizers has expanded and we can develop further in this area.”
RESULTS
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Nitrogen in the world
As free gas
Vital
as raw material for proteins
78 % of the atmosphere
As organic compounds in all organisms
Important as a fertilizer but too large quantities in water systems causes eutrophication
Nitrogen in plants –– Plants take nitrogen from the soil and fertilizers above all as nitrate nitrogen (NO3-) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+), which are released from inorganic ammonium and nitrate compounds. –– Peas and beans for example can bind nitrogen also from air
As inorganic compounds from soil and water
The valuable ammonium nitrogen in biosludge Even if biosludge is combusted, it is worthwhile to recover nitrogen from it because –– nitrogen fertilizer is typically produced from the hydrogen in natural gas and the nitrogen in air, which releases greenhouse gas. The formed ammonia can be used as such as fertilizer or it can be refined into ammonium nitrate. In sludge, most of the nitrogen is already in a form plants can use, ammonium nitrogen. –– incinerating sludge typically creates less nitrogen oxide emissions if the ammonium nitrogen is separated from it prior to burning
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RESULTS
Packaging plastic recovered even from mixed waste The most common types of plastic are even easy to recycle when they are clean and sorted, but it is possible to recover plastic also from mixed waste, if the entire chain is adjusted all the way from product development. The most common use of plastic is for packages, and packages are the largest group of plastic waste. The majority of plastic packages still end up in household garbage bags containing mixed waste and subsequently incinerated as mixed waste. “It is a common conception that you cannot recycle the plastic in mixed waste as it is so heterogenic and dirty. In the ARVI research program we showed that recycling is possible”, summarizes Senior Researcher at Finnish Environment Institute SYKE Helena Dahlbo. The researchers studied how the plastic packages of consumer goods move from the garbage bags all the way to become plastic raw material. In identifying the plastics and sorting them, the experts’ knowledge, senses and optical measurement devices were used. Over 70 percent of the mixed waste studied turned out to be the most common types of plastics, which are: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). These are all thermoplastics, which means that they can be melted and molded. “The quality, however, decreases after a few uses. Hence virgin plastic is typically added to them,” explains Principal Lecturer Mirja Andersson from Arcada University of Applied Sciences. In the research, the most common plastics which were separated from mixed waste turned out to be
good quality and easy to recycle, whereas multilayer plastics puzzled the researchers. “The layers could not be separated so we studied the mixture produced when they were melted. Preliminary findings suggest that some multi-layer plastics could be processed for recycling purposes. This research requires a great deal of further steps to produce practical applications,” Andersson says. She believes that the ARVI research program’s results will help package designers take recycling into consideration better than before. Ekokem’s Project Manager Reetta Anderson expects plastic recycling to increase hand in hand with consumers being offered opportunities for the separate collection of plastics. “We built two concepts for plastic processing. We handle and sort them as their own flows with separate plastic collection and also as plastic in mixed waste. The plastic types that we cannot recycle are made into recycled fuel,” says Anderson. Techniques for removing colors from plastic were also researched in the ARVI research program. “We are eagerly anticipating being able to utilize these techniques with our own recycled plastics.”
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It is a common conception that you cannot recycle the plastic in mixed waste as it is so heterogenic and dirty.
Recycled plastic could be used as –– Sheeting needed in earthworks –– Environmental management products such as waste bins, waste containers and filters –– Fences, terraces and outdoor furniture –– Small plastic products and trash bags The aim is to safely replace the use of non-renewable resources without adding the uses of plastic
In the ARVI research program we showed that recycling is possible.
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RESULTS
Plastic composites from recycled material Supple plastic is strengthened for example with wood or glass fiber. This type of plastic composites can also be produced from waste and industrial side streams. Good quality plastic pipes are removed from buildings being demolished, and it is easy to identify their plastic type. There are also easily classifiable boards and insulation materials. It is, however, difficult to utilize building waste as recycled material is never exactly the same quality as new material. Suitable use may be easier to find for composites, i.e. composite materials where the light and supple plastic is for example strengthened by wood or glass fiber. Composite quality can be easily changed by adjusting its contents. “First you must, however, find out how the waste fractions are separated from one another, and
study their quality starting from their strength and resistance to moisture. You must also study if the materials contain harmful substances,� lists Professor Timo Kärki from Lappeenranta University of Technology. When the raw materials have been processed into a composite, it is time to test if it can be reshaped for example with injection molding or extrusion and study what kinds of products it is suitable for. In the ARVI research program companies handling waste and industrial side flows utilized university expertise and laboratories to study recycled materials and fiber-reinforced plastic composites.
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Construction waste put into use
Wood fiber recovery from a pulp mill
In the ARVI research program, Destaclean Oy, a company recycling construction and packaging waste, looked into opportunities to use plastic waste and other building waste to produce plastic composites.
Side streams from UPM’s pulp and paper mills include cellulose fibers that can be used to strengthen supple plastic. The ashes and pigments from side streams can, however, make the produced plastic composite more fragile. In the ARVI program UPM studied what its side streams include and what kind of qualities they would bring to plastics.
“For instance fiber from stone or glass wool can replace strength and elasticity that the plastic loses in recycling,” says CEO Kimmo Rinne from Destaclean. He says the research program offered a scientific base for interesting materials that the company can later on test in its own production.
The results indicate that fiber-rich primary sludge can be used as raw material for composite in place of saw dust. It even improved certain mechanical qualities.
“Our aim is to develop materials into secondary product material and new products.”
“Our aim is to utilize side streams in one way or another instead of incinerating them,” says Senior R&D Engineer Kati Mustonen from UPM.
Liquid packaging board into terrace boards
Waste rubber brings elasticity and friction
At Stora Enso, when liquid packaging board is cut the process also creates waste cuttings that contain wood fiber and plastic. It is arduous to separate the carton and its plastic coating from one another and hence Stora Enso wanted to find out what could be manufactured from this mixture. The ARVI research program studied plastic composite with polypropylene plastic as its matrix, strengthened by the fiber in the liquid packaging board and PET-plastic. The mechanical qualities of the mixture were measured and the material was processed into terrace boards with extrusion.
Thermoplastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene is well suited for recycling as it can be melted and molded. In contrary thermosetting plastic and rubber can only be heated once. Accordingly, in the ARVI research program Kuusakoski Oy wanted to find out how electronic waste and car tires can be utilized as such as raw material.
“Stora Enso does not produce wood plastic composites but the research offers a general foundation if you wish to evaluate the material reuse of liquid packaging board collected from consumers as well,” says Research and Product Development Manager Olli Väntsi from Stora Enso.
“Rubber as a part of plastic composite can bring heat resistance and elasticity. It can also impact friction and acoustics. It is also interesting how different kinds of qualities can be given to the product’s inner and outer parts by layering the composite and altering the amount of rubber,” says Research and Product Development Engineer Tiina Malin from Kuusakoski. The research advanced to test production and the products were finished for test use. Malin expects the composites to be suitable above all for road construction, for example for sound blocking fences and impact protection.
More precise recovery of precious metals There is an increasing wish to better recover the precious and rare metals in electrical and electronic waste. The task becomes easier once we find out how and where metals are lost in waste treatment. In electrical and electronic waste treatment, the goal is to separate metals from plastics and after that, separate the metals from one another. Each phase creates loss. For instance, crushing equipment results in precious and rare metals turning into dust and later on in the process when metals are melted part of the metals end up in the slag. There has not been much research in the loss of rare metals as their recovery has been seen primarily as an insignificant side process of recovering main metals
such as copper. It is, however, likely that the recovery of rare metals will become increasingly important or even essential. The ARVI research program looked into how much metal ends up in slag and dust, to enable recyclers to develop material handling and make educated decisions while selling and purchasing recycled material. Equipment manufacturers can also impact how well metals can be recycled already during the product design phase.
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Recycling is taken into consideration in equipment design
Precise information of the amount of precious metals
Cell phones are complex but also valuable equipment in recycling as one device can easily contain over 40 chemical elements and a great deal of precious metals. If a cell phone is inserted into a traditional mechanical recycling process, it is crushed as a whole without its battery into pieces the size of a few centimeters. The goal is to roughly remove main components and materials from one another and prepare them for mechanical and chemical further processes suitable for each waste fraction. It is essential to get at least plastics, iron, aluminum and copper into different fractions. Precious metals starting from gold are suitable for the same further processing as copper.
After the mechanic separation, crushed electrical and electronic waste advances to a melting process appropriate for each main metal. Precious and rare metals that are present in small quantities are recovered when copper is melted, as they dissolve well into melted copper. Unwanted substances on the other hand end up in the slag. There is a risk of having a large portion of precious metals ending up in the slag if conditions are unfavorable.
“The smaller parts we crush equipment into, the cleaner particles we get, but we also create more dusts in which precious metals are lost,” says researcher John Bachér from VTT. When two models from crushing cell phones were compared in the ARVI research program, it was shown that metal covers and support structures protect the printed circuit board from wear better than plastic covers and thus stop more of the precious metals such as gold and palladium from being crushed into dust. On the other hand, having parts that are easily separable from one another also lessens materials from turning into dust. “It seems that the modularity of equipment can be a benefit from a recycling point of view,” Bachér says. The laboratory research was supplemented with test drives with different kinds of crushing methods at Kuusakoski Oy. “It is important to find out where and at what phase each metal gets lost in the entire chain. After this we can further develop the recovery of each metal,” says Technology Director Jyri Talja from Kuusakoski. He thinks one of the ARVI research program’s most significant accomplishments was modelling the recycling of electronic waste all the way from collection and sorting to metal production.
In the ARVI research program measurements and models were made of how metals divide between melted metal and slag in different conditions. “Previously, we knew the magnitudes but now we have reliable figures that for example parties selling and purchasing metal can utilize,” says professor Pekka Taskinen from Aalto University. He emphasizes that the distribution factors developed in the research are all nondependent of the melting process and thus every melting plant can utilize the information. “This provided us with an excellent opportunity to gain more information to base process planning on and help our customers. It is clear that interest in recovering precious metals is increasing and it is good to be well prepared for it,” says Director of Environment and Sustainability Ilkka Kojo from Outotec, which develops for example methods used in copper processing.
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Making use of the ashes and the slags from energy plants Power plants produce ashes and slags as solid waste, which are both increasingly interesting as materials. More precise information of the composition of ash and slag makes utilization easier. When mixed waste is incinerated at a waste-toenergy plant, the organic substances such as plastic and textiles are fully burnt and about one fifth of the waste remains as unburnt bottom-substance, which is called bottom ash. In addition, parts of the unburnt material end up as light fly ash which is filtered from flue gas and recovered. The ash contains metals and salts and the bottom ash also contains rocks and glass and other ceramics. Precious metals can be recovered from the ash and with the proper process, ashes are suitable for example for earthworks. Financially viable utilization
is slowed down by time-consuming authorization procedure and the fact that there is no easy or fast way to determine the exact composition of the ash and precious metal recovery is not sufficiently efficient. The ARVI research program studied the composition of bottom ashes produced in waste incineration and methods for recovering the precious metals it contains in a more efficient manner than is currently in use. In addition, the program looked into methods that could be used to analyze fly ash in real-time whilst incinerating waste or other fuels.
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With a laser nearly all chemical elements can be identified from a solid substance. Precious metals from bottom ash
Immediate information on ash quality
Bottom ash produced in waste incineration is crushed and treated with various separating methods until the largest iron, aluminum, and copper particles are recovered. This leaves mineral substance divided according to particle size. The largest particles can be utilized for example the same way as gravel is used in road structures and as a filler in concrete. On the other hand, the finest portion of the ash with particles smaller than four millimeters is often left unused, as environmentally hazardous substances such as heavy metals are concentrated in them, and its technical qualities do not make it an attractive material for earthworks. It can, however include precious metals.
Power plants regularly take samples of fly ash and send them for laboratory analysis. This way the average ash quality is identified, which helps guide the choice of further processing method. If the ash quality does not for instance fulfil the requirements for earthworks or fertilizer use, the ashes are directed the end-disposal site or even a hazardous waste treatment plant. If the ash quality was determined already during the incineration process, good and poor quality ashes could be directed to different routes.
The ARVI research program looked for methods for separating valuable and harmful substances from fine ashes. Researchers identified the composition and qualities of the bottom ash samples after which they could choose the most promising separation methods for their tests from methods used in ore beneficiation. “Traditional beneficiation methods have been developing in such a way that we are fairly well able to use them to process even this kind of very fine bottom ash,” says Senior Scientist Tommi Kaartinen from VTT. The copper and zinc quantities turned out to be large enough to make metal enrichment profitable in the case of ore. “Bottom ash in waste incineration plants is, however, produced in quite small quantities compared to the amount of ore in mines, which presents quite a challenge,” says Kaartinen. Waste burning in Finland creates nearly 300 000 metric tons of bottom ash annually of which fine ashes make up about half. “We are interested in finding out if bottom ash processing could be covered with the profits from metals recovered from bottom ash,” says Chief Operating Officer Riina Rantsi from Suomen Erityisjäte. She finds it important that new information for bottom ash processing that companies can use to develop recycled material handling has been created in the ARVI research program.
The ARVI research program studied how fly ash quality can be monitored at power plants. The most interesting study subject turned out to be the LIBS-Analyzer, based on laser spectroscopy. “With a laser nearly all chemical elements can be identified from a solid substance. It is not unproblematic and ash is particularly challenging as it contains almost all inorganic elements and their spectra disturb each other,” explains Professor Juha Toivonen from Tampere University of Technology. Researchers compared different methods for taking samples in laboratory conditions and they noticed that the LIBS-Analyzer can identify interesting chemical elements from a flow of constantly moving ash samples. “The result is highly interesting. In addition to guiding further processing, information about ash quality can plausibly be used also in optimizing the incineration,” points out Plant Solutions Manager Tero Joronen from Valmet. He believes that ash quality control will increase in the world area by area as circular economy goals become more ambitious.
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Lifecycle data to an open database Products and materials flow in a chain in which each company and individual impact the whole and thus the success of circular economy. Success is supported by an open database that shares information on the lifecycle of each material in different environments. Lifecycle information helps assess the ecologic sustainability of products and services. For example, the lifecycle of individual materials tells if the material is virgin or if it has already been through a few recycling cycles. It is, however, important to say in general how e.g. collecting metal or plastic, recovering it and separating it affect the environment. “International databases may describe waste management processes from Central Europe for example, but they are not the same as the Finnish process,” says Head of Unit at Finnish Environment Institute SYKE Tuuli Myllymaa. The ARVI research program studied how and where it would be beneficial to publish and share Finnish lifecycle information. Researchers familiarized with the international OpenLCA application and deemed it a good platform also for publishing Finnish lifecycle information. Another suitable solution that was chosen was the SYKE metadata portal for open research information. “The use of both applications and the information in them is free,” Myllymaa emphasizes. During the course of the ARVI program there was time to input data on Finnish waste management
and waste incineration processes and the composite boards studied in the program, which were manufactured from recycled plastic and wood fiber. “A complete life cycle assessment was published on the composite boards, which is exceptional. All the information was included starting from the energy use, chemical manufacturing and transportation,” says Myllymaa. The application guides data inputters to describe in detail where the data comes from, and to separate measurement results, calculations and estimates from each other. This way the users can also assess the reliability of information shared by others. Myllymaa hopes the life cycle information created in the ARVI program will encourage Finnish companies and research institutions to share lifecycle information. Sharing naturally also requires work, but Myllymaa believes it will also be rewarding for the parties sharing the information. “There are waste management and waste incineration processes in Finland that could interest foreign companies as well. Comprehensive life cycle information will surely help in marketing.”
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Waste collection efficiency with monitoring Monitoring waste collection makes waste management more efficient and encourages buildings to influence waste management costs. Municipal solid waste amounts matter more and more. Municipal solid waste collection is typically based on a property and a waste collection company making a deal about the number of waste containers and how often they are emptied. The setup does not do much to encourage the property to sort or decrease waste and it does not help waste collection companies make waste collection more efficient. The property pays the same price whether the waste container is full or half-full and the waste collection truck is prepared to pick up full waste containers. The situation would be different if the waste containers were weighed as is the practice in industry.
the tags were tested in the collection of secure data material. The identification data was utilized in waste disposal plants in developing ordering and transport control systems. The ARVI research program also looked into how waste treatment plants can develop their reporting to customers.
The ARVI research program looked into how waste containers can be weighed during waste collection and the data analyzed. Weighing was tested with four waste collection companies that had scales installed in their waste collection trucks’ lifting devices, from which the data was transferred to the waste disposal plant’s database via the vehicles’ driving control systems.
“Our systems have dealt with weight information and tags before but it is good to create a common ground to make monitoring more widespread in municipal waste management,” explains CEO Timo Sivula from Tietomitta Oy. He finds it increasingly important that waste disposal plants can show to their customers the transparent route that waste takes regardless of the waste type.
“Weighing enables housing corporations and other properties to monitor the amount of waste they produce. Waste collection companies can in turn make waste collection more efficient when they have accurate information of the amount of waste created in a certain area. All in all, the costs of waste management can be allocated more fairly than before. Whoever creates waste, also pays,” says Senior Research Fellow Ari Serkkola from Aalto University.
Sivula thinks the most significant individual accomplishment was the electronic waste shipping document created into the ARVI program. According to waste legislation there has to be a shipping document whenever hazardous waste, or construction and demolition waste is disposed and moved. A driver must have the waste producer’s signature for the shipping document and provide it to the treatment plant’s data system. The electronic shipping document can be signed in a mobile application that transfers the signed document directly to the waste treatment plant’s data system.
The ARVI research program also studied identifying waste containers with RFID, QR and NFC tags and
“We studied superintendents’ views and developed a service with new kind of data modelling that collects information for waste producers about for example when waste containers are emptied and how much waste they contain,” says Serkkola.
http://arvifinalreport.fi
COMPANIES A B STO R M O SS E N OY AM P PC F I N L A N D OY (1 financing phase) B M H T E C H N O LO G Y OY B O R E A L I S P O LYM E R S OY D E S TAC L E A N OY (2 financing phase) E KO K E M OYJ T H E C I T Y O F H E L SI N K I H E L S I N K I R E G I O N E N V I R O N M E N TA L S E R V I C E S AU T H O R I T Y H S Y K U U S A KO SK I OY KYM E N L A A K SO N J ÄT E OY LO I M I -H ÄM E E N J ÄT E H U O LTO OY LO U N A I S-S U O M E N J ÄT E H U O LTO OY O U TOT E C OYJ O U TOT E C ( F I N L A N D ) OY PA PE R R A OY (1 financing phase) ST E N A T E C H N O W O R L D OY (1 financing phase) STO R A E N S O W O O D P R O D U C TS OY LT D S U O M E N E R I T YI S J ÄT E OY (2 financing phase) T I E TO M I T TA OY (2 financing phase) U PM -KYM M E N E OYJ (2 financing phase) VA L M E T T E C H N O LO G I E S OY Å F -CO N S U LT OY (1 financing phase)
RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS A A LTO U N I V E R SI T Y A R C A DA U N I V E R S I T Y O F A P PL I E D SC I E N C E S F I N N I SH E N V I R O N M E N T I N S T I T U T E ( SYK E ) J Y VÄ SKYL Ä U N I V E R S I T Y O F A PP L I E D S C I E N C E S L A P PE E N R A N TA U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E C H N O LO G Y TAM P E R E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E C H N O LO G Y T H E U N I V E R SI T Y O F E A ST E R N F I N L A N D UNIVERSITY OF TURKU V T T T E C H N I C A L R E SE A R C H C E N T R E O F F I N L A N D LT D Å B O A K A D E M I U N I V E R SI T Y
PIRJO K AIVOS Program Manager, CLIC Innovation Oy pirjo.kaivos@clicinnovation.fi / + 358 40 5401 796 PIA SAARI CTO, CLIC Innovation Oy (2016–) pia.saari@clicinnovation.fi / + 358 40 1949 932 J AT TA J U S S I L A -S U O K A S CTO, CLEEN Oy / CLIC Innovation Oy (2008–2015)
All of the program’s publications: http://arvifinalreport.fi