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The challenge of chemicals in material lifecycles
Waste Management 56 (2016) 1–2
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Waste Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman
Editorial
The challenge of chemicals in material lifecycles
Material import
Chemical loss
Chemical additives and NIAS
Chemical additives and NIAS
Chemical loss
Primary and secondary resources
Product export
Exports and sinks (e.g., incineration and landfilling)
Product import
PT
AG EM E
IO N
AN EM
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.08.016 0956-053XÓ 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Material export
WAST
Do you know which chemicals are in the products and materials around you? You may read these words from the screen of your mobile phone, which nowadays involves a significant share of the elements in the periodic table, or perhaps you are reading from paper, a material that potentially contains a high number of different chemicals (Pivnenko et al., 2015). The race to satisfy the evergrowing demand for functionality and appearance of consumer and industrial products has resulted in an increasing complexity of materials. To satisfy these demands, a variety of chemicals and combinations of materials are used in our products. Flame retardants help reduce risks of fire in textiles and electronics, alloys increase the hardness of pure metals, stabilizers prevent the degradation of plastics, fillers reduce the costs of paper, impregnating agents preserve the quality of wood, antioxidants keep food edible for longer periods and fragrances, inks, pigments and dyes increase the appeal of products towards consumers. Most of the chemicals are practically harmless, but some chemicals are potentially hazardous. With paper as an example, out of about 10,000 chemicals, 157 were identified as being problematic (Pivnenko et al., 2015). Material recycling should be supported to increase resource efficiency in society, reduce our dependency on non-renewable natural resources and energy and to reduce (or avoid) emissions associated with primary production. While numerous studies have documented the potential environmental benefits associated with recycling, the presence of chemicals in recycled materials is rarely addressed. Material cycles are dynamic and complex systems, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Chemicals are intentionally added to materials either to improve the product or the production process itself. Chemicals may also be introduced non-intentionally: as impurities, contamination or chemical degradation and transformation occurring throughout the product’s lifecycle (i.e., Non-Intentionally Added Substances, or NIAS). Returning to paper as an example, some chemicals in paper can be attributed to natural wood constituents (i.e., introduced through primary resource use). However, the vast majority of chemicals are added during paper-product manufacturing (e.g., paper production, printing, and converting). Once obsolete products are recycled, then chemicals contained within the materials are also recycled (Fig. 1). Some chemicals may ‘‘escape” the cycle, due to chemical losses (e.g., evaporation, degradation or migration); removed through material processing (e.g., de-inking in the paper recycling) or through different types of exports and sinks (e.g., waste incineration or landfilling). Assuming a defined geographical boundary (e.g., Europe), imports and exports of materials, products and waste may affect the overall cycle by introducing or removing materials. These materials contain chemicals, the composition, source and fate of which are often not well-documented. To ensure safe recycling of our materials, we
NT
CON
S
UM
Chemical loss
NIAS Chemical loss
NIAS Waste import Material flow
Export for e.g., re-use
Chemical flow
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of generic material and chemical cycles for a defined geographical boundary (e.g., Europe). Chemical loss implies evaporation, degradation, migration, etc., as well as removal through material (re) processing. NIAS: Non-Intentionally Added Substances.
need to acknowledge the complex chemical compositions of waste materials and adjust the recycling solutions accordingly. The benefits of recycling have been recognized by the European Union (EU) and were recently reflected by the ‘‘circular economy package” in 2015 (EC, 2015). A key focus is on a transition from a conventional linear production chain (i.e., extractconvert-use-discard) to a more circular economic model, in which obsolete materials and products are used as raw materials and recycled into newly manufactured products. Introducing ambitious recycling targets is necessary to ensure the availability of raw materials for industry and to harvest the potential environmental savings through resource substitution. However, we also risk introducing unwanted and potentially persistent chemicals into our products. This poses considerable challenges; not only for policy makers, industry and the waste sector, but also for consumers. From a consumer perspective, the chemical contamination of materials and products has predominantly been a concern in relation to food packaging and food-contact materials in general. This is not surprising, as the presence of hazardous chemicals in food-contact materials may result in migration of the substances into foodstuffs and immediate human exposure through food
2
Editorial / Waste Management 56 (2016) 1–2
EC/450/2009 Active and intelligent materials
Adhesives 84/500/EEC Ceramics
Cork Rubber EC/1935/2004 Framework for foodcontact materials and EC/2023/2006 Good manufacturing practice for foodcontact materials
Glass
93/11/EEC Nitrosamines
Ion-exchange resin Metals and alloys Paper and board EU/10/2011 Plastics
Printing inks Silicones Textiles Varnishes and coatings Waxes Wood
EC/42/2007 Regenerated cellulose
EC/282/2008 Recycled plastics EU/284/2011 Imports from China and Hong-Kong EU/321/2011 Bisphenol A (BPA) in feeding bottles
Fig. 2. Overview of the European legislation on food-contact materials and products, with 17 groups of materials and articles (active and intelligent materials, adhesives, etc. as specified in Annex I, EC/1935/2004) all covered by the general legislation (left) and some covered by material-specific legislation (right).
ingestion. This concern has also been reflected in the scientific literature, where quantitative data on chemicals in products are available predominantly for food-contact materials. As indicated in Fig. 2, while current EU legislation (EC/1935/2004 and EC/ 2023/2006) focuses on materials and articles intended for food contact, material-specific legislation is limited to active and intelligent materials, ceramics, rubber, plastics, and regenerated cellulose. Specific legislation on the quality of recycled materials used in food-contact applications has been implemented only for plastics (EC/282/2008). Therefore, achieving high recycling rates and ensuring that waste materials are used as raw materials also implies that the legislative framework has to be carefully revised to support safe recycling of waste into consumer and industrial products. Very few quantitative data for the detailed composition of recyclable materials are presently available (e.g., Pivnenko et al., 2016), and there is very little analysis that describes the fate of chemicals throughout the lifecycle of materials ending up in recycled products. Producers, the waste-research community and waste recyclers need to realize the importance of potentially problematic chemicals in recyclable materials. This will prevent unnecessary risks for consumers and promote acceptance for products made of recycled materials. To support circular economy concepts and high recycling rates, legislators need to ensure the phasing out of harmful chemicals in our products. As consumers, we find ourselves in an era of transition from the conventional paradigm of linear production into cycles of materials, products and chemicals around us. The waste-management sector plays a key role in ensuring that this transition is possible and that sustainable solutions are practised. References EC, 2015. Closing The Loop: Commission Adopts Ambitious New Circular Economy Package to Boost Competitiveness, Create Jobs and Generate Sustainable Growth. Commission Press Release. European Commission (EC), IP/15/6203. Pivnenko, K., Eriksson, E., Astrup, T.F., 2015. Waste paper for recycling: overview and identification of potentially critical substances. Waste Manag. 45, 134–142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.02.028.
Pivnenko, K., Olsson, M., Götze, R., Eriksson, E., Astrup, T.F., 2016. Quantification of chemical contaminants in the paper and board fractions of municipal solid waste. Waste Manag. 51, 43–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016. 03.008.
Kostyantyn Pivnenko Thomas Fruergaard Astrup Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet B115, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark E-mail addresses: [email protected] (K. Pivnenko), [email protected] (T.F. Astrup)
Kostyantyn Pivnenko obtained his PhD from the Department of Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Denmark, where his primary research topics concerned resource quality within material and chemical cycles. He is an Environmental Engineer graduated from the Technical University of Crete (Greece) in collaboration with the University of Padova (Italy).
Thomas Fruergaard Astrup is Professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Denmark. He carries out research within waste and resources, in particular in relation to sustainable recycling and utilization of resources in waste from households and industry. The research focuses on environmental aspects of resource recovery and management in society.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Waste Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman
Editorial
The challenge of chemicals in material lifecycles
Material import
Chemical loss
Chemical additives and NIAS
Chemical additives and NIAS
Chemical loss
Primary and secondary resources
Product export
Exports and sinks (e.g., incineration and landfilling)
Product import
PT
AG EM E
IO N
AN EM
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.08.016 0956-053XÓ 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Material export
WAST
Do you know which chemicals are in the products and materials around you? You may read these words from the screen of your mobile phone, which nowadays involves a significant share of the elements in the periodic table, or perhaps you are reading from paper, a material that potentially contains a high number of different chemicals (Pivnenko et al., 2015). The race to satisfy the evergrowing demand for functionality and appearance of consumer and industrial products has resulted in an increasing complexity of materials. To satisfy these demands, a variety of chemicals and combinations of materials are used in our products. Flame retardants help reduce risks of fire in textiles and electronics, alloys increase the hardness of pure metals, stabilizers prevent the degradation of plastics, fillers reduce the costs of paper, impregnating agents preserve the quality of wood, antioxidants keep food edible for longer periods and fragrances, inks, pigments and dyes increase the appeal of products towards consumers. Most of the chemicals are practically harmless, but some chemicals are potentially hazardous. With paper as an example, out of about 10,000 chemicals, 157 were identified as being problematic (Pivnenko et al., 2015). Material recycling should be supported to increase resource efficiency in society, reduce our dependency on non-renewable natural resources and energy and to reduce (or avoid) emissions associated with primary production. While numerous studies have documented the potential environmental benefits associated with recycling, the presence of chemicals in recycled materials is rarely addressed. Material cycles are dynamic and complex systems, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Chemicals are intentionally added to materials either to improve the product or the production process itself. Chemicals may also be introduced non-intentionally: as impurities, contamination or chemical degradation and transformation occurring throughout the product’s lifecycle (i.e., Non-Intentionally Added Substances, or NIAS). Returning to paper as an example, some chemicals in paper can be attributed to natural wood constituents (i.e., introduced through primary resource use). However, the vast majority of chemicals are added during paper-product manufacturing (e.g., paper production, printing, and converting). Once obsolete products are recycled, then chemicals contained within the materials are also recycled (Fig. 1). Some chemicals may ‘‘escape” the cycle, due to chemical losses (e.g., evaporation, degradation or migration); removed through material processing (e.g., de-inking in the paper recycling) or through different types of exports and sinks (e.g., waste incineration or landfilling). Assuming a defined geographical boundary (e.g., Europe), imports and exports of materials, products and waste may affect the overall cycle by introducing or removing materials. These materials contain chemicals, the composition, source and fate of which are often not well-documented. To ensure safe recycling of our materials, we
NT
CON
S
UM
Chemical loss
NIAS Chemical loss
NIAS Waste import Material flow
Export for e.g., re-use
Chemical flow
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of generic material and chemical cycles for a defined geographical boundary (e.g., Europe). Chemical loss implies evaporation, degradation, migration, etc., as well as removal through material (re) processing. NIAS: Non-Intentionally Added Substances.
need to acknowledge the complex chemical compositions of waste materials and adjust the recycling solutions accordingly. The benefits of recycling have been recognized by the European Union (EU) and were recently reflected by the ‘‘circular economy package” in 2015 (EC, 2015). A key focus is on a transition from a conventional linear production chain (i.e., extractconvert-use-discard) to a more circular economic model, in which obsolete materials and products are used as raw materials and recycled into newly manufactured products. Introducing ambitious recycling targets is necessary to ensure the availability of raw materials for industry and to harvest the potential environmental savings through resource substitution. However, we also risk introducing unwanted and potentially persistent chemicals into our products. This poses considerable challenges; not only for policy makers, industry and the waste sector, but also for consumers. From a consumer perspective, the chemical contamination of materials and products has predominantly been a concern in relation to food packaging and food-contact materials in general. This is not surprising, as the presence of hazardous chemicals in food-contact materials may result in migration of the substances into foodstuffs and immediate human exposure through food
2
Editorial / Waste Management 56 (2016) 1–2
EC/450/2009 Active and intelligent materials
Adhesives 84/500/EEC Ceramics
Cork Rubber EC/1935/2004 Framework for foodcontact materials and EC/2023/2006 Good manufacturing practice for foodcontact materials
Glass
93/11/EEC Nitrosamines
Ion-exchange resin Metals and alloys Paper and board EU/10/2011 Plastics
Printing inks Silicones Textiles Varnishes and coatings Waxes Wood
EC/42/2007 Regenerated cellulose
EC/282/2008 Recycled plastics EU/284/2011 Imports from China and Hong-Kong EU/321/2011 Bisphenol A (BPA) in feeding bottles
Fig. 2. Overview of the European legislation on food-contact materials and products, with 17 groups of materials and articles (active and intelligent materials, adhesives, etc. as specified in Annex I, EC/1935/2004) all covered by the general legislation (left) and some covered by material-specific legislation (right).
ingestion. This concern has also been reflected in the scientific literature, where quantitative data on chemicals in products are available predominantly for food-contact materials. As indicated in Fig. 2, while current EU legislation (EC/1935/2004 and EC/ 2023/2006) focuses on materials and articles intended for food contact, material-specific legislation is limited to active and intelligent materials, ceramics, rubber, plastics, and regenerated cellulose. Specific legislation on the quality of recycled materials used in food-contact applications has been implemented only for plastics (EC/282/2008). Therefore, achieving high recycling rates and ensuring that waste materials are used as raw materials also implies that the legislative framework has to be carefully revised to support safe recycling of waste into consumer and industrial products. Very few quantitative data for the detailed composition of recyclable materials are presently available (e.g., Pivnenko et al., 2016), and there is very little analysis that describes the fate of chemicals throughout the lifecycle of materials ending up in recycled products. Producers, the waste-research community and waste recyclers need to realize the importance of potentially problematic chemicals in recyclable materials. This will prevent unnecessary risks for consumers and promote acceptance for products made of recycled materials. To support circular economy concepts and high recycling rates, legislators need to ensure the phasing out of harmful chemicals in our products. As consumers, we find ourselves in an era of transition from the conventional paradigm of linear production into cycles of materials, products and chemicals around us. The waste-management sector plays a key role in ensuring that this transition is possible and that sustainable solutions are practised. References EC, 2015. Closing The Loop: Commission Adopts Ambitious New Circular Economy Package to Boost Competitiveness, Create Jobs and Generate Sustainable Growth. Commission Press Release. European Commission (EC), IP/15/6203. Pivnenko, K., Eriksson, E., Astrup, T.F., 2015. Waste paper for recycling: overview and identification of potentially critical substances. Waste Manag. 45, 134–142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.02.028.
Pivnenko, K., Olsson, M., Götze, R., Eriksson, E., Astrup, T.F., 2016. Quantification of chemical contaminants in the paper and board fractions of municipal solid waste. Waste Manag. 51, 43–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016. 03.008.
Kostyantyn Pivnenko Thomas Fruergaard Astrup Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet B115, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark E-mail addresses: [email protected] (K. Pivnenko), [email protected] (T.F. Astrup)
Kostyantyn Pivnenko obtained his PhD from the Department of Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Denmark, where his primary research topics concerned resource quality within material and chemical cycles. He is an Environmental Engineer graduated from the Technical University of Crete (Greece) in collaboration with the University of Padova (Italy).
Thomas Fruergaard Astrup is Professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Denmark. He carries out research within waste and resources, in particular in relation to sustainable recycling and utilization of resources in waste from households and industry. The research focuses on environmental aspects of resource recovery and management in society.