The geographical scale of a circular economy: Introducing a framework to determine a relevant geographical scale for the recycling of materials, based on a case study of concrete and copper for the Municipality of Leiden

The implications of a CE and the transition towards it are widely researched. However, there is a lack of research into the relevant geographical scales of CE. Thus, this research aims to present a framework that identifies the optimal geographical scale for the recycling of materials based on various factors. The framework is tested against a...

On the Road to a Sustainable and Healthy Circular Economy in the Netherlands: A layered dynamic material flow analysis and a life cycle impact assessment of flame retardant additives in Dutch passenger vehicle plastics

Flame retardants are added to plastics in passenger vehicles to save lives. However, their releases can, in some cases, be accompanied by undesired impacts to human health and the environment. In the context of a transition to a Circular Economy, it is therefore important to keep track of the flow of flame retardants in passenger vehicle...

Urban Mining for a Circular Economy: A dynamic Material Flow Analysis of the Urban Mine of the Dutch urban water cycle infrastructure

Inherently related to the quadrupling of global population and the 20-fold increase of global economic output in the last century, is the increase of inputs of raw materials and energy into society and its corresponding outflows. In order to lower the volume of outflows and effectively control pollution, a reduction of raw material use...

Global Material Stocks of Agricultural Field Machinery: Quantification of the Current In-Use Stock and Exploration of Future Pathways through a Material Stock Scenario Analysis

The growing demand for food production and the global developments regarding the intensification and mechanization of agriculture are likely to affect material use in the agricultural sector in some way in the future. This study addressed a research gap regarding the current and future material requirements of the global agricultural system, and...

The cost of comfort: waking up to furniture waste: Researching material use in European household furniture using dynamic stock analysis

This study is a first attempt to address some of the more significant gaps in the available data on (European) furniture. Furthermore, this study takes a dynamic stock analysis approach to look into material stock- and flow dynamics of European household furniture and project them over time. A total of 11 material categories in 14 furniture...

Material Recovery from Dutch Wind Energy: A dynamic material flow analysis on Dutch wind turbines towards 2050 including recycling approaches for recovery of key materials

The transition to a renewable electricity system requires more intensive material use, causing problem shifting in environmental impacts. To conserve resources for the future and mitigate environmental impact, circular economy principles are needed. This study analyses material flows in Dutch wind energy towards 2050 to identify the potential...

Mining global transport: Determining the material stocks (and flows) of global transport until 2050

The research for this thesis relates to the assessment of the material needs for the vehicle fleet for global passenger and freight transport. The specific vehicles in these two categories that were assessed are: maritime vessels, inland shipping vessels, trucks, planes, buses and trains which will be divided into smaller categories of vehicles....

Social housing as a source for urban mining in The Hague by 2050

SummaryThe municipality of The Hague and the Social housing associations are researching on how to cope with the population growth in The Hague. Every year approximately 5,000 new persons arrive at The Hague, meaning that in 10 years The Hague will increase their population by 8%. The main problem is that currently, the city has a shortage of...

Approaches to sustainability in the fishing sector: The case of Cornelis Vrolijk's pelagic fisheries from the Northeast Atlantic

The meaning of what a sustainable fish food product demands can differ among the stakeholders who are knowledgeable in the product system. This thesis applies methods and tools from the field of industrial ecology to understand what sustainability means when it comes to a pelagic fish product from the Northeast Atlantic. The study covers a need...

GeneScape: Agent Based model of Gene Flow from crops and its implications for sustainability of Genetic Modification

If Genetic Modification is to be accepted as a sustainable technological development its social, ecological and economical impacts must be understood.<br/>One important tool in determining the environmental and human risks of a technological development such as Genetical Modification (GM), is the Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA). QRA can...