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Metallic aluminium does not naturally occur in nature, and it was largely unknown, virtually a mystery, until 200 years ago. The modern aluminium production using a hydrometallurgical refining process for making alumina followed by electrolysis of this mineral was first developed in 1886 and, in principle, the same technology is still used to this day. About 90% of alumina refineries in the world use the Bayer process for refining Bauxite ore. It is very efficient, but it can only be used on high quality bauxite with low content of admixtures, especially silicon. The Bayer process also generates a Bauxite Residue (BR), maybe better known as Red Mud (RM) which is a thick red-brown, high-basicity paste consisting of silicon, iron, aluminium, titanium and others. The International Institute of Aluminium estimates that since 1886 almost a billion tonnes of aluminium were produced around the world with three fourths of this amount still being in use today, of which about 35% is located in buildings and structures, 30% in electric cables and equipment and 30% in transport. Aluminium scrap is collected all over the world. In the home, it mostly consists of aluminium beverage cans. It is claimed that 1 ton of recycled empty beverage cans save 8 tons of bauxite, 4 kg of various fluorides and 14 kWh of electricity. Additionally, recycling aluminium significantly reduces the negative environmental impact of ever-expanding RM landfills. As the idea of environmental responsibility is gaining more and more traction, separate household scrap recycling is becoming more and more popular around the world. How challenges related to such activity can be met will be the main topic of this paper alongside discussing new developments for alumina production without RM generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims at understanding better the nature of stakeholders' resistance to and interest in repair and reuse. In fact, the authors assume that in the future waste management could be less centralized using a network of territorialized initiatives based on repair and reuse activities with high social and environmental values. Such system innovation requires tools and methods to support analysis and facilitate decision-making in multi-stakeholders, multi-scales systems. The framework for spatiotemporal analysis of territorial projects considers a project's stakeholder network and the way they mobilize resources. These resources may be tangible or intangible, brought by individuals, organizations or even the territory. This communication focuses on the implementation of such an analysis in the community of communes Coeur de Savoie, to understand how local initiatives emerge and on which interactions and resources they are based. This paper proposes feedback on the implementation of the spatio-temporal analysis in one case study (Coeur de Savoie), and provides insights to build new networks promoting reuse and repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient use of water resources is one of the main challenges of the steel sector, according to the European Union water policy. On this subject, monitoring and optimization systems, linked to the innovative water treatments, represent important tools to improve water management and the related energy use. The present paper describes a part of the work developed in the early stage of the project entitled "Water and related energy Hub Advanced Management system in steelworks – WHAM", which is co-funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel. The project aims at optimizing water consumption in the steelworks through a holistic combination of on-line monitoring and optimisation and innovative water treatment technologies. As different aspects affect water use in the steelmaking processes, in the first part of the paper, the main technical barriers and factors, that can impact on reuse and recirculation of wastewater and energy efficiency, are analysed. The main constraints on water management in the steel sector, such as fresh water availability, its quality and local legal requirements, were considered in order to maximise the water reuse and recycling. Furthermore, the main barriers, such as environmental issues and several costs, were investigated. In the second part of the paper, a set of Key Performance Indicators are listed. They aim at assessing and monitoring the water management sustainability in a holistic way, both in terms of environmental and economic performances, as well as of new water treatments efficiency and their economic viability. Key Performance Indicators will be used to monitor the efficiency of water management, aiming at achieving significant increase of performances. On the other hand, some of these indicators will be used as objective functions for problems optimization. The computation of the selected Key Performance Indicators will take into account both industrial data and results from simulations that will be carried out after the development of suitable tools in order to assess the feasibility of some relevant process modifications or the applications of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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While resource aspects are gaining increasing importance for the sustainability assessment of new technologies, the question of how to assess the depletion of abiotic resources is still controversially discussed. Different methodologies exist for their quantification within life cycle assessment (LCA). Among them, thermodynamic approaches have the advantage of considering aspects of absolute quantity (reserves or amount of a substance contained in total in earth's crust) and of quality (concentration of the target element in the mined resource), making them a potentially appealing approach for assessing resource depletion. However, existing approaches are either far from the original thermodynamic idea of exergy or far too complex and not applicable for resource accounting. This work briefly discusses the suitability of exergy-based approaches for resource assessment, and then suggests a simple but comprehensive methodology for quantifying resource depletion related with the concept of chemical concentration exergy (MDPces). It provides a calculation approach for quantifying the MDPces and estimates the corresponding values for some representative key metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper presents some results emerging from the EC funded INNOVEAS project, particularly from a study on the non-economic factors that prevent (or facilitate) the adoption of energy efficiency measures and energy audits by SMEs. This study and its results are relevant for a reflection on the role of SMEs for the adoption of new business practices and technologies (including materials) that are conducive to a green transition. Attention will be paid also to those obstacles and facilitating factors that are relevant for the promotion of the circular economy – which is also, in fact, a strategy for achieving energy efficiency. The paper is based on the view that materials are a special type of technology and, as such, are the result of a social construction process. From this angle, materials can be thought of also by considering the actors involved in the process of their development and use. The life cycle of materials, in particular, must be analyzed also considering the role that different actors play in it; not only the technical characteristics of the materials have to be considered, but also the social context of development and application of materials. Such assumptions can be used also for interpreting the role of the actors in the challenges that contemporary societies are facing, particularly the promotion of energy saving and of the circular economy and more generally the transition towards decarbonization and dematerialization. In this paper, the focus is on a particular type of actors, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). They constitute a plethora of economic actors operating in numerous production sectors and at different levels of the value chains. SMEs orientations are important for achieving a better knowledge of the cycle of materials, especially in relation to the possibility of directing it towards the pursuit of environmental objectives such as energy saving and the circular economy. The paper stresses that considering the role of SMEs in such wide social and economic innovation process should illustrate peculiar aspects of the "internal" life of SMEs (culture, organizational skills, etc.) as well as the interaction with other actors within the context of operation of SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological transformation in the European steel industry is driven by digitalization, which has the potential to strongly contribute to improving production efficiency and sustainability. The present paper describes part of the work developed in the early stage of the project entitled "Blueprint 'New Skills Agenda Steel': Industry-driven sustainable European Steel Skills Agenda and Strategy (ESSA)", which is funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme of the European Union. The project aims at achieving an industry driven, sustainable and coordinated blueprint for addressing the economic, digital and technological developments, as well as increasing energy efficiency and environmental demands through continuously update of qualification, knowledge and skill profiles of the workforce. On the one hand, main aspects of the current state of the technological transformation in the steel sector are described through the analysis of the main recent innovation projects and developments. On the other hand, survey results from a dedicated questionnaire addressed to the European steel companies are analyzed, providing an overview on the (planned) technological transformation affecting the steel sector. The existing levels of plant automation and the possible adoption of the new paradigm of Industry 4.0 are discussed, by also considering the possible impact on the workforce. Main results are that the steel industry foresees an implementation of almost all Industry 4.0 technologies not only for competitive but also environmental improvement. Because this is foreseen in an incremental way upskilling of the existing workforce is a precondition, not only because of recruitment difficulties on the employment market but also because the existing qualification and experience of the workplace is necessary to unfold the full potential of digital and green transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts of Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis are nowadays considered by policy makers a key for the sustainability of the whole European Industry. However, in the era of Industry4.0, this results into an extremely complex scenario requiring new business models and involve the whole value chain, and representing an opportunity as well. Moreover, in order to properly consider the environmental pillar of sustainability, the quality of available information represents a challenge in taking appropriate decisions, considering inhomogeneity of data sources, asynchronous nature of data sampling in terms of clock time and frequency, and different available volumes. In this sense, Big Data techniques and tools are fundamental in order to handle, analyze and process such heterogeneity, to provide a timely and meaningful data and information interpretation for making exploitation of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence possible. Handling and fully exploiting the complexity of the current monitoring and automation systems calls for deep exploitation of advanced modelling and simulation techniques to define and develop proper Environmental Decision Support Systems. Such systems are expected to extensively support plant managers and operators in taking better, faster and more focused decisions for improving the environmental footprint of production processes, while preserving optimal product quality and smooth process operation. The paper describes a vision from the steel industry on the way in which the above concepts can be implemented in the steel sector through some application examples aimed at improving socio-economic and environmental sustainability of production cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An online tool based on computational fluid dynamics modelling was developed, validated and applied to Colakoglu Metallurji 2-strands slab caster to monitor and manage steel intermixing in tundish at ladle change. The tool allows to reduce the length of the slabs with intermixed steel. Different tundish layout and operating conditions are accounted for as slab size, presence of flow modifiers in tundish, tundish refill time, casting speed (also different from strand to strand), steel grade. The tool was developed by CSM following the suggestions and needs of Colakoglu Metallurji, who provided to a successful validation of such tool, both with slab sampling and support for installation and testing. As a result, the tool has been integrated into the Colakoglu CC2 control system and is currently used offline for optimizing a priori mixed grade production scheduling, and online for slab cutting optimization in order to reduce the downgraded product amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing environmental awareness in society increasingly influences individual everyday decisions, such as which product to buy or how to sustainably use it. Yet, available information to support these decisions is often limited, or difficult to understand particularly regarding sustainability. Effective ways of communicating environmental impacts of individual decisions are required to close this gap. While Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an established tool to evaluate environmental impacts of products and services and support environmental decision-making, the results are typically standardized and based on statistical or averaged data. However, for individuals, this information might be irrelevant, as it neglects personal situation, behavior, information need, or individual level of expertise. In tackling those central issues of personalization in LCA, this article focuses on two main questions: How can individual aspects be addressed in LCA and at which stages of the methodology can LCA be personalized? For this purpose, the ISO 14040/44 standards are analyzed regarding individuality, and current approaches in literature are presented. In an explorative approach, this research identifies two general approaches of personalizing LCA. A personalized Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) enables evaluating the environmental impacts of personal(ized) products and conditions. A broader personalization approach based on the flexibility of the methodological framework of LCA aims at providing understandable and relevant results for individual stakeholders. This article provides an overview, outlines key aspects of this vision, and points out further research needs to bring the concept into application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process metallurgy is the basis for the production, refining and recycling of metals and is based on knowledge of transport phenomena, thermodynamics and reaction kinetics, and of their interaction in high-temperature, heterogeneous metallurgical processes. The entropy concept is crucial in describing such systems, but, because entropy is not directly observable, some effort is required to grasp the role of entropy in process metallurgy. In this paper, we will give some examples of how entropy has a positive effect on efforts to reach the process objectives in some cases, while in other cases, entropy acts in contradiction to the desired results. In order to do this, it is necessary to have a closer look at both the entropy concept itself as well as at other functions like free energy and exergy since they encompass entropy. The chosen case is the production of silicon. It is the huge entropy change in the process that is utilized. The case is not chosen arbitrary. Indeed, it is the authors' strong belief that silicon will be one of the foundations for the environmental and energy future planned for in the "Paris-agreement". We will also explore relatively recent research in physics and thermodynamics that led to the description of the concepts like "dissipative systems and structures". Dissipative systems are thermodynamically open systems, operating out of, and often far from thermodynamic equilibrium and exhibit dynamical regimes that are in some sense in a reproducible self-organized steady state. Such structures can arise almost everywhere provided this structure, feeding on low entropy resources, dissipates entropy generated in the form of heat and waste material in parallel with the wanted products/results. Examples range from metallurgical processes to the emergence of industrial symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 13th Society and Materials conference, SAM-13, took place in Pisa, Italy, on 20 and 21 May, 2019. J. F. Peters, M. Abdelbaky, M. Baumann, M. Weil of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology [[5]] addressed a particular example of this issue: indeed, sodium-ion batteries would be superior to lithium-ion batteries in terms of the availability of sodium vs. lithium, except that they need amorphous carbon anodes rather than graphite ones. Assessment of the potential environmental benefits of second-hand consumption, i F. REALE, Ecoinnovazionne SRL, Italy I ATISOL C2C - Ecodesign of a "vapour and air barrier membrane" made of renewable materials, i S. GROSLAMBERT, University of Liège, Belgium I A quadratic programming model for the optimization of off gas network in integrated steelworks, i A. MADDALONI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna/TeCIP, Italy I How to generate and assess eco-innovative ideas in early design phases?. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The measurable environmental impacts associated with space travel are still relatively low, compared to the total anthropogenic emissions. Yet, its significance will increase with a general increase in space travel. State-of-the-art assessments of space systems are limited to a cradle-to-launch scope and need to be extended to cover the whole life cycle. Previous work established that Life Cycle Assessment is a suitable tool to cover these additional impacts, with the impacts of space debris being identified as the most relevant at the moment. First, the work by Maury et al. on orbital scarcity, developing impact pathways of space debris as an impact on resource depletion, is discussed. Afterwards, this study takes an anthropocentric view and impact pathways of space debris as an impact on human health are developed. The two different areas of damage by space debris in space by collision and during the re-entry were identified and discussed separately. The chosen impact category for both damage categories is disability-adjusted life years (DALY). Calculation approaches for the physical damage caused in space and during re-entry are developed. To calculate the impacts of toxic and radioactive substances that are emitted or produced by collision or re-entry further research is needed. The work of Maury et al. complements the indicators, developed in this study. Yet, not all of the impacts of space debris are completely covered and need to be studied further. Nevertheless, as a next step towards integrating the impacts of space debris a practical implementation assessing changes to orbital scarcity and potential impacts on human health by space debris is considered as feasible and important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Matériaux et Techniques is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)