Mining and Materials for Sustainable Development

  1. The Circular Economy: Closing the Material Loop
    1. Principles of the Circular Economy
      1. Eliminating Waste and Pollution
        1. Product Redesign
          1. Waste Prevention Strategies
            1. Material Efficiency Improvement
              1. Toxic Material Elimination
              2. Process Optimization
                1. Yield Improvement
                  1. By-product Minimization
                    1. Energy Efficiency Enhancement
                    2. System-Level Thinking
                      1. Industrial Ecology Approaches
                        1. Cradle-to-Cradle Design
                          1. Biomimicry Applications
                        2. Circulating Products and Materials
                          1. Reuse and Refurbishment
                            1. Product Life Extension
                              1. Component Harvesting
                                1. Refurbishment Processes
                                2. Remanufacturing
                                  1. Disassembly and Cleaning
                                    1. Component Replacement
                                      1. Quality Restoration
                                      2. Sharing Economy Models
                                        1. Product-as-a-Service
                                          1. Collaborative Consumption
                                            1. Access Over Ownership
                                          2. Regenerating Nature
                                            1. Restorative Agricultural Practices
                                              1. Soil Health Improvement
                                                1. Carbon Sequestration
                                                  1. Biodiversity Enhancement
                                                  2. Enhancing Ecosystem Services
                                                    1. Water Cycle Restoration
                                                      1. Pollination Services
                                                        1. Climate Regulation
                                                        2. Biomimetic Material Development
                                                          1. Nature-Inspired Design
                                                            1. Sustainable Production Methods
                                                              1. Biodegradable Materials
                                                          2. Resource Recovery and Recycling
                                                            1. Collection and Sorting Systems
                                                              1. Source Separation
                                                                1. Household Separation Programs
                                                                  1. Commercial Waste Streams
                                                                    1. Industrial Waste Management
                                                                    2. Automated Sorting Technologies
                                                                      1. Optical Sorting Systems
                                                                        1. Magnetic Separation
                                                                          1. Density Separation
                                                                            1. AI-Powered Sorting
                                                                            2. Quality Control in Collection
                                                                              1. Contamination Prevention
                                                                                1. Material Quality Standards
                                                                                  1. Traceability Systems
                                                                                2. Mechanical Recycling
                                                                                  1. Shredding and Granulation
                                                                                    1. Size Reduction Processes
                                                                                      1. Particle Size Control
                                                                                        1. Contamination Removal
                                                                                        2. Reprocessing Techniques
                                                                                          1. Melting and Reforming
                                                                                            1. Compounding Processes
                                                                                              1. Property Restoration
                                                                                              2. Quality Degradation Management
                                                                                                1. Property Monitoring
                                                                                                  1. Additive Systems
                                                                                                    1. Blend Optimization
                                                                                                  2. Chemical Recycling
                                                                                                    1. Depolymerization
                                                                                                      1. Thermal Depolymerization
                                                                                                        1. Chemical Depolymerization
                                                                                                          1. Enzymatic Depolymerization
                                                                                                          2. Solvent-Based Processes
                                                                                                            1. Dissolution and Precipitation
                                                                                                              1. Selective Extraction
                                                                                                                1. Purification Methods
                                                                                                                2. Feedstock Recycling
                                                                                                                  1. Pyrolysis Processes
                                                                                                                    1. Gasification Technologies
                                                                                                                      1. Hydrocracking Methods
                                                                                                                    2. Downcycling vs. Upcycling
                                                                                                                      1. Definitions and Examples
                                                                                                                        1. Value Retention Strategies
                                                                                                                          1. Quality Improvement Methods
                                                                                                                            1. Application Hierarchies
                                                                                                                            2. Environmental and Economic Impacts
                                                                                                                              1. Lifecycle Benefits
                                                                                                                                1. Economic Value Creation
                                                                                                                                  1. Resource Efficiency Gains
                                                                                                                                2. Challenges in Recycling Complex Products
                                                                                                                                  1. Material Heterogeneity
                                                                                                                                    1. Multi-Material Products
                                                                                                                                      1. Composite Materials
                                                                                                                                        1. Layered Structures
                                                                                                                                        2. Hazardous Components
                                                                                                                                          1. Toxic Material Handling
                                                                                                                                            1. Safe Disposal Methods
                                                                                                                                              1. Regulatory Compliance
                                                                                                                                              2. Economic Barriers
                                                                                                                                                1. Collection Costs
                                                                                                                                                  1. Processing Economics
                                                                                                                                                    1. Market Development
                                                                                                                                                2. Urban Mining
                                                                                                                                                  1. Recovering Materials from E-waste
                                                                                                                                                    1. Collection and Dismantling
                                                                                                                                                      1. E-waste Collection Systems
                                                                                                                                                        1. Manual Dismantling Processes
                                                                                                                                                          1. Automated Disassembly
                                                                                                                                                          2. Extraction of Precious and Critical Metals
                                                                                                                                                            1. Hydrometallurgical Processes
                                                                                                                                                              1. Pyrometallurgical Methods
                                                                                                                                                                1. Biotechnology Applications
                                                                                                                                                                2. Data Security and Privacy
                                                                                                                                                                  1. Data Destruction Protocols
                                                                                                                                                                    1. Secure Processing Methods
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Certification Systems
                                                                                                                                                                    2. Landfill Mining
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Resource Recovery from Legacy Waste
                                                                                                                                                                        1. Material Characterization
                                                                                                                                                                          1. Excavation Methods
                                                                                                                                                                            1. Separation Technologies
                                                                                                                                                                            2. Environmental Considerations
                                                                                                                                                                              1. Contamination Assessment
                                                                                                                                                                                1. Emission Control
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Site Remediation
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Economic Feasibility
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Resource Value Assessment
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Processing Costs
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Market Conditions
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Resource Recovery from Wastewater and Sludge
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Extraction of Phosphorus and Nutrients
                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Struvite Precipitation
                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Biological Nutrient Removal
                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Membrane Technologies
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Recovery of Metals and Rare Elements
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Biosorption Processes
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Ion Exchange Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Electrochemical Recovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Energy Recovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Anaerobic Digestion
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Thermal Treatment
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Fuel Production
                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Industrial Symbiosis
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Exchanging By-products and Waste Streams
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Material Flow Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Input-Output Assessment
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Waste Stream Characterization
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Matching Opportunities
                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Case Studies of Symbiotic Networks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Kalundborg Industrial Symbiosis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Regional Symbiosis Examples
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Sector-Specific Networks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Implementation Strategies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Stakeholder Engagement
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Infrastructure Development
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Regulatory Frameworks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Shared Utilities and Infrastructure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Energy Cascading
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Waste Heat Recovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Steam Networks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Electricity Sharing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Shared Water and Waste Treatment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Centralized Treatment Facilities
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Water Recycling Systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Integrated Management
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Transportation and Logistics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Shared Distribution Networks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Consolidated Shipping
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Reverse Logistics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Eco-Industrial Parks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Design Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Integrated Planning
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Resource Optimization
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Environmental Performance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Examples and Best Practices
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Successful Park Models
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Lessons Learned
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Replication Strategies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Governance and Management
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Organizational Structures
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Performance Monitoring
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Adaptive Management

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Previous

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Materials Science for a Sustainable Future

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Go to top

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Next

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          5. Social Responsibility, Governance, and Ethics