Recycling Exam 2

Correct Ranking of current material recycling rate, in descending order

Paper & Paperboard, Metal, Glass, Plastics

Four Advantages of Plastics

Flexible, Cheap, Recyclable, Lightweight

Most plastics are produced from ___, first made into ___ and then synthesized into ___.

fossil oils, monomers, polymers

Plastics made of these two plastic (resin) types and used as containers are the plastics having the highest recycling rates.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High density polyethylene (HDPE)

According to the USEPA, the estimated recycling rate for plastics is approximately ___%

9 (3.09 million tons)

Most recovered plastics (by weight) are from the product category of:

Containers and Packaging

This is the most valuable plastic resin:

PET

Soften when heated, recyclable

Thermoplastics

Recycling ___ has environmental concerns because it is made using vinyl chloride monomer, which is a carcinogen; its incineration can form dioxin; it can contain bisphenol A, which mimics hormones; it may also contain lead as a stabilizer and cadmium as a pigment.

PVC

Recycling category of this plastic used for thermal insulation, packing peanuts, video cassettes, egg cartons, disposable plates & cups

6

What are the two plastic recycling methods:

Mechanical, Chemical

Give two-two reasons why it is 1. easy and why it is 2.hard to recycle paper

1. Break it down using water, Hydrogen bonds are reversible

2. Lots of contaminants, hard to meet strength and cleanliness requirements

Which of the following characteristics describe unbleached, kraft pulp?

Brown, corrugated boxes

Which of the following along with agitation in pulping is used to separate paper into fibers?

Water

Which of these uses air bubbles to remove ink contaminants from paper fibers?

Flotation

According to the USEPA, the estimated recycling rate for textile is approximately ___%

15

What is the biggest problem of the textile industry and two potential reasons for that?

Cost and the different dyes/additives used

List the four contributing factors to the current state of the textile industry:

Fashion trends shifting, lack of transparency, cost driven, PR driven

Give examples for 1.Re-use of textiles and 2.Re-purpose of textiles

1.Wearing clothes longer/donating 2. Using a shirt as a rag

List the four main types of textile recycling and give an example for each:

1. No Chemical Changes - Shredding fabric for insulation

2. Chemical Additions - Adding dye to a shirt

3. Minor Chemical Changes - Adding polymerization Agents

4. Major Chemical Changes - Full depolymerization of polyester into monomers

One of the barriers to the recycling of textiles is:

Mixture of different polymers within a textile item

Give two reasons why recycling metals are beneficial:

Clean scrap metal can be recycled with minimal loss of quality and Energy savings are significant compared to virgin production

How much energy content metals have?

Low

___ million tons metal waste was generated and ___ million tons metal waste was recycled in 2018

25.6, 8.72

Name the two metals that contribute the highest amount toward MSW:

Ferrous, Aluminum

Metals contribute to ___% of the total MSW generate in 2018

9

Recycling rate of metals was ___% in 2018

34

___% steel waste was generated from durable goods

88

How can ferrous metals (irons & steel) be separated from shredded MSW?

Magnets

Aluminum contributes ___% toward the total MSW in 2018. Out of these ___% was generated from durable goods and ___% was generated from food and beverage containers.

1, 45, 49

List the three limits/barriers of aluminum recycling:

Collection, Cleanliness, Price

List four utilization areas that recycled aluminum can be used for

New beverage cans, Building and Construction, Transportation, Electrical goods

Glass contributed to ___% of the total MSW generated in 2018

4

Recycling rate of glass containers was ___% in 2018

31

List the three glass types and give two examples for each:

1. Sodalime - Bottles, Window glass

2. Crystal - Vases, Art

3. Pyrex - Laboratory glassware, kitchen glassware

What are the two main barriers to recycle glass:

Color separation is required and Glass Cullets are heavy

List four challenges of using deconstruction to dismantle a building

Some materials are difficult to remove, contaminated materials, deconstruction takes longer than demolition, Costs

List four advantages of using deconstruction to dismantle a building

1. Reduces need for landfill space

2. Creates less pollution

3. Protects local site, vegetation, soil

4. Some outlets are available for resale or reuse

Describe “soft-stripping” deconstruction

Removing non-structural components

Give two examples of “soft-stripping”

Removing doors and removing windows

List the four main parts of Life Cycle Assessment Framework

Goal and Scope, Inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation

List the alternative boundaries for Life Cycle Assessment

Gate to Gate, Cradle to Gate, Gate to Grave, Cradle to Grave

Define the meaning of elementary flow within Life Cycle Analysis

A material or energy that enters the system from the natural environment without prior human transformation, or leaves the system to the natural environment without further human transformation.

Type I environmental Label and Declaration

Energy Star

Type II environmental Label and Declaration

Self-Declared Environmental Claims

Type III environmental Label and Declaration

Environmental Product Declarations

Give two examples for the uses of LCA

Influence policy of government, Marketing to the public

Major Steps in Mechanical Recycling

Collection, sorting, cleaning, shredding, melting, and remolding

Which of the following characteristics describe bleached, kraft pulp?

White, printing paper

Which of the following characteristics describe mechanical pulp?

Grey, will yellow, cheap

Paper Recycling operations

Collection, sorting, pulping, screening, cleaning, deinking, bleaching, and drying

Textile Recycling Definition

The process of recovering fibers, yarns, or fabrics from used textiles and reprocessing them into new materials or products

How many grades of textile in recycling?

350

How many sustainability standards are there?

129

How many different dyes and pigments are used

10,000

Options for the future of textile recycling?

New technology: new solvents for dissolving polymers, new polymers for removing color, new polymer to eliminate additives, biodegradable textile

Plastic Waste Generated in 2018

35.68 (12% of MSW)

Paper makes up ___% of MSW

23

Recycling Rate of paper

68

Glass waste generated in 2018

12.25 million tons

Glass waste recycled 2018

3.06 million tons

Textile Waste generation as a percent of MSW

4%

Textile Landfilling Rate

5%

Annual amount of C&D waste

600 million tons

Definition of deconstruction

Selective dismantlement of a building to recover materials for reuse or recycling.

Definition of demolition

Complete removal of a building using heavy equipment after removing easily recoverable materials.

Types of deconstruction

Soft stripping, structural deconstruction, and total deconstruction.

Functional unit (LCA)

Quantifies the function of a system; basis for comparing inputs and outputs

Percentage of used wood in MSW 2018

6%

Wood products

timbers, lumber, panels, furniture, cabinets

Waste Wood

used lumber, trim, pallets, tree waste, C&D debris

Wood Sources

old homes, barns, industrial buildings, pallets, warehouses, river/lake logs, urban logs

How recycled wood can be reused

Reused as building material, engineered wood products, panel boards, pellets, mulch, pulp, or for energy production

Used wood criteria

Larger pieces more valuable, must be free of decay/insects, correct moisture content, metal connectors removed

Do not soften when heated, difficult to recycle

Thermosets