This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 27 Sep 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: CRC Press Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK Handbook of Material Flow Analysis For Environmental, Resource, and Waste Engineers Paul H. Brunner, Helmut Rechberger Case Studies Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.1201/9781315313450-4 Paul H. Brunner, Helmut Rechberger Published online on: 06 Dec 2016 How to cite :- Paul H. Brunner, Helmut Rechberger. 06 Dec 2016, Case Studies from: Handbook of Material Flow Analysis, For Environmental, Resource, and Waste Engineers CRC Press Accessed on: 27 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.1201/9781315313450-4 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 3 Case Studies Looking at the graphic result of a material flow analysis (MFA), it seems easy and straightforward to define the system, collect the data, calculate the results, and draw conclusions. In practice, one does not start with the result but quite often with a badly defined problem that is highly complex and that has to be simplified and well structured first. After the goals of an MFA have been clearly defined, the real art consists of skillfully designing a system of boundaries, processes, flows, and stocks that allows solving a given problem at the least cost. Like in any other art, a precondition for mastering the art is to exercise the basic tools as much as possible. The more experienced a user gets, the easier it becomes to set up an appropriate system in a cost-effective way. An expert skilled in MFA will be able to define a metabolic system in any new field quite efficiently, with only a few alterations of the initial draft. Beginners will often find out that they have to revise their systems several times in order to cope with facts such as incomplete information about the important processes, stocks, and flows within the system; inappropriate sys- tems boundaries; missing, bad, or incompatible data; etc. MFA is usually a multidisciplinary task. Materials flow through many branches of an economy, and they cross boundaries such as the interfaces anthroposphere–environment or water–air–soil. Hence, it is of prime impor- tance to look for guidance from experts who understand those disciplines that are important for a particular MFA: if regional eutrophication due to poor nutrient management is investigated by MFA, it is necessary to include the knowledge of partners from agriculture, nutrition, sewage treatment, water quality, and hydrology, either by forming a project team or by engag- ing the experts as consultants when needed. Sometimes, this cooperation leads to new research questions, because the disciplinary research may, so far, not have been directed toward linking their disciplinary knowledge with other fields (cf. Section 3.1.2). An MFA can be a time-consuming and costly task. This is especially true if an MFA is performed for the first time in a new field, such as a study of regional heavy metal flows (cf. Sections 3.1.1 and 3.4.1). It may well be that the basic data of the region, such as anthropogenic flows and stocks, hydrologi- cal data on precipitation, evaporation, and surface and groundwater flows and stocks, have not been assessed before. It should be realized that a mini- mum amount of information is needed; otherwise, an MFA cannot succeed. Thus, sufficient resources in manpower and funding are required. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 07:17 27 Sep 2021; For: 9781315313450, chapter3, 10.1201/9781315313450-4 207 208 Handbook of Material Flow Analysis It is a distinctly different task to perform an MFA in a particular field for the first time, or to repeat the analysis either for additional materials (e.g., first heavy metals, then nutrients) or for further time periods. The latter two tasks require less effort because the system has been set up and basic data, particularly on the level of goods, have already been collected before. If the costs for an initial MFA seem to be high, it should always be taken into account that the fundamental data can be used for future MFA and similar consecutive studies, such as annual environmental reporting or materials accounting. The following 18 case studies demonstrate how MFA can be applied for • Early recognition of beneficial and/or harmful accumulation and depletion of substances in stocks • Optimization of single processes and of entire metabolic systems • Policy analysis and policy decisions regarding the three fields of environmental management, resource management, and waste management In addition, an example of regional materials management (lead) is given in order to show that MFA is especially well suited to address problems related to multiple fields, such as the three described before: the regional lead study by MFA was initially not addressed to any specific problem; it revealed conclusions important for all three fields. The case studies are intended to increase the reader’s experience. It is recommended also to read some of the original literature cited in these case studies. Nevertheless, for those who want to master the fine art of MFA (König, 2002), it will be indispensable to gain additional experience by performing on their own as many MFA stud- ies as possible. Remember that looking at a final graph of an MFA reveals by no means the difficulties even experts encounter when condensing the complex reality of the world into an easily understandable, comprehensive MFA system. 3.1 Environmental Management Most material flow analysis studies have been undertaken to solve problems related to environmental management. A recent overview of the potential of MFA in this field is given in MAcTEmPo (Brunner et al., 1998). In general, MFA is a tool well suited for • Early recognition of environmental loadings • Linking of emissions to sources and vice versa Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 07:17 27 Sep 2021; For: 9781315313450, chapter3, 10.1201/9781315313450-4 Case Studies 209 • Setting of priorities for management measures • Designing new processes, goods, and systems in view of environ- mental constraints As seen in Chapter 2, an MFA is usually the starting point of any life-cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental impact statement (EIS). It is also use- ful as a base for an environmental management and audit system (EMAS) at the company level (see Section 3.1.4). If a company’s financial accounting system is linked to a material input–output flow and stock analysis, it can be efficiently used to measure the company’s environmental performance. The following case studies demonstrate that MFA can be used to investigate • Single-substance issues (e.g., emissions of heavy metals or nutrients) • Multisubstance problems (e.g., EIS of a coal-fired power plant) They also show the wide scale of spatial application: a single power plant, a small region of 66 km2, and a large watershed such as the entire River Danube basin with 820,000 km2 can all be investigated using the same MFA approach. 3.1.1 Case Study 1: Regional Lead Pollution Heavy metals are important substances for both economic as well as envi- ronmental reasons. Because of their physical–chemical properties, they can withstand weathering (zinc coatings of steel), improve the properties of other materials (chromium in steel, cadmium as an additive in polyvinyl chloride [PVC]), or serve to improve the efficiency of energy systems (lead in gaso- line, mercury in batteries). Some heavy metals are not essential for the bio- sphere, but many are toxic for humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms. It is thus important to control the flows and stocks of heavy metals to avoid harmful flows and accumulations and to make the best use of heavy metals as resources. This case study is taken from RESUB, a comprehensive study on the flows and stocks of 12 elements in a Swiss region (Bunz Valley) of 66 km2 and 28,000 inhabitants (Brunner et al., 1990). The purpose was to develop a meth- odology to assess material flows and stocks within, into, and out of a region in a thorough and integrated way. In addition, the significance of the find- ings for the management of resources and the environment was to be inves- tigated. There was no given goal in view of environmental management. The case study portrayed in this chapter represents merely a small fraction of the entire RESUB project. Only the flows and stocks of lead relevant to envi- ronmental management are discussed. The implications of these flows and stocks for resource management are examined in Section 3.4.1. The detailed procedure described next confirms that an MFA is a multidisciplinary task that requires knowledge, information, and support from many fields. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 07:17 27 Sep 2021; For: 9781315313450, chapter3, 10.1201/9781315313450-4 210 Handbook of Material Flow Analysis 3.1.1.1 Procedures In a first step, the region is defined according to Figure 3.1.