Material Cycles and Chemicals: Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of Contaminants in Paper Recycling.

This study provides a systematic approach for assessment of contaminants in materials for recycling. Paper recycling is used as an illustrative example. Three selected chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs), are evaluated within the paper cycle. The approach combines static material flow analysis (MFA) with dynamic material and substance flow modeling. The results indicate that phasing out of chemicals is the most effective measure for reducing chemical contamination. However, this scenario was also associated with a considerable lag phase (between approximately one and three decades) before the presence of chemicals in paper products could be considered insignificant. While improved decontamination may appear to be an effective way of minimizing chemicals in products, this may also result in lower production yields. Optimized waste material source-segregation and collection was the least effective strategy for reducing chemical contamination, if the overall recycling rates should be maintained at the current level (approximately 70% for Europe). The study provides a consistent approach for evaluating contaminant levels in material cycles. The results clearly indicate that mass-based recycling targets are not sufficient to ensure high quality material recycling.

[1]  T F Astrup,et al.  Bisphenol A and its structural analogues in household waste paper. , 2015, Waste management.

[2]  B. Lozo,et al.  Deinking possibilities in the reduction of mineral oil hydrocarbons from recovered paper grades , 2015 .

[3]  Carles M. Gasol,et al.  Methodology of supporting decision-making of waste management with material flow analysis (MFA) and consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA): case study of waste paper recycling , 2015 .

[4]  Maurus Biedermann,et al.  Is recycled newspaper suitable for food contact materials? Technical grade mineral oils from printing inks , 2010 .

[5]  L. Krauskopf.  How about alternatives to phthalate plasticizers? , 2003 .

[6]  Ilpo Ervasti,et al.  Amounts of non-fibrous components in recovered paper , 2014 .

[7]  Kevin Jiang.  Introduction , 2013, Nature Medicine.

[8]  Charlotte Scheutz,et al.  The effect of data structure and model choices on MFA results: A comparison of phosphorus balances for Denmark and Austria , 2016 .

[9]  Damià Barceló,et al.  Organic compounds in paper-mill process waters and effluents , 2003 .

[10]  Anders Branth Pedersen,et al.  The influence of resource strategies on childhood phthalate exposure--the role of REACH in a zero waste society. , 2014, Environment international.

[11]  Ilkka Kauranen,et al.  Paper recycling framework, the "Wheel of Fiber". , 2016, Journal of environmental management.

[12]  Herbert Holik,et al.  Handbook of Paper and Board: HOLIK: HANDBOOK OF PAPER AND BOARD O-BK , 2006 .

[13]  Rolf Widmer,et al.  Modeling metal stocks and flows: a review of dynamic material flow analysis methods. , 2014, Environmental science & technology.

[14]  Ilkka Kauranen,et al.  A global, comprehensive review of literature related to paper recycling: A pressing need for a uniform system of terms and definitions. , 2016, Waste management.

[15]  Helmut Rechberger,et al.  Applying Fuzzy and Probabilistic Uncertainty Concepts to the Material Flow Analysis of Palladium in Austria , 2015 .

[16]  Chunyang Liao,et al.  Widespread occurrence of bisphenol A in paper and paper products: implications for human exposure. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  Dhiraj Kumar,et al.  Toxic effects of pulp and paper-mill effluents on male reproductive organs and some systemic parameters in rats. , 2004, Environmental toxicology and pharmacology.

[18]  M. Cote,et al.  Anthropogenic Carbon Stock Dynamics of Pulp and Paper Products in Germany , 2015 .

[19]  Maurus Biedermann,et al.  Migration of mineral oil, photoinitiators and plasticisers from recycled paperboard into dry foods: a study under controlled conditions , 2013, Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment.

[20]  Maurus Biedermann,et al.  Mineral oil contents in paper and board recycled to paperboard for food packaging , 2011 .

[21]  Paul H Brunner,et al.  Clean cycles and safe final sinks , 2010, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[22]  Ulrich Kral,et al.  Sustainable resource use requires “clean cycles” and safe “final sinks” , 2013, The Science of the total environment.

[23]  J. Muncke.  Exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds via the food chain: Is packaging a relevant source? , 2009, The Science of the total environment.

[24]  Janet K. Allen,et al.  Measuring material cycling in industrial systems , 2001, Proceedings of the 2001 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment. 2001 IEEE ISEE (Cat. No.01CH37190).

[25]  T. R. Sreekrishnan,et al.  Aquatic toxicity from pulp and paper mill effluents: a review , 2001 .

[26]  Wei-qiang Chen,et al.  Recycling Rates of Aluminum in the United States , 2013 .

[27]  Thomas Fruergaard Astrup,et al.  The challenge of chemicals in material lifecycles. , 2016, Waste management.

[28]  T. Graedel,et al.  Anthropogenic cycles of the elements: a critical review. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[29]  T. Astrup,et al.  Systematic Evaluation of Uncertainty in Material Flow Analysis , 2014 .

[30]  Charlotte Scheutz,et al.  Municipal solid waste composition: sampling methodology, statistical analyses, and case study evaluation. , 2015, Waste management.

[31]  T F Astrup,et al.  Quantification of chemical contaminants in the paper and board fractions of municipal solid waste. , 2016, Waste management.

[32]  K. Grob,et al.  Printing newspaper free of mineral oil: report on a test run , 2013, Journal für Verbraucherschütz und Lebensmittelsicherheit.

[33]  Lidija Barušić,et al.  A study on the food contact suitability of recycled paper and board , 2012 .

[34]  Chunyang Liao,et al.  High levels of bisphenol A in paper currencies from several countries, and implications for dermal exposure. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[35]  A M Vinggaard,et al.  Toxicity testing and chemical analyses of recycled fibre-based paper for food contact , 2002, Food additives and contaminants.

[36]  Konrad Grob,et al.  Determination of food contamination by mineral oil material from printed cardboard using on-line coupled LC-GC-FID , 1997 .

[37]  P. Brunner,et al.  Substance Flow Analysis , 2009 .

[38]  M. F. Poças,et al.  Consumer exposure to phthalates from paper packaging: an integrated approach , 2010, Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment.

[39]  M. Zheng,et al.  Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in paper making from a pulp mill in China. , 2001, Chemosphere.

[40]  Yuichi Moriguchi,et al.  Proposal of six indicators of material cycles for describing society's metabolism: from the viewpoint of material flow analysis , 2004 .

[41]  K. Grob,et al.  Saturated and aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons from paperboard food packaging: estimation of long-term migration from contents in the paperboard and data on boxes from the market , 2010, Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment.

[43]  Thomas F. Astrup,et al.  Waste paper for recycling: Overview and identification of potentially critical substances. , 2015, Waste management.