Recycling of flame retarded waste polystyrene foams (EPS and XPS) to PS granules free of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)

Schlummer, Martin; Mäurer, Andreas; Wagner, S.; Berrang, Arthur; Fell, Tanja; Knappich, Fabian

doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000131

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Over the last decade industries and governments have attempted to improve and modify a technique that removes BFRs from WEEE based plastics. It has been demonstrated that it can effectively remove BFRs from WEEE-based styrene plastics, as well as EPS/XPS with >99.7 % efficiency (Schlummer et al 2006, Schlummer et al 2017. This technique is thus a potentially viable treatment option for the huge volumes of WEEE and EPS/XPS generated each year as it would allow much of the waste to be recycledthereby allowing some of the treatment costs to be recovered/subsidised.…”

Section: Potential Waste Treatment Optionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brominated flame retardants in Irish waste polymers: Concentrations, legislative compliance, and treatment options

Drage

Sharkey

Abdallah

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

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A comprehensive survey was performed to construct an inventory of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) associated with waste polymers in Ireland. Based on our data, ~2200 t/yr of waste generated in Ireland exceeds "Low POP Concentration Limits" (LPCLs) set by the European Commission, of 1000 mg/kg of PBDEs (BDE-209 excluded) and HBCDD - collectively referred to as POP-BFRs. Waste articles containing concentrations exceeding the LPCL values require special treatment to remove POP-BFRs before they can be recycled. Waste articles exceeding LPCLs in our study consist primarily of expanded polystyrene used as building insulation (44%), waste furniture foams and fabrics (41%), with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) accounting for 13% and end of life vehicle waste contributing 1.7%. The recent listing of Deca-BDE under the Stockholm Convention means that a similar LPCL for its principal congener (BDE-209) is likely. Our data show that enforcement of an LPCL of 1000 mg/kg for BDE-209 would result in a further 1650 t/year of waste articles requiring special treatment. Our data show there to be 17,125 kg of POP-BFRs associated with waste polymers generated annually in Ireland. Enforcement of current LPCL values would prevent approximately 98% of these POP-BFRs from entering recycled goods. Introduction and enforcement of a similar LPCL for BDE-209 would prevent 93% of the 15,518 kg/yr of BDE-209 associated with Irish waste polymers from entering the recycling stream.

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Section: Potential Waste Treatment Optionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brominated flame retardants in Irish waste polymers: Concentrations, legislative compliance, and treatment options

Drage

Sharkey

Abdallah

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Accordingly, rPET shows lower environmental impacts compared to APET. Principally, PS-based trays might also be also produced from recycled PS [35,36]. This case was not investigated within this study since there is no recycled PS for food applications on the market.…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Meat Trays Made of Various Packaging Materials

2019

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In light of the debate on the circular economy, the EU strategy for plastics, and several national regulations, such as the German Packaging Act, polymeric foam materials as well as hybrid packaging (multilayered plastic) are now in focus. To understand the environmental impacts of various tray solutions for meat packaging, a comparative environmental assessment was conducted. As an environmental assessment method, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied following the ISO standards 14040/44. The nine packaging solutions investigated were: PS-based trays (extruded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene with five-layered structure containing ethylene vinyl alcohol), PET-based trays (recycled polyethylene terephthalate, with and without polyethylene layer, and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate), polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA). The scope of the LCA study included the production of the tray and the end-of-life stage. The production of meat, the filling of the tray with meat and the tray sealing were not taken into account. The results show that the PS-based trays, especially the mono material solutions made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), show the lowest environmental impact across all 12 impact categories except for resource depletion. Multilayer products exhibit higher environmental impacts. The LCA also shows that the end-of-life stage has an important influence on the environmental performance of trays. However, the production of the trays dominates the overall results. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis illustrates that, even if higher recycling rates were realised in the future, XPS based solutions would still outperform the rest from an environmental perspective.

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“…After the extraction, the extracted HBCD is sent to a bromine recovery unit and the polystyrene granulate can be reused. The solvent can be recovered and applied in the process again (Schlummer et al, 2017).…”

Section: Assumptions For 'Increased Recycling Rate' Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the long life spans of insulation materials, HBCD containing materials are expected to remain present in waste streams for a long time. Therefore, a HBCD removal process is required to enable safe recycling of HBCD contaminated insulation material (Schlummer et al, 2017). Jakob et al (2016) and Heeren and Hellweg (2019) expect that insulation material inflows and outflows will be equilibrated by 2055 due to reduced population growth and expiring lifetimes of buildings, leading to larger waste flows and less demand for new housing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for sustainable and circular system design: Development and application on thermal insulation materials

Wiprächtiger

Haupt

Heeren

et al. 2020

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

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Circular economy is increasingly promoted as a solution to decouple economic growth and environmental impacts. To design a circular and sustainable system, a structured approach is needed. In this study, we suggest to follow a 3-step approach. First, the status quo is evaluated using environmental assessment methods. We determine current circularity (share of assessed product and materials retained and further used in the system), environmental impacts, the most impactful products and processes, and assess contaminants and impurities. Second, scenarios favoring circularity strategies are developed and their environmental impacts evaluated. Third, the scenarios are compared and measures for environmental impact mitigation derived.The suggested approach was applied to the case study of thermal insulation in residential buildings in Switzerland. Coupling dynamic, prospective material flow analysis with life cycle impact assessment enabled to determine current and future environmental impacts. Current material circularity is low due to lacking incentives for recycling and legally required incineration of flame retardant containing oil-based materials. The most impact-intensive processes were the production of insulation materials and the incineration of oil-based materials including their adhering residues. The investigated scenarios include (i) increased recycling, (ii) augmented use of biogenic materials, and (iii) a combination thereof. All scenarios lead to reduced climate change and human toxicity impacts. The second and third scenarios showed increased impacts for land use, ozone depletion, and ecotoxicity. Taking into consideration end-of-life already in the design process, phasing out toxic materials and increasing usage of renewable materials are crucial for sustainable, circular system design.

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Recycling of flame retarded waste polystyrene foams (EPS and XPS) to PS granules free of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Brominated flame retardants in Irish waste polymers: Concentrations, legislative compliance, and treatment options

Brominated flame retardants in Irish waste polymers: Concentrations, legislative compliance, and treatment options

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Meat Trays Made of Various Packaging Materials

A framework for sustainable and circular system design: Development and application on thermal insulation materials

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