Urban Mining Forum, Taipeh, October 21st, 2011 Copyright: Prof. Paul H. Brunner, Vienna University of Technology, Austria

1. Urban Mining:
Recycling – or more?
Paul H. BRUNNER
Vienna University of Technology, Austria
Urban Mining Forum, Taipeh, October 21st, 2011
Foto courtesy of Morf & Böni

2. Content
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
• What is urban mining?
• Why urban mining?
• Four elements of an urban mining strategy
• Urban mining and re-industrializing the city
• Summary
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3. What is urban mining?
Systematic, goal oriented management of anthropogenic
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
resource stocks in view of:
 long-term environmental protection
 resource conservation
 economic benefits
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4. Why urban mining? Environmental protection
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
Environmental degradation Environmental burdens by
by mining primary production
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5. Why urban mining? large resource stocks
Fluxes [t/(c.yr)]
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
Stocks [t]
36 43
Air Off-gas
Water Sewage
147 144
4-10
Fossil fuels Export goods
2 3
Construct. materials Solid wastes
3
& consumer goods Municipal
12-18 Stock: 350 + 7 solid wastes
0.3
I ~ 200 t/c.y O ~ 195 t/c.y
Source: Daxbeck et al. 1996 (updated)
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6. Why urban mining? large resource stocks
plastic flows
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
in Austria 1994 raw material duro- and polymers
[in kt/year] 1.100 primary processing 850
stock: 40
250 duro- and
polymers
intermediate products plastic products
product 420
990 manufacturing
stock: 50 210
intermediate
600 plastic products
products
plastic products consumption
Einsatz
IMPORT 530 EXPORT
stock: 7100+400 production
wastes
regranulate 720 28
wastes
17
collection,
transporting, sorting
stock: 45+42
49 71 590
wastes wastes wastes
regranulate recycling energy landfill
26 recovery
stock: 0 stock: 0 stock: 9700+590
59
off gas
Source: R. Fehringer, 1998
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7. Why urban mining? resource conservation
0,8
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
11 7
344 0,8
Iron flows primary consumpt
2 production 4 3 1 waste
through Austria production 44 magment
6 0,3 2,7
1,5
pedo-/
other
lithosphere 4
140*
140* disposal
350 350
344
geogenic anthropogenic
300 300
iron reserve iron stock
250 250
200 200
194
150 150
140
100 100
50 50
40 44
0
0 0
2000 2050 2100 2000 2050 2100
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8. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
Topic Actor
1. Design for Urban Mining industry & academia
2. New knowledge base: public -> private sector
• Urban prospection methodology public & private sector
• Resource cadastre public sector
3. High-Technology logistics, separation, industry & academia
and recovery processes
4. Final sinks for the „useless“ public & private sector
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9. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
1. Design for Urban Mining: example lead
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
telecom
cable
[cost for recovery /ton]
power sewer
cable pipes
water pipes
inhouse market price
lead accumulators
0
0 5 000 10 000 15 000 20 000 25 000 30 000 35 000
Available stock [tons]
source: Lohm et al., 1998
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10. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
1. Design for Urban Mining: example copper
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
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11. The 5 elements of an urban mining strategy
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
1. Design for Urban Mining
2. New knowledge base: Resource cadastre
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12. New knowledge base: the case of aluminum
700
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
2000 2030
600
Aluminum - stock [kg/c]
500
aluminum in
400 packaging wastes:
300 1.9 kg/c.year
200 = 3 % of total Al-turnover
100
0
waste red mud consumption
landfills landfills stock
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13. New knowledge base: the case of Vienna
[ kg/capita ]
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
Vienna stock in use and hybernating Stock in Vienna landfills
Lead 200 Lead 20
Iron 5,000 Iron 350
Groundwater
Source: R. Obernosterer et al, 1998
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14. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
1. Design for Urban Mining
2. New knowledge base: Resource cadastre and
Urban prospection (analogon to geophysical prospection)
– Concentration [mass per mass]
– Density [mass per area]
– Total mass of substance
– Speciation
– Other constituents
– Costs of exploitation
– others
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15. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
1. Design for Urban Mining
2. New knowledge base
3. High-Tech logistics, separation, and recovery processes
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16. High-Tech logistics and recovery processes
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
from MSW to material resources
by means of MSW incineration
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17. High-Tech logistics and recovery processes
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
from Morf & Böni, 2011
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18. The 4 elements of an urban mining strategy
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
1. Design for Urban Mining
2. New knowledge base
3. High-Tech logistics, separation, and recovery processes
4. Final sinks for the „useless“
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19. Not all flows go in cycles -> need for sinks!
corrosion & weathering
consumption emissions
(CO2 et al.)
sewage
solid waste
recycling
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20. The sinks on planet earth are limited
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
Atmosphere 4.200 [Mio. km³] Hydrosphere 1.400 [Mio. km³]
.
Pedosphere 0,3 [Mio. km³]
After A. Nieman supplemented by G. Döberl
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21. Summary
1. Goal of urban mining:
 resource conservation and environmental protection
Urban Mining Forum, Taipei, October 21, 2011
 economic benefits
2. Reason for urban mining:
 large anthropogenic stocks ( larger than geogenic stocks?)
3. Challenges:
 new knowledge base
 new design for “urban mining”
 new technologies
 urban prospection
 high-tech separation processes (clean cycles!)
 economics of secondary versus primary resource use
 demand for final sinks!
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22. Thank you
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