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Material flow analysis as basis for efficient resourcemanagement – the case of aluminium flows in Austria
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2014
Abstract
Aluminium (Al) consumption growth exceeded those of all other major metals over the lastdecades. The main driver for this development is the broad range of applications for Aland Al-alloys. As the growth in consumption went along with an increase of anthropogenicstocks and flows of Al, information about material cycles became a crucial issue in termsof resource management. In this study a comprehensive material flow analysis (MFA) of theflows and stocks of Al in Austria for the year 2010 is conducted. The focus of thepresented Al balance is on data harmonization and plausibility checks, both based onextensive data and literature research. The stock of Al is derived from bottom-upcalculations indicating a total stock of about 260 kg Al per capita with an annual growthof 11 ± 3.1 kg/cap yr in 2010.Total old Al scrap generation is calculated to be 7 ± 1 kg/cap yr. For considering dataquality aspects of single input data an adopted method for uncertainty assessment has beenapplied to the different material flows. This allowed a consistent evaluation ofuncertainties within the material flow model. Due to the substantial uncertaintiesassociated with end-of-life Al flows and their significance for secondary Al production inAustria, a better data base is needed in order to evaluate and optimize national Al scraputilization in secondary production. Therefore, a dynamic MFA model will be built forAustrian Al flows and, in conjunction with the results from the static analyses, willprovide a reliable decision basis for future Al resource management.
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- © EDP Sciences, 2014
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