Final Exam

Sustainability and Circular Economy 295II024

June 14th, 2024
15:00-17:00

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Please note the following:

Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.

1. Multiple choice questions, only one correct answer (30 points)

1.1 Which statement is not true?

a) One of the main problems in resource recovery from urban mines is the inappropriate classification and
characterization of waste streams
b) Landfills and buildings can also be urban mines
c) Currently in the EU, the supply chain of urban mines is conditioned by a limited number of companies in the
dismantling and pre-processing stage
d) Urban mining is the process of reclaiming compounds and elements from anthropogenic “deposits” or urban
mines
e) The availability of data and technological evolution also represent part of the challenges in the development of
urban mines

1.2 When conducting a social life cycle assessment (SLCA), which of the following aspects is typically considered
as part of the "impact assessment" phase?
a) Identifying the stakeholders involved in the product's life cycle
b) Assessing the potential social risks and opportunities associated with the product
c) Developing strategies for improving social performance
d) Gathering data on the environmental impacts of the product
e) Labor conditions and worker rights

1.3 What is the purpose of drafting the value creation ecosystem of stakeholders?
a) To identify the competitors
b) To understand the customer needs
c) To map the flow of value along different actors
d) To map the Key partners in your business model
e) To determine the attributes of your solution

1.4 Which of the following business model patterns represents the case of Uber:
a) White label
b) Two-sided market
c) Do-It-Yourself
d) Ownership
e) Subscription
1.5 The iterative loop of the Lean Startup is:
a) Learn ideas – Generate data – Measure product – Create
b) Create ideas – Generate data – Learn – Measure product
c) Learn ideas – Generate product – Measure – Create
d) Measure data – Create product – Learn – Generate ideas
e) Create product – Measure data – Learn – Generate ideas

Choose ONE of the following 2 questions related to the visits conducted the 8/5/2024:

1.6a Which is the correct statement regarding a Water Reclamation Plant (WRP)?
a) In Baix Llobregat WRP a “de facto reuse” is implemented
b) NaClO dosage is the only disinfection technology accepted in a WRP
c) In 2023-2024, desalination accounted for >50% of the total supply in Barcelona area due to the drought
situation
d) To produce water for the injection into the aquifer as saline barrier, UF (ultrafiltration) and RO (reverse
osmosis) are required
e) In 2023-2024, reuse water figures in Spain have been around 70%

1.6b NUAR was a collaborative project that was carried out between several entities of the social economy, one
of them OKollective. This project not only proposed a circular fashion model but also incorporated a design part
and a social clothing workshop part. To make these garments, disused textile materials were used. Where did the
waste used to make the NUAR project garments came from?

a) From personal donations

b) From Vinted, the online marketplace for buying, selling and exchanging new or secondhand clothes
c) Bought at Encants market
d) From Formació i Treball waste textile sorting plant (orange container)
e) From the municipal recycling centre (Deixalleria/Green point)
2. Exercises
2.1. In 2020, 10 kilotons of copper and 40 kilotons of aluminum were placed on the Spanish market in the form of
diesel vehicles. Due to the more restrictive emissions regulations, the owners must dispose of these vehicles in
10 years, and the waste management authority will be responsible for treating the waste generated in the
vehicles at the end of their useful life. Recovery efficiencies of 50% for aluminum and 60% for copper are
expected to be achieved, and sales prices are estimated to be 6 and 9 €/kg for copper and aluminum,
respectively.
a) What will be the revenues obtained by the waste management authority in 10 years by selling that year the
scrap recovered from all diesel vehicles sold in 2020 in Spain? Assume that the price of both metals remains the
same. (10 points)

b) What is the NPV of the sale of copper and aluminum in 10 years with an interest of 5%? (10 points)

c) In order to recover the metals with the expected efficiency, the waste management authority must invest in a
plant and buy some equipment in the year 8 for a value of 100 M€, and hire 100 workers with a cost of 30,000
€/worker/year in year 10. What is the NPV of the net benefit obtained by the authority? (10 points)

d) What should be the cost associated with the logistics so that the waste management authority does not earn or
lose money with the metal recovery in year 10? (10 points)
2.2. A waste incineration plant uses the combustion heat to produce electricity and a district heat. The remaining
heat is waste heat, i.e. it is released unused into the environment. The incineration residues consist of slag (20
wt.% of the waste) and fly ash (2 wt% of the waste). Both, slag and fly ash are transported (by train) and treated
as follows: The fly ash is solidified with cement and a reduction of the slag-volume is achieved by removing scrap
metal. The management and transport of slag and fly-ash represent an additional 1.43% of total emissions from
the waste incineration. (30 points)

Waste characteristics:
Net calorific value: 12000 MJ/t
CO2,fossil emission factor for the waste incineration: 37 kg/GJ (net calorific value of waste)
Energy recovery:
Electricity: 15% of the net calorific value of the waste (credit: electricity mix; 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ)
District heat: ? % of the net calorific value (credit: oil heating)

Credits
Process CO2 emissions (kg)
Electricity mix (MWh) 134
Oil heating (GJ) 94.6

Based on the data given above, calculate the energy recovery as district heat that ensures cumulative CO2
emissions lower than 8000 tonnes for an annual amount of 110000 tons of municipal solid waste incinerated.