VALUABLE RECOVERABLE RESOURCES

L.V. ORLETSKAYA, Expert of Energy-and-Resource Effective Technology National Information and Analytic Center (TZERT),Moscow, Magazine “Waste Recycling” No. 6 (12), December 2007

In October 2007, in Bonn (Germany) the top managers’ meeting devoted to realization of initiative 3R being offered by Japan and supported by heads of states and governments of the 2004 summit “Group of Eight” was held. What is the main point of the above initiative and what does it mean for Russia?

MANKIND’S GLOBAL PROBLEM

Within the wide range of different problems the one of waste disposal is specified as of global and universal nature. Any waste, being buried at dumps or burned, is able to induce environment (soil, water and atmosphere) contamination and, as a result, negatively effects population health and threaten human being existence.

Today, the problem of waste reduction is closely connected to the matters of economical stability and development. Thus, in the conditions of increasing demand for raw materials, with the volume of free resources simultaneously reduced and natural resources ultimately exhausted, the matter of resource conservation (total usage of “any product useful potential” with minimum rate of waste generation in the course of its production and consumption) covers the problems being considered as of great importance for future generations with the resources provided.

Over the centuries, the events of economic progress and population upsurge that took place in most the countries having been accompanied by accumulation of waste products and expansion of human activity resulted in generation of new types of waste. For example, in the past decades, the problems of recycling of so-called “E-wastes” (e.g. used electrical and electronic equipment) took the pressing character. Society produces more and more domestic waste products – from package to out-of-use TV set and old cars.

In accordance with Okayama University experts’ analysis held in 2000, the total volume of world-collected wastes made up approximately 12.7 billion ton. But they forecasted that by 2025 the waste volume would increase up to 19.0 billion ton and to 2050 – up to 27.0 billion tons. As you can see, some increase of waste volumes is determined. For example, in China, where national economy gains a rapid upsurge, it was specified that within the period of 1995 – 2004 the total volume of waste volume increased almost by 180%, above all, owing to increased amount of industrial waste.

RUSSIA IS JUST “AT THE TAIL” OF CIVILIZATION

If to take for discussion the point of waste generation, Russia takes its “leading positions”. As per a judgment made by the experts, the total amount of wastes collected in Russian Federation makes up approximately 3.3 billion tons per year, 90% of which are mineral operation-and-processing waste products.

As far back as at the second half of the twentieth century, Japan and a number of industrially developed European countries suffered from their serious problems caused by environment pollution. On account of high density of population and limitedness of the above countries’ borders that are suitable enough for landfill operation in the conditions of intensive waste generation related to high rate of their economical progress, the policy of waste handling and processing was put for revising.

Practically, all the countries of “Group of Eight”, except of Russia, constituted quite tough waste disposal hygiene-and-sanitary regulations supported by the respective economical measures that work as a powerful stimulus for introduction of efficient practices. For example, in the “former” EU countries and Japan the law specifies the regulations about sorting of wastes for the purpose of selection (or successive extraction) of materials that may be reused upon appropriate processing (recycling). Refuse sorting is the process that makes it possible not only to decrease negative environmental impact at the expense of reducing of generated waste, but also to induce emergence of new industry branches and activity.

According to data specified by Ministry of Environmental Protection (Germany), the new methods of collection of recycled domestic waste stipulate the operations of preliminary sorting, storage, transportation and utilization including recycling. The new method applied made it possible to reduce the rate of waste subject to utilization down to 18 million tons (44%). For comparison: in 1990, the volume of recycled waste products amounted to 34 million tons or 87% of total waste volume.

Irrespective of the fact that the volume of burned domestic waste was increased (as compared to 6 million tons in 1990, in 2004 the burned product volume was increased up to 11 million tons), owing to the above ecologically efficient methods the total amount of harmful atmosphere emissions was considerably reduced: nitric oxide – down to 2 500 t (in 1990 – 10 000 t), sulfur dioxide – down to 68 t (in 1990 – 20 000 t) and mercury – down to 5 kg (in 1990 – 350 kg).

In 2006, with recoverable resources (ferrous, aluminum, zinc scrap metal and package paper) applied Germany could save 3.6 billion euro at the expense of reduction of electric power and primary resources import costs. Thanks to introduction of new waste management methods, about 250 thousand of additional vacant positions have been created. Besides, the total export of German technologies and manufacturing facilities used for waste recycling and utilization was estimated up to 4 billion euro.

In accordance with data specified by Italian Research Center “Law and Economics”, Russian ecological equipment market is estimated approximately in $ 640 million. But in terms of value only 40% of Russian manufacturers are engaged in. As determined by the research, the rate of imported products advanced Russian equipment supply twice and was estimated by $420 million.

Germany is a key provider of ecological equipment in Russia and approximately the fifth portion of Russian import is shared by it.

3R INITIATIVE

Price surge events that often occur in the primary energy carrier market enables generation of heat and electric power at the expense of application of biogas produced from agricultural and solid domestic waste.

The 3R initiative (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) suggests its comprehensive approach to solving of the problems at the expense of reducing of waste volume, reusing (including recoverable resources) and arranging of “closed cycle” flow process. The above policy is aimed to creation of the society model, where all the resources (minerals, power and water) will be used so efficiently, as the very meaning “wastes” will go out of use. No doubt, concept 3R may be realized only with new technologies applied. The matter is not only in technologies applied for safe utilization of domestic and industrial wastes, as well as for exceeding of recoverable resource recycle capacity, but also in increase of efficiency of technological string: generation of raw material – transportation – production - consumption. The “ecodesign” principles that specify the matters of reusing, recycling and safe utilization of product shall be introduced at the very the stage of projecting and meet all the topical requirements.

RESEARCH MADE BY RUSSIAN EXPERTS

It should be noted that Russian experts also keep on their efficient research. The matters of conservation specified in the context of Federal Target Program “Studies and Developments related to first-priority areas of Russian scientific and technological development” to be implemented by Federal Science and Innovation Agency may be considered as a separate branch of scientific research and technology development. The subject area being investigated includes both the problems of safety related to utilization of medicine remains, hazard production waste etc, and the problems related to increase of waste recycling and utilization efficiency. There, for example, the matters of the power plant and production plant solid anthropogenic wastes, rubber production waste including used vehicle tires to be processed for production of asphalt and concrete road coating rubber-bitumen modifiers, agricultural wastes and cellulose-based packing material to be processed for production of ethanol, forage, fertilizer agents and briquetted special fuel and recoverable resources (development of high-efficient accompanying gas-processing technology, safe primary-enriching technology of hard-cleaning natural and anthropogenic deposits containing fine and thin metal materials etc) are studied. A number of other yet scheduled developments are also implemented.

Irrespective of Russian potential and wide range of raw material and recoverable resources available, the above comprehensive approach to be offered within the scope of 3R initiative may be considered as the crucial step to be made for efficient use of national economy resource base, improvement of environment condition and appropriately increase of national economy competitiveness.

Probably, for the purpose of successive advance, it is necessary to remember that any waste products and recoverable resources may be considered, as useful and valuable raw materials.