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    This (lowercase (translateProductType product.productType)) has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by CrossRef.
    Cerdas, Felipe Andrew, Stefan Thiede, Sebastian and Herrmann, Christoph 2018. Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries. p. 267.
    Sapsford, Devin Cleall, Peter and Harbottle, Michael 2017. In Situ Resource Recovery from Waste Repositories: Exploring the Potential for Mobilization and Capture of Metals from Anthropogenic Ores. Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, Vol. 3, Issue. 2, p. 375.
    Vane, Leland M 2017. Water recovery from brines and salt-saturated solutions: operability and thermodynamic efficiency considerations for desalination technologies. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, Vol. 92, Issue. 10, p. 2506.
    Worrell, Ernst Allwood, Julian and Gutowski, Timothy 2016. The Role of Material Efficiency in Environmental Stewardship. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 41, Issue. 1, p. 575.
    Gutowski, Timothy G. Allwood, Julian M. Herrmann, Christoph and Sahni, Sahil 2013. A Global Assessment of Manufacturing: Economic Development, Energy Use, Carbon Emissions, and the Potential for Energy Efficiency and Materials Recycling. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 38, Issue. 1, p. 81.
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  • Print publication year: 2011
  • Online publication date: June 2011

4 - Materials Separation and Recycling

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Summary

Introduction

In this chapter, we develop several models for the materials-recycling process. The focus is on the separation of materials from a mixture. This problem can be modeled by using the principles of thermodynamics, particularly the concept of mixing entropy, as well as by using some of the results from information theory. In doing this calculation we will find, from a thermodynamic point of view, that the theoretical minimum work required for separating a mixture is identical to the work lost on spontaneous mixing of the chemical components. In other words, the development in this chapter in conjunction with the results from previous chapters will allow us to track both the degradation in materials values as they are used and dispersed in society as well as the improvement and gain as materials are restored to their original values. Of course, this restoration does not come for free, and so we also look at the losses and inefficiencies involved in materials recycling. This approach allows us to look at the complete materials cycle as it moves through society and to evaluate the gains and losses at each step. The chapter starts with the development of the needed thermodynamics concepts and then moves on to the application of these ideas. This chapter also introduces an alternative way of looking at the recycling problem by using information theory.

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Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources
  • Online ISBN: 9780511976049
  • Book DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511976049
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