Background

Considering resource limitations and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the assessment of product health at the component level presents an opportunity to better strategize end-of-life (EoL) options by adopting circular thinking. The assessment of remaining useful life at the individual component level during the EoL stage facilitates the reuse of healthy components and recycling. Additionally, realizes the resource recovery objective of the circular economy (CE) while moving up in the waste hierarchy.

Purpose

To develop a diagnostic tool to realize the potential of reuse and recycling at the component level at EoL stage, designed for complex tasks. 

Approach (see poster full text)

Outcomes

Through reusing the healthy components directly, the possible reduction involves:  

• Additional GHG emission of recycling stage (transportation, melting, forging etc.).
• Additional resources utilization i.e. electricity, water etc.

Through recycling the unhealthy components, the possible reduction involves:  

• Additional GHG emission of component production through virgin material (transportation, raw material purification, melting, forging etc.).
• Use of landfills

It increases resource efficiency, GHG mitigation potential, reduces landfills and contributes to UN’s Climate Action goal (SDG 13).

Future work

Development of an artificial intelligence (AI) aided individual component health assessment tool to assist industry-level operation economically.  

Cradle to cradle assessment to calculate the resource recovery, GHG mitigation, and financial benefits attractive to industries, specifically high complexity products.