By the combination of different tools and methods (from AI, CFD, mass- and heat transfer, kinetics, industrial experience etc.) and integrating these into suitable digital platforms this paper will analyze different circular economy systems also in terms of complete supply chains, with a focus on materials and their application in products. With a focus on for example thermoeconomics, exergy dissipation of the systems will be quantified by suitable digital twins for PV cell manufacture, battery technology etc. Integration with impact assessment approaches will show how to minimize the impact of complete supply chains and show which systems produce the lowest footprint products. In addition the link of the digital twins to the sustainability development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations will be elaborated on. In the quest of digitalizing our metallurgical and CE systems better, this paper will further discuss among others [1-3]:

• improving the slag solutions models for more complex slag mixtures due to complex products being processed,

• measurement of kinetic data to understand the effect of slag composition and processing flow conditions on the exchange of materials between different phases in order to push systems to the thermodynamic limits,

• integration of fundamental and industrial know-how into multi-compartment dynamic equilibrium-based simulation models of our reactors to better direct materials into the correct phases and thence metallurgical infrastructures,

• integration of the above into large system models so that one can understand the footprint of metals supply chains better and supply the footprint data to populate environmental databases with specific and well-defined data,

• provide the detail to help populate environmental and economic physics and technology based data (where required), to realize the noble goals of the SDGs as well as the circular economy, and

• streamline the real-time data (and sensors) and data types and their qualities that can interact directly with the digital twins via big data approaches.

The above points for example will help to ensure the CE system can be driven to its thermodynamic/exergetic, technological and therefore economic limit, at the same time revealing our industry’s key enabling role towards a greener circular economy society.

References

[1] M.A. Reuter et al.: “Challenges of the Circular Economy - A material, metallurgical and product design perspective”. Annual Review of Materials Research, 49, 253-274 (2019).

[2] N. Bartie, A. Abadías Llamas, M. Heibeck, M. Fröhling, O. Volkova, M.A. Reuter: “The simulation-based analysis of the resource efficiency of the circular economy – the enabling role of metallurgical infrastructure”. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (TIMM C) 129, 2, 229–249 (2020).

[3] N.J. Bartie, Y.L. Cobos-Becerra, M. Fröhling, R. Schlatmann, M.A. Reuter: “The Resources, Exergetic and Environmental Footprint of the Silicon Photovoltaic Circular Economy: Assessment and Opportunities”, Resource Conservation Recycling 169, 105516 (2021).