Dynamic MFA of steel in Chinese residences

Source: Mingming Hu, Stefan Pauliuk, Tao Wang, Gjalt Huppes, Ester van der Voet, Daniel B. Müller, 2009. Iron and steel in Chinese residential buildings: A dynamic analysis.

Some of the dynamics considered in this MFA are lifetime, birthrates, per capita floor area, and urbanization rates in China.  Previously, a dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) model was developed to analyze the dynamics of the rural and the urban housing systems in China. That model was expanded to analyze iron and steel demand and scrap availability from the housing sector.  In the diagram, a conceptual outline of the stock dynamics model, rectangles represent processes, ovals depict flows, hexagons illustrate determinants or drivers and dashed lines represent influences between variables.

Certainly interesting work from Chongqing University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, and Norwegian University of Science and Technology.  I am not that familiar with dynamic MFA, but I can certainly appreciate how it expands the static MFA methodology.

Illegible diagram of water in Queensland, Australia

Source: Gernot Stoeglehner, Peter Edwards, Peter Daniels, Michael Narodoslawsky, 2011. The water supply footprint (WSF): a strategic planning tool for sustainable regional and local water supplies.

Merry Christmas 2011, this year I present to you this unintelligible MFA from Australia.  I have never been a fan of the MFA diagram methodology that uses overly-large sankey arrows in comparison to the processes, but this takes it to another level by incorporating a background satellite image, gradients, transparency overlays of flows, and photos.  Plus there is a bonus sankey-distortion on the “discharge to ocean” flow on the right, which grows after turning right from the “sewerage and drainage services” process.

Phosphorus in Beijing

Source: Min Qiao, Yuan-Ming Zheng, Yong-Guan Zhu, 2011. Material flow analysis of phosphorus through food consumption in two megacities in northern China.

This simple MFA shows the phosphorus flows through food consumption in Beijing in 2008 (in tons).

MFA plus energy intensity of material methodology

Source: M. Federicia, S. Ulgiatib, R. Basosi, 2008. A thermodynamic, environmental and material flow analysis of the Italian highway and railway transport systems.

This fascinating methodology including MFA is a multi-method multi-scale of terrestrial transport modalities that reduces each case down to the equivalent amount of solar energy required.  I have often wondered how using solar gain in time per area could operate as a comparative tool, and here it is!  It is similar to the other MFA within a decision-making model that I covered in that the MFA result is cross-referenced with a database, in this case energy intensities of materials, to arrive at the desired result.

This methodology uses four different evaluation methods: material flow accounting (MFA), embodied energy analysis (EEA), exergy analysis (EXA) and emergy synthesis (ES).  The local framework encompasses the direct inputs supporting the transport activities: mass balance, energy analysis and EMIPS are used in this context. Global scale framework takes into account the indirect and hidden material and energy flows supporting the transportation process. Specific material, energy and emergy intensities are used to shift from local to global scale.

Personal Computer flows in Japan

Source: Aya Yoshida, Tomohiro Tasaki1, Atsushi Terazono, 2008. Material flow analysis of used personal computers in Japan.

This diagram is the system definition for the MFA study of PC flows in Japan.  The methodology is very precise.  They considered all flows except illegal dumping, as the origins of illegal dumping are unknown.

PET in USA

Source: Brandon Kuczenski, Roland Geyer, 2010. Material flow analysis of polyethylene terephthalate in the US, 1996–2007.

These two diagrams are the MFA scheme set-up for the research followed by the MFA diagram for PET flows in the year 2007.  In the sankey diagram, the dashed lines indicate upper bounds for highly uncertain flows.  I like how the import and export fractions of each flow are represented by small slivers peeling away from the main flows.

Substances within lithium batteries in Taiwan

Source: T.C. Changa, S.J. Youb, B.S. Yuc, K.F. Yaoa, 2008. A material flow of lithium batteries in Taiwan.

This diagram takes an interesting strategy for representing the substances within the flow of batteries in Taiwan, by indexing the quantities of Li, Co, Al, Cu and Ni per process.  The choice of flow arrows in unfortunate, but the message is clear.

Another Emergy diagram from Taiwan

Source: Shu-Li Huang, Chun-Lin Lee, Chia-Wen Chen, 2006. Socioeconomic metabolism in Taiwan: Emergy synthesis versus material flow analysis.

As discussed in an earlier post, Emergy is another species of flow analysis.  This diagram, from the same author who was referenced in the previous Emergy post, is in my opinion rather difficult to decipher.  The curvaceous nature of the flow lines leads to a breaking apart of the figure-ground relationship, wherein the viewer looks for meaning in shapes that are not processes.