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Frontispiece: Waste to Chemicals for a Circular Economy
Author(s) -
Iaquaniello Gaetano,
Centi Gabriele,
Salladini Annarita,
Palo Emma,
Perathoner Siglinda
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201884662
Subject(s) - fossil fuel , greenhouse gas , circular economy , methane , resource (disambiguation) , waste management , municipal solid waste , carbon fibers , resource recovery , environmental science , production (economics) , fraction (chemistry) , low carbon economy , order (exchange) , natural resource economics , business , chemistry , economics , engineering , computer science , ecology , organic chemistry , computer network , macroeconomics , finance , algorithm , composite number , wastewater , biology
The organic fraction of municipal solid wastes represents an important and untapped carbon resource to valorize in order to reduce the actual dependence from fossil fuels and to push forward a circular economy. In their Concept article on page 11831 ff., G. Centi et al. show that it is feasible from both a technical and economic point of view to produce various chemicals from this fraction, going from methane to alcohols (as methanol or ethanol), urea and polymers as well. The implementation of these processes will bring benefits both economic and environmental, considering the sensible reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with respect to equivalent production of chemicals and/or energy from fossil fuels.