Waste to Chemicals for a Circular Economy

The implementation of a circular economy is a fundamental step to create a greater and more sustainable future for a better use of resources and energy. Wastes and in particular municipal solid waste represent an untapped source of carbon (and hydrogen) to produce a large range of chems. from methane to alcs. (as methanol or ethanol) or urea. The waste to chem. process and related economics are assessed in this concept article to show the validity of such soln. both from an economic point of view and from an environmental perspective considering the sensible redn. in greenhouse gas emissions with respect to conventional prodn. from fossil fuels. [on SciFinder(R)]