SAVI: International Institute for Solid Waste Management Life-Cycle Modeling

1437498（Barlaz）。在全球范围内，每年产生超过10亿吨的城市固体废物（MSW），由于人口，城市化和经济发展的增加，预计到2025年将翻一番。2011年，美国固体废物处理系统处理了大约2.5亿吨废物。美国垃圾填埋、堆肥和燃烧产生的直接排放量估计占美国温室气体排放量的2%，主要是二氧化碳。城市固体废物含有大量可用于资源和能源回收的材料，使固体废物管理（SWM）系统成为提高环境可持续性的高度可见和潜在的高影响目标。SAVI（Science Across Virtual Institutes）的主要目标是建立一个自我支持的虚拟（基于互联网）研究所，以加强与SWM系统生命周期评估（LCA）相关的研究、教育和推广。两个领先的固体废物生命周期评价模型是北卡罗来纳州立大学开发的SWOLF和丹麦技术大学开发的EASETECH，这两个模型是主要的合作伙伴。预计在美国，虚拟学院的其他参与者将包括哥伦比亚大学、克拉克森大学、罗格斯大学和南卡罗来纳州大学等大学的教师。总体目标是成为全球领先的LCA应用于SWM的研究所。具体的研究目标是（1）协同审查，收集，分析和报告EASETECH和SWOLF的关键SWM LCA和成本模型数据，假设和实践，以确定最佳实践，数据和未来需求，（2）融合SWOLF和EASTECH框架中的模型，以开发一套统一的固体废物处理模型和数据集，这些模型和数据集对固体废物收集，处理，（3）开发公共数据和模型管理库，以鼓励和促进未来的合作、知识交流和模型集成，（4）开发教学材料、文章和研讨会，从国际角度增强对生命周期固体废物资源管理的理解。关于固体废物的生命周期评估研究具有广泛的影响，因为它被用来为所有产品和包装的环境可持续性决策提供信息，这些产品和包装需要在其使用寿命结束时进行管理。传播先进的过程模型将为国际上的学生和从业人员提供重要的服务。（1）开发一致和统一的数据和流程模型，（2）举办一系列国际联合研究会议和讲习班，以开展合作，公布成果，并为今后的研究所会议、培训班和讲习班创建一个框架，以及（3）开发必要的数据和软件基础设施，以创建一个自我维持的SWM生命周期研究所，该研究所将继续为来自世界各地的固体废物生命周期研究人员、教育工作者、从业者和学生提供资源、教学内容和合作机会。关于固体废物的生命周期评估研究具有广泛的影响，因为它被用来为所有产品和包装的环境可持续性决策提供信息，这些产品和包装需要在其使用寿命结束时进行管理。项目的影响包括研究进展，以及国际教育和向学生、研究人员和从业人员的传播。融合过程模型和数据的工作将推进LCA在固体废物系统分析中的应用。融合后的模型将为研究人员、政策制定者和私营部门决策者提供更好和更方便的工具。这项SAVI工作将导致举办讲习班和开发用于教学和培训的在线工具。讲习班将被录制并免费提供，以促进学习、理解和无障碍。考虑到目前的做法，这一点尤其重要。世界各地有许多研究生从事固体废物LCA工作，他们无法获得最先进的数据或信息，而SAVI将改变这种情况。此外，商业上可用的和开源的LCA模型在废物处理和材料管理方面都过于简单，而SAVI将解决这种简单性。该资助是一个跨虚拟研究所的科学（SAVI）奖，由NSF的国际和综合活动办公室（OIIA），工程助理主任办公室（OAD/ENG），和CBET/ENG的环境工程和环境可持续发展计划。

1437498 (Barlaz). Globally, over one billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated annually and this is predicted to double by 2025 due to increases in population, urbanization, and economic development. U.S. solid waste systems processed approximately 250 million tons of waste in 2011. The direct emissions from landfilling, composting, and combustion of U.S. waste resulted is an estimated 2% of U.S. GHG emissions, mostly CO2. MSW contains significant quantities of materials that can be utilized for resource and energy recovery, making the solid waste management (SWM) system a highly visible and potentially high-impact target for enhancing environmental sustainability. The primary goal of the SAVI (Science Across Virtual Institutes) effort is to establish a self-supporting virtual (internet-based) institute to enhance research, education, and outreach related to the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of SWM systems. Two leading solid waste LCA models are SWOLF developed at NC State University and EASETECH developed at the Technical University of Denmark, the principal collaborative partners. It is anticipated that in the U.S. additional participants in the virtual institute will include faculty at universities such as Columbia University, Clarkson University, Rutgers University, and the University of South Carolina, among others. The overall objective is to become the leading global institute for the application of LCA to SWM. Specific research objectives are to (1) collaboratively review, gather, analyze, and report key SWM LCA and cost model data, assumptions, and practices from EASETECH and SWOLF to identify best practices, data, and future needs, (2) fuse models in SWOLF and EASTECH frameworks to develop a consolidated set of solid waste process models and datasets that present consistent descriptions of solid waste collection, treatment, and disposal processes, (3) develop a public data and model management repository to encourage and facilitate future collaboration, knowledge exchange, and model integration, and (4) develop instructional materials, articles, and workshops that enhance understanding of life-cycle solid waste resource management from an international perspective. LCA research on solid waste has broad impacts since it is used to inform decisions on the environmental sustainability of all products and packaging that require management at the end of their useful life. The dissemination of advanced process models will provide a significant service to students and practitioners internationally.The project objectives will be achieved through three major tasks; (1) develop consistent and unified data and process models, (2) implement a series of international joint research meetings and workshops to collaborate, publicize results, and create a framework for future institute meetings, training sessions, and workshops, and (3) develop the necessary data and software infrastructure to create a self-sustaining SWM life-cycle institute that will continue to provide resources, instructional content, and opportunities for collaboration among solid waste life-cycle researchers, educators, practitioners, and students from around the world. LCA research on solid waste has broad impacts since it is used to inform decisions on the environmental sustainability of all products and packaging that require management at the end of their useful life. Project impacts include research advances, as well as international education and dissemination to students, researchers and practitioners. The work to fuse process models and data will advance the state-of-the-art of the application of LCA to solid waste systems analysis. The fused models will provide improved and accessible tools to researchers, policymakers and private sector decision makers. This SAVI effort will result in the development of workshops and on-line tools for instruction and training. Workshops will be recorded and made available for free to promote learning, understanding and accessibility. This is particularly significant in consideration of the current state-of-the-practice. There are numerous graduate students throughout the world working in solid waste LCA that do not have access to state-of-the-art data or information, and this SAVI will change that. Furthermore, both the commercially available and open source LCA models are simplistic in their treatment of waste and materials management, and this SAVI will address that simplicity.This grant is a Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) award and is co-funded by NSF's Office of International and Integrative Activities (OIIA), the Office of the Assistant Director for Engineering (OAD/ENG), and CBET/ENG's Environmental Engineering and Environmental Sustainability programs.