Next Article in Journal
Have Climate Factor Changes Jeopardized the Value of Qinghai Grassland Ecosystem Services within the Grass–Animal Balance?
Previous Article in Journal
Ecological Security Evaluation and Prediction for Coal Resource Cities Based on the PSR Model: A Case Study of Xuzhou, China
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Economic and Environmental Aspects of Applying the Regeneration of Spent Moulding Sand

Faculty of Foundry Engineering, AGH University of Krakow, Reymonta 23 St., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8462; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198462 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 12 August 2024 / Revised: 26 September 2024 / Accepted: 27 September 2024 / Published: 28 September 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Waste and Recycling)

Abstract

This article presents issues related to the rational management of foundry sand in the context of sustainable development. Attention was drawn to the need to take appropriate measures to protect available natural deposits of good foundry sands in terms of their depletion. The main objective of the analyses undertaken was to find out whether more expensive but more efficient thermal regeneration can compensate for the higher energy consumption in relation to mechanical regeneration of spent moulding sand with an organic binder. This aspect was considered from the point of view of the multiple operations performed to clean the grain matrix from the spent binder, taking into account the direct and indirect costs of the process. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the mechanical and thermal regeneration of spent moulding sand on equipment offered by an exemplary manufacturer. Attention was drawn to the successively increasing price of the regeneration process. When analysing the grain matrix recovery process for sustainability reasons, attention was drawn to an important factor in grain matrix management related to its yield in different regeneration methods. Based on an analysis of the costs of regenerating 1 tonne of spent moulding sand, it was concluded that, in the long term, thermal regeneration, which is more expensive due to the cost of equipment and energy consumption, can offset the outlay incurred. Sand consumption was found to be 4.6 times higher by mechanical regeneration in the case studied. At the same time, the grain matrix after thermal regeneration was found to have significantly better and more stable technological parameters in subsequent sand mould preparation cycles. The reproducibility and stability of the technological process can also be an important component of economic growth as part of sustainable development.
Keywords: recycling; thermal and mechanical reclamation; reclamation costs; sustainable development; environmental sustainability; grain matrix yield; waste management recycling; thermal and mechanical reclamation; reclamation costs; sustainable development; environmental sustainability; grain matrix yield; waste management

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Łucarz, M. Economic and Environmental Aspects of Applying the Regeneration of Spent Moulding Sand. Sustainability 2024, 16, 8462. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198462

AMA Style

Łucarz M. Economic and Environmental Aspects of Applying the Regeneration of Spent Moulding Sand. Sustainability. 2024; 16(19):8462. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198462

Chicago/Turabian Style

Łucarz, Mariusz. 2024. "Economic and Environmental Aspects of Applying the Regeneration of Spent Moulding Sand" Sustainability 16, no. 19: 8462. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198462

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop