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Fuzzy Assessment of Material Recyclability and Its Applications

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Abstract

A method to assess material recyclability using fuzzy logic is presented. Recyclability of materials is defined as a function of several variables, called basic indicators, which influence the technology and economics of the recycling processes, policies related to recycling, quality of recycled materials, and environmental impact of waste. Using a hierarchical network of fuzzy inference engines, the basic indicators are aggregated into more composite components of recyclability from which an overall recyclability measure is computed. A sensitivity analysis with respect to indicators identifies those components affecting the overall recyclability the most. Recyclabilities of three metals and three non-metals of high economic and industrial importance are assessed using this method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, 73100, Chania, Greece

    Yannis A. Phillis & Vassilis S. Kouikoglou

  2. School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, 100044, China

    Xiaomin Zhu

Authors
  1. Yannis A. Phillis
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  2. Vassilis S. Kouikoglou
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  3. Xiaomin Zhu
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Correspondence to Yannis A. Phillis.

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Phillis, Y.A., Kouikoglou, V.S. & Zhu, X. Fuzzy Assessment of Material Recyclability and Its Applications. J Intell Robot Syst 55, 21–38 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-008-9290-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-008-9290-x

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