Material Flow Accounting

MFA models can be developed for a single year providing a static snapshot of the system since static models are characterized by the variables are related at one time, nevertheless they cannotdescribe historical dynamics of growth or forecast future scenarios. In this sense, the use of dynamics MFA models could be useful to understand and quantify the relationship and interaction between keyeconomic actors, aluminum (Al) in-use stocks and economic output. Based on the material balance principle, MFA is a method which represents the overall material and energy exchanges between a society andits environment in order to sustain itself, to reproduce or to grow, quantifying (for this case) the mass of Al as it moves throughout specified temporal and economic or geographic boundaries. Thisapproach is of great importance due to economic growth, since induce expansion of national and global metabolism, rest on physical conditions and have significant socio-economic and environmentalimplications. Given the importance in the industrial sector of Al, many concerns have focused on the environmental impacts of its production. The so called primary production (Al produced from mineralbauxite) is characterized for being energy intensity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; while Al produced from recycled metal (secondary Al) has much lower environmental impact. In this sense, thecharacterization of the anthropogenic stock should include the analysis of where Al with potential for being recovered resides in Austrian economy identifying patterns of consumption, extraction andcommercialization, as well as what are the drives for its accumulation. These modeling efforts could provide the foundations for forecasting potentially-recoverable Al and the optimum access points for Alrecovery will be able to be identified, thus, its recycling potential will be analyzed. Through this, an ecologically efficient management of Al as both a non-renewable resource and as a potential...