FORESCENE D.1.3 – Technical report Description of problem areas, review of objectives and determination of cross-cutting drivers
Agriculture
Forestry
Basic metals
Chemicals and chemical products
Food products and beverages
Machinery equipment
Motor vehicles
Energy supply
Water supply
Construction
Transport
Table 25: Relevance assessment of ‘recycling’
XX
O
X
X
X
X
X
X
XX
XX
O
Level 2 – Composition of material input Material input in a wider sense comprises also water inputs, and in that regard the distinction between deep ground water and (near) surface water as inputs for agricultural and sometimes other industrial activities may become important, although this seems more relevant for countries providing exports to the EU. Material input in a more narrow sense comprises all the various solid, liquid and gaseous materials used for certain processes. Depending on the technologies used, processing of different materials requires different amounts, and sometimes quality, of water. For instance, maize in agriculture requires more water input than other cereals. Coal fired central power generation require significantly higher amounts of cooling water than indirect water requirements of small-scale gas fired CHP power stations or wind turbines.
Agriculture
Forestry
Basic metals
Chemicals and chemical products
Food products and beverages
Machinery equipment
Motor vehicles
Energy supply
Water supply
Construction
Transport
Table 26: Relevance assessment of ‘composition of material input’
XX
X
X
X
XX
O
O
XX
XX
X
O
Level 2 – Material intensity Material intensity analysis comprises water as one of five separate input categories. In order to avoid confusion, "water intensity" should be distinguished from the material intensity in the narrow sense (the latter comprising the materials considered also by TMR accounting). Water intensity per se determines the amount of water used in the various sectors. Material intensity of products – in a life cycle wide perspective – is often linked to water intensity because the more materials are extracted, processed, transported, used, recycled and disposed off, the more water is derived from natural water bodies. Here, a sectoral perspective is applied, and for the various activities the material intensity of their products (within each sector) seems directly and at least indirectly related to the water consumption in the processes applied or in upstream proc97