Material Flow Carol Timson 4/12/2004

Material Flow l Humans and biota are responsible for redistribution of chemicals on Earth. l The Anthroposystem produces a lot of waste

Biogeochemical Systems l Fundamental principles to analyze flow of materials through air, land, and water l Mass balance System m in m out

Ecosystem The sun is the energy source Plants use the sun to produce food Animals are the consumers The decomposers (recyclers) are the fungi and bacteria. The ecosystem is capable of recycling most of the waste products is produces. (source – web link)

Antroposystem Open Loop System Fossil Fuels are the energy for the system Producers include manufacturing and farming Consumers are humans Decomposing (recycling) is very minor Includes recycling of material and wastewater treatment by-products are disposed into the physical environment

Material Flow Transfer Matrices l Matter is transferred from producer to consumer creating the surface transfer matrix s ij l Pollution is transferred from the consumer (emitter) to the environmental receptor (pollutant is emitted) i = producer j = consumer k = receptor

Matrix Example l Production (i) begins with mining l The matter is transferred to the consumers (j) by railroad l The producer-consumer transfer is characterized by the surface transfer matrix s ij l The amount of matter produced is characterized by the matrix U ij l The consumer is located where the combustion occurs and the receptor (k) is located where the pollutant is deposited l The amount of matter received by the receptor that originated at the consumer is characterized by the matrix R jk

Four Environmental Spheres l Atmosphere Transport-conveyor compartment Large capability for redistributing matter l Biosphere thin shell of organic matter on the earth’s surface The pump, allows matter to flow through nature Strong interdependence between biosphere and atmosphere

Environmental Spheres l Lithosphere solid shell of inorganic material at the earth’s surface l Hydrosphere can be seen as two compartments: rivers are transporters and oceans are storage Matter transfers from one sphere to another or within itself

Conclusion l The anthroposystem differs from the ecosystem in the fact that they do not recycle as much l Sustainable development can be achieved if humans can operate more like the ecosystem