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A Review of Material Flow Analysis

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 A Review of Material Flow Analysis
Zhimi Bao, Shushen Zhang, Yu Chen * , Suling Liu, Yun Zhang, Huanlei Wang
Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology,
Dalian University of Technology
Dalian 116024, China
Abstract—Material flow analysis (MFA) has been a hot topic on
the research of circular economy and sustainable development of
the environment - economic systems in recent years. This paper
briefly reviews the development process of MFA. A detailed
summary of the recent progress of MFA has been given in three
forms, which respectively for three research levels (the national
level, the regional level and the industrial level). The
fundamental methodology of MFA has been introduced. And its
development has been summarized in a list. In the end, the
research prospects have been concluded and discussed.
Keywords-material flow analysis, environment-economic
systems, circular economy, sustainable development
I. INTRODUCTION
Material exchange and material flows of environment -
economic systems are the basic premises for the maintenance
and development of human society. The environmental
impacts produced by human activities depend largely on the
quantity and quality of the materials which go in and out of
the economic systems. The requests economic systems have
from the environment cause resource depletion and
environmental degradation, while the emissions cause
environmental pollution. The essence of material flow
analysis(MFA) is, through the measure of the material input
and output, to understand the pathway and flux of each
material flow in the whole system, reveal the composition and
changes of the materials, reflect both the wealth and the
pressure caused by economic activities, illustrate the dynamic
link between economic development and the natural
environment, find the potential of material use and
environmental improvement, and then to effectively regulate
and control the flow directions and quantities in accordance
with the analysis results, in order to improve resource
utilization efficiency, reduce resource consumption and
intensity, reduce emissions of waste materials. In a word, it is
an important way which leads to a resource-saving and
environment-friendly society, and to achieve the goals of
circular economy and sustainable development.
II. DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF MATERIAL FLOW
ANALYSIS
MFA, which origins from Society's Metabolism [1], is used
in physical units (usually in the mass unit of t), and is to
account materials from mining, production, conversion,
consumption, recycling, to the final disposal. The objects for
the analysis may include resources, energy, raw materials,
* Yu Chen (1975---), Corresponding author, Lecturer, engages in research
into Industrial Ecology.
(E-mail: chenyu@dlut.edu.cn)
978-1-4244-5326-9/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE
products, wastes, and also include single element. In 70s and
80s of the 20th century, the propose and improvement of
Physical Balance, Industrial Metabolism and other theories
laid a foundation for the study and practice of MFA in
economic systems.
As early as in 1966, W. Leontief described the state of the
stock and flow of economic structure on the use of input-
output model [2]. In 1969, R. U. Ayres first used “material
balance principle" to examine the material flow of the national
economy [3]. On the basis of his study, I. Wernick and J. H.
Ausbel advanced the basic National MFA framework of the
United States [4]. These are early relevant exploration and
study.
In early 90s of the 20th century, the application of MFA of
economic systems started in Austria [5], Japan [6] and
Germany [7], after which MFA became a rapidly developing
science field.
In 90s of the 20th century, Wuppertal Institute raised
Material Flow Accounts for the quantitative measurement of
the amount of substance use in economic systems, and also
proposed Ecological Rucksacks (ER), the concept called
Hidden Flow (HF) later [8].
In 1996, European Commission (EC) set up a coordinate
accounts plan and its platform (www.conaccount.net) of the
“concerted action”. This is considered to be the first milestone
of international cooperation on MFA.
The second milestone is the comprehensive analysis of five
national economic systems, including the United States, Japan,
Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. It was led by World
Resource Institute (WRI) and carried out in two stages. In
1997, the first research paper [9] was completed, which gave
the result of the total material input and suggested relevant
indicators for measuring the status of material input. In 2000,
the second one was finished [10], in which the amount of total
material output has been given, and relevant indicators for
measure have been suggested, too.
In 2001, the European Union Statistical Office
(EUROSTAT) published the first handbook on methodology
of MFA for economic systems [11]. From then on, the first
international official guidelines, known as the “European
Union (EU) guidelines”, were widely applied.
Since then, MFA was in considerable attention within
Europe. EUROSTAT, European Environment Agency (EEA),
EC and other institutions have been carrying out many works carried out more systematically there. From a methodological
on it. point of view, since the EU guidelines suggested, MFA at
national level is basically using this recommended method,
III. PROGRESS IN THE STUDY OF MARERIAL FLOW which provides the preconditions for the subsequent study on
ANALYSIS comparison and combination.
MFA can be used to systematically measure and analyze B. The regional level
the material flux and distribution in a specific time and space
scale, and to study the laws of material metabolism through the While MFA at national level becomes more and more
analysis of the relationship among material flows, resource thorough and wide-in-use, a large range of MFA has been
consumption and socio-economic development. Then based on carrying out. The typical research achievements will now be
the results, the corresponding control strategies to guide the summarized in Table II:
governments’ decision-making for sustainable development
will be put forward. Therefore, as an effective assessment tool, TABLE II MATERIAL ANALYSIS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL
it is widely used, and has made a lot of research results. This
paper will give a review of them and describe at three levels as Refer
Nation Year study area Method
following： ence
Classification and statistics
Switzerla
1991 The city of St. Gallen of material consumption [36]
A. The national level nd
data
The total material
In the process of global economic development and 2002 needs of the Basque
A model based on EU
[37]
Guideline
environmental degradation, the number of the countries which Spain
region
A framework based on EU
have been conducted or are under way of MFA for their 2007
An industrial area in
Guidelines, with some [38]
Catalonia
economic systems continues to grow. In addition to MFA of complementation
each country, scholars have also carried out multi-country Germany 2003
The environmental-
economic system of EU Guideline [39]
analysis to do comparison and combination research. The Hamburg
results of these studies are summarized in Table I: Canada 2003
The Greater Toronto A framework based on
[40]
Area in Canada urban metabolism
Japan 2008 Aichi prefecture input-output table [41]
1986 The city of
TABLE I MATERIAL ANALYSIS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL Classification and statistics [42,43
， Tangshan, the city of
of materials ]
1988 Dali
Year The area of study Reference 2001 Hong Kong
A framework based on
[44]
1992 urban metabolism
Main material flows of Austria, Japan, Germany [5-7]
1993 The cities of
The respective material input and output of the Guiyang, Tianjin,
1997
United States, Japan, Austria, Germany, and the [9, 10] Shanghai, Qingdao,
-2000 Models built according to
Netherlands Xiamen, and Handan,
China EU guidelines, with some
2000 Denmark [12] 2004~ The Provinces of [45-
necessary adjustments
2000 Finland, Sweden [13, 14] 2009 Shanxi, Guangdong, 55]
according to the actual
Liaoning, and
2000 United Kingdom [15] situations
Jiangsu,
2000 Poland [16] The comparison of
2000 19 main cities
China [17-26]
-2009 A three-dimensional
2006 The city of Yima [56]
2001 Italy [27] physical input-output table
2003 Czech [28] A physical input-output
2009 The city of Beijing [57]
The overall comparative study of Direct material table
input and material needs of 11 countries and regions,
2004 [29]
including Finland, Germany, Italya, Netherlands,
UK, Poland, EU-15, USA, Japan, and China
2006 Portugal [30]
A brief summary can be drawn from these research
Cross-country comparison and determinants of achievements of MFA at the regional level. From the time
material consumption in the 15 European Union
members, including Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg,
point of view, except for several cases, they were almost all
2006
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
[31] carried out in 21st century. From a methodological point of
Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, view, generally frameworks for analysis were established
United Kingdom
2007 Singapore [32] according to the characteristics of the study systems, and the
2008
Comparison of the resource flows of Chile, Ecuador,
[33]
methods were based on the EU guidelines. As to the depth of
Mexico, and Peru
study, some research only used individual indicators for
analysis, other cases studied on the whole material flows, and
In addition, studies on MFA of other countries such as even did in-depth analysis within the economic systems
France, Australia, Hungary, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, through input-and-output analysis.
the Philippines, Bolivia, Venezuela have respectively been
done or are being carried out[34,35]. C. The industrial level
A few points can be summarized through learning the According to the difference of research areas, typical
progress of MFA at the national level. Except for the earlier achievements of MFA at the industrial level are concluded in
researches, they almost all carried out in the 21st century. The Table III:
work receives more attention in European countries, and is
 TABLE III MATERIAL ANALYSIS AT THE INDUSTRIAL LEVEL life cycle
The Finnish forest industry Material and energy
2001 [98]

Finland
Refere system flow model
Nation Year Research Area Method
nce 2007 The Finnish food flux
An extended input–
[99]
• Stocks and flows of output model
copper, zinc, iron and Stocks-and-Flows

Austria
steel, nickel, silver, and model(STAF), with Physical input-output
2003- 2003 Austrian Family [36]
other metals in different consideration of the [58-65] tables
2007
levels life cycles of each
• Material flows of two metal
United States

Australia
Antarctica workstations
A substance flow
Substance Flow 2007 Cadmium in Australia [100]
Mercury in products in the analysis
2007 Analysis(SFA) model [66]
United States
based on life cycle
Material flows of lead and Physical input-output
2007 [67]

Norway
cadmium matrix Wastewater Pipeline
The stocks and flows of 2009 Combined MFA-LCA [101]
A dynamic substance- Networks of Oslo
2008 cement in the United [68]
flow model
States
The Waste Input- A model based on the
Iron, titanium, vanadium
2002- Output model, 1983 life cycles of each [102]
The appliances waste [69-71] flows in the city of Dukou
medal
2006 Life-Cycle Cost
analysis • Iron and steel industry
Several indicators of • Lead industry
2004 The wood resource [72] • Copper recycling
MFA
Dynamic material flow • Mineral Frameworks based on
Japan

2005, • Cement Industry in the EU guidelines,

Stainless steel analysis , [73,74] 2000- [103-
2009 Beijing with accordance to the
STAF 2009 115]
Physical input-output • Automotive industry material life cycles
2007 Base metals [75]

China
tables • Phosphorus Metabolism
Dynamic material System
Copper and copper-based • Construction industry
2009 stocks and flows [76]
alloys
analysis • Road Transportation
Plastics streams in A material flow Identification of
1998 [77]
Germany simulation model Taipei’s urban relevant materials and
2003 [116]
Germany

2006 Carbon of Germany Carbon Flow Model [78] construction a framework of

MFA combined with a indicators
2008
Platinum group metal model of Statistics of material
， [79] 2004 Fossil fuels [117]
flows of Europe environmental needs
2009 Material flow tracking
pressures 2006 Public projects [118]
Combination of an model
Metal policies in The applied general
2000 [80]
Netherlands equilibrium model and
a material flow model
As can be seen from these results, MFA has been widely
Netherlands

• The paper and wood flow The Statistical

2000
in the Netherlands Research for
[81,82]
brought into practice at industry level since the beginning of
• The plastic flows in the Analyzing Material
Streams (STREAMS)
21st century. The research methods are different according to
Netherlands
Household metabolism in the characteristics of materials relevant in different industries.
A family metabolic
2005 European countries and
model
[83] However, most of them are on the basis of EU Guideline, and
cities
Regional wood The integration of
are usually combined with the life-cycle analysis to track the
2004 management in Appenzell material flux analysis [84] physical movement.
Ausserrhoden and agent analysis
Economically
IV. METHODOLOGY OF MATERIAL FLOW ANALYSIS
Switzerland

2004 The food production chain extended material flow [85]

analysis
The waste electrical and
MFA and life cycle [86]
2005 electronic equipment in
assessment (LCA) A. The framework and the indicator system based on the
Switzerland
Social sciences European Union guidelines
2007 Material flow management modeling approaches [87,88]
coupled to MFA
From the methodology point of view, most of the
A historical materials international research results mentioned above took direct use
2000 The UK steel sector
and energy flow
[89,90] of the recommended method in the EU guidelines, or based on
United Kingdom

analysis and scenario

analysis it and made some appropriate adjustments based on
The supply chain for iron
A time-dependent characteristics of the research objects and the data availability.
2007 material flow analysis [91]
and steel in the UK
model It can be concluded that the EU guidelines are the
2008
The local household Local Area Resource
[92] methodological basis of MFA. As shown in Fig. 1 is the basic
consumption in the UK Analysis model
Annual material flows of
framework of material flow analysis of economic system. In
1995 freight transportation in A flow model [93] which, some points about the material classification need to be
Sweden explained:
Sweden

Identification and
Food consumption and
statistics of flows
2006 nutrient flows the city of
within the system and
[94] Materials of import and export are divided into five major
Linkoping
emissions categories, which are biomass, fossil energy, metallic minerals
A framework based on
2001
MFA in the remote
Socio-Economic [95]
and their products, industrial non-metallic minerals and their
tropical island of Trinket
Metabolism products, and construction materials. The waste emissions are
India

The waste electrical and divided into solid waste, water waste and atmospheric
2005 electronic equipment in the A process-based MFA [96]
city of Delhi pollutants. Dissipative materials include: the materials of
2006 The plastics material flows A framework based on [97] dissipative use (the fertilizer, farm manure on agricultural
lands, dissolved substances and gravel on the road, etc.) and Category of The main analytical
Calculation formula
the materials of dissipative loss (tire wear, chemical accidents, indicators indicators
Direct Material Input Regional extracted materials
gas leakage, abrasion and weathering of infrastructures, and so (DMI) ﹢import
on)[36] . Material input Total Material Input DMI
indicators (TMI) + hidden flow within the region
Hidden flow, also known as the ecological burden, refers to Total Material Requirement TMI
(TMR) + hidden flow outside the
the huge number of environmental substances that must be region
affected for the acquisition of the direct material input, and Direct Material Output RMO
(DMO) + export
mainly includes: ① the amount of topsoil moved and soil Material output Total Regional Material Output Regional material output
erosion volume due to the exploitation of fossil fuels and indicators (TRMO) + regional hidden flow
Total Material Output TRMO
industrial raw materials, ② the non-use bio-harvest (the loss of (TMO) + export
timber harvesting, agricultural harvest losses), ③ abandoned Regional Material Consumption DMI
Material (RMC) - import
earthmoving and river dredging, ④ the amount of natural soil consumption Total Material Consumption TMR
indicators (TMC) – export and relevant hidden
erosion[119]. The hidden flow of each direct material input is flow
usually measured by hidden flow ratio. For example, the Net Addition to Stock Net addition to the materials in
hidden flow ratio of raw coal is 1:6, which means that for Balance (NAS) stock
indicators Physical Trade Balance Import
every 1 ton of coal, 6 tons of environmental substances need to (PTB) - export
be spent on average [120]. In addition, the hidden flow is Material Consumption Intensity TMC
(MCI) /population(or GDP)
divided into two parts, which are within the region and outside Intensity and
Material Productivity GDP
the region caused from imports. For this reason, MFA can not efficiency
indicators
(MP) /RMC
only measure the direct use of the economic system Waste Rate The amount of waste generated
(WR) /GDP
functioning, but also can measure the amount of environmental
substances indirectly affected, which makes the results more B. A summary of the MFA methods
significant in the coordination of economy and environment. Thanks to the continuous study and improvement by many
scholars, the research methods of MFA have been developing.
As a set of analysis system, it is composed by several aspects,
Input Economic System Output which are the framework, the original information collection
and data processing. The details are explained in Table V:
Import Net stock The complete MFA is a system combined of the methods
Extraction in the region: export from each step. As can be seen from the process of
●Biomass methodology development, MFA is heading in the direction
●Fossil energy
●Metallic minerals
Emissions: which for the comprehensive and precise results, and directly
Solid wastes
●Idustrial Non-metallic
●

Water pollutants
relevance to the macro-control of the environment-economic
minerals ●

●construction Materials Material flux Air pollutants

●
systems.
Dissipative materials
Air TABLE V SUMMARY OF THE METHODS OF MATERIAL FLOW
Air ANALYSIS
water
Waste-water
1)．Establishment of MFA framework

Method The advantages and disadvantages

Input hidden Output hidden ★ SFA has as its main objective the characterization of flow
flow flow patterns of materials and elemental substances in specific
Substance Flow
regions
Analysis
★ Tracking the material life-cycle process
(SFA)[122]
★ Only used for a single species of materials
Figure 1. The framework of Material flow analysis based on the European ★ Commonly used at industry level
Union guidelines [11] ★Bringing “stock” into consideration for more comprehensive
Stock and Flow results
In the process of MFA, the economic system will be (STAF)[123] ★ Only used for a single species of materials
considered as a black box, in which the complex material ★ Commonly used at industry level
flows inside are not necessary to be clear. Through ★ Considered the lack of data and the difficulty in data
identification, classification and accounting of the data Combination of EW- collection, introducing SFA for some of elements or
relevant to the material input and output of the system, a series MFA and SFA[124] products,
of indicators can be provided, and then used for decision ★ Large amounts of data needed
making. The most commonly used indicators are illustrated in ★ Reveal the dynamic change of the total amount of regional
Table IV: resources under different developing and utilizing
scenarios,
Regional dynamic
model [125] ★ Comparatively comprehensive consideration of the complex
TABLE IV THE INDICATORS FOR MATERIAL FLOW inter-relationships among various elements,
ANALYSIS[121] ★ Did not take into account of modeling under non-linear
effect
 ★ Study on the amounts and directions of material flows deep
Input-Output into the economic systems,
Table[126] ★ Rough classification of economic activities
★ Just brief analysis within the economic systems
★ Combination of N two-dimensional input-output tables
connected with the N economic departments within the
Three-dimensional
system,
input-output
table[127]
★ In-depth analysis of the interdependence of the material
metabolism within the economic system,
★Requirement of comprehensive data
2)．Collection of information[62]
Method The advantages and disadvantages
★ Only needs the statistical data according to the import and
export statistics on the boundaries of the environment and
Top-down model economic system,
★ Suitable for application to the national-level cases or part of
the industry-level cases
★ Depends on the determination of the inter structure and the
material use within the system,
★ The total amounts are accumulated based on each amount or
Bottom-up model
intensity of each material,
★ Suitable for application to the regional-level cases or part of
the industry-level cases
★ Taking into account the whole process of the material life-
Tracking model and cycles,
fixed-point
model[128]
★ Suitable for the metabolism study on specific substances
3). Data processing
Method The advantages and disadvantages
★ Analysis of the total input, the total consumption and the
total circulation in economies of certain scales,
★ Systematically analysis of the mechanism how basic material
Total amount
flows affect the amount of obtaining of natural resources
model[129] and waste emissions,
★ A static model for total amount accounting,
★ Needs to build on dynamic model and value-flow model for
better guidance in social practice
★ The use intensity, consumption intensity, and circulation
intensity of materials under a certain scale of production or
Material use intensity
model
consumption,
★ Usually used with combination of socio-economic indicators
such as GDP or population
V. RESEARCH PROSPECTS
From the development process and recent research
progress of MFA, a conclusion can be drawn, that at national
level, standardized methodology systems have been unified,
and empirical researches of many countries and regions have
already done. However, the world-wide MFA at national level
is still in the continuous improvement. As to the regional level
and the industrial level, standardization of methodology is not
yet achieved.
In addition, a lot of issues related to MFA need to be
resolved in further research. These include:
• the classification of relevant materials and sectors of
human activity in research on the different material
flows in the various human activities
• the relationship between material flows and social
subjects
• the criterion of the nodes of environmental economics
significance
• the exploration of the relationship between sustainable
development and the cumulative effects of resource
use efficiency;
• the intrinsic link between material flows and land use
or other policies;
• the relationship between material flows during life-
cycles of materials and the environmental impacts;
• Based on material flow analysis and combined with
GIS and other technologies, to establish a national and
even a world-wide material flow accounts system, and
thus fulfill the best use of global materials and energy.
These issues will become major areas in the development
of MFA. In short, only through the unity of the methods and
the improvement of research results, can MFA provide the
most meaningful guidance to play its full role, and then can
sustainable development of the environment - economic
systems come true.
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