Amma Agyei Boakye's Qualifying Exam

Amma Agyei Boakye will stand for the Qualifying Examination for acceptance into candidacy for the Ph.D. degree on Tuesday, March 4 at 4:30 p.m. in the 380 Edwards Street Seminar Room. All faculty (only faculty) are welcome and invited to attend. A copy of Amma’s dissertation prospectus and qualifying exam questions and answers can be obtained from the Doctoral Program Office (contact: elisabeth.barsa@yale.edu).
Committee members:
Prof. Yuan Yao (Chair)
Prof. Marian Chertow
Dr. Barbara Reck
Prof. Kai Lan (North Carolina State Univ.)

Question 1

The generation and accumulation of mass waste have raised global concerns regarding their potential environmental and human health impacts. Various industrial ecology strategies, such as recycling, re-use, re-manufacturing, and industrial symbiosis—where companies utilize each other's waste as raw materials—have been proposed to divert waste from landfills back into material cycles. However, the implementation of these strategies faces real-world challenges, and some strategies bring about environmental and societal concerns.
Questions:

1.1 Do you think that recycling strategies invariably contribute to climate change mitigation and improved environmental outcomes? Provide a comprehensive discussion of your perspective using at least two specific recycling strategies as examples.

1.2 What potential risks or drawbacks might arise from the implementation of recycling strategies? Analyze both ecological implications and socio-economic impacts, discussing the long-term sustainability of at least two specific recycling approaches.

1.3 In your view, how should the effectiveness of recycling solutions be evaluated in light of their potential to cause unintended negative consequences? What crucial factors should be considered to avoid or minimize these risks?

Question 2

One major challenge in assessing the potential environmental and economic implications of emerging technologies is the issue of scaling up. Large-scale operations of an emerging technology may perform differently from lab- or pilot-scale operations, but it may be too late to adequately assess these technologies once they are fully commercialized.
Questions:

2.1 What methodologies have been explored to address scaling-up issues in the assessment of emerging technologies? Discuss and describe these methodologies, providing concrete examples where applicable.

2.2 What are the advantages and limitations of the methodologies discussed in question 2.1? Compare and contrast the similarities and differences of these methods. Discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of applying these methods to evaluate one or more specific waste valorization pathways.

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