Cleaner Production Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Industrial port cities are essential components in a society dependant on fossil fuels and low cost energy. In the global move towards a low-carbon society, industrial port cities are emblematic of complex and integrated socio-ecological... more
Industrial port cities are essential components in a society dependant on fossil fuels and low cost energy. In the global move towards a low-carbon society, industrial port cities are emblematic of complex and integrated socio-ecological systems, which are experiencing transition processes related to interactions between bio-geo-physical components and governance. Using a socio-ecological system framework, this article provides insights into innovative regional eco-industrial development strategies for moving toward a low-carbon future in industrial port areas. Based on three case studies (Marseille-Fos in France, Ningbo in China, and Ulsan in South Korea), our analysis focuses on the changing relationships between energy, land cover, time use, and governance. The historical socio-ecological transition of industrial port cities is described as a stepwise process of spatial and functional disconnection/connection of port industrial complexes, which decouple/combine the port city's metabolism from local resources. We highlight the impacts of globalization on port-city socio-ecological trends, describing the effects of the integration of port cities into global economic processes, the impact of global awareness on global environmental changes, and the accelerating pace of change. We compare low-carbon strategies, revealing similarities in terms of conversion toward low carbon sources and growing connectedness and functional diversity of port-industrial systems.
Several global corporations have been severely criticized by different lobbying groups for the impact of their operations on the natural environment and on the local communities. Because corporate operations cannot be studied in isolation... more
Several global corporations have been severely criticized by different lobbying groups for the impact of their operations on the natural environment and on the local communities. Because corporate operations cannot be studied in isolation but rather as a part of a large network often referred to as a supply chain, this paper investigates the potential link between supply chain characteristics and sustainable development at the country level. In particular, the linkage between supply chain strength, generally defined as the number and quality of the suppliers and customers in a country, and the three dimensions of sustainable development namely environmental performance, corporate environmental practices, and social sustainability is assessed. Using archival data from The Global Competitiveness Report (2004)(2005) and the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index, a statistical assessment of the linkage was conducted.
The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes, i.e. high concentrations of organics, salts and heavy metals (chromium compounds), both in solid and liquid form, as a result. In order to... more
The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes, i.e. high concentrations of organics, salts and heavy metals (chromium compounds), both in solid and liquid form, as a result. In order to bring the tanning industry more in line with present environmental thinking, various methods have been devised to reduce impacts. The underlying study proposes a modification of the method for unhairing-liming of hides where the unhairing-liming liquids are reused several times after being recharged by reduced quantities of chemicals. The study, therefore, aims at reducing both the economic and environmental costs of the unhairing-liming process. Experiments were carried out at lab scale with a simulation apparatus designed for the purpose. Life cycle assessment was used to evaluate the net environmental benefits of the modified method. The present value approach was used to evaluate the economic feasibility of the modified method. The quality of the...
In the context of an increasing commitment to water efficiency in the EU policy, a different approach for eco-efficiency assessment in the agricultural sector, at the meso level, was applied to the Monte Novo irrigation perimeter, located... more
In the context of an increasing commitment to water efficiency in the EU policy, a different approach for eco-efficiency assessment in the agricultural sector, at the meso level, was applied to the Monte Novo irrigation perimeter, located in the southern region of Portugal, targeting the new agricultural paradigm being implemented in the Alentejo region, focusing on the assessment of the environmental and economic impacts and the eco-efficiency performance associated with the water value chain for both the baseline scenario and a set of potential eco-efficiency agricultural improvements. These improvements would be resource efficient or pollution preventing. The agricultural eco-efficiency improvements which promote the efficiency of water use, like the Regulated Deficit Irrigation, allow the reduction of water and energy consumptions, whereas those promoting pollution prevention as the use of sludge from waste water treatment plants or the use of organic fertilizers, make it possible to reduce pollution caused by the use of chemical fertilizers. The selection of the agricultural eco-efficiency improvements to be tested was based on stakeholders' involvement and perceptions; the chosen methodology highlights the impacts of the application of each of those eco-efficiency improvements and the potential investments required, in order to facilitate stakeholders' decisions. The results to be presented focus on the relative performance of the scenarios corresponding to the application of each of the proposed eco-efficiency improvements compared to a baseline scenario. The set of eco-efficiency indicators evaluated is complemented with an economic performance assessment, allowing to present some policy recommendations on technology uptake.
The global cement industry produces over four billion tonnes annually. In recent years, the quest for increasing energy efficiency has led this industry to test and use "waste" materials as alternative fuels (AF). The objective of this... more
The global cement industry produces over four billion tonnes annually. In recent years, the quest for increasing energy efficiency has led this industry to test and use "waste" materials as alternative fuels (AF). The objective of this study was to examine the use, as alternative fuel, of the shredded non-recycled plastics and paper residue (NRPP) of a materials recovery facility at the Balcones plant in San Antonio, Texas; this material has a Lower Heating Value (LHV) of about 17 MJ/kg and is called "engineered fuel" (EF). The results showed that EF consists of mostly paper fiber, a biogenic material, so its use helps to decrease CO 2 emissions from cement production. In the US, on an average about 4.3 MJ of thermal energy are used to dry, decompose, and sinter the carbonate minerals to produce one kg of "clinker" that is then ground to cement powder and mixed with other compounds. If the maximum amount of EF that can be used by the U.S. cement industry (83 million tonnes of cement per year) were to be separated at Material Recovery Facilities and used as alternative fuel in cement kilns, the diversion of non-recycled paper and plastics from landfills would amount to 17.7 million tonnes of EF. The general methodology used for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is Eco-indicators 99 that uses the SimaPro database and four scenarios were assessed. The corresponding chemical structure of the EF was calculated and the associated emissions during combustion were determined. The laboratory analyses determined the average makeup of the sampled fuels consisted of 20% fossil based carbon and 80% biogenic. The use of EF in the cement industry reduces greenhouse gas emission by up to 3 tonnes of CO 2 per tonne of EF used in place of a highquality coal. The study also found that use of EF in cement production has no adverse effect on the stack emissions of cement plants, nor on the quality of cement produced. The mercury concentration in the stack gas of U.S. cement kilns is well below the U.S. standard and the total dioxin emissions of all cement plants amount to only 0.05% of the dioxins emitted by all U.S. sources. Furthermore, the cement process incorporates the residual ash in the EF into the final clinker, thus resulting in both energy and materials recovery.
Part I of this paper contained a technological description and economic evaluation of a large-scale highend CDW recycling plant in the Lisbon Metropolitan area. It concludes that economic viability is likely under the operating conditions... more
Part I of this paper contained a technological description and economic evaluation of a large-scale highend CDW recycling plant in the Lisbon Metropolitan area. It concludes that economic viability is likely under the operating conditions considered, but these may and will very probably change in the near future. The reasons for such assumption have to do with the inherent uncertainty related to CDW generation (which might vary, for instance, due to socioeconomic conditions in the region), such as the variability of CDW input gate fees and tariffs associated with landfilling rejected materials, which are market dependent parameters. This made it necessary to perform an (simplified) economic viability sensitivity analysis, focused on the investment return period and global economic balance. If parameters such as the plant's capacity, the CDW input gate fee and landfill fee are varied, the investment return period is affected in different ways, though its value is generally kept below 8 years, for parameter variations of AE30%. The analysis indicates economic performance for variations in single parameters, except for the plant's capacity, which was considered to vary simultaneously with all others. Extreme best and worst scenarios were also tested in an attempt to define the model's boundaries.
As greenhouse gas emissions are a key driver of climate change, sources of CO 2 must be mitigated, particularly from carbon-intensive sectors, like power production. Natural gas provides an increasingly large percentage of electricity;... more
As greenhouse gas emissions are a key driver of climate change, sources of CO 2 must be mitigated, particularly from carbon-intensive sectors, like power production. Natural gas provides an increasingly large percentage of electricity; however its lower carbon intensity is insufficient to make proportional reduction contributions to circumvent 2°C global warming. The low partial pressure of CO 2 in its flue gas makes postcombustion capture more challenging increasing the CO 2 in the exhaust assists in enhancing capture efficiency. This paper experimentally investigates the impact of the combination of humidified air turbines and exhaust gas recirculation to increase CO 2 partial pressures, with the aim of evaluating their effects on emissions and turbine parameters at various turndown ratios. It was found that CO 2 levels could be increased from 1.5 to 5.3 vol%, meaning more efficient post-combustion capture would be possible. CO 2 and steam additions increased incomplete combustion when used together at high levels for low turndown ratios (below 60%), with CO increasing from 49 to 211 ppm and CH 4 from 2.5 to 52 ppm; this effect was negated at higher power outputs. Turbine cycle humidification resulted in net improvements to the turbine efficiency, by up to 5.5% on a specific fuel consumption basis.
This paper introduces the Special Volume (SV) dedicated to the 2012 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Food Conference. During recent years, these conferences have seen a rapid increase in the number of participants, reflecting the development... more
This paper introduces the Special Volume (SV) dedicated to the 2012 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Food Conference. During recent years, these conferences have seen a rapid increase in the number of participants, reflecting the development of an interdisciplinary research and development community at the intersection between the agronomic, food/nutrition science and environmental system analysis disciplines. This introductory paper summarises the key issues addressed in the individual papers of this SV, which present a balance between methodological and applied studies. The application of LCA to agrofood systems exemplifies a dynamic and productive interaction between scientific disciplines that previously led separate lives. As a result, LCA in the agro-food sector leads LCA methodological developments on topics such as the attributional versus consequential debate, land use changes, impacts on biodiversity, biotic resource depletion, water use, soil quality, and modelling of direct emissions of crop and animal production systems. Future challenges for the LCA Food research and development domain concern the following issues: functional unit and multi-functionality, emission models, land occupation and transformation, LCA for low-income countries, resilience of agro-food systems and presentation and transparency of results.
Waste foundry sand (WFS) and fly ash D-Optimal mixture design/response surface methodology/design of experiments Statistical optimization Geopolymer concrete (GPC) Compressive strength A B S T R A C T This work examines the partial... more
Waste foundry sand (WFS) and fly ash D-Optimal mixture design/response surface methodology/design of experiments Statistical optimization Geopolymer concrete (GPC) Compressive strength A B S T R A C T This work examines the partial replacement of fine aggregates with waste foundry sand (WFS) and fly ash, process by-products, to synthesize geopolymer concrete (GPC). D-optimal mixture design of experiments was adopted to guide the proportion of mixture constituents (fine aggregates, WFS, and fly ash) to obtain desired responses (high compressive strengths). The experimentally measured responses/compressive strengths were successfully fitted to Scheffe polynomial model to obtain cubic models which represent compressive strengths of solidified GPC at 7 th day curing time (CS 7) and at 28 th day curing time (CS 28). The models were statistically evaluated by the standard error of design estimation and experimentally verified by comparing their predicted responses to the independently performed experiments. The models were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and residuals (diagnostics) for statistical significance and validation, respectively. The established models, hence obtained, were used to assess the impacts of relative proportions of mixture constituents at CS 7 and CS 28. It was observed that, although the highest compressive strength requires a high proportion of fine aggregates, yet, some mixture compositions could be proposed for better utilization of waste materials. Finally, the optimization was performed to maximize the usage of WFS and fly ash. A recipe was identified which yielded 18.9 N/mm² CS 7 and 22.3 N/mm² CS 28 by mere 32 wt. % contribution of fine aggregates in a (fine aggregates + WFS + fly ash) mixture. This study can be helpful in designing experiments and optimizing the utilization of similar waste materials into useful products.
The authors of this paper offer an aftermarket, remanufacturing (or reman) decision-making framework (RDMF), developed, based on a comprehensive set of strategic factors derived from an in-depth literature review and case studies. RDMF is... more
The authors of this paper offer an aftermarket, remanufacturing (or reman) decision-making framework (RDMF), developed, based on a comprehensive set of strategic factors derived from an in-depth literature review and case studies. RDMF is also grounded on results from an industry survey and related theory. The survey targeted Original Equipment (OE) suppliers that are involved in automotive OE production and also provide remanufactured (or reman) parts for the aftermarket, which includes the Original Equipment Service (OES) and/or the Independent Aftermarket (IAM) business. A response rate of 42% was obtained for the survey; the respondents were business unit managers or chief engineers from 18 companies in the United States and Europe who are actively involved in the reman businesses. The survey results helped the authors of this paper to prioritize and confirm the strategic decision-making factors from previous research. The key factors considered to be important by more than 50% of the survey respondents, constituting roughly 79% of the strategic factors were then incorporated into RDMF. The RDMF will be useful for aftermarket supplier companies in general and in particular, will be useful for automotive suppliers, involved with OE and aftermarket production.
This study investigated the fracture behavior of multi-layer ferrocement composite slabs with partial replacement of tire rubber powder as filler utilizing Acoustic Emission (AE) technique for characterization. Ferrocement slab specimens... more
This study investigated the fracture behavior of multi-layer ferrocement composite slabs with partial replacement of tire rubber powder as filler utilizing Acoustic Emission (AE) technique for characterization. Ferrocement slab specimens prepared using normal-compact cement mortar, self-compact cement mortar, fly ash, and rubberized self-compact cement mortar-with varying steel mesh reinforcement layers-were statically loaded to failure. The inclusion of 10% rubber powder (by weight) was found capable of altering the failure mode of composite slabs from brittle to ductile with a slight reduction in the ultimate flexural strength. Fracture development of the specimens was closely monitored using AE for enhanced characterization. It is seemingly evident that the measured AE parameters could be effectively processed to distinguish different modes of fracture. The collected AE data was utilized to quantify stiffness reduction in the specimens due to progressive damage.
Circular economy is increasingly recognized as a better alternative to the dominant linear (take, make, and dispose) economic model. Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM), which integrates the philosophy of the circular economy into... more
Circular economy is increasingly recognized as a better alternative to the dominant linear (take, make, and dispose) economic model. Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM), which integrates the philosophy of the circular economy into supply chain management, offers a new and compelling perspective to the supply chain sustainability domain. Consequently, there is increasing research interest. However, a review of the extant literature shows that a comprehensive integrated view of CSCM is still absent in the extant literature. This prohibits a clear distinction compared to other supply chain sustainability concepts and hinders further progress of the field. In response, this research first classifies various terminologies related to supply chain sustainability and conceptualizes a unifying definition of CSCM. Using this definition as a base, it then conducts a structured literature review of 261 research articles on the current state of CSCM research. Based on the review results, the researchers call for further studies in the following directions that are important but received little or no attention: design for circularity, procurement and CSCM, biodegradable packaging, circular supply chain collaboration and coordination, drivers and barriers of CSCM, circular consumption, product liabilities and producer's responsibility, and technologies and CSCM.
From the moment of purchase, pristine objects are subjected to an array of stimuli including wear, impact, heat, light, water and air which alter their tactile and aesthetic properties. Material change is often regarded as 'damage' or... more
From the moment of purchase, pristine objects are subjected to an array of stimuli including wear, impact, heat, light, water and air which alter their tactile and aesthetic properties. Material change is often regarded as 'damage' or 'degradation' and contributes to premature obsolescence but has potential to be used as a tool to engender emotional engagement with an object and extend product lifetimes. However, materials resources for designers rarely provide information about how materials will change in use. In this paper we draw on a combination of literature and user studies to elucidate the complex web of factors which contribute to changes in material surfaces, which we present in a 'framework for understanding material change'. We go on to explore the role that changes to product material surfaces, and the design of objects to change in particular ways with use, could have on the transition to circular modes of consumption. A range of resources which aim to increase designers' understanding of material change are presented, and the challenges of creating, utilising and developing these resources are discussed.
Global food demand is increasing due to population growth and dietary transitions, resulting from rising incomes, are associated with increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Improving the sustainability of the food sector is... more
Global food demand is increasing due to population growth and dietary transitions, resulting from rising incomes, are associated with increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Improving the sustainability of the food sector is also critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This study assesses for the first time the greenhouse gases emissions (Carbon Footprint e CF), the water footprint (WF) and the cost of three omnivorous diets recommended in Spain due to their health benefits: the Mediterranean diet (MD), the Southern European Atlantic diet (SEAD) and the Spanish dietary guidelines (NAOS). Analysis was conducted using standard Life Cycle Assessment and WF methods together with current Spanish food price data. The dietary energy recommendation of the SEAD is greater than that of MD and NAOS (11 and 15% respectively), and SEAD also has greater animal source food content than the other two diets. SEAD has a concomitantly higher CF, WF and cost scores in comparison with MD (þ30%, þ23% and þ21% respectively) and NAOS (þ15%, þ9% and þ21% respectively). Adjusting recommendations to meet the suggested Spanish adult dietary energy of 2228 kcal•capita À1 •day À1 changed the environmental profiles of the diets and the NAOS has the highest environmental impact. However, the isocaloric diets had approximately the same cost. Analysis of the WF of the diets identified the major contribution of precipitation (the green WF) to the overall WF (88% of the total) and the significant contribution of animal-source foods to dietary WF. Regardless of the dietary scenario, better scores were identified for the Spanish recommendations analysed than those reported for other healthy diets identified in Europe. Differences in the recommended intake levels of certain food groups, cooking techniques and the origin of food products are behind these results. Environmental indicators should be considered alongside nutrition and health metrics when defining national dietary guidelines. Supporting citizens to follow healthy and environmentally-friendly dietary recommendations through, among other things, information campaigns and nutritional education programmes is essential. It is recommended the incorporation not only of health, but also of environmental indicators of these dietary options in the national dietary guidelines, as well as implementation of information campaigns and nutritional education programs among citizens to promote their adhesion since balanced dietary habits rich on plant-based products and low on animal-based ones involve multiple health and environmental benefits.
This study analyzes the environmental performance of the electronic boards used in the current generation of induction hob designed and assembled in Spain. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been performed, defining the functional unit as... more
This study analyzes the environmental performance of the electronic boards used in the current generation of induction hob designed and assembled in Spain. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been performed, defining the functional unit as the electronic boards used in an induction cooktop with 4 hobs and 7.2 kW of nominal power. The electronic boards are two power electronic boards (ELIN PCBAs-Printed Circuit Board Assembly-), and one touch control electronic board (Touch Control PCBA). Each one has been thoroughly analysed having into account every electronic component. The software used to create the LCA model was SimaPro 7.3.3, using two databases Ecoinvent v2.2 and Chalmers CPM LCA Database. The most relevant environmental impact in every category is caused by the two ELIN PCBAs. Touch Control PCBA has significant impact in Ozone Layer Depletion, although its value is four times lower than the emissions of one ELIN PCBA. Both ELIN PCBAs show similar environmental impact distribution. Components create between 70 and 85% of the total impact in most categories. Touch Control PCBA has a different environmental impact distribution from both ELIN PCBA. This analysis of the environmental impact of the ELIN PCBAs and the Touch Control PCBA used in an induction hob has revealed that there are several clear areas for improvement, such as reducing the environmental impact of the components and improving its end-of-life treatment.
Energy efficiency of belt conveyors has recently gained in importance worldwide. While significant research efforts were consecrated to the operational aspects, the literature study shows the design optimization problem was scarcely... more
Energy efficiency of belt conveyors has recently gained in importance worldwide. While significant research efforts were consecrated to the operational aspects, the literature study shows the design optimization problem was scarcely investigated in the past. Among the various type of belt conveyors, the multi-drive technology is now increasingly acknowledged as involving further cost saving opportunities as a result of the possible reduction of the belt weight. In this paper, a multi-drive belt conveyor sizing model that aims to minimize the life cycle cost of the conveyor is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed approach in improving their economic benefits over the single-drive conveyors has been established through extensive simulations on a practical case study. The robustness of the best design solution against the variation in the inflation rate have been also validated.
Various cleaner production (CP) audits have been conducted in the South African metal finishing industry. These studies have been successful in effecting changes to the general status of the local metal finishing industry. In this paper,... more
Various cleaner production (CP) audits have been conducted in the South African metal finishing industry. These studies have been successful in effecting changes to the general status of the local metal finishing industry. In this paper, the initiatives undertaken by a Danish government sponsored project are detailed. The project included the conducting of in-plant assessments, using a tailor-made tool for CP benchmarking. Details on this tool's operations and typical results are presented. Typical assessments indicated potential water savings of 78%, with chemical savings of approximately 30%. The plant modifications undertaken in order to achieve the CP objectives, are described. The affects of these initiatives on local municipal wastewater treatment works are detailed with specific reference to significant reductions in incoming wastewaterborne heavy metals. The main challenge for companies has been data retrieval for the tool and overcoming social barriers for implementing the improvement options. Recommendations include redesigning the assessment tool.
The processing of natural resources involves many variations of uncertainties as the natural resources themselves vary in their composition. Since the weather influences harvest quality, natural products are strongly affected by weather... more
The processing of natural resources involves many variations of uncertainties as the natural resources themselves vary in their composition. Since the weather influences harvest quality, natural products are strongly affected by weather conditions. Excessive rainfall increases the water content of products, while a lack of rain may cause the whole harvest to dry out. Due to the varying soil conditions also the quality of wheat, measured, for example, by its protein or starch content, varies from region to region. During the processing of natural products, as presented in this case study for animal feed, the produced compound feed can change its composition as well, for example by raising the starch content through the addition of hot steam to wheat grains. As the processing of natural raw materials as compound feed consumes a lot of energy, producers aim to decrease costs related to energy consumption without decreasing the product's quality. In addition, energy efficient production also leads to lower CO 2 emissions. This paper highlights the energy efficiency challenges during the processing of natural resources in feed processing and gives advice on how to cope with uncertainties by reaching the goal of achieving a constant product quality.
The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between green logistics operations and energy demand, economic growth and environmental sustainability need to make factors for relationship clearer in a panel data of 43 different... more
The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between green logistics operations and energy demand, economic growth and environmental sustainability need to make factors for relationship clearer in a panel data of 43 different countries around the globe. The study employed panel Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimates for robust inferences. The results have revealed that logistics operations consume energy and fossil fuel, while the amount of fossil fuel and non-green energy sources create significant harmful effect on the environmental sustainability and also have negative effect on economic growth. In addition, poor transport-related infrastructure and logistics service are a major contributor of CO2 and total greenhouse
This study investigates the novel design of a hybrid solar distillation system. The system includes a parabolic trough collector (PTC), cascade solar still and a single slope single basin solar still as the recycling unit. Thermodynamic... more
This study investigates the novel design of a hybrid solar distillation system. The system includes a parabolic trough collector (PTC), cascade solar still and a single slope single basin solar still as the recycling unit. Thermodynamic parameters of saline water were considered in our energy balance calculations, which improved the accuracy of our results. The experiments were conducted in Tabriz, Iran, during September. Using these three stages, the production rate achieved about 6 kg/m 2 .day in cascade solar still, 4 kg/m 2 .day for the single basin solar still and 450g solid salt. Usually, cascade solar stills have better performance in comparison to other solar stills. To prevent salt deposition among the stairs of cascade solar still, the water should flow through the stairs causing the brine to leave. Recycling brine could remove one of the biggest environmental disadvantages of cascade solar stills. PTC can generate more efficiently than evacuated tubes and flat-plate solar collectors. The total efficiency of the hybrid solar distillation reached 41%. The novel hybrid solar distillation system improved the efficiency of the distillation system and removed brine of cascade solar still.
The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development (SD) are often used by policy-makers, stakeholders and the private sector, as ‘selling points’ for their agendas and goals. Thanks to the wide, but also self-interpretive... more
The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development (SD) are often used by policy-makers, stakeholders and the private sector, as ‘selling points’ for their agendas and goals. Thanks to the wide, but also self-interpretive definition, the concepts allow various actors to make related pledges without necessarily undertaking any significant changes to their policies, strategies and actions. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the meaning of and approaches to sustainability and sustainable development which are being adopted and/or reformulated in the newly emerging bioeconomy policy debate of the European Union (EU). Understanding these concepts is crucially important given the growing importance of and adherence to bioeconomy-based policies and strategies by both individual EU Member States and the EU as a whole. The way bioeconomy policies perceive sustainability and SD as concepts will have profound implications not only on a practical level for policy implementation, but also on a conceptual level and for theoretical discourses surrounding sustainability and SD. The policy and narrative analyses illustrate that the current EU bioeconomy policy leans strongly towards prudentially conservationist, utilitarian and instrumental approaches to SD, as well as towards weak sustainability. We therefore argue that a balance between environmental, social and economic dimensions – as introduced in the Brundtland report – is missing within the EU bioeconomy policy framework, since economic dimensions and concerns prevail over environmental and social dimensions. In the light of possible negative consequences of biomass production we foresee an urgent need to define and broaden the scope of bioeconomy, as well as to include wider environmental and social concerns and safeguards. To tackle the shared challenges and constraints modern societies face today, a broader definition of sustainability needs to be adopted within the EU bioeconomy policy framework. Issues such as social justice, fairness and equity, social and environmental safeguards and local traditional knowledge in various concerned sectors should be taken into consideration.
The objective of this paper is to assess the environmental effectiveness of a strategic measure aimed at resource productivity enhancement. The cement industry has been identified as a relevant sector for this global issue, since the... more
The objective of this paper is to assess the environmental effectiveness of a strategic measure aimed at resource productivity enhancement. The cement industry has been identified as a relevant sector for this global issue, since the related production process enables the use of waste in partial substitution of raw materials and in substitution of traditional fuels. The analysis of the cement production sector in Italy has been here performed, investigating the recovery of energy from waste through co-incineration. In terms of air emissions, the emission performances of cement kilns appear independent from the use of alternative fuels at the percentages usually employed. However, in order to measure the cleanliness of a production system, systematic analysis with global perspective is needed. For this aim, the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been used for a case study analysis of an Italian active plant using an amount of recovered plastics as an alternative fuel resource. The improvement on the investigated process has been quantitatively measured as a way for cleaner production, first in terms of gross energy requirement, and then through an environmental performance comparison with a sector benchmark. The analysis has highlighted the benefits on the global environmental balance for the practice of coincineration in the cement production process.
Universities can nowadays be regarded as 'small cities' due to their large size, population, and the various complex activities taking place in campuses, which have some serious direct and indirect impacts on the environment. The... more
Universities can nowadays be regarded as 'small cities' due to their large size, population, and the various complex activities taking place in campuses, which have some serious direct and indirect impacts on the environment. The environmental pollution and degradation caused by universities in form of energy and material consumption via activities and operations in teaching and research, provision of support services and in residential areas could be considerably reduced by an effective choice of organizational and technical measures. Although many environmental protection measures can be seen at some universities, but a more systematic and sustainable approach to reducing the negative impacts of those activities and making the campuses more sustainable, is generally lacking. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework of a more suitable approach to achieving campus sustainability that could remedy the limitations of the current environmental management practices in universities and ensures more sustainability through the integration of three strategies, namely: university Environmental Management System (EMS); public participation and social responsibility; and promoting sustainability in teaching and research.
This paper addresses a persistent and worsening societal dilemma worldwide: the ecological unsustainability of the automobile as the primary means for providing personal mobility. The solution to this problem will require input from all... more
This paper addresses a persistent and worsening societal dilemma worldwide: the ecological unsustainability of the automobile as the primary means for providing personal mobility. The solution to this problem will require input from all segments of society, and must include technological innovation, changes in the physical infrastructure and land use, and social, cultural, and institutional changes. A fundamental rethinking of the entire system of personal mobility is necessary. Governments can play a significant role in promoting change: by stimulating technological innovation through regulations, incentives and subsidies, by investing in the infrastructure, by providing leadership, and by organizing and supporting a debate with a focus on the system as a whole: its spatial characteristics, the motives for transport, and the alternatives that are presently not developed. From the technological perspective, one of the much-discussed solutions is a hydrogen-powered automobile. We argue that the future of this approach is questionable, and propose a fundamental re-framing of the significance of hydrogen: from viewing it as a solution to the personal mobility problem to seeing it as a medium for transporting and storing energy that has been generated elsewhere (preferably by renewable resources). A new and radically different way of seeing the problem of individual mobility, and of the roles of various stakeholders in finding solutions, is also necessary. This is the essence of higher order learning. To facilitate such learning among various societal groups, we advocate a combination of multi-stakeholder visioning processes, scenario building, backcasting exercises, and small-scale socio-technical experiments. These approaches may be practiced at various levels, from local to national, with experimentation probably being best suited for a smaller scale. An ongoing process of visioning future mobility in the Boston Metropolitan area illustrates how such approaches may be used.
Management is a significant factor in any business activity. It may be enhanced by the application of various management systems. These will help to obtain, organize, administrate, evaluate and control particulars: information, quality,... more
Management is a significant factor in any business activity. It may be enhanced by the application of various management systems. These will help to obtain, organize, administrate, evaluate and control particulars: information, quality, environmental protection, health and safety and various resources (human, finance etc). Environmental management should embrace recent changes in the area of environmental protection, and be tailored to recent regulations in this field – entirely legal and economic, as well as take into use management systems that meet the requirements of the contemporary model for economic development. These changes are aimed at abandoning the conventional approach of environmental protection and replace it with sustainable development. The keys and the aims of Cleaner Productions are at present being implemented in various companies as a non-formalised environmental management system. This concept is suggested here as a proper model for practice where geothermal en...
The textile/apparel industry is of great importance to the economy in terms of trade, employment, investment and revenue all over the world. This sector is however characterised by substantial losses, due to production excesses on the one... more
The textile/apparel industry is of great importance to the economy in terms of trade, employment, investment and revenue all over the world. This sector is however characterised by substantial losses, due to production excesses on the one hand, and the "throw away" culture on the other. This state of affairs suggests that textile recycling is needed. Apart from the environmental and ecological advantages which can be brought about by the re-use and recycling of textiles, there are many benefits of a socio-economicnature. This paper analyses current trends on textile recycling, the barriers impeding greater recycling, and outlines the socio-economic advantages of moving towards a circular economy. Some examples of on-going initiatives are discussed, together with some of the measures that may be used to further reduce the current waste deriving from the apparel sector.
This paper analyses the importance and environmental impacts of metallic small-scale mining in Chile. This sector is characterized by the exploitation of primarily artisanal copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag) deposits, which are... more
This paper analyses the importance and environmental impacts of metallic small-scale mining in Chile. This sector is characterized by the exploitation of primarily artisanal copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag) deposits, which are dispersed throughout (Chilean) Regions I through VI, with heaviest concentrations in Regions III and IV. In 2000, Chilean small-scale mines employed some 1700 workers (5.1% of total mining workers), and plants with a production capacity of less than 50 tpd accounted for 0.97% (44,603 t) of Cu; 6.5% (3,484) of Au; and 1.1% (13,665 kg) of Ag output in the country. High-grade ore extraction, flotation, gravity concentration, acid leaching-cementation, and mercury amalgamation, are the main metallurgical technologies employed. Following an overview of Chilean small-scale mining, the paper examines the environmental impacts of its production processes, and discusses the legal support and regulatory framework in place for operations.
Mussels as a commercial product involve a range of activities which can be included within four different sub-sectors: culture, dispatch centres, canning factories and, finally, cooking plants. This paper deals with the environmental... more
Mussels as a commercial product involve a range of activities which can be included within four different sub-sectors: culture, dispatch centres, canning factories and, finally, cooking plants. This paper deals with the environmental evaluation of the whole mussel sector ...
This paper assesses the environmental profile of the biscuit supply chain for producing high quality gluten-free biscuits. Three different types of biscuits were considered. The assessment followed a cradleto-grave approach applying the... more
This paper assesses the environmental profile of the biscuit supply chain for producing high quality gluten-free biscuits. Three different types of biscuits were considered. The assessment followed a cradleto-grave approach applying the ISO standards in compliance with the Product Category Rules (PCR) defined within EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for bakery products. Analogous environmental profiles were implemented for assessing the products: It was found that the main hotspot in all impact categories was ingredients production with the range contribution from 22.2% to 84.9%, followed by transportation. Initial hypotheses for ingredients origin and waste management practices were demonstrated to have a key influence on the environmental results: higher packaging recycling rates and local ingredients usage led to improved environmental results (up to 5.5%) while direct food waste disposal was responsible for slightly unfavourable performance relative to base case (below 1%). Additionally, healthier ingredients such as xylitol and fructose were used to evaluate their potential benefits from an environmental perspective. It was found that only the use of fructose was a suitable alternative sweetener for more sustainable production.
Research to date has identified cost and lack of support from stakeholders as two key barriers to the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) industry that is capable of effectively mitigating climate change. This paper... more
Research to date has identified cost and lack of support from stakeholders as two key barriers to the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) industry that is capable of effectively mitigating climate change. This paper responds to these challenges through systematic evaluation of the research and development process for the Acorn CCS project, a project designed to develop a scalable, full-chain CCS project on the northeast coast of the UK. Through assessment of Acorn's publiclyavailable outputs, we identify strategies which may help to enhance the viability of early-stage CCS projects. Initial capital costs can be minimised by infrastructure re-use, particularly pipelines, and by reuse of data describing the subsurface acquired during oil and gas exploration activity. Also, development of the project in separate stages of activity (e.g. different phases of infrastructure re-use and investment into new infrastructure) enables cost reduction for future build-out phases. Additionally, engagement of regional-level policy makers may help to build stakeholder support by situating CCS within regional decarbonisation narratives. We argue that these insights may be translated to general objectives for any CCS project sharing similar characteristics such as legacy infrastructure, industrial clusters and an involved stakeholder-base that is engaged with the fossil fuel industry.
Being the lifeblood of socioeconomic progress, engineering is implicated in the unprecedented challenge of sustainability. The global engineering community devised sustainable engineering as a conceptual departure from conventional... more
Being the lifeblood of socioeconomic progress, engineering is implicated in the unprecedented challenge of sustainability. The global engineering community devised sustainable engineering as a conceptual departure from conventional engineering practices. However, the extent to which the sustainability worldview has permeated the Nigerian engineering community remains unanswered. This paper is an attempt to answer the question of how sustainability literate are the members of the Nigerian engineering community. The paper undertakes an assessment of the sustainability literacy of the community with the aid of a stakeholder survey and a devised sustainability literacy test. Three criteria that are used to gauge the stakeholders' sustainability literacy are awareness of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, score on the sustainability literacy test, and self-assessment of sustainability knowledge. Survey participants were recruited mainly from two federallyrun Nigerian higher education institutions, and engineering professional associations. The assessment reveals an unsatisfactory performance of the Nigerian engineering stakeholders on all three sustainability literacy criteria. The results show that the majority of the students (81%), educators (67%), and practitioners (64%) were unaware of the UNDESD. The paper therefore highlights the need to improve the sustainability literacy of the Nigerian engineering community, possibly through a sustainability education intervention.
Several compounds with enhanced functional properties of interest in the nutraceutical and medical sectors can be recovered by using the biomass currently wasted in fishing extractive and processing activities, promoting the... more
Several compounds with enhanced functional properties of interest in the nutraceutical and medical sectors can be recovered by using the biomass currently wasted in fishing extractive and processing activities, promoting the sustainability of this sector and leading to its development under a bio-economical framework. In particular, it has been observed that crustaceans are an important fraction of the total biomass discarded by fisheries, mainly in those metiers involving coastal waters. Crustacean biomass can be destined to the production of chitin/chitosan (in combination with food use of muscle or protein hydrolysates production) since their exoskeletons are one of the most important sources of this polysaccharide available for commercial use. In this work, the sustainability of both the chemical and enzymatic process to obtain chitin at pilot scale was analysed. The three sustainability dimensions were evaluated and integrated by hierarchical methods to provide a consistent comparison baseline between processes. The results indicated that the enzymatic process could be an adequate alternative that should be considered for chitin extraction, especially if water recovery is employed.
Cleaner production and sustainability are of crucial importance in the field of machining processes where great amount of energy is being consumed. This paper outlines the application of grey relational theory and Taguchi optimization... more
Cleaner production and sustainability are of crucial importance in the field of machining processes where great amount of energy is being consumed. This paper outlines the application of grey relational theory and Taguchi optimization methodology in order to optimize the cutting parameters for Poly-EtherEtherKeytone reinforced with 30% of carbon fibers. The material is turned by using TiN coated tools under dry conditions. The objective of optimization is to achieve simultaneously the minimum power consumption and the best surface quality. This involves in practice reducing the environmental footprint related to such manufacturing process while providing enhanced functional performance in terms of surface integrity of machined parts. The obtained results have indicated that cutting speed and depth of cut are the most influential parameters. The optimal setting of machining parameters achieving sustainability target in terms of minimum surface roughness and minimum cutting power was determined.
A printed circuit board (PCB) is an integral component of any electronic product and is among the most challenging components to recycle. While PCB manufacturing processes undergo generations of innovation and advancement with 21st... more
A printed circuit board (PCB) is an integral component of any electronic product and is among the most challenging components to recycle. While PCB manufacturing processes undergo generations of innovation and advancement with 21st century technologies, the recycling of PCBs primarily employs 1920's shredding and separation technologies. There is a critical need for alternative PCB recycling routes to satisfy the increasing environmental demands. Previous work has developed an environmentally benign supercritical fluid process that successfully delaminated the PCB substrates and separated the PCB layers. While this work was successful in delamination of the PCB substrates, further understanding is needed to maximize the interactions between the supercritical fluid and PCB for an optimal processing scenario. As such, this research presents an exploratory study to further investigate the supercritical fluid PCB recycling process by using supercritical carbon dioxide and an additional amount of water to delaminate PCB substrates. The focus of this study is to test delamination success at low temperature and pressure supercritical conditions in comparison to the previous studies. Furthermore, material characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, are included to study the delaminating mechanisms. Results from the recycling process testing showed that the PCB substrates delaminated easily and could be further separated into copper foils, glass fibers and polymers. Surprisingly, the material characterization suggested that there were no significant changes in glass transition temperature, crosslink density, and FTIR spectra of the PCBs before and after the supercritical fluid process.
Eco-design is a valuable approach in order to reduce the environmental impact associated with a product system, by introducing environmental considerations early on in its design. Different strategies are possible for the implementation... more
Eco-design is a valuable approach in order to reduce the environmental impact associated with a product system, by introducing environmental considerations early on in its design. Different strategies are possible for the implementation of eco-design, depending on the intended goals as well as the characteristics of the products. The present work proposes a series of eco-design indicators and tests to what extent the application of these simple indicators provides a reliable indication of the reduction of environmental impact, as measured by commonly employed Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) indicators. The product chosen for the case study was a water source heat pump. Two of the newly-developed indicators were applied and compared to LCIA indicators, focussing on design for disassembly and for recycling. A good and robust correlation was found, providing support to the thesis that these simple eco-design indicators can be used as a proxy to quickly and effectively gauge the environmental improvements introduced in a product system at the design stage.
This study assesses the environmental impact of four alternatives for reinforcing 100 m2 of concrete footpath (Functional Unit, FU) by using cradle to gate life cycle assessment (LCA), based on the Australian context. Specifically, the... more
This study assesses the environmental impact of four alternatives for reinforcing 100 m2 of concrete footpath (Functional Unit, FU) by using cradle to gate life cycle assessment (LCA), based on the Australian context. Specifically, the four options considered are a) producing steel reinforcing mesh (SRM), b) producing virgin polypropylene (PP) fibre, c) recycling industrial PP waste and d) recycling domestic PP waste. The FU yields 364 kg of SRM (in a) and 40 kg of PP fibres (in b, c and d), necessary to achieve the same degree of reinforcing in concrete. All the activities required to produce these materials are considered in the study, namely manufacturing and transportation, and also recycling and reprocessing in the case of industrial and domestic recycled PP waste fibres. These processes are individually analysed and quantified in terms of material consumption, water use, and emissions into the environment. This allows for the impacts from producing recycled fibres to be compar...
The United Nations proposed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to foster sustainable development, including tackling environmental challenges and adopting cleaner production practices worldwide. Green technology is crucial for the... more
The United Nations proposed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to foster sustainable development, including tackling environmental challenges and adopting cleaner production practices worldwide. Green technology is crucial for the implementation of the SDGs. Currently, there is an urgent need to form a long-term sustainable investment mechanism for screening, evaluation, and promotion of appropriate green technology. Therefore, this study develops an integrated green technology framework to fill a gap in the literature by prioritizing green technologies' most critical attributes in Pakistan. Initially, we focus on eight leading green technology indicators: Environmental Quality, Resource Utilization, Agriculture & forestry, Green building, Energy utilization, Green Transport, Life Health, and Ecology Safety with the help of the fuzzy Delphi method. Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is employed to find primary and sub-indicators relative importance. Results reveal that Energy Utilization and agriculture & forestry are significant indicators. Supply chain and sustainable food security, Energy Recycling and Eco-Farming obtained the highest weight scores and are seen as essential among 43 sub-criteria. This study is among the first to assess the green technology indicators for cleaner production and sustainable investment to achieve sustainable development. This study's outcomes can help scholars, managers, government agencies, and decision-makers understand the importance of green technologies to achieve SDGs while simultaneously improving sustainability practices.
The shift toward the adoption of sustainable lifestyles may be achieved with the support of environmental indicators, such as those obtained from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The aim of this paper was to perform a Consumer LCA of the... more
The shift toward the adoption of sustainable lifestyles may be achieved with the support of environmental indicators, such as those obtained from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The aim of this paper was to perform a Consumer LCA of the potential environmental impacts of mobility habits of a generic consumer. This study also proposed a methodology for analyzing life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results called Marginal Variation on Impact Assessment (MVIA). Mobility habits in lifestyles were modeled considering transportation to short and long-distance travels. The mobility alternatives considered were travel on foot, by bicycle, car (private and shared), bus, and airplane. Linear regression was applied to identify the marginal variation in aggregated single score results of transportation habits. Mobility with a private car had the highest environmental impact, whereas the use of a bus, bicycle and walking were the most sustainable alternatives. The results exhibited sensitivity to car-sharing. Taking flights for longdistance travels resulted in higher environmental impacts than other alternatives. Marginal Variation on Impact Assessment indicated that the consumer may find the greatest potential to change behavior and reduce impacts in mobility habits related to short-distance travels as well as by reducing the frequency of long-distance travels. The proposed MVIA methodology fits as a tool to support environmental life cycle impact assessment.
The here described investigation was essentially aimed at exploring the chemical stabilization and reutilization of iron-rich slag from copper metallurgy, by the manufacturing of glass-ceramic foams. The foams were developed according to... more
The here described investigation was essentially aimed at exploring the chemical stabilization and reutilization of iron-rich slag from copper metallurgy, by the manufacturing of glass-ceramic foams. The foams were developed according to a new method, recently reported for pure recycled soda-lime glass. Mixtures of soda-lime glass/slag powders (with slag content ranging from 10 to 30 wt%), suspended in alkaline aqueous solution, underwent progressive low temperature (80 C) hardening, owing to the formation of hydrated calcium silicate compounds (CeSeH). Before complete setting, an extensive foaming could be achieved by vigorous mechanical stirring, with the help of a surfactant. After foaming, glass/slag mixtures could be sintered at 800e1000 C; the mutual interaction caused an extensive crystallization, with precipitation of CaeFe silicates and iron oxides (hematite and magnetite), promoting the mechanical properties (up to 4.4 MPa, with a porosity of about 80%). Leaching test confirmed the stabilization of pollutants, from the slag, in the final ceramics. Owing to the separation of iron oxides, particularly magnetite, the newly obtained foams exhibited a ferrimagnetic behavior, that could be exploited in electromagnetic shielding applications.
Liberal reform programmes in developing countries were not designed with the need to extend electricity supplies to rural areas. This paper focuses on the Peruvian experience, examining the impact of electricity reform policies on the... more
Liberal reform programmes in developing countries were not designed with the need to extend electricity supplies to rural areas. This paper focuses on the Peruvian experience, examining the impact of electricity reform policies on the characteristics of rural electrification. In rural areas, electrification levels have traditionally been the lowest in the country e making them less or non-profitable for private firms. Only in 2002 did the government introduce a specific Rural Electrification Law, which was intended to promote electrification within the context of a liberalised market. This paper draws upon an analysis of both this piece of legislation and stakeholder interviews, indicating that there exists a need to look further into the evolving relationship between the private and public sectors and how it affects the rural poor. This study forms part of the RESURL international research project on renewable energy for sustainable rural livelihoods in developing countries, funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID).