A case study on artificial intelligence based cleaner production evaluation system for surface treatment facilities

The metal finishing industry is water intensive. Surveys of South African metal finishing companies indicate that water consumption is as high as 400 L/m² of metal surface treated, whilst best available practice can achieve less than 10 L/m². The industry uses hazardous chemicals such as chrome VI, cadmium, nickel and cyanide. If consumption of these chemicals can be optimized, quantities of heavy metals released into the environment will be reduced. In some cases where cleaner production techniques were applied by local companies, heavy metals have been completely eliminated from effluents discharged to municipal sewers, which represent a significant benefit to the urban environment. This benefit was accompanied by significant reduction in the use of chemicals, with a concomitant cost saving and competitive advantage to the companies concerned.A Danish environmental aid initiative promoted cleaner production in the South African metal finishing industry. Local consultants were trained by Danish experts in this field. The general methodology was to conduct an audit of the chemical, water, human resource and environment aspects of the company and compare it to best available practice. Once the review was completed, a detailed feasibility was performed on systems and equipment required to reduce chemical consumption, water consumption, human resources and environmental impact. Applied to a number of South African companies, these methods have typically achieved reductions of the order of 90% in water use and 50–60% in the use of chemicals.There were difficulties in applying the Danish methodology to South African metal finishing companies, as it makes use of quantitative indices derived from the process operations. The companies are often small and technically unsophisticated, and do not have ready access to the process data that are needed. An alternate system is required to simplify the evaluation and optimization process. This paper proposes a case study on a fuzzy-logic operator based evaluation system that outputs the cleaner production status of the company. The model is compared to an established cleaner production tool.     

Electrolytic manganese metal industry experience based China’s new model for cleaner production promotion

Cleaner production has long been viewed as an environmental management tool in China and many other countries. This understanding in recent years has become a major barrier that prevents CP from playing its full functions. This article introduces the approach, results and result dissemination of a project set up by the central government of China aiming at controlling the serious pollution of the electrolytic manganese metal industry. Based on experience of this project and our practical experiences of CP audits in more than 200 companies we propose a new model for CP promotion. A preliminary definition of the new model is presented.     

Cleaner production measures in small-scale slaughterhouse industry – case study in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The goal of this project was to demonstrate to Bosnian and Herzegovinian industries that significant reductions in water use, wastewater discharge and pollution load can be obtained at little or no cost and that efficient use of resources and reduction of waste generation at source are clearly preferable compared with the end-of-pipe wastewater treatment. The project was performed on a small-scale slaughterhouse industry “Sahbaz” using a methodology prescribed by the Regional Activity Center for Cleaner Production from Barcelona and the Ministry of Environment of Spain. Upon detailed diagnosis of the industrial process and waste flows generated, the opportunities for environmental improvement were identified and CP measures were recommended and implemented. In the first three months of project implementation the amount of water saved and BOD reduced was 32 percent while salt consumption was reduced by 40 percent. Total annual net savings resulting from the application of selected measures were 669 €/year.     

An empirical analysis of energy efficiency measures applicable to cities,regions, and local governments,based on the case of South Korea’s local energy saving program

As highlighted in the outcome of the Paris Agreement at the 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change there has been a recent push for the stronger mitigation actions of cities, regions, and local governments. Energy efficiency is a tool that can be leveraged by not only industry or national governments but also cities, regions, and local governments for mitigation purposes. However, studies on energy efficiency as a mitigation tool thus far have focused on the national or transnational scale, and on certain sectors of industry. The purpose of this paper is to find the most cost-efficient energy efficiency measures (EEMs) at the city, region, and local government level. To that end, this paper examines the yearly energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction intensity, as well as energy savings and GHG reduction efficiency, in the case of EEMs conducted by South Korean local governments. Yearly energy savings intensity and GHG reduction intensity are estimated to be in the range of 0.094～0.375 tonne of oil equivalent (TOE)/M-KRW (million Korean won) and 0.287～1.180 tCO2e/M-KRW. Results show that inverter installation at water and sewage treatment plants and improvement of pump efficiency are the most cost-efficient EEMs. Moreover, energy savings efficiency and GHG reduction efficiency are within the range of 18.29～45.31 %, at an average of 30.5 % GHG reduction potential. If this reduction potential is applied to the buildings and facilities regulated and run by cities/local governments, there is a worldwide reduction potential of 1.023 billion tCO₂ compared to 2020 business as usual levels.     

Local governments reduce costs through pollution prevention

The Pollution Prevention 1997: A National Progress Report identifies pollution prevention initiatives as potentially the most effective for reducing risks to human health and the environment, as well as the most cost-effective method of environmental protection. So it is no surprise that much of the implementation of pollution prevention by local governments has been driven due to the cost savings it provides. Pollution prevention initiatives have been proven to reduce costs, improve efficiency, reduce risk, reduce liability, and provide a safer work environment. However, as many local governments have experienced budget and resource reductions, their pollution prevention programs have been impacted. Local governments, working to continue pollution prevention initiatives in spite of declining budgets, have had to change their approaches, be creative, and innovate. Montgomery County, Maryland has implemented a number of pollution prevention strategies for its own County operations. The linkages established between cost savings they achieve and environmental benefits provided have been used to continue to expand the County's pollution prevention efforts. This paper provides an overview of the pollution prevention measures and approaches that have been implemented in Montgomery County for its internal operations.     

Limitations of cleaner production programmes as organisational change agents I. Achieving commitment and on-going improvement

This is the first in a two-part paper that discusses the results of an evaluation of a 2-year ‘cleaner production’ (CP) demonstration project undertaken in New Zealand (NZ). The project's scale and methods were consistent with international best practice and the methods used were consistent with those advocated in traditional CP or ‘pollution prevention’ (PP) guides and manuals. On the surface, the project could be considered to have been successful. Like other apparently successful demonstration projects carried out elsewhere, the demonstration businesses identified a range of options that improved their environmental, economic and social performance (including savings of over NZ$4 million per annum, and significant reductions in materials, water and energy use, and improvements in productivity).However, a more in-depth evaluation of the project raised significant questions about the ability of traditional CP/PP programme components to bring about durable change. The evaluation identified a set of key internal organisational factors that strongly contributed towards the uptake of CP and affected the potential for on-going improvement. They were commitment, leadership, support, communication, staff involvement and programme design. This part of the paper (Part I) provides an overview of the project, as well as the methodology used in the evaluation. It also includes a discussion of the results particularly as they relate to commitment and on-going improvement. Part II discusses the remaining key internal organisational factors. It also presents a framework that could potentially be used to enhance the performance of CP or similar types of programmes, particularly with regard to the key factors identified.     

Assessment of cleaner production options for alcohol industry of China: a study in the Shouguang Alcohol Factory

The alcohol industry in China makes an important contribution to the national economy. However, the associated pollution problems cause gradual deterioration of the ambient environment and adverse impacts on the local community. Cleaner production (CP) technology, as an effective way to reduce waste emission and save resources, has been widely employed in the alcohol industry across the developed countries. In China, although such technologies have been applied in a number of factories, an integrated assessment and implementation procedure is lacking for proceeding with practical CP technologies for alcohol factories in China. To solve such problems, a series of cleaner production options are proposed and assessed in this study. Five groups of CP options were screened, on factory survey, expert questionnaires, and integrated assessment. With the consideration of environmental impacts and economic efficiency, four CP options combined with various advanced CP technologies, such as high-concentration wort fermenting, CO₂ reuse, different pressure distilling, methane and fertilizer production, were proposed. To verify the proposed options, a case study was carried out in the Shouguang Alcohol Factory (SAF), East China. The characteristics of resources consumption and waste emission during the production process were identified. A comprehensive evaluation of the proposed options was conducted from different aspects. An integrated cleaner production system based on the proposed options was formed and then implemented in the factory. Through the four years of practice, the productivity/quality of alcohol product were improved, but and the reduction of waste and pollution were achieved as well as a marked increase in water/energy savings. This study provides theoretical and practical support for extensive application of cleaner production technologies and sustainable development in the alcohol industry of China.     

Environmental improvements in the metal finishing industry in Australasia

Metal finishing, as an industry, has had a vexed history with the environment and regulatory authorities over many decades throughout the world. Over the past 20 years, this situation has been vastly improved in some developed countries. This paper will examine the industry's recent progress in Australasia and highlight specific issues including new technologies adopted, research projects undertaken, responses to Government legislation and education. Many toxic chemicals have been replaced, recycled in closed loop scenarios and prevented from entering the environment via the atmosphere, water ways or landfilling. This paper is written as a qualitative industry summary rather than an academic study. It is meant to highlight the major changes that have occurred and the reasons why, rather than present documented and detailed evidence. The author has drawn on his 35 years experience in the industry as well as many experienced colleagues from around the world. Although the geographic scope is Australasia, many comments emanate from the state of Victoria because it is still the manufacturing base, especially in relation to the auto industry that has affected the changes to a large degree.     

The Queensland food eco-efficiency project: reducing risk and improving competitiveness

For the past several years, cleaner production, or what is now commonly referred to as eco-efficiency by the business sector, has been promoted widely, but in a relatively ad-hoc manner. As a consequence, the advantages to industry and society stemming from the uptake of eco-efficiency have been difficult to quantify and assess. This paper details how the Queensland Food Processing Eco-Efficiency Project has attempted to overcome some of these barriers by implementing a two year project focused on: involving and gaining the support of as much of the industry sector as possible; using external expertise, providing the support and technical advice essential to the successful uptake of eco-efficiency by businesses; establishing the key environmental concerns for the industry; identifying realistic eco-efficiency opportunities through site assessments and visits; developing case studies based on quantifiable outcomes; developing tools and resources to enable businesses to successfully implement their own eco-efficiency initiatives; the wide and free distribution of these resources and tools to the entire Queensland industry; follow up workshops and awareness briefings together with the eventual development of a forum to allow effective industry networking to continue.     

Cleaner production practices in a medium size gold-plated jewelry company in Brazil: when little changes make the difference

The paper reports the experiences of a medium size gold-plated jewelry company, located in São Paulo – Brazil, in order to reduce waste and pollution. Actions taken for this purpose are described, as well as the key factors affecting progress, the changes that have been introduced, their cost-effectiveness and the additional benefits accomplished. A waste minimization project was carried out to obtain environmental and economic benefits. The first cleaner production (CP) interventions targeting the improvement of the company's environmental performance are also described and related to economic benefits. Local scale performance indicators were employed to evidence the economic and the material savings by kilogram of piece produced. Additionally, savings achieved included 86% reduction in volume of degreasing solution and 36% reduction in electricity consumption. The results are complemented with the use of global scale performance indicators (Material intensity, MIs, and Emergy accounting), which look at upstream impacts and evaluate the environmental performance of the system on the biosphere scale, respectively. Material savings (MIs) account for each matter flow to and from a chain of processes from raw material to the final products, and were calculated in order to estimate the changes avoided in material flows and cycles due to the reduced use of inputs by the company. The total emergy of the savings is used as a quantitative measure of the total environmental support to the flows of energy and matter involved in the process, and is calculated to assess the work of nature spared by the reduced use of materials and energy by the company. Emergy values were converted to currency. Global scale performance indicators have shown that little changes within the company reduce upstream impacts and that benefits to the environment are greater than that observed in the companies neighborhood.     

Toward cleaner production of hot dip galvanizing industry in China

China has now the largest annual outputs of galvanized steel and the most amount of galvanizing plants in the world. However, with obsolete technology, the hot dip galvanizing industry has been proved as one of the industries, which consume large amounts of raw materials and energy, produce numerous pollutants and causes serious contamination in China. Cleaner Production in the hot dip galvanizing industry is now the only way to achieve the sustainable development of hot dip galvanizing industry. The implementation of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) project: The Transfer of Technology and Promotion of demand: Batch hot dip galvanizing in China launched by International Zinc Association (IZA) is introduced in this paper, The Best Available Technologies of operation, energy and environmental management in the world are also introduced. With the implementation of the project, an assessment system of Cleaner Production and a training system have been developed and implementation of technical updating to the demonstration plant shows that the reduction of zinc loss, and water and fuel cost savings can be achieved. It is believed that the methodology of the project can be applied throughout China as the galvanizers see the cost benefits.     

一种含油乳化液废水处理技术的工程应用

采用两极混凝气浮 生物接触氧化工艺处理金属加工行业乳化液废水。生产运行结果表明 ,CODCr平均去除率为 99 5 5 % ,油为 99 91% ,出水各项指标均达到污水综合排放标准     

Encouraging industry to assess and implement cleaner production measures

Cleaner production stakeholders have a strong desire for industry to consider cleaner production opportunities in their facilities and once they are assessed, to follow through on their implementation. This paper examines local and international initiatives within the Canadian stakeholder community (including government, NGOs, consultants, industry) that contribute to the initiation and implementation of cleaner production in industry. Specifically, stakeholders have consciously drafted regulatory compliance, education, co-funding incentives, and development-based cleaner production programs. As illustrated by case studies from six industries, the programs work together to create a climate favorable for implementation of cleaner production concepts and approaches. Based on the cleaner production drivers and barriers identified by research, the programs are well designed. However, as with cleaner production itself, there is always room for further improvement. Specifically: (i) regulatory compliance programs and timetables should leave room for cleaner production (versus end-of-pipe) approaches; (ii) cleaner production co-funding programs should target small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and require them to use a multimedia approach (air, water, waste); (iii) education programs should incorporate demonstration assessments, feasibility assessments of common recommendations, and follow-up communication to foster implementation and continuous improvement; and (iv) mandated cleaner production should include absolute (i.e. waste/tonne production) rather than relative standards (i.e. X% reduction from status quo) in order to avoid penalizing historically proactive corporations.     

Managing cyanide: health,safety and risk management practices at Turkey's Ovacik gold–silver mine

This paper discusses issues of cyanide management at the newly-constructed Ovacik gold–silver mine in Turkey. The mine, which has been using 120 ton/y of sodium cyanide (NaCN) since May 2001, was the first operation in the country to use cyanide to recover gold. Mine staff strives to continuously plan and provide detailed accounts of the management practices and initiatives being undertaken with regard to handling cyanide. It is believed that the programs and activities that have been implemented at Ovacik will facilitate improvement in this area.     

Energy service company and financial market development: experiences of the Global Environment Facility

Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and the energy market for ESCO financing have been developing since 1976 when oil prices increased dramatically. ESCOs’ services cover projects in many energy areas, including energy extraction, power generation, energy conversion, transportation, power transmission, energy consumption, project financing, energy project audits, monitoring, and energy savings verification. In developing countries, there are many barriers in the energy market that are preventing ESCOs from developing. These barriers include lack of appropriate policy, financial mechanisms, and local capacities for ESCO development and management. Over the past 20 years, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) financed 39 ESCO projects in 25 countries and regions to remove these barriers. The results of these projects show that some countries, such as China, are very successful in ESCO development, but others are not. Different models of ESCOs in different financial markets in various countries are analyzed; and case studies are undertaken for China, India, Ukraine, and Brazil. This article concludes that, while developing financial markets for ESCOs, countries need to consider (1) initiating national government policy to stop energy subsidies and to reform energy pricing, (2) establishing a real, market based financial mechanism for ESCOs, (3) involving the private sector in project co-financing, (4) creating incentives to ESCOs in the market by investing part of government revenue from energy tax, and (5) incentivizing ESCOs by government corporate tax exemption.     

典型工业区地下水细菌群落多样性特征与环境因子响应初探

为探究上海市典型工业区地下水细菌群落组成结构和多样性,采用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术,结合地下水三氮、重金属和有机物等指标分析,探讨典型行业地下水细菌群落与环境因子的关联性及响应机制.结果表明,石油化工业地下水的氨氮(NH⁺₄-N)显著高于纺织业、金属制品业和其他行业(P<0.05),分别高出64.49%、 32.46%和113.91%;有机物主要检出指标为总石油烃(TPH)和挥发酚,石油化工业的地下水挥发酚浓度显著高于纺织业、金属制品业和其他行业(P<0.05);金属制品业砷(As)浓度显著高于石油化工业和其他行业(P<0.05),分别高出49.26%和50.59%;氯化物(Cl^-)、锰(Mn)和硫酸盐(SO₄^2-)等在不同行业中都存在显著性差异(P<0.05).纺织业地下水细菌群落Shannon指数最高,达到3.14,金属制品业地下水Shannon指数和Ace指数最低,分别为2.42和960.46.工业区地下水细菌中优势菌门为变形菌门...     

Assessment of cleaner production uptake: method development and trial with small businesses in Western Australia

This paper reports on the development of an innovative semi-quantitative assessment method to estimate the level of uptake of cleaner production (CP) in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the basis of three component ratings: awareness of CP ideas and benefits; presence of management features and/or system components conducive to CP; and CP content of recent innovations and operational improvements. The assessment method was designed for application through a telephone survey and was deliberately structured to minimise intentional socially preferable responses. It was trialled on 140 SMEs in four sectors, mostly from Western Australia: printing and book making; dry-cleaning; food processing and metal products. The trial showed that the assessment tool can judge the business’ capacity to implement CP. The levels of CP uptake found in the trial reflect well on the experience of CP practitioners, albeit much lower than reported from previous mail surveys. In the trial the drycleaners performed significantly better than the other businesses, with food processing, metal processing and printing businesses being ranked second, third, and fourth respectively. The higher uptake by drycleaners was expected given that a sector specific CP program was conducted in that sector. Overall, the results suggest that generic (non-industry specific) semi-quantitative proxy indicators can be used for estimating the level of CP uptake in SMEs. Although further verification with quantitative environmental and economic performance data would in principle be desirable, this would be impractical due to the general lack of monitoring and recordkeeping of environmental data in many SMEs, and would also face the common conceptual, methodological and fundamental challenges for CP quantification. The tool may therefore be more useful to target CP promotion efforts, and measure their effectiveness.     

Climate change vulnerability assessments as catalysts for social learning: four case studies in south-eastern Australia

Technical assessments of vulnerability and/or risk are increasingly being undertaken to assess the impacts of climate change. Underlying this is the belief that they will bring clarity to questions regarding the scale of institutional investments required, plausible adaptation policies and measures, and the timing of their implementation. Despite the perceived importance of technical assessments in 'evidence-based' decision environments, assessments cannot be undertaken independent of values and politics, nor are they capable of eliminating the uncertainty that clouds decision-making on climate adaptation As such, assessments can trigger as many questions as they answer, leaving practitioners and stakeholders to question their value. This paper explores the value of vulnerability/risk assessments in climate change adaptation planning processes as a catalyst for learning in four case studies in Southeastern Australia. Data were collected using qualitative interviews with stakeholders involved in the assessments and analysed using a social learning framework. This analysis revealed that detailed and tangible strategies or actions often do not emerge directly from technical assessments. However, it also revealed that the assessments became important platforms for social learning. In providing these platforms, assessments present opportunities to question initial assumptions, explore multiple framings of an issue, generate new information, and galvanise support for collective actions. This study highlights the need for more explicit recognition and understanding of the important role social learning plays in climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning more broadly.     

An industry perspective of the completeness and relevance of a social assessment framework for project and technology management in the manufacturing sector

A framework has been introduced before to assess the sustainability performances of projects and technology developments in the process industry. The research summarised in this paper verified the completeness of the social dimension of that framework to evaluate operational initiatives. Furthermore, the relevance of the social dimension to the process industry has been validated. The perspectives of decision-makers in industry, i.e. a top-down approach, determined both the completeness and relevance. It was found that, to a limited extent, a smaller set of social assessment criteria might be defined for project and technology Life Cycle Management purposes. Also, it was concluded that quantitative social indicators are not practical in the process industry at present. Rather, checklists and guidelines should be applied during project and technology management, although this requires further investigation. Moreover, the perspectives of other stakeholders in technological systems should also be considered, from a bottom-up approach.     

Improving cleaner production through the application of environmental management tools in China

Cleaner Production (CP) as a strategy for reducing negative environmental impacts throughout the production processes avoids and decreases pollution at its source and increases the competitiveness of enterprises. Since the establishment of China's goal for quadrupling its gross domestic product between 2000 and 2020, while improving its environmental performance and maintaining social stability, ‘win-win’ concepts such as CP are playing an increasingly prominent role in the country's development plans. Consequently, China's efforts to create a favourable policy and institutional framework for the promotion of CP that includes its unique national “CP Promotion Law” which governs the implementation of all CP activities in the country are encouraging. However, China has encountered significant challenges in improving, on a large scale, the environmental performance of its industries. Factors such as the difficulty in mainstreaming CP in industries, limited institutional resources as well as constraints in financial and technical resources of small and medium-sized enterprises have hindered the widespread adoption of CP. In addition, due to local peculiarities and disparities, different regional approaches for its implementation have evolved. This paper describes and analyses how the application of an environmental management tool in Zhejiang Province has enhanced the environmental, economic and organisational benefits of CP in enterprises.