Eco-efficiency gains from remanufacturing: A case study of photocopier remanufacturing at Fuji Xerox Australia

Achieving eco-efficient production and consumption systems requires ‘closing the loop’ to create cyclic systems. Product systems based on remanufacturing, where used products or components are restored to ‘as new’ condition for reuse, offer the potential to create such cyclic systems. For some existing manufacturers, the economic efficiency of remanufacturing is clear and it has become a widely held assumption that such systems would also be more eco-efficient. However, this assumption has not been systematically tested. This research attempted to quantify the life cycle environmental benefits achieved by incorporating remanufacturing into a product system, based on a study of Xerox photocopiers in Australia. The study found that remanufacturing can reduce resource consumption and waste generation over the life cycle of a photocopier by up to a factor of 3, with greatest reductions if a product is designed for disassembly and remanufacturing. This research represents a first-level assessment, limited by certain estimates and assumptions. It is intended that this research will form the basis of a larger, more detailed study of Xerox remanufacturing, worldwide.     

生态标志和产品的生命周期评价

获得生态标志，是对产品环境性能的肯定，表明其整个生命周期的环境性能达到了特定的要求，消费者也可直接根据生态标志图案购得自己喜好的环境友好产品，生命周期评价是一中评价产品，工艺或活动从原料采掘到生产、运输、分销、使用，回用，维护，循环和最终处置的整个生命周期阶段相关环境负荷的过程，大多数生态标志标准的确定都采用了生命周期的评价的方法，文章对生态标志的概念、发展状况、标准的确定性和生命周期评价等作了简     

Life cycle analysis and choice of natural gas-based automotive alternative fuels in Chongqing Municipality,China

Road transport produces significant amounts of emissions by using crude oil as the primary energy source. A reduction of emissions can be achieved by implementing alternative fuel chains. The objective of this study is to carry out an economic, environmental and energy (EEE) life cycle study on natural gas-based automotive fuels with conventional gasoline in an abundant region of China. A set of indices of four fuels/vehicle systems on the basis of life cycle are assessed in terms of impact of EEE, in which natural gas produces compressed natural gas (CNG), methanol, dimethylether (DME) and Fischer Tropsch diesel (FTD). The study included fuel production, vehicle production, vehicle operation, infrastructure and vehicle end of life as a system for each fuel/vehicle system. A generic gasoline fueled car is used as a baseline. Data have been reviewed and modified based on the best knowledge available to Chongqing local sources. Results indicated that when we could not change electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into commercial vehicles on a large scale, direct use of CNG in a dedicated or bi-fuel vehicle is an economical choice for the region which is most energy efficient and more environmental friendly. The study can be used to support decisions on how natural gas resources can best be utilized as a fuel/energy resource for automobiles, and what issues need to be resolved in Chongqing. The models and approaches for this study can be applied to other regions of China as long as all the assumptions are well defined and modified to find a substitute automotive energy source and establish an energy policy in a specific region.     

Material hygiene: improving recycling of WEEE demonstrated on dishwashers

There must be a change in attitude towards end-of-life products. The view that these products pose a liability must be changed. Secondary material is valuable as raw material. Thus, activities encouraging changes in opinion are important.Two major EU directives guide the recycling process; the Directive of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) and the Directive of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Both focus on the input of the recycling system, not on what is coming out of the system.The WEEE Directive is the legislation on the European level that governs the handling and processing of these types of products. The WEEE Directive is not only aimed at stricter handling and reduction of hazardous materials but also encourages EU member states to support technical development in order to facilitate increased recycling.In order to properly address these issues a mind-set, material hygiene, has been introduced. The basic idea is to act, in every life cycle phase of the product, towards highest possible efficiency in recycling. The outcome of useful material is in focus.A study on dishwashers is made with copper outcome as target. The results are based on Swedish conditions but general conclusions can be made. Limited design efforts can raise the outcome of valuable materials, if the recycling process is organized in an optimal manner.A theoretical concept of disassembly structures is used to draw general conclusions on the case study.Increasing product recycling suitability is one side of the problem; another is increasing effectiveness of handling and processing of end-of-life products.The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of “material hygiene” and based on that demonstrate a method for grading structural properties in a recycling perspective. The findings presented in this paper are based on a field study in which a number of dishwashers were disassembled and analyzed.     

Manufacturing actor’s LCA

Modern industrial environmental management encompasses life-cycle thinking. This entails considering not only the emissions and resource use of the company’s production processes, but also the environmental consequences of all processes related to a product’s life cycle. However, no single actor can influence the whole life cycle of a product. To be effective, analysis methods intended to support improvement actions should therefore also consider the decision makers’ power to influence.Regarding the life cycle of a product, there are at least as many perspectives on life-cycle thinking as there are actors. This paper presents an approach with which manufacturing decision makers can sharpen the focus in life-cycle assessment (LCA) from a conventional ‘products or services’ emphasis to a company’s manufacturing processes. The method has been developed by combining knowledge gained from earlier LCA studies with new empirical findings from an LCA study of an SKF manufacturing line.We demonstrate how system boundaries and functional units in an LCA can be defined when adding the perspective of a manufacturing decision maker to the product life-cycle perspective. Such analysis helps manufacturing decision makers identify improvement potentials in their spheres of influence, by focusing on the environmental consequences of energy and material losses in manufacturing rather than merely accounting for the contributions of individual stages of the life cycle to the overall environmental impact. The method identifies and directly relates the environmental consequences of emissions or raw material inputs in the product life cycle to manufacturing processes. In doing so, the holistic systems perspective in LCA is somewhat diminished in favor of the relevance of results to manufacturing decision makers.     

生命周期方法在天然气基汽车燃料评价中的运用

运用生命周期评价方法,对以天然气为原料生产压缩天然气、甲醇、二甲醚、柴油4种汽车代用燃料系统进行生命周期的能源、环境和经济评价,评价结果是：压缩天然气系统生命周期内的能耗相对少,总成本相对低,对生态环境更友好,压缩天然气是富含天然气地区一段时期内汽车代用燃料的优先选择．     

Cleaner production option in a food (Kimchi) industry

In the Kimchi (a salt-pickled and fermented food) manufacturing industry, the process of brining and rinsing the raw vegetable produces a vast amount of wastewater of high salinity. Instead of the expensive and low-efficient conventional treatment system, a brining wastewater reuse system was developed using hybrid chemical precipitation/microfiltration. In the microfiltration of chemically treated brining wastewater, a comparison of flux, backwashing frequency and energy consumption was made between dead-end and crossflow filtration modes. The optimum location of the neutralization step in this system was also discussed in connection with the microfiltration performance. The quality test of Kimchi prepared by the reuse system confirmed the new approach to the cleaner production option was successful in terms of water/raw material (salt) savings and wastewater reduction.     

试论根据土壤生产潜力及土地利用强度评价土地利用合理性问题——以加拿大渥太华市郊为例

土地利用的合理性取决于土地利用强度是否与土壤生产潜力相适宜。土地利用强度等级与土壤生产潜力级别的一致性是一地区土地利用合理性的标志。依据作物系统编制的农业土地利用系统图较传统的土地覆盖图有更大的实用性。可利用该图与土壤生产潜力图迭加制成的农业资源分区图来分析1978—1987年渥太华市郊土地利用的合理性。结果指出,渥太华市郊土地利用方式基本上是合理的,变化趋势也是适宜的,但同时有不足之处,建议当地市政当局对某些不合理的土地利用方式做相应调整。     

试论根据土壤生产潜力及土地利用强度评价土地利用合理性问题——以加拿大渥太华市郊为例

土地利用的合理性取决于土地利用强度是否与土壤生产潜力相适宜。土地利用强度等级与土壤生产潜力级别的一致性是一地区土地利用合理性的标志。依据作物系统编制的农业土地利用系统图较传统的土地覆盖图有更大的实用性。可利用该图与土壤生产潜力图迭加制成的农业资源分区图来分析1978—1987年渥太华市郊土地利用的合理性。结果指出,渥太华市郊土地利用方式基本上是合理的,变化趋势也是适宜的,但同时有不足之处,建议当地市政当局对某些不合理的土地利用方式做相应调整。     

电子废弃物的机械物理回收过程

电子产品数量及更新速度的提高,导致电子废弃物产生量的增长。电子废弃物中既含有有害成分,又含有大量可回收利用的有价值成分。在分析电子废弃物性质的基础上,阐述了电子废弃物的回收方法与过程。机械物理过程是根据电子废弃物的性质提出的一种回收有价值材料的过程。机械物理回收过程如筛选、形状分选、磁力分选和涡流分选已经在回收工业中被广泛使用。     

Combining eco-design and user benefits from human-powered energy systems,a win–win situation

This paper presents the use of the human body to power electronic products, two product design cases applying human-powered energy systems and the relation with eco-design. The paper illustrated how the use of an alternative energy system (i.e. human-powered energy systems) offers new viewpoints to the design engineer and brings about environmental improvements. ‘Green marketing’ experiences from Philips teach us that environmental benefits should be backed-up by additional user benefits in order to be effective in the market. Human-powered energy systems offer these possibilities.     

区域水资源介循环利用模式:概念·结构·特征

为解决我国面临的突出水环境问题,破解经济发展需求与水资源短缺、水环境污染和水生态破坏之间的矛盾,提出区域水资源“介循环”(water meta-cycle)利用模式,系统地阐述了区域水资源介循环利用模式的结构特征、基本特点和目标定位,并通过案例分析了其适用效果. 介循环是一种人工强化生态调控的区域水资源多阶多元循环利用模式. 通过企业、家庭和社区等局部单元内的水循环利用,工业和城市等社会系统尺度内的污水再生处理与直接利用,以及区域层面上再生水的生态媒介循环利用(water natural system-mediated reuse)等,促进不同层阶和不同用途水循环利用的有机衔接与耦合,实现再生水的安全聪巧(safe and smart)利用、区域尺度上水资源的闭环循环利用和趋零排放. 区域水资源介循环利用模式以再生水的生态媒介循环利用为核心,具有闭环趋零、多阶多元、强化调控和复合高效等特点,有望成为区域水资源可持续管理、保障水环境安全的有效模式.      

Assessing alternative aquaculture technologies: life cycle assessment of salmonid culture systems in Canada

This study employed life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify and compare the potential environmental impacts of culturing salmonids in a conventional marine net-pen system with those of three reportedly environmentally-friendly alternatives; a marine floating bag system; a land-based saltwater flow-through system; and a land-based freshwater recirculating system. Results of the study indicate that while the use of these closed-containment systems may reduce the local ecological impacts typically associated with net-pen salmon farming, the increase in material and energy demands associated with their use may result in significantly increased contributions to several environmental impacts of global concern, including global warming, non-renewable resource depletion, and acidification. It is recommended that these unanticipated impacts be carefully considered in further assessments of the sustainability of closed-containment systems and in ongoing efforts to develop and employ these technologies on a larger scale.     

Towards a sustainable society: United Nations University's Zero Emissions Approach

The Zero Emissions approach comprises a research and action-based program, launched at the Tokyo-based headquarters of United Nations University (UNU) in 1994 and actively supported, among others. by the Japanese government as part of its security policy. Through the Zero Emissions lens, material cycles from intake to emissions should be managed as a holistic system. Thus, the primary focus is the intake of natural resources within renewable limits and final emissions within acceptable limits. This implies the optimisation through an integrated system of processes and consequently the mimicry of the hierarchy of natural ecosystems in the anthropogenic sphere. A network of industries through clustering builds integrated systems in which everything has its use. The Zero Emissions concept requires industries to re-engineer their manufacturing processes in order to fully utilise the resources within the systems—the set target of Zero Emissions. Other concepts such as cleaner production emphasise the minimisation of emissions and wastes through recycling, reuse and reduction, but mainly concentrate on the “end of pipe”.In the anticipated “Zero Emissions society”, consumers would preferentially purchase functions instead of material goods and thus, be actively involved in the creation of a new service economy where all materials are automatically sent back to the producers after they lose their function. Additionally, the design of goods should lead to eradication of the concept of waste.The UNU Zero Emissions Forum—through networking with academia, industry and governmental policy-makers—promotes international multidisciplinary research and development efforts to analyse trends in society and technology and pave paths for concrete pilot projects. Thus, the Forum has gathered concrete experience through a number of case studies all over the world.     

基于产品水足迹核算的印染企业生产节水潜力分析:案例研究

针对目前我国工业企业节水潜力分析准确程度不足的现状,以纺织印染企业为对象,根据水足迹评价方法建立了印染企业产品水足迹精确测算方法,从产品层面说明回用水和雨水收集对于水足迹的削减作用.结果表明,应用水回用及雨水收集利用后,单位产品新鲜水用量降低了11.3%,单位产品总工业用水量降低了10.4%.本研究将水平衡分析、水足迹评价与印染企业自身特点相结合,为企业内产品生产层面的节水分析提供了依据,并为企业的精细化节水路线设计提供了支持.     

LCA of environmental and socio-economic impacts related to wood energy production in alpine conditions: Valle di Fiemme (Italy)

An extended Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed for evaluating the impacts of a woody biomass supply chain for heating plants in the alpine region. Three main aspects of sustainability are assessed: greenhouse gas emissions, represented by global warming potential (GWP) impact category, costs and direct employment potential. We investigate a whole tree system (innovative logging system) where the harvest of logging residues is integrated into the harvest of conventional wood products. The case study is performed in Valle di Fiemme in Trentino region (North Italy) and includes theoretical and practical elements. The system boundary is the alpine forest fuel system, from logging operations at the forest stand to combustion of woody biofuels at the heating plant. The functional unit is 1 m³ solid over bark of woody biomass, delivered to the district heating plant in Cavalese (Trento). The relative sustainability of traditional and innovative systems is compared and energy use is estimated. Results show that the overall GWP and costs are about 13 kg CO_2equivalent and 42 euro per functional unit respectively for the innovative system. Along the product supply chain, chipping contributes the greatest share of GWP and energy use, while extraction by yarder has the highest financial costs. The GWP is reduced by 2.3 ton CO_2equivalent when bioenergy substitutes fuel oil and 1.7 ton CO_2equivalent when it substitutes natural gas. The sensitivity analysis illustrates that variations in fuel consumption and hourly rates of costs have a great influence on chipping operation and extraction by cable yarder concerning GWP and financial analysis, respectively. This is confirmed by sensitivity analysis. Better technologies, the use of biofuels along the product supply chain and more efficient systems might reduce these impacts. Replacing the traditional system with the innovative one reduces emissions and costs. A low energy input ratio is required for harvesting logging residues. The direct employment potential is a conflicting aspect and needs further investigations.     

Industrial symbiosis and the policy instruments of sustainable consumption and production

Industrial symbioses (ISs) and eco-industrial parks (EIPs) are key concepts of industrial ecology (IE). The aim of ISs and EIPs is to minimise inefficient material and energy use by utilising local by-product and energy flows. Industrial symbioses tend to develop through spontaneous action of economic actors, for gaining of economic benefit, but these systems can be designed and promoted via policy instruments as well. A literature review showed that national programmes for eco-industrial parks can be found in different parts of the world. In the action programmes and other sustainable consumption and production (SCP) policy documents of the EU, on the other hand, industrial symbioses gain less recognition as a path to enhanced sustainable production. In this article, we consider this and also analyse how the evolution and environmental performance of an industrial symbiosis system centred on a Finnish pulp and paper mill have been affected by SCP policy instruments. With regard to the system forming the subject of the case study, and Finnish industrial systems in general, policy instruments have succeeded in reducing emissions but not in systematically encouraging operators toward symbiosis-like activities. All in all, few studies exist on the overall impact of policy instruments promoting design of eco-industrial parks. It is not self-evident that symbiosis-like production systems would be sustainable in every case, as the background assumptions for political promotion of EIPs suggest. We concluded that industrial symbioses should be analysed and developed on a life cycle basis, with documentation of the real environmental benefits due to efficient resource use and decreased emissions in comparison to standalone production. ISs can then bring eco-competitiveness to companies in relation to SCP tools, such as environmental permits, ecolabels, and future product regulation based on the Ecodesign Directive in Europe. Indirect encouragement of symbiosis through land-use regulation and planning, in such a way that material fluxes between companies are possible both in operations and in financial terms, may prove effective. The same holds for waste policies that encourage increased reuse of a company’s waste by other enterprises.     

基于质能流评估的餐厨垃圾热解自供能特性研究

餐厨垃圾具有成分复杂、含水率高的特点,热解处理法虽可实现餐厨垃圾的快速、无害化减量和能源资源回用,但其处理过程依赖外部能量输入,处理过程的能量平衡问题不容忽视。为全面探究餐厨垃圾热解系统能量流分布,研究提出了热解产物燃烧回用思路,聚焦系统自供能特性,开展固定床热解实验,考察不同含水率的餐厨垃圾在不同热解温度下的产物分布,并计算理论热值,结合TG-DSC分析确定原料热解理论耗能,建立了系统自供能特性指标(ERPC),计算系统的能量产生与消耗比,判断餐厨垃圾热解自供能的运行条件。结果表明:热解温度由400 ℃升至800 ℃,餐厨垃圾热解固体产物产率降低,气体产率提高,热解油产率呈现先增后减的趋势,并在500 ℃时达到最高。通过产物热值分析,过高的热解温度和含水率降低了餐厨垃圾热解产物的总能量。当三相热解产物全部燃烧回用时,为实现系统自供能餐厨垃圾含水率不得低于40%,热解温度不得高于500 ℃。当将油、气两相产物燃烧回用时,为实现系统自供能,热解温度须不超过600 ℃,含水率不超过10%。只燃烧热解气在所有条件下均无法实现系统自供能。     

A life cycle based method to minimise environmental impact of dairy production through product sequencing

The trend of increasing the number of dairy products for sale affects their environmental impact in a life cycle perspective. During dairy processing, the production schedule is affected by more frequent product changes, hence also cleaning operations. This causes more milk waste, use of cleaning agents and water. The amount of milk waste depends on the product change technique used, which is determined by the characteristics of the product. A method was designed to calculate the sequence, which, for a given set of yoghurt products, minimises milk waste. A heuristic method, based on the strive to minimise production waste combined with production rules, was worked out. To determine whether the heuristic solution gives the best possible sequence from an environmental perspective, an optimisation was also made. The analytical method used for optimisation was able to handle 21 products and verified the heuristic method for a waste minimised sequence up to that level. It is also highly probable that for sequences including a greater number of items waste can be minimised with the same heuristic method. A successful demonstration of the possibility to make a more complete environmental assessment was fulfilled by connecting the sequencing model to conventional life cycle assessment methodology.     

Life Cycle Assessment of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese pear production

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to analyze environmental consequences of different pear production chains in terms of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in China. The assessment identified hotspots that contributed significantly to the environmental impacts of pear production from the cradle to the point of sale. The results showed that GHG emissions and fossil energy use varied in the different production chains because the environmental performance does not associate with the farming systems (i.e. organic vs. conventional), but is co-determined by farm topography and thus machinery use, by market demands to seasonality of products and thus the need for storage, and by local farming practices including manure management. The LCA could be used as a tool to guide selections of agricultural inputs with the aim of reducing environmental impacts. The results of the LCA analysis indicate that a list of choices are available to reduce energy use and GHG emission in the pear production chain, namely substitution of the traditional storage systems by an efficiently controlled atmosphere storage system, using manure for biogas production, conversion from the conventional farming to organic farming, and reduction of mechanical cultivation.