Analysis of the sustainability of reusing industrial wastes as energy source in the industrial sector of Taiwan

The objective of this paper was to provide a preliminary analysis of energy utilization from industrial waste in Taiwan, a densely populated island country with high dependence on imported energy. The discussion thus focused on the status of industrial waste generation and its management since the year 2002. This paper also presented the updated information about the new/revised regulations concerning the governmental regulations and policies for promoting industrial waste as energy source as well as controlling the emissions of hazardous air pollutants from industrial waste-to-energy facilities. It showed that the main types of combustible waste in the industrial sector of Taiwan include pulp sludge, scrap wood, sugarcane bagasse, textile sludge and scrap plastics, which were being reused as auxiliary fuel in the utilities (e.g., boiler and incinerator). Based on their reported quantities, the energy potential and the environmental benefit of mitigating CO₂ emissions were also analyzed in the study.     

Environmental relevance and use of energy indicators in environmental management and research

Energy use as a single indicator or in a set of few indicators is often used in applied research in the building, transportation and energy sectors. However, the environmental relevance of energy indicators is seldom questioned. The relation between environmental relevance and energy indicators might seem obvious. Nevertheless, how this is obvious has not been thoroughly discussed. The aim of this paper is to investigate the environmental relevance of the energy indicator and discuss implications for its use. The approach is to express environmental pressure in different environmental impact categories and determine the contribution to these from energy use. Because not all impact categories are closely linked to energy indicators, the aim and context in which it is used must be apparent.     

Determinants of eco-efficiency in the Chinese industrial sector

This study measures productive inefficiency within the context of multi-environmental pollution (eco-efficiency) in the Chinese industrial sector. The weighted Russell directional distance model is applied to measure eco-efficiency using production technology. The objective is to clarify how external factors affect eco-efficiency. The major findings are that both foreign direct investment and investment for pollution abatement improve eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutant substances. A levy system for wastewater discharge improves eco-efficiency as measured by wastewater pollutant substances. However, an air pollutant levy does not significantly affect eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutants.     

Determinants of eco-efficiency in the Chinese industrial sector

This study measures productive inefficiency within the context of multi-environmental pollution (eco-efficiency) in the Chinese industrial sector. The weighted Russell directional distance model is applied to measure eco-efficiency using production technology. The objective is to clarify how external factors affect eco-efficiency. The major findings are that both foreign direct investment and investment for pollution abatement improve eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutant substances. A levy system for wastewater discharge improves eco-efficiency as measured by wastewater pollutant substances. However, an air pollutant levy does not significantly affect eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutants.     

Environmental performance evaluation and indicators

This article deals with the new ISO standard ISO 14031 on environmental performance evaluation and describes its main outline as well as its link to the EU EMAS Regulation. A further development are sector specific frameworks of accounts for massbalances, shown by the example of breweries. The Appendix A Examples of management performance indicators, Appendix B Examples of operational performance indicators contain more examples of environmental management and operational performance indicators.     

Environmental performance evaluation of an industrial port and estate: ISO14001, port state control-derived indicators

This study integrates procedures of ISO14001 and port state control to establish environmental performance indicators (EPIs), specific to industrial ports and estates. Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), an owner of Map Ta Phut industrial port and estate, was used as a case study. Twelve EPIs were developed to assess 5 environmental management aspects being success, awareness, determination, preparedness, and environmental policy coverage. IEAT's deficiencies in managing the environment were identified for each management aspect. At the end of the study, suggestions on how to improve IEAT's environmental performance were recommended.     

Environmental management in the Brazilian non-metallic small-scale mining sector

Non-metallic mineral resources, albeit very important to meet the needs of the Brazilian population and for exportation, are ill-favored by governments and ignored by the public. Most of this mining is performed by small-scale companies and informal operations that cause extensive and widespread environmental damages. In addition to examining the current state of the industry and its environmental impacts, this paper outlines a series of initiatives for improving (environmental) performance. The suggestions made include improved coordination among public entities responsible for the control of the mining sector; the undertaking of environmental management and reclamation initiatives; research and diffusion of mining and environmental technology; the development and implementation of appropriate licensing procedures for small-scale mines; and the reviewing of environmental impact evaluation and enforcement procedures, and improved regional planning. It is concluded, however, that the proposals will only become a reality if the necessary political actions are taken, and are supported by adequate financing and technical assistance.     

草坪与环保产业

近年来，草坪业在我国发展很快，草坪具有减尘，净化大气，杀菌，降噪，防止水土人和改善区域小气候的环境效应，随着对划坪栽种，生产和管理的不断研究，草坪业已逐步形成我国环保产业的一个重要内容。     

Environmental indicators for small and medium enterprises in the Philippines: An empirical research

Environmental indicators allow a firm to make measurements related to its environmental performance. In practical terms, they can be used to form a measuring, benchmarking and monitoring tool to track environmental performance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Within an Environmental Management System (EMS), environmental indicators can be used to check if a firm has met the targets it is required to set for itself. It can also be used in firms that have not yet implemented an EMS. The use of an Environmental Indicators System (EIS) is thus recommended for SMEs, many of which do not have an EMS, in order to enhance their environmental performance. As noted in A Guide to Corporate Environmental Indicators published by the Federal Environment Ministry (Bonn) and the Federal Environmental Agency (Berlin), three categories of environmental indicators can be developed, depending on whether they describe: (1) a company's environmental impact (environmental performance); (2) the management's environmental activities; or (3) the external condition of the company's environment.The objective of this paper is to present how environmental indicators were established and implemented for Philippine SMEs and to show that the indicators significantly correlate with the environmental performance of the SMEs. In order to test this hypothesis, a survey-questionnaire was designed and administered among SMEs covering six industrial sectors in the Philippines. Based on the survey responses, a Gap analysis between the environmental performances of SMEs and state-of-the-art companies was performed. The Gap analysis showed that environmental indicators were indeed able to capture the features of actual environmental performance.Further, a structural equation model was proposed and validated. It yielded a significant linkage between the environmental indicators and environmental performance.     

中国水路运输业能源消耗与废气排放测算

采用基于运输周转量的自下而上方法建立了中国水路运输业能源消耗和废气排放测算模型.根据GDP增长预测得到未来一段时间内中国内河、沿海和远洋货运周转量,结合IMO(International Maritime Organization)温室气体研究采用的废气排放因子,测算得到2001~2030年中国水路运输业的能源消耗和废气排放.研究结果表明:2001年,中国水路运输业燃油消耗量及NO_x、CO、NMVOC(非甲烷挥发性有机物)、CO₂、SO₂和PM排放量分别为790.9,63.6,5.9,1.9,2483.2,37.2,4.6万t,到2030年,将分别为5951.8,405.1,16.5,18.3,18743.2,15.5,6.1万t;2001~2030年,中国水路运输业燃油消耗及CO₂和NO_x排放呈逐年增长趋势,年均增长率分别为7.2%、7.2%和6.6%;受国际公约的限制,与硫含量密切相关的SO₂和PM排放量自2020年之后显著下降;2001年,中国水路运输业CO₂排放量占世界航运排放量的比重在3.2%左右,此后呈逐渐上升趋势,到2020和2030年,将分别增长至11.5%和15.3%.     

An energy efficiency program for Swedish industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises

Industrial energy programs such as energy audit programs and long-term agreements (LTAs) are one of the most common means of promoting energy efficiency in industry. As a result of the European Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive from 2006, the Swedish Government Bill proposed a national energy program towards industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using more than 500 MWh energy annually. The aim of this paper is to present the structure and design of the program, adopted in 2010, the logics in brief behind the structure, as well as an ex-ante evaluation of the program’s cost-effectiveness. The paper is aimed towards the part of the program involving industry, i.e. not the part involving companies within service and sales etc. The proposed design primarily includes a subsidized energy audit with some minor LTA-elements, such as the need to report results from the energy audit, to present a plan over which measures to conduct, and after three years present which measures that were implemented. The ex-ante evaluation of the program shows a cost-effectiveness of 0.25–0.50 Eurocents/kWh, yielding savings of about 700–1 400 GWh annually.     

The evolution of the ENERGY STAR® energy performance indicator for benchmarking industrial plant manufacturing energy use

ENERGY STAR^® is a voluntary government/industry partnership that offers information to businesses and consumers on energy-efficient solutions, making it easier to save money and protect the environment for future generations. Introduced in 1992 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this voluntary labeling program was designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products as basic pollution prevention opportunities. The ENERGY STAR label can now be found on appliances, office equipment, lighting, buildings, and more. In 2002, ENERGY STAR was extended beyond its role in identifying energy efficient products to identifying energy-efficient production. The ENERGY STAR industry program focuses on encouraging and enabling sustainable corporate energy management. One of the three information tools EPA developed under ENERGY STAR, which also includes energy management networking and industry specific energy guides, is the energy performance indicator (EPI). The EPI is a statistical benchmarking tool that provides a “birds-eye” view of sector-specific plant-level energy use via a functional relationship between the level of energy use and the level and type of various production activities, material input's quality, and external factors, e.g. climate and material quality. The EPI uses stochastic frontier regression to estimate the lowest observed plant energy use, given these factors. This statistical model also provides a distribution of energy efficiency across the industry, which allows the user to answer the hypothetical but very practical question, “How would my plant compare to everyone else in my industry, if all other plants were similar to mine?” The result is a tool that can be used by corporate and plant energy managers to estimate the energy efficiency of their portfolio of plants. This paper describes the role of the EPI within the context of the overall goals of ENERGY STAR and gives examples of how this information tool was developed and is being used.     

Barriers to industrial energy efficiency investments in Greece

This paper sets out to investigate the main determinants of industrial decision-making process with respect to energy efficiency investments. Based on a survey among Greek industries, in the empirical analysis probit models are employed. The results support that an energy saving campaign should regard industries as subgroups with different needs and different managerial aspects. The importance of qualified employees is also established from this survey. An energy conservation framework would be more effective if the diffusion of information with regard to industrial energy saving investments is based on investment in human capital.     

A promising niche: waste to energy project in the Indian dairy sector

The dairy sector is known to have significant local and global environmental impacts; but it also has proven renewable-energy generation potential. This paper analyzes a specific niche experiment in the Indian dairy industry, wherein cattle waste management is carried out by a multitude of stakeholders. These include the waste collectors, local technology adopters, research institutions, multilateral donor agencies, the Indian government, technology suppliers and operation and maintenance teams who have managed an uninterrupted 1 MWe energy production over the past 4 years. This analysis uses the sociotechnical regime framework to study the interaction of social, technological, economic and policy-related aspects relevant to the niche experiment. The analysis shows a potential to contribute to the development of two complementing regimes—one related to cooperative waste management and the other related to grid-connected renewable-energy-based electricity generation. Key factors for a successful development are not only a long-term financing protection through government subsidies to cover higher capital cost and a preferential tariff related to energy throughput, but also the adaptation of technology, the embedding in the local cooperative structure and the removal of regulatory barriers.     

A life cycle impact of the natural gas used in the energy sector in Romania

The world's natural gas consumption continues to grow, increasing its market share of total primary energy consumption. Among the major fuels, natural gas is expected to provide the greatest increase in energy consumption in the world energy sector, due to its relatively low environmental impact and high thermodynamic quality. Natural gas plays a significant role in the energy sector because of its environmental qualities and energy. We analyzed the natural gas life cycle by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare, from an environmental point of view, four sites of heat production by natural gas combustion. We determined the best site from an environmental point of view for a consumer and which stage (extraction, treatment, transportation, storage, combustion) of the natural gas life cycle pollutes the most. This study confirmed the utility of the LCA in the evaluation of the environmental impact in the energy sector.     

Environmental management practices in the defence sector: assessment of the Portuguese military's environmental profile

Environmental management practice in the military is a growing reality in many countries. The goal of this research was to assess Portuguese military environmental profile, as a first step towards evaluating environmental performance. This paper assesses how environmental practices have been adopted in this sector, based on a self-assessment by the services. A national survey was carried out, involving a representative sample of the armed forces and defence administration. Overall results show that the integration of environmental practices into the Portuguese military is quite new, although with a positive trend when compared with other public sectors. Among the three military branches, the air force has adopted the most environmental practices.     

Diagnosis and proposals for waste management in industrial areas in the service sector: case study in the metropolitan area of Granada (Spain)

Industrial parks play a significant role in the production and use of goods and services. However, this also means that the environmental problems of each company are concentrated in a relatively small area. One of these problems is solid waste disposal, which has become a critical issue because of its negative impacts as well as the resources consumed. Integrated solid waste management integrates cleaner and more sustainable production strategies by reducing resource consumption and applying mechanisms found in natural ecosystems to industrial systems. Nevertheless, one of the necessary conditions for the design of such a system is a preliminary study of waste generation management in the area. The study presented in this paper characterizes industrial waste production and management in the metropolitan area of Granada (Spain), and analyzes its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A similar typology of industrial activities, mainly in the distribution and transportation sector, as well as the proximity of various industrial parks could facilitate their partnership in environmental management. The results obtained in our study point to significant weaknesses in the system, such as the lack of effective waste management tools and training for waste management personnel. Other weaknesses were, the low percentage of selective waste collection and the existence of unauthorized collectors. The paper concludes with specific proposals for waste collection. These recommendations include the creation of the following: (i) a community responsible for waste management; (ii) recycling points in industrial parks; (iii) energy recovery from the waste; (iv) a market to sell, buy, and/or exchange waste; (v) one authorized set of waste management agents that would provide the advantages of an economy of scale.     

Minimising emissions and energy wastage by improved industrial processes and integration of renewable energy

This article provides an introduction to this Special Issue of Journal of Cleaner Production (JCLP), which contains thirteen, carefully selected articles from the 12th Conference, “Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction” – PRES'09. This issue builds upon the multi-year co-operation between the PRES conference planners and the JCLP. The articles cover important subjects of increased efficiency in energy generation and usage and in improvements in industrial process optimisation. The first group of five papers focuses upon recent advances in emissions reduction and the resulting energy penalties. The second group of four papers deals with improving the efficiency and reliability in the utilisation of renewable energy, where hydrogen and biodiesel are the key energy carriers. The final group of three papers focus on process integration challenges of sustainable energy systems and upon the challenges of industrial/societal integration of sustainable energy systems into regional sustainable development planning.     

Stepwise multiple regression method of greenhouse gas emission modeling in the energy sector in Poland

The energy sector in Poland is the source of 81% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Poland, among other European Union countries, occupies a leading position with regard to coal consumption. Polish energy sector actively participates in efforts to reduce GHG emissions to the atmosphere, through a gradual decrease of the share of coal in the fuel mix and development of renewable energy sources. All evidence which completes the knowledge about issues related to GHG emissions is a valuable source of information. The article presents the results of modeling of GHG emissions which are generated by the energy sector in Poland. For a better understanding of the quantitative relationship between total consumption of primary energy and greenhouse gas emission, multiple stepwise regression model was applied. The modeling results of CO₂ emissions demonstrate a high relationship (0.97) with the hard coal consumption variable. Adjustment coefficient of the model to actual data is high and equal to 95%. The backward step regression model, in the case of CH₄ emission, indicated the presence of hard coal (0.66), peat and fuel wood (0.34), solid waste fuels, as well as other sources (-0.64) as the most important variables. The adjusted coefficient is suitable and equals R² = 0.90. For N₂O emission modeling the obtained coefficient of determination is low and equal to 43%. A significant variable influencing the amount of N₂O emission is the peat and wood fuel consumption.