Estimating net changes in life-cycle emissions from adoption of emerging civil infrastructure technologies

There is a net emissions change when adopting new materials for use in civil infrastructure design. To evaluate the total net emissions change, one must consider changes in manufacture and associated life-cycle emissions, as well as changes in the quantity of material required. In addition, in principle one should also consider any differences in costs of the two designs because cost savings can be applied to other economic activities with associated environmental impacts. In this paper, a method is presented that combines these considerations to permit an evaluation of the net change in emissions when considering the adoption of emerging technologies/materials for civil infrastructure. The method factors in data on differences between a standard and new material for civil infrastructure, material requirements as specified in designs using both materials, and price information. The life-cycle assessment approach known as economic input-output life-cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) is utilized. A brief background on EIO-LCA is provided because its use is central to the method. The methodology is demonstrated with analysis of a switch from carbon steel to high-performance steel in military bridge design. The results are compared with a simplistic analysis that accounts for the weight reduction afforded by use of the high-performance steel but assuming no differences in manufacture.     

Migration,markets, and mangrove resource use on Kosrae,Federated States of Micronesia

Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, is a prototype of an island economy prone to economic crowding. Average family size is large, the habitable land area is small, economic activity is limited, and household dependence on natural resources for fuel and food is high. We analyze how economic crowding--and its mitigation through trade and migration policies--affects mangrove resource use. A comparison of household survey data from 1996 and 2000 indicates that despite decreases in US aid and public-sector jobs, average household consumption of mangrove resources has not increased. Migration and remittances have allowed the purchase of imported fuel and building materials substituting for mangrove wood. Despite changing preferences and shifts toward import consumption, population growth and further declines in US financial support will likely cause aggregate demand for mangrove and upland wood to rise. Moreover, continued emigration may accelerate the export of mangrove crabs to off-island Kosraeans.     

农作物秸秆综合利用技术探讨

针对农作物秸秆焚烧的环境污染问题,提出综合利用秸秆,将秸秆通过造粒、挤出、模具成型、真空定型、牵引、定长等工艺,生产PVC木塑板,具有良好的经济效益、环境效益和社会效益。     

Crowding-out effect of coal industry investment in coal mining area: taking Shanxi province in China as a case

The rapid development of coal industry in Shanxi province in China has important effects on its economic development. A large amount of money has been invested into the coal industry and other related industries during the recent years. However, research on the investment effect of Shanxi’s coal industry was rare. In order to analyze the investment effect of coal industry, based on the crowding-out effect model, cointegration test, and the data available in Shanxi Statistical Yearbooks, this paper calculates the effect between coal industry investment and other 17 industry investment. The results show that the investment of coal industry produces crowding-out effect on food industry, building materials industry, and machinery industry. Increasing 1% of the coal industry investment can reduce 0.25% of the food industry investment, or 0.6% of building materials industry investment, or 0.52% of the machinery industry investment, which implies that Shanxi province should adjust coal industrial structure, promote the balance development of coal industry and other industries, so as to promote its economic growth.

     

利用活性炭纤维有机废气吸附回收装置治理二氯甲烷废气

文章介绍了一种化工生产过程中排出的二氯甲烷废气的治理装置———活性炭纤维有机废气吸附回收装置和治理工艺。由于采用了优越的吸附材料和先进的工艺设计 ,使吸附回收率达 97%以上 ,收到了很好的环境效益和经济效益     

Material selection for landfill leachate piping by using a grey target decision-making approach

Landfill leachate, due to its quantity and inherent risk, is generally collected and transported by piping system for advanced treatment. During the piping, the pipe materials may react with leachate, resulting in corrosion and scaling. In order to reduce possible failures and mitigate the associated consequences, this study provides an indicator system for material selection to aid the pipe system design. The material functional, economic, and environmental attributes are incorporated into the indicator system, to perform a precise selection of commercial drainage pipe materials, thus improving empirically oriented selection. Four common drainage pipe materials including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), galvanized steel, and seamless steel are taken as the material alternatives for the selection. Based upon their experimental data, a grey target decision-making framework is employed to perform the priority ranking of the materials. The results indicate that HDPE has the best performance, followed by PVC, galvanized steel, and seamless steel. This study discusses the validity of the selection results and the applicability of the proposed method, to provide insight into  leachate piping system design.

     

Hazardous Waste Minimization: Part VIII Waste Minimization in the Pesticide Formulation Industry

The pesticide formulation industry is dependent upon the basic manufacturers for the main raw materials. Waste minimization efforts are, therefore, limited to process/handling sources. The economic incentive for waste reduction has mandated significant changes throughout each facility. There are waste problems, however, that require industry-wide action, e.g., empty containers. The ongoing regulatory actions affecting this business will require continuing efforts to maintain operations.     

Hazardous Waste Minimization: Part I Waste Reduction in the Chemical Industry

Recognizing the need for minimizing the generation of hazardous waste, the chemical industry is experiencing a surge in the initiation of programs for reducing such waste. With a new realization that the cost of handling waste may be many times higher than the value of the materials lost in it, the industry needs to examine a new end-point for optimizing its processes; one that includes the total cost of waste management as well as the conventional cost elements such as raw materials, power and the like. The authors discuss some of the problems that industry is encountering; then describe Du Pont’s approach to waste reduction in terms of administrative and technical activities. They emphasize that, in addition to meeting environmental needs, waste reduction often makes good sense solely from an economic point of view.     

Environmental and economic evaluation of natural capital appropriation through building construction: practical case study in the Italian context

This paper focuses on appropriation of natural capital through construction of buildings. The ecological footprint and the Costanza natural capital concepts are applied. The environmental consequences of human settlement are currently of great concern, and a need is felt to reduce the impact of building on the environment. The embodied energy of building materials and the "land area" required to sustain their production are considered to evaluate the demand on nature of this activity. The ecological footprints of 2 typical Italian buildings are compared. The paper also focuses on how to reduce the natural capital appropriation of building construction by means of environmentally inexpensive materials, renewable energy resources, and optimization of the use of bioproductive land by construction of multistoried buildings. Finally, to allocate an environmental load of buildings, an economic evaluation of natural capital appropriation through building construction is proposed.     

头孢噻肟钠生产废渣的综合利用

从头孢噻肟钠生产废渣中回收２－硫醇基苯并噻唑合成二硫化二苯并噻唑,ＤＭ的收率达２３．８％,产品质量达到ＨＧＢ２－１５８－６１标准,小试表明,方法可行,操作稳定,简便,既减轻了废渣生成的污染,又回收和用途广泛的化工原料,有一定的环境效益和经济效益。     

Waste converting through by-product synergy: an insight from three-echelon supply chain

By-product synergy (BPS) is an innovative method to convert waste into valuable by-products effectively. Based on a three-echelon supply chain composed of an upstream manufacturer, a processing plant with limited processing capacity, and a downstream manufacturer, this study derives the production quantity and waste disposal decisions of the upstream and downstream manufacturers as well as the optimal transfer price decision of the processing plant. Moreover, we assess the environmental performance of BPS. Analytical results suggest that the upstream manufacturer’s production quantity and waste disposal decisions and the processing plant’s transfer price decision are threshold dependent on the processing plant’s capacity, whereas the downstream manufacturer’s production quantity decision is threshold dependent on the processing plant’s capacity and price of raw materials. BPS is beneficial for all members of the supply chain to increase profit. The production promotion and cost-saving effects ensure that the supply chain members maximize their profit. However, BPS does not always have a positive effect on the environment; when the processing plant’s capacity and price of raw materials are below the threshold, implementing BPS results in a win-win situation of economic and environmental benefits.

     

Energy and emission benefits of chicken manure biogas production: a case study

Studies on the production of biogas of different organic materials in an anaerobic environment are being carried out all over the world. The most important parameters in these researches can be listed as raw material potential, production processes, economic analyses, and environmental effects. Chicken manure is one of the raw materials used in biogas production. In this study, in addition to the analysis of biogas and energy production potential from chicken manure, greenhouse gas emissions were analyzed to evaluate environmental effects. In Turkey, chicken manure is not adequately processed and causes environmental pollution. The model biogas plant and potential energy generation were researched in this field study. The pilot plant produces 8.58 million m³ of biogas per year by processing about 110 thousand tons of waste. It produces 17 GWh/year of electricity and 16 GWh/year of thermal energy, as well as reducing CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions by 13.86 thousand tons/year.

     

Integral use of plants and their residues: the case of cocoyam (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthosoma sagittifolium</Emphasis>) conversion through biorefineries at small scale

During last decades, there has been a growing interest of decreasing the environmental impact generated by humans. This situation has been approached from different perspectives being the integral use of raw materials as one of the best alternatives. It was estimated that 3.7?×?10⁹ tonnes of agricultural residues are produced annually worldwide. Then, the integral use of feedstocks has been studied through the biorefinery concept. A biorefinery can be a promissory option for processing feedstocks in rural zones aiming to boost the techno-economic and social growth. However, many plants produced at small scale in rural zones without high industrial use contribute with residues usually not studied as raw materials for other processes. Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) is a plant grown extensively in tropical regions. Nigeria, China, and Ghana are the main producers with 1.3, 1.18, and 0.9 million tonnes/year, respectively. In Colombia, there are no technified crops, but it is used where it is grown mainly as animal feed. This plant consists of leaves, stem, and a tuber but the use is generally limited to the leaves, discarding the other parts. These discarded parts have great potential (lignocellulose and starch). This work proposes different processing schemes using the parts of the plant to obtain value-added products, and their techno-economic and environmental assessment. The simulation was performed with Aspen Plus and the economic package was used for the economic assessment. For the environmental assessment, Waste Algorithm Reduction of the U.S. EPA was implemented. The obtained results showed that the integral use of plants under a biorefinery scheme allows obtaining better techno-economic and environmental performance and that small-scale biorefineries can be a promissory option for boosting rural zones.     

Economics of carbon dioxide capture and utilization—a supply and demand perspective

Lately, the technical research on carbon dioxide capture and utilization (CCU) has achieved important breakthroughs. While single CO₂-based innovations are entering the markets, the possible economic effects of a large-scale CO₂ utilization still remain unclear to policy makers and the public. Hence, this paper reviews the literature on CCU and provides insights on the motivations and potential of making use of recovered CO₂ emissions as a commodity in the industrial production of materials and fuels. By analyzing data on current global CO₂ supply from industrial sources, best practice benchmark capture costs and the demand potential of CO₂ utilization and storage scenarios with comparative statics, conclusions can be drawn on the role of different CO₂ sources. For near-term scenarios the demand for the commodity CO₂ can be covered from industrial processes, that emit CO₂ at a high purity and low benchmark capture cost of approximately 33 €/t. In the long-term, with synthetic fuel production and large-scale CO₂ utilization, CO₂ is likely to be available from a variety of processes at benchmark costs of approx. 65 €/t. Even if fossil-fired power generation is phased out, the CO₂ emissions of current industrial processes would suffice for ambitious CCU demand scenarios. At current economic conditions, the business case for CO₂ utilization is technology specific and depends on whether efficiency gains or substitution of volatile priced raw materials can be achieved. Overall, it is argued that CCU should be advanced complementary to mitigation technologies and can unfold its potential in creating local circular economy solutions.     

Composting and bioremediation process evaluation of wood waste materials generated from the construction and demolition industry

The suitability of using bioremediation and composting techniques for diverting construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfill has been validated in this study. Different timber products from C&D waste have been composted using various composting approaches. The present work demonstrates the quality of compost produced as a result of composting of mixed board product wood waste, which is frequently obtained from the construction and demolition industry. Three compost mixes were prepared by mixing shredded chip board, medium density fibre, hardboard and melamine. Poultry manure, Eco-Bio mixture and green waste were used as nutrient supplements. The results revealed that compost produced from mixtures of poultry manure and green waste used as nutrient supplements improved the performance in plant growth trials (phytotoxicity tests). Results obtained from the experimental study clearly indicate that the composts produced comply with the criterion suggested in BSI PAS 100 (A specification for compost materials) for use in different applications. Composting can also be demonstrated to be a very practical approach to material management including transport reduction to and from the site. The economic suitability of the process will be improved with the increase in landfill tax. In the current regulatory scenario, it is recommended that these materials should be composted at a centralised facility.     

The role of aqueous iron(II) and manganese(II) in sub-aqueous active barrier systems containing natural clinoptilolite

Increasing attention is being placed on capping as a relatively new option in managing both contaminated sediments and dredged materials, due to its economic and environmental benefits. Capping denotes the placement of a cover onto potentially hazardous sediments or dredged material dumps to inhibit the transfer of contaminants into the water column. Retention of divalent iron and manganese cations using sandy capping layers containing natural zeolites as a reactive additive (active barrier systems, ABS) is evaluated in this study. Three different natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) rocks, two from deposits in Australia and one from a North-American deposit, were investigated and compared with respect to their mineralogical, physical and chemical properties. In particular, results from batch and column experiments show that ABS based on these materials can efficiently demobilise iron and manganese from percolating, anoxic pore water by cation exchange under favourable conditions. The retention, however, may be reduced strongly where competitive exchange with divalent cations such as calcium prevails or where mobile colloidal pore water constituents such as clay minerals or humic substances bind fractions of the dissolved iron or manganese. Therefore, the potential of ABS as a means for in situ remediation has to be evaluated diligently with particular regard to the pore water composition of the sediment to be capped.     

The study of urban metabolism and its applications to urban planning and design

Following formative work in the 1970s, disappearance in the 1980s, and reemergence in the 1990s, a chronological review shows that the past decade has witnessed increasing interest in the study of urban metabolism. The review finds that there are two related, non-conflicting, schools of urban metabolism: one following Odum describes metabolism in terms of energy equivalents; while the second more broadly expresses a city's flows of water, materials and nutrients in terms of mass fluxes. Four example applications of urban metabolism studies are discussed: urban sustainability indicators; inputs to urban greenhouse gas emissions calculation; mathematical models of urban metabolism for policy analysis; and as a basis for sustainable urban design. Future directions include fuller integration of social, health and economic indicators into the urban metabolism framework, while tackling the great sustainability challenge of reconstructing cities.     

The chemical exploitation of nickel phytoextraction: An environmental, ecologic and economic opportunity for New Caledonia

Herein, we explore the outlines of an innovative method based on the chemical recovery of metal-rich biomass produced in phytoextraction technologies. Taking advantage of the adaptive capacity of some New Caledonian plants to hyperaccumulate Ni²⁺ cations in their aerial parts, this technique is based on the direct use of metals derived from plants as “Lewis acid” catalysts in organic chemistry. Metallic cations contained in New Caledonian nickel hyperaccumulators are recovered through a simple cost-effective process and serve the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts used in synthetic transformations allowing access to molecules with high added-value. The design of all processes is in line with the principles of green chemistry; it is adapted to the new economic constraints; it offers a new relevant outlet for metal-rich biomass; and it represents an alternative to non-renewable mineral materials.     

Compatibility analysis of material and energy recovery in a regional solid waste management system

The rising prices of raw materials and concerns about energy conservation have resulted in an increasing interest in the simultaneous recovery of materials and energy from waste streams. Compatibility exists for several economic, environmental, and managerial reasons. Installing an on-site or off-site presorting facility before an incinerator could be a feasible alternative to achieve both goals if household recycling programs cannot succeed in local communities. However, the regional impacts of presorting solid waste on a waste-to-energy facility remain unclear because of the inherent complexity of solid waste compositions and properties over different areas. This paper applies a system-based approach to assess the impact of installing a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) process before an incinerator. Such an RDF process, consisting of standard unit operations of shredding, magnetic separation, trommel screening, and air classification, might be useful for integrating the recycling and presorting efforts for a large-scale municipal incinerator from a regional sense. An optimization modeling analysis is performed to characterize such integration potential so that the optimal size of the RDF process and associated shipping patterns for flow control can be foreseen. It aims at exploring how the waste inflows with different rates of generation, physical and chemical compositions, and heating values collected from differing administrative districts can be processed by either a centralized presorting facility or an incinerator to meet both the energy recovery and throughput requirements. A case study conducted in Taipei County, which is one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas in Taiwan, further confirms the application potential of such a cost-benefit analysis.     

Characterization of spent nickel–metal hydride batteries and a preliminary economic evaluation of the recovery processes

Valuable metal materials can be recovered from spent nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. However, little attention has been paid to the metal compositions of individual components of NiMH batteries, although this is important for the selection of the appropriate recycling process. In this study, NiMH batteries were manually disassembled to identify the components and to characterize the metals in each of these. A preliminary economic analysis was also conducted to evaluate the recovery of valuable metals from spent NiMH batteries using thermal melting versus simple mechanical separation. The results of this study show that metallic components account for more than 60% of battery weight. The contents of Ni, Fe, Co, and rare earth elements (REEs) (i.e., valuable metals of interest for recovery) in a single battery were 17.9%, 15.4%, 4.41%, and 17.3%, respectively. Most of the Fe was in the battery components of the steel cathode collector, cathode cap, and anode metal grid, while Ni (>90%) and Co (>90%) were mainly in the electrode active materials (anode and cathode metal powders). About 1.88 g of REEs (Ce, La, and Y) could be obtained from one spent NiMH battery. The estimated profits from recovering valuable metals from spent NiMH batteries by using thermal melting and mechanical processes are 2,329 and 2,531 USD/ton, respectively, when including a subsidy of 1,710 USD/ton. The findings of this study are very useful for further research related to technical and economic evaluations of the recovery of valuable metals from spent NiMH batteries. Implications: The spent nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) batteries were manually disassembled and their components were identified. The metals account for more than 60% of battery weight, when Ni, Fe, Co, and rare earth elements (REEs) were 17.9%, 15.4%, 4.41%, and 17.3%, respectively, in a single battery. The estimated profits of recovering valuable metals from NiMH batteries by using thermal melting and mechanical processing are 2,329 and 2,531 USD/ton, respectively, when including a subsidy of 1,710 USD/ton. These findings are very useful to develop or select the recovery methods of valuable metals from spent NiMH batteries.