Understanding the material purchase value of wastes and emissions and related processing costs is the essential contribution of an Environmental Management Accounting methodology proposed by a United Nations expert working group organised through the Division for Sustainable Development (UNDSD). Tracing costs and benefits according to this UNDSD methodology, considered as a “reflexive” modernization strategy in this article, sheds new light on cleaner production initiatives for corporate sustainability. Information on the first category of costs, waste and emission treatment, is generally the most accurate. Information on the second category, prevention and environmental management costs, is more difficult to determine because this category overlaps with, or is confused with, the first category of costs. Data for the two novel and innovative cost categories of the material purchase value of waste and emissions and related processing costs are even harder to obtain. Frequently, the costs are either hidden in overhead accounts or are not recorded because they are not required in conventional accounting systems. The outcome is that companies, even though they may profess otherwise, have very little knowledge about their full environmental costs, cost saving opportunities, or how best to achieve cleaner production initiatives to promote corporate sustainability. A more systematic application of the UNDSD EMA methodology would provide a better record of costs and act as a catalyst in promoting cleaner production processes. This application inevitably requires “reflexive institutions” including “reflexive corporations”, that is, corporations with the capacity to examine the side effects of their operations as modernization rebounds upon them. 相似文献
Cleaner Production is an organized approach to minimize industrial waste and emissions by increasing the efficiency of the use of materials and energy. It is propagated especially by UNIDO and UNEP as an approach to identify preventive measures to cut on waste and emissions from industrial activities. Case studies conducted by the authors in the last 10 years demonstrate, that in a number of cases water consumption per production unit of industries from the surface treatment sector, from food processing and from the textile industry could be reduced by 30–90%, auxiliary materials consumption could be reduced by 30–50%, and energy consumption of processes could be reduced by 15–25%. All these measures were actually economically beneficial for the companies, most of these measures paid back in less than one year [1].The standard approach to apply Cleaner Production originates from chemical engineering. It follows the steps of: Drawing a process flow sheet – collecting input/output data – doing mass and energy balances – identify sources for waste and emissions – set priorities – identify options. In the process of option generation one generally relies on expert knowledge or on checklists which are available in different manuals or in the best available technology reference (BREF) notes.1 This approach is strong with teams with an (chemical) engineering background.The authors wanted to develop a generic approach for option identification especially for teams with little formal engineering background or teams which have to go beyond their professional experience by using elements of the so-called TRIZ method (Theory of inventive problem solving, or originally Russian: “” (Teoria reschenija isobretatjelskich sadatsch)). TRIZ offers very strong tools for developing process improvement options on a generic level without specific technological knowledge about the process which shall be improved. The authors have found from their research that especially the concept of the Ideal Final Result, and the Laws of Evolution form a conceptual framework which can aid effectively in the identification of improvement options in a systematic way. 相似文献
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. 相似文献
Successful implementation of cleaner production concepts at the government and industry level requires that professionals in those institutions receive adequate education and training in this field. In the recent past, most of the higher learning institutions around the world have incorporated cleaner production as a subject in their curricula. In order to satisfy the specific needs of busy professionals, higher learning institutions need to use new technologies to facilitate cleaner production training. The flexible learning approach used at Griffith University is one of these valuable tools. This paper introduces some of the key concepts of flexible learning and investigates how they can be effectively used in education and training for cleaner production. 相似文献
An environmental assessment method for cleaner production technologies enabling quantitative analysis of environmental impact is presented.The proposed method is based on material and energy flows and uses a set of profile indices, including raw material, energy, waste, product and packaging profiles that describe all material and energy flows related to the technology under investigation. The indices are used as a basis for determining an integrated index for overall environmental assessment of cleaner production technologies.The presented method can be employed to evaluate environmental nuisance of implemented, modernised and modified technological processes and products as well to perform comparative analyses of alternative technologies. 相似文献
The paper presents a methodology for multi-objective modeling and optimization with environmental impacts and economics aspects simultaneously in the context of cleaner production. A generalized multi-objective process model is proposed based on a holistic concept of macro-structure. A hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed to solve this multi-objective optimization problem. The Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm is used to obtain the Pareto-optimal set. The best compromised solution is determined by using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution. A simple reaction system is presented as a case study to illustrate the proposed methodology. 相似文献
China’s paper production reached 79.8 × 106 t in 2008 and ranked number one in the world. Because of its high consumption of water, energy and materials and its serious
pollution, the present processes are not likely to be sustainable. An alternative, the closed Water Loop-Papermaking Integration
(WLPI) method, is put forward in this paper. The WLPI method can be realized in a recycled paper mill by adding technologies
and using recycled water. Many industrial case studies have shown that a large quantity of water, energy and materials can
be saved, and the quantity of waste sludge and wastewater discharge was minimized by using the WLPI method. The design of
the water reuse system, control of calcium hardness, water recycling and minimal waste sludge are discussed. Anaerobic technology
plays an important role in the WLPI method to lower cost, energy use and waste. In the brown paper and coated white board
production, zero-effluent discharge can be realized. Fresh water consumption is only 1–2m3·t−1. For the paper mills with deinking and bleaching processes, about 10 m3·t−1 of fresh water and a similar amount of effluent discharge are needed. Power saving using anaerobic technology is 70% when
recycled water is used in comparison with the conventional activated sludge process.Waste sludge can be decreased to about
5% of the initial process due to reuse of the waste sludge and the lower bio-sludge production of the anaerobic process. 相似文献
This paper is based upon the understanding that fundamental disciplines of human knowledge such as chemistry, ecology, sociology, geology, economics, engineering or politics, cannot, by themselves, provide the sufficient and necessary solutions to complex problems of sustainability. The paper, therefore, presents an integrated knowledge approach to sustainability policy on industry with the understanding that the essence of such an approach is to enable and support stewardship for building a sustainable society by transcending the conflicts between the paradigm of economics and the paradigm of ecology. This is done by testing the complementarities of three functional modes of knowledge (contextual, technological, and reconciliatory) in actuating the policy science of sustainability. This is based upon an analysis of surveys on CP implementation motives, CP technologies and CP policies. The paper colludes with the finding that even when provided with impressive amounts of data, information and supportive opinion on specific sustainability issues, a society that is not sufficiently cognizant of the necessary knowledge synthesis processes will be unlikely to gain momentum in moving forward in the development, implementation and on-going support of industrial sustainability policy. 相似文献
There has been much discussion regarding the potential environmental benefits and hazards associated with agricultural biotechnology. Some argue that it can eliminate the need for a wide range of material inputs such as pesticides and herbicides. Others argue that it will increase the demand for non-sustainable and potentially hazardous ‘agri-business' practices. We test these claims against the cleaner production approach. Although we found that pressures to accept this technology are strong enough to overcome initial resistance, we also found that biotechnology, as it applies to agriculture, is not consistent with a cleaner production approach due to the high level of risk. We suggest that this type of technology adds an additional dimension to the cleaner production argument. 相似文献
Chromic oxide (Cr2O3) is an important chemical with numerous industrial applications. The traditional process used for manufacturing chromic oxide from chromite ore has low resources and energy efficiency. Moreover, large quantities of chromium-containing toxic solid wastes are discharged, posing serious pollution concerns. To reduce the environmental impact of this procedure, a new cleaner process was developed by the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, PR China, based upon the 3Rs (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse) principles of cleaner production and industrial ecology; this new cleaner process utilizes resources more efficiently, and does not discharge emissions of chromium-containing waste residue. A demonstration plant featuring this process, as well as an Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) has been built in He'nan Province, PR China. The new cleaner process is a promising advancement for the industrial production of chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as well as other chromium compounds such as potassium chromate (K2CrO4) and potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7). 相似文献
The objective of this paper is to assess the environmental effectiveness of a strategic measure aimed at resource productivity enhancement. The cement industry has been identified as a relevant sector for this global issue, since the related production process enables the use of waste in partial substitution of raw materials and in substitution of traditional fuels. The analysis of the cement production sector in Italy has been here performed, investigating the recovery of energy from waste through co-incineration. In terms of air emissions, the emission performances of cement kilns appear independent from the use of alternative fuels at the percentages usually employed. However, in order to measure the cleanliness of a production system, systematic analysis with global perspective is needed. For this aim, the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been used for a case study analysis of an Italian active plant using an amount of recovered plastics as an alternative fuel resource. The improvement on the investigated process has been quantitatively measured as a way for cleaner production, first in terms of gross energy requirement, and then through an environmental performance comparison with a sector benchmark. The analysis has highlighted the benefits on the global environmental balance for the practice of co-incineration in the cement production process. 相似文献
The importance of cleaner production (CP) has motivated leaders of different countries at diverse levels of industrial development to establish national strategies or programs for speeding up the implementation of CP. In this article a proposed framework for the national program to promote CP in Iran is presented. Based on the strategic planning approach, a SWOT analysis was conducted pertaining to the factors influencing the potential cleaner production implementation in Iran. Then, the various levels of the plan, including the Mission, Targets, Strategies, and Actions, were determined, followed by an executive structure for its implementation. The most important characteristic of the proposed program is its emphasis upon the role of the non-governmental sectors in the implementation of CP, in order to avoid governmental bureaucracy. 相似文献
This paper describes the initial proposal of a cleaner technologies network in the state of Bahia, in the northeast section of Brazil. This network intends to bring together industry, universities, and government to discuss the relationship between production and the environment. Its main objective is to support a change in the way this relationship is nowadays perceived, in order to make preventive practices a priority and improve eco-efficiency. Implementation of the network was preceded by a diploma course on environmental technologies and management directed at professionals in the workforce. The results of the course are helping to create an atmosphere that is beneficial for the start-up of the network. 相似文献
This paper presents an industrial application of mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) models for the optimisation of a water network, which was initiated by an integral need for cleaner production within a brewery. Several mathematical models were developed in order to reduce the use of freshwater, whilst considering the specific requirements of each particular production section. These models are based on the design method developed by Kim and Smith [1]. The original formulation is modified to enable efficient integration of discontinuous and semi-continuous water-using processes in the packaging area. Semi-continuous processes are treated as water sources of limited capacity. The option of installing storage tanks for semi-continuous water streams is included in the model, in order to re-use these streams during the shutdown periods of semi-continuous operations. The original model is additionally extended with the option of installing local (on-site) wastewater treatment units operating either in batch or semi-continuous modes. This enables the analysing of opportunities for regeneration re-use within the production area, i.e. the brewhouse with a cellar, because of high contaminant concentrations at these sites. The scheduling of batch wastewater treatment units is performed simultaneously in order to adjust the treatment schedule to a fixed schedule of batch processes. 相似文献
This paper reports the findings of a study conducted to identify the appropriate policy strategies for cleaner production in Zambia. Through direct consultation with industry and other stakeholders, it was observed that the major constraints that hindered implementation of cleaner production in the industry were financial problems, poor/weak enforcement of environmental laws, lack of knowledge, lack of awareness and lack of technical competence. Similarly, potential motivators for cleaner production in industry were identified and included the macro-economic climate, economic reforms and policies, economic incentives, regulation and environmental leadership. In conclusion, the low levels of cleaner production adoption were mainly due to the lack of environmental standards in some industries, low levels of cleaner production awareness, limited understanding of commercial and economic benefits of utilisation of cleaner production approaches, inadequate institutional arrangements for the promotion and implementation of cleaner production and the lacklustre enforcement of existing environmental laws. 相似文献
China produces almost half of ceramic tiles in the world. However, serious air pollution and high energy consumption in the preparation of ceramic press-powders by traditional wet process (WP) have become major barriers for the sustainable development of ceramic tile manufacturing industry. A novel cleaner production process, named by the authors as Droplet-Powder Granulation Process (DPGP), was proposed and tested in this work. Droplet-powder granulator, a key facility of DPGP, was designed. In the granulator, ceramic suspension was directly sprayed to form fine suspension droplets and ceramic dry powder was simultaneously jetted and dispersed to enwrap, insulate and adsorb the suspension droplets so as to form coarse granules that were then rolled, tamped and dried into press-powders. Lab experiments of preparing press-powders by DPGP were carried out. The as-prepared DPGP press-powders consist of solid granules with nearly spherical shape and approximately normal grain size distribution, and present favorable flowability and relatively high bulk density, with the similar properties of the press-powders as those prepared by WP. Moreover, as compared with WP, DPGP can reduce both pollutant emission of 98% dust, 65% sulfur oxides and 71% nitrogen oxides and resource consumption of 24% energy and 69% water. Therefore, DPGP is an innovative approach for cleaner production of ceramic press-powders. 相似文献
Miscanthus. x giganteus bark was subjected to acetic and formic acid fractionation. The kinetics of the process were explained by a model of two parallel first-order reactions, for pulp yield and delignification, and by Saeman's kinetics based models, for total polysaccharides and viscosity of pulps. The influence of hydrochloric acid concentration on both organosolv processes was studied at two levels: 0.10 and 0.15% by weight. The models provided a good fit of the experimental data and helped to predict the best set of independent variables to obtain a good fractionation.Both systems achieved similar delignification levels and pulp characteristics, although the evolution in formic acid was faster than in acetic acid, mainly due to the great extent of reactions in the warming up period that accounted for about a third part of the initial dry weight of the raw material. 相似文献