Employment and structural impacts of material efficiency strategies: results from five case studies

In order to come up with a sound assessment of the effects of material efficiency innovations on growth, employment and competitiveness, different economic mechanisms have to be considered. From a methodological point of view, the analysis must be able to account for technology specific aspects. The employment impacts of five innovations are analyzed: plastic and paper recycling, increased life span of automobiles, car sharing, and bio-based products. Time horizons for all strategies are scenarios until 2020.The economic impacts are context specific with regard to innovation, technology and country. The economic impacts highlight substantial structural adjustments. The overall economic net impact on employment tends to be neutral to positive. Stronger positive economic impacts result if first mover advantages can be established.     

Bench-scale synthesis of zeolite A from subbituminous coal ashes with high crystalline silica content

In this present work, fly ash and bottom ash with high crystalline silica content were obtained from the coal-fired boilers within the paper industries in Thailand. These coal ashes were used as the basic raw materials for synthetic zeolite production. The crystal type and crystallinity, specific surface area and pore size, and textural properties of zeolite products were characterized by using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), N₂ sorption analysis, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. It was found that sodalite octahydrate was selectively formed via the direct conventional (one-step) synthesis, whereas through a two-step, sodium silicate preparation and consecutive zeolite A synthesis process, 94 and 72 wt.% zeolite A products could be produced from the fly ash and bottom ash, respectively. The cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of fly ash and bottom ash-derived zeolite A products were closely similar to that of the commercial grade zeolite A.     

A system model for green manufacturing

Manufacturing systems evolution is afunction in multiple external and internal factors. With today’s global awareness of environmental risks as well as the pressing needs to compete through efficiency, manufacturing systems are evolving into a new paradigm. This paper presents a system model for the new green manufacturing paradigm. The model captures various planning activities to migrate from a less green into a greener and more eco-efficient manufacturing. The various planning stages are accompanied by the required control metrics as well as various green tools in an open mixed architecture. The system model is demonstrated by an industrial case study. The proposed model is a comprehensive qualitative answer to the question of how to design and/or improve green manufacturing systems as well as a roadmap for future quantitative research to better evaluate this new paradigm.     

Disassemblability of end-of-life vehicle: a critical review of evaluation methods

Environmental sustainability has become the main items of contest in the automotive industries. Therefore in the order to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life vehicles, European Union, Japan, USA, and Australia laws require manufacturers to take back their products at the end of their useful life and recycle them. In order to enhance the recycling rate of the vehicle, disassemblability of the automotive components has been a major concern. In the chain of end-of-life, except for landfill and incineration, components of economic value destined for reuse, remanufacture, or recycling have first to be disassembled from the end-of-life vehicles. There are several efforts within the academic community to rationalise design for disassembly and recycling, and several attempts by industry to study these issues in the context of specific products. Recent publications offer a broad perspective on recyclability and disassemblability. It is therefore necessary to determine the optimal stage of disassembly, when all economically valuable components are retrieved. This paper presents a review of several disassemblability methods, including spread sheet-like chart, end-of-life value and time for disassembly. The review concludes on the need for an effective disassembly method in order to enhance the recovery of products.     

Review of corporate environmental indicators

This paper reviews a series of environmental indicators developed in the last years that were found suitable to be applied at corporate level for the evaluation of production processes and products. The indicators reviewed in this paper were classified into four main groups: 1) Indicators of Energy and Material Flows; 2) Indicators with a Territorial Dimension; 3) Indicators of Life-Cycle Assessment; 4) Indicators of Environmental Risk Assessment. Integrative and single index indicators such as the ecological footprint or carbon footprint were found as the most appealing for enterprises, although there is a need to advance in the field to combine the simplicity required at corporate level for tracking and reporting environmental data, and the scientific rigor and transparency necessary to make the scores reliable. Hence, for each of the indicators revised it was stated what they do and do not measure so that misleading information was not used for decision making at corporate level.     

Corporate social responsibility: sustainable water use

Freshwater scarcity is no longer limited to sub-Saharan developing countries; also in Western society, access to unlimited amounts of freshwater is not assured at all times. It has been argued - and laid down in many national legal systems - that access to freshwater is a basic human right. What if corporate freshwater use threatens to interfere with this human right? The main focus of the article is to explore the role of today’s companies in relation to freshwater. A number of tools have been developed to attend to the necessity to reduce corporate use of freshwater. The article discusses specialised water reporting instruments such as the 2007 Global Water Tool and the ‘water footprint’ calculation method. In addition, attention is paid to a CERES report (2010) revealing that the majority of the 100 world’s leading companies in water-intensive industries still has weak management and disclosures of water-related risks and opportunities. To obtain concrete information about corporate water strategies and practices, an explorative analysis was conducted on 20 Dutch multinational companies. The article highlights various innovative practices. In sum, it is demonstrated that companies are expected to bear responsibility for their impact on water resources, in particular when it influences public access to water in areas with freshwater scarcity and/or weak government. Notwithstanding the critical conclusions of the CERES report, it is interesting to see an evolution in corporate research concerning sustainable water use and the development of greener products and greener ways of production.     

A renewable waste material for the synthesis of a novel non-halogenated flame retardant polymer

The recognition of toxicity and environmental persistence of halogenated flame retardant (FR) materials has prompted the reduction in their usage across the globe. There is an immediate need for new types of non-toxic and effective FR produced preferably through sustainable routes. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a new polyphenolic FR material based on a renewable and biodegradable starting material, cardanol (a byproduct of cashew nut processing). Cardanol was polymerized in aqueous media using various types of oxidants. The thermal properties of the resulting polymers were investigated. Polycardanol synthesized using a specific type of oxidant exhibited good thermal stability and low heat release capacity. Preliminary results obtained from this study are quite promising and indicate the possibility of synthesizing new types of FR materials from bio-based phenols.     

Life cycle of the jellyfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizostoma pulmo</Emphasis> (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) and its distribution,seasonality and inter-annual variability along the Catalan coast and the Mar Menor (Spain,NW Mediterranean)

Rhizostoma pulmo is one of the most abundant scyphomedusae along the Mediterranean coasts. To understand changes in the population densities of the medusa stage and its relationship with the benthic stage, we describe all developmental stages from the life cycle of R. pulmo, from the scyphistoma stage to young medusae reared in the laboratory. Mature scyphistomae showed a mean total body length of 1.7 mm and the average tentacle number was 16. Asexual reproduction occurred by lateral budding, podocyst and pedalocyst production. Each strobila released up to 8 ephyrae that had a mean total body diameter of 3.5 mm. Moreover, we also present data on the temporal and spatial distribution of the species in the Catalan Sea and the coastal lagoon on Mar Menor (NW Mediterranean) during the years 2007–2009. In the Catalan Sea, the presence of adult R. pulmo was recorded as extended along the whole coast, but most of the observation was concentrated in the central area; the highest abundances were recorded during the months of July and August. The highest number of observations was detected in 2008 in coincidence with the inter-annual variation observed in the Mar Menor lagoon.     

Evaluation of hexavalent chromium removal in a continuous biological filter with the use of central composite design (CCD)

Hexavalent chromium is frequently found in industrial effluents as a result of the industrial applications of this compound and its anti-corrosive features. However, hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic, and its discharge in water is regulated, with a maximum limit of 0.1 mg/L in accordance with legislation established by CONAMA-Brazil (no. 397, April 3, 2008). To achieve lower discharge values, it is necessary to reduce from Cr(VI) to Cr(III), which is less toxic, and an economic alternative involves biological removal of this compound. Residence time distributions (RTDs) were measured to evaluate the behavior of actual biofilter operation conditions in a biofilter flow. The medium residence time distributions used were 8 and 24 h (recommended by the legislation). To optimize this process, a central composite design was used, considering the initial chromium concentration and pH as the independent variables and the removal of hexavalent chromium as the response. The boundary curves and surface response showed optimal behavior at 3.94 mg/L [Cr(0)] and a pH of 6.2. The removal process of hexavalent chromium is mathematically described by the Michaelis-Menten kinetic model. This model appropriately represents the variation of chromium concentration along the bioreactor.