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Industrial Ecology

Industrial Ecology. A bit of history:. In 1865 Karl Marx is the first to apply the term Metabolism to human society and labour

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Industrial Ecology

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  1. Industrial Ecology

  2. A bit of history: • In 1865 Karl Marx is the first to apply the term Metabolism to human society and labour • In 1989, Robert Ayres developed concept of Industrial Metabolism: Industry metabolizes materials and energy and transforms them into useful products, wastes and emissions • In 1989, Robert Frosch and Nicholas Gallopoulos developed the concept of Industrial Ecosystems:The notion creates an analogy between biological and industrial food webs. In an industrial ecosystem, waste product by one company should be used as a resource for another. • In 1991, the National Academy of Science hosts Symposium on Industrial Ecology • In 1994, the National Academy of Engineering publishesThe Greening of Industrial Ecosystems(Eds. Braden Allenby & Deanna Richards) • 1997, publication of the first issue of the International Journal of Industrial Ecology • 2001, foundation of the International Society of Industrial Ecology (http://www.is4ie.org) • Both Metaphors were also independently developed and used in other countries, like Switzerland (Baccini & Brunner, 1991), in Belgium (Billen et al., 1983) and in Japan (Watanabe, 1973)

  3. Definition of Industrial Ecology • There is currently no single definition that is generally accepted, even though all containsimilar attributes with different emphases. One that I quite like is the following: • The study of the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, of the effects of these flows on the environment, and of the influences of economic, political, regulatory, and social factors on the flow, use and transformation of resources • (Robert White, 1994, in the preface of The Greening of Industrial Ecosystems) • What’s ecological about IE? • It looks to natural ecosystems as models for industrial activity (e.g. nutrient cycling) • It places human / industrial activity in the context of the larger ecosystem that support it (environmental impact of human activities, carrying capacity, ecological resilience)

  4. Solar Radiation (Teff ~ 6000K mainly UV, optical and IR) Earth’s Radiation(Teff ~ 300K mainly IR) The BIG picture: Needs & Wants Services Source of: Materials Energy Water Land Sink for: Wastes & Emissions Products Production Anthroposphere Ecosphere Industrial production and consumption systems use the environment as source of resources and sink for wastes and emissions

  5. Methodological Foundation of Industrial Ecology • Core elements (Lifset & Graedel 2002) • The biological analogy • The use of a systems perspective • The role of technological change • The role of companies • Dematerialization and eco-efficiency • Forward-looking research and practice • Key concepts (Garner & Keoleian 1995) • Analogies to natural systems • Systems analysis • Material and energy flows and transformations • Multidisciplinary approach • Linear vs. cyclical systems

  6. Systems Theory and Analysis Definition of system: An organized assembly of components that are united and regulated by interaction or interdependence to accomplish a set of specific functions. The system itself is separated from its environment by the system boundaries. Most systems are open,i.e. they interact with their environment. • Systems can have emergent properties (system is more than the sum of its parts) • → Impossible to understand system by analyzing components independently • Systems can be self-regulating and self-organizing (feedback loops) • → Impossible to control system by simple manipulations • Systems can only be optimized on system level • → Impossible to optimize system by optimizing components (sub-systems) individually Let us now take a systems look at beverage containers… Consider a glass bottle, an aluminum can and a PET bottle. Q: Which is the environmentally preferable material?

  7. Material choice for beverage containers Question: Which container has the lowest environmental impact? Material production Container manufacturing Use & distribution Recycling or disposal

  8. Material choice for beverage containers

  9. Material choice for beverage containers Production of Lime-Soda Glass

  10. Material choice for beverage containers Production of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Amorphous PET solid state polymerization melt polymerization natural gas extraction & processing steam reforming crude oil extraction & refining syngas bottle grade PET natural gas bishydroxyethyl terephthalate methanol production cracking naphta ester interchange direct esterification methanol ethylene glycol pygas acetic acid production terephthalic acid dimethyl- terephthalate catalytic reforming ethylene glycol production acetic acid Purified terephthalic acid production xylenes Dimethyl terephthalate production ethylene p-xylene separation p-xylene

  11. Material choice for beverage containers Environmental impact indicator: Primary energy requirements

  12. Material choice for beverage containers Materials can not be compared on a mass basis. Definition of Functional Unit: Containing 1 liter of beverage • Reference flows: • 40.2 gram of aluminum cans • 44.0 gram of PET bottles • 433.3 gram of glass bottles

  13. Material choice for beverage containers How much energy is required to produce the beverage containers? How much energy is required to transport the beverage containers?

  14. Material choice for beverage containers How much energy is saved through beverage container recycling?

  15. Material choice for beverage containers Results: • Based on 500 km transportation • Based on current recycling rates

  16. Material choice for beverage containers Conclusion: Products create environmental impacts at all stages of their life cycles→ It is important to consider the entire life cycle of products

  17. Course Content and Grading • Course Content: • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • Material Flows in the Economy • Material and Substance Flow Analysis (MFA, SFA) • Sustainable use of materials (Eco-efficiency & dematerialization) • Supply Loops (reuse and recycling) • Industrial Ecosystems • Industrial Ecology and Policy • Industrial Ecology and Business (Environmental product design) • Industrial Ecology and Business (Environmental marketing and labeling) • Sustainable Consumption • Grading: • 4 Assignments (4 x 20%) • Class participation (20%)

  18. Books and Journals • Some Books on Industrial Ecology (IE): • IE and Global Change, Socolow et al. (Eds.), 1994, Cambridge University Press • Industrial Ecology, Graedel & Allenby,1995 & 2002, Prentice Hall • IE: Towards Closing the Materials Cycle, Ayres & Ayres, 1996, Edward Elgar • IE: Policy Framework and Implementation, Allenby,1998, Prentice Hall • Factor Four, von Weizsäcker, Lovins & Lovins, 1998, Kogan Page • Natural Capitalism, Hawken, Lovins & Lovins, 2000, Back Bay Books • A Handbook of Industrial Ecology, Ayres & Ayres (Eds.), 2002, Edward Elgar • Cradle to Cradle, McDonough & Braungart, 2002, North Point Press • Some Journals covering Industrial Ecology: • Journal of Industrial Ecology (e-journal) • Int. Journal of Life Cycle Assessment • Journal of Cleaner Production (Science Direct) • Resources, Conservation and Recycling (Science Direct) • Environmental Science and Technology (e-journal) • Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (journal of SETAC) • Ecological Economics (Science Direct)

  19. Reading for Wednesday, January 16:Chapter 13 from D T Allen & D Shonnard (Eds.) (2001) Green Engineering: Life cycle concepts, product stewardship and green engineering,K Rosselot & D T Allen pdf available on course website: http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/academics/course.asp?number=282

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