industrial ecology – winter 2008 – session 1 – january 14 industrial ecology

Industrial Ecology – Winter 2008 – Session 1 – January 14

Industrial EcologyIndustrial Ecology


A bit of history: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 publishes The 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)


Definition of Industrial EcologyDefinition of Industrial Ecology

There is currently no single definitionThere 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? 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)


EcosphereEcosphere

AnthroposphereAnthroposphere

Source of:MaterialsEnergyWaterLand

Sink for:Wastes

&Emissions

Needs & Wants

Solar Radiation(Teff ~ 6000K

mainly UV, optical and IR)

Earth’s Radiation(Teff ~ 300K mainly IR)

Services

Products

Production

Industrial production and consumption systems use the environment as source of resources and sink for wastes and emissions

The BIG picture:The BIG picture:


Methodological Foundation of Methodological Foundation of Industrial EcologyIndustrial Ecology

Core elementsCore 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 conceptsKey concepts (Garner & Keoleian 1995)

• Analogies to natural systems

• Systems analysis

• Material and energy flows and

transformations

• Multidisciplinary approach

• Linear vs. cyclical systems


Systems Theory and AnalysisSystems Theory and Analysis

• 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

Definition of system: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.

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?


Material production

Container manufacturing

Use & distribution

Recyclingor disposal

Question: Which container has the lowest environmental impact?

Material choice for beverage containersMaterial choice for beverage containers



Production of Lime-Soda Glass



Production of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

naphta

pygas

xylenes

ethylene

natural gas

crude oilextraction& refining

catalyticreforming

cracking

natural gasextraction &processing

steamreforming

syngas

p-xylenep-xylene

separation

methanolproduction

methanol

acetic acidproduction

acetic acid

bottle grade PET

solid statepolymerization

AmorphousPET

meltpolymerization

bishydroxyethyl terephthalate

esterinterchange

directesterification

Dimethylterephthalate

production

Purifiedterephthalic acid

production

dimethyl-terephthalate

terephthalicacid

ethyleneglycol

production

ethyleneglycol



Aluminum PET Glass

Primary energy requirements for material production (MJ/kg)

211.5 82.7 12.0

Primary energy requirements for container forming (MJ/kg)

10.4 15.5 2.9

Density(kg/m3) 2,700 1,370 2,460

Environmental impact indicator: Primary energy requirements


Beverage container Content Mass Mass/content

12 fl. oz. aluminum can 0.473 liter 19 gram 0.0402 kg/liter

20 fl. oz. PET bottle 0.591 liter 26 gram 0.0440 kg/liter

25.4 fl. oz. glass bottle 0.750 liter 325 gram 0.4333 kg/liter

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

Materials can not be compared on a mass basis.



How much energy is required to transport the beverage containers?

Beverage container

Mass

(g/liter)

Transportation distance (km)

Transportation energy

(MJ/tonne-km) (MJ/liter)

Aluminum 40.2 500 2.5 0.05

PET 44.0 500 2.5 0.05

Glass 433.3 500 2.5 0.54

Beverage container

Material production (MJ/liter)

Container forming (MJ/liter)

Total

(MJ/liter)

Aluminum 211.5 * 0.0402 = 8.5 10.4 * 0.0402 = 0.4 8.9

PET 82.7 * 0.0440 = 3.6 15.5 * 0.0440 = 0.7 4.3

Glass 12.0 * 0.4333 = 5.3 2.9 * 0.433 = 1.3 6.6

How much energy is required to produce the beverage containers?



How much energy is saved through beverage container recycling?

Beverage

container

Collection

rate

Metal yield

Material recycling rate

Energy requirements (MJ/kg) Energy savings

(MJ/liter)Primary production

Secondary production

Aluminum 0.52 0.95 0.49 211.5 25.8 3.6

Energy yield

Energy recovery rate

Feedstock

Energy (MJ/kg)

PET 0.20 0.80 0.16 39.8 0.3

Glass yield

Material recycling rate

Energy requirements (MJ/kg)

Primary

production

Secondary

production

Glass 0.23 1.0 0.23 12.0 7.2 0.5



Beverage container

Material production

Container manufacturing

Use & distribution 1)

Container recycling 2)

Total

energy

Aluminum 8.5 0.4 0.1 -3.6 5.4

PET 3.6 0.7 0.1 -0.3 4.1

Glass 5.3 1.3 0.5 -0.5 6.6

Results:

1) Based on 500 km transportation2) Based on current recycling rates



Conclusion:

Products create environmental impacts at all stages of their life cycles→ It is important to consider the entire life cycle of products



Course Content and GradingCourse Content and Grading

Course Content: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:Grading:• 4 Assignments (4 x 20%)• Class participation (20%)


Some Books on Industrial Ecology (IE):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: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)

Books and JournalsBooks and Journals


Reading for Wednesday, January 16: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

industrial ecology – winter 2008 – session 1 – january 14 industrial ecology

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