what is sustainable technology?
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What is Sustainable Technology?. Karel Mulder. Factor 4, 10, x. Industrial Symbiosis. Cradle to Cradle. Human Ecology. Why is this important question?. SD is a holistic concept: meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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What is Sustainable Technology?
Karel Mulder
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Why is this important question?
• SD is a holistic concept: meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Engineers work at the level of parts of the system
• engineers design at ‘artefact’ level where many consequences of SD meet: energy, safety, waste, pollution, equity, etc.
Wikipedia answers:
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Sustainable technologies use less energy, fewer limited resources, do not deplete natural resources, do not directly or indirectly pollute the environment, and can be reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.[18]
Sustainable car? "The car’s body is composed 90% by plate panels which are cut according to the desired finish and the rests are recycled, and completed with thermo-formed pieces”.
It is easy to produce and adapt, according to the user's needs. The engine works with compressed natural gas (CNG), with the option of evolving into electricity in the future. The car is also very small (2.10 metres long, 1.45 metres wide and 1.78 metres tall/6'8" long, 4'7" wide and 5'8" tall), which can probably help some of the problems related to urban transit in the future. It is estimated that each unit would cost around 4,500 dollars.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/nexo_the_argent.php
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Air source heat pumps
Alkaline fuel cell
Alternative technology
Alternative fuel
Bamboo bicycle
Battery electric vehicle
Bi-fuel vehicle
Bicycle
Bioconversion
Biofuel
Biological hydrogen production
Calgary downtown district energy
Cogeneration
Combined heat and power plant
Electric car
Green manure
Hydrogen vehicle
Laddermill
Micro combined heat and power
Vertical farming
Wind farm
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SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY????
Refrigerator, 1960s
Modern Car
Car 1900s
Horse & Carriage, 1900s
Wind-turbines,
Germany
500 m from
Dutch border
Noise complaints
Yes No
refrigerator
New car
Old car
Horse-Carriage
Wind Turbine
Why Refrigerators?
• Perishable food problem: loss of fish and vegetables, risk of food poisoning
• Toxic/flammable refrigerants: Ammonia, SO2, CH3Cl, hydrocarbons ..
• Search for safe refrigerants: non toxic, non flammable and effective
Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons
1928 Synthesis by Thomas Midgley
Main advantages:-effective-Non-toxic-Non-flammable-Somewhat more expensive
Cleveland accident:
May 15th, 1929: 128 people died of methyl-chloride poisoning
1930 CFC Refrigerant
Other applications
CFCs: Solution for dangerous spray cans
Airconditioners
1970 Lovelock traces CFC’s in wind at Western Ireland1974 F. Sherwood Rowland (UC-Irvine), Mario Molina1984-5 Joe Farman1987 Protocol Montreal
CFCs as global threat
So?
• 1930: miracle solution: “really sustainable”• 1974: New issue: atmospheric effects, serious
doubts• 1987: “ozone killer”
‘Sustainability of a technology depending on place
and on time….
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Now, cars ………………..
Annual World Oil Consumption 2005 29 Gbo
Annual Oil Discovery Rates in 1990s 4-8 Gbo
Cumulative World Oil Consumption 1860-2005 960 Gbo
Conventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (P50)[1] 850 Gbo
Remaining World Oil Reserves[2] 1317 Gbo
Conventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (mean)[3] 2311 Gbo
Were cars around 1900 Sustainable?
•In 1818, New York City Council: regulation. Manure collection & processing: special "manure-yards" to process: "rotting“, overturning and exposure to weathering.
Problems:
•Abt. 1200 tons of manure daily on the streets: dust, typhoid
•dead animals (In 1880, New York City removed 15,000 dead horses from its streets)
•Noise
•1908: 20.000 death?
Sustainable?
• CFC 1930, 1960: yes• Horse & carriage, New York, 1900: no• Car 1900: yes• Car 2009: no
2311 * 10^9 barrels of oil still present.Cumulatieve consumption 960 Gbo.Total 3271 GboFormed in about 350 * 10^6 year (highest speed Paleozoicum)
Simplified: 9345 barrels annually 1 barrel: 51.4 % gasoline (http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/whats_in_barrel_oil.html) = 0.514 * 159 litre/barrel = 81.7 liter gasoline Geological annual production of gasoline: 9345 * 81.7 = 763500 litres gasoline 2000 litres per car annually? 380 cars can drive sustainablyby gasolinelets say between 100 and 1000
And that windturbines?
• For many years complaints of villagers: noise at night• Neglected by authorities and NGO’s: NIMBY• Villagers were right: University research found a new
phenomenon:
• At night, the windturbines produced far more noise. Cause• wind shear under absence of sun• Size of windturbines (distance between top and lowest
position of blades)
Lessons?
• Various articulations of sustainability• Related to paradigms• related stakeholders
• Technology should meet all possible SD articulations? No
• Sustainable for ever? No
• Sustainable technology is only a useful concept if it involves hardware and software: use of technologies that is, as far as we know, in harmony with its natural and social environment
ENGINEERING DESIGN CAN ONLY DEAL WITH SPECIFIC ARTICULATIONS OF SD
ARTICULATIONS:- SPECIFY TARGETS TO BE OPTIMIZED- EXCLUDES OTHER TARGETS
Non-sensensical statement:“Sustainable because 100 % recyclable”
Implications
• Involve stakeholders in technological decisions: the engineer cannot decide on their behalf
• Sustainability is never established forever: A sustainable technology now might be unsustainable in the future
Include Jevons Paradox(Rebound effect):
Sustainable AquacultureWhat more than saving the marine sea life?
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