Moving Towards Sustainable Materials Use: Insights from Strategic use of Models

Transcription

1 Moving Towards Sustainable Materials Use: Insights from Strategic use of Models Prof. Randolph Kirchain and Slide 1

2 Research Question How can we make Better t More Sustainable Materials & Materials Processing Decisions? Slide 2

3 What is Sustainable Development? Slide 3

4 Classic Definition Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (The World Commission on Environment and Development, United Nations,1987) Slide 4

5 Key Questions: What? to Sustain? to Develop? Slide 5

6 What is to be Sustained?: Broadly Accepted Elements of Sustainability Economic Human Capital Human-made Capital Economic Environment Natural Capital Efficient S i l Sustain able Social Social Capital Environmental Healthy Just Social Adapted from Slide 6

7 Sustainability is an interesting b concept, but Why Do We Care? Slide 7

8 How do design / technology decisions effect the environment? Slide 8

9 How do Technology Decisions Affect the Environment? Direct Manufacturing burden Consumption of energy Emissions to the environment Concentration in the environment Most materials still eventually in up in landfills Toxicity for some materials Availability Indirect Performance of the products which they create Energy Efficiency Recyclability Slide 9

10 Why care about technology s impacts today? (1) Societal Perspective a)strain on the natural world Slide 10

11 Observable Strain on the Natural World Clip art of global warming removed due to copyright restrictions. Slide 11

12 Why care about technology s impacts today? (1) Societal Perspective b) Materials Consumption is massive & growing rapidly Slide 12

13 Observable Strain on Natural World Is this really a problem? How much do YOU consume per day? Slide 13

14 How Much Do You Throw Out per Day? Municipal Solid Waste in the US Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2007 Facts and Figures. Office of Solid Waste, US EPA Slide 14

15 Observable Strain on Natural World Is this really a problem? How much do YOU consume per day? Slide 15

16 Consumption has Skyrocketed in the Past Century Total Inflow > 80 kgs / person / day Image removed due to copyright restrictions. Please see Fig. 26 in Ayres, Robert U., Leslie W. Ayres, and Benjamin Warr. "Is the U.S. Economy Dematerializing?" Chapter 3 in Janssen, Marco, and Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh. Economics of Industrial Ecology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, ISBN: Total Inflow Associated with US Economy: fuels, metals, construction, chemicals & biomass Ayres, Ayres, & Moore, Is the US Economy Dematerializing? i 2006 Slide 16

17 Its NOT just about US anymore! How much does (will) Rest of World consume? Slide 17

18 Differences in Consumption: The Example of Automobiles Transportation Energy Data Book. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USDOE: Line US Vehicles per capita over time Points - Vehicles per capita in a specific region Slide 18

19 Differences in Consumption: The Example of Automobiles Transportation Energy Data Book. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USDOE: Line US Vehicles per capita over time Points - Vehicles per capita in a specific region Slide 19

20 Why care about technology s impacts today? (2) Private/Firm Perspective The business climate is changing (aka Show me the Money!) Slide 22

21 Brand Image Major firms have realized that highlighting environment / carbon is good for the bottom line Please see: Maestri, Nicole. "Wal-Mart Index to Rate Products' Environmental Impact."Reuters, July 15, Advertising for Timberland Earthkeepers and Apple MacBook Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report. What used to be only niche differentiator t will likely l soon become a barrier to entry Slide 24

22 Okay, so designers & technology decision-makers should care What do we do about it? Industrial Ecology: A Perspective & Strategy Slide 25

23 How Can We Affect This? Human Behavior Change patterns of consumption Waste less Change the rules Dematerialization Irrespective of the strategy, method needed to evaluate performance Get the same function from less material Materials substitution Apply less harmful materials Waste Mining Reuse, Recycle Find ways to make use of streams currently wasted Slide 26

24 Finding Sustainable Materials & Processes: Product Footprint Slide 27

25 Question: Which strategies should be pursued to improve sustainability? Engineers have identified many strategies that could improve sustainability Implement more efficient process Substitute materials in product Select nearby supplier Change package from PVC to cardboard Redesign product Each costs money to implement Which would have the most impact? Cannot just look it up. Let s try modeling Slide 28

26 What is an engineering model? 11 : a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed 12 : a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs What is the purpose of creating such models? Slide 29

27 Life Cycle Assessment: Basic Concept Raw Materials Energy Processing Chemicals Life Cycle Releases to Land Air Emissions Water Effluents Product Quantify inflows and outflows Characterize how in & outflows change the world Slide 30

28 Life Cycle Assessment: Basic Concept Materials Production Recovery / Recycling Development Use l d l Assembly Manufacture Slide 30

29 Study Goal Study Goal: Characterize the environmental life-cycle l impact of common consumer product to understand the primary drivers of environmental impact and identify strategies to reduce environmental impact. Functional Unit: one product Slide 32

30 Question: Which strategies should be pursued to improve sustainability? Engineers have identified many strategies that could improve sustainability Implement more efficient process Substitute materials in product Select nearby supplier Change package from PVC to cardboard Redesign product Each costs money to implement Which would have the most impact? Slide 33

31 System Boundary: Lifecycle Production Use End of Life Slide 34

32 Impacts in Product Production Cumulative Energy Demand Production Packaging Transport Slide 35

33 Impacts in Product Production Cumulative Energy Demand 100% Cum mulative Energy De emand (MJ J) 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Product Transport Packaging Facility Packaging Materials Manufacturing Facility Materials Production Slide 36

34 Impacts from Materials Production Cumulative Energy Demand Material A CED (MJ) Material B Material C Slide 37

35 What else could be done? Slide 38

36 Complete Life Cycle: One Use Cycle Use phase dominates CED (MJ) 100% One Product 90% Use Cycle 80% 70% 60% EoL 50% Use 40% Production 30% 20% 10% 0% Product Slide 39

37 Clear Strategic Opportunities In supply-chain Materials production -- Particularly, Materials A, B & C Use a new supplier Use recycled materials Use a new material In house Manufacturing facility Transport, packaging are smaller impacts for this product, but could be improved EOL is negligible Redesign to improve use phase would be revolutionary Slide 42

38 Common LC Hotspots Extraction Materials Production Recovery / Recycling Development Logis tics Use Manufacture Use Assembly Slide 43

39 Evaluating Sustainability: Issues to Consider for Solar Cells Economic Costs to produce Costs to use Costs to dispose Environmental Resource use Effluents / Emissions i Supply-chain & Production Use Disposal Avoided End-of-life recovery Slide 44

40 MIT OpenCourseWare Principles of Engineering Practice Spring 2010 For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: