Cleaner Production Approach Research Articles

Obsidian: A Pioneering Natural Resource for Green, Fire-Resistant Composite Material Industries.

A cleaner production approach was employed to develop an innovative and eco-friendly, fire-resistant composite material that boasts exceptional mechanical performance and is capable of withstanding harsh conditions. Novel obsidian (OB) and metakaolin (MK) were individually mixed with NaOH at different ratios ranging from 8 to 12 wt %. Each material was subjected to only 80 °C, forming alkali-activated obsidian (AAOB) and metakaolin-based geopolymer (MKBG). Extensive analyses, including compressive strength, thermal conductivity, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, confirmed the performance of both AAOB and MKBG. The AAOB outshined MKBG in fire resistance and mechanical strength, boasting impressive compressive strengths of 36.5, 69, and 101 MPa, respectively at day one. In contrast, MKBG lagged behind, with compressive strengths of 9.1, 23.24, and 25.66 MPa under the same conditions. Furthermore, AAOB exhibited a significantly higher porosity (80%) at 1000 °C and a lower thermal conductivity of 0.193 W/mK, compared to MKBG, which possessed a lower porosity (33%) and higher thermal conductivity of 0.901 W/mK. The AAOB represents a significant leap in the green revolution for sustainable fire-resistant composite materials. Its versatility extends across various sectors, notably in ultrahigh-temperature industrial and construction applications.

Evaluating Environmental Risks and Waste Management in Chemistry Laboratories: Integrating FMEA and Cleaner Production

The issue of environmental waste production has increased substantially, and educational institutions have become initiating agents because of their research and practical activities. This research work has the following objectives: To assess and analyze the environmental aspects and environmental impacts created by the chemistry laboratories at the Institute of Health and Biotechnology (IHB) in Coari, Amazonas, using management methodologies. The FMEA and Cleaner Production (CP) approaches were applied for risk assessment and decision-making to identify risks and propose preventive measures. It becomes clear that the Environmental Risk Index (ERI) guides activities toward managing or reducing risk. In the 67 cases of the process, 32 of them were assessed as priorities, two of which are high risk and require action. The results include the following objectives for a Waste Management System (WMS) suited to the environment in the institution: compliance with current environmental laws or regulations and the creation of a safer environment for students to work and learn.

Enhancing the sustainability of the sawn rubberwood industry through resource-efficient and cleaner production approaches

Enhancing the sustainability of the sawn rubberwood industry through resource-efficient and cleaner production approaches

Strengthening the energy efficiency ratio of warm deep gas-assisted hydrate production through optimizing water circulation

Strengthening the energy efficiency ratio of warm deep gas-assisted hydrate production through optimizing water circulation

Application of effluent reduction methods and treatment using advanced oxidation process at leather chemicals and tanning industries

The current study set out to assess and create long-term solutions for improving environmental performance concerning water use, wastewater production, and treatment at Syntan plant (glass-lined vessel unit) and application laboratory (small-scale leather retanning. Based on evaluations and analyses, best available techniques including water gauging, pressurized vessel washing, dedication of vessels to similar production, reuse techniques, developing commercial grade intermediate products from wash water, managing cooling water and developing reuse methods of reverse osmosis reject water were applied to reduce water consumption and effluent generation in process and non-process activities. Furthermore, the reduced effluent was subjected to treat using electrochemical processes, i.e., electrocoagulation and electro-Fenton, before it was drained to outside environment. As a result of the applications, 0%–100% change was measured in various process and non-process activities, whereas, 12.8%–100% reduction was measured in effluent. Soft cooling water consumption was reduced by 46.7%. The results of treated effluent parameters were compared and found the final removal efficiencies of total dissolved solids (51.4%), total suspended solids (99.2%), chemical oxygen demand (98.5%) and electric conductivity (67.7%). It is concluded that this study can be considered as a successful model to increased water efficiency in chemical industries, Furthermore, it could serve as a building block for the incorporation of cleaner and sustainable production approach into national agenda and to overcome stern issues of high-water and energy consumption and effluent management in different industries.

Solar-assisted clean steam generator, a cleaner production approach for sustainable healthcare facilities

Solar-assisted clean steam generator, a cleaner production approach for sustainable healthcare facilities

Carbon Dioxide and Nitrate Electrocatalytic C-N Coupling for Sustainable Production of Urea

Review Carbon Dioxide and Nitrate Electrocatalytic C-N Coupling for Sustainable Production of Urea Litao Jia, and Fanghua Li * School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China * Correspondence: fanghuahope01@hit.edu.cn Received: 15 December 2023; Revised: 17 January 2024; Accepted: 19 February 2024; Published: 5 March 2024 Abstract: The electrocatalytic co-reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrate (NO3−) for urea synthesis under environmental conditions offers a promising solution for achieving sustainable environmental management. Besides, electrochemical urea synthesis is an alternative approach for cleaner production of urea compared to the conventional urea industrial production process with high energy consumption and pollution. However, lower urea yield, lower selectivity and unclear C-N coupling reaction mechanism are still the main challenges to its large-scale application. In this review, we focus on accurate and reliable detection methods and evaluation criteria for urea products, recent progress on CO2 and NO3− electrocatalytic co-reduction synthesis of urea, rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts, and C-N coupling reaction mechanism of urea electrochemical synthesis under atmospheric conditions. This review could contribute to the development of electrochemical urea synthesis via effective remediation of CO2 and NO3−.

Waste Identification in The Traditional Batik Industry With A Cleaner Production Approach

Waste Identification in The Traditional Batik Industry With A Cleaner Production Approach

Environmental and economic evaluation of the household utility packaging process from the cleaner production approach

Environmental and economic evaluation of the household utility packaging process from the cleaner production approach

A novel combinatorial approach for cleaner production of biodegradable sheets from the combination of paddy straw and pine needle waste

A novel combinatorial approach for cleaner production of biodegradable sheets from the combination of paddy straw and pine needle waste

Implementation of a Cleaner Production Approach: A Case Study of Sanitization alternatives in Water Process System.

Implementation of a Cleaner Production Approach: A Case Study of Sanitization alternatives in Water Process System.

A mild one-pot self-assembly approach to encapsulating enzymes into metal-organic framework with Asp-boosted enzymatic performance for clean production

A mild one-pot self-assembly approach to encapsulating enzymes into metal-organic framework with Asp-boosted enzymatic performance for clean production

Assessing the economic and environmental performance of cleaner production practices in eucalyptus planted forests using life cycle assessment

Soil and climatic conditions allied to advanced forestry technologies have enabled the development of planted forests in some regions of Brazil with some of the highest productivity rates in the world. However, the intense use of agricultural inputs and mechanization of production and wood transportation imply significant environmental impacts, such as the emission of carbon and nitrogen compounds. The purpose of this paper is to compare a model of an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System with more conventional eucalyptus forestry using a Cleaner Production approach to demonstrate the economic and environmental advantages of such a system. This is based on an environmental, energy, and economic analysis integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Cleaner Production approaches. Life Cycle Inventories consist of primary data obtained from the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais in Brazil, in partnership with Forestry Producers and a Forestry Company, which is the largest producer of hardwood pulp in the world. The inventories of conventional short-cycle eucalyptus production systems to supply the Forestry Company were quantified from seedling preparation to harvesting operations. The following production systems were evaluated: Reference system – Planting + Replanting (S1); Planting + Regrowth (S2), and Crop-Livestock-Forestry (S3). The adoption of CP measures in S3 reduced the use of inputs by 35% and increased gross revenue compared to S1. The processes that most contributed to the impact categories analyzed were soil preparation, emissions of inputs used in the field, and mechanized harvesting. However, biogenic carbon sequestration included −783 kg CO 2 eq/m 3 of wood for S1. The S2 system had lower impacts compared to S1. Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System - S3 showed a better environmental performance for most of the impact categories analyzed and presented a better financial return compared with S1 and S2. The implementation of the CP measures in S3 provides an immediate payback. Based on the conditions of this study, the CP strategy for silviculture is an economically viable option to increase the net CO 2 sequestration of forest production. This research intends to promote the study of eucalyptus forest production under tropical conditions, using the combined use of LCA and CP approach presented in this study from primary data. The CP and LCA integration provided methodological advances and more detailed information on the environmental performance of short-cycle eucalyptus production by identifying operational practices for the analyzed systems yielding environmental and financial gains. CP proved to be effective in providing information for decision-making at the process level without losing the broader view of the environmental performance of the analyzed product systems.

Development of sand-plastic composites as floor tiles using silica sand and recycled thermoplastics: a sustainable approach for cleaner production

Strict environmental concerns, depleting natural recourses, and rising demand for building construction materials have promoted scientific research toward alternative building materials. This research supports the idea of sustainability and a circular economy via the utilization of waste to produce value-added products. The research explored the potential of waste plastics and silica sand for developing thermoplastic composite as floor tiles. The samples were characterized by water absorption, compressive strength, flexural strength, and sliding wear. The morphological analysis of the sand-plastic interfaces was covered under the umbrella of this study. The maximum compressive and flexural strength were found to be 46.20 N/mm2 and 6.24 N/mm2, respectively, with the minimum water absorption and sliding wear rate of 0.039% and 0.143 × 10–8 kg/m, respectively. The study suggests the workability of the developed floor tiles in non-traffic areas of public places. Thus, the study provides a green building material through recycling waste plastics for sustainable development.

Life cycle environmental impacts of using food waste liquid fodder as an alternative for pig feeding in a conventional Cuban farm

This work aimed to compare cleaner production alternatives for pig production in the Cuban context through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach emphasizing the utilization of food waste (FW) as a substitute for traditional grain-based pig feeding. A conventional waste management method (lagooning) was assessed, including more environmentally friendly approaches (use of anaerobic digestion (AD) process); including the substitution of a fraction of solid fodder with food waste liquid fodder (LF), obtained from food waste. The analysis was based on one porcine equivalent livestock unit. The environmental impact categories assessed were global warming, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial acidification, and freshwater eutrophication. The major environmental benefits for pig production were observed when the maximum capacity of pigs was considered. In addition, favorable environmental performance was achieved by considering the substitution of solid fodder by LF, the AD as a waste management process, and the valorization of the solid and liquid effluents. The avoided products-related activities were the main contributor to freshwater ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity impact categories (up to 71 %). The sensitivity analysis showed that the variation in LF composition (protein concentration) could have a remarkable impact in all impact categories. Climate change performed as the more sensible impact category, suggesting that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as CO2 and N2O, are important drivers to change the environmental impact and need more attention. This research demonstrates that the environmental profile of the process can be improved by applying a cleaner production approach (AD as a waste management alternative and LF substituting solid fodder).

A critical analysis on biogas production and utilisation potential from palm oil mill effluent

The conventional method used for palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment is associated with several environmental issues that affect the sustainable production of palm oil. Integrated POME treatment with a closed anaerobic digester is identified as a practical cleaner production approach to mitigate global issues on energy security and climate change and enhance the sustainability of the industry. This paper discusses the potential of capturing biogas to the palm oil industry and Malaysia's renewable energy (RE) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions targets. Approximately 75% GHG reduction could be achieved for every t of crude palm oil produced from palm oil mill with biogas capture. In total, 1750 million m3 biogas with GHG savings of 19.5 million t CO2eq can be achieved annually, if all palm oil mills in Malaysia capture the biogas. A 540 MW installed capacity or 37 million MMBtu in the form of bio-compressed natural gas (Bio-CNG) or biomethane, can supplement the nation's energy mix for the sustainable energy generation. These contribute towards enhancing the sustainability criteria and economic performance of the palm oil mills by adopting cleaner production technology of POME treatment for circular economy and better market access of palm oil products. Future work should emphasise on nationwide biogas implementation through synergising and strengthening private commitments and the government supports.

Chemical-Free Dyeing of Cotton With Functional Natural Dye: A Pollution-Free and Cleaner Production Approach

This study is a novel approach toward the development of a chemical-free and sustainable textile dyeing process with minimum environmental risks. Cotton fabrics were cationized with (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride in four concentrations and subsequently dyed with the black tea extract. Eco-friendly colorant extraction from raw black tea leaves was carried out in aqueous media avoiding the use of hazardous organic solvents. The major coloring components in the black tea extract are polyphenols like theaflavins and thearubigin. Cationized cotton fabrics were dyed in four different shade depths without employing auxiliary chemicals in the dyeing process. For comparison, un-cationized cotton was dyed with the same extract in the same shades. It was observed that un-cationized cotton samples exhibited very low color strength (K/S) values and excellent colorfastness rating. However, the cationized samples showed remarkable enhancement in their color strength with an increase in the concentration of the cationizing agent. Furthermore, colorfastness to washing, rubbing, and perspiration was excellent, but lightfastness was poor. Deep shades (K/S = 8.996) were obtained for cotton sample cationized (20 g/l) and dyed (6%) shades. Thus, the extraction of natural colorants without toxic solvents, economically viable surface modification of cotton, and chemical-free dyeing render the dyeing process cleaner, sustainable, and practicable at an industrial scale. The textile units could easily adopt this approach to regulate a pollution-free dyeing process without modifying their existing infrastructure.

DEVELOPMENT OF A VEGAN SAUSAGE WITH YOUNG GREEN JACKFRUIT, OYSTER MUSHROOM, AND COCONUT FLOUR AS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCT WITH CLEANER PRODUCTION APPROACH

Veganism or vegetarianism is a trending topic in the modern world. Natural disasters, climate change, and pandemics lead people towards healthier and plant-based diets and nature-friendly lifestyle. Higher meat consumption has led the world into a huge struggle resulting in global warming, rising sea levels, disease spreading like swine flu, bird flu, coronavirus, etc. The main objective of this research was to develop a socially responsible vegan product, minimizing its environmental impact with a cleaner production approach. Generally, many vegan products are produced using soy as the main ingredient, but it is the second-largest agricultural driver of deforestation globally. Currently, there are no significant studies done on vegan product development considering the environmental impact and cleaner production. Concerning all these objectives, this vegan sausage was developed with young green jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), and coconut flour (Cocos nucifera Lin.) as main ingredients. This product was subjected to sensory evaluation, proximate analysis using AOAC and SLS methods, and microbiological analysis. The moisture, ash, total fat, crude protein, and crude fibre contents of the product were 64.49 ± 0.16%, 2.62 ± 0.18%, 5.94 ± 0.25%, 3.95 ± 0.30% and 1.22 ± 0.16% respectively. Total carbohydrate value and energy profiles were 21.78 ± 0.38% and 156.3 kcal/100 g calculated according to the Codex Guideline on Nutrition Labelling. Following a cleaner production approach helped to identify that it is more environmentally friendly using electricity than LPG in Sri Lanka for this kind of product development and to reduce the total CO2 emission per kg of vegan sausage from 0.678 kg CO2/kg to 0.477 kg CO2/kg.

Improving the performance of solar membrane distillation processes for treating high salinity feeds: A process control approach for cleaner production

The treatment of high salinity feeds, for example, brines from other desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis, is becoming one of the sought-after applications of solar membrane distillation processes. One of the most appropriate operating methodologies to carry out these treatments is a batch operation. Nevertheless, throughout this operation, the variability of the salinity in the feed water acts as a disturbance causing the optimal operating conditions required to reduce the process’ thermal energy consumption (expressed in kWh/m3 of freshwater production) to change. To face this issue, this study proposes two real-time optimization control approaches, with energy-saving achievements, based on the extremum-seeking control methodology. The first controller reduces the thermal energy consumption of the membrane distillation module by adapting the feed flow rate according to the level of salinity of the operation. The second one is based on the same idea but tries to search for a trade-off solution among energy consumption and water production. Both approaches are simulated under actual process circumstances using data and a validated model of a pilot plant located at Plataforma Solar de Almería (Spain). The results show how the proposed controllers improve the system’s daily operation concerning conventional operational procedures, reducing the system’s mean thermal energy consumption up to 35% (from 993.81 kWh/m3 to 651.52 kWh/m3) in the best case. On the whole, the systematic implementation of the proposed control strategies allows enhancing the sustainability and thermal efficiency of the operation by minimizing unnecessary thermal energy usage. This fact can play a role in solar membrane distillation systems either to lengthen operations or reduce reliance on conventional backup devices in periods with inconstant solar irradiance.

Scenario Development of Implementing Cleaner Production on Pepper Agroindustry

Smallholder plantations dominate pepper development in Indonesia. In global trade, Indonesia has experienced pepper product detention due to the contamination of microorganisms. It is related to traditional agro-industrial activities that must be improved in quality assurance, hygiene, and food safety. The application of cleaner production is one strategy to overcome this condition. This study aims to analyze the application of a cleaner production approach in the pepper agroindustry. The analysis was performed using Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM). Cleaner production in the pepper agroindustry is implemented by improving traditional processing systems and mechanical processing applications. The objectives are to increase productivity, process efficiency, and product quality. Both strategies can still be implemented based on conditions in the field. Strategies for improving traditional pepper processing include developing knowledge transfer, enhancing farmer skills, and processing infrastructure and technology provision. The application of machines’ processing requires availability and accessibility of technology and support from farmer organizations, financing institutions, and extension programs. The strategy of mechanical processing application begins with strengthening farmer institutions, improving access to finance and financial facilitating by the government, and building stakeholder engagement.