Cleaner Production Technologies Research Articles

Physiological Stratification in Electricity‐Producing Biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens

The elucidation of mechanisms and limitations in electrode respiration by electroactive biofilms is significant for the development of rapidly emerging clean energy production and wastewater treatment technologies. In Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms, the controlling steps in current production are thought to be the metabolic activity of cells, but still remain to be determined. By quantifying the DNA, RNA, and protein content during the long-term growth of biofilms on polarized graphite electrodes, we show in this work that current production becomes independent of DNA accumulation immediately after a maximal current is achieved. Indeed, the mean respiratory rate of biofilms rapidly decreases after this point, which indicates the progressive accumulation of cells that do not contribute to current production or contribute to a negligible extent. These results support the occurrence of physiological stratification within biofilms as a consequence of respiratory limitations imposed by limited biofilm conductivity.

Fruit Wastes Fermentation for Phenolic Antioxidants Production and Their Application in Manufacture of Edible Coatings and Films

Agro-industrial by-products are important sources of potent bioactive phenolic compounds. These compounds are of extreme relevance for food and pharmacological industries due to their great variety of biological activities. Fermentation represents an environmentally clean technology for production and extraction of these bioactive compounds, providing high quality and high activity extracts, which can be incorporated in foods using coatings/films wax-based in order to avoid alterations in their quality. In this document is presented an overview about importance and benefits of solid-state fermentation, pointing out this bioprocess as an alternative technology for use agro-industrial by-products as substrates to produce valuable secondary metabolites and their applications as food quality conservatives.

A Look at the EU Countries’ Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Turkey's Sustainable Industrial Growth

The relationship between energy and sustainable economic growth has always been close. Sustainable industrial growth has a strong focus on greening industry through six priority action lines, including technologies for clean production, bio-based product markets and sustainable raw material use. In this context, the environmental industry has been identified as one of the most promising areas of specialization and green technologies are at the core of the areas which should lay the foundation of the new industrial revolution in the European Union. Renewable energy, nowadays also used as alternative energy, is the new phenomenon on the way for sustainable industrial development and for an environmentally integrated energy policy. It is also the most probable way for the EU countries to meet their Kyoto targets when producing energy. Most environmental technology investment projects come from the renewable energy industry, followed by the industrial machinery industry, the electronic components industry and the turbines and engines industry. The EU is a major host of green technology projects with a share of 46% in 2011. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy use in Turkey is expected to double over the next decade, while electricity demand growth is expected to increase at an even faster pace. Meeting this level of growth will require significant industrial investment in the renewable energy sector, much of which will come from the private sector. Recently, renewable energy awareness has made great strides both in the EU and Turkey. Therefore, the import-substitution development strategy followed up to 1980 was designed to make Turkey an independent producer of manufactured goods. Meanwhile, one of the potential negative sides of industrialization in Turkey would be significant increase in CO2 emissions. Finally, the main objective of the paper is to investigate how to allocate sustainable industrial sources to effectively meet targets of environmental protection in the EU and its candidate member Turkey.

Cleaner Production Technology and Energy Saving & Emission Reduction of Cement Products Enterprise in China

The paper introduces the status and development trend of cleaner production in China and briefly summarizes present situation and the urgency of energy saving and emission reduction of cement products enterprises. Aimed at the problems of high consumption, heavy pollution and low efficiency in cement products enterprises, the paper puts forward the relevant cleaner production technology and scenario, and makes suggestions on developing cleaner production in cement products enterprises, and promoting energy saving and emission reduction.

Sustainable manufacturing for Indonesian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): the case of remanufactured alternators

Achieving sustainability is a great challenge for most of the Indonesian manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Remanufacturing has been considered to be a key strategy to attain sustainable manufacturing by maximising the use of old components and minimising landfill size and energy usage. However, SMEs, which are undoubtedly the engine of the Indonesian manufacturing industry, do not have adequate experience, skill, resource, technology and financial support in the remanufacturing area. This paper proposes a new concept for sustainable manufacturing assessment framework through remanufacturing strategies in Indonesian SMEs. In this sustainable manufacturing assessment framework, the existing remanufactured products are assessed using sustainable manufacturing criterion (e.g. reliability, life cycle cost, employment opportunity and greenhouse gases). This framework identifies improvement opportunities, including eco-efficiency, cleaner production and green technology to make existing remanufactured products technically, economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. The sustainability of remanufactured alternators produced by Indonesian SMEs has been assessed to validate the aforementioned sustainable manufacturing assessment framework.

Anthropogenic atmospheric emissions of cadmium in China

In this study, we estimated atmospheric Cd emissions from anthropogenic sources in China from 1990 to 2010 on the basis of consumption or output data and emission factors. China emitted approximately 2186 t Cd to the atmosphere in 2010, with approximately 77% and 14% of the emissions arising from non-ferrous metal smelting and coal combustion, respectively. Temporal changes in the total Cd emissions were characterized by two periods of increase (1990–2000 and 2001–2010) and a short period of decrease (2000–2001) due to application of energy-saving and cleaner production technologies. Overall, atmospheric Cd emissions increased from 474 t in 1990 to 2186 t in 2010 due to rapid economic growth, whereas energy-saving and cleaner production technologies have been in use since 2000. Spatial distribution of the atmospheric Cd emissions was dominated primarily by non-ferrous metal smelting and coal combustion. Emissions are high in Hunan and Yunnan Provinces because of high production non-ferrous metal smelting and in Shandong Province because of high coal consumption and moderate non-ferrous metal production.

Characteristics of the Operational Noise from Full Scale Wave Energy Converters in the Lysekil Project: Estimation of Potential Environmental Impacts

Wave energy conversion is a clean electric power production technology. During operation there are no emissions in the form of harmful gases. However there are unsolved issues considering environmental impacts such as: electromagnetism; the artificial reef effect and underwater noise. Anthropogenic noise is increasing in the oceans worldwide and wave power will contribute to this sound pollution in the oceans; but to what extent? The main purpose of this study was to examine the noise emitted by a full scale operating Wave Energy Converter (WEC) in the Lysekil project at Uppsala University in Sweden. A minor review of the hearing capabilities of fish and marine mammals is presented to aid in the conclusions of impact from anthropogenic sound. A hydrophone was deployed to the seabed in the Lysekil research site park at distance of 20 and 40 m away from two operational WECs. The measurements were performed in the spring of 2011. The results showed that the main noise was a transient noise with most of its energy in frequencies below 1 kHz. These results indicate that several marine organisms (fish and mammals) will be able to hear the operating WECs of a distance of at least 20 m.

Electronic Activation of Cathode Superlattices at Elevated Temperatures – Source of Markedly Accelerated Oxygen Reduction Kinetics

AbstractSolid‐oxide fuel cells are an attractive energy conversion technology for clean electric power production. To render them more affordable, discovery of new cathode materials with high reactivity to oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at temperatures below 700 °C is needed. Recent studies have demonstrated that La0.8Sr0.2CoO3/(La0.5Sr0.5)2CoO4 (LSC113/214) hetero‐interfaces exhibit orders of magnitude faster ORR kinetics compared with either single phase at 500 °C. To obtain a microscopic level understanding and control of such unusual enhancement, we implemented a novel combination of in situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy and focused ion beam milling to probe the local electronic structure at nanometer resolution in model multilayer superlattices. At 200–300 °C, the LSC214 layers are electronically activated through an interfacial coupling with LSC113. Such electronic activation is expected to facilitate charge transfer to oxygen, and concurrent with the anisotropically fast oxygen incorporation on LSC214, quantitatively explains the vastly accelerated ORR kinetics near the LSC113/214 interface. Our results contribute to an improved understanding of oxide hetero‐interfaces at elevated temperatures and identify electronically coupled oxide structures as the basis of novel cathodes with exceptional performance.

Synergetic effects of mixed copper–iron oxides oxygen carriers in chemical looping combustion

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is an emerging technology for clean energy production from fuels. CLC produces sequestration-ready CO2-streams without a significant energy penalty. Development of efficient oxygen carriers is essential to successfully operate a CLC system. Copper and iron oxides are promising candidates for CLC. Copper oxide possesses high reactivity but it has issues with particle agglomeration due to its low melting point. Even though iron oxide is an inexpensive oxygen carrier it has a slower reactivity. In this study, mixed metal oxide carriers containing iron and copper oxides were evaluated for coal and methane CLC. The components of CuO and Fe2O3 were optimized to obtain good reactivity while maintaining physical and chemical stability during cyclic reactions for methane-CLC and solid-fuel CLC. Compared with single metal oxygen carriers, the optimized Cu–Fe mixed oxide oxygen carriers demonstrated high reaction rate, better combustion conversion, greater oxygen usage and improved physical stability.Thermodynamic calculations, XRD, TGA, flow reactor studies and TPR experiments suggested that there is a strong interaction between CuO and Fe2O3 contributing to a synergistic effect during CLC reactions. The amount of oxygen release of the mixed oxide carrier in the absence of a fuel was similar to that of the single metal oxides. However, in the presence of fuels, the oxygen consumption and the reaction profiles of the mixed oxide carriers were significantly better than that of the single metal oxides. The nature of the fuel not only influenced the reactivity, but also the final reduction status of the oxygen carriers during chemical looping combustion. Cu oxide of the mixed oxide was fully reduced metallic copper with both coal and methane. Fe oxide of the mixed oxide was fully reduced Fe metal with methane but it was reduced to only FeO with coal. Possible mechanisms of how the presence of CuO enhances the reduction of Fe2O3 are discussed.

English

Pretreatment is a key step for lignocellulose converting into universal raw material for industries as alternative of petroleum. This review discusses that single pretreatment lacks cost-competitiveness because only one product takes responsibility for all cost. Based on the inheterogeneity of lignocellulose and the advantages of steam explosion pretreatment, steam explosion integrated pretreatment is proposed as strategy to solve the problem above. Steam explosion integrates with different pretreatment technologies to deconstruct lignocelluloses selectively for multiple products. By comparison, steam explosion-washing-alkali extraction-mechanical carding integrated pretreatment is considered the best. Finally, industrial demonstration of this integrated pretreatment is given out. With this integrated process, the recovery yields of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin reached 70, 80 and 80%, respectively. Key words: Clean production technology, Lignocellulose, Integrated pretreatment, steam explosion, industrialization.

Comparative analysis of emissions from the manufacture and use of hot and half-warm mix asphalt

Abstract This paper presents the results of a research study whose main objective was to analyze the environmental benefits derived from a cleaner production technology for manufacturing asphalt mixes. This study measured polluting emissions during the construction of two consecutive stretches of highway on which a hot mix and a half-warm mix were spread. Combustion gases (CO, NO x , O 2 , CO 2 ), total organic carbon (TOC), particles, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were measured during the manufacturing of hot and half-warm asphalt in plant and also during the spreading and compaction processes. The results obtained in this research project show that for the same manufacturing and spreading conditions, the half-warm mix asphalt (manufactured at less than 100 °C) is a cleaner production technology and can be considered more environmentally friendly since it considerably reduced polluting emissions.

Surface Water Contamination by Uranium Mining/Milling Activities in Northern Guangdong Province, China

AbstractThe northern region of Guangdong Province, China, has suffered from the extensive mining/milling of uranium for several decades. In this study, surface waters in the region were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES) for the concentrations of uranium (U), thorium (Th), and non‐radioactive metals (Fe, Mn, Mg, Li, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn). Results showed highly elevated concentrations of the studied radionuclides and metals in the discharged effluents and the tailing seepage of the U mining/milling sites. Radionuclide and heavy metal concentrations were also observed to be overall enhanced in the recipient stream that collected the discharged effluents from the industrial site, compared to the control streams, and rivers with no impacts from the U mining/milling sites. They displayed significant spatial variations and a general decrease downstream away from upper point‐source discharges of the industrial site. In addition, obvious positive correlations were found between U and Th, Fe, Zn, Li, and Co (R2 > 0.93, n = 28) in the studied water samples, which suggest for an identical source and transport pathway of these elements. In combination with present surface water chemistry and chemical compositions of uraniferous minerals, the elevation of the analyzed elements in the recipient stream most likely arose from the liquid effluents, processing water, and acid drainage from the U mining/milling facilities. The dispersion of radionuclides and hazardous metals is actually limited to a small area at present, but some potential risk should not be negligible for local ecosystem. The results indicate that environmental remediation work is required to implement and future cleaner production technology should be oriented to avoid wide dispersion of radioactivity and non‐radioactive hazards in U mining/milling sites.

Strategic analysis of offshore migration of polluting firms and suppliers: an option value perspective

PurposeThis paper, being complementary to existing perspectives, aims to examine the behaviors and the strategies of production migration of polluting firms from an economic point of view under appropriate decision conditions in terms of uncertain influence of supply chain support and green technology progress.Design/methodology/approachStrategic alternatives are investigated by using option pricing tools to examine the impact of various characteristics of green technology development and supply chain relations on the timing of the decision.FindingsThe theoretical and empirical results show that a polluting firm should not consider the option of relocating to offshore countries if uncertainty has been anticipated. It is suggested that, by facing green technology development uncertainty, a firm should be refrained from relocating production abroad if technology develops and offshore cost advantage disappears soon. On the other hand, a pre‐emptive migration strategy is preferable when the green technology is anticipated to be delayed.Practical implicationsA polluting firm in a supply chain faces challenges of uncertainty depending on whether it decides to produce domestically or to relocate internationally. The analysis conveys a concept that polluting firms can be more profitable by promoting clean production technology, instead of relocating to offshore or so called pollution havens.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the existing literature on the evaluation of offshore migration option values by taking extra consideration of uncertainty in the supply chain cost, green technology progress and complementing to studies in a moral perspective.

Analysis Of Employment And Job Profiles Of Renewable Energy: The Case Of The European Union

In recent years, the European Union (EU) is involved in a process of intense development of renewable energy.One of the basic aims is to reduce atmospheric pollution.However, this type of production technologies also entails important social-economic implications including employment creation.The objective of this paper is to analyze the creation of employment due to the development of the main clean production technologies in the EU.In addition, we will study the main characteristics of the necessary job profiles in this new industry where their main skills and educational background will be analyzed.

Life-cycle assessment of continuous pad-dyeing technology for cotton fabrics

Purpose China is the largest producer of textile-dyeing products in the world. The production of these materials consumes high amounts of water and energy and results in the discharge of huge amounts of pollutants. This study aimed at evaluating the life-cycle environmental impacts of the textile-dyeing industry and determining the key processes for mitigating life-cycle environmental impacts efficiently and effectively, which will benefit the application of cleaner production technologies.

Towards sustainable production of clean energy carriers from biomass resources

A great fraction of the world’s energy requirements are presently met through the unfettered use of fossil-derived fuels. However, due to the anticipated demise of these energy sources and the environmental and socioeconomic concerns associated with their use, a recent paradigm shift is to displace conventional fuels with renewable energy sources. Among various alternatives, biomasses have garnered tremendous interests as potential feedstock for clean energy production. While numerous biorefinery schemes and conversion technologies exist for the transformation of biomass into usable energy forms, they are not cost-efficient and economically viable to compete with the existing petroleum-refinery technologies. In particular, the recalcitrant nature of several feedstock presents a major technological obstacle for their processing and transformation. Providentially, the synergistic integration of various biochemical and bioprocessing technologies is aiding in the establishment of future biomass energy programs. This article reviews the state of the art and future challenges in the recent development of biomass and associated transformation technologies for clean production of biofuels.

Recent cleaner production advances in process monitoring and optimisation

There is a growing understanding that environmental challenges, which mankind is facing cannot be solved by technological or societal sciences alone. An integrated, multi-disciplinary approach is needed, which combines the strengths of new advances in Cleaner Production technologies and political implementation of the policies and programs that are designed to help to ensure sustainable societal development based upon healthy eco-systems. With this aim in mind the organisers of the 14th International Conference on Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction – PRES’11 – and the Editor & Publishers of the Journal of Cleaner Production joined efforts in developing this Special Issue. The main topics include environmental impact assessments, footprint assessment tools, new developments in biofuels and hydrogen production and sustainable consumption. A major section is also devoted to the increasingly important area of CO2 minimisation. The final part addresses recent advances in electrical vehicles. Key conclusions and future trends include: Cleaner production is a more and more important part of the planning, design, operation and management in all industrial sectors. To assess and evaluate progress towards more sustainable systems, it is essential that proper monitoring of the environmental and social impacts is done on a regular basis and that the results are used to help focusing societal attention on ways to make further improvements towards sustainable societal lifestyles. Key CO2-related aspects are avoidance, reuse, mitigation and minimisation. The preferred option of cleaner production is prevention or minimisation by better product design, process optimisation, monitoring, training and management combined with improved governmental policies that are uniformly enforced for all industrial and business facilities. An inter-linked research field, which is receiving increasing attention is energy storage related to electrical cars. They have the potential to merge several interesting options related to smart grids by using networks of car batteries for low, extra investment, electricity storage. It is anticipated that they, as well as various other opportunities, for cleaner transport will receive more attention in the coming decade.

An empirical study on the impact of critical success factors on the balanced scorecard performance in Korean green supply chain management enterprises

Rapid industrial modernisation and economic reform have been features of the Korean economy since the 1990s, and have brought with it substantial environmental problems. In response to these problems, the Korean government has been developing approaches to promote cleaner production technologies. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is emerging to be an important approach for Korean enterprises to improve performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of GSCM CSFs (critical success factors) on the BSC (balanced scorecard) performance by the structural equation modelling, using empirical results from 249 enterprise respondents involved in national GSCM business in Korea. Planning and implementation was a dominant antecedent factor in this study, followed by collaboration with partners and integration of infrastructure. However, activation of support was a negative impact to the finance performance, raising the costs and burdens. It was found out that there were important implications in the implementation of GSCM.

Toward a clean energy economy: With discussion on role of hydrogen sectors

This study analyzes how advances in clean energy production technology have facilitated related economic development and intensified competition between clean energy sources and fossil fuels. A forecasting model, the Taiwan general equilibrium model–Clean Energy (TAIGEM-CE), is adopted to elucidate the role of wind, solar, tidal current, geothermal, algal biodiesel, biohydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell, biodiesel and bioethanol. Baseline results indicate that biohydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell, biofuels and wind perform satisfactorily when external support is unavailable. Additionally, strong governmental investment in clean energies significantly contributes to development of biodiesel, wind, biohydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell sectors. Results of this study provide feasible means of allocating resources to achieve a smooth transition to a clean energy economy, in which biohydrogen and fuel cell will play a prominent role.

Study and Design on Clean Steel Production Platform

The technology for clean steel production in modern steel plant is analyzed, a philosophy with production efficiency, manufacturing cost and product performance in its core. A review on functions is also made which of high-efficiency, low-cost and high-quality steel products manufactured by the new generation iron and steel plant, in combination with the study on design of steelmaking – continuous casting process of Shougang Jingtang iron and steel plant. By applying precise and dynamic design system to optimize and allocate systems and working procedures of hot metal pretreatment, converter smelting, secondary refining, continuous casting process, etc, a platform of high-efficiency, low-cost and high-quality clean steel production is built.