Meet Sustainability Requirements Research Articles

Influence of mold pressurization on cycle time in rotational molding composites with welded ignimbrite as loading

In the context of rising energy costs and climate emergencies, there is a need to incorporate novel procedures or materials to meet sustainability requirements and increase the efficiency of processes and use of resources. Although rotational molding might seem disadvantageous due to the long cycle times and high energy consumption, its inherent advantages, including the production of hollow parts of any size without wasting materials, with good surface reproducibility and no internal stresses, using cost-effective tooling remain noteworthy. To address energy consumption concerns, increase productivity, and enhance the environmental footprint of rotomolded products, this work proposes the incorporation of residual welded ignimbrite from quarries, a dusty material with over 60 % of SiO2, combined with the mold pressurization, finding a 4 % reduction of total cycle time with ignimbrite, which is further shortened to 12 % when pressure is applied. Particularly notable is the reduction 27 % reduction in oven time when using ignimbrite at 10 % under pressure. The thermomechanical and rheological characterizations revealno adverse effects either by the use of pressure or the mineral dust, thus establishing a viable alternative for energy (and cost) reduction. Besides, the obtained parts show good aesthetics, a stone-like aspect, which might provide additional features for applications such as outdoor furniture or storage tanks.

How do firms build dynamic capabilities to develop sustainable products? A multiple case study in the manufacturing industry

In response to mounting pressure for organizations to meet sustainability requirements and improve their environmental footprint, companies are increasingly tasked with adapting their product portfolios to include environmentally sustainable solutions. However, little research has explored how firms develop the capabilities necessary to achieve this goal. In particular, there is a gap in understanding the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities–the specific skills, processes, and organizational activities–that enable firms to simultaneously pursue business objectives and environmental requirements during product development cycles. To address this gap, we conducted a multiple case study of 19 established manufacturing firms to examine the dynamic capabilities involved in developing environmentally sustainable products. Our findings reveal a dynamic process of profiting from environmentally sustainable product development and identify several microfoundations that enable these dynamic capabilities. For scholars, this study provides a detailed analysis of why and how microfoundations of dynamic capabilities support environmentally sustainable product development. We show that implementing these becomes a continuous process of strategic renewal for an organization. For manufacturing practitioners, our study provides a blueprint for initiating and enabling strategic activities for environmentally sustainable product development.

The use of random forests to support the decision-making process for sustainable manufacturing

Today’s companies need to change the way they produce and consume goods to meet sustainability requirements. These companies are striving to increase production efficiency, while reducing the use of raw materials, reducing costs and reducing their impact on the environment. Intelligent decision support systems are an inseparable element supporting such action. The presented work the use the data mining method (random forests) to identify the parameters affecting the condition of the cutting blade is presented. The developed model was evaluated using indicators to assess the quality of classifications. The obtained results confirm the high quality of the predictive model. The proposed model can be used to support the decision-making process in determining the life of a cutting tool. This will reduce the consumption of raw materials and production waste, and thus reduce the company’s environmental impact, which is consistent with the assumptions of sustainable production.

Traceability of Sustainability and Safety in Fishery Supply Chain Management Systems Using Radio Frequency Identification Technology.

At present, sustainability and emerging technology are the main issues in any supply chain management (SCM) sector. At the same time, the ongoing pandemic is increasing consumers’ concerns about food safety, processing, and distribution, which should meet sustainability requirements. Thus, supervision and monitoring of product quality with symmetric information traceability are important in fresh food and fishery SCM. Food safety and traceability systems based on blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSN), and radio frequency identification (RFID) provide reliability from production to consumption. This review focuses on RFID-based traceability systems in fisheries’ SCM, which have been employed globally to ensure fish quality and security, and summarizes their advantages in real-time applications. The results of this study will help future researchers to improve consumers’ trust in fisheries SCM. Thus, this review aims to provide guidelines and solutions for enhancing the reliability of RFID-based traceability in food SCM systems so to ensure the integrity and transparency of product information.

On the utilization of mica waste: The pore-fluid chemistry of mica soils and its implication for erosion susceptibility

Soil is a vital resource which is limited in availability and must be adequately managed for sustainable development. Despite the importance of soil and its limited availability, a huge amount of soil is classified as waste. As one of the world’s largest soil waste generators, the mining industry must transition to a circular economy model to meet sustainability requirements. As a readily available, large-volume waste material (about 10 million tonnes each year), waste mica has been considered for re-use as an alternative soil potassium source for plants, as landscaping material etc. One of the problems with mica waste is its susceptibility to erosion. To use mica as an agricultural or landscaping material, it is therefore important to understand the erodibility of mica and how its erodibility can be reduced. This study presents an experimental campaign to characterize mica erosion susceptibility. Mica particle-to-particle interaction forces and their effect on the macroscopic material behaviour were systematically investigated by changing pore fluid pH and ionic concentration. Sedimentation and liquid limit tests were first carried out to inform a conceptual model of the mica fabric. Triplets of 12 mica samples, compacted at different water contents and with different pore chemistry, were tested for erosion susceptibility using a Jet Erosion Test (JET) apparatus. The particle configuration of mica samples consistently varied with the pore water chemistry, regardless of whether the samples being tested were suspension sediments or compacted samples. For mica samples formed with neutral water at low ionic concentration, the particles are in a dispersed configuration. This implies a poor mechanical behaviour and high erosion susceptibility, as particles are eroded one by one. For porewater samples formed with an increased ionic strength or within the acidic pH range, particles tend to cluster together and organize in a non-dispersed configuration. This results in an improved mechanical behaviour and less erosion susceptibility, as group of particles must be eroded as opposed to individual ones. Similarly, the Jet erosion test results reinforced these observations showing that mica erodibility varies with porewater chemistry. Considering that mica erodibility varies with pore fluid chemistry and mica waste derived from mining operations are often slightly acidic, this paper paves the way for tailored assessments of individual mica waste materials to determine the appropriateness of their use.

A financial analysis of four carbon offset accounting protocols for a representative afforestation project (southern Ontario, Canada)

Forestry projects participate in carbon markets by sequestering carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and producing carbon offsets. The creation of forest-based offsets is guided by protocols that dictate how sequestered CO2e is converted into marketable offsets. Existing protocol designs aim to produce offsets that meet sustainability requirements, while providing financial incentives for landowner participation. However, limited Canadian uptake implies that current financial incentives are insufficient to encourage the production of carbon offsets via private landowners. Here we consider various design features of four protocols and their financial implications for an illustrative afforestation project in southern Ontario, Canada. We explore the protocols (two tonne–tonne protocols and two tonne–year protocols) under two afforestation project management systems (“no-harvest” and “harvest” management scenarios). Results indicate that a project that terminates in a harvest is not economically attractive at current CO2e prices under any protocol design at a scale likely to be undertaken in southern Ontario, Canada. Projects that do not conclude in harvest are generally more attractive. Tonne–tonne protocols that pay upfront for sequestered CO2e improve the economic attractiveness of afforestation projects, but the delayed realization of the value of offset credits under tonne–year protocols reduces the economic attractiveness of these projects. We discuss these results in light of the choices facing afforestation project proponents and offset protocol designers (including governments) in general, and provide detailed insights into the financial dynamics of the Canadian case.

Design and Development of Sustainable Product Service Systems Based on Design-Centric Complexity

Product-service system (PSS) complexity is rapidly increasing in order to meet complex user requirements. Increased complexity leads to PSSs failing to meet sustainability requirements in their initial design. To enhance PSS sustainability and support social benefits, this paper proposes a sustainable PSS development framework based on design-centric complexity (DCC) theory. In the early design stage of a PSS, DCC theory is used to analyze the complexity of the system. Determination of the types of complexity in the system and the corresponding problems is then performed. By combining the sub-field model of TRIZ, the problems can be converted and solved, and the functional periodicity may be established to reduce system complexity. By using this development framework, the conflicts and potential problems of design attributes can be reduced and the possibility of achieving PSSs functional requirements (FRs) can be enhanced. This will maintain the long-term operation stability for the system and enhance the sustainability of the PSS. Finally, the feasibility of the development framework is verified here through the case analysis of a bicycle sharing service and management system.

Current challenges for sustainable forestry management in Ukraine: production, taxation and investments issues

Ukraine's forestry has been experiencing systemic political, economic, social, and environmental problems for many years. This article aims to find new ways to balance production, taxation, and forestry investment to ensure sustainable development. We sought answers to three main questions: Does the modern mechanism of state regulation and forestry financing in Ukraine meet sustainability requirements? What changes will the critical problems of forest ecosystems arise in Ukraine in the long run? What are the prospects for the development of investment in forestry in Ukraine? To answer these questions, we conducted exploratory analyses of taxation and investment in forestry management. Then, we developed a multifactorial forecasting model to predict forest ecosystems' restoration state by 2035. Using the model, we characterized the relationship between ecological and economic factors for reforestation in the border regions of Ukraine. Finally, we analyzed the coefficients of forest capacity, yield and dynamics of afforestation. According to the results, we proposed: 1) to separate the functions of standard-setting and forest inventory from the function of forest land management; 2) to separate the function of economic activity and control over the implementation of forestry development plans; 3) to stimulate public control and increase effective monitoring of anthropogenic load, forest use and rehabilitation; 4) to improve the organizational and institutional management mechanism as a component of forest production which is the key to improving the forestry sustainability.

Relationships among Chemistry, Rheology, and Fracture/Fatigue Performance of Recovered Asphalt Binders and Asphalt Mixtures Containing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Because of limited amounts of natural resources, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has gained popularity in the asphalt pavement industry to meet sustainability requirements in asphalt pavement. Concerns have been raised in relation to the intermediate temperature cracking performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intermediate temperature cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures and recovered asphalt binders containing RAP. Seven plant-produced asphalt mixtures from three transportation agencies with various RAP contents and the extracted asphalt binders were evaluated with respect to intermediate temperature cracking resistance. Asphalt binder experiments included chemical and rheological characterization of recovered asphalt binders. Chemical characterization consisted of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and saturates/aromatics/resins/asphaltenes component analysis. Linear amplitude sweep and time sweep tests were also performed to characterize the rheological properties of asphalt binders. Asphalt mixture experiments included four-point bending beam fatigue and semi-circular bend tests. Results indicated that, as expected, asphalt mixtures with high RAP contents resulted in asphalt binders and mixtures with reduced cracking resistance. Relationships between the asphalt binder chemical and rheological parameters and asphalt mixture cracking resistance were also investigated. Asphalt binder rheological and chemical parameters were well correlated. Asphalt binder rheological parameters showed reasonable to strong relationships with the four-point bending beam fatigue test result. The work presented in this paper is part of FHWA Transportation Pooled Fund Project TPF-5(294) “Develop Mix Design and Analysis Procedure for Asphalt Mixtures Containing High RAP and/or RAS Contents.”

Ambient-cured geopolymer concrete with single alkali activator

In order to reduce the carbon emissions of concrete production and meet sustainability requirements, a new binding material to replace Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is needed. This study focuses on experimental work to produce and evaluate a sustainable geopolymer concrete using a new approach. Only one activating solution was used instead of the typically two activators to prepare the geopolymer concrete mixes cured at ambient condition. Fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and silica fume were used to produce different concrete mixes that were evaluated for mechanical properties, microstructural performance, and environmental impact. The geopolymer concrete with 100% replacement of cement by GGBS achieved a 36 MPa compressive strength at 28 days without heat curing of the specimens. The tensile strength of the new geopolymer increased by 12% compared to normal concrete. Results also showed that geopolymer concrete has the potential to decrease carbon emissions footprint by more than 60%.

Strategies, Processes, and Results for the Future Water Supply of the Växjö Municipality: Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Case Study of Long-Term Strategies within the Water and Wastewater Sector in Sweden

In 2009, the Bergaåsen Water Supply Scheme was put into operation to ensure the future drinking water supply of two municipalities in southern Sweden. Bergaåsen replaced two vulnerable water treatment plants. It was implemented in an environment that was characterized by sensitive recipients and limited access to water. This article aims to analyze how strategies were developed to meet sustainability requirements, if this solution has ensured good quantity and high quality after ten years of operation, and the extent of the project’s economic impact on consumers. The project was analyzed as an evidence-based case study using semi-structured interviews, surveys, and document analyses. The study found that the chosen options succeeded in guaranteeing outstanding quality and secure delivery. Over 90% of water users were satisfied and had trust in it, and less than 3% were dissatisfied. The design time for withdrawal capacity has been extended from 30 to 50 years through planned measures. The study clarifies also that, due to some externalities, there has been virtually no economic impact on users. Bergaåsen is a clear case for the value of developing long-term strategies and implementing them in real life.

A Comprehensive Processing of Rice Bran as a Multicomponent Resource

A comprehensive liquefaction/disintegration and fractionation of agricultural side streams gives an opportunity to utilize agricultural materials in various applications. Such an approach that simultaneously may reduce land utilization and resources can be helpful to meet sustainability requirements. In this work, the liquefaction and partial fractionation of defatted rice bran was of interest. Relatively simple processes and mild conditions (extraction, membrane separation and hydrothermal disintegration) were investigated. A single step disintegration was also compared to a 3-steps cascade procedure. Apart from cellulose and lignin, almost all rice bran could be transformed into liquid form (~85%). The enzymatic pre-extraction of starch-glucose resulted in a product having ~70% purity which can be increased (>85%) by applying nanofiltration. The protein yield obtained from a 3 steps cascade process at 120 °C and pH 2 was 82% while in the conventional extraction at pH 11.5 only 38% was achieved. The cascade process leads to higher disintegration degree and is helpful to reduce by-products significantly. Nevertheless, it is significantly more water consuming than the single step process. The liquefaction step, including starch/glucose and protein separation, appears not to be the techno-economical limiting factor for the comprehensive utilization of rice bran.

Challenges and current developments for Sensing, Smart and Sustainable Enterprise Systems

As technology advances and thus Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) evolve, a new enterprise model must be devised to face future digital enterprise needs. This paper discusses issues and emerging trends that must be addressed if a true sensing and smart enterprise is to be achieved to meet sustainability requirements. Methods are required to capture enterprise reality and to provide a seamless interoperable digital enterprise model. The paper summarises several challenges to be addressed by future research in enterprise modelling. Challenges are discussed from the Enterprise, Information, Computational, Engineering and Technological points of view, according to the ODP-RM (Open Distributed Processing—Reference Model). To some extent, progress on some challenges has already been made and solutions are expected to materialise in the near future. Other challenges have only recently been identified and potential solutions cannot yet be predicted. The paper offers a discussion of these challenges for the future enterprise along with the required enterprise model; it also introduces the concept of the Sensing, Smart and Sustainable (S^3) Enterprise System. The position paper expresses opinions derived from the existing general research priorities and directions identified by the International Federation for Automatic Control–Technical Committee on Enterprise Integration and Networking (IFAC–TC 5.3).

Sustainability indicators for agricultural land use based on GIS spatial modeling in North of Sinai-Egypt

Sustainable agriculture focuses on production that renews resources. Egypt has a lot of sustainability constraints such as salinity and alkalinity, lack of infrastructure and credit utilization. The current study focuses on assessment of sustainability factors for agricultural utilization through integrated biophysical, economic viability and social acceptability in the North Sinai area. Sustainable agricultural spatial model (SASM) was developed using Arc GIS 10 to identify and classify the area, according to sustainability degree of agricultural utilization, where the factors of productivity, security, protection, economic viability, and social acceptability in the different mapping units were assessed. The investigated area is classified into three different classes, I, II, are covered in about 7% of the total area where land management practices are marginally below the threshold for sustainability located in the northern part of the study area, where the sustainability values are ranging between 0.1 and 0.3. The areas characterized as class III do not meet sustainability requirements where the sustainable values <0.1. The current work shows how the decision-makers can increase the land sustainability classes I, II to 10% of the total area by controlling just two factors: social and economic factors.

Sustainable multivariate analysis for land use management in El-Sharkiya, Egypt

In Egypt, major sustainability variables could be identified as scarce of soil and water resources, environmental degradation, rapid population growth, institutional arrangement that includes land tenure and farm fragmentation, agricultural administration, lack of infrastructure, and credit utilization. The main objective of the current work is to evaluate the sustainable land use management (SLM) model through biophysics and socioeconomic elements for the purpose of combating sustainability constraints that preclude the agricultural development geospatially. In this research, from the geomorphologic point of view, the obtained results showed three main landscapes. They were identified in the study area as: fluviolacustrine plain, Aeolian deposits, and flood plain. The study area was dominated by some physical and chemical degradation processes with different scales breaking down the equilibrium of soil stability. The SLM model was implemented and assessed from multivariate perspective points of productivity, security, protection, economic viability, and social acceptability. Four SLM classes were outlined as follows: class I, land management practices that did meet sustainability requirements with a score ≥0.65, which represented 31.0 % of the considered agricultural study area; class II, land management practices that were marginally above the sustainability threshold and represented 12.6 %; class III, land management practices that were slightly below the threshold of sustainability and represented 8.60 %; class IV, land management practices that did not meet sustainability requirements with index values >0.1 that represented 47.86 %. As a general conclusion, it is found that land management practices tend to be unsustainable in the area under investigation for certain constraints that play motivated roles in lowering the targeted land sustainability.

Can large scale land acquisition for agro-development in Indonesia be managed sustainably?

This paper explores the impacts of large scale land acquisition for agro-development by analyzing the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) in Indonesia. It also examines the potential for MIFEE to meet sustainability requirements under RSPO, ISPO, and FSC. The plantation development plans are characterized by a lack of reliable official data and limited public disclosure. The available information paints a skewed picture of expected outcomes, where short-term economic benefits from forest clearing dominate and environmental impacts and social implications appear to be underestimated. Our analysis indicates that oil palm concessions under MIFEE can be RSPO compliant if they resist the short term windfall profits from conversion timber. ISPO certification is possible without any major overhaul. On the other hand, FSC certification for timber concessions is not possible. Because MIFEE plantation program is dominated by timber plantations, they weigh heavily on the program's poor sustainability prospects. In order to meet the Indonesian government's own objectives and improve the project's sustainability, the government needs to push for the implementation of oil palm certification and timber legality verification systems, reduce the size of plantations, target non-forestland, prioritize food crops, and secure local acceptance of plantation investments.

Special Issue on Residential Construction

Residential construction is the largest segment of the building industry in the United States. The light-frame construction system typical for North America has not dramatically changed, and platform construction dominates the market. Energy has become a focal point of design, but despite major advances, our homes are significantly behind those in Europe in energy efficiency because high energy prices dictate developments in this area. Our homes are still relatively energy inefficient, with poor acoustic performance and high maintenance demands. On the other hand, they meet sustainability requirements because renewable resources are used in construction. The homebuilding industry is constantly striving to improve its products and has made significant progress in adapting green design concepts. The vast majority of engineering programs throughout the country do not offer any courses that address issues specific to residential construction. Over 90% of all residential buildings are built as light-frame wood systems, yet a recent study of engineering programs in the United States shows that fewer than 15% of those programs offer a course in wood design. Thus, wood design is missing in 85% of the curricula and engineers are not trained in designing with wood. The reason for this alarming situation is relatively easy to identify: universities are run as research enterprises that place great pressure on faculty to secure significant research funds. In making decisions about new hires, universities consider the levels of funding that might be available in a particular field or discipline. At the federal level, little or no funding for fundamental research is available for research about housing or wood structures. The National Science Foundation, a major supporter of fundamental research, does not have a single program related to residential or wood structures. These disciplines are therefore not deemed a viable investment for any research-oriented university, and their decline is inevitable. Instead, the landscape in civil engineering schools is dominated by heavy construction and transportation, where funding is readily available. This results in a lack of the trained professionals so badly needed in the housing industry. The young generation of engineers is not exposed to the challenges of the residential construction industry. It is estimated that based on the levels of industry size, production volumes, and taxes paid to the federal government, the federal investment into residential construction and wood research should be approximately $150 million annually to make it comparable with, for example, transportation. This issue of the Journal of Architectural Engineering contains papers that are related to residential construction that hopefully illustrate the breadth of research topics and the complexity of housing-related research. As an editor, I faced a high rejection rate of housing-related research papers by reviewers; fewer than half of the submitted articles were accepted for publication. It took more than a year to gather the papers contained in this issue. I believe that this rejection rate is related to the previously discussed issues, because the lack of funding does not allow for designing and conducting research that meets the standards of this journal. The included papers range from structural issues to economics and clearly show that residential construction is a rewarding research field in which the impacts are significant. It is my hope that housing research, so significant to our economy and the daily life of all Americans, will receive the level of attention it deserves.

Using GIS modeling to assess the agricultural sustainability in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Nile Delta, Egypt

The evaluation of agricultural sustainability status helps in identifying specific indicators that constrain the achievement of sustainable agriculture. The agricultural sector in Egypt is facing major sustainability constraints such as scarce land and water resources, environmental degradation, and rapid population growth as well as institutional arrangement including land tenure and farm fragmentation, agricultural administration, lack of infrastructure, and credit utilization and high interest rates. This study aims to evaluate the agricultural sustainability in some areas in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, north of the Nile Delta; the international framework for evaluating sustainable land management was used for realizing this objective. The map of the physiographic soils of the studied area was produced depending upon Landsat ETM+ images analysis; the results indicate that the area includes three main landscapes, i.e., alluvial, lacustrine, and marine plains. The characteristics of productivity, security, protection, economic viability, and social acceptability in the different mapping units were assessed. The obtained results show that the studied area includes two different class types, the first are the lands that are marginally below the requirement of sustainability and the second are those lands that do not meet sustainability requirements. The former class is represented by the physiographic units of alluvial plain, whereas the latter class is represented by the physiographic units of the lacustrine and marine plains. The sustainability constrains in the studied area are related to the soil productivity, economic viability, and social acceptability.

Potential of structural pozzolanic matrix–hemp fiber grid composites

Currently, sustainability represents a primary issue for construction industry. New material and technological solutions are widely proposed and investigated to meet sustainability requirements and natural fibers represent one of the most studied materials. The work presented here investigated the mechanical behavior of a sustainable composite system made by pozzolanic mortar reinforced with hemp fiber grids. To improve the durability of the system and in particular of the fibers in the pozzolanic mortar environment a latex coating was used. The objective of the study was to investigate the mechanical behavior of the proposed composite system and assess the feasibility of using the system for structural retrofit applications on existing structures. A mechanical characterization of the fibers was conducted and the effectiveness of the latex coating in improving the durability of the fibers was investigated. The mechanical behavior of the composite system was studied, through a three-point bending test program.