Sustainability Assessment Of Technologies Research Articles

Eco-friendly and sustainability assessment of technologies for nutrient recovery from human urine—a review

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) represent the primary components of commercial NPK fertilizer and are primarily derived from finite resources through complex and expensive processes. To ensure global food security, the development of sustainable and eco-friendly procedures for fertilizer production has gained attention. Humans generally excrete urine containing 11 g of N/L, 0.3 g of P/L of P and 1.5 g of K/L, which benefit plant growth. The recovery of these essential plant nutrients from human urine has become the focal point of increasing research endeavors. Despite the potential advantages of nutrient recovery from urine, this process is complicated, and the economic implications are substantial. Furthermore, human urine may harbor undesirable contaminants, such as pathogens, pharmaceutical residues, hormones, and elevated salt levels, which could be disseminated into the environment through agriculture. This study appraised various emerging technologies for nutrient recovery from human urine, considering their challenges, environmental impact, economic viability, and the overall sustainability of the processes. This review elucidated that most nutrient recovery technologies demonstrated elevated efficiency in nutrient recovery. Nevertheless, a recurrent oversight involves neglecting the potential transfer of contaminants and pathogens into environmental matrices. The complexity of these processes and their economic feasibility vary, with some proving intricate and economically unviable. Given that no singular technology fully mitigates these challenges, integrating two or more technologies appears imperative to address drawbacks and enhance overall system performance.

Prospective technology assessment in the Anthropocene: A transition toward a culture of sustainability

In the Anthropocene, humankind has become a quasi-geological force. Both the rapid development as well as the depth of intervention of new technologies result in far-reaching and irreversible anthropogenic changes in the Earth’s natural system. However, early and development-accompanying evaluation of technologies are not yet common sense. Against this background, this review article aims to compile the current state of knowledge with regard to the early sustainability assessment of technologies and to classify this status quo with respect to the key challenges of the Anthropocene. To that end, the paper initially outlines major existing definitions and framings of the term of sustainability. Key milestones, concepts and instruments with regard to the development of sustainability assessment and technology assessment (TA) methodologies are also presented. Based on this overview, the energy sector is used as an example to discuss how mirroring ongoing transformation processes can contribute to the further development of the TA framework in order to ensure an agile, goal-oriented, and future-proof assessment system.

Sustainability assessment of technologies for resource recovery in two Baltic Sea Region case-studies using multi-criteria analysis

Sustainability assessments can be a powerful tool in decision-making regarding technical innovations. In this study, a sustainability assessment of technical systems for recovering nutrients and carbon from domestic wastewater is presented. Multi-criteria analysis was used to calculate a sustainability score of three different technical systems compared to a baseline in two case-studies: the Fyriså river catchment in Sweden and the Słupia river catchment in Poland. Two participatory workshops with local stakeholders were held in each case-study, the first to co-develop the system alternatives and sustainability criteria and the second to collect stakeholder weighting of the criteria. Although the systems assessed in both case studies were similar, the resulting sustainability scores were different. In Fyris, although the differences in scores was small, the preferred alternative was introduction of source-separation followed by a large redesign of the treatment and phosphorus extraction from incinerated sludge was the least sustainable alternative. For the Słupia systems the scores varied more, and the preferred system was a large redesign of the wastewater treatment followed by ammonia stripping of the reject water and the source-separation alternative received the lowest score. In both case-studies, the more costly system received highest sustainability score indicating the large potential benefits of enhancing resource recovery from domestic wastewater. Stakeholders did not prioritize technical aspects over the other sustainability criteria, yet most of research on resource recovery interventions is focused on technical performance.

Assessment and selection of the best treatment alternative for infectious waste by Sustainability Assessment of Technologies (SAT) methodology

ABSTRACTThe objective of this paper was to select the best infectious waste treatment alternative by Sustainability Assessment of Technologies (SAT) methodology. This study was carried in four educational hospitals of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. The average waste produced in hospitals was 4.7 kg/bed/day. The average of common waste, infectious waste, sharp waste, and chemical and pharmaceutical waste was 2.18, 2.42, 0.04, and 0.05 kg/bed/day, respectively. In detailed assessment, a weighted sum matrix method was used to rank the different technologies of infectious wastes treatment. Finally, the highest score was found for Autoclave with a shredder (64.53), and hydroclave (63.32), autoclave (60.61), central incineration (55.12) and chemical treatment (54.25) were ranked second to fifth, respectively. Most participants emphasized the need for an autoclave with a shredder in the treatment of infectious hospital waste in Ardabil. However, the environmental and economic criteria and other aspects of treatment infectious hospital waste should be considered.Implications: Today health-care wastes (HCWs) have become a substantial public health and environmental concern all over the world, particularly in developing countries. In response to the need for a technology assessment framework to identify and select the best possible environmental technology option, IETC-UNEP developed a new methodology known as Sustainable Assessment of Technologies (SAT). The methodology takes a systems approach and stresses information, expertise and stakeholder participation. In applying this methodology to developing countries, it seems necessary to make some changes on its criteria, based on local conditions.

A Developed Framework for Energy Technology Sustainability Assessment

Technology assessment has reformed in nature over the last four decades from an analytical tool for technology evaluation, which relies extensively on quantitative and qualitative modelling methods to strategic plan tool for policy creation regarding satisfactory new technologies, that based on participative policy problematic investigation. The aim of assessing technology today is to make policy choices for solutions to organizational and social problems. which, at the workable level, use innovative technologies which considered publicly acceptable, that is, practical policy decisions. This paper concentrates on the progressing of a framework that joins a technology valuation method, namely, system dynamics, inside the larger opportunity of technology growth for sustainability. The framework, called system method to technology sustainability assessment (SATSA), joining three main fundamentals: technology progress, sustainable progress, and dynamic systems method. The article after that determines the framework of integrating the system dynamics procedure in energy technology assessment philosophy and exercise inside the framework of sustainable growth. The framework offers for technology sustainability assessment, which can direct the upgrade of sustainable energy technologies at a policy class. Additionally, it can support the technology inventors to understand the possible effects of technology, therefore allowing them to decrease technology transmission hazards.

A Dynamic Sustainability Analysis of Energy Landscapes in Egypt: A Spatial Agent-Based Model Combined with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

To respond to the emerging challenge of climate change, feasible strategies need to be formulated towards sustainable development and energy security on a national and international level. Lacking a dynamic sustainability assessment of technologies for electricity planning, this paper fills the gap with a multi-criteria and multi-stakeholder evaluation in an integrated assessment of energy systems. This allows to select the most preferred strategies for future planning of energy security in Egypt, with a focus on alternative energy pathways and a sustainable electricity supply mix up to 2100. A novel prototype model is used to integrate multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as a premium decision support approach with agent-based modeling (ABM). This tool is popular in analyzing dynamic complex systems. A GIS-based spatial ABM analyzes future pathways for energy security in Egypt, depending on the preferences of agents for selected criteria to facilitate the transformation of energy landscapes. The study reveals significant temporal variations in the spatial ranking of technologies between actors in the energy sector over this period. We conclude that in order to attain a sustainable energy landscape, we should involve relevant stakeholders and analyze their interactions while considering local spatial conditions and key dimensions of sustainable development.

Unstandardized LCA-Based Technology Sustainability Assessment for Alternative Energy Scenarios for Cogeneration System

Abstract In pursuit of higher energy savings and de-carbonization, greater fuel diversity and lower pollutant emission is possible by production processes through energy-savings opportunities and associated environmentally-benign technologies. Current production processes represents the biggest consumption of energy, and the greatest amount of emissions emitted to the environment. Improvement in energy efficiency is considered as the basic principle in realizing energy-saving, bringing cost-effective benefits and reduction of greenhouse emissions. Hence, this study proposes a framework to assess alternative sustainability of cogeneration systems, integrating the economic, environmental, and social indicators. The results showed that the cogeneration system with a new boiler with a 600 PSIG pressure and a new turbine seems to be a cost-efficient solution compared to the baseline scenario saving energy at the level of 1,823,072 kWh/yr (63%) against the baseline scenario. In the case study, the implemented solution in the plant improved the overall sustainability degree of technology by 53% (from 46% as baseline to 97%).

Assessment of Healthcare Waste Management Paradigms and Its Suitable Treatment Alternative: A Case Study.

The management and treatment of healthcare waste (HCW) are of great concern owing to its potential hazard to human health and the environment, particularly in developing countries. Nowadays, various technological alternatives are gaining momentum as efficient and favorable waste management options across the world. However, selecting a suitable technology as well as an effective waste management approach for the treatment of HCW is still a challenging task for the municipal authorities. This study renders a comprehensive analysis of healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices and the technological options for its better management through a case study in Khulna, the southwestern division of Bangladesh. A number of healthcare establishments (HCEs) in the study area were selected and a questionnaire survey, as well as field investigations, was performed to find out the present status of HCWM and its limitations. An assessment of different technological alternatives was also carried out using Sustainability Assessment of Technologies (SAT) methodology which could pave the way for treating hazardous waste more efficiently in the Khulna metropolitan area. The study revealed that the overall HCW generation rate and hazardous HCW generation rate in Khulna city were 0.90 kg bed−1 day−1 and 0.18 kg bed−1 day−1, respectively. Assessment of management system revealed that 56% (n = 38) of workers did not receive any form of training in the handling of hazardous waste. Around 54% (n = 47) of them did not use any safety equipment or clothing. It has been found from the study that, among different technological alternatives based on the final score, incineration was the most suitable option for the treatment of hazardous waste in Khulna. Finally, some guidelines have been put forward to improve its existing management practices.

Mixed-Integer Programming Approach for Dimensionality Reduction in Data Envelopment Analysis: Application to the Sustainability Assessment of Technologies and Solvents

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has recently emerged as an effective method for the sustainability assessment of industrial systems. Unfortunately, sustainability studies require the evaluation of a wide range of indicators (i.e., inputs and outputs in DEA notation), which can weaken the discriminatory power of DEA and ultimately lead to results that are less meaningful and hard to interpret. Here we develop a systematic MIP-DEA approach that identifies redundant metrics that can be omitted in DEA models with minimum information loss. Our approach is based on a bilevel programming model where binary variables denote the selection of metrics while the objective functions and constraints are formulated according to the DEA principles. The capabilities of this method are illustrated through the assessment of several industrial systems evaluated according to multiple criteria, some of which are based on life cycle metrics. Our results show that our systematic approach can effectively reduce the number of vari...

Urban sewage sludge, sustainability, and transition for Eco-City: Multi-criteria sustainability assessment of technologies based on best-worst method

The treatment of urban sewage sludge is of vital importance for mitigating the risks of environmental contaminations, and the negative effects on human health. However, there are usually various different technologies for the treatment of urban sewage sludge; thus, it is difficult for decision-makers/stakeholders to select the most sustainable technology among multiple alternatives. This study aims at developing a generic multi-criteria decision support framework for sustainability assessment of the technologies for the treatment of urban sewage sludge. A generic criteria system including both hard and soft criteria in economic, environmental, social and technological aspects was developed for sustainability assessment. The improved analytic hierarchy process method, namely Best-Worst method, was employed to determine the weights of the criteria and the relative priorities of the technologies with respect to the soft criteria. Three MCDM methods including the sum weighted method, digraph model, and TOPSIS were used to determine sustainability sequence of the alternative technologies for the treatment of urban sewage sludge. Three technologies including landfilling, composting, and drying incineration have been studied using the proposed framework. The sustainability sequence of these three technologies determined by these three methods was obtained, and finally the priority sequence was determined as landing filling, drying incineration and composting in the descending order.

Sustainability assessment of groundwater remediation technologies based on multi-criteria decision making method

Sustainability assessment of the technologies for groundwater remediation is of vital importance for helping the decision-makers to select the most sustainable technology among multiple alternatives. This paper aims at developing an innovative methodology for sustainability assessment of the technologies for groundwater remediation. A total of eight criteria have been used for sustainability assessment of the technologies for groundwater remediation in this study, and they are capital cost, detection and analysis costs, and operation and maintenance costs in economic aspects, effect of secondary pollution environmental aspect, effectiveness for water quality improvement and time for remediation in technological aspect, the effect on public health in social aspect, and policy support belonging to political aspect. The relative priorities of the alternative technologies with respect to each criterion were scored by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and it was also employed to calculate the weights of the criteria. After determining the decision-making matrix,ELECTRE was employed to rank the alternatives according to their sustainability performances. An illustrative case has been studied by the proposed method, monitored natural attenuation (MNA) has been recognized as the most sustainable technology for groundwater remediation, followed by pump-treat (P&T) technology, permeable reactive barriers (PRB) and air sparing (AS). Finally, Sensitivity analysis was also carried out to test the robustness of the results.

Assessment and selection of the best treatment alternative for infectious waste by modified Sustainability Assessment of Technologies methodology.

BackgroundImproper treatment of infectious waste can cause numerous adverse environmental and health effects such as transmission of diseases through health personnel and other susceptible groups,who come in contact with such wastes. On the other hand, selection of appropriate treatment alternatives in infectious waste management has become a challenging task for public health authorities especially in developing countries. The objective of this paper is to select the best infectious waste treatment alternative by the modified Sustainability Assessment of Technologies (SAT) methodology, developed by the International Environmental Technology Center of the United Nations Environment Program (IETC-UNEP).MethodsSAT methodology consists of three main components, including screening, scoping and detailed assessment. In screening, different infectious waste treatment alternatives undergo screening using the finalized environmental and technical criteria. Short-listed treatment options from the previous step, then go through the comprehensive scoping and detailed assessment (2nd and 3rd components) which is more qualitative and quantitative in nature. An empirical case in Tehran, the largest city in Iran, is provided to illustrate the potential of the proposed methodology.ResultsAccording to the final score, “Hydroclave”, was the most suitable infectious treatment technology. The ranking order of the treatment alternatives were “Autoclave with a shredder”, “Autoclave”, “Central Incineration” and “chemical treatment” on the basis of technical, economical, social and environmental aspects and their related criteria.ConclusionsAccording to the results it could be concluded that the top ranking technologies basically have higher scores in all the aspects. Hence it is easier to arrive at a decision for the final technology selection based on the principles of sustainability.

A sustainability assessment methodology for prioritizing the technologies of groundwater contamination remediation

More and more groundwater has been polluted recently, and technologies for groundwater contamination remediation are of vital importance; however, it is usually difficult for the users to select the most suitable technology among multiple alternatives. In order to address this, this study aims at developing a sustainability assessment framework for prioritizing the technologies for groundwater contamination remediation by combining the concept of sustainability and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method. A criterion system which consists of six criteria in three aspects has been proposed for sustainability assessment of technologies for groundwater contamination remediation, and a novel MCDM method by combining the logarithmic fuzzy preference programming based fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and the improved ELECTRE method has been developed for prioritizing the alternatives. In order to illustrate the developed methodology, four technologies including pump-treat (P&T), monitored natural attenuation (MNA), permeable reactive barriers (PRB), and air sparging (AS) have been studied, and the results show that the proposed methodology is feasible for prioritizing the technologies for groundwater contamination remediation for the stakeholders/decision-makers.

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Technologies for Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Technologies for Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Technológiák fenntarthatósági elemzése életciklus-közelítésben

Technológiák fenntarthatósági elemzése életciklus-közelítésben

Social aspects for sustainability assessment of technologies—challenges for social life cycle assessment (SLCA)

Purpose Technologies can contribute to sustainable development (e.g., improving living conditions) and at the same time cause sustainability problems (e.g., emissions). Decisions on alternative technologies should thus ideally be based on the principle to minimize the latter. Analyzing environmental, economic, and social aspects related to technologies supports decisions by identifying the “more sustainable” technology. This paper focuses on social issues. First, it discusses the applicability of the social life cycle assessment (SLCA) guidelines for a comparative technology analysis, taking the example of two case studies in developing countries. Indicating technologies as “sustainable” also means that they are indeed operated over the expected lifetime, which, in development projects, is often not guaranteed. Consequently, social aspects related to implementation conditions should be considered in an SLCA study as well. Thus, a second focus is laid on identifying appropriate indicators to address these aspects.

A system dynamics approach to technology sustainability assessment: The case of biodiesel developments in South Africa

This paper suggests that a system dynamics approach is best suited to assess the sustainability of technologies, with a specific emphasis on policy interventions for renewable energy in the African context. A bioenergy technology sustainability assessment (BIOTSA) model is subsequently demonstrated by analysing the outcomes of a proposed biodiesel production development on selected sustainability indicators for the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In addition, some scenarios are tested to compare how they may improve the selected indicators. The BIOTSA model results are useful to compare dynamic consequences that may result from the proposed biodiesel production development and the respective policies and decisions that may arise from such a development. Nevertheless, recommendations are made to improve the usefulness and practicability of this type of model for technology assessment purposes.

Technology sustainability assessment of biodiesel development in South Africa: A system dynamics approach

Currently, several renewable energy technologies have reached, or are approaching maturity and can be utilised for small- and large-scale applications. Biodiesel, a cleaner burning replacement fuel, is argued to potentially contribute to sustainable development in many countries and regions of the world. Biodiesel development, however, entails complex interactions of actors such as the technology developers, government at different levels, communities, as well as the natural environment; different actions or responses in the greater system might hinder or undermine the positive effects of such a development. Given such complexity, an integrated and holistic technology assessment approach is indispensible to determine the potential effects of biodiesel development on sustainability in general, which can then inform and enhance proper planning and management. The paper thus introduces the Bioenergy Technology Sustainability Assessment ( BIOTSA) model that has been developed, based on a system dynamics approach. The model is demonstrated and evaluated with a specific case: the assessment of the effects of biodiesel development on selected sustainability indicators for the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The strengths and limitations of the model are discussed and future perspectives are outlined.

Technology sustainability assessment to support decision making on energy production at local scale

Considering climate issues, the Kyoto Protocol is the most important worldwide reference aimed at reducing greenhouse gases that cause climate change; going further, the recent European Climate and Energy Policy defi nes binding targets for 2020, that include increasing use of renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass, etc.) to 20% of total energy production. In order to identify the most suitable strategies to achieve this objective, an evaluation of some relevant issues that can affect the sustainability of possible renewable energy options is necessary. This study focus on technology sustainability assessment of energy production from forest biomass, defi ning a set of indicators to provide a decision support system (DSS) for local decision makers, enabling them to evaluate the environmental impacts, the resource availability and renewability, the feasibility of the technology in the local context and the social acceptance of the plant among the local community. The case study presented in this article refers to an Italian mountain community (Comunita Montana delle Alpi Lepontine) in northern Italy, where the assessment of environmental, economic and social sustainability of a plant producing electricity powered by Syngas coming from gasifi cation of forest biomass was performed. The aim of the research was to develop a multidisciplinary DSS to assess the feasibility of the application and to defi ne guidelines for sustainability assessment of technologies for energy production using forest biomass, identifying critical issues and potential areas of optimization.

Assessing the sustainability of energy technological systems in Southern Africa: A review and way forward

The field of technology assessment is not new, but it continues to be relevant today more than ever, especially in the energy sector. Issues related to climate change, energy security and sustainability in general are at the core of all energy policies and strategies. The development of new and more sustainable energy technologies are needed to address these challenges. As part of this, energy technology assessment tools can help decision-makers with the identification of sustainable energy solutions, in order to integrate them in long-term energy policies and strategies. The concept and practice of sustainable development has subsequently manifested in the technology assessment field. This implies the re-classification of technology assessment into ecological, economic and social (and other) goals. In the Southern African context, specifically, there is no formal and coherent approach to energy technology assessment from a sustainability perspective. Governments in the region are finding it challenging to establish national policies concerning energy technology assessment. Indeed, the review reveals the limited use of the term “ technology assessment” in energy evaluation studies in Southern Africa. Energy sustainability assessments may be reported, but certainly not from the perspectives of the technology management community, and, although a number of studies have discussed the issues of sustainability in technology assessment, none account for technology sustainability assessment from a holistic perspective. The paper argues that it is in this area that further research is needed.