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Sustainability
Robert Field
Engineering is
Engineering is the knowledge required,
and the process applied, to conceive,
design, make, build, operate, sustain,
recycle or retire, something with a
significant technical content for a specific
purpose: a concept, a model, a product, a
device, a process, a system, a service, a
technology.
Royal Academy of Engineering
Credit: Wikipedia
"In the whole history of technology it would be difficult to find a greater single
advance than this, nor one with a greater significance for all humanity". Rolt.
Civil,
mechanical,
control,
electrical and
chemical
engineering at
work. Shells
Stanlow cat
cracker
produces
automotive
fuel from oily
residues.
The
engineered
environment.
M2 motorway
and Eurostar
train crossing
the River
Medway in
Kent.
Resource flows
Solar
energy
Emissions
to air and
water
Human
Society
Emissions
to air and
water
Food &
Products
Waste
Goods &
Services
Emissions
to air and
water
Industrial
Production
Natural
Ecosystems &
Agriculture
Emissions
and
dispersed
residues
Non-renewable
Resources
(after Clift R, Trans Inst Chem Eng B2 151 1998)
Sustainable development?
The early history of modern sustainable development:
World Conservation Strategy (WCS): published in 1980 by the World
Conservation Union and where the term sustainable development first
came to prominence;
World Commission on Environment and Development 1987: aka. The
Brundtland Report. This developed the key principles and ideas;
G7 Toronto summit of 1988: This was where the major industrial
nations, including the UK, signed up to the concept;
The Earth Summit in Rio in 1992: this produced the Rio Declaration of
Intent with Agenda 21 as the implementation action plan.
Traditional SD concept
SD
Society
Environment
Economy
Robust SD concept
Environment
Society
Economy
US Material Flow
US Economy: only 6% of materials flow ends in products
Computing waste: Laptop ~ 4,000 times; microchip ~ 100,000 times
1 tonne paper consumes 98 tonnes of various resources
US industry handles ~ 1,800 tonnes per year per average household
Human Development
Flows of Resource
Annual usage
Oil: 5 km3
Fresh Water: 5000 km3
Global energy consumption, Gtoe/y
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060
Sources: World Energy Council; World Bank; D. Bice, Carleton College MN; US Census bureau
A little thermodynamics!
1. 2nd law - heat cannot be wholly converted into work
2. C + O2 CO2
H = -393.5 MJ kmol-1
Oil:
Refining to wide product slate: lpg - gasoline - diesel jet fuel - heating oil - fuel oil - lubricants - bitumen.
Fuel oil similar efficiency to coal.
Gasoline and diesel low conversion efficiency in cars.
Gas:
19
DECHEMA
20
0.07
0.05
5.45
6.61
34.64
23.68
Oil
Coal
Gas
Hydro
Nuclear
Wind
Solar thermal
Geothermal
29.25
Source http://www.ourplanet.com/aaas/
22
Linear to circular
Resources
Production
Consumption
Waste
Ecosystems
Resources
Production and
consumption
Waste
Ecosystems
Soil Organic
matter
Nutrient
uptake and tree
growth
Duck Doo
Nutrients
(plus CO2 and H2O)
Microbial
decomposition
Resources
Waste
Production
Consumption
The
economy
Biological nutrients
Technical nutrients
Energy
The planet
Cons
Current consumption levels present a challenge (can western
lifestyles ever be made sustainable?)
Weaker economic driver, although it has intrinsic efficiencies (eg:
recycling 1 aluminium can saves energy equivalent to a 100W bulb
running for 20 hours)
Energy GJpa
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Normal Car
Efficient Car
IK Brunel at the
launching of the
Great Eastern
31
Acknowledgement
Professor Darton is thanked for his development on the
lectures on Sustainability; 60% of the material has been taken
from the lectures that he gave in previous years.
34
35