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What is Sustainable Technology?

What is Sustainable Technology?. Karel Mulder. Why is this important question?. SD is a holistic concept We all work at the level of parts of the system engineers design at ‘artefact’ level where many consequences of SD meet: energy, safety, waste, pollution etc.

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What is Sustainable Technology?

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  1. What is Sustainable Technology? Karel Mulder

  2. Why is this important question? SD is a holistic concept We all work at the level of parts of the system engineers design at ‘artefact’ level where many consequences of SD meet: energy, safety, waste, pollution etc.

  3. "The car’s body is composed 90% by plate panels which are cut according to the desired finish and the rests are recycled, and completed with thermo-formed pieces”. The front and back trains, the engine and the stick present a complexity similar to the one of a three wheels charge vehicle. The Nexo car can be equipped with an engine which could get to 20 hp, enough to reach 80 kilometres an hour to go around the city. It can work with a 9 square metres CNG tank that can fuel up to 250 kilometres. As an alternative, there’s also the option of an electric engine, but with less power. Sustainable car? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/nexo_the_argent.php

  4. WIKIPEDIA: Subcategories This category has the following 28 subcategories, out of 28 total.

  5. SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY???? 5

  6. Refrigerator, 1960s

  7. Modern Car

  8. Car 1900s

  9. Horse & Carriage, 1900s

  10. Wind-turbines, Germany 500 m from Dutch border

  11. Why Refrigerators? Perishable food problem: loss of fish and vegetables, risk of food poisoning Toxic/flammable refrigerants: Ammonia, SO2, CH3Cl, hydrocarbons .. Search for safe refrigerants: non toxic, non flammable and effective

  12. Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons • 1928 Synthesis by Thomas Midgley • Main advantages: • effective • -Non-toxic • Non-flammable • Somewhat more expensive

  13. Cleveland accident: May 15th, 1929: 128 people died of methyl-chloride poisoning 1930 CFC Refrigerant

  14. Other applications Airconditioners CFCs: Solution for dangerous spray cans

  15. CFCs as global threat • 1970 Lovelock traces CFC’s in wind at Western Ireland • F. Sherwood Rowland (UC-Irvine), Mario Molina • 1984-5 Joe Farman • 1987 Protocol Montreal

  16. So? 1930: miracle solution: “really sustainable” 1974: New issue: atmospheric effects, serious doubts 1987: “ozone killer”

  17. Now, cars ……………….. Annual World Oil Consumption 2005                                                       29 Gbo Annual Oil Discovery Rates in 1990s                                                     4-8 Gbo Cumulative World Oil Consumption 1860-2005                                       960 Gbo Conventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (P50)[1]                              850 Gbo Remaining World Oil Reserves[2]                                                         1317 Gbo Conventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (mean)[3]                           2311 Gbo

  18. 2311 * 10^9 barrels of oil still present. Cumulatieve consumption 960 Gbo. Total 3271 Gbo Formed in about 350 * 10^6 year (highest speed Paleozoicum) Simplified: 9345 barrels annually 1 barrel: 51.4 % gasoline (http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/whats_in_barrel_oil.html) = 0.514 * 159 litre/barrel = 81.7 liter gasoline Geological annual production of gasoline: 9345 * 81.7 = 763500 litres gasoline 2000 litres per car annually? 380 cars can drive sustainably by gasoline lets say between 100 and 1000

  19. Were cars around 1900 Sustainable?

  20. In 1818, New York City Council: regulation. Manure collection & processing: special "manure-yards" to process: "rotting“, overturning and exposure to weathering. • Problems: • Abt. 1200 tons of manure daily on the streets: dust, typhoid • dead animals (In 1880, New York City removed 15,000 dead horses from its streets) • Noise • 1908: 20.000 death?

  21. Sustainable? CFC 1930, 1960: yes Horse & carriage, New York, 1900: no Car 1900: yes Car 2009: no

  22. And that windturbines? For many years complaints of villagers: noise at night Neglected by authorities and NGO’s: NIMBY Villagers were right: University research found a new phenomenon: At night, the windturbines produced far more noise. Cause wind shear under absence of sun Size of windturbines (distance between top and lowest position of blades)

  23. Lessons? Various articulations of sustainability Related to paradigms related stakeholders Technology should meet all possible SD articulations? No Sustainable for ever? No

  24. Sustainable technology is only a useful concept if it involves hardware and software: use of technologies that is, as far as we know, in harmony with its natural and social environment

  25. ENGINEERING DESIGN CAN ONLY DEAL WITH SPECIFIC ARTICULATIONS OF SD ARTICULATIONS: SPECIFY TARGETS TO BE OPTIMIZED EXCLUDES OTHER TARGETS Non-sensensical statement: “Sustainable because 100 % recyclable”

  26. Implications Involve stakeholders in technological decisions: the engineer cannot decide on their behalf Sustainability is never established forever: A sustainable technology now might be unsustainable in 10 years

  27. Broadening the Innovation process and long term vision 29

  28. Include Jevons Paradox (Rebound effect):

  29. Discussion: Sustainable Packaging Coalition: Sustainable? The Sustainable Packaging Coalition envisions a world where all packaging is… Sourced responsibly Designed to be effective and safe throughout its life cycle Meets market criteria for performance and cost Made entirely using renewable energy Once used, is recycled efficiently to provide a valuable resource for subsequent generations In summary: we envision a true cradle to cradle system for all packaging. http://www.sustainablepackaging.org/about_vision.asp

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