This book surveys the current research on CO2 conversion processes and shows that these can close the carbon cycle as part of a circular economy. The technical and economic feasibility of these processes are examined together and current scientific challenges are signposted, which will guide future R&D. Technology sustainability is key for meeting and keeping decarbonization goals in the long term. However, considering economic and environmental sustainability individually is not enough. An integral view of sustainability that incorporates an energy term in the equation is needed. This book brings this concept to the fore.
This book provides an overview of a circular economy. This model has profound consequences for production, employment, education, money & finance but also induces a shift in public policy and taxation. Its economic advantage lies in designing out waste and favouring radical resource productivity with the prospect of rebuilding capital & resilience.
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY The book comprises 56 peer-reviewed chapters comprehensively covering in-depth areas of circular economy design, planning, business models, and enabling technologies. Some of the greatest opportunities for innovation in the circular economy are in remanufacturing, refurbishment, reuse, and recycling. Critical to its growth, however, are developments in product design approaches and the manufacturing business model that are often met with challenges in the current, largely linear economies of today’s global manufacturing chains. The conference hosted by the REMADE Institute in Rochester, NY, brought together U.S. and international researchers, industry engineers, technologists, and policymakers, to discuss the myriad intertwining issues relating to the circular economy. This book consists of 56 chapters in 10 distinct parts covering broad areas of research and applications in the circular economy area. The first four parts explore the system level work related to circular economy approaches, models and advancements including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to guide implementation, as well as design for circularity approaches. Mechanical and chemical recycling technologies follow, highlighting some of the most advanced research in those areas. Next, innovation in remanufacturing is addressed with descriptions of some of the most advanced work in this field. This is followed by tire remanufacturing and recycling, highlighting innovative technologies in addressing the volume of end-of-use tires. Pathways to net-zero emissions in manufacturing of materials concludes the book, with a focus on industrial decarbonization. Audience This book has a wide audience in academic institutes, business professionals and engineers in a variety of manufacturing industries. It will also appeal to economists and policymakers working on the circular economy, clean tech investors, industrial decision-makers, and environmental professionals.
With the effects of climate change already upon us, the need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions is nothing less than urgent. It’s a daunting challenge, but the technologies and strategies to meet it exist today. A small set of energy policies, designed and implemented well, can put us on the path to a low carbon future. Energy systems are large and complex, so energy policy must be focused and cost-effective. One-size-fits-all approaches simply won’t get the job done. Policymakers need a clear, comprehensive resource that outlines the energy policies that will have the biggest impact on our climate future, and describes how to design these policies well. Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy is the first such guide, bringing together the latest research and analysis around low carbon energy solutions. Written by Hal Harvey, CEO of the policy firm Energy Innovation, with Robbie Orvis and Jeffrey Rissman of Energy Innovation, Designing Climate Solutions is an accessible resource on lowering carbon emissions for policymakers, activists, philanthropists, and others in the climate and energy community. In Part I, the authors deliver a roadmap for understanding which countries, sectors, and sources produce the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and give readers the tools to select and design efficient policies for each of these sectors. In Part II, they break down each type of policy, from renewable portfolio standards to carbon pricing, offering key design principles and case studies where each policy has been implemented successfully. We don’t need to wait for new technologies or strategies to create a low carbon future—and we can’t afford to. Designing Climate Solutions gives professionals the tools they need to select, design, and implement the policies that can put us on the path to a livable climate future.
Sustainable Resource Recovery and Zero Waste Approaches covers waste reduction, biological, thermal and recycling methods of waste recovery, and their conversion into a variety of products. In addition, the social, economic and environmental aspects are also explored, making this a useful textbook for environmental courses and a reference book for both universities and companies. - Provides a novel approach on how to achieve zero wastes in a society - Shows the roadmap on achieving Sustainable Development Goals - Considers critical aspects of municipal waste management - Covers recent developments in waste biorefinery, thermal processes, anaerobic digestion, material recycling and landfill mining
An exploration of some of the most high profile environmental and sustainability challenges facing businesses and consumers, and 101 of the most practical solutions from the world of marketing. In our fast-moving and consumer-driven world – in which more than 10 million people are Marketers – social and environmental issues are increasingly being moved to the top of boardroom agendas. Each and every company, and therefore every marketer, has a responsibility to learn about the changing landscape in which they operate, and to adapt their skills, creativity and influence accordingly. From the authors of Sustainable Marketing, awarded Highly Commended at the Business Book Awards 2022, Can Marketing Save the Planet? is the ultimate guidebook for this journey, taking a deep dive into some of the most high profile subjects and solutions that every marketer needs to know about. It details the main priorities that companies should consider, and provides a 101-topic directory of the practical and realistic ways in which marketers can drive positive impact, showing that, even in the age of consumerism, marketing CAN be a force for good.
In its first edition, this book helped to define the emerging field of ecological economics. This new edition surveys the field today. It incorporates all of the latest research findings and grounds economic inquiry in a more robust understanding of human needs and behavior. Humans and ecological systems, it argues, are inextricably bound together in complex and long-misunderstood ways. According to ecological economists, conventional economics does not reflect adequately the value of essential factors like clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. By excluding biophysical and social systems from their analyses, many conventional economists have overlooked problems of the increasing scale of human impacts and the inequitable distribution of resources. This introductory-level textbook is designed specifically to address this significant flaw in economic thought. The book describes a relatively new “transdiscipline” that incorporates insights from the biological, physical, and social sciences. It provides students with a foundation in traditional neoclassical economic thought, but places that foundation within an interdisciplinary framework that embraces the linkages among economic growth, environmental degradation, and social inequity. In doing so, it presents a revolutionary way of viewing the world. The second edition of Ecological Economics provides a clear, readable, and easy-to-understand overview of a field of study that continues to grow in importance. It remains the only stand-alone textbook that offers a complete explanation of theory and practice in the discipline.
Today, mainly man-made materials, such as carbon and glass fibers, are used to produce composite parts in aviation. Renewable materials, such as natural fibers or bio-sourced resin systems, have not yet found their way into aviation. The project ECO-COMPASS aims to evaluate the potential applications of ecologically improved composite materials in the aviation sector in an international collaboration of Chinese and European partners. Natural fibers such as flax and ramie will be used for different types of reinforcements and sandwich cores. Furthermore, bio-based epoxy resins to substitute bisphenol-A based epoxy resins in secondary structures are under investigation. Adapted material protection technologies to reduce environmental influence and to improve fire resistance are needed to fulfil the demanding safety requirements in aviation. Modelling and simulation of chosen eco-composites aims for an optimized use of materials while a Life Cycle Assessment aims to prove the ecological advantages compared to synthetic state-of-the-art materials. This Special Issue provides selected papers from the project consortium partners.
