Sustainable engineering systems - · PDF file2 Unit 35 Managing the environmental impact of...

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Unit 35: Managing the environmental impact of work activities in manufacturing engineering

Sustainable engineering systems (SESs) have been developed to minimise the impact of engineering activities. It is important for manufacturing engineers to be aware of these systems, and in particular green sources of energy such as solar energy, so that they can reduce the environmental impact of their activities. SESs involve using various engineering sciences to reduce the use of resources, and to recycle and reuse materials whenever possible. For example, a material engineer may suggest the use of recyclable materials to replace ones that are not easy to recycle.

This topic guide will cover: • various sustainable engineering systems and renewable technologies • justification of the use of sustainable engineering systems in relation to

energy efficiency.

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Sustainable engineering systems35.3

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35.3: Sustainable engineering systems

1 Introduction to sustainable engineering systems (SESs)

A sustainable engineering system uses the science of design and engineering in order to increase the positive and minimise the negative impact of an engineering activity on the environment. A manufacturing organisation will use this approach in order to minimise its environmental impact. In a sustainable engineering system engineers regard the protection of the environment as one of their priorities and will use the latest and emerging technologies to prevent any economic loss and negative social or environmental impact. The main aims and objectives of a sustainable manufacturing system are to:

• minimise the use of resources, such as raw materials, energy and water; some examples are the use of chipless manufacturing methods, such as precision casting compared to machining, or the use of electrical equipment with a higher electricity efficiency rate, or the use of low energy lamps

• eliminate toxic and harmful substances, for example by: replacing CFC gas using fuel that conforms with European standards using paper bags instead of plastic ones monitoring the chemical ingredients of exhaust gases from cars, furnaces

and industrial boilers, and making the necessary adjustments and repairs when needed

• end up with zero waste, reducing all different forms of domestic and industrial waste.

Take it furtherAsk your employer if you can carry out a feasibility study for the selection of a sustainable manufacturing system for a project. Justify your selection based on the current energy- efficient standards.

In summary, a sustainable manufacturing system creates products or provides services which deliver their prime function while remaining sensitive and responsive to the environmentally related legislation, requirements, standards and policies of the organisation. A sustainable manufacturing system can be applied to small and larger organisations, but it should always be viewed as an integral system taking into account the products’ and services’ life cycles and not just the production process.

The life cycle of the product typically involves: • practices and processes related to the design, manufacturing and assembly of

components and sub-assemblies • the raw material used in the product • maintenance and after sale services • product use • disposal and recycling.

Experts from a wide range of technical backgrounds are currently conducting research into reducing the environmental impact of various products during their

Key termsSustainable engineering system – an environmentally friendly engineering system that is designed and developed to minimise its impact on natural resources and the environment. The environmentally friendly (sometimes referred to as eco-friendly or earth-friendly) SES literally means an engineering system which is not harmful to the environment and involves practices that help conserve natural resources, such as water, air and other raw substances, such as oil. One example is an engineering system that uses a wind turbine to generate electricity and uses this electricity for its operation.

Feasibility study – a study to assess, analyse and evaluate the viability of a project or an idea.

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life cycle. The use of alternative energy sources is seen as one of the main research areas in this field and researchers are actively developing more user-friendly sources of energy, including wind and wave energy.

A substantial element of a SES should focus on the type of energy used and its efficient use; priority should be given to the use of renewable energies such as solar, wind energy, hydroelectric, geothermal and bio energy. However, sustainability in engineering is not just about energy: it is about the sustainable use of all resources and also the social impact of projects.

2 Principles of sustainability for engineersThe Engineering Council has published a list of six principles as guidance for engineers and technicians when considering sustainability. The principles can be found on their website at:

www.engc.org.uk/Sustainability

The six principles are reproduced below.

1 Contribute to building a sustainable society, present and future.

2 Apply professional and responsible judgement and take a leadership role.

3 Do more than just comply with legislation and codes.

4 Use resources efficiently and effectively.

4 Seek multiple views to solve sustainability challenges.

6 Manage risk to minimise adverse impact to people or the environment.

For every project you work on, you should always consider the use of alternative energy and look for opportunities to play your part in protecting the environment. As part of the evaluation of a project’s sustainability, six major elements, outlined below, must be considered.

Using energy and resources efficientlyReduce the use of energy and materials as much as possible. This applies to the direct use of energy and resources for manufacturing, as well as materials and substances that are used generally, such as water. The concept of Design for the Environment (DfE) can play an important role here. For example, a design engineer should look to use existing parts and equipment rather than designing new ones. Using fewer materials in design (consider hollow rather than solid parts) and choosing materials that are easy to recycle and reuse are examples of more sustainable engineering systems.

Protecting biodiversityOrganisations and individuals have a duty to ensure that a manufacturing process does not have a negative effect on humans and other species. Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a computer program that can help to measure the effect of engineering projects on biodiversity. Manufacturing companies should use similar tools and work with environmental and wildlife

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organisations to reduce the impact of their activities on biodiversity. Many companies are implementing action plans on biodiversity with the aim to identify priority habitats and species and then work to protect them.

Take it furtherUse the internet to search for three manufacturing companies that have implemented action plans on biodiversity. Compare how similar or different their action plans are.

Minimising any type of waste and emissions This includes industrial and non-industrial waste, and different types of emissions such as noise, gases such as carbon dioxide (CO

2) and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC),

dust and other types of light particles and fumes. Reuse and recycling can play a major role in reducing waste.

Using environmentally friendly materials and energyConsider using alternative energy solutions such as wind or solar energy, or reuse the by-products of various processes; for example, the heat generated in a production process can be used to heat up offices and workshops. Glass is more environmentally friendly compared to plastic because plastic contains carbon and glass does not. Glass can also be recycled easily. When possible, think about using reusable glass containers for packaging, or recyclable packaging materials such as card, paper and metal.

A medical devices and pharmaceuticals company is using environmentally friendly equipment in order to achieve their renewable energy targets. To do this, they have invested in in-house energy generation and now use a biomass boiler plant or a 3-megawatt wind turbine. A further benefit of doing this is a reduction in energy per unit costs.

Minimising the use of hazardous materialsUse alternative materials whenever possible and reduce the use of hazardous materials to an absolute minimum. According to the EU waste catalogue, the chemicals used in photographic applications are hazardous materials and therefore it is worth thinking about using digital photography rather than traditional methods of development.

Another good example in manufacturing engineering is to consider replacing chemical machining (which uses acids – another category of hazardous materials) with accurate metal cutting techniques such as computer numerical control (CNC) techniques.

Compliance with standards, targets and legislationSustainability can be applied to almost any engineering activity within a variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, transport and waste management.

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Make sure that any new and existing manufacturing projects and their activities meet various standards applicable to the product and the manufacturing process; ensure they are in line with the organisation’s targets and the legislation that applies to the particular product and the process. For example, some manufacturing companies use chemicals and electrolytic processes for coating or other surface treatment of their products. Solvents are used in the initial stages of these processes in order to clean and degrease the components. These organisations should be fully aware of, and comply with, the Solvent Emissions Regulations (England and Wales) SI 2004 No.107, which require companies to meet the Solvent Emissions Directive 67/548/EEC (SED).

Global climate change, environmental laws and legislation, and limited natural resources have increased the need for sustainable engineering systems. For example, the introduction of EC Regulation 2037/2000 on ozone depleting substances (ODSs) had a considerable impact on the manufacturers of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. This law introduced restrictions and bans on using gases such as CFC which damages the ozone layer.

Case study: mobile phonesIt is estimated that there are about 500 million mobile phones and devices in Europe. As a result of scrutiny regarding their sustainability and possible impact on the environment, the EU is putting the responsibility for reducing this impact on retailers and manufacturers.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive relates to the life cycle of mobile phones. This directive restricts the use of certain chemical and harmful substances in equipment and holds manufacturers and retailers responsible for the environmental impact of their products during their life cycle. Consequently, mobile phone manufacturers have been trying to reduce phones’ impact on the environment through various measures.

A major improvement has been the reduction of mobile phone weights. Early mobile phone models weighed about 10 kg, but now they weigh approximately 80 g. This is a reduction of more than 95 per cent in the material used.

A leading mobile phone manufacturer has conducted a study on the environmental impact of their mobile phones in their life cycle and reports a reduction of up to 50 per cent in their mobile phones produced in 2010 compared to those produced in 2000. It has concluded that the energy consumption during the use of the mobile phones, and also the energy used by chargers left on when not charging the phone, are large contributors to the environmental impact of their phones. As each mobile phone contains small amount of materials (such as lead) that are considered harmful to the environment, any environmental management system should also consider the recycling and safe disposal of these devices. Therefore the environmental activities of the company not only focus on their own operations, but also look at the suppliers and end-of- life practices.

The concept of Design for the Environment is used when developing products and technologies, to reduce their energy consumption, and an end-of-life management system is in place for the correct disposal of mobile phones.

ActivityReflect on the practices of your company with regard to the disposal and recycling of your products at the end of their life cycle. Is your organisation involved with this process?

If yes, how effective has it been and what are the results and outcomes? If no, how can this be implemented?

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The manufacturers of laundry cleaning products create goods that have a considerable negative effect on the environment, including:

• foaming of rivers • large amounts of packaging with questionable biodegradability • use of live animals to check the safety of products • energy consumption of washing machines • disturbance of the chemical composition of lakes.

An environmental management system will consider all these effects and use engineering and scientific innovations to minimise or eliminate them. For example, lowering washing temperatures (30–40°C) has resulted in a substantial reduction in energy use and introducing capsules and tablets has resulted in lower consumption of harmful chemicals. It is also estimated that the introduction of laundry tablets is saving about 250,000 tons of materials each year.

ActivityReflect on your own habits and practices with regard to protecting the environment. Do you prefer to buy products with less packaging? Do you separate and recycle different materials? Do you read the labelling of products to see if live animals have been used for testing? Do you try to find and buy products that have a lower negative impact on the environment? Do you save energy when you can?

If you wanted to introduce an environmental system into your lifestyle, what would be included and what would have changed?

3 Energy efficiencyReducing the amount of energy used is always a major part of an engineering environmental system. This energy can be the energy used during the production phase or it can be the energy used indirectly (see the section on laundry products above).

An example is the car manufacturing industry, as discussed in Topic guide 35.1. As there are now European limits and guidelines on the amount of CO

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by cars, and because of higher fuel prices across Europe, it is now justifiable for car manufacturing companies to invest in innovative fuel consumption systems to reduce the energy used by their cars. Electrical cars have their limitations but are becoming more popular. Generally, there are three main drives behind energy efficiency. They are:

• the cost of energy • uncertainty about supply • targets and legislation which underpin commitments to reduce the amount of

emitted carbon.

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Portfolio activity (3.1, 3.2) Manufacturing projects have to be sustainable with regard to the environment. Organisations should always look for opportunities to reduce their negative impact on the environment and move towards a greener way of operating. For a project that is already implemented or is going to start in the near future, carry out research to see how you can make the project more environmentally sustainable. In particular, you need to consider and evaluate the following.

• How can the use of energy and other resources such as water be reduced during this project? Can energy saving methods be implemented? Can a product with similar specifications be produced using less materials?

• Does the product itself, or the process, have a negative effect on biodiversity? If yes, can this be avoided or reduced? How?

• What are the types and volumes of different emissions and waste produced as a result of this project? How can these be reduced? Consider noise, for example.

• Can more recyclable or environmentally safe and friendly materials, or renewable energies be used for this project?

• Are hazardous materials used in this project? Can this be avoided or reduced?

Having thought about these questions, what are your general recommendations for inclusion in the sustainable engineering system? Demonstrate how these recommendations meet current energy-efficient standards, targets and legislation.

ChecklistAt the end of this topic guide you should be familiar with:

sustainable engineering systems

six principles of sustainability for engineers.

Further reading and resourcesKauffman, J. and Lee, K-M., Handbook of Sustainable Engineering (Springer, 2013) ISBN 9781402089381

Engineering for sustainable development: guiding principles: www.raeng.org.uk/events/pdf/Engineering_for_Sustainable_Development.pdf

Engineering a better environment – sustainable engineering procurement strategy 2011 to 2020: http://test.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/Engineering_a_Better_Environment.pdf

AcknowledgementsThe publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs:

Veer / Corbis: Dmitry Kalinovsky (1)

All other images © Pearson Education

We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:

The Engineering Council for the 6 principles as guidance of engineers from Guidance on sustainability for the Engineering Profession, http://www.engc.org.uk, copyright © The Engineering Council.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and we apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions. We would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in any subsequent edition of this publication.

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