definities concept

technology

applying natural sciences to provide goods and services starting from natural resources

clean technology

a means of providing human benefit which, overall, uses less resources and causes less environmental damage than alternative means with which it is economically competitive

BATNEEC

Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs

clean-up or end-of-pipe technology

abatement in stead of prevention, cleaning up pollution instead of preventing it

CCU

Carbon Capture and Utilisation

CCS

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Environmental sustainability

less resource use + less emissions (avoided impacts > additional impacts)

carbon neutrality

the balance between emitting carbon & absorbing carbon emissions = 0

climate neutrality

zero net GHG-emissions

decarbonization

reducing the carbon intensity of activities and products, primarily cutting emissions

decarbonization

means defossilization of the chemical industry, but almost all chemicals contain C…

3 ways to climate neutrality

1. increasing energy efficiency and circularity

2. direct electrification

3. indirect electrification

e-fuels

electricity-based synthetic fuels

• (green) H2

• CO2 from CCU & DAC (in the future)

2x electrolysis → energy intensive and expensive

• not enough H2 can be produced (+ not enough places with favourable conditions)

• debate: also blue hydrogen? who first? import?

road to circular economy

refuse > rethink > reduce > reuse > repair > refurbish > remanufacture > repurpose > recycle > recover

3 types of ecosystem services + example

• provisioning (fish, wood…)

• regulating (pollination, nutrient flow regulation…)

• cultural (aesthetic value, recreation…)

ESA

ecological system

• ecosystem properties/structures (eg. forest)

• ecosysten functions (eg. timber) → supply

socio-economic system

• human benefits (eg. timber) → demand

• value

→ ecosystem service

pro’s ESA

1. understanding the ecosystem and the human benefits it gives

2. pinpointing hotspots where ecosystems are degrading and intervention is needed

3. finding synergies and trade-offs between ES and biodiversity

ES and biodiversity

high biodiversity → multiple ES provisioning + resilience

• don’t focus on maximizing only 1 ES

ESA challenges

1. value of ES?

   1. economic, social, environmental

   2. some don’t have a definitive market price

   3. uncertainty about estimations of value

2. data availability, harmonization and up-to-date-ness

3. link between the ecological & socio-economic system is not being made very well

material challenge

more primary material use + more waste generation

• GHG emissions

• other environmental impacts

• resource scarcity

• mobility, digital & energy transition → more materials needed

  • CRM = supply risk + high economic importance

  • SRM = no supply risk + high economic/strategic importance

• technology needs more different materials

• social impact

how to deal with the material challenge

1. sustainability improvement of material chains

2. resource efficiency improvement

   1. increase amount of P for same R

   2. decrease R for same amount of P

circular economy

economy where the value of products, components and materials is maintained at the highest possible level

flows need to be

1. narrowed (use less)

2. slowed down (use longer)

3. closed (reuse)

4. regenerated (make clean) → returned to the environment!

recycle

breakdown to material or chemical feedstock level

• downcycle

• upcycle

• open loop recycling (different product)

• closed loop recycling (same product)

recycling challenges

1. obtaining high yields of recyclates

   1. mass losses are inevitable

   2. recyling alone can not meet the total demand

   3. yield is connected to output quality

2. market uptake

   1. easthetic properties, mechanical properties, safety…

   2. legal boundries

industrial ecology

the study of the interactions and interrelationships (energy & mass) between industrial and natural ecosystems

• waste → source

• industrial symbiosis

• system thinking!

life cycle thinking

the way of thinking that includes economic, environmental and social consequences of a product through its lifecycle

sustainable development

development that meets the needs of the current population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

LCSA

the evaluation of all environmental, social & economic negative impacts & benefits in descisionmaking processes towards more sustainable products throughout their life cycle

environmental LCA

inputs, outputs & impacts

1. goal & scope

2. life cycle inventory

3. lifecycle inventory assessment

4. interpretation, effects (areas of protenction)

   1. human health

   2. ecosystem quality

   3. natural resources → footprint & handprint (benefits)

prevention of greenwashing

• ISO I (selective) = third party verified lables

• ISO II = self proclaimed

• ISO III '(not selective) = LCA conducted, voluntary, third party verified

social LCA

well-being of the steakholders

• consumers

• workers

• value-chain actors

• society

• local communities

relevent steakholders

• power

• interest

impacts

• health & safety

• working conditions

• cultural heritage

• human rights

economic analysis

cLCC = no extarnalies (total cost of ownership, TCO)

eLCC = externalies that will be internalized

sLCC = all externalies included (social & environmental)

costs

• CAPEX

• OPEX

NPV = net present value

• NPV = som(T, n) CFn/(1+r) - I0

• I0/CFn = total payback time

challenges LCS

integration (economic, social & environmental)

• see-cube

• orienting

prospective LCA → future

• data

• comparability

• uncertainties

steel production + petrolium refinery = difficult to mitigate sectors

1. global demands are increasing

2. c-based resource needed for high temperatures

3. carbon lock-in effect

process design

1. changing the feedstock

   1. biobased

      1. 4 generations

         1. food-crops

            1. eg. tallow → biofuels & oleochemicals

            2. eg. starch → bioplastics, vitamin C…

         2. non-edible feedstock

            1. lignocellulosic biorefinery (wood, straw)

         3. algae biomass/molecular biology

            1. reduces pressure on land + protein shift

         4. CSS

      2. biobased =/= sustainable

         1. fossil fuels

         2. fertilizer

         3. land-use change

   2. cascading principle

   3. biorefinery → maximizing value & minimzing waste (food → feed → chemicals → materials → …)

2. changing the reaction

   1. temperature

   2. concentration R

   3. mixing

   4. kp/kw ratio

   5. residence time

   6. capturing P

3. changing the process

   1. not hazardous → green chemistry (no hazardous substances used or created)

   2. MSA = mass separation (low energy demand & emission, low toxicity)

      1. extra separator needed

      2. MSA Contamination

      3. MSA makeup

      4. difficult design process

   3. ESA

→ choose right separation technique (differences?)

→ separation heuristics