Green port development in Hong Kong - reduction of marine and port-related emissions

The Conference proceedings' website is located at http://www.hsmc.edu.hk/images/scm_CallForPaper/Conference%20Proceedings.pdfThe impact of air pollutant emissions from shipping and port operations towards environment and health is a pressing global concern. The marine and port sectors have contributed significantly to the growth of the supply chain industry and the economic development, while, at the same time, the pollutant emissions rising from ships and port-related operations have inflicted adverse public health concerns. Leading ports and terminals continuously impose measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emitted during vessel berthing. Hong Kong, being the third largest container port in the world and having the second cruise terminal running into operation, urgently requires comprehensive green port operations and practices. This paper evaluates and benchmarks the latest measures conducted by the leading ports over the world in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from ship and port operations. International regulations, onshore power supply, vessel speed reduction, and fuel switching are analyzed. Recommendations on the future green port development in Hong Kong are proposed.postprin

Energy End-Use : Industry

The industrial sector accounts for about 30% of the global final energy use and accounts for about 115 EJ of final energy use in 2005. 1Cement, iron and steel, chemicals, pulp and paper and aluminum are key energy intensive materials that account for more than half the global industrial use. There is a shift in the primary materials production with developing countries accounting for the majority of the production capacity. China and India have high growth rates in the production of energy intensive materials like cement, fertilizers and steel (12–20%/yr). In different economies materials demand is seen to grow initially with income and then stabilize. For instance in industrialized countries consumption of steel seems to saturate at about 500 kg/capita and 400–500 kg/capita for cement. The aggregate energy intensities in the industrial sectors in different countries have shown steady declines – due to an improvement in energy efficiency and a change in the structure of the industrial output. As an example for the EU-27 the final energy use by industry has remained almost constant (13.4 EJ) at 1990 levels. Structural changes in the economies explain 30% of the reduction in energy intensity with the remaining due to energy efficiency improvements. In different industrial sectors adopting the best achievable technology can result in a saving of 10–30% below the current average. An analysis of cost cutting measures for motors and steam systems in 2005 indicates energy savings potentials of 2.2 EJ for motors and 3.3 EJ for steam. The payback period for these measures range from less than 9 months to 4 years. A systematic analysis of materials and energy flows indicates significant potential for process integration, heat pumps and cogeneration for example savings of 30% are seen in kraft, sulfite, dairy, chocolate, ammonia, and vinyl chloride. An exergy analysis (second law of thermodynamics) reveals that the overall global industry efficiency is only 30%. It is clear that there are major energy efficiency improvements possible through research and development (R&D) in next generation processes. A comparison of energy management policies in different countries and a summary of country experiences, program impacts for Brazil, China, India, South Africa shows the features of successful policies. Energy management International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards are likely to be effective in facilitating industrial end use efficiency. The effective use of demand side management can be facilitated by combination of mandated measures and market strategies. A frozen efficiency scenario is constructed for industry in 2030. This implies a demand of final energy of 225 EJ in 2030. This involves an increase of the industrial energy output (in terms of Manufacturing Value Added (MVA)) by 95% over its 2005 value. Due to normal efficiency improvements the Business as Usual scenario results in a final energy demand of 175 EJ. The savings possibilities in motors and steam systems, process improvements, pinch, heat pumping and cogeneration have been computed for the existing industrial stock and for the new industries. An energy efficient scenario for 2030 has been constructed with a 95% increase in the industrial output with only a 17% increase in the final energy demand (total final energy demand for industry (135 EJ)). The total direct and indirect carbon dioxide emissions from the industry sector in 2005 is about 9.9 GtCO 2 . Assuming a constant carbon intensity of energy use, the business as usual scenario results in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions increasing to 17.8 GtCO 2 annually in 2030. In the energy efficient scenario this reduces to 11.6 GtCO 2 . Renewables account for 9% of the final energy of industry (10 EJ in 2005). If an aggressive renewables strategy resulting in an increase in renewable energy supply to 23% in 2030 is targeted (23 EJ), it is possible to have a scenario of constant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the industrial sector (at 2005 levels) with a 95% increase in the industrial output. Several interventions will be required to achieve the energy efficient or constant GHG emission scenario. For the existing industry measures include developing capacity for systems assessment for motors, steam systems and pinch analysis, sharing and documentation of best practices, benchmarks and roadmaps for different industry segments, access to low interest finance etc. A new energy management standard has been developed by ISO for energy management in companies. Its adoption will enable industries to systematically monitor and track energy efficiency improvements. In order to level the playing field for energy efficiency a paradigm shift is required with the focus on energy services not on energy supply per se. This requires a re-orientation of energy supply, distribution companies and energy equipment manufacturing companies. Planning for next generation processes and systems needs the development of long term research agenda and strategic collaborations between industry, academic and research institutions and governments

Challenges and Prospects of Steelmaking Towards the Year 2050

The world steel industry is strongly based on coal/coke in ironmaking, resulting in huge carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to approximately 7% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions. As the world is experiencing a period of imminent threat owing to climate change, the steel industry is also facing a tremendous challenge in next decades. This themed issue makes a survey on the current situation of steel production, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions, as well as cross-sections of the potential methods to decrease CO2 emissions in current processes via improved energy and materials efficiency, increasing recycling, utilizing alternative energy sources, and adopting CO2 capture and storage. The current state, problems and plans in the two biggest steel producing countries, China and India are introduced. Generally contemplating, incremental improvements in current processes play a key role in rapid mitigation of specific emissions, but finally they are insufficient when striving for carbon neutral production in the long run. Then hydrogen and electrification are the apparent solutions also to iron and steel production. The book gives a holistic overview of the current situation and challenges, and an inclusive compilation of the potential technologies and solutions for the global CO2 emissions problem

Inovativna internet podrška za elektronsku upravu u sociološkim, ekonomskim i biološkim sistemima

This paper proposes a novel approach to facilitate and foster e-government optimization and automation through the use of advanced information retrieval methods and techniques, and advanced Web technologies, as well. The approach suggested in this article aims to consider interactive processes which are simple, effective, and based on the user's needs and capabilities, rather than the government's organizational structure or government business models. It should create the opportunity to evaluate and eliminate redundant or unnecessary processes as well as to reduce costs and cycle times by transitioning from the processes mainly based on human- related work to automated and more intelligent processes.U radu se predlaže novi pristup koji treba da olakša i podstakne optimizaciju i automatizaciju elektronske uprave korišćenjem naprednih metoda i tehnika pretrage kao i naprednih veb-tehnologija. Pristup predložen u ovom radu ima za cilj da razmotri interaktivne procese koji su jednostavni, efikasni i zasnovani na potrebama i sposobnostima korisnika, a ne na organizacionoj strukturi vlade ili njenim poslovnim modelima. On treba da omogući da se ocene i eliminišu suvišni ili nepotrebni procesi, kao i da se smanje troškovi i vreme ciklusa prelaskom sa procesa uglavnom zasnovanih na ljudskom radu na automatizovane i inteligentnije procese

Decarbonization of construction supply chains - Achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the supply chains linked to the construction of buildings and transport infrastructure

Sweden has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a net-zero level by Year 2045. In Sweden, about 20% of its annual CO2 emissions are from the manufacture, transport and processing of materials for both the construction and refurbishment of buildings and transport infrastructure. Cement and steel, together with diesel use in construction processes and material transport account for the majority of the CO2 emissions associated with building and infrastructure construction.This thesis assesses the challenges associated with reducing CO2 emissions from the supply chains for buildings and transport infrastructure construction. The main aim is to determine the extent to which abatement technologies across the supply chain can reduce the GHG emissions associated with construction if combined to exploit their full potential, while identifying key barriers towards their implementation.The work takes its starting point from material, energy and emissions flow analyses conducted across the construction supply chain, followed by the development of stylized models, which are subsequently used for scenario analysis. This quantitative analysis work is integrated with a participatory process that involves relevant stakeholders in the assessment process. The participatory process serves to identify the main abatement options, as well as to adjust decisions and assumptions regarding abatement portfolios and timelines, so as to make these as realistic and feasible as possible. Supported by a comprehensive literature review, a detailed inventory of abatement options in the supply chain of building and transport infrastructure construction is developed. This includes technologies and practices that are currently available and that are deemed available on a timescale up to Year 2045.The results show that on a national level, it is possible to reduce GHG emissions associated with the construction of buildings and transport infrastructure by 50% up to Year 2030, through applying already available measures. Moreover, it will be feasible to reach close-to-zero emissions by Year 2045, with this requiring comprehensive measures across-the-board, including breakthrough technologies for heavy vehicles, cement and steel production. Attaining the full abatement potential of measures that are already available would rely on sufficient availability of sustainably produced second-generation biofuels, requiring accelerated implementation of alternative abatement measures, involving optimization of material use, mass handling and transport systems, as well as the use of alternative materials and designs, with focus on circularity and material efficiency measures. To realize the potential linked to applying measures across the supply chain, there is a need for extensive collaboration along the whole value chain. Policy measures and procurement strategies should be aligned to support these measures with a clear supply chain focus, so as to enable balanced risk sharing and the involvement of contractors early in the planning and design process.The results also illustrate the importance of intensifying efforts to identify and manage both soft and hard barriers to implementation and the importance of acting promptly to implement available measures (e.g., material efficiency, recycling and material/fuel substitution measures) while actively planning for long-term measures (electrification of heavy vehicles and low-CO2 steel or cement). There are immediate and clear needs to prepare for deeper abatement and associated transformative shifts and to consider carefully the pathway towards these goals while avoiding pitfalls along the way, such as an over-reliance on biofuels or cost optimizations that cannot be scaled up to the levels required to reach deep emissions reductions.Therefore, strategic planning must be initiated as early as possible, as lead times related to planning, securing permits and construction of the support infrastructure (renewable electricity supply, electricity grid expansion, hydrogen storage, CCS infrastructure) and piloting and upscaling to commercial scale of the actual production units will all influence the speed of change

Development of an open-source and open-data energy system optimization model for the analysis of the European energy mix

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Modeling and Simulation of Metallurgical Processes in Ironmaking and Steelmaking

In recent years, improving the sustainability of the steel industry and reducing its CO2 emissions has become a global focus. To achieve this goal, further process optimization in terms of energy and resource efficiency and the development of new processes and process routes are necessary. Modeling and simulation have established themselves as invaluable sources of information for otherwise unknown process parameters and as an alternative to plant trials that involves lower costs, risks, and time. Models also open up new possibilities for model-based control of metallurgical processes. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in the modeling and simulation of unit processes in iron and steelmaking. It includes reviews on the fundamentals of modeling and simulation of metallurgical processes, as well as contributions from the areas of iron reduction/ironmaking, steelmaking via the primary and secondary route, and continuous casting

Optimising Carbon Type Differentiation Techniques to Reduce Dust Emissions in Blast Furnace Ironmaking

The manufacturing process of iron, using the blast furnace (BF) generates dust as a by-product, which is recycled, however, the generation of the dust in excess is undesirable. A comprehensive review of the dust has determined that each of the raw materials for blast furnace ironmaking contributes to its formation, including several forms of carbon thus addressing the hypothesis ‘The raw materials that feed the blast furnace are expelled into the gas stream and all influence the blast furnace dust.’ The current technique for quantifying coal originating carbon type mostly in the form of coal char, referred to as the nominal term Low Order Carbon (LOC) within BF dust consists of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) however, this technique does not allow for samples of dust to be analysed in a timely manner, in line with the ever-changing conditions of the blast furnace. In this work, the TGA method has been trialled for use with BF dust, with improvements offered to the heating profile, allowing for faster analysis. Moreover, alternative techniques have been trialled, in combination with various characterisation methods such as X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, total carbon and Optical Emission Spectroscopy. The ‘Winkler Method’ which was originally designed to quantify charcoal in soil sediment has been successfully adapted and optimised to suit LOC quantification in BF dust, showing a good correlation with the original benchmark technique. This answered the hypothesis, ‘Thermal techniques can be used to differentiate carbon sources in dust generated in blast furnaces that use granulated coal injection.’ The techniques for LOC quantification were applied to dust samples spanning a 9 month period. to determine the process parameters that influence the LOC presence within the dust. It was found that the resolution of sampling is key to identify relationships between process parameters and LOC within the dust. A novel technique to continuously monitor the dust output of the furnace found that the dust output and the LOC within the dust are related, where the increasing dust output leads to increasing concentrations of LOC within the carbon profile of the dust itself. Process parameters including blast pressure, blast volume, and production rate were considered to increase the dust output from the furnace based on the work of the dust probe, thus answering the hypothesis ‘Coal combustion in the raceway can be impacted by process parameters and the evidence can be found in the fingerprint of blast furnace dust.’ A node mapping exercise was used to model an ideal set of process conditions for low dust operations. The foundations to make macro advances in carbon and dust output reduction in blast furnace ironmaking are laid out in this thesis

Process Modeling in Pyrometallurgical Engineering

The Special Issue presents almost 40 papers on recent research in modeling of pyrometallurgical systems, including physical models, first-principles models, detailed CFD and DEM models as well as statistical models or models based on machine learning. The models cover the whole production chain from raw materials processing through the reduction and conversion unit processes to ladle treatment, casting, and rolling. The papers illustrate how models can be used for shedding light on complex and inaccessible processes characterized by high temperatures and hostile environment, in order to improve process performance, product quality, or yield and to reduce the requirements of virgin raw materials and to suppress harmful emissions