A Framing Analysis of Weblogs and Online Newspapers

The thesis examined possible differences in framing of information in news weblogs and professional news articles. A frame analysis was conducted to answer the main question: Is news framed differently in online newspapers as compared to weblogs? Articles from four blogs and four online newspapers were gathered over a period of 30 days. A total of 43 frames were identified in the selected blogs. A total of 92 frames were identified in the selected online newspapers. The most commonly identified frame in both blogs and online newspapers was the progress frame with 51 appearances. The critical frame was used 47 times, the regress frame was identified in 29 articles and the justice frame was used least. It was identified 8 times. The articles showed differences in framing. However, the results of the study indicated that differences in framing of information are not related to the publication type (online newspaper or weblog) but are merely incidental. According to this study, framing cannot be used as an indicator for possible differences in the production and publication of news articles in weblogs and online newspapers

Is repair of energy using products environmentally beneficial? The case of high voltage electric motors

Repair is advocated as a circular strategy to improve the environmental performance of products. Whether this holds for very long-lived and energy intensive products has not been addressed. This study compares environmental impacts of two high voltage motors of different energy efficiency and assesses their use extension by repair with life cycle assessment (LCA). Due to high energy use, long lifetime and intensive use, the use phase dominates all environmental impacts, even resource depletion. Therefore, a higher energy efficiency is more beneficial than extending the use by repair, and if the energy efficiency is slightly reduced, the repair is not beneficial. Therefore, product requirements and users and manufacturers of such products should ensure designs with high energy efficiency rather than making the product repairable. Finally, the results highlight the importance of including resource use from electricity production and transmission in LCA of the use extension of energy using products

Repair for high‐voltage electric motors: energy efficiency vs resource use?

Electric motors in the industry represent 69% of the industrial electricity consumption in Europe. Even if few in number, high voltage (HV) motors represent a significant share of this consumption due to their more intensive use and high output power. Two main HV motor technologies exist: induction motors (IM) and synchronous motors (SM), of which the latter are more energy efficient. Improving energy efficiency as well as use extension by maintenance, repair or remanufacturing have been identified as relevant circular economy strategies for improving the environmental performance of such active and durable products. However, the assessments performed focus on small- and medium-size electronic products, leaving out bigger products that are more durable and more energy consuming such as HV motors. Those motors are often used until failure, which frequently occurs in stator windings, and which could be repaired by rewinding at the expense of a slight decrease in efficiency. However, other use extension strategies such as reuse and remanufacturing are hindered by the customization of HV motors to their specific use. Finding an appropriate set-up for a second use is difficult for such motors and it is therefore performed seldom. The aim of this study is to compare the life-cycle environmental impact of lifetime extension by repair for the two motor technologies in comparison to their replacement. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Repair for high-voltage electric motors energy efficiency vs resource use?

Electric motors in the industry represent 69% of the industrial electricity consumption in Europe. Even if few in number, high voltage (HV) motors represent a significant share of this consumption due to their more intensive use and high output power. Two main HV motor technologies exist: induction motors (IM) and synchronous motors (SM), of which the latter are more energy efficient. Improving energy efficiency as well as use extension by maintenance, repair or remanufacturing have been identified as relevant circular economy strategies for improving the environmental performance of such active and durable products. However, the assessments performed focus on small- and medium-size electronic products, leaving out bigger products that are more durable and more energy consuming such as HV motors. Those motors are often used until failure, which frequently occurs in stator windings, and which could be repaired by rewinding at the expense of a slight decrease in efficiency. However, other use extension strategies such as reuse and remanufacturing are hindered by the customization of HV motors to their specific use. Finding an appropriate set-up for a second use is difficult for such motors and it is therefore performed seldom. The aim of this study is to compare the life-cycle environmental impact of lifetime extension by repair for the two motor technologies in comparison to their replacement

Psychrometer method to measure the moisture retention curves of porous building materials in the full humidity range

Moisture retention curves describe the moisture storage property of porous building materials. Currently available experimental methods for measuring moisture retention curves are often demanding in equipment and moreover not always suited for the adsorption process in most of the capillary moisture content range. This paper proposes a novel and simple technique – the psychrometer method – and validates it by the tests on calcium silicate and ceramic brick. In this experiment the moisture content of the samples experiencing adsorption and desorption processes is determined gravimetrically, while the corresponding capillary pressures in the samples are measured with a chilled-mirror dew-point psychrometer. Comparisons are made with results from mercury intrusion porosimetry, pressure plate/membrane and desiccator tests. It is shown that this psychrometer method is simple and reliable for both adsorption and desorption processes for capillary pressures below -1·105 Pa. When the capillary pressure is around or above -1·105 Pa, the psychrometer method is no longer very accurate, and other experimental techniques should be employed

Mapping and testing circular economy product-level indicators: A critical review

Numerous indicators have been suggested as tools for assessing progress towards the circular economy (CE). However, it is unclear what specifically is captured by CE indicators and few studies have tested them on real cases. This review addresses this gap by describing and comparing the resource-related effects captured by existing resource-based product-level indicators and suggesting recommendations for their use and further development. First, the flows and processes quantified by product-level indicators are mapped on a novel flowchart model, which can also be used to select and develop indicators. Second, the indicators are tested on seven real cases. Third, indicator and life cycle assessment (LCA) results are compared. A significant divergence of indicators’ scope is found, where most capture a limited part of the product system. Moreover, important aspects of the CE are not captured: no indicator accounts for resource use in the use phase and there is limited attention to lifetime extension strategies. Additional limitations are the difficulties to assess multiple use-cycles and that most indicators cannot capture absolute mass variations, thus neglecting mass reduction strategies. The testing reveals that using a set of single-focus indicators may be necessary to outline trade-offs. Multi-focus indicators are sometimes harder to analyse but provide a more comprehensive assessment. The testing also illustrates that indicator and LCA results are not necessarily aligned. The latter provides information on environmental impacts and can point to trade-offs between impact categories such as climate change, resource use and land use, indicating that CE indicators cannot easily replace LCA