Water management in sustainable manufacturing

Part of: Seliger, Günther (Ed.): Innovative solutions : proceedings / 11th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Berlin, Germany, 23rd - 25th September, 2013. - Berlin: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin, 2013. - ISBN 978-3-7983-2609-5 (online). - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-40276. - pp. 114–119.Sustainable manufacturing and conservation of resources are more than just energy management. A broader perspective is necessary as stewardship of resources goes to further extents. Water management is expected to take a more pronounced role amongst the metrics for sustainability. This is backed by the reality that freshwater resources are facing extensive stresses which are leading to events of potential scarcity. Opportunities for water management exist in all areas of its demand, especially in the manufacturing sector being a key economic activity, dependent on natural resources. In a local scenario, the effects of water scarcity are on the rise. This paper discusses the relevance of water management for achieving sustainable manufacturing. An evaluation of the water footprint assessment tool is included, as applied in case studies in the manufacturing sector. The assessment method is evaluated against criteria relevant for assessing water sustainability in the local context

A precise size-estimate for the small RNA products arising from Neurospora crassa Dicer activity

Neurospora crassa cell-free extracts prepared from strains containing one or both functional Dicer genes, but not from a strain lacking functional Dicer genes, converts radiolabeled double-strand RNA (dsRNA) in an energy-dependent manner into short RNAs with an estimated size of ~25-nt (Catalanotto et al. 2004). A smaller nucleolytic digestion product was also produced in an energy-dependent manner from either dsRNA or single-stranded RNA. Here we obtained more precise sizes for these products by electrophoresis of samples on a long (40-cm) denaturing DNA sequencing gel (20% polyacrylamide/7M urea)

The use of dry coolers for sustainable mould cooling in Malta

Water and energy resources are facing significant pressures and the need for sustainable manufacturing is indispensable. This work looks into process cooling and explores the integration of sustainable cooling technologies. Playmobil Malta Ltd’s mould cooling system was used as a case study and by means of a sustainability analysis, the current cooling tower/chiller system and a proposed dry cooler system were compared. Two configurations of the latter system, which differed in the order of how the cooling equipment was connected to the load, were analysed with the aim of finding the most cost effective and environmentally friendly option. The proposed dry cooler system proved to be technically and sustainably viable with one configuration achieving better results than the other.peer-reviewe

Failure detection techniques on the demand side of smart and sustainable compressed air systems : a systematic review

The industrial sector is a crucial economic pillar, seeing annual increases in the production output. In the last few years, a greater emphasis has been placed on the efficient and sustainable use of resources within industry. The use of compressed air in this field is hence gaining interest. These systems have numerous benefits, such as relative low investment costs and reliability; however, they suffer from low-energy efficiency and are highly susceptible to faults. Conventional detection systems, such as ultrasonic leak detection, can be used to identify faults. However, these methods are time consuming, meaning that leakages are often left unattended, contributing to additional energy wastage. Studies published in this area often focus on the supply side rather than the demand side of pneumatic systems. This paper offers a novel review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology of fault detection methods on the demand side of compressed air systems, leading towards a comprehensive understanding of smart and sustainable pneumatic systems. Fifty-three studies were classified and reviewed under the following three areas: (a) demand parameters which help in identifying fault sources; (b) approaches taken to analyse the parametric data; and (c) the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in pneumatic fault monitoring systems. This review shows that fault detection on the demand side has received greater importance in the last five years and that data analysis is crucial for AI to be implemented correctly. Nevertheless, it is clear that further research in this sector is essential, in order to investigate more complex systems. It is envisaged that this study can promote the adoption of such systems, contributing to an energy-efficient and cost-effective industry.peer-reviewe

Laryngeal lymphoma : the high and low grades of rare lymphoma involvement sites

The larynx is an extremely rare site of involvement by lymphomatous disease.We present two cases of isolated laryngeal high-grade and another low-grade lymphoma, together with a literature review of laryngeal lymphoma management.peer-reviewe

Reusability and recyclability of plastic cosmetic packaging : a life cycle assessment

The importance of product sustainability has become increasingly relevant, with several key stakeholders striving to improve the lifecycle environmental footprint of their products in various aspects. This sense of sustainable urgency has also been felt in the cosmetic industry, which contributes significantly to the global plastic manufactured and used worldwide. Design for Recycling and Design for Reuse are two different approaches which can be employed separately or concurrently. When designed for reuse, products are typically more robust in order to increase their probability to be used more than once. If reuse is not possible, it is essential that dematerialisation and recycling are applied. This study assessed the environmental impacts resulting from reusable, recyclable, and dematerialised plastic cosmetic packages, and attempted to answer the primary question: Is it more sustainable to design an extremely durable product that can be reused several times, or to apply dematerialisation but consequently create a less robust product which allows for less reusability potential? Life cycle assessments of different versions were conducted, to identify what features are responsible for such impacts. Findings showed that the positive effect of reusability out ways by far the effects of dematerialisation by 171%, and that removing resourceful materials which render the package to be reusable, resulted in a 74% reduction in environmental impacts only when the packaging materials are fully recycled. This study concludes that in such cases, reuse should be given prominence, as recycling would only depend on the user and the infrastructure in place.peer-reviewe

Analysing the sustainability of cascade recycling in plastic manufacturing

This study ventures to further sustainable manufacturing by showing how a cascade recycling approach can be utilised by a plastic cosmetic packaging company. Three reprocessing cycles were assessed from product quality, environmental, financial and social points of view. It is shown how the cascade approach did not negatively affect the quality of the produced parts and when compared to a no-recycling scenario, the proposed three-cascade recycling approach results in 28.1% less costs and 29.3% less carbon footprint. The labour increases up to a maximum of 7 hours per 50,000 products. When compared to a conventional in-house recycling scenario, the proposed approach would reduce the costs by 11.7% and the carbon footprint by 12.9%.peer-reviewe

The impact of polymer selection and recycling on the sustainability of injection moulded parts

This study is aimed at providing an overview of how different materials can affect the sustainability of plastic injection moulded parts. A material is typically chosen to satisfy predefined criteria or functions. From a sustainability point of view, one could either choose ‘cleaner’ virgin materials or consider using recycled supplies. This study looked into three different widely used materials, both in the virgin and regrind state: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polylactic Acid (PLA) and 30% Glass-Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene (PP30GF). The regrind content of the three materials was analysed at six different virgin-to-recycled ratios. From the analysis, it was clear that no particular material was superior in terms of all the three environmental, economic and social pillars, as this depends on various factors such as the intended function of the product. Each material exhibited several environmental and functional advantages and disadvantages. This makes it rather difficult to rank the materials in order of preference. For the particular case study used in this study, PP30GF with 100% regrind content resulted to be the most apt option.peer-reviewe

A multi user-centred design approach framework to develop aesthetically pleasing and sustainable OTCP packaging

With the healthcare industry moving towards self-medication, the number of selfservice pharmacies stocking over-the-counter pharmaceuticals (OTCP) is rising. The aesthetic attributes of OTCP packaging are critical to attract consumers' attention against competing products. Moreover, sustainable design aims at minimising the negative environmental impacts of packaging. Studies show that stakeholders' interests should be represented more in pharmaceutical packaging, specifically in the early stages of the design process. For this reason, OTCP packaging design is challenging, as sustainable packaging is typically seen as unappealing. Within this context, this paper presents a novel and comprehensive framework aimed at supporting designers to develop aesthetically pleasing and sustainable OTCP packaging, placing multiple users at its core. Studies with OTCP packaging stakeholders were first conducted to identify the framework requirements together with the necessary OTCP packaging attributes. A framework architecture was developed and subsequently implemented in a proof-of-concept computer-based tool. The framework and its implementation were evaluated with the OTCP packaging development stakeholders. Results provide a degree of evidence that the framework contributes significantly to guide OTCP packaging designers in taking the right decisions and can also provide the first steps towards considering aesthetics and sustainability in the packaging design in other sectors, namely, food and beverage.peer-reviewe

Utilisation of a compressed air test bed to assess the effects of pneumatic parameters on energy consumption

In the manufacturing industry, pneumatic powered components provide a safe and reliable opportunity to automate a production line. However, compressed air systems are notoriously expensive to operate as a result of system losses and inefficiencies. Typical systems have an output efficiency of 10–12%. This offers a significant improvement opportunity to meet sustainable targets concerning energy consumption in industry and lower life cycle energy impacts. Amongst various inefficiencies, leakages and excessive pressures are identified as some of the most common sources of waste. The scope of this study was to make use of a compressed air system which was designed in the form an experimental test bed in order to assess the sustainability impact of various compressed air shortcomings. Simulations were carried out under experimental conditions to measure the additional energy consumption and air volume required for different pneumatic scenarios. Some of the results showed that a noise level of 70 dB is attributable to a leakage of 1.5 mm at the industry standard of 6 bar. Such a single leak could incur more than €470 of additional electrical costs and would result in 1.8 tonnes of additional carbon dioxide emissions within one year of operation, highlighting a significant effect on the life cycle impacts of industrial production.peer-reviewe