Computer-aided recycling process planning for end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment

The significant environmental cost associated with management of products at the end-of-life has resulted in the emergence of ‘producer responsibility’ legislations to encourage increase in recovery and recycling practices. In the case of electrical and electronic equipment, one such legislation, namely the ‘Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive’, requires manufacturers to assume financial and legal liability for recovery and recycling of their products at the end-of-life. The current recycling applications of electrical and electronic waste are often developed on ad hoc basis and mainly attributable to the hidden economic value within used products. However, owing to stricter regulations on end-of-life product recycling, it is now essential to evaluate the recycling costs and environmental benefits of reclaimed products and materials as well as the selection of appropriate recycling strategy. The present paper describes the initial investigation in the realization of a computer-aided recycling process planner for electrical and electronic products. The assertion made is that such a systematic approach to producing bespoke eco-efficient recycling process plans for individual products will significantly improve the value recovery from recycling activities

Eco-design tool to support the use of renewable polymers within packaging applications

Bioplastics derived from renewable polymers such as sugars, starches and cellulose, have attracted significant interest from companies looking to reduce their environmental footprint. New production capacity and improved materials have resulted in their increasing adoption for mainstream consumer products packaging. However questions remain regarding their overall environmental benefits and how the maximum environmental gain can be achieved. These uncertainties highlight the need for a decision support tool to aid the packaging design process. This paper examines the issues surrounding bio-derived polymer use and discusses the development of an eco-design tool to assist in their rapid and efficient adoption

Multi-flow control of flexible machining cells

This thesis reports on the research carried out into the design and implementation of an integrated planning and control system, where the issues involved in the· short term planning and control of the interrelated flows of workpieces, fixtures and cutting tools are addressed simultaneously. Multi-Flow Control is the research terminology used in this thesis for such a planning and control system. The principal objective of the research is to generate knowledge and generic solutions to harmonise the interactions between these three fundamental material flows within machining cells and to reduce the overall manufacturing cost. [Continues.

How to Manufacture a Sustainable Future for 9 Billion People in 2050

There is a growing body of evidence which increasingly points to serious and irreversible ecological consequences if current unsustainable manufacturing practices and consumption patterns continue. Recent years have seen a rising awareness leading to the generation of both national and international regulations, resulting in modest improvements in manufacturing practices. These incremental changes however are not making the necessary progress towards eliminating or even reversing the environmental impacts of global industry. Therefore, a fundamental research question is: ’How can we meet the long term demand of our growing global population, and in this context, what are the key challenges for the future of manufacturing industry?’ A common approach adopted in such cases is to utilise foresighting exercises to develop a number of alternative future scenarios to aid with long-term strategic planning. This paper presents the results of one such study to create a set of ’SMART Manufacturing Scenarios’ for 2050