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What is Sustainable Technology?

Karel Mulder

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Why is this important question?

• SD is a holistic concept: meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

• Engineers work at the level of parts of the system

• engineers design at ‘artefact’ level where many consequences of SD meet: energy, safety, waste, pollution, equity, etc.

Wikipedia answers:

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Sustainable technologies use less energy, fewer limited resources, do not deplete natural resources, do not directly or indirectly pollute the environment, and can be reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.[18]

Sustainable car? "The car’s body is composed 90% by plate panels which are cut according to the desired finish and the rests are recycled, and completed with thermo-formed pieces”. It is easy to produce and adapt, according to the user's needs. The engine works with compressed natural gas (CNG), with the option of evolving into electricity in the future. The car is also very small (2.10 metres long, 1.45 metres wide and 1.78 metres tall/6'8" long, 4'7" wide and 5'8" tall), which can probably help some of the problems related to urban transit in the future. It is estimated that each unit would cost around 4,500 dollars.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/nexo_the_argent.php

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Air source heat pumpsAlkaline fuel cell

Alternative technologyAlternative fuelBamboo bicycle

Battery electric vehicleBi-fuel vehicle

BicycleBioconversion

BiofuelBiological hydrogen production

Calgary downtown district energy

CogenerationCombined heat and power plant

Electric carGreen manure

Hydrogen vehicleLaddermill

Micro combined heat and powerVertical farming

Wind farm

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SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY????

Refrigerator, 1960s

Modern Car

Car 1900s

Horse & Carriage, 1900s

Wind-turbines,Germany500 m fromDutch border

Noise complaints

Yes No

refrigerator

New car

Old car

Horse-CarriageWind Turbine

Why Refrigerators?

• Perishable food problem: loss of fish and vegetables, risk of food poisoning

• Toxic/flammable refrigerants: Ammonia, SO2, CH3Cl, hydrocarbons ..

• Search for safe refrigerants: non toxic, non flammable and effective

Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons

1928 Synthesis by Thomas Midgley

Main advantages:-effective-Non-toxic-Non-flammable-Somewhat more expensive

Cleveland accident:May 15th, 1929: 128 people died of methyl-chloride poisoning

1930 CFC Refrigerant

Other applications

CFCs: Solution for dangerous spray cans

Airconditioners

1970 Lovelock traces CFC’s in wind at Western Ireland1974 F. Sherwood Rowland (UC-Irvine), Mario Molina1984-5 Joe Farman1987 Protocol Montreal

CFCs as global threat

So?

• 1930: miracle solution: “really sustainable”• 1974: New issue: atmospheric effects, serious

doubts• 1987: “ozone killer”

‘Sustainability of a technology depending on place

and on time….

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Now, cars ………………..

Annual World Oil Consumption 2005                                                       29 GboAnnual Oil Discovery Rates in 1990s                                                     4-8 GboCumulative World Oil Consumption 1860-2005                                       960 GboConventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (P50)[1]                              850 GboRemaining World Oil Reserves[2]                                                         1317 GboConventional Remaining World Oil Reserves (mean)[3]                           2311 Gbo

Were cars around 1900 Sustainable?

•In 1818, New York City Council: regulation. Manure collection & processing: special "manure-yards" to process: "rotting“, overturning and exposure to weathering.Problems:•Abt. 1200 tons of manure daily on the streets: dust, typhoid•dead animals (In 1880, New York City removed 15,000 dead horses from its streets)•Noise•1908: 20.000 death?

Sustainable?

• CFC 1930, 1960: yes• Horse & carriage, New York, 1900: no• Car 1900: yes• Car 2009: no

2311 * 10^9 barrels of oil still present.Cumulatieve consumption 960 Gbo.Total 3271 GboFormed in about 350 * 10^6 year (highest speed Paleozoicum)

Simplified: 9345 barrels annually  1 barrel: 51.4 % gasoline (http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/whats_in_barrel_oil.html) = 0.514 * 159 litre/barrel = 81.7 liter gasoline Geological annual production of gasoline: 9345 * 81.7 = 763500 litres gasoline 2000 litres per car annually? 380 cars can drive sustainablyby gasolinelets say between 100 and 1000

And that windturbines?

• For many years complaints of villagers: noise at night• Neglected by authorities and NGO’s: NIMBY• Villagers were right: University research found a new

phenomenon:

• At night, the windturbines produced far more noise. Cause• wind shear under absence of sun• Size of windturbines (distance between top and lowest

position of blades)

Lessons?

• Various articulations of sustainability• Related to paradigms• related stakeholders

• Technology should meet all possible SD articulations? No

• Sustainable for ever? No

• Sustainable technology is only a useful concept if it involves hardware and software: use of technologies that is, as far as we know, in harmony with its natural and social environment

ENGINEERING DESIGN CAN ONLY DEAL WITH SPECIFIC ARTICULATIONS OF SD

ARTICULATIONS:- SPECIFY TARGETS TO BE OPTIMIZED- EXCLUDES OTHER TARGETS

Non-sensensical statement:“Sustainable because 100 % recyclable”

Implications

• Involve stakeholders in technological decisions: the engineer cannot decide on their behalf

• Sustainability is never established forever: A sustainable technology now might be unsustainable in the future

Include Jevons Paradox(Rebound effect):

Sustainable AquacultureWhat more than saving the marine sea life?

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