1,720,981 research outputs found
Sustainable Chemical Processes and Products. New Design Methodology and Design Tools
No full textThe current chemical industry is not sustainable, which leads to the fact that innovation of chemical processes and products is too often hazardous for society in general and the environment in particular. It really is a challenge to implement sustainability considerations in the design activities of chemical engineers. Therefore, the main question of this thesis is: how can a trained chemical engineer develop a conceptual design of a chemical process or a chemical product in such a way that the final result clearly contributes to sustainable development? This question is answered after a profound discussion about the current chemical engineering practice and its relation to the sustainability debate. This dissertation claims that sustainable development of chemical engineering practices requires a general design methodology accompanied by a set of design tools. Such a combination of methodology and tools does not exist in the chemical engineering field. The author developed a new design methodology and seven new design tools that enable the incorporation of sustainability issues into the design practice of the chemical engineering field. The application and validity of the methodology and its tools are shown in seven, mainly industrial, case studies.Applied Science
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Applying streamlined LCA to assess the environmental impact of the hotel branch
No full textThe Master’s programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology.Technology, Policy and ManagementEngineering, Systems and ServicesIndustrial Ecology Joint degree Leiden & Delf
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The Emergence of the Sustainable Development Maturity Model
No full textThe Master’s programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. Over the last few years the general awareness concerning sustainability increased significantly. Also companies are making big efforts to make their processes and products more sustainable. One of the key concepts in this search to more sustainable processes is the concept of Sustainable Development which is often defined as development that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. A concept within Sustainable Development which is often used is the Triple Bottom Line, which indicates the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit. Within companies Management Systems focussed on environmental or social aspects are used to manage sustainability topics. These Sustainability Frameworks are used to identify and manage topics related to the sustainable performance of companies. Three major concepts within the management of Sustainable Development are Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Management System and Environmental and Social Reporting. An overview of a large number of available sustainability frameworks, as well as their properties has been made. The Capability Maturity Model is a model which is used in a wide variety of industries to indicate the maturity of different capabilities for processes within an organization. Based on the outcomes of the model the organization can improve its processes to disciplined management processes. The main advantages of a Capability Maturity Model are increase of business success, increase of cost effectiveness, possibility to combine with other technologies such as ISO standards, used in wide-variety of industries, long life-span and a good reputation among government and research institutes. Within this research the concept of the Capability Maturity Model has been combined with insights from the field of Sustainable Development in order to improve business performance in a sustainable manner, the Sustainable Development Maturity Model. The following components have been identified as essential for building a new Capability Maturity Model: A number of levels, General descriptor of each level, Generic description of the contents and characteristics of each capability level, A number of Key Performance Areas or dimensions, A number of topics and activities for each Key Performance Area, A description of each activity as it might be executed or performed at each maturity level. Six levels for the Sustainable Development Maturity Model have been defined based on existing definitions in other Capability Maturity Models and insights from the field of Sustainable Development. Level 0 indicates compliance to regulation and is a bottom-line requirement. For level 1 to level 5 generic definitions for the levels have been made containing contents and characteristics of the level as well as a generic descriptor for the levels. These descriptors are respectively: Initial, Initial Transformation, Light Sustainability, Sustainable Transformation and Reinforced Sustainability. A scoring system has been developed to indicate the correlation between the different layers of the system. The score of the different topics can be filled in at layer 5. The lowest score of the topics results in the score for the activity. The average score for the activity result in the score for the Key Sustainability Areas, unless there is a score 0, then it will result in a score 0. The lowest score for the Key Sustainability Areas result in the score for the framework (or the condition). The sensitivity of the scoring, which means the influence of a certain score on the end-result, has been tested using several cases. The information on the above mentioned frameworks have been expanded with information from its websites and quantitative information from websites as www.springerlink.com. From this list of frameworks three different frameworks have been selected for use in the Sustainable Development Maturity Model, one for every main category of conditions (Worker, Social and Environmental). By using knock-out criteria the number of frameworks was reduced to 8 (ISO 14001, ISO 26000, EMAS, OHSAS 18001, SA8000, AA1000, the Natural Step and Global Reporting Initiative). By looking to the background of the frameworks as well as the popularity of the frameworks ISO 14001, ISO 26000 and SA8000 have been selected for the Sustainable Development Maturity Model for respectively Environmental Conditions, Social Conditions and Worker Conditions. From the selected frameworks Key Sustainability Activities and Activities belonging have been identified. It appeared that a number of Key Sustainability Activities was overlapping and thus choice have been made to exclude certain aspects to prevent doubles. For all Activities definitions have been made as well as a descriptor for each Activity. For the Social Conditions also definitions have been made for the Topics as well as a descriptor for the Topics to show that it is possible to work on this level of detail within the Sustainable Development Maturity Model. The found Key Sustainability Areas and Activities have been validated using publications of several well-performing companies (by means of sustainable performance). As soon as the maturity of an organization for different aspects has been determined the organization may decide to work on certain aspects. For this several practices in order to improve the maturity of the organization have been suggested. Within this research changes for three different fields of organizational improvement have been suggested: firstly an overview of aspects to improve the organizational performance of an organization, secondly the improvement of organizational processes, including a new organizational structure and thirdly by looking to the organizational learning processes. A reflection of how these practices can be used have been given as well as an overview of how aspects to improve the organizational performance can specifically be used to improve the performance of an activity or topic from one level to another. Finally a concept version of the model has been made using Microsoft Excel showing that it is possible to build the model with previous steps. A reflection has been given on the use of the model and on the challenges and limitations as identified in the introduction of the thesis. A total overview of the model in one figure has been given showing the relation between the different steps. This thesis ends with the conclusion that it is possible possible to combine insights from the field of the Capability Maturity Model with insights from the field of Sustainable Development. In further research the Sustainable Development Maturity Model should be further developed and it should be determined if the model has an added value for the sustainable management and performance of an organization.Industrial EcologyMulti-Scale PhysicsApplied Science
Requirements for Industrial Symbiosis by cluster development for by-product hydrogen and regional hydrogen mobility
No full textThe Master's programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology - An emerging strategy for industry to reduce environmental impact is the utilization of by-products. Steel manufacturer Tata Steel IJmuiden in the Netherlands has identified a large potential source of by-product hydrogen inside a waste stream gas from cokes production, a process that lies at the heart of the steel making process. A possible market for such a novel source is regional hydrogen mobility, which is one of two zero-emission mobility options needed to reach climate goals. However, hydrogen mobility is currently in its infancy, applications are costly and development is complex. Also, alternative sustainable hydrogen sources are inefficient and not competitive with hydrogen produced from fossil sources. This research therefore proposes that by-product hydrogen could be a transitional source of hydrogen during market development of hydrogen mobility. A study in the US found that utilizing by-product hydrogen from the steel industry for hydrogen mobility can result in positive well-to-wheel energy efficiency and environmental gains. The aim of this research is to explore the requirements for developing regional hydrogen mobility with a by-product source of hydrogen from the steel industry. An emerging scientific field that can aid to do so is Industrial Symbiosis, which focuses on revalorization and utilization of by-products. Several models for the development of industrial symbiosis have been proposed, however none have looked into the use by-products for regional mobility development. A steel company can build the necessary technology and infrastructure on its terrain, however a hydrogen mobility market will not form itself. Therefore, in extension to the industrial symbiosis approach, this research uses the cluster approach. It is argued that in a globalising economy, clustering is necessary in order to achieve competitive advantage, an imperative for market development. Clustering focuses on how companies compete, and leads to productivity benefits, innovation benefits and the formation of new businesses, all relevant to the research aim. Based on these concepts, the research question for the thesis was “How can industrial symbiosis of by-product hydrogen from the steel industry contribute to regional hydrogen mobility by cluster development during transition to zero-emission mobility?” First, the question was asked how various scientific concepts of industrial symbiosis and clustering could be combined in order to form a general framework of requirements and related indicators. This framework was then applied to the case study of Tata Steel IJmuiden and the province of Noord Holland. Apart from scientific literature, information was gathered by explorative interviews with experts, attending meetings and studying publications, leading to a broad set of requirements and finally recommendations for the steel company based on a systems perspective. As the concepts of industrial symbiosis and clustering showed overlap, combining them was possible. This allowed for a broad scope for analysis of requirements 5 specifically for by-product hydrogen from the steel industry and hydrogen mobility. Mostly the model showed that cluster development is a complex process requiring not only technology and infrastructure, but additional institutional layers, policies and collaboration. Technologically, realizing a cluster was found to be possible, and by-product hydrogen delivered by the steel company can potentially be economically competitive with other sources, and able to provide at least on third of regional potential hydrogen demand. As a regional cluster approach takes into account all sources, an existing source of hydrogen was found that could be used during initial stages of market development to prevent high initial investment costs related to by-product separation. From an institutional perspective, clustering for hydrogen mobility was found to be currently happening through a National Hydrogen Platform. Currently the platform is in a relatively early stage, and showed clustering is happening on a national level rather than regionally. Importantly, regional policy in Noord Holland was found to be favourable towards zero-mobility, but the province has lost interest in hydrogen. It was found to be mostly up to transportation companies to choose their type of mobility and infrastructure, the province merely sets boundary conditions for zero-emission. Initially, public funding will be needed to finance the obstacles related to market preparation. Creation of an entity or “coalition of the willing” of industry partners is found to be favourable during early stages, which acts as a legal counterpart for the government that shows commitment in return for public funding. Establishment of a network of trust, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge are influential factors, for which public-private partnerships such as so-called ‘Green Deals’ can assist. Building the capacity to mobilize development in such a network may take many years of relationship building and joint production of knowledge. Several drivers are the strategic location of Tata Steel IJmuiden near potential urban markets, Schiphol airport and main highways identified by European initiatives as favourable initial refuelling station locations. Predominantly, this research has provided an overview of the requirements and important factors needed in order to develop such a configuration. It is based on several assumptions, one of which is that energy efficiency and environmental gains could be achieved. An important question remains whether utilizing a by-product from a waste gas stream that originates from a process with coal as a main input is desirable from an environmental perspective during transition to zero-emission mobility, and should be further investigated.Technology, Policy and ManagementEngineering, Systems and ServicesIndustrial Ecology Joint degree Leiden & Delf
Exergy analysis of the Car as Power Plant
No full textThe Master’s programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. The Green Village, a project of the TU Delft, developed a solution for a new renewable energy system: The Car as Power Plant. The concept of the Car as Power Plant is that fuel cell cars not only can be used as an efficient and clean transportation method, but when parked also can function as a power plant. The energy generation takes place when cars are parked in a car park. To build an efficient Car Parked Power Plant research is needed to accomplish the right configuration. In this research an extensive energy analysis will be done to compare different configurations. The outcome of this research will be an advice towards the design of the CPPP with the highest energy performance.Industrial EcologyEnergy and IndustryTechnology, Policy and Managemen
Life cycle assessment and simplified life cycle costing on Industrial Symbiosis
No full textThis paper adopts the life cycle thinking as the approach to assess the economic and environmental performances of industrial symbiosis. A detailed guidance of implementing LCA on industrial symbiosis under four research purposes: accounting of symbiosis, existing symbiosis, exploring symbiosis and comparing symbiosis design options is presented. 19 scenarios of two firms interacting with each other are analyzed in detail regarding the choice of functional 6unit, the determination of LCA alternatives and the quantification of material flows. Symbiosis is considered as a multifunctional process, which enables the comparison of symbiosis design options. This research contributes to develop a framework of LCA and life cycle costing (LCC) on industrial symbiosis. The equation of calculating LCC from the perspective of symbiosis is presented. The steps and procedures of this framework are illustrated with a case study with two definitions of functional unit applied, which shows the environmental benefits and costs savings industrial symbiosis can achieve. A symbiosis assessment diagram with flows as well as monetary and physical parameters is designed to visually reflect the relevant information regarding LCC and LCA. Simplifying the LCA approach, the essence of LCC from the perspective of symbiosis, the necessity of having an integrated framework and the symbiosis design of the case study are discussed. While future researches are recommended on deepening the case study, broadening the methodology and incorporating consequential approaches.Engineering Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen
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