Incorporating linear programing and life cycle thinking into environmental sustainability decision-making: a case study on anchovy canning industry

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to support environmental informed decisions among product and process alternatives. LCA results reflect the process stage contributions to several environmental impacts, which should be made mutually comparable to help in the decision-making process. Aggregated environmental indexes enable the translation of this set of metrics into a one final score, by defining the attached weights to impacts. Weighting values reflect the corresponding relevance assigned to each environmental impact. Current weighing schemes are based on pre-articulation of preferences, without considering the specific features of the system under study. This paper presents a methodology that combines LCA methodology and linear programming optimisation to determine the environmental improvement actions that conduct to a more sustainable production. LCA was applied using the environmental sustainability assessment methodology to obtain two main indexes: natural resources (NR) and environmental burdens (EB). Normalised indexes were optimised to determine the optimal joint of weighting factors that lead to an optimised global Environmental Sustainability Index. The proposed methodology was applied to a food sector, in particular, to the anchovy canning industry in Cantabria Region (Northern Spain). By maximising the objective function composed of NR and EB variables, it is possible to find the optimal joint of weights that identify the best environmental sustainable options. This study proves that LCA can be applied in combination with linear programing tools as a part of the decision-making process in the development of more sustainable processes and products.     

Application of cleaner technologies in milk processing industry to improve the environmental efficiency

Changes in production processes and products that result in improvement of environmental, economic and social performance of enterprises are an important element of the overall process towards more sustainable production. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the application of cleaner production and eco-design as sustainable production tools to improve the environmental efficiency of milk processing industry. Milk processing industry is one of the largest and dynamically developing branches of industry in the world. The main impact of milk processing industry on the environment is related to energy and water consumption, and waste and wastewater generation. A number of potential solutions to improve the environmental performance of milk processing industry, to reduce energy and resources consumption are analysed: substitution of cleaning agent in the milk receiving bar for washing of milk tankers with the specialised acidic detergent, integration of the automated CIP washing system in the butter bar, implementation of water recycling system to collect warm (35?°C) water, integration of the membrane technologies for the evaporation process and the use of filtrate received during the condensation for steam generation in the boiler house. Finally, an eco-design solution for cans of milk products is presented. All these proposals have been implemented in the milk processing company.     

Evaluation of cleaner production audit in pharmaceutical production industry: case study of the pharmaceutical plant in Dalian,P. R. China

The pharmaceutical industry in China makes an important contribution to the national economy. However, the associated pollution problems cause gradual deterioration of the environment and impact adversely on the local community. Cleaner production (CP) technology, an effective way to reduce waste emission and save resources, has been widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry in the developed countries. Such technologies have been applied in a number of factories in China, although there is no integrated assessment and implementation procedure for implementing CP technologies in pharmaceutical plants. To solve such problems, a series of CP options are proposed and assessed here. CP is a powerful tool for decreasing waste production, limiting environmental pollution and natural resource depletion. Moreover, the return on investment in CP is quick, so it would seem that CP activities should be very much in demand by enterprises. Reality is less optimistic: frequently only limited interest is expressed, even after an explanation; business people hesitate to become actively involved. The processes in the pharmaceutical production industry produce a vast amount of waste, including wastewater with high concentrations of organic substances (the principal component), solid waste, and organic off-gas. To solve such problems, a series of CP options are proposed and assessed in this study. Having consideration to environmental impacts and economic efficiency, four groups of medium/high cost CP options were screened in an integrated assessment. To verify the proposed options, a case study was conducted in Degussa Luyuan, Northeast China. The characteristics of resource consumption and waste emission during the production process were identified. The proposed options were evaluated according to different aspects. An integrated CP system based on the proposed options was designed and then implemented in the factory. In three years of practical use, the productivity and quality of alcohol product were improved, with a reduction in waste and pollution and a marked increase in water/energy savings. This study provides theoretical and practical support for the extensive application of CP technologies and sustainable development in China’s pharmaceutical industry. These methods include ways to clean up production that are incorporated in the process design, reforming present production technologies, updating the equipment, exploiting new producing flowcharts, using cleaner energy, building recycling into the manufacturing process, recycling waste, enhancing management, developing environmental protection technology, and ensuring satisfactory end-of-pipe disposal.     

Combining U.S.-based prioritization tools to improve screening level accountability for environmental impact: The case of the chemical manufacturing industry

There are two quantitative indicators that are most widely used to assess the extent of compliance of industrial facilities with environmental regulations: the quantity of hazardous waste generated and the amount of toxics released. These indicators, albeit useful in terms of some environmental monitoring, fail to account for direct or indirect effects on human and environmental health, especially when aggregating total quantity of releases for a facility or industry sector. Thus, there is a need for a more comprehensive approach that can prioritize a particular chemical (or industry sector) on the basis of its relevant environmental performance and impact on human health. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to formulate an aggregation of tools that can simultaneously capture multiple effects and several environmental impact categories. This approach allows us to compare and combine results generated with the aid of select U.S.-based quantitative impact assessment tools, thereby supplementing compliance-based metrics such as data from the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory. A case study, which presents findings for the U.S. chemical manufacturing industry, is presented to illustrate the aggregation of these tools. Environmental impacts due to both upstream and manufacturing activities are also evaluated for each industry sector. The proposed combinatorial analysis allows for a more robust evaluation for rating and prioritizing the environmental impacts of industrial waste.     

State-based analysis of labour productivity

Establishing efficient continuous improvement processes requires industrial companies to analyse their productivity quickly on different work system levels and to link productivity losses with suitable improvement measures in the course of productivity management. Common productivity analyses are either narrowed to certain functions of a production process or they do not possess a sufficient level of detail to derive goal-oriented improvement measures. The challenge is to gain production data with a relatively low effort and to gain broad transparency over productivity losses from the work place to the company level at the same time. This paper presents a new methodology for the comprehensive analysis of the various impacts on labour productivity, relying on state-based modelling of worker activities in serial production. Typical application areas include the automotive industry or the production of home appliances. The approach combines straightforward data acquisition methods with a structured evaluation process as foundation for the productivity management on different work system levels, including work stations, production lines, production segments and the plant. An integrated matching procedure processes the analysis results and yields a set of applicable improvement methods from a definable toolset. Compared with existing methodologies, the underlying model promises a reduced data acquisition effort and high usability. Its potential for practical application is shown with two industrial case studies.     

Product end-of-life options selection: grey relational analysis approach

Management of the product end-of-life (EOL) for a manufacturing enterprise is important. An improper EOL strategy can negatively affect the productivity and profitability and undermines the reputation of an enterprise because of the growing demands for extended producer responsibility. Producers need tools and methods to evaluate each EOL option since it is a complicated but must-be-accomplished task to achieve in order to solve the multiple-criteria problem that combines aspects such as eco-system quality, environmental impacts, human health issues, and economic factors etc. This paper presents an alternative decision-making process to generate an optimal solution from a list of EOL options under the uncertainty condition of incomplete information. Using Grey Relational Analysis, the multi-criteria weighted average is proposed to rank the product EOL options with respect to several criteria at the material level. It will guide the selection process and help a decision-maker solve the selection problem. The method is demonstrated with an example. Various EOL options are evaluated using the developed multicriteria methodology that takes account the environmental, economical and social factors.     

Environmental and risk screening for prioritizing pollution prevention opportunities in the U.S. printed wiring board manufacturing industry

Modern manufacturing of printed wiring boards (PWBs) involves extensive use of various hazardous chemicals in different manufacturing steps such as board preparation, circuit design transfer, etching and plating processes. Two complementary environmental screening methods developed by the U.S. EPA, namely: (i) the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) and (ii) Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI), are used to quantify geographic and chemical environmental impacts in the U.S. PWB manufacturing industry based on Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. Although the release weight percentages of industrial chemicals such as methanol, glycol ethers and dimethylformamide comprise the larger fraction of reported air and water emissions, results indicate that lead, copper and their compounds' releases correspond to the highest environmental impact from toxicity potentials and risk-screening scores. Combining these results with further knowledge of PWB manufacturing, select alternative chemical processes and materials for pollution prevention are discussed. Examples of effective pollution prevention options in the PWB industry include spent etchant recovery technologies, and process and material substitutions. In addition, geographic assessment of environmental burden highlights states where promotion of pollution prevention strategies and emissions regulations can have the greatest effect to curb the PWB industry's toxic release impacts.     

The role of life cycle assessment as a decision support tool for packaging

Emerging environmental pressures over the last two decades have urged the development of sophisticated tools to evaluate the environmental burdens and impacts of products and processes. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was first used some 30 years ago and has now developed into a valuable tool for businesses to support their decision making in packaging development and application. This paper outlines the concept of LCA and how it can be applied to support strategic business development. The paper also describes the integration of the LCA concept in an existing Code of Practice, as well as future developments in furthering the integration with economical and social decision parameters. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Household Food Waste in Comparing Environmental Impacts of Packaging Alternatives

This paper examines the environmental impacts of food waste and the influence that packaging alternatives can have on causing food waste. This paper presents the results of three life cycle assessment case studies on packed food products. The life cycle assessments were conducted for ham, dark bread and Soygurt drink (fermented soy‐based drink). In each case study, the environmental impacts of the products were assessed with different assumptions about the packaging sizes and alternative materials. The studies especially considered the environmental impacts resulting from food waste generated by consumers as a function of the variable packaging options. The food waste of other parts of the production chain of the studied products was also taken into account. A consumer survey was carried out to estimate the amounts of product waste generated in Finnish households connected to the three investigated products. The environmental impacts of the food products, household food waste and packaging were modelled by scenarios with varying rates of household food waste and different waste management options. The results indicated that the significance of the production and post‐consumer life of packaging was relatively low for climate change, eutrophication and acidification, in comparison with the production chain of the ham, dark bread and Soygurt. According to the results, packaging solutions that minimize the waste generation in households as well as in distribution and retail will lead to the lowest environmental impacts of the entire product‐packaging chain. Therefore, it is important to design packages that protect the food properly and allow the consumer to use the product fully. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of bioenergy production from mid-rotation thinning of hardwood plantation: life cycle assessment and cost analysis

Forestry thinning logs, a low-value by-product of the forestry industry, present an opportunity for bioenergy production. It can be converted into solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels via different conversion techniques. Comparative life cycle assessment and life cycle costing (LCC) analysis were conducted to evaluate six options: woodchip gasification for power generation; wood pellets gasification in combined heat and power plant; wood pellet combustion for domestic water and space heating; pyrolysis for power generation; pyrolysis with bio-oil upgrading to transportation fuels; and ethanol production for transportation fuel mix. The functional unit used in this study was the treatment of 1 Mg of biomass. Global warming; acidification; eutrophication; fossil depletion, human toxicity; and land use impact categories were considered. The LCC also included greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions costs. The effects of uncertainties in the system on the overall performance of the scenarios were also evaluated. The results showed that all options except for ethanol production are GHG emission negative. Woodchips gasification performed best in all environmental impact categories and had the lowest LCC ($177.6/Mg). Biomass drying consumed more than 50% of the energy requirement for all options except for production of liquid transportation fuels via upgrading of pyrolytic oil, in which case the fuel upgrading process was the most energy intensive. In terms of energy return, all options, except electricity production through pyrolysis, offered positive return. The results highlight the importance of using biomass with least possible processing in order to maximise environmental and energy return and minimise LCC.     

On the considerations for the design of an automated aircraft sheet metal component production loft generation system

In this paper an ambitious production loft generation system (PLGS) is created to incorporate innovative and unique features of aircraft sheet metal component (SMC) lofts meeting the stringent standards of aircraft industry owing to non-availability of suitable public domain software. This system is fully tested and validated with the support of the aircraft industry. It provides for automated blank layout generation based on surface models utilizing some unique algorithms and vector logics created through research and development over a period of 15 years taking into account the material properties, flow direction and plasticity and strives to eliminate post forming trimming operations by utilizing the databases of the aircraft industry. For the first time such a custom built system is created, which incorporates industrial process data and provides a host of processing options, together with various design cum production features like mould lines, joggles, bend relief, tooling holes, pilot holes, cut outs, chamfers/fillets, inspection angles etc. and displays features needed for quality assurance as essential ingredients. It has inbuilt, intelligent, high efficiency processing features such as the utilization of symmetry facilitating fractional processing of the SMC. This paper includes a brief account of various issues related to the chronology of design of the systems, implementation of the design options, intricacies of methods deployed, their efficacy and combinatorial suitability. Crucial ground breaking new algorithms relevant to the production features are also elucidated in this paper.     

Process integration of solid oxide fuel cells with process utility systems

In the process industry, a utility system is one of the main energy consumption and pollution emission sources. Significant progresses have been made in the chemical industry to improve the efficiency and reduce the emissions of utility systems. However, few efforts have been made in investigating the possibility and strategy of incorporating new energy conversion devices such as fuel cells into industrial energy systems. The article presented focuses on systematic integration of fuel cells and industrial energy systems. A steady-state model of an indirect internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell (IIR-SOFC) system has been developed to estimate its thermodynamic and electrochemical properties and to optimise system performance. The model is then applied to the integration study of SOFCs into utility systems. Different process integration options are investigated and evaluated. Case studies show significant benefits of energy efficiency improvement and emission reductions by incorporating fuel cells into industrial utility systems.     

Recent trends in policies, socioeconomy and future directions of the biodiesel industry

The growing uncertainty of available petroleum reserves and the associated environmental impacts from the usage of fossil fuels has led to a worldwide search for renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is currently placed at the forefront as the most viable alternative fuel for compression ignition engines as it can be produced from renewable sources through simple cost-effective transesterification, while being compatible with existing infrastructures. Despite these, biodiesel is still not economically feasible for large-scale adoption at present day, mainly due to the high cost of conventional feedstocks. Governmental policies, fiscal incentives and emissions laws have all shown to encourage the uptake of biodiesel in the early stages of market development. The rapid growth enjoyed by the biodiesel industry thereafter has raised concerns of various ethical issues, which must be addressed if the industry is to maintain its positive growth. The strategies required for a stable and sustained biodiesel industry will predominantly be based on the principles of a free market with minimal artificial interventions from policy makers, and the appropriate technological advances in production techniques and feedstocks options to stay competitive economically. This paper reviews the recent trends in global policies and legislative measures governing the economy of the biodiesel industry, and how these will impact the future outlook of the industry as a whole. Historical backgrounds and pertinent issues on socioeconomical and ethical aspects of the industry are also addressed here.     

A social impact perspective on the Browse LNG Precinct strategic assessment in Western Australia

The Western Australian (WA) Government wants to construct a large liquid natural gas processing precinct in the remote Kimberley region. The WA and Australian federal governments jointly conducted a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the Browse Precinct proposal. This article examines how the Browse SEA process affected the consideration of alternative development options and the management of social impacts. Resource development proposals often stimulate debate about the best means to achieve sustainable development outcomes and an SEA can provide a public space in which such social choices can be explored. However, the Browse SEA provided no such opportunity and this may have contributed to the severity of collateral social impacts. WA and federal SEA processes result in legally binding conditions of approval that can be applied to actions (e.g. projects) arising from a strategic proposal. This is a significant benefit to project proponents but can leave affected communities with high levels of uncertainty regarding their futures. This uncertainty is heightened by the fact that the SEA approval process cannot accommodate a broad range of social impacts.     

Mean-variance interactions in process improvement and capacity design

We investigate mean-variance interactions of processing time as applied to process improvement and capacity design. For general capacity cost and flowcost functions, we demonstrate that production processes fall into one of six regions on the mean-variance interaction plane, each with its own policy implications. The general model is specialized to the case of an M/G/1 queue with linear and separable mean and variance costs, and with flowcosts proportional to mean queue length. Optimal solutions for processing-time mean and variance are derived, and easily obtained operating parameters are used to identify appropriate process improvement policies. A simulation example of a production network taken from industry verifies the efficacy of the linear M/G/1 model in a more general setting. We conclude that intelligent management of both processing capacity (i.e. mean processing time) and processing-time variances can be powerful tools for both capacity design and process improvement.     

Using integrated process and microeconomic analyses to enable effective environmental policy for shale gas in the USA

As one of the largest consumers of energy and emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, the USA must balance energy demand and security with environmental responsibility. Recently, shale gas has emerged as a promising element toward a solution to this dilemma. Currently, shale gas production is regulated under the same rules that govern traditional oil and gas operations, without consideration for the unique environmental challenges associated with the unconventional gas extraction process. It involves small independent operators that typically utilize the most cost-effective extraction processes without necessarily prioritizing the environmental impact of their operations. As a result, opposition to shale gas extraction threatens the continuity and sustainability of the shale gas industry. The negative externalities and information asymmetry associated with this market continue to be captured in a price of natural gas which is not inclusive of the environmental costs of the extraction processes. The objective of this work is to determine the environmental policies that will lead to sustainable shale gas production. A hierarchical approach is developed to benchmark current technologies and to generate, assess and select technologies and policies that overcome market hurdles while addressing EHSS objectives. The approach analyzes the technical and microeconomic impacts of environmental remediation techniques and then takes a multipronged policy approach which supports the microeconomic, environmental, health and safety goals. To illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, a case study is solved for the Barnett Shale play to assess at the microeconomic and environmental implications of environmental remediation technologies for shale gas operations. Based on the results of the analysis, technology changes create both economic and environmental benefits for operators indicating a market failure resulting in the priceless favorable technologies do not reflect their impact on the environment. The market failures in the process are analyzed and four policy alternatives to the status quo are evaluated against four policy goals. The primary recommendation resulting from the analysis, the Comprehensive policy alternative, uses a phased approach to drive ongoing innovation in the shale gas industry, stimulate demand for natural gas and reduce the information asymmetry. The implementation of this policy is then applied to an economic and environmental model of a cluster of wells in the Barnett Shale to determine how the policy would be implemented.     

Process improvement versus enhanced inspection in optimized systems

This paper analyses the cost-quality implications of process improvement versus inspection enhancement for n-stage serial production processes. The analysis determines, For a given environment, the combination of process and inspection performance that minimizes the cost of each defect-Free unit produced. Insight into the process-improvement inspection-enhancement trade-off, is obtained by identifying a base-line environment and then varying key environmental parameters including: measures of production and inspection quality, functional relationships between these qualities and their costs, and penalty costs incurred by delivery of defective units to the customer. The results of the analysis are presented in the context of decisions or strategies for the immediate, short-run and long-run optimal combinations of process improvement and inspection enhancement.     

Quality Control in a Semi-continuous Polymer Production Process

In many processes, when the sources of product quality variation are unknown and/or uncontrollable, the quality control system consists of several checkpoints along the production line to keep an eye on product quality. Sometimes similar tests are carried out at subsequent checkpoints. In a semi-continuous polymer production process, the historical records from such checkpoints are used to determine the possibility of reducing the number of measurements within and/or between the checkpoints. A number of statistical analyses, mostly graphical tools (e.g., histogram, control charts, scatter plot matrices, and biplots) are applied to the data. As a result of these analyses, some correlations among the measurements are found. It is also shown that a change in the focus of the quality control system can assure long-term process improvement.     

A decomposition of productivity change in the semiconductor manufacturing industry

This study divides a production system into three components: production design, demand support, and operations. Efficiency is then decomposed via network data envelopment analysis and integrated into the Malmquist Productivity Index framework to develop a more detailed decomposition of productivity change. The proposed model can identify the demand effect and the identity of the root cause of technical regress. Specifically, the demand effect allows the source of technical regress to be attributed to both demand deterioration and technical regress in the production technology. An empirical study using data from 1995 to 2000 for the semiconductor manufacturing industry is presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed method. The result shows that the regress of productivity in 1997–1998 and 1999–2000 is mainly caused by demand fluctuations rather than by technical regression in production capabilities.     

Evaluating the environmental friendliness, economics and energy efficiency of chemical processes: heat integration

The design and improvement of chemical processes can be very challenging. The earlier energy conservation, process economics and environmental aspects are incorporated into the process development, the easier and less expensive it is to alter the process design. In this work different process design alternatives with increasing levels of energy integration are considered in combination with evaluations of the process economics and potential environmental impacts. The example studied is the hydrodealkylation (HDA) of toluene to produce benzene. This study examines the possible fugitive and open emissions from the HDA process, evaluates the potential environmental impacts and the process economics considering different process design alternatives. Results of this work show that there are tradeoffs in the evaluation of potential environmental impacts. As the level of energy integration increases process fugitive emissions increase while energy generation impacts decrease. Similar tradeoffs occur for economic evaluations, where the capital and operating costs associated with heat integration could be optimised. From the example designs considered here, an intermediate amount of energy integration produces the most economically beneficial and environmentally friendly process.