Sustainable remediation practices can be used to reduce the adverse impact caused by spills of any size in any locale, even in middle of the ocean. The goal of every spill cleanup is to contain and control the spill, limit immediate impacts and minimize long-term cleanup efforts. Selecting the sustainable response and short-term remediation options are only part of developing a sustainable spill response plan. Sustainability must be part of the planning and prevention process as well.
Archive for the ‘Sustainable Engineering’ Category
With the advent of more powerful microprocessors and microcontrollers at steadily decreasing prices in recent decades, the use of logic devices has blossomed. The feasibility of digital-based regulators and “smart” power supplies (which can monitor and report their own performance and health) has been amply demonstrated. Such supplies have become the status quo over less intelligent power circuitry among higher -end applications.
As the world guides its industries and citizens to become more environmentally friendly in their use of energy, and demanding the elimination of fossil fuels to generate power, many businesses are looking toward solar power to reduce their carbon footprints. Government-funded tax incentives, utility company rebates, and reduced energy costs for the customer are viable reasons for the integration of solar power generation into existing building infrastructure.
INTRODUCTION
Sustainable Remediation Methods (SRM) are remedial actions that reach cleanup target goals (CTGs) by minimizing the adverse impacts related to the environmental/energy, economic, societal, or sustainable aspects of the impaired property while protecting human health, safety, and the environment. SRM balances the remediation practices, processes, and technologies with the need to use less energy and resources, reduce emissions, and not affect the lives of occupants, neighbors, and other interested parties during the implementation of the SRM.
Introduction
As the supply of fossil fuels decreases, it is possible that future stationary and mobile energy systems will use hydrogen fuel cells. The ultimate goal, of course, is to obtain hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Initially, hydrogen can be obtained from natural gas or from coal. Coal is an attractive fuel source because it is plentiful in the United States.
From an elemental standpoint, coal contains about 50% by weight solid carbon, with a significant amount of oxygen and some hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The process of generating hydrogen from coal requires a process called gasification, which is discussed below.
Before entering the gasifier, coal usually is mixed with water (about 2 kg water per kg coal) and ground to reduce the formation of coal dust. The slurry is fed to the reactor, which operates at high temperature (about 650°K) and pressure (about 60 atm), and combined with oxygen either from the air or in the form of a pure oxygen stream. The reaction products include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.
Rapid industrialization and uncontrolled and unmonitored urbanization have created serious problems of solid waste disposal in developing countries . Many cities in those countries are facing problems with solid waste that has a high fraction of putrescible organic waste that easily can be degraded and cause serious environmental and health risks. Proper management and treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) can prevent the heaping of solid waste piles in urban or periurban areas, thus avoiding groundwater pollution, land contamination, greenhouse gas emission, and many other environmental problems. Read More »
Armed with 3-D software and internal resources, clean-tech start-up saves $500,000 on process plant improvements for creating high-quality and consistent biodiesel from used cooking oil.
Build versus buy. It’s a decision start-up companies have to make all the time, and the Seattle-based clean technology firm General Biodiesel is no exception. Read More »
Introduction
The energy of ambient vibrations and ocean waves has long been known. The energy of the ambient vibrations was too small for almost all applications four decades ago. The energy of the ocean waves was significant, but the cost of the development and installation of a huge device in the middle of the ocean was prohibitive compared with using relatively cheap oil. The advancement of technology, increasing needs for energy, and limitations of other energy sources have been changing the feasibility calculations. There has been a significant effort in the research community, government agencies, and private companies to generate electricity from the oscillations described above. Read More »
Introduction
Climate change presents an imperative challenge for all nations. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) whose central feature is the requirement that countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The protocol provides market-based instruments such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows emission reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits; each credit is equivalent to 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) and can be traded and sold. Read More »
Introduction
Renewable energy sources are expected to play a key role in initiatives for sustainable growth and development in the coming decades. An increase in regulations for the production of fossil fuels and environmental concerns have helped renewable energy sources gain acceptance. Read More »
