This book is the first to propose a simplified quantitative approach to evaluating raw materials’ substitution sustainability, which takes into account their embodied energy and CO2 footprint. In addition to the new quantitative model, it also presents qualitative concepts as well as a number of case studies, and includes helpful illustrations to explain the concept and approach. Europe has launched several initiatives to promote research and innovation in raw materials and to find candidates for natural resources substitution. However, while there is a tremendous interest in raw material substitution, the lack of a simplified approach to comparing the materials’ sustainability and effective legal frameworks make final market applications extremely challenging. The market for new raw materials can only be established if industrial sectors are appropriately sensitized and stimulated. Addressing these and other issues, the book offers a valuable resource not only for scientists, researchers, and politicians, but also for industrial and business operators looking for a way to evaluate raw materials’ substitution sustainability.

How the marriage of Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can radically transform waste management—and our world Do we really have to make a choice between a wasteless and nonproductive world or a wasteful and ultimately self-destructive one? Futurist and world-renowned waste management scientist Antonis Mavropoulos and sustainable business developer and digital strategist Anders Nilsen respond with a ringing and optimistic “No!” They explore the Earth-changing potential of a happy (and wasteless) marriage between Industry 4.0 and a Circular Economy that could—with properly reshaped waste management practices—deliver transformative environmental, health, and societal benefits. This book is about the possibility of a brand-new world and the challenges to achieve it. The fourth industrial revolution has given us innovations including robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, and biotech. By using these technologies to advance the Circular Economy—where industry produces more durable materials and runs on its own byproducts—the waste management industry will become a central element of a more sustainable world and can ensure its own, but well beyond business as usual, future. Mavropoulos and Nilsen look at how this can be achieved—a wasteless world will require more waste management—and examine obstacles and opportunities such as demographics, urbanization, global warming, and the environmental strain caused by the rise of the global middle class. · Explore the new prevention, reduction, and elimination methods transforming waste management · Comprehend and capitalize on the business implications for the sector · Understand the theory via practical examples and case studies · Appreciate the social benefits of the new approach Waste-management has always been vital for the protection of health and the environment. Now it can become a crucial role model in showing how Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can converge to ensure flourishing, sustainable—and much brighter—future.

This is the first book that analyses the future raw materials supply from the demand side of a society that chiefly relies on renewable energies, which is of great significance for us all. It addresses primary and secondary resources and substitution, not only from technical but also socioeconomic and ethical points of view. The “Energiewende” (Energy Transition) will change our consumption of natural resources significantly. When in future our energy requirements will be covered mostly by wind, solar power and biomass, we will need less coal, oil and natural gas. However, the consumption of minerals, especially metallic resources, will increase to build wind generators, solar panels or energy storage facilities. Besides e.g. copper, nickel or cobalt, rare earth elements and other high-tech elements will be increasingly used. With regard to primary metals, Germany is 100 % import dependent; only secondary material is produced within Germany. Though sufficient geological primary resources exist worldwide, their availability on the market is crucial. The future supply of the market is dependent on the development of prices, the transparency of the market and the question of social and ethical standards in the raw materials industry, as well as the social license to operate, which especially applies to mining. The book offers a valuable resource for everyone interested in the future raw material supply of our way of life, which will involve more and more renewable energies.

The Material Basis of Energy Transitions explores the intersection between critical raw material provision and the energy system. Chapters draw on examples and case studies involving energy technologies (e.g., electric power, transport) and raw material provision (e.g., mining, recycling), and consider these in their regional and global contexts. The book critically discusses issues such as the notion of criticality in the context of a circular economy, approaches for estimating the need for raw materials, certification schemes for raw materials, the role of consumers, and the impact of renewable energy development on resource conflicts. Each chapter deals with a specific issue that characterizes the interdependency between critical raw materials and renewable energies by examining case studies from a particular conceptual perspective. The book is a resource for students and researchers from the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering, as well as interdisciplinary scholars interested in the field of renewable energies, the circular economy, recycling, transport, and mining. The book is also of interest to policymakers in the fields of renewable energy, recycling, and mining, professionals from the energy and resource industries, as well as energy experts and consultants looking for an interdisciplinary assessment of critical materials. Provides a comprehensive overview of key issues related to the nexus between renewable energy and critical raw materials Explores interdisciplinary perspectives from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences Discusses critical strategies to address the nexus from a practitioner's perspective

This book is part of a five-volume set that explores sustainability in textile industry practices globally. Case studies are provided that cover the theoretical and practical implications of sustainable textile issues, including environmental footprints of textile manufacturing, consumer behavior, eco-design in clothing and apparels, supply chain sustainability, the chemistry of textile manufacturing, waste management and textile economics. The set will be of interest to researchers, engineers, industrialists, R&D managers and students working in textile chemistry, economics, materials science, and sustainable consumption and production. This volume explores some alternative synthetic raw materials resulting from the recycling and regeneration of renewable textile fibers, and how these sustainable green-based composites can contribute to improved ecological and human health. The book offers insights into the impacts of human-made fibers and microfiber pollution, and how biodegradable material sourcing can help to curb harmful environmental impacts from these practices and achieve clothing and apparel sustainability.

Here is the first and only text that helps beginning students master the foundation topics in the dynamic field of environmental technology, from basic toxicology concepts and principles to comprehensive hazardous waste management strategies. Introduction to Environmental Technology organizes a wealth of current need-to-know information into a reader-friendly format that maximizes learning. Throughout, it features case studies that apply the text information to real-world environmental challenges, and highlights numerous career options through profiles of actual people working in various aspects of this broad field. This comprehensive, easy-to-understand text provides: An awareness of how the many facets of science, technology, and public policy are involved in environmental management protection. An understanding of the sources of pollution and the primary processes that control the fate of pollutants in air, water, and soil. Practical insights into the use of land, the benefits of wetlands, and the complex factors influencing land-use decisions. Comprehensive coverage of the main requirements of federal laws and regulations pertaining to hazardous waste, pollution prevention, and occupational health and safety. The basic principles needed to operate the latest pollution control and pollution monitoring equipment. Complete with a comprehensive glossary, Introduction to Environmental Technology provides you with the foundation concepts and vocabulary you need to succeed in this exciting, fast-changing field.

This book presents an introduction, a discussion of the concept of the design and the concrete’s development, and the properties and testing of the concrete in fresh and hardened stages. After an introduction to the principles of cement and concrete composites, the reader will find information on the principles of quantum-scaled cement, low-carbon cement, fiber-reinforced concrete, reactive powder concrete, and tailor-made recycled aggregate concrete.