This book is a state of the art treatise on what has been done so far on measuring sustainability for decision making. Contributions will appeal to engineers and scientists engaged in technology development, assessment, and verification. Researchers working on engineering sustainability are likely to get ideas for further research in quantifying sustainability for industrial systems. Concepts described can be applied across all scales, from process technology to global sustainability; and challenges and limitations are also addressed. Readers will discover important insights about simulation-based approaches to process design and quantitative measurement techniques of sustainability for business and technology systems. Most of the examples and case studies are from chemical enterprises but the methodologies presented could be applicable to any system for which quantitative data for indicators are available, and the choice of the set of indicators of sustainability are comprehensive.

This book offers a critical evaluation of current scientific work on defining the issue of sustainability and on measuring progress towards a sustainable state. It aims to provide a common understanding of how progress towards sustainability can be achieved by optimising technological development, environmental impact and socio-economic factors. A further objective is to identify the major trends in methodologies that assist progress towards sustainability.

Difficult ethical and political issues confront the application of scientific and technological solutions for preventing pollution from occurring. Often the questions embodying proposed solutions to known problems are ambiguous; and no singular solution can exist for all locations. Yet the common organizing principle for all solutions to environmental problems must be scientific, because only sound science can provide a rational understanding that decision-makers can use universally. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Tools and Methods for Pollution Prevention (October 12-14, 1998, Prague, Czech Republic) was designed to assemble experts from NATO and former socialist countries of Eastern Europe to discuss science-based tools and methods, either available or in development, that can be used to analyze environmental impacts of manufacturing processes and manufactured products. The presentations at the workshop were written up specifically for the purpose of this book, albeit after peer reviews and thorough revisions. Most of the chapters focus on specific method development for designing environmentally benign processes or products. Several chapters take a broader view and focus on such designs from an implementation perspective, and dwell on ethical conflicts, resistance to change because of inertia or inadequate infrastructure, and on the lack of resources. We placed these chapters at the beginning of the book. The volume starts with the overview by Sikdar et aI. , who describe the scope and difficulties of pollution prevention in the manufacturing sectors.

Over time, the increased use of fresh water for agriculture and industry together with contamination from discharges of pollutants, mean that ever more areas of the planet are becoming water-stressed. Because of the competing needs of communities and industry for fresh water, industry will be challenged to meet its growing demands for water, which is essential for producing the goods and services that would boost human welfare. Thus industry will need to learn how to cost-effectively purify and recycle its wastewater for reuse, ultimately approaching a net zero-discharge condition. The chapters in this book, written by international experts, treat the technical issues of such treatment and water management, and also provide guidance on technologies, either existing or in development, that can potentially achieve the goal of recycle-reuse. The book will serve as a useful reference for academics, government and industry professionals alike.

Volume 2 of Advances in Carbon Management Technologies has 21 chapters. It presents the introductory chapter again, for framing the challenges that confront the proposed solutions discussed in this volume. Section 4 presents various ways biomass and biomass wastes can be manipulated to provide a low-carbon footprint of the generation of power, heat and co-products, and of recovery and reuse of biomass wastes for beneficial purposes. Section 5 provides potential carbon management solutions in urban and manufacturing environments. This section also provides state-of the-art of battery technologies for the transportation sector. The chapters in section 6 deals with electricity and the grid, and how decarbonization can be practiced in the electricity sector. The overall topic of advances in carbon management is too broad to be covered in a book of this size. It was not intended to cover every possible aspect that is relevant to the topic. Attempts were made, however, to highlight the most important issues of decarbonization from technological viewpoints. Over the years carbon intensity of products and processes has decreased, but the proportion of energy derived from fossil fuels has been stubornly stuck at about 80%. This has occurred despite very rapid development of renewable fuels, because at the same time the use of fossil fuels has also increased. Thus, the challenges are truly daunting. It is hoped that the technology choices provided here will show the myriad ways that solutions will evolve. While policy decisions are the driving forces for technology development, the book was not designed to cover policy solutions.

Volume 2 of Advances in Carbon Management Technologies has 21 chapters. It presents the introductory chapter again, for framing the challenges that confront the proposed solutions discussed in this volume. Section 4 presents various ways biomass and biomass wastes can be manipulated to provide a low-carbon footprint of the generation of power, heat and co-products, and of recovery and reuse of biomass wastes for beneficial purposes. Section 5 provides potential carbon management solutions in urban and manufacturing environments. This section also provides state-of the-art of battery technologies for the transportation sector. The chapters in section 6 deals with electricity and the grid, and how decarbonization can be practiced in the electricity sector. The overall topic of advances in carbon management is too broad to be covered in a book of this size. It was not intended to cover every possible aspect that is relevant to the topic. Attempts were made, however, to highlight the most important issues of decarbonization from technological viewpoints. Over the years carbon intensity of products and processes has decreased, but the proportion of energy derived from fossil fuels has been stubornly stuck at about 80%. This has occurred despite very rapid development of renewable fuels, because at the same time the use of fossil fuels has also increased. Thus, the challenges are truly daunting. It is hoped that the technology choices provided here will show the myriad ways that solutions will evolve. While policy decisions are the driving forces for technology development, the book was not designed to cover policy solutions.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION This three-volume set, Bioremediation: Principles and Practice, provides state of the art description of advances in pollution treatment and reduction using biological means; identify and address, at a fundamental level, broad scientific and technological areas that are unique to the subject or theme and that must be understood if advances are to be made; and provide a comprehensive overview of new developments at the regulatory, desk-top, bench-scale, pilot scale, and full-scale levels. The set covers all media-air, water, and soil/sediment-and blends the talents, knowledge, and know-how of academic, industrial, governmental, and international contributors. The set addresses the removal of both hazardous and nonhazardous contaminants from the liquid, solid, and gas phase using biological processes. This includes the biological treatment of wastes of municipal and industrial origin; bioremediation of leachates, soils, and sediments; and biofiltration for contaminated gases.

This book is a state of the art treatise on what has been done so far on measuring sustainability for decision making. Contributions will appeal to engineers and scientists engaged in technology development, assessment, and verification. Researchers working on engineering sustainability are likely to get ideas for further research in quantifying sustainability for industrial systems. Concepts described can be applied across all scales, from process technology to global sustainability; and challenges and limitations are also addressed. Readers will discover important insights about simulation-based approaches to process design and quantitative measurement techniques of sustainability for business and technology systems. Most of the examples and case studies are from chemical enterprises but the methodologies presented could be applicable to any system for which quantitative data for indicators are available, and the choice of the set of indicators of sustainability are comprehensive.

Over time, the increased use of fresh water for agriculture and industry together with contamination from discharges of pollutants, mean that ever more areas of the planet are becoming water-stressed. Because of the competing needs of communities and industry for fresh water, industry will be challenged to meet its growing demands for water, which is essential for producing the goods and services that would boost human welfare. Thus industry will need to learn how to cost-effectively purify and recycle its wastewater for reuse, ultimately approaching a net zero-discharge condition. The chapters in this book, written by international experts, treat the technical issues of such treatment and water management, and also provide guidance on technologies, either existing or in development, that can potentially achieve the goal of recycle-reuse. The book will serve as a useful reference for academics, government and industry professionals alike.

Difficult ethical and political issues confront the application of scientific and technological solutions for preventing pollution from occurring. Often the questions embodying proposed solutions to known problems are ambiguous; and no singular solution can exist for all locations. Yet the common organizing principle for all solutions to environmental problems must be scientific, because only sound science can provide a rational understanding that decision-makers can use universally. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Tools and Methods for Pollution Prevention (October 12-14, 1998, Prague, Czech Republic) was designed to assemble experts from NATO and former socialist countries of Eastern Europe to discuss science-based tools and methods, either available or in development, that can be used to analyze environmental impacts of manufacturing processes and manufactured products. The presentations at the workshop were written up specifically for the purpose of this book, albeit after peer reviews and thorough revisions. Most of the chapters focus on specific method development for designing environmentally benign processes or products. Several chapters take a broader view and focus on such designs from an implementation perspective, and dwell on ethical conflicts, resistance to change because of inertia or inadequate infrastructure, and on the lack of resources. We placed these chapters at the beginning of the book. The volume starts with the overview by Sikdar et aI. , who describe the scope and difficulties of pollution prevention in the manufacturing sectors.

This book offers a critical evaluation of current scientific work on defining the issue of sustainability and on measuring progress towards a sustainable state. It aims to provide a common understanding of how progress towards sustainability can be achieved by optimising technological development, environmental impact and socio-economic factors. A further objective is to identify the major trends in methodologies that assist progress towards sustainability.