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Minimising Emission Footprints in Circular Economy by Process Integration
Fan, Yee Van ; Dr DSc. Eng. Paweł Ocłoń, prof. CUT (oponent) ; Nižetić, Dr Sandro (oponent) ; Klemeš, Jiří (vedoucí práce)
This thesis presents methodologies that have been developed to reduce emission footprints in the context of a transition to a Circular Economy through the application of a Process Integration approach to analysis and design, while also addressing challenges which have previously prevented practical implementation. Environmental sustainability, which is frequently indicated by low emissions and waste footprints, plays a critical role in facilitating the transition towards a Circular Economy. Three methodologies which are based on the breakeven concept and the extension of Pinch Analysis and P-Graph frameworks are proposed. The applicability of these methodologies is demonstrated by six case studies focused on transportation and waste management. My contributions to the field include: (i) A novel breakeven based decision-making tool, with parallels to the classical phase diagram that aids rapid decision-making on the processes (e.g. selection of transport mode for a given distance and load) with the lowest environmental burden. (ii) An emissions accounting system which aggregates GHG, SOx, PM and NO2 as a Total Environmental Burden through a scientific-based environmental-impact price. (iii) An Extended Waste Management Pinch Analysis (E-WAMPA) system for regional planning, accounting for both burdening and unburdening footprints, to determine the waste treatments and allocation design with low emission footprints. (iv) An assessment model underpinned by the P-graph tool to identify optimal and near-optimal integrated waste treatment systems for different waste compositions, which includes the identification of sustainable pre-and post-treatment processes. The proposed methodologies, which can be represented graphically, with the support of a set of comprehensive underlying equations, transform the waste management and transport selection problem into an easily understandable format from which arises robust solutions with low emission footprints. As an example in one of the case studies, the analysis run by the novel approach using E-WAMPA suggests an overall 10 % emission reduction (2,568 kt CO2eq) can be achieved by performing waste transition in Malta (-25.75 kt CO2eq), Greece (-1,602.71 kt CO2eq), Cyprus (-178.52 kt CO2eq) and Romania (-761.16 kt CO2eq). Those are the countries where the most improvement can be achieved, considering the combined effect of net emission (both burdening and unburdening footprints) by the existing waste treatment system, waste generation and population. For future study, a comprehensive economic feasibility assessment could be conducted, where localised data inputs could be fed into the proposed frameworks for a customised and thorough solution.
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Design of an autonomous desalination unit
Kijanica, Michael ; Máša, Vítězslav (oponent) ; Fan, Yee Van (vedoucí práce)
Water scarcity has evolved into a global issue beyond the concern of deserts and arid areas. Seawater desalination gained prominence as a means of producing drinking water in coastal areas facing long-term water scarcity. However, desalination is known for its technical complexity, energy intensive and incurring economic cost. The operation of desalination plants raised concerns about their environmental impact, particularly regarding energy consumption and the generation of high concentration brine waste. This master’s thesis focuses on designing an autonomous desalination unit that operates using solar energy with the economic feasibility and environmental impact assessment being evaluated. Two desalination units (Variant A: reverse osmosis, Variant B: Mechanical vapor compression) and their photovoltaic systems were designed based on insights from a thorough literature review. The reverse osmosis unit was selected for environmental evaluation based on technical and economic parameters – specifically because of lower energy intensity and lower investment cost. The designed Variant A has a daily production capacity of 22.1 m3 with a specific electricity consumption is 5.6 kWh/m3, which is comparable to units of similar capacity. The photovoltaic system has an electrical output of 209 kWp and consists of 36 panels covering a surface area of 95 m2. The investment cost for this reverses osmosis system amount to $146,550 with a calculated payback period of 5.6 years compared to Variant B, which has a payback period of 18.8 years. Out of the 11 assessed environmental impacts, the global warming potential impact of Variant A is identified as 335 kgCO2eq/1000m3, with 42 % contributed by material manufacturing and 58 % contributed by energy consumption. The environmental performance of solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination unit was assessed in comparison to the environmental impact of electricity supplied by the European and Czech grid mixes. Further research should focus on investigating the environmental impact of the autonomous desalination unit by expanding the scope to include the end-of-life management and transportation activities. Potential improvement could also be identified by optimizing the photovoltaic system and comparing this unit with emerging desalination technologies that are being researched.
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Waste composition analysis as a support mechanism for circular economics
Halamíček, Samuel ; Varbanov, Petar Sabev (oponent) ; Fan, Yee Van (vedoucí práce)
The diploma thesis focuses on the application of waste composition analysis to facilitate the transition of waste management towards a circular economy, thereby promoting sustainable development. The first part of the thesis covers the introduction to the topic of waste management and the circular economy, followed by an exploration of the techniques and tools for performing waste composition analysis. The second part presents the detailed analysis to identify the waste composition at the first and third levels with a focus on municipal waste. The waste composition analysis is based on a certified methodology that was created as part of the TIRSMZP719 project. The data management was conducted primarily by Visual Basic for Application (VBA) programming. The results of the waste composition analysis are illustrated through diagrams, allowing for the identification of possible trends and waste stream variation across the studied time of municipal solid waste. The applicability of the tool in suggesting suitable waste treatment and recovery implementations based on the identified waste composition is demonstrated through a case study of Brno municipality. The analysis reveals that biowaste comprises the highest proportion (23.17%) of municipal solid waste, with food waste identified as the main waste composition at the third level assessment. This finding proposes high feasibility and potential for biogas production. The waste treatment solution for the other waste composition is also suggested in this thesis. Such assessment is important and could lead to the potential reduction of municipal solid waste by approximately 40% through the enabling of targeted strategies for resource recovery. This finding is very important, because the overall designed conception can respond to this separation potential, which is linked to stated goals or other obligations related to the goals of the Waste Management Plan of the Czech Republic. The proposed assessment emphasizes the proposed goals and shows the potential for their fulfilment.
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Minimising Emission Footprints in Circular Economy by Process Integration
Fan, Yee Van ; Dr DSc. Eng. Paweł Ocłoń, prof. CUT (oponent) ; Nižetić, Dr Sandro (oponent) ; Klemeš, Jiří (vedoucí práce)
This thesis presents methodologies that have been developed to reduce emission footprints in the context of a transition to a Circular Economy through the application of a Process Integration approach to analysis and design, while also addressing challenges which have previously prevented practical implementation. Environmental sustainability, which is frequently indicated by low emissions and waste footprints, plays a critical role in facilitating the transition towards a Circular Economy. Three methodologies which are based on the breakeven concept and the extension of Pinch Analysis and P-Graph frameworks are proposed. The applicability of these methodologies is demonstrated by six case studies focused on transportation and waste management. My contributions to the field include: (i) A novel breakeven based decision-making tool, with parallels to the classical phase diagram that aids rapid decision-making on the processes (e.g. selection of transport mode for a given distance and load) with the lowest environmental burden. (ii) An emissions accounting system which aggregates GHG, SOx, PM and NO2 as a Total Environmental Burden through a scientific-based environmental-impact price. (iii) An Extended Waste Management Pinch Analysis (E-WAMPA) system for regional planning, accounting for both burdening and unburdening footprints, to determine the waste treatments and allocation design with low emission footprints. (iv) An assessment model underpinned by the P-graph tool to identify optimal and near-optimal integrated waste treatment systems for different waste compositions, which includes the identification of sustainable pre-and post-treatment processes. The proposed methodologies, which can be represented graphically, with the support of a set of comprehensive underlying equations, transform the waste management and transport selection problem into an easily understandable format from which arises robust solutions with low emission footprints. As an example in one of the case studies, the analysis run by the novel approach using E-WAMPA suggests an overall 10 % emission reduction (2,568 kt CO2eq) can be achieved by performing waste transition in Malta (-25.75 kt CO2eq), Greece (-1,602.71 kt CO2eq), Cyprus (-178.52 kt CO2eq) and Romania (-761.16 kt CO2eq). Those are the countries where the most improvement can be achieved, considering the combined effect of net emission (both burdening and unburdening footprints) by the existing waste treatment system, waste generation and population. For future study, a comprehensive economic feasibility assessment could be conducted, where localised data inputs could be fed into the proposed frameworks for a customised and thorough solution.
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