01 UE: Sustainability

Question 1

What are the arguments for and against waste incineration in the context of sustainable thinking?

(waste incineration = “Müllverbrennung”)

Answer 1

Pro

• Potential substituion of fossil fuels emitting more GHG in electricity and heat generation
• Increases resource productivity by recovering metal. The production of secondary raw materials is often less energy-intensive and produces fewer emissions than the extraction of primary raw materials.
• Recovery of non-recyclable waste with high pollution loads that would otherwise be dumped on landfills.

Contra

• GHG-emissions and air pollution as a result of the incineration process.
• Can be at the expense of material recovery (recycling) and undermine the idea of a circular economy
  –> Conflict with the waste management hierarchy.
  (Example: In Germany, incineration capacities increasingly exceed the volume of waste, which lowers the price of waste disposal. As a result, the attractiveness of material recycling is decreasing).
• Orientation towards the idea of waste disposal
  –> The aim should be to shape consumer behaviour in such a way that less waste is produced.

Question 2

Describe the waste management hierarchy according to the EU framework directive 2008/98/EG.

Answer 2

Waste management hierarchy according to the EU framework directive 2008/98/EG

1. Prevention
2. Preparing for reuse
3. Recycling
4. Other recovery, e.g. energy recovery through waste incineration
5. Disposal

Question 3

Describe the general methodological life cycle assessment framework.

Answer 3

The general methodological life cycle assessment framework

Life Cycle Assessment framework contains the following methodological building blocks:

1.) Goal and scope definition
2.) Inventory analysis
3.) Impact assessment
4.) Interpretation

Compare slide 8

Question 4

How are MJ converted into MWh?

Answer 4

1 [MJ] = 1 [MWs] = 1/3600 [MWh]

Question 5

Name 4 different tools which evaluate the sustainability of a certain product, service or system.

• The tools are intended to evaluate parts of / all environmental impacts of a product/service/system over a certain period of its life / its whole lifespan.
• The focus is on energy use and its implications as an indicator of its sustainability.
• The economic or social dimension of sustainability is not explicitly investigated here.

Answer 5

Cumulated Energy Demand (CED)

Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI) / Harvesting Factor

Grey Energy / Embodied Energy (EE)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Question 6

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• The objective of LCA is “…” over its whole lifespan.
• It is one of the leading quantitative methodologies for assessing the sustainability of human activities.
• LCA studies can be performed for various scopes:
  –> Cradle to gate (raw materials until factory gate; focusing on extraction and transport)
  –> Gate to gate (only focusing on the manufacturing process)
  –> Cradle to cradle (closed loop)
  –> Cradle to grave (raw material extraction, transport, manufacturing, consumption/usage until disposal/recycling)
  –> Well to wheel (for transport fuels and vehicles)

Answer 6

“to quantitatively compile and evaluate the environmental impacts of a product/service/system”

Question 7

True or false?

Direct applications of the LCA.

LCA - Direct Applications

• Product development and improvement
  –> To improve the environmental performance of products within different steps of their life cycle.
• Strategic planning
  –> To support decisions on relevant indicators including measuring procedures.
• Public policymaking
  –> To inform decision-makers on the environmental performance of different products/systems.
• Marketing
• Research
• Others

Answer 7

True!

Question 8

What is missing?

“…” (1645 – 1714), German tax accountant and mining administrator

• Sustainability in the context of forestry (1713)
• “Sylvicultura oeconomica“ (forestry economics in Germany)
• Do not chop down more trees than can re-grow in a reasonable time frame

“…” (1724 – 1804), German philosopher

• Sape aude! – Dare to make use of your own reason! (1784)
• Categorical imperative: “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.“

“…” (1903 – 1993), German-born American philosopher

• Author of The Imperative of Responsibility (1979) and famous for “Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life.”
• His “ethic of responsibility” heavily influenced environmental thinking and policy-making, notably contributing to the Brundtland Report’s 1987 definition of sustainable development.

Answer 8

“Hans Carl von Carlowitz”

“Immanuel Kant”

“Hans Jonas”

Question 9

True or false?

Milestones in Global Sustainable Development

• 1972: Stockholm Conference
• 1992: UN Conference on 3. Environment and
  Development, Rio
• 2002: World Summit on Sustainable Development
• 2012: Rio+20 Conference
• 2015: 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development

Answer 9

True!

Question 10

True or false?

SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive safe, resilient and sustainable

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Answer 10

True!

Question 11

Definition and dimensions sustainable development

What is sustainable development?

Answer 11

”Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Question 12

Definition and dimensions of
sustainability

Name the three pillars of sustainability.

Answer 12

Three pillars of sustainability

• Social
• Economic
• Environment

Question 13

What is missing?

Definition and dimensions of
sustainability

The Triple Bottom Line:

• “…”, the social equity bottom line
• “…”, the environmental bottom line
• “…”, the economic bottom line

Answer 13

“People”

“Planet”

“Profit”

Question 14

What is missing?

Analytic tools to evaluate sustainability: “…”

• Sometimes also called
  –> “Cumulative Energy Requirement” or
  –> “Primary Energy Consumption”
• Based on VDI Guideline 4600
• “…”
• It covers “…”
• Calculation: “…”
• Unit: MJ per unit

Answer 14

“Cumulative Energy Demand (CED)”

“It is the sum of the primary energy demand
associated with the whole life cycle of a product.”

“extraction, production, usage and disposal”

“CED = CED_ex + CED_P + CED_U + CED_D”

Question 15

What is missing?

Analytic tools to evaluate sustainability: “…”

• The CED can be used to calculate the
  “…” of a power plant.
• It indicates how often a plant recovers the cumulated energy demand (CED) during its lifetime.
• Calculation: “…”
• A high ratio of the Harvesting Factor indicates a good energetic performance, which does not necessarily correlate with the environmental performance.

Answer 15

“Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)”

“EROEI / Harvesting Factor (the energy payback ratio)”

“EROEI = Output / Input = Energy delivered / Energy required to deliver that energy”

(Note: Harvesting Factor = Energy Return On Energy Invested (EROEI))

Question 16

True or false?

A high ratio of the Harvesting Factor indicates a good energetic performance, which does necessarily correlate with the environmental performance.

Answer 16

False!

A high ratio of the Harvesting Factor indicates a good energetic performance, which does not necessarily correlate with the environmental performance.

Question 17

What is missing?

Analytic Tools to Evaluate Sustainability:
“…”

• A concept that simplifies the assessment of the environmental impact for materials and products used.
• Mainly used in the context of buildings.
• It excludes the operational energy, i.e. the energy demand during usage, as well as the disposal of materials.
• Calculation: “…”
• Unit: MJ or kWh per unit weight (kg or tons) or per area (m2)

Answer 17

“Grey Energy / Embodied Energy (EE)”

“EE = CED_ex + CED_P”