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Environments
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Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry
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Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2020) | Viewed by 38824

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bruce Dvorak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
Interests: pollution prevention and cleaner production for industry; life cycle assessment of industrial processes; water/wastewater treatment; barriers to implementation of pollution prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has been 30 years since in the United States, the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 focused attention on reducing pollution through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use. The pollution prevention approach was novel in focusing on increasing the efficiency of a process and reducing the amount of pollution generated at its source. Worldwide, industrial organizations embraced cleaner production approaches that result in reducing pollution at the source. Since that time, the industry has successfully applied the three pillars of sustainability—economic, environmental, and social—to minimize waste and emissions, reduce negative social impacts, improve profitability, and gain a competitive edge. This Special Issue seeks original, unpublished papers that describe recent advances in improving the sustainability of industrial operations. 

Papers may relate to technical topics associated with pollution prevention and sustainability in industry such as (i) novel methods for the analysis of material and energy flows, (ii) innovations for material substitution and for increasing the life of auxiliary materials and process liquids, (iii) improvements for control and automation, (iv) novel reuse of wastes, (v) innovative processes and technologies, (vi) energy efficiency, (vii) applications of life cycle assessment, (viii) assessment of barriers to implementation within industry, (ix) new business tools, (x) case studies of successful programs that result in for pollution prevention/sustainability implementation, and (xi) innovative educational approaches. We especially invite papers that take an interdisciplinary approach to considering the social and economic aspects of successful application of pollution prevention and sustainability in industry.

Prof. Dr. Bruce Dvorak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pollution prevention and cleaner production
  • industrial energy efficiency
  • sustainability assessments of industry
  • education for industrial sustainability
  • corporate sustainability

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 148 KiB  
Editorial
Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry
by Bruce Dvorak
Environments 2021, 8(9), 91; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments8090091 - 05 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
It has been 30 years since, in the United States, the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 focused attention on reducing pollution through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

32 pages, 5327 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Assessment of CHP Systems in Wastewater Treatment Plants
by Derall M. Riley, Jiashen Tian, Gamze Güngör-Demirci, Patrick Phelan, J. Rene Villalobos and Ryan J. Milcarek
Environments 2020, 7(10), 74; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments7100074 - 26 Sep 2020
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 6772
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) utilization of combined heat and power (CHP) systems allows for the efficient use of on-site biogas production, as well as increased annual savings in utility costs. In this paper, a review of biogas energy recovery options, CHP prime mover [...] Read more.
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) utilization of combined heat and power (CHP) systems allows for the efficient use of on-site biogas production, as well as increased annual savings in utility costs. In this paper, a review of biogas energy recovery options, CHP prime mover technologies, and the costs associated with biogas cleaning give a broad summary of the current state of CHP technology in WWTPs. Even though there are six different prime mover technologies, the main ones currently being implemented in WWTPs are micro turbines, fuel cells and reciprocating engines. Different prime movers offer varying efficiencies, installation costs, and biogas impurity (H2S, siloxanes, HCl) tolerances. To evaluate the long-term savings capabilities, a techno-economic assessment of a CHP installation at a case study WWTP shows the payback, annual savings, and initial costs associated with the installation of a CHP system. In this case, a study a payback of 5.7 years and a net present value of USD 709,000 can be achieved when the WWTP generates over 2,000,000 m3 of biogas per year and utilizes over 36,000 GJ of natural gas per year. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)
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18 pages, 717 KiB  
Article
Industrial Energy Transitions and the Dynamics of Innovation Systems: The Swedish Pulp and Paper Industry, 1970–2010
by Kristina Söderholm and Patrik Söderholm
Environments 2020, 7(9), 70; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments7090070 - 10 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3025
Abstract
This article provides a sectoral innovation system perspective of the development of energy efficient and clean process technologies in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the analysis elaborates the importance of knowledge development, actor networks, and institutions (including policy) for progressing and [...] Read more.
This article provides a sectoral innovation system perspective of the development of energy efficient and clean process technologies in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the analysis elaborates the importance of knowledge development, actor networks, and institutions (including policy) for progressing and diffusing novel technologies related to energy use. The empirical analysis also sheds light on how significant changes in the sectoral innovation system have influenced the relevant research, development and demonstration activities in the Swedish pulp and paper industry over the period 1970–2010. The results are based on various sources—e.g., industry magazines, reports from industrial consultants and associations, minutes from meetings—and illustrate the importance of well-functioning innovation systems for successful technological development and diffusion processes. They display, in particular, the importance of joint, industry-wide R&D activities, trust-based state—industry relationships, government R&D expenditures, and intense information sharing. One important implication is that the role of policy stretches beyond the funding of basic R&D. Policy also involves measures that strengthen existing actor networks, build competence, and secure the existence of research institutes that provide a bridge between basic knowledge generation (at the universities) on the one hand, and industrial application on the other. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)
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15 pages, 2520 KiB  
Article
Foundry Sand Source Reduction Options: Life Cycle Assessment Evaluation
by Samuel Ghormley, Robert Williams and Bruce Dvorak
Environments 2020, 7(9), 66; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments7090066 - 29 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5038
Abstract
Foundries represent a significant part of the world’s economy and are a large consumer of energy and producer of solid waste. Sand-handling processes can use 5–10% of a foundry’s total energy. The goal of this research was to explore source reduction and waste [...] Read more.
Foundries represent a significant part of the world’s economy and are a large consumer of energy and producer of solid waste. Sand-handling processes can use 5–10% of a foundry’s total energy. The goal of this research was to explore source reduction and waste minimization at a foundry, using both economic and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques to compare three secondary sand-reclamation options. LCA software modeled all sand processes at a mid-sized ferrous foundry in the USA. The LCA showed all secondary reclamation technologies, while more energy intensive at the foundry, lowered life cycle environmental impacts, including GHG emissions, ecotoxicity, and human health indicators, due primarily to source reduction and corresponding reduction in transportation both from the virgin sand source and to the landfill. Varying transportation distance had a large impact on LCA results to the point where the life cycle benefit of secondary reclamation became a liability in a zero distance scenario. Varying electricity generation to favor greener sources was also examined, but proved to have minimal impact on the LCA results. This research suggests that the greatest reduction of life cycle impacts in the sand-handling processes for a foundry is to find a geographically closer source for virgin sand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)
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8 pages, 1881 KiB  
Article
Decontaminating Terrestrial Oil Spills: A Comparative Assessment of Dog Fur, Human Hair, Peat Moss and Polypropylene Sorbents
by Megan L. Murray, Soeren M. Poulsen and Brad R. Murray
Environments 2020, 7(7), 52; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments7070052 - 08 Jul 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 17130
Abstract
Terrestrial oil spills have severe and continuing consequences for human communities and the natural environment. Sorbent materials are considered to be a first line of defense method for directly extracting oil from spills and preventing further contaminant spread, but little is known on [...] Read more.
Terrestrial oil spills have severe and continuing consequences for human communities and the natural environment. Sorbent materials are considered to be a first line of defense method for directly extracting oil from spills and preventing further contaminant spread, but little is known on the performance of sorbent products in terrestrial environments. Dog fur and human hair sorbent products were compared to peat moss and polypropylene sorbent to examine their relative effectiveness in adsorbing crude oil from different terrestrial surfaces. Crude oil spills were simulated using standardized microcosm experiments, and contaminant adsorbency was measured as percentage of crude oil removed from the original spilled quantity. Sustainable-origin absorbents made from dog fur and human hair were equally effective to polypropylene in extracting crude oil from non- and semi-porous land surfaces, with recycled dog fur products and loose-form hair showing a slight advantage over other sorbent types. In a sandy terrestrial environment, polypropylene sorbent was significantly better at adsorbing spilled crude oil than all other tested products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)
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14 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
Centralized and Decentralized Recycle Policy with Transboundary Pollution
by Chien-Hui Lee, Po-Sheng Ko, Yu-Lin Wang, Jen-Yao Lee and Jiong-Hung Kwo
Environments 2020, 7(5), 40; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments7050040 - 24 May 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3577
Abstract
In this study, under the existence of unilateral cross-border environmental pollution in two regions, a complete information dynamic game theory is constructed to discuss the environmental policy (recycling fee and treatment subsidy) formulation of the central government by two local governments. As a [...] Read more.
In this study, under the existence of unilateral cross-border environmental pollution in two regions, a complete information dynamic game theory is constructed to discuss the environmental policy (recycling fee and treatment subsidy) formulation of the central government by two local governments. As a result, it was found that the spillover effect will reduce the level of social welfare. At the same time, the intervention of the central government and the adoption of policies tailored to local conditions will be conducive to the improvement of social welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)
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