Adisa Azapagic

Developing a framework for sustainable development indicators for the mining and minerals industry

Abstract The mining and minerals industry faces some of the most difficult sustainability challenges of any industrial sector. To secure its continued ‘social licence’ to operate, the industry must respond to these challenges by engaging its many different stakeholders and addressing their sustainability concerns. The industry must also be able to measure and assess its sustainability performance and to demonstrate continuous improvements over long term. The mining and minerals sector has already started responding to some of the sustainability challenges, as demonstrated by the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) project. Following the findings of MMSD, this paper aims to contribute to these activities at the sectoral level through a development of a framework for sustainability indicators as a tool for performance assessment and improvements. The indicators have been developed specifically for metallic, construction and industrial minerals, but may also be suitable for some energy minerals, particularly coal. The framework comprises economic, environmental, social and integrated indicators, which can be used both internally, for identification of ‘hot spots’ and externally, for sustainability reporting and stakeholder engagement. In an attempt to help standardise corporate reports and enable cross-comparisons, the framework is compatible with the general indicators proposed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); however, a number of sector-specific indicators have also been developed to reflect the characteristics of the industry.

Life cycle assessment and its application to process selection, design and optimisation

Abstract As the pressures on the chemical and process industries to improve their environmental performance are increasing, the need to move away from narrow system definitions and concepts in environmental system management is becoming more apparent. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is gaining wider acceptance as a method that enables quantification of environmental interventions and evaluation of the improvement options throughout the life cycle of a process, product or activity. Historically, LCA has mainly been applied to products; however, recent literature suggests that it can assist in identifying more sustainable options in process selection, design and optimisation. This paper reviews some of these newly emerging applications of LCA. A number of case studies indicate that process selection must be based on considerations of the environment as a whole, including indirect releases, consumption of raw materials and waste disposal. This approach goes beyond the present practice of choosing Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO), by which it is possible to reduce the environmental impacts directly from the plant, but to increase them elsewhere in the life cycle. These issues are discussed and demonstrated by the examples of end-of-pipe abatement techniques for SO 2 , NO x and VOCs and processes for the production of liquid CO 2 and O 2 . The integration of LCA into the early stages of process design and optimisation is also reviewed and discussed. The approach is outlined and illustrated with real case studies related to the mineral and chemical industries. It is shown that a newly emerging Life Cycle Process Design (LCPD) tool offers a potential for technological innovation in process concept and structure through the selection of best material and process alternatives over the whole life cycle. The literature also suggests that LCA coupled with multi-objective optimisation (MO) provides a robust framework for process design by simultaneously optimising on environmental, technical, economic and other criteria. Pareto-optimum solutions obtained in MO provide a number of options for improved design and operation throughout the whole life cycle. This approach therefore provides a potentially powerful decision making tool which may help to identify more sustainable solutions in the process industries.

Indicators of Sustainable Development for Industry: A General Framework

Despite numerous actions worldwide which call for adoption of more sustainable strategies, relatively little has been done on a practical level so far on the pretext that the issue is too complex and not fully understood. This paper follows the argument that it is important that todays decision-makers address the issue of sustainability, however imperfectly, as ignoring it may only exacerbate the problem for future generations. In particular, the paper concentrates on measuring the level of sustainability of industry with he aim of further informing the debate in this area. It proposes a general framework with a relatively simple, yet comprehensive set of indicators for identification of more sustainable practices for industry. The indicators cover the three aspects of sustainability—environmental, economic and social—and among others, include environmental impacts, financial and ethical indicators. The framework is applicable across industry; however, more specific indicators for different sectors have to be defined separately, on a case-by-case basis. It allows a modular approach for gradual incorporation of the framework into the organizational structure. The life cycle approach ensures that the most important stages in the life cycle and their impacts are identified and targeted for improvements. The framework also provides a link between micro and macro-aspects of sustainable development through appropriate indicators. Thus, it serves as a tool which can assist companies in assessing their performance with regard to goals and objectives embedded in the idea of sustainable development.

The application of life cycle assessment to process optimisation

Abstract One of the main potential uses of life cycle assessment (LCA) in environmental management is for identifying options for environmental improvements of a system in which complete supply chains are considered. The main problem, however, lies in finding the optimum improvement strategies and choosing the best alternative in a decision environment with multiple, and often conflicting, objectives. To aid the decision-making process, this paper proposes the use of multiobjective optimisation (MO), whereby the system is simultaneously optimised on a number of environmental objective functions, defined and quantified through the LCA approach. This results in a Pareto or noninferior surface, with a range of environmental optima, from which the best compromise solution for improving the environmental performance of the system can be chosen. However, system improvements cannot be based solely on environmental considerations and other factors, including socio-economic, must be considered in parallel. This paper also shows that MO coupled with LCA provides a powerful tool for balancing environmental and economic performance, thus enabling the choice of best practicable environmental option (BPEO) and best available technique not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC). The value of this approach in environmental system analysis lies in providing a set of alternative optimal options for system improvements rather than a single prescriptive solution, which may be optimal but not necessarily appropriate for a particular situation. A decision–aid tool–optimum LCA performance (OLCAP)–has been developed for these purposes. OLCAP is tested and demonstrated by application to a case study of an existing mineral-processing system producing boron products. It is shown that LCA can successfully be combined with optimisation techniques to satisfy both economic and environmental criteria for more sustainable performance of the product system over the whole life cycle.

SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY A General Management Framework

Corporate sustainability is not just a buzzword—for many industry leaders and corporations, it has become an invaluable tool for exploring ways to reduce costs, manage risks, create new products, and drive fundamental internal changes in culture and structure. However, integrating sustainability thinking and practice into organizational structure is not a trivial task and it requires a vision, commitment and leadership. It also requires a systems approach with an appropriate management framework that enables design, management and communication of corporate sustainability policies. This paper proposes a general framework for a Corporate Sustainability Management System (CSMS) which enables translation of the general principles of sustainable development into corporate practice by providing a systematic, step-by-step guidance towards a more sustainable business. Developed in collaboration with industry, it is designed to help improve the triple bottom line through sustainable economic development and environmental protection, while encouraging socially responsible business values. To facilitate an easier integration into the organizational structure, the CSMS follows the familiar models of Total Quality and Environmental Management Systems. While in principle applicable to industry in general, the system is flexible enough to be adapted to the specific needs of individual companies and the contexts in which they operate. Application of the CSMS is illustrated on suitable examples throughout.

Life cycle assessment and multiobjective optimisation

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to identify and quantify the environmental performance of a process or a product from “cradle to grave”. Its main potential in environmental decision-making lies in providing a quantitative basis for assessing potential improvements in environmental performance of a system throughout the life cycle. This paper introduces the use of multiobjective system optimisation in LCA as a tool for identifying and evaluating the best possible options for environmental management of the product system. A life cycle of a system is optimised on a number of environmental objective functions, defined in terms of the usual LCA burden or impact categories, and a range of environmental optima is found on the Pareto or non-inferior surface. As a result, possibilities for improving the environmental performance of the system are identified. Since system improvements cannot be carried out on the basis of environmental LCA only, it is also shown in this paper that the compromise between environmental and economic performance can be found on the non-inferior surface. The value of multiobjective optimisation in system analysis lies in providing a set of alternative options for system improvements rather than a single prescriptive solution, thus enabling the choice of the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) and Best Available Technique Not Entailing Excessive Cost (BATNEEC). This approach is illustrated by application to a real case study of a system producing five borate products.

Sustainable Development in Practice: Case Studies for Engineers and Scientists

About the Editors ix List of Contributors xi Preface xiii Part 1 1 The Concept of Sustainable Development and its Practical Implications 3 Slobodan Perdan 2 Measuring Sustainable Development: An Overview 26 Slobodan Perdan and Adisa Azapagic 3 Assessing Environmental Sustainability: Life Cycle Thinking and Life Cycle Assessment 56 Adisa Azapagic Part 2 4 Translating the Principles of Sustainable Development into Business Practice: An Application in the Mining and Minerals Sector 83 Adisa Azapagic and Slobodan Perdan 5 Climate Change and Policy: The Case of Germany 117 Wolfram Krewitt and Hans Muller-Steinhagen 6 Sustainability Assessment of Biofuels 142 Adisa Azapagic and Heinz Stichnothe 7 Scenario Building and Uncertainties: Options for Energy Sources 170 Richard Darton 8 Fuel Cells in Stationary Applications: Energy for the Future? 189 Martin Pehnt 9 Sustainability of Nuclear Power 211 Adisa Azapagic and Slobodan Perdan 10 Municipal Solid Waste Management: Recovering Energy from Waste 261 Adisa Azapagic 11 Sustainability Issues in Food Provisioning Systems 326 Adisa Azapagic, Heinz Stichnothe and Namy Espinoza-Orias 12 Providing Sustainable Sanitation 348 Richard Fenner and Amparo Flores 13 Sustainable Process Design: The Case of Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) 374 Adisa Azapagic 14 Urban Sustainability: The Case of Transport 420 Slobodan Perdan and Adisa Azapagic 15 Aviation and its Response to Environmental Pressure 449 Alice Bows and Kevin Anderson 16 Health Impact Assessment of Urban Pollution 467 Zaid Chalabi and Tony Fletcher 17 Social and Ethical Dimensions of Sustainable Development: Mining in Kakadu National Park 483 Slobodan Perdan Index 511

An integrated tool to assess the role of new planting in PM10 capture and the human health benefits: a case study in London.

The role of vegetation in mitigating the effects of PM(10) pollution has been highlighted as one potential benefit of urban greenspace. An integrated modelling approach is presented which utilises air dispersion (ADMS-Urban) and particulate interception (UFORE) to predict the PM(10) concentrations both before and after greenspace establishment, using a 10 x 10 km area of East London Green Grid (ELGG) as a case study. The corresponding health benefits, in terms of premature mortality and respiratory hospital admissions, as a result of the reduced exposure of the local population are also modelled. PM(10) capture from the scenario comprising 75% grassland, 20% sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and 5% Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) was estimated to be 90.41 t yr(-1), equating to 0.009 t ha(-1) yr(-1) over the whole study area. The human health modelling estimated that 2 deaths and 2 hospital admissions would be averted per year.

Teaching sustainable development to engineering students

Sustainable development is a complex concept which concerns a wide range of social, techno‐economic and environmental issues. Without addressing all these dimensions, teaching of sustainable development would not be complete. Therefore, taught modules and teaching materials for engineering students should include not only technological analysis and economic evaluation, but also environmental and social considerations. This paper outlines the way in which a multidisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability has been embodied in learning programmes and activities in engineering at the University of Surrey, UK. More specifically, it describes a project to develop a comprehensive IT‐based learning resource comprising a set of multidisciplinary case studies and support material in order to aid engineering students in understanding the concepts inherent in sustainability and how solutions can be developed.

Linear programming as a tool in life cycle assessment

Linear Programming (LP) is a powerful mathematical technique that can be used as a tool in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In the Inventory and Impact Assessment phases, in addition to calculating the environmental impacts and burdens, it can be used for solving the problem of allocation in multiple-output systems. In the Improvement Assessment phase, it provides a systematic approach to identifying possibilities for system improvements by optimising the system on different environmental objective functions, defined as burdens or impacts. Ultimately, if the environmental impacts are aggregated to a single environmental impact function in the Valuation phase, LP optimisation can identify the overall environmental optimum of the system. However, the aggregation of impacts is not necessary: the system can be optimised on different environmental burdens or impacts simultaneously by using Multiobjective LP. As a result, a range of environmental optima is found offering a number of alternative options for system improvements and enabling the choice of the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO). If, in addition, economic and social criteria are introduced in the model, LP can be used to identify the best compromise solution in a system with conflicting objectives. This approach is illustrated by a real case study of the borate products system.