Paul Refalo

The Effect of Climatic Parameters on the Heat Transfer Mechanisms in a Solar Distillation Still

This paper deals with a simple and inexpensive solar desalination configuration. The performance of a simple solar still operating under Maltese climatic conditions is analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The internal and external heat transfer modes of the distillation unit are examined. This paper concludes that the distillation rate in a simple solar distiller increases with ambient temperature and solar radiation, even though the condensation capacity of the glass is reduced. A higher wind speed decreases the evaporation and condensation processes. The energy fractions within the solar still have also been analyzed. The simulations and the experiments conclude that the glass components handle the bulk of the heat transferred in a solar still, namely, radiation, evaporation, and condensation, and thus the distillation efficiency is enhanced by improving the thermal and optical properties of the glass.

Gauging the Effectiveness of a Resource Management Awareness Campaign on a Central Mediterranean Island

The ‘Reduce and Save’ campaign aimed to promote environmental sustainability awareness on the island of Gozo. Gozo forms part of the central Mediterranean Maltese Archipelago and has been earmarked to become an eco-island through the implementation of a local sustainable development strategy by 2020. The campaign falls under the umbrella of a wider-ranging initiative known as the eco-Gozo project, under the auspices of the Ministry for Gozo. The Reduce and Save campaign consisted of the identification and training of personnel capable of conducting a number of home visits in an attempt to reach as many Gozitan households as possible. The home visits made by these personnel consisted of 30-min information sessions on energy, waste and water management aspects, the distribution of informational printed matter and the filling in of a questionnaire to enable data compilation on specific topics. This chapter assesses the results generated by the questionnaire in conjunction with other information sources. Analyses of questionnaire responses revealed that a favourable disposition towards renewable energy (RE) technologies and energy-saving and water-conservation measures already existed amongst Gozitan households. Data on RE installations and energy-saving ventures for the islands are compiled by national entities such as the National Statistics Office and the Malta Resources Authority. These and other sources are assessed in order to gauge the effects, if any, of the Reduce and Save campaign. Any impacts on the behavioural patterns of Gozitans following the campaign are assessed by comparing specific indicators for the island with similar information for the main island of Malta. While the results help to consolidate the information compiled, they also enable the refinement of the training and dissemination methodologies utilised as a means of tailoring a similar, albeit larger-scale, campaign for the main island of Malta. Similar exercises aiming to increase awareness on environmental sustainability can also be replicated for other islands or communities.

The ‘Reduce and Save’ Project: An Island-Wide Resource Management Awareness Initiative

The Republic of Malta is an archipelago composed of three inhabited islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino. The main island of Malta has one of the highest population densities in the world, at 1566 inhabitants/km2, and is the largest island, with an area of 246 km2. Gozo has about 31,000 inhabitants and an area of 67 km2, while Comino is much smaller and has fewer than 10 inhabitants and a hotel. In 2008, the government of Malta, through the Ministry for Gozo, embarked on a programme with the aim of transforming Gozo into an eco-island. This initiative was called the eco-Gozo Project – a Local Sustainable Development Strategy for an Island and Its Community. As part of this undertaking, the ministry commissioned the Institute for Sustainable Energy at the University of Malta to conduct an educational campaign named ‘Reduce and Save’. The aim of this campaign was to design and deliver information sessions on water and energy conservation, renewable energy and waste management in every household in Gozo. The main objectives of this initiative were to increase awareness and disseminate eco-friendly information with the aim of improving the quality of life and levels of sustainability on the island. The methodology consisted of training courses, examination of the trainers, the island-wide house-call programme, the approach used during the visits themselves and the results compiled through a specific questionnaire. These actions all served to couple an educational campaign focusing on sustainability and environment-related issues with a data-gathering exercise in an island community. The results showed a favourable opinion on renewable energy and energy-saving and water-conservation measures and gave a snapshot of the renewable energy installations (such as solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems), energy-saving measures (such as roof insulation and double glazing) and water-saving measures (such as recycling of grey water and the use of rainwater catchment in dwellings’ existing water cisterns) at the time of the home visits. In the context of the development of a local, community-based sustainable development strategy, this initiative was instrumental in empowering and engaging the population at a time when this wide-ranging community project was being launched.

An Integrated Product Development Approach to Improving Sustainability Using Simulated Experiments: Manufacturing Case Study

Sustainable Manufacturing (SM) and Integrated Product Development (IPD) have both been identified as important drivers of an organization’s competitiveness and agility. However, their multi-faceted nature requires organizations to make manufacturing decisions without compromising any of the pillars contained within SM (economy, environment and society) and IPD (product, production and business). Achieving the aims of both IPD and SM increases this complexity even further and results in the need for high-level tools and systems for decision-making. This paper presents the use of digital factory simulation, as a tool to support the integrated development of sustainable products and processes. To evaluate this approach, a case study involving an existing manufacturing line was performed. The aim of the study was to generate a platform for the testing of experimental scenarios giving predictive results on the impact of IPD decisions on the manufacturing sustainability of the process. Together with the limitations and difficulties encountered, the validity and feasibility of using digital factory simulation for the integrated development of sustainable products and processes is discussed.