Sirje Vares

Fast and Minimal‐Solvent Production of Superinsulating Silica Aerogel Granulate

With their low thermal conductivity (λ), silica aerogels can reduce carbon emissions from heating and cooling demands, but their widespread adoption is limited by the high production cost. A one-pot synthesis for silica aerogel granulate is presented that drastically reduces solvent use, production time, and global warming potential. The inclusion of the hydrophobization agent prior to gelation with a post-gelation activation step, enables a complete production cycle of less than four hours at the lab scale for a solvent use close to the theoretical minimum, and limits the global warming potential. Importantly, the one-pot aerogel granulate retains the exceptional properties associated with silica aerogel, mostly λ=14.4±1.0 mW m-1 ⋅K-1 for the pilot scale materials, about half that of standing air (26 mW m-1 ⋅K-1 ). The resource-, time-, and cost-effective production will allow silica aerogels to break out of its niche into the mainstream building and industrial insulation markets.

Life-cycle and information management of products – a case study of concrete element industry

Life-cycle management is a necessary approach in the development of sustainable product concepts. However, it is a big challenge for product manufacturers. Manufacturers need new information and tools which aid in the consideration of client requirements and user needs, in interaction between design and manufacture, and in understanding the effects of production and the effects of different use and end-of-life scenarios. The manufacturer needs information about those stages of life cycle that are out of his direct influence and means of influence; the latter may include procurement criteria, instructions for sustainable use and disposal and the development of maintenance and other services for the use phase. This paper discusses the role of life-cycle management in sustainable production concepts and the role of information management in life-cycle management. The research includes a review of literature, a case study carried out for concrete elements manufacture, and discussion on the basis of the result...

The use of LCA studies and LCA outcomes in the decision-making processes of enterprises – discussion and conclusions on the basis of case studies

The paper assesses different ways of utilising life-cycle assessment (LCA) for life-cycle management (LCM) of products. Enterprises face different kinds of barriers for the use of LCA. These are related to communication, the lack of methods and information, or access to tools and information. There are different ways available for LCA data acquisition and the use of LCA results in decision-making. These include comprehensive research projects as well as much easier processes where LCA information is collected in accordance with existing product category rules and with the help of tailored tools. The paper studies, discusses and draws conclusions about the effective use of LCA for LCM in different kinds of enterprises and in different phases of supply chains with the help of case study results and literature. The position and the role in the supply chain and the size of the enterprise significantly affect the type of LCA approach needed.