Tohru Morioka

Eco‐Efficiency of Advanced Loop‐Closing Systems for Vehicles and Household Appliances in Hyogo Eco‐Town

The closing of material loops is a critical challenge in industrial ecology. It relies mainly on the utilization of recovered materials/parts/products in the original and principal production system while their original function is retained at the highest level possible. In this study, advanced loop‐closing systems for the recycling of end‐of‐life vehicles and electric household appliances are first designed in “Hyogo Eco‐town.” Second, a methodology for evaluating the eco‐efficiency of these systems is developed. Finally, the eco‐efficiency of the designed advanced loop‐closing strategies for the two products is evaluated, based on the results of materials flow analysis and life‐cycle assessment. The results show that, compared with conventional recycling systems, when an industrial complex and an advanced loop‐closing system for end‐of‐life vehicles are established, the total economic value increases by 114% and the eco‐efficiency in terms of the amount of direct material input is improved by 57%. This system permits the utilization of the by‐products, wastes, and recovered materials that originate from other industrial sectors as input to production activities. In the case of end‐of‐life electric household appliances, an advanced loop‐closing strategy to lengthen the product life with parts reuse improves the eco‐efficiency in terms of carbon dioxide (CO) emissions by 4% compared with the conventional replacement of the appliance with a new product along with the material recycling option.

Integrated resource management towards a sustainable Asia: policy and strategy evolution in Japan and China

One of the biggest challenges Asian nations face is how to increase their economic growth while minimising the impact on the environment and reducing their dependence on imported resources. Japan paid great attention to its condition as a resource-dependent country after the oil crisis in the mid 1970s and now has one of the most eco-efficient economies in the world. The rapid economic growth of China in the last two decades has also pushed the government to focus on improving efficiency as it is shown in its 11th five year plan. This article addresses the evolution of environmental policies in Japan and China and proposes viable measures towards a sustainable Asia. These measures take into account the experience of Japan in addressing its environmental issues and is based on the reduce, reuse, recycle (3R) initiative.

Solid waste management in Asian countries: problems and issues

Asia has been experiencing very high population growth and urbanization. Asian countries will witness a large population increase, which will have important implications for a variety of urban environmental issues, such as solid waste management. Nowadays, waste management is a major challenge in Asian countries, as it creates environmental problems. The present study reveals the problems and issues of solid waste management in Asian countries and certain important problems and issues that must be addressed in order to achieve public cooperation. At the core of the problems of solid waste management are the absence of adequate policies, enabling legislation, and an environmentally stimulated and enlightened public. This paper aims to identify parameters that help to explain the present situation and to assess the future amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated per capita in different Asian countries and how to develop an effective waste management strategy for Asian countries according to economic level.

Risk assessment of drinking water in a reservoir contaminated by PAH's originated from road traffic

The loads of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) originating from road traffic were measured and in units of per vehicle per meter was estimated as follows: 0.07 ng/veh.m for Benzo[a]pyrene, and 0.83 ng/veh.m for Dibenzanthracene and so on, and 5.77 ng/veh.m for total PAHs. This unit is applied to risk estimation of drinking water in a reservoir where it is planned to construct a new high way the near future, and the concentration in the reservoir water is estimated to be 3.3-101 ng/l for individual PAHs. Assuming standard oral exposure to PAHs in raw water for drinking water supply, the estimated lifetime risk of carcinogenesis was less than 1 in 10(6), which is not considered significant.

Basin-wide ecological fate model for management of chemicals hazard

Abstract A basin-wide ecological model is proposed for signifying the relationship between discharged amounts of chemicals and chemical concentrations in the aquatic environment. The proposed multicompartment model describes transport of each chemical of LAS, TBP, HCB, DOP and HCH (BHC) in the receiving water, sorption by suspended solid and plankton, and degradation in environmental media. The loadings of LAS, TBP and HCB to Tokyo Bay, and DOP and BHC to Osaka Bay are estimated by operating the model accompanied with a tidal mixing submodel. The loadings of these chemicals estimated in the model simulation become values in the reasonable range of input amounts obtained by using another aggregation technique in the river sections. In the serial sub-basin fate model, environmental behaviour of BHC isomer is influenced by both the magnitude of the direct loading to the aquatic environment derived from the fugacity equilibrium model simulation for the post-consumption process of chemicals, and the first-order runoff coefficient with respect to the accumulated amount of BHC in the soil. The calculated BHC concentrations in the Yodo River basin show the similar declining tendency to one which has been observed in another field survey after the ban on using BHC-bearing herbicide.

Assessment of the challenge of sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste management in India

Municipal solid waste management is one of the most serious and most neglected areas of urban development which create environmental hazards confronting municipalities. Qualitative analysis of municipal solid waste in India identified barriers or incentives for recycling, resulted in the development factors. The PSIR framework with sensitive analysis is approach towards the focus on sustainable development. Necessary and beneficial relationship drawn among development factors revealed the collaborative web model for sustainable municipal solid waste management. The functionality of other factors in collaborative relationship greatly influences the success of sustainable municipal solid waste management in developing countries as India.

APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS FOR EUTROPHICATION CONTROL IN KOBE HARBOUR AREA

ABSTRACT Numerical simulation of water quality in the eutrophicated Kobe Harbor area is examined for water pollution control using an ecological dynamics model which expresses phosphorus transfer in five nutrient forms, i.e., phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus, inorganic matter, and sediment. The effects of measures in the water basin such as dredging bottom sediments and sea water filtration are evaluated by the model simulation, besides other basic countermeasures in land, namely, the reduction of discharged amount in inorganic or organic forms by means of advanced wastewater treatment, control in the use of synthetic detergents, and urban runoff control. Judging from the comparisons made among the effects of these policies, it is emphasized that each policy should be carried out in the appropriate time and space, supported by an intensive field survey, in coordination with other supporting actions.

Eco-efficiency analysis of the plastic recovery systems in Hyogo eco-town project

Japan started the promotion and development of eco-towns in 1997, with the aim of reducing the environmental pressure through a symbiosis of industries and cities. Hyogo prefecture (located in the west of Japan) has been promoting a recycling-oriented society with the cooperation of industries, citizens and businesses.

Industrial by-product utilization system to minimize environmental pollutants with collaborated partnership

The author introduces a new idea of a recycling-oriented industrial complex, which utilizes material flow as input for environmentally sound metabolism with zero emission initiatives. The research framework of evaluating Eco-efficiency and sustainability of industrial production is discussed. Three types of societal experimental sites of recycling-oriented complex have been investigated, and a production-consumption system of mechanical industrial products and a strategically combined input/output system are examined in an industrial park project.

Evaluating effects on the flow of electrical and electronic equipment and energy consumption due to alternative consumption patterns in China

In this paper, we evaluated the effects of consumer’s behavioural changes on usage and disposal of home appliances. With the model to estimate the product circulation, first we conducted the sensitivity analysis with the six parameters, namely urbanisation, household size, Gini coefficient, product lifetime and selection rate of used product and high energy efficiency product. Then, secondly we evaluated CO2 emission and e-waste generation from four consumers’ different behavioural patterns, which are named as ‘Business As Usual’ (BAU), ‘Rapid Cycling’ (RC), ‘Chain of Users’ (CU) and ‘Quality and Wisdom’ (QW). As a result, the QW scenario was the best lifestyle in both criteria. Further, RC scenario had an advantage on the reduction in e-waste generation in one hand, but CU scenario reduced more CO2 emission. During the transition era of China from materially poor to rich, it could be one of the solutions to utilise energy-efficient second-hand product to improve the living standards of the poor and replace technologically inferior product stocks in poor households.