Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 

About: Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Sustainable development & Sustainability. It has an ISSN identifier of 1618-954X. Over the lifetime, 2562 publications have been published receiving 49936 citations.

The pollutant emissions from diesel-engine vehicles and exhaust aftertreatment systems

Abstract: Diesel engines have high efficiency, durability, and reliability together with their low-operating cost. These important features make them the most preferred engines especially for heavy-duty vehicles. The interest in diesel engines has risen substantially day by day. In addition to the widespread use of these engines with many advantages, they play an important role in environmental pollution problems worldwide. Diesel engines are considered as one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution caused by exhaust emissions, and they are responsible for several health problems as well. Many policies have been imposed worldwide in recent years to reduce negative effects of diesel engine emissions on human health and environment. Many researches have been carried out on both diesel exhaust pollutant emissions and aftertreatment emission control technologies. In this paper, the emissions from diesel engines and their control systems are reviewed. The four main pollutant emissions from diesel engines (carbon monoxide-CO, hydrocarbons-HC, particulate matter-PM and nitrogen oxides-NOx) and control systems for these emissions (diesel oxidation catalyst, diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction) are discussed. Each type of emissions and control systems is comprehensively examined. At the same time, the legal restrictions on exhaust-gas emissions around the world and the effects of exhaust-gas emissions on human health and environment are explained in this study.

TRACI 2.0: the tool for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts 2.0

Abstract: TRACI 2.0, the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts 2.0, has been expanded and developed for sustainability metrics, life cycle impact assessment, industrial ecology, and process design impact assessment for developing increasingly sustainable products, processes, facilities, companies, and communities. TRACI 2.0 allows the quantification of stressors that have potential effects, including ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, eutrophication, tropospheric ozone (smog) formation, human health criteria-related effects, human health cancer, human health noncancer, ecotoxicity, and fossil fuel depletion effects. Research is going on to quantify the use of land and water in a future version of TRACI. The original version of TRACI released in August 2002 (Bare et al. J Ind Ecol 6:49–78, 2003) has been used in many prestigious applications including: the US Green Building Council’s LEED Certification (US Green Building Council, Welcome to US Green Building Council, 2008), the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s BEES (Building for Environment and Economic Sustainability) (Lippiatt, BEES 4.0: building for environmental and economic sustainability technical manual and user guide, 2007) which is used by US EPA for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (US Environmental Protection Agency, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), 2008d), the US Marine Corps’ EKAT (Environmental Knowledge and Assessment Tool) for military and nonmilitary uses (US Marine Corps, Environmental knowledge and assessment tool (EKAT): first time user’s guide, 2007), and within numerous college curriculums in engineering and design departments.

An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada: a lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability

Abstract: The construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by the Canadian construction industry accounts for 27 % of the total municipal solid waste disposed in landfills. However, it is evident that over 75 % of what the construction industry generates as waste has a residual value, and therefore could be recycled, salvaged and/or reused. The need for comprehensive and integrated waste management mechanisms, technologies, rating systems and policies is widely recognized. Owing to increasing C&D waste volumes, shortage of landfills and long-term adverse environmental, economic and social impacts of the disposed C&D waste, sustainable C&D waste management is becoming increasingly essential to protect public health and natural ecosystems. This paper proposes a conceptual C&D waste management framework to maximise the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) and minimise the disposal of construction waste by implementing sustainable and comprehensive strategy throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. In addition, a life cycle based C&D waste sustainability index is developed. This approach can be used to make decisions related to selection of material, sorting, recycle/reuse and treatment or disposal options for C&D waste.

An overview of biorefinery-derived platform chemicals from a cellulose and hemicellulose biorefinery

Abstract: Until recently, most of energy and industrially produced chemicals were derived from fossil fuel-based resources. This along with the continued depletion of finite fossil resources and their attributed adverse environmental impacts, alternatively sourced and more sustainable resources are being pursued as feedstock replacements. Thus, biomass has been identified as an alternate renewable and more sustainable resource as a means to reduce this sector's dependence on fossil fuel-based resources and to alleviate their environmental impacts. As such, lignocellulosic biomass has been further identified and demonstrated as an abundant renewable resource for the production of biofuels, platform chemicals, and their respective value-added products. This review article provides an overview of the techniques developed for the valorization of biomass in the production of platform chemicals within a biorefinery, and the status for commercialization.

Indicators of sustainable production

Abstract: The main cause of environmental damage is unsustainable production and con­sumption, especially in industrialized countries. Achieving sustainable develop­ment will require changes in industrial processes, in the type and quantity of re­sources used, in the treatment of waste, in the control of emissions, and in the products produced. One of the difficulties in measuring the company’s level of sustainability is to determine which directions of change are leading towards sus­tainability. Hence, it is necessary to apply appropriate metrics that will enable these assessments. This paper presents indicators for assessing and promoting business sustainability — indicators of sustainable production. It first introduces the main concepts of such production and a set of necessary conditions that firms must fulfill in order to be sustainable. It identifies major functions of indicators and it proceeds to presenting the role of indicators.