Download or read book Thanatia The Destiny Of The Earth s Mineral Resources A Thermodynamic Cradle to cradle Assessment written by Antonio Valero Capilla and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2014-08-18 with total page 670 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is Gaia becoming Thanatia, a resource exhausted planet? For how long can our high-tech society be sustained in the light of declining mineral ore grades, heavy dependence on un-recycled critical metals and accelerated material dispersion? These are all root causes of future disruptions that need to be addressed today.This book presents a cradle-to-cradle view of the Earth's abiotic resources through a novel and rigorous approach based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics: heat dissipates and materials deteriorate and disperse. Quality is irreversibly lost. This allows for the assessment of such depletion and can be used to estimate the year where production of the main mineral commodities could reach its zenith. By postulating Thanatia, one acquires a sense of destiny and a concern for a unified global management of the planet's abiotic resource endowment.The book covers the core aspects of geology, geochemistry, mining, metallurgy, economics, the environment, thermodynamics and thermochemistry. It is supported by comprehensive databases related to mineral resources, including detailed compositions of the Earth's layers, thermochemical properties of over 300 substances, historical energy and mineral resource inventories, energy consumption and environmental impacts in the mining and metallurgical sector and world recycling rates of commodities.
Download or read book Thanatia written by Antonio Valero Capilla and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 629 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Thanatia written by Antonio Valero Capilla and published by World Scientific Publishing Company Incorporated. This book was released on 2014 with total page 629 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is Gaia becoming Thanatia, a resource exhausted planet? For how long can our high-tech society be sustained in the light of declining mineral ore grades, heavy dependence on un-recycled critical metals and accelerated material dispersion? These are all root causes of future disruptions that need to be addressed today. This book presents a cradle-to-cradle view of the Earth's abiotic resources through a novel and rigorous approach based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics: heat dissipates and materials deteriorate and disperse. Quality is irreversibly lost. This allows for the assessment of such depletion and can be used to estimate the year where production of the main mineral commodities could reach its zenith. By postulating Thanatia, one acquires a sense of destiny and a concern for a unified global management of the planet's abiotic resource endowment. The book covers the core aspects of geology, geochemistry, mining, metallurgy, economics, the environment, thermodynamics and thermochemistry. It is supported by comprehensive databases related to mineral resources, including detailed compositions of the Earth's layers, thermochemical properties of over 300 substances, historical energy and mineral resource inventories, energy consumption and environmental impacts in the mining and metallurgical sector and world recycling rates of commodities.
Download or read book China s Virtual Monopoly of Rare Earth Elements written by Roland Howanietz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rare Earth Elements are a group of 17 metals which have a central role in modern industry, increasingly used in the fields of green technologies, high technological consumer goods, industrial and medical appliances and modern weapons systems. Although deposits of Rare Earths are globally dispersed, over 90% of global demand has been provided by Chinese mines since the late 1990s, leading to a situation where China has a virtual monopoly. This book surveys the Rare Earths mining industry, discusses the extent to which Rare Earths really are scarce elsewhere in the world and assesses the economics of production, considering arguments for the rationing of supply, for higher pricing and for a total export embargo. This actually occurred in 2010, demonstrating the vulnerability of the rest of the world to China’s control of these increasingly vital resources.
Download or read book The Material Limits of Energy Transition Thanatia written by Alicia Valero and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Earth has become a huge mine, with a greater quantity and variety of fundamental mineral resources being extracted year after year. Technology, from electric cars to everyday electrical equipment, consume vast amounts of scarce raw materials. On a planet with limited resources, are these minerals being properly assessed? Will there be enough raw materials to meet the demand of a world population on track to reach 10 billion people? What will be the consequences of accelerated resource depredation? Will the planet one day become 'Thanatia', a resource-exhausted Earth? This book allows readers to understand the mineral heritage of the Earth, considering the demand for raw materials in society, comparing it with the availability of resources on Earth and the impact of mining. The basics of physical geonomics are exlpained, allowing readers to analyse the loss of mineral resources on the planet. The impact of renewable energies and technologies, including electric vehicles, are studied. The book concludes with possible solutions to mineral depletion, from increasing recycling rates, ecodesign measures or alternative sources of mineral resources. Providing numerous tables and illustrations, 'The Material Limits of Energy Transition: Thanatia' gives readers a thorough understanding of mineral depletion. Exploring geology, geochemistry, mining, metallurgy, the environment and thermodynamics, this is a truly holistic book.
Download or read book Responsible Sourcing of Materials Required for a Resource Efficient and Low carbon Society written by Lucia Mancini and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-11-13 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding future supply and demand of raw materials and the associated environmental and social implications is essential to supporting the transition towards greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. In this Special Issue, we present a range of research papers with a focus on future outlooks of material supply and use, the consideration of associated environmental and social implications, and issues of raw material criticality and a circular economy. These are complemented by an editorial paper that provides, amongst other aspects, an overview of the corresponding policy and institutional framework. Knowledge of materials availability, their use patterns in modern economies, and associated environmental and social trade-offs is essential for informed decision-making in support of the necessary transition towards more resource-efficient and greenhouse-gas-neutral societies in the coming years.
Download or read book Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings written by Jose M Sala-Lizarraga and published by Butterworth-Heinemann. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 1114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantifying exergy losses in the energy supply system of buildings reveals the potential for energy improvement, which cannot be discovered using conventional energy analysis. Thermoeconomics combines economic and thermodynamic analysis by applying the concept of cost (an economic concept) to exergy, as exergy is a thermodynamic property fit for this purpose, in that it combines the quantity of energy with its quality factor. Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings applies exergy analysis methods and thermoeconomics to the built environment. The mechanisms of heat transfer throughout the envelope of buildings are analyzed from an exergy perspective and then to the building thermal installations, analyzing the different components, such as condensing boilers, absorption refrigerators, microcogeneration plants, etc., including solar installations and finally the thermal facilities as a whole. A detailed analysis of the cost formation process is presented, which has its physical roots firmly planted in the second law of thermodynamics. The basic principles and the rules of cost allocation, in energy units (exergy cost), in monetary units (exergoeconomic cost), and in CO2 emissions (exergoenvironmental cost), based on the so-called Exergy Cost Theory are presented and applied to thermal installations of buildings. Clear and rigorous in its exposition, Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings discusses exergy analysis and thermoeconomics and the role they could play in the analysis and design of building components, either the envelope or the thermal facilities, as well as the diagnosis of thermal installations. This book moves progressively from introducing the basic concepts to applying them. Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings provides examples of specific cases throughout this book. These cases include real data, so that the results obtained are useful to interpret the inefficiencies and losses that truly occur in actual installations; hence, the assessment of their effects encourages the manner to improve efficiency. Applies exergy analysis methods for the installation of building thermal facilities equipment components, including pipes, valves, heat exchangers, boilers and heat pumps Helps readers determine the operational costs of heating and cooling building systems Includes exergy analysis methods that are devoted to absorption refrigerators, adsorption cooling systems, basic air conditioning processes, ventilation systems and solar systems, either thermal and PV Discusses the direct application of exergy analysis concepts, including examples of buildings with typical heating, DHW and air conditioning installations
Download or read book Consideration of Abiotic Natural Resources in Life Cycle Assessments written by Mario Schmidt and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2019-01-28 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Consideration of Abiotic Natural Resources in Life Cycle Assessments" that was published in Resources
Download or read book Practical Handbook of Earth Science written by Jane H. Hodgkinson and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This self-contained handbook provides a carefully researched, compact source of key earth science information and data, logically sorted by subject matter, and then cross-referenced. Appealing to both experts and non-experts alike, the book presents earth science and environmental science as closely intertwined. It includes tables of the global distributions of fossil fuels, contrasted by tables of the distribution of non-fossil energy sources. Concise explanations cover the subject matters of geology, geophysics, oceans, atmosphere with attention to environmental implications and resources.
Download or read book Exergy for A Better Environment and Improved Sustainability 2 written by Fethi Aloui and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-08-22 with total page 1203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multi-disciplinary book presents the most recent advances in exergy, energy, and environmental issues. Volume 2 focuses on applications and covers current problems, future needs, and prospects in the area of energy and environment from researchers worldwide. Based on selected lectures from the Seventh International Exergy, Energy and Environmental Symposium (IEEES7-2015) and complemented by further invited contributions, this comprehensive set of contributions promote the exchange of new ideas and techniques in energy conversion and conservation in order to exchange best practices in "energetic efficiency". Applications are included that apply to the green transportation and sustainable mobility sectors, especially regarding the development of sustainable technologies for thermal comforts and green transportation vehicles. Furthermore, contributions on renewable and sustainable energy sources, strategies for energy production, and the carbon-free society constitute an important part of this book. Exergy for Better Environment and Sustainablity, Volume 2 will appeal to researchers, students, and professionals within engineering and the renewable energy fields.
Download or read book Life Cycle Assessment written by Aiduan Borrion and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2021-03-19 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an established methodology used to quantify the environmental impacts of products, processes and services. Circular economy (CE) thinking is conceptual way of considering the impacts of consuming resources. By taking a closed loop approach, CE provides a framework for influencing behaviours and practices to minimise this impact. Development of the circular economy is a crucial component in the progression towards future sustainability. This book provides a robust systematic approach to the circular economy concept, using the established methodology of LCA. Including chapters on circular economic thinking, the use of LCA as a metric and linking LCA to the wider circular economy, this book utilises case studies to illustrate the approaches to LCA. With contributions from researchers worldwide, Life Cycle Assessment provides a practical, global guide for those who wish to use LCA as a research tool or to inform policy, process, and product improvement.
Download or read book Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition written by Arda Işıldar and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-12-21 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical minerals play a vital role in the ongoing energy transition, which aims to shift global energy systems towards more sustainable and low-carbon alternatives. These minerals, also known as critical minerals, are essential components in various clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. They possess unique properties that enable efficient energy generation, storage, and transmission. For instance, neodymium, a rare earth element, is crucial for the production of high-performance magnets used in wind turbines and electric motors. Lithium, another critical mineral, is a key component in rechargeable batteries powering electric vehicles and energy storage solutions. As the demand for clean energy technologies continues to rise, securing a sustainable and reliable supply of critical minerals becomes increasingly important to support the global energy transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In this book, we investigate various aspects of critical mineral governance in the context of sustainability transition. We give perspectives around the critical metal requirements of sustainability transition in a forward-looking manner. We discuss the answers to the following questions: What role do the critical raw materials play in the transition to a sustainable economy and energy systems transformation? What are the bottlenecks in achieving a sustainable critical material supply? How do the critical minerals enable renewable energy transition and sustainable development? What is their role in the sustainability transition? How is mineral criticality assessed? And how critical are minerals? What are some regional differences in terms of critical mineral availability, processing capacity, and the supply chain? What strategy should be followed in deciding between primary raw materials and secondary raw materials in supplying critical raw materials for the transition to a sustainable economy? What is the (known) critical material budget, and how does it fit with the climate pledges? The authors of the chapters of this book take a multi-perspective approach and provide insights from industrial ecology, environmental engineering, and sustainable management of natural resources. The information provided will help readers to understand critical metal requirements of present and future key technologies and will help societies to develop and implement sustainable supply strategies.
Download or read book Life Cycle Assessment LCA of Environmental and Energy Systems written by Fabrizio Passarini and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transition towards renewable energy sources and “green” technologies for energy generation and storage is expected to mitigate the climate emergency in the coming years. However, in many cases, this progress has been hampered by our dependency on critical materials or other resources that are often processed at high environmental burdens. Yet, many studies have shown that environmental and energy issues are strictly interconnected and require a comprehensive understanding of resource management strategies and their implications. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is among the most inclusive analytical techniques to analyze sustainability benefits and trade-offs within complex systems and, in this Special Issue, it is applied to assess the mutual influences of environmental and energy dimensions. The selection of original articles, reviews, and case studies addressed covers some of the main driving applications for energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions, including power generation, bioenergy, biorefinery, building, and transportation. An insightful perspective on the current topics and technologies, and emerging research needs, is provided. Alone or in combination with integrative methodologies, LCA can be of pivotal importance and constitute the scientific foundation on which a full system understanding can be reached.
Download or read book Technology Innovation for the Circular Economy written by Nabil Nasr and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2024-02-28 with total page 820 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY The book comprises 56 peer-reviewed chapters comprehensively covering in-depth areas of circular economy design, planning, business models, and enabling technologies. Some of the greatest opportunities for innovation in the circular economy are in remanufacturing, refurbishment, reuse, and recycling. Critical to its growth, however, are developments in product design approaches and the manufacturing business model that are often met with challenges in the current, largely linear economies of today’s global manufacturing chains. The conference hosted by the REMADE Institute in Rochester, NY, brought together U.S. and international researchers, industry engineers, technologists, and policymakers, to discuss the myriad intertwining issues relating to the circular economy. This book consists of 56 chapters in 10 distinct parts covering broad areas of research and applications in the circular economy area. The first four parts explore the system level work related to circular economy approaches, models and advancements including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to guide implementation, as well as design for circularity approaches. Mechanical and chemical recycling technologies follow, highlighting some of the most advanced research in those areas. Next, innovation in remanufacturing is addressed with descriptions of some of the most advanced work in this field. This is followed by tire remanufacturing and recycling, highlighting innovative technologies in addressing the volume of end-of-use tires. Pathways to net-zero emissions in manufacturing of materials concludes the book, with a focus on industrial decarbonization. Audience This book has a wide audience in academic institutes, business professionals and engineers in a variety of manufacturing industries. It will also appeal to economists and policymakers working on the circular economy, clean tech investors, industrial decision-makers, and environmental professionals.
Download or read book Research Handbook of Innovation for a Circular Economy written by Jakobsen, Siri and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2021-12-09 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transition to a circular economy requires innovation at all levels of society. This insightful Research Handbook is the first comprehensive edited work examining how innovation can contribute to a more circular economy.
Download or read book Economic Theory and Globalization written by Thomas Hoerber and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do the economic theories of thought-leaders in economics, such as Smith, Keynes, Marx and Schumpeter, tell us about globalisation in the twenty-first century? Great economic theories have provided a narrative of how society should work in all its aspects, and can offer renewed usefulness for today's society. Each economic theory is presented for easy access, readability and simplicity; explaining the criticism a particular theory poses against its own contemporary environment, such as the poverty produced by Manchester capitalism in Marx, and then applying those historical lessons to our current time. Should some economic theories be left sitting on a shelf, safely without any impact on us, or do some great economic ideas still have something to contribute to the grand quest for a more just society in its many interpretations?
Download or read book Routledge Handbook of Ecological Economics written by Clive L. Spash and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-04-07 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since becoming formally established with an international academic society in the late 1980s, ecological economics has advanced understanding of the interactions between social and biophysical reality. It initially combined questioning of the basis of mainstream economics with a concern for environmental degradation and limits to growth, but has now advanced well beyond critique into theoretical, analytical and policy alternatives. Social ecological economics and transformation to an alternative future now form core ideas in an interdisciplinary approach combining insights from a range of disciplines including heterodox economics, political ecology, sociology, political science, social psychology, applied philosophy, environmental ethics and a range of natural sciences. This handbook, edited by a leading figure in the field, demonstrates the dynamism of ecological economics in a wide-ranging collection of state-of-the-art essays. Containing contributions from an array of international researchers who are pushing the boundaries of the field, the Routledge Handbook of Ecological Economics showcases the diversity of the field and points the way forward. A critical analytical perspective is combined with realism about how economic systems operate and their essential connection to the natural world and society. This provides a rich understanding of how biophysical reality relates to and integrates with social reality. Chapters provide succinct overviews of the literature covering a range of subject areas including: heterodox thought on the environment; society, power and politics, markets and consumption; value and ethics; science and society; methods for evaluation and policy analysis; policy challenges; and the future post-growth society. The rich contents dispel the myth of there being no alternatives to current economic thought and the political economy it supports. The Routledge Handbook of Ecological Economics provides a guide to the literature on ecological economics in an informative and easily accessible form. It is essential reading for those interested in exploring and understanding the interactions between the social, ecological and economic and is an important resource for those interested in fields such as: human ecology, political ecology, environmental politics, human geography, environmental management, environmental evaluation, future and transition studies, environmental policy, development studies and heterodox economics.