The development of a sustainable manufacturing process requires a comprehensive evaluation method and fundamental understanding of the processes. Coolant application is a critical sustainability concern in the widely used machining process. Cryogenic machining is considered a candidate for sustainable coolant application. However, the lack of comprehensive evaluation methods leaves significant uncertainties about the overall sustainability performance of cryogenic machining. Also, the lack of practical application guidelines based on scientific understanding of the heat transfer mechanism in cryogenic machining limits the process optimization from achieving the most sustainable performance. In this dissertation, based on a proposed Process Sustainability Index (ProcSI) methodology, the sustainability performance of the cryogenic machining process is optimized with application guidelines established by scientific modeling of the heat transfer mechanism in the process. Based on the experimental results, the process optimization is carried out with Genetic Algorithm (GA). The metrics-based ProcSI method considers all three major aspects of sustainable manufacturing, namely economy, environment and society, based on the 6R concept and the total life-cycle aspect. There are sixty five metrics, categorized into six major clusters. Data for all relavant metrics are collected, normalized, weighted, and then aggregated to form the ProcSI score, as an overall judgment for the sustainability performance of the process. The ProcSI method focuses on the process design as a manufacturer’s aspect, hoping to improve the sustainability performance of the manufactured products and the manufacturing system. A heat transfer analysis of cryogenic machining for a flank-side liquid nitrogen jet delivery is carried out. This is performed by micro-scale high-speed temperature measurement experiments. The experimental results are processed with an innovative inverse heat transfer solution method to calculate the surface heat transfer coefficient at various locations throughout a wide temperature range. Based on the results, the application guidelines, including suggestions of a minimal, but sufficient, coolant flow rate are established. Cryogenic machining experiments are carried out, and ProcSI evaluation is applied to the experimental scenario. Based on the ProcSI evaluation, the optimization process implemented with GA provides optimal machining process parameters for minimum manufacturing cost, minimal energy consumption, or the best sustainability performance.

Submitted by Lucienne Costa (lucienneferreira@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-11T17:02:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ISABELLE DA COSTA WANDERLEY ALENCAR – TESE (PPGRN) 2018.pdf: 8391011 bytes, checksum: d6d9f1320119f0e949f171284d03ad01 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-11T17:02:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ISABELLE DA COSTA WANDERLEY ALENCAR – TESE (PPGRN) 2018.pdf: 8391011 bytes, checksum: d6d9f1320119f0e949f171284d03ad01 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-28 / Avaliações de sustentabilidade na agricultura fornecem informações essenciais sobre a viabilidade dos sistemas agrícolas, contribuindo para a busca do desenvolvimento sustentável. Este trabalho de tese objetivou avaliar o estado de sustentabilidade das unidades de manejo familiares que produzem coco-anão verde em monocultivo e produção consorciada no PIVAS. O objetivo geral do estudo foi avaliar o estado da sustentabilidade dos agroecossistemas familiares que produzem coco-anão verde nessas duas formas de manejo. Os agroecossistemas estudados pertencem aos setores 6 e 7 do PIVAS e o estudo de campo ocorreu entre os anos de 2015 e 2016. O método para realizar a pesquisa fundamentou-se na proposta Marco para Avaliação de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturais Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidade (MESMIS) e abordou as dimensões ambientais, econômicas e sociais da sustentabilidade. O desenvolvimento do trabalho resultou em 6 indicadores de sustentabilidade compostos: recursos hídricos, manejo do solo, qualidade do solo, qualidade de vida, atividades laborais e condições econômicas. A mensuração dos indicadores ocorreu via entrevistas, observações diretas e análises laboratoriais. O Índice de Sustentabilidade Geral (ISG) do monocultivo foi de 2,14 e o do consórcio foi de 2,13, eles indicam que os agroecossistemas estão em condições regulares de sustentabilidade e que não há grandes evidências de diferenças entre eles. Com relação aos Indicadores de Sustentabilidade Compostos Gerais (ISCGs), os piores resultados estiveram relacionados aos recursos hídricos (1,99) e condições econômicas (1,67) ambos em situações que não contribuem com a sustentabilidade local e corroborando a relação verificada entre o não atendimento da demanda hídrica integral das plantas e sua plena produtividade. O melhor resultado (2,49) relacionou-se à qualidade de vida, representando uma condição regular de sustentabilidade. Era esperado que o consórcio tivesse demonstrado melhores níveis de sustentabilidade, no entanto, foi verificado que ele obteve situação de sustentabilidade abaixo da regular em qualidade do solo e condições econômicas. Para os dados analisados, não houve diferenças significativas entre o monocultivo e o cultivo consorciado, isso pode ter sido decorrente da forte estiagem que comprometeu a produção do coqueiro-anão em ambos os tipos de cultivo / Sustainability evaluation in agriculture provides essential information on the feasibility of farming systems, contributing to the pursuit of sustainable development. This study deals with the sustainability of coconut trees cultivation in the irrigated perimeter of the Sousa floodplains, where the dwarf coconut is cultivated in monoculture and in mixed intercropping with the banana trees. The overall objective was to assess the sustainability of the family agroecosystems that produce coconut trees in those two management forms. The agroecosystems studied belong to sectors 6 and 7 of the irrigated perimeter and the field study occurred between the years 2015 and 2016. The method for conducting the research was based on the proposal MESMIS (Framework for the evaluation of natural resource management systems incorporating sustainability indicators) and addressed the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability. The development of the work resulted in 6 composite sustainability indicators: water resources, soil management, soil quality, quality of life, labor activities and economic conditions. The indicators were measured through interviews, direct observation and laboratory analyses. The Overall Sustainability Index of the monoculture was 2.14 and of the mixed intercropping was 2.13, both indicating that the agroecosystems are in regular conditions of sustainability, and that there are no great differences between them. About the overall composite sustainability indicators, the worst results were related to water resources (1.99) and economic conditions (1.67), both demonstrating small contribution to the local sustainability and corroborating a verified relationship between not providing integral water demand to plants and their full productivity. The best result (2.49) was the quality of life, representing a regular condition of sustainability. For the data analyzed, there were no significant differences between monoculture and mixed intercropping, this may have been due to the strong drought that compromised the production of dwarf coconut in both types of cultivation.

This dissertation examines the development of the corporate sustainability evaluation system as a tool to implement the concept of sustainability management into business operations in China. The research focuses upon the theory construction and evolution, the application as a management tool, and the response to problems in corporate sustainability. The thesis presents a series of case studies that outline differing approaches to implement it during the business operation. It also presents the evaluation system enable corporation and related stakeholders group to improve corporate management towards sustainable development. Corporations are part of our increasingly complex and global system, drawing on and impacting on that system. Sustainable development poses a challenge to the traditional mindset of business operation. Increasingly the corporate performance is judged not just by the services, products and profits they make but also by the impacts they have on human and social well-being and on the natural environment on which we all depend for life. This thesis develops a special system to evaluate corporate sustainability and its impact to social and environment. In a quest for improved corporate sustainability performance, many organizations have developed numerous methods to monitor and measure its process. Unfortunately, many of these methods appear to be neither applicable nor able to promote effective decision-making. As a potential remedy, a theoretical framework was developed in this thesis using principles of integrated system to create a performance measurement system for corporations in China. On the basis of literature reviews and theoretical analysis, this thesis constructs a framework to identify key factors in sustainability, redefined procedure towards sustainable business. The discussion also argues that sustainability evaluation will change the way that companies perform, their day-to-day operations and improve corporate productivity through combining the agenda of sustainable development with corporate interests. The thesis also developed a practice oriented business management tool, through experiment by internal and external approaches in various corporations in China with considering all factors affected business operations and managing all factors in holistic way.

Over more than forty years many proposals have been drawn up to complement, integrate and overcome the traditional methodologies measuring the financial dimension of corporate performance. In parallel, thousands of companies, and especially the listed ones, have introduced, developed and implemented different practices of non-financial reporting. So, what is the state of the art with regard to the most important initiatives aimed at supporting companies in managing social, environmental and sustainability performance? And, what are the current corporate approaches to sustainability evaluation and reporting? In order to answer the two research questions, the study introduced a collaborative paradigm, based on a relational view of the firm, which recognizes the strategic value of stakeholder relationships. The stakeholder framework (that is, the multiple bottom line approach) is the lens adopted to conduct the study. With regard to the first question, a broad and up-to-date review of the most important standards and tools – aimed at managing, controlling, evaluating, and reporting the social, environmental and sustainability performance of companies – has been carried out. In reference to the second question, a qualitative content analysis, based on an interpretive perspective, of the current corporate practices has been conducted. The investigation mainly explored the social/CSR/sustainability reports of sixteen leading companies from four crucial industries (i.e., four firms per each of the four industries: banks, retailing, telecommunications, and utilities). In comparison with previous contributions in this area, the analysis is characterized by depth (that is, the number of items checked for every company), breadth (i.e., the number of stakeholders and documents/information sources covered), and complexity because of the interpretive nature. What emerged from the overall study is that, because of several and different reasons (essentially, complexity and the still prevailing focus on financial value for management tools; redundancy and incompleteness for corporate reports; and lack of innovation, that is, isomorphism, for both), the prevailing methodologies and the corporate evaluation and reporting activities are unable to fully assess the sustainability, that is, the quality, of the corporate relationships with the stakeholder groups. Therefore, in order to fill the gap new solutions are needed. As an attempt to address this point and reconnect theory and practice, a sustainability evaluation and reporting system, that is, the SERS2 methodology, characterized by an innovative, stakeholder-based scheme of integrated report, has been advanced.

Em geral a avaliação de desempenho dos sistemas produtivos considera critério normalizado de uso eficiente de recursos de transformação tecnológica (como máquinas e matérias-primas), processamento de informações e operações de manuseio/transporte. No entanto, não existem critérios ou regras normalizadas para avaliar o desempenho de um sistema produtivo no contexto da sustentabilidade. Assim, este trabalho introduz uma abordagem para identificar e avaliar os indicadores de desempenho relacionados à sustentabilidade dos sistemas produtivos, especificamente para casos geograficamente dispersos, ou seja, Sistema Produtivo Disperso (SPD), no qual os processos ocorrem de forma distribuída e dispersa. A abordagem proposta baseia-se em um framework destinado a medir os indicadores-chave de desempenho de sustentabilidade (KPIs - Key Performance Indicators) que avaliam a sustentabilidade de um sistema. O framework considera a norma ANSI/ISA-95 e os processos produtivos modelados usando a rede de Petri. A metodologia de avaliação de sustentabilidade considera o equilíbrio dos indicadores de sustentabilidade, os quais dependem dos aspectos econômicos, ambientais, sociais e tecnológicos, além do comprometimento de todos os colaboradores envolvidos. / In general, the performance evaluation of productive systems considers normalized criteria of the efficient use of technological transformation resources (such as machines and raw materials), information processing and handling/transportation operations. However, there are no normalized criteria or rules to evaluate the performance of a productive system in the context of sustainability. Thus, this paper introduces an approach to identify and to evaluate the performance indicators related to the sustainability of productive systems, specifically for geographically disperse cases, i.e., disperse productive system (DPS), in which the processes are in a distributed and disperse architecture. The proposed approach is based on a framework aimed to measure sustainability key-performance-indicators (KPIs) that evaluate the sustainability of a system. The framework considers the ANSI/ISA-95 standard and productive processes modeled using Petri net. The sustainability assessment methodology considers the balance of sustainability indicators, which depend on economic, environmental, social, and technological aspects, besides the commitment of all the partners involved.

Em geral a avaliação de desempenho dos sistemas produtivos considera critério normalizado de uso eficiente de recursos de transformação tecnológica (como máquinas e matérias-primas), processamento de informações e operações de manuseio/transporte. No entanto, não existem critérios ou regras normalizadas para avaliar o desempenho de um sistema produtivo no contexto da sustentabilidade. Assim, este trabalho introduz uma abordagem para identificar e avaliar os indicadores de desempenho relacionados à sustentabilidade dos sistemas produtivos, especificamente para casos geograficamente dispersos, ou seja, Sistema Produtivo Disperso (SPD), no qual os processos ocorrem de forma distribuída e dispersa. A abordagem proposta baseia-se em um framework destinado a medir os indicadores-chave de desempenho de sustentabilidade (KPIs - Key Performance Indicators) que avaliam a sustentabilidade de um sistema. O framework considera a norma ANSI/ISA-95 e os processos produtivos modelados usando a rede de Petri. A metodologia de avaliação de sustentabilidade considera o equilíbrio dos indicadores de sustentabilidade, os quais dependem dos aspectos econômicos, ambientais, sociais e tecnológicos, além do comprometimento de todos os colaboradores envolvidos. / In general, the performance evaluation of productive systems considers normalized criteria of the efficient use of technological transformation resources (such as machines and raw materials), information processing and handling/transportation operations. However, there are no normalized criteria or rules to evaluate the performance of a productive system in the context of sustainability. Thus, this paper introduces an approach to identify and to evaluate the performance indicators related to the sustainability of productive systems, specifically for geographically disperse cases, i.e., disperse productive system (DPS), in which the processes are in a distributed and disperse architecture. The proposed approach is based on a framework aimed to measure sustainability key-performance-indicators (KPIs) that evaluate the sustainability of a system. The framework considers the ANSI/ISA-95 standard and productive processes modeled using Petri net. The sustainability assessment methodology considers the balance of sustainability indicators, which depend on economic, environmental, social, and technological aspects, besides the commitment of all the partners involved.

O presente trabalho consistiu em realizar uma proposta metodológica de análise quantitativa da sustentabilidade de estabelecimentos agropecuários fluminenses através do emprego do marco metodológico proposto por Sauvenier et al. (2006) e van Cauwenbergh et al. (2007), denominado SAFE (Sustainability Assessment of Farming and the Environment Framework). Conforme a aplicação para sistemas agrários realizada por Sánchez-Fernández (2009) e por sua vez, incorporando a quarta dimensão da sustentabilidade (dimensão institucional), ademais das três dimensões clássicas neste tipo de análise (econômica, social e ambiental), seguindo a sugestão do IBGE (2010), com base nas recomendações do Livro Azul da ONU (1996). Esse procedimento contou com a colaboração e validação de um painel composto por 16 especialistas em agricultura fluminense o que permitiu selecionar 20 indicadores de sustentabilidade, derivados de 17 critérios, 8 princípios e 4 dimensões. Dos resultados alcançados e de seus possíveis desdobramentos, a proposta metodológica sugerida pode ser considerada uma ferramenta potencialmente útil para guiar as políticas públicas que incidem sobre o setor. / The aim of this study was to develop a practical methodology for evaluating the sustainability of farms by means of the methodological framework proposed by Sauvenier et al. (2006) and van Cauwenbergh et al. (2007), called SAFE (Sustainability Assessment of Farming and the Environment Framework), according to the application for agricultural systems performed by Sánchez-Fernández (2009) and incorporating the fourth dimension of sustainability (institutional dimension) besides the three classical dimensions adopted in this type of analysis (economic, social and environmental), following the suggestions of IBGE (2010), based on the recommendations of the UN Blue Book (1996). This procedure was validated by a panel of 16 experts in fluminense agriculture that supported the selection of 20 sustainability indicators, derived from 17 criteria, 8 principles and 4 dimensions. Through the results achieved and their possible outcomes, the proposed methodology for agricultural sustainability quantitative analysis could be considered as a potentially useful tool to improve current agricultural policies.

O presente trabalho consistiu em realizar uma proposta metodológica de análise quantitativa da sustentabilidade de estabelecimentos agropecuários fluminenses através do emprego do marco metodológico proposto por Sauvenier et al. (2006) e van Cauwenbergh et al. (2007), denominado SAFE (Sustainability Assessment of Farming and the Environment Framework). Conforme a aplicação para sistemas agrários realizada por Sánchez-Fernández (2009) e por sua vez, incorporando a quarta dimensão da sustentabilidade (dimensão institucional), ademais das três dimensões clássicas neste tipo de análise (econômica, social e ambiental), seguindo a sugestão do IBGE (2010), com base nas recomendações do Livro Azul da ONU (1996). Esse procedimento contou com a colaboração e validação de um painel composto por 16 especialistas em agricultura fluminense o que permitiu selecionar 20 indicadores de sustentabilidade, derivados de 17 critérios, 8 princípios e 4 dimensões. Dos resultados alcançados e de seus possíveis desdobramentos, a proposta metodológica sugerida pode ser considerada uma ferramenta potencialmente útil para guiar as políticas públicas que incidem sobre o setor. / The aim of this study was to develop a practical methodology for evaluating the sustainability of farms by means of the methodological framework proposed by Sauvenier et al. (2006) and van Cauwenbergh et al. (2007), called SAFE (Sustainability Assessment of Farming and the Environment Framework), according to the application for agricultural systems performed by Sánchez-Fernández (2009) and incorporating the fourth dimension of sustainability (institutional dimension) besides the three classical dimensions adopted in this type of analysis (economic, social and environmental), following the suggestions of IBGE (2010), based on the recommendations of the UN Blue Book (1996). This procedure was validated by a panel of 16 experts in fluminense agriculture that supported the selection of 20 sustainability indicators, derived from 17 criteria, 8 principles and 4 dimensions. Through the results achieved and their possible outcomes, the proposed methodology for agricultural sustainability quantitative analysis could be considered as a potentially useful tool to improve current agricultural policies.

Construction is an investment intensive industry which has been notoriouslyknown to be cost and time ineffective. Further, the construction industry isknown to be the world’s largest resource utilizer and the largest polluter.Hence sustainability in construction is necessary.Since Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) are one of the most importantstakeholders in construction, this research aims to determine the sustainabilityaspects taught in Swedish construction programmes. On comparing the aimsand outcomes of all construction courses to the United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), this research found that Swedish constructioneducation programmes lack political and social sustainability in theirconstruction curricula. Further, this research investigates the challenges toimparting sustainability education due to present research andpedagogical/teaching methods. Data to investigate the results was collectedthrough interviews with programme directors from various SwedishUniversities.The findings of this research show a connection between practical application,research and traditional education. Further, the factors affecting research andpedagogy are also inter-related and convoluted. A large cause and effectnetwork arising due to the interplay of the factors is addressed in thediscussions section. This thesis finds that sustainable development inconstruction requires development of sustainability evaluation methods as wellas combined efforts from various stakeholders and professions.

Allt fler organisationer väljer att jobba med hållbar utveckling, på grund av att det kan ses som en konkurrenskraft. Att arbeta med hållbar utveckling kan innefatta att utföra hållbarhetsutvärderingar, vilket kan göras genom metoden LCSA analys. Syftet med det här arbetet är att utvärdera och analysera ett producerande företags nuvarande klimatpåverkan sett till koldioxidekvivalentutsläpp från intern materialhantering som sker med dieseltruckar. Vidare syftar även arbetet till att visa hur en hållbarhetsutvärdering kan utföras för att påvisa ekologisk, ekonomisk samt social påverkan. I arbetet utförs en hållbarhetsutvärdering av trucksystem, för att identifiera det teoretiskt bästa alternativet, i jämförelse med ett fallföretags nuläge. Den metod som används för hållbarhetsutvärderingen är LCSA analys. Utöver resultatet från hållbarhetsutvärderingen tas även hänsyn till gränssnittet mellan teoretiskt och praktiskt bästa trucksystemalternativ.  Fallföretaget Volvo GTO i Skövde, har i dagsläget 18 dieseldrivna motviktstruckar, vilka har olika kapacitet och varierande arbetsuppgifter. Det nuvarande drivmedlet för samtliga truckar är Diesel Mk1. Fallföretagets flöden i dagsläget ställer generellt höga krav på truckarnas tekniska kapacitet gällande exempelvis åkhastighet, körning i uppförslutning, dragkraft samt lyft- och sänkhastighet. De 18 dieseltruckarna bidrog under år 2017 med ett klimatpåverkande utsläpp om cirka 237 ton koldioxidekvivalenter, sett till hela livscykeln för Diesel Mk1 samt truckflottans totala drifttider.  Gällande hållbarhetsutvärderingen LCSA analys, utförs den på trucksystem drivna av Diesel Mk1, HVO-Diesel, blybatterier samt litiumjonbatterier inom kapaciteterna 3,5, 5 och 8 ton. Analysen tar hänsyn till de tre pelarna inom hållbar utveckling.  Vidare tas hänsyn till trucksystemens tekniska specifikationer, vilket jämförs mot den nuvarande dieseltruckflottan. Generellt kan en lägre teknisk prestanda ses hos de eldrivna trucksystemen, vilket kan påverka möjligheten att implementera de hos fallföretaget. Teoretiskt lägst ekologisk och social påverkan kan ses hos de litiumjonbatteridrivna trucksystemen, lägst påverkan inom den ekonomiska pelaren har blybatteridrift. Ställt mot fallföretagets nuvarande flöden och behov, rekommenderar författarna HVO-Dieseldrivna trucksystem, då de har samma tekniska kapacitet samt lägre ekologisk och social påverkan. Avgränsningar har gjorts för analyserna i rapporten, gällande processgränser och påverkande faktorer. För framtida hållbarhetsutvärderingar rekommenderar författarna att större processgränser och fler påverkande faktorer tas hänsyn till, för att identifiera samtlig påverkan inom pelarna. I rapporten återfinns exempel på påverkan utanför valda processgränser, såsom utsläpp som påverkar över tid och exploatering. Under arbetets gång har informationsgap uppmärksammats inom olika områden. När det gäller forskning kring hållbarhetsutvärderingar saknas beprövade metoder. Därför efterfrågas enklare analysmetoder inom hållbar utveckling. Gap i forskning angående truckteori är något som också uppmärksammats. / The amount of organizations that choose to work with sustainability is increasing due to the potential competitiveness it causes. Working with sustainability may include sustainability evaluations, which can be done through the LCSA analysis method. The purpose of this report is to evaluate and analyze a manufacturing company's current climate impact due to carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from diesel-powered forklifts within internal material handling. Further, the report aims to illustrate how a sustainability evaluation can be conducted to identify ecological, economic and social impact. In the report, a sustainability evaluation of forklift systems is performed to identify the theoretically best alternative, compared to a case company's current situation. The method used for the sustainability evaluation is LCSA analysis. In addition to the results of the sustainability evaluation, the interface between theoretically and practically best forklift system alternatives is considered.  The case company Volvo GTO in Skövde, currently have 18 diesel-powered forklifts, which have different capacities and functions. The current fuel for all forklifts is Diesel Mk1. The flows today generally set high demands on the forklifts technical capacity, for example on, travel speed, climbing ability, traction force and lifting and lowering speed. In the year 2017, the 18 diesel-powered forklifts contributed with a climate impact of approximately 237 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, considering the entire life cycle of Diesel Mk1 and the forklift fleets total run time.  Regarding the sustainability evaluation LCSA analysis, it is performed on forklift systems powered by Diesel Mk1, HVO-Diesel, lead acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries within the capacities 3.5, 5 and 8-tonne. The analysis considers the three pillars of sustainability. Further, the technical specifications of the forklift systems are considered and compared with the current diesel-powered fleet. Generally, a lower technical capacity can be seen in the electric forklift systems, which may affect the ability to implement those at the case company. Theoretically lowest ecological and social impact can be seen within the lithium-ion battery-powered forklift systems, the lowest impact on the economic pillar is seen in the lead acid battery systems. Based on the case company's current flows and demands, the authors recommend HVO-Diesel-powered forklift systems, as they have the same technical capabilities as well as lower ecological and social impacts. Limitations has been set for the reports analyzes, regarding process boundaries and impact indicators. For future sustainability evaluations, the authors recommend that wider process boundaries and more impact indicators are applied to identify the total impact within the pillars of sustainability. The report comprehends examples of impact beyond selected process boundaries, such as emissions affecting over time or exploitation. During the progress of this report, information gaps have been discovered in different areas. Regarding research of sustainability evaluations, proven methods are lacking. Therefore, established methods for evaluation are desired. A gap in research of forklift theory has also been noted.