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Bringing KTH’s Environmental Performance to an Internationally Leading Level / Utveckling av KTHs miljöprestanda till en internationell spetsnivå.Wassberg, André January 2016 (has links)
This report analyses the types of international ratings/rankings available for universities to measure their sustainability performance. Sustainability has become an increasing topic of interest for universities to attract students as well as lowering their environmental footprint. The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) has in recent years focused on campus sustainability after being labeled as one of the worst environmental government institutions in Sweden according to ‘Naturvårdsverkets - Ranking of Environmental System in Authorities’ in 2008 and 2011. Sustainability implementations such as new policies and action plans for sustainability and environmental issues and ISO 14001 (implemented in 2015) has provided a platform for the university to reach its goal of being a leading university with regards to sustainability practices at campus and the institution as a whole. This goal is initiated from KTH’s 2027 Vision. In order to market itself as one of the best sustainability campuses in the world the university has to compare itself with high practice sustainable campuses around the world. As of 2016, KTH does not compare itself to international universities with regards to sustainability practices. One way to do this is to use international sustainability ratings/rankings. This report analyses the two international ratings available today: UI GreenMetric and STARS Rating. The UI GreenMetric was launched in 2010 by the Universitas Indonesia and the STARS Rating started in 2010 and was first designed to rate universities across the United Stated but in recent years it has become international. The report analyzes the top 4 in each ranking as well as the top technical university in the rankings so a total of 10 universities are analyzed in this report. Contact has been made with each university's sustainability manager. All universities have praised the use of rankings and many have improved their sustainability practices due to participation in these rankings. According to different universities, the ratings have helped understand important stakeholder, benchmark the university to top sustainability institutions, help connect the sustainability policy towards the whole campus, help save money, etc. The report also concludes that KTH is in a unique position with being the only university in the report to lease all of its buildings. KTH leases all of its buildings from Akademiska Hus (AH) and this report showcases that this makes sustainability harder with regards to sustainable building practices as KTH needs to collaborate with Akademiska Hus with regards to such issues. KTH needs to improve its collaboration with Akademiska Hus as well as improve future leasing contracts to achieve international recognized green building standards as the green building standard of ‘Miljöbyggnad’ is not enough if KTH wants to be internationally recognized. This report also gives examples to other sustainability practices which have proven to work at the other universities analyzed in this report that KTH can implement. KTH has a long way to go before being internationally recognized for its sustainability program but with implementations such as STARS Rating, improved collaboration with Akademiska Hus and improved data/statistic handling it can surely be on its way to competing with the best sustainability campuses around the world. / Denna rapport analyserar två typer av internationell rankning system som är tillgängliga för universitet, för att mäta miljöprestanda. Hållbarhet och miljöarbete har blivit ett ökande intresse för universitet runt om i världen att kunna locka studenter samt minimera sin miljöpåverkan. Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) har under senaste åren förstärk sitt miljöarbete efter har blivit klassificerat som ett av Sveriges högsta miljöpåverkande institutioner enligt ’Naturvårdsverket – Miljöledning i Staten’ för 2008 och 2011. KTH har sedan dess implementerat åtgärder så som ny miljöpolicy och handlingsplaner för KTH campus, samt infört ISO 14001 (implementerat i 2015) vilket har skapat en plattform för att förstärka miljöarbetet på campus. KTH har som mål att bli en av världens bästa miljö- och hållbarhetscampus som förkommer i KTHs ’Vision 2027’. För att kunna göra detta så måste KTH kunna jämföra sig med internationella universitet som har den bästa miljö- och hållbarhetscampus. Från och med 2016 så jämför KTH inte sig med internationella universitet angående miljöarbete på ett konkret sätt. Ett sätt att kunna jämföra sig med världens bästa är att använda sig av internationell hållbarhetsrankning som redan finns tillgänglig. Denna rapport analyserar i detalj två internationella rankningar: UI GreenMetric och STARS Rating. UI GreenMetric lanserades i 2010 av Universitas Indonesia och the STARS Rating lanserades också 2010 och var först utformad för att ranka universitet i USA, men har under senaste tiden utvecklats till att bli ett internationellt rankingsystem. Denna rapport analyserar de topp 4 universitet i båda rankingsystem, samt den högst rankade tekniska universitet för att få en bättre korrelation med KTH. Totalt analyseras 10 universitet där hållbarhetschefen på varje universitets har gjorts och där Oxford University, Stanford University, University of California, Davis är några exempel. Nästan alla universitet har berömt den internationella rankning som de har deltagit i och många har förbättrat sitt miljöarbete på grund av deltagandet. Rankingen har till exempel varit till hjälp för att förstå universitetets viktiga aktörer, ansluta hållbarhetspolicyn till hela campuset, skapat en viktig referenspunkt angående universitets miljöarbete och bidragit till sparande åtgärder. KTH är också i en unik position jämfört med de andra universiteten som har analyserats i denna rapport. KTH är det enda universitetet som hyr alla sina byggnader. Byggnaderna på campus hyrs genom Akademiska Hus (AH). Denna rapport visar att hållbarhetsåtgärder blir svårare särskilt åtgärder riktade mot KTHs byggnader när KTH måste samarbeta med den externa aktören Akademiska Hus för att driva fram dessa åtgärder. KTH måste förbättra sammarbetet med Akademiska Hus om KTH vill nå en hög internationell miljöprestanda. Många universitet som analyseras i denna rapport använder sig av internationella miljöklassningssystem som LEED och BREEAM. KTH använder sig bara av den nationella miljöklassningssystem Miljöbyggnad. Enligt internationella standard så saknar Miljöbyggnad många hållbarhetsfaktorer jämfört med LEED och BREEAM vilket måste kompliteras om dessa internationella standarder inte används. KTH är långt ifrån att bli internationellt erkänd för sitt miljöarbete men med genomförande åtgärder som deltagande i STARS Rating, förbättrad samarbete med Akademiska Hus och förbättradstatistik hantering så har KTH potential att bli världsledande inom miljö- och hållbarutveckling på campus.
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OPTIMIZED WTE CONVERSION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN SHANGHAI APPLYING THERMOCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIESDai, Siyang January 2016 (has links)
Thermochemical technologies have been proven effective in treating municipal solid waste (MSW) for many years. China, with a rapid increase of MSW, plans to implement more environmental friendly ways to treat MSW than landfill, which treats about 79 % of total MSW currently. The aim of this master thesis was to find out a suitable thermochemical technology to treat MSW in Shanghai, China. Several different thermochemical technologies are compared in this thesis and plasma gasification was selected for a case study in Shanghai. A model of the plasma gasification plant was created and analysed. Other processes in the plant including MSW pre-treating and gas cleaning are also proposed. By calculating the energy balance, it is demonstrated that plasma treatment of 1000 ton/day MSW with 70 % moisture reaches an efficiency of 33.5 % when producing electricity, which is higher than an incineration WtE plant (27 % maximum) and a gasification WtE plant (30 % maximum). Besides of the efficiency comparison, costs and environmental impacts of different technologies are also compared in this paper. The result indicated that given the characteristics and management situation of MSW in Shanghai, plasma gasification is a better choice to treat MSW in Shanghai.
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Pneumatic Underground Waste Management System : A Technological Innovation System AnalysisJagadeesha, Shashank, Venkatesh, Darshan January 2022 (has links)
Most of the urban areas face solid waste management issues due to the constantly rising population. The functional component of trash collection comprises not only the collection of solid waste and recyclables but also the transportation of the waste in vehicles to recycling/dumping centers. Industries and governments are searching for alternative solutions to achieve more efficient management of waste as part of their efforts to achieve more sustainable and smart cities. Pneumatic Underground Collection is an alternative technology that can assist in the development of smart and sustainable cities. The technology consists of a network of optimally distributed deposit boxes connected to a network of underground pipes through which waste is transferred to a collection point. Such systems carry an increased burden related to conventional waste management systems due to the involved technical processes and higher number of stakeholders. Thus, policy change is paramount as the regulations, user practices, infrastructure and maintenance networks are all aligned with existing waste management methods. Using a technological innovation system analysis which entails evaluation of system functions that support or impede technology diffusion.The goal of this research was to determine the areas where policy changes are required and evaluate the extent of implementation of the PUC technology as an alternative for waste collection utilizing TIS analysis. Minor efforts are necessary to educate people as most of them are self-aware. Results of this study contribute to improving knowledge development and market exchange between participating actors. Barriers include Market, knowledge exchange,knowledge development, counteract resistance to change, innovation and resource mobilization. Areas, where policy change is necessary, are marketregulation, infrastructure for knowledge, platforms for knowledge assimilation,better access for researchers and industries to the knowledge base,incentivized adoption by consumers, incentivized integration in existing residential areas and financial aid for start-ups in the public innovation sector.
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Lean equals Green? : A case study on Scania’s production system and environmental performance / Är Lean likvärdigt med Green? : Ett projektarbete om Scanias produktionssystem och miljöprestanda.Thi, Sonja Nguyen January 2016 (has links)
It is said that Lean production has a potential to reduce a company’s environmental impact. The reasons for it are that Lean production is resource efficient and eliminates unnecessary steps and waste in the production. The purpose of this report is, with support of theoretical and empirical studies, answer the research question: Can the Lean concept positively affect a company’s environmental performance? Lean principles and methods focus on elimination of waste, continuous improvement and resource efficiency which can positively impact on a company’s environmental performance. Lean tools, additionally, can be expanded to comprise environmental issues. Also in this report, the incorporation of environmental work with the studied company’s production system principles and methods is favourable to its environmental performance since environmental work is being employed in every aspect of the business itself.
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Wind Power Integration and Operational ChallengesAlnaami, Zurya, Duenas, José January 2016 (has links)
Wind power generation has gained considerable relevance in global energy markets in the last few decades. The technology behind wind turbines and their integration to the power grid are still the focus of considerable research. How exactly does this energy source influence the existing power distribution grid is still a matter of interest to many parties. The method used in this report is based on a literature study which intends to examine what is the current state of energy generation based on wind power in Sweden. In the report we have analyzed some of the integration and operational challenges of connecting a large amount of wind generated electricity to the power grid and attempted to provide an accurate and up to date summary of what these challenges will entail in the coming decade. Our results show that further research would greatly improve the current technology used in wind power generation to allow such a high level penetration.
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Classification of Power Consumption Patterns for Swedish Households Using K-meansDamström, Julia, Gerlitz, Cecilia January 2016 (has links)
Society is facing a big challenge. To achieve a more sustainable development the power distribution system needs to change. The development of Smart Grid is one way of making the electricity market more sustainable. More information about the grid, such as information about where renewable energy sources are installed, is essential for the development of Smart Grids. When new energy sources, for example solar panels, are connected to the grid there will be consequences. Sudden changes in the energy transportation in the grid when the weather changes from sunny to cloudy will affect the balance. The grid owners need to be able to control the grid more actively to compensate the inconsistency of renewable energy sources. One way of handling this is to obtain more information about the end users’ consumption patterns and to analyse this information to create a useful tool for the grid owners. This project aims to propose a method for classification of power consumption profiles for Swedish household by using hourly data from smart meters. The presented method first divides the data according to season and type of day and thereafter it is normalised before it is clustered into typical clusters using the K-means algorithm. To be able to run K-means, the number of clusters needs to be set in advance. The presented method therefore tries to find the optimum number of clusters by controlling the similarities between clusters, using cross correlation. The project shows it is possible to profile Swedish households using K-means.
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Energieffektivisering av flerbostadshus : En studie av det befintliga bostadsbeståndetHedman, Emma Åslund, Wennberg, Anton Jensen January 2016 (has links)
Detta arbete behandlar ombyggnation av flerbostadshus i Sverige med fokus på energieffektivisering. Bostads- och servicesektorn använder årligen 148 TWh per år och hela 40 procent av Sveriges totala energianvändning varav många av de hus som finns i landet är långt ifrån så effektiva som de skulle kunna bli med bara några få tekniska åtgärder. Arbetets syfte var att studera om Sverige med dagens teknik kan uppnå de uppsatta målen för hållbar utveckling som gäller för bostads- och servicesektorn och huruvida detta är ekonomiskt hållbart eller ej. Under arbetets gång har flerbostadshus valts som fokus för studien eftersom energiminskningen per person ger ett bättre resultat i en energiminskning av flerbostadshus. Det bör även vara mer kostnadseffektivt att renovera flerbostadshus eftersom energiminskningen per person och investerad krona bör bli mindre än att investera i endast ett enbostadshus. En litteraturstudie, policyanalys, en teknisk bakgrund samt en fallstudie över tre genomförda renoveringsprojekt med fokus på energieffektivisering har genomförts. Litteraturstudien består av en översiktlig studie av renovering med energifokus, vilka för- och nackdelar som finns idag samt vilka hinder som existerar. För policyanalysen har målsättningar och riktlinjer som finns både på EU- nivå och för Sverige studerats. Den tekniska bakgrunden beskriver ingående de renoveringsåtgärder som är möjliga och bakgrunden till dessa. När fallstudien genomfördes studerades genomförda energieffektiviseringsåtgärder, kostnader, energiresultat m.m. Utifrån resultaten från fallstudien och de uppsatta målen från policyanalysen kunde slutsatsen dras att en minskning i energianvändningen på ca 40 procent i endast de befintliga flerbostadshusen är både tekniskt möjligt och ekonomiskt hållbart. Med striktare reglering om krav på energianvändning i flerbostadshus vid renovering och nybyggnation kommer således en minskning på 50 procent i energianvändningen i det befintliga beståndet inte bara vara möjlig i teorin utan även i praktiken. Dock kommer minskningen kräva en stor förändring i renoveringsprocesserna. Bland annat tydligare systemgränser och schablonmodeller för energieffektivisering skulle minska hindren till att nå målen, vilket skulle behövas för att dra igång den nödvändiga förändringen. / This report deals with renovation of multi-family buildings in Sweden with a focus on energy efficiency. The Swedish housing and service sector is one of largest consumers of energy in the Swedish society, with a total usage of 148 TWh per it represent about 40 percent of the total energy consumption in Sweden. Many of the buildings in the country are far from the efficiency levels that they could be with the technology that exist today. The purpose of the study was to investigate if Sweden with help from modern technology can reach the goals for sustainable development that exists for the residential/housing and service sector and whether this would be cost efficient or not. In the report we have made the choice to narrow our focus to only multi-family buildings since energy efficiency measures in such buildings results in larger savings per person compared to if the same measures would be applied to a single-family house. A literature study, a policy analysis, a technical background and a case study of three completed renovation projects with focus on energy efficiency have been conducted. The literature study handle positive and negative aspects about renovating with energy focus and what obstacles we have to overcome. The technical background describes different measures that could reduce the energy usage and why. In the case study we looked into completed measures with focus to make the houses more energy efficient, costs of the projects and the energy results. These results combined with the results from the literature study were used in a discussion about whether or not the set goals are reachable. After the discussion we reached the conclusion that a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 40 percent, in only the existing multi-family buildings, is possible. With stricter regulation regarding energy usage during reconstructions and new constructions of multi residential buildings a reduction of 50 percent in the energy consumption is possible not just in theory but also in reality. In order to reach the environmental goals we need clearer system boundaries and standard models for energy efficiency, which would decrease the existing obstacles and motivate society to initiate the change that is necessary.
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Conversion to a Circular Industry : Success and limiting factors to convert Högdalen Industrial Area into an eco-industrial parkBywall, Karin, Rosendal, Timmy January 2015 (has links)
The concept of eco-industrial parks is a way to minimize environmental impact and resource use from an industrial area, and in this study the concept is applied to Högdalen industrial area in Stockholm. An interview study has been conducted with key actors in the area, which found for instance that there were a good cooperation will among the actors and some material and energy exchanges occurring. This was then compared to a literature study of the limiting and success factors of the development of an eco-industrial parks. A quarter of the identified factors were determined to have good prospects, a fifth was partly fulfilled, a fifth had bad prospects, a fifth was unknown and 15 % was unknown but relevant to uncover in this stage of development. For the future, it is suggested that: more interviews should be done with more actors in the area, Cleantech Högdalen should change focus to develop an eco-industrial park, more energy and material flows should be mapped and to gather information of unknown and relevant factors. The conclusion of this study is that there is potential to develop Högdalen Industrial Area into an eco-industrial park but there are some knowledge gaps about the quantitative minimization of resources and environmental impact. / Konceptet eco-industrial parks bygger på att minimera klimatpåverkan och resursanvändning från ett industriområde, i den här studien är konceptet applicerat på Högdalens industriområde i Stockholm. En intervjustudie har utförts i området, där nyckelaktörer har intervjuats, studien visade bland annat att det är en generellt sätt god samarbetsvilja i området samt att några energi-och materialutbyten sker. Intervjustudien har jämförts med en literaturstudie av framgångsfaktorer och begränsande faktorer för utvecklingen av en eco-industrial park. En fjärdedel av de identifierade faktorerna har goda utsikter, en femtedel är delvis uppfyllda, en femtedel har dåliga utsikter, en femtedel är okända och 15 % är okända men relevanta i detta steg av utvecklingen. För framtiden föreslås intervjustudier med fler aktörer i området, Cleantech Högdalen bör ändra sitt fokus till att utveckla en eco-industrial park i området, fler energi- och materialutbyten bör kartläggas samt att information bör samlas om de faktorer som är okända och relevanta. Slutsatsen av studien är att det finns en potential att utveckla Högdalens industriområde till en eco-industrial park men att det är kunskapsluckor kring den kvantitativa potentialen att minimera resursanvändning och således också klimatpåverkan.
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Utveckling av cykelnätet i Upplands Väsby kommun : En multikriterieanalys / Developing the Bicycle Infrastructure in the Municipality of Upplands Väsby : A Multi-Criteria Analysis.Qvarfordt, Johanna January 2016 (has links)
Transportsektorn är en av de största bidragare till klimatförändringar idag, där en stor andel är bilburna persontransporter under 5km. Många av dessa resor skulle kunna ersättas med cykel som både har folkhälsofördelar och är ett klimat- och miljöneutralt transportmedel. För att andelen cyklister ska kunna öka krävs att det finns en bra och tillgänglig cykelinfrastruktur. I länder som Holland och Danmark har den stora satsningen på cykelvänlig infrastruktur resulterat i att ett sort antal personer väljer att cykla istället för att åka bil. I detta arbete tas lösningar fram för att utveckla cykelnätet i Upplands Väsby kommun, vilket ska resultera i att fler resor företas med cykel. De vägar som inkluderas här är Ekebovägen och Valhallavägen samt en sträcka längs med Stockholmsvägen. Alla tre sträckor saknar idag cykelinfrastruktur och kommunen planerar att inom de närmaste åren åtgärda detta. En omfattande litteraturstudie utfördes i ämnet cykelinfrastruktur för att få en förståelse för hur förutsättningarna ser ut idag. Kunskapen om cykelinfrastruktur användes sedan för att ta fram ett antal hypotetiska lösningsförslag till de tre vägarna. Att designa infrastruktur är ett komplext problem och eftersom det idag inte finns några formella standarder, råd eller riktlinjer för cykelinfrastruktur i Sverige varierar kvalitén mellan kommunerna. För att utvärdera de olika lösningarna som tagits fram i detta arbete utfördes en multikriterieanalys. Analysverktyget strukturerar komplex information där lösningar ställs mot ett antal kriterier som definierar bra cykelinfrastruktur. Analysen resulterar sedan i ett svar på hur väl lösningarna uppfyller kriterierna och ger då en tydlig bild av vilka lösningar som är att föredra. Bland alla lösningar som togs fram för de tre vägarna, uppfyllde följande lösningar kriterierna bäst: Ekebovägen- Dubbelriktad cykelbana på västsidan Stockholmsvägen- Överfart över Stockholmsvägen i korsningen vid Smedbyvägen Valhallavägen- En 2-1 väg längs med hela Valhallavägen Resultaten i analysen skiljer sig dock lite bland lösningsalternativen som rankats mellan 1 och 5, därför bör alla de lösningarna anses som användbara och utgöra underlag för ytterligare utveckling och utvärdering. Förslaget är att sätta in de användbara lösningarna i ett bredare kontext där hänsyn tas till hela vägprojektet så att även gång- och motortrafikanter inkluderas. / The transport sector is one of the major contributors for climate change today, where most of the motorized personal transportation is less than 5km. Many of these trips could be replaced by bicycles, which have both public health advantages and are an environment- and climate neutral form of transportation. To increase the number of cyclists a sufficient bicycle infrastructure is required. Countries like the Netherlands and Denmark has a history of major investments for bicycle friendly infrastructure which has resulted in a population that largely chose the bicycle instead of the car. In this work focus are addressed towards development of the bicycle infrastructure network in the municipality of Upplands Väsby. Three roads Ekebovägen, Valhallavägen and a part of Stockholmsvägen have been chosen for this report, which all lack bicycle infrastructure. The overall goal for the municipality is to increase the number of cyclists and they have planned measures that address the lack of bicycle infrastructure on these roads during the following years. Before the development of bicycle infrastructure solutions for the roads in this report a comprehensive literature review where executed in the field. The literature review resulted in an understanding of the conditions that bicycle infrastructure stands for. A major understanding of the bicycle history, politics and trends were also achieved where the most prominent founding were the problems of addressing investments for bicycle projects and a lack of formal standards, recommendations and guidelines in Sweden. With no standards to follow the quality differs between municipalities. To achieve equality and to make it easier in the development of bicycle infrastructure a guidebook, similar to the one used in the Netherland and Denmark, is required also here in Sweden. The knowledge achieved in the literature review was used to develop a set of hypothetical solutions for bicycle infrastructure on the three roads. The different solutions are then reviewed in a multi-criteria analysis which shows the most preferred options. The analytical tool structures complex information where the options are put against a set of criteria. The criteria defines good infrastructure and the main advantage of the tool is that criteria with different units are standardized through the swing rating method and can therefore be compared within the same analysis. Among all the solutions compared in this multi-criteria analysis the following gained highest score and therefor counts as the most preferred solution: Ekebovägen- Two directions cycle track on the west side Stockholmsvägen- Crossing Stockholmsvägen at the junktion of Smedbyvägen Valhallavägen- A 2-1 road along Valhallavägen The analysis result differs though not much between the solutions ranked between 1 and 5. All these top ranked solutions should therefore be considered as preferred options and further developed and evaluated. The recommendation is to put the preferred options in a larger scope where the whole road project are considered and include the requirements from pedestrians and motorists.
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Developing and integrating a web-based LCA tool to rail vehicle systems design.Lemperos, Xenofon Chrysovalantis January 2014 (has links)
The design phase is one of the most important stages in the product development process. At this stage, important decisions are taken regarding the product specifications and characteristics. Apart from the product itself, these decisions can affect the environment throughout the entire lifetime of the product. Since designers know from the early stages of the product development the material composition and how the product will operate, estimations are possible regarding the environmental impacts that the product can have.Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology that can help in defining and calculating the impacts of a product from the moment its materials are extracted from the earth (cradle) up to the point when the product is wasted (grave). Today there are several tools available based on LCA methodology to support calculating the environmental impact. Environmental engineers can use these tools in order to find the hot spots in the products’ life cycle and with the aid of this information work in order to minimize the environmental impacts.This study focus on developing a tool that will assist design engineers in the rolling stock manufacturing company, Bombardier Transportation, to make environmental assessments in the early design phases of train products and systems. Furthermore the purpose of this study is also to provide an overview whether a tool like this can be included into the design process of the train products.Due to the size of the company there is the need to develop a customized tool to support the design department in the best possible way. The tool developed is web-based using GaBi Envision and can be used in parallel with the design software. During the tool development there have been discussions with the designers regarding their needs, the tool structure and operation of the tool. A case study for two train motors with different material composition was used to evaluate the final tool.The results helped to understand the applicability of the tool in the early stages of product development and which difficulties occur when interpreting the outcomes of the tool. Moreover since design engineers normally do not have a background in environmental studies it is also important that the tool can provide easily understandable feedback based on the environmental impact assessment. With this in mind the tool can be improved in the future for better support of design engineers.
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