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engineering
sustainable engineering

Sustainable Engineering Principles And Practice 1st Edition Bhavik R. Bakshi - Solutions

A land use study at a refinery in Texas finds that 10 percent of the land under consideration is covered by trees, 20 percent has no trees, 34 percent is roads, 7 percent is impervious buildings, and 29 percent is water. The benefits provided by trees in physical and monetary units are shown in
Consider rice production activities in three farms located in China, India, and the USA. The runoff of nitrate fertilizer requires the ecosystem service of water quality regulation. The nitrate concentrations in the runoff from the three farms are 14.35, 1.13, and 4.42 mg/L, respectively, and the
A residential system uses 61.64 GJ of electricity per year for cooling during summer, in the absence of any trees around the house. If shading trees were present, they would reduce electricity consumption by decreasing the cooling load to 60.10 GJ. The price of electricity is 8 cents/kWh. The
What is a desirable value of the following measures for an investment to be attractive: (a) Return on investment, (b) Payback period, (c) Discounted cash flow rate of return?
A cellulosic ethanol process is estimated to have capital costs of $15 million two years before the present, $118 million one year before the present, and $63 million in the present year. Operation is expected to start next year, and is estimated to result in a net annual cash income including
Many corporations are working toward developing products for which they can claim a zero-carbon footprint. A large manufacturing site uses 25,000 MWh electricity, which is the largest contributor to the carbon footprint of its products. This electricity is obtained from the local grid, which emits
How does a Pareto curve represent a "win-lose" situation?
Typical data about beverage packaging are given in Table 17.7. Table 17.7:Answer the following questions based on these data. 1. Calculate the eco-efficiency of beverage packaging using the data the this table. 2. Using the carbon footprint information for the three types of packaging materials,
A car rental company owns 100 Chevrolet Cruzes, 50 Toyota Yarises and 50 Ford Focuses. They plan to buy another 50 cars, and owing to new government regulations need to ensure that the average fuel efficiency of their fleet is at least 30 mpg. Using the data in Table 17.6.Table 17.6:determine the
Can the use of a heuristic for green engineering lead to an environmentally inferior design?
Why is doing "less bad" not good enough for sustainability?
The definition of eco-efficiency in Section 17.2 refers to the Earth's carrying capacity. Section 17.2:Do current eco-efficiency practices meet this goal of the original definition? Justify your response. 17.2 Eco-Efficiency This approach, popularized by the World Business Council for Sustainable
Figure 5.2 provides perspectives on the relationship between business and the environment. Interpret these figures in terms of Pareto curves. Identify all the Pareto curves (lines) in these figures. Label each point from A through F as dominant or non-dominant with respect to each other. Figure
Table 17.8 shows the carbon and nitrogen footprints for transportation fuels. Answer the following questions based on these data.Table 17.8:1. Plot the footprints for fossil and first-generation biofuels and determine the Pareto curve. Identify the feasible and infeasible regions for this
For a manufacturing process, the dominant value of net present value (NPV) is given by ƒ1 = 35√x + 22, and the dominant value of the global warming potential (GWP) is ƒ2 = 5x2 + 10x + 100. Here, x represents the energy used in the process. Determine the Pareto curve for this process. Determine
Consider the design of a paper coffee cup, keeping in mind that it is made of layers of paper and plastic and that such cups are often not accepted by recycling companies. Which of the 12 Principles of Green Engineering does this cup satisfy or violate? Repeat the exercise for a ceramic coffee mug.
Study the graphs of the atmospheric concentration of various gases shown in Figure 2.18. Figure 2.18:What type of behavior do you see? Does this system exhibit homeostasis or homeorhesis? On the basis of your knowledge about ecosystem behavior, what do you expect will happen to these atmospheric
Fill in the blank. "An ecosystem is the smallest unit that is_____________
Why is a reductionist approach inadequate for understanding ecosystems?
Identify some species in various trophic levels of the following ecosystems: (a) A local garden, (b) Intensive agriculture, (c) A fresh water lake, (d) A forest. You may consider such ecosystems near your location.
State two benefits of networking in ecosystems.
Trees in England were cut down in the early years of the Industrial Revolution to produce charcoal for making steel. Even today, centuries after the logging, many of these logged areas lack trees. From the point of view of Holling's cycle, explain why these areas did not recover to become forested
Maintaining a lawn requires regular mowing. Which stage of ecological succession does the mowing maintain? Explain with the help of Figures 18.11 and 18.12.Figure 18.11 and 18.12: Carbon flux (g Cm-2 yr ¹) 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Age
As an ecosystem grows, how does the ratio of growth to maintenance change?
What is the significance of leakage in Holling's adaptive cycle?
To understand the benefits of ecological networking, consider all ecosystem activities to have an energy efficiency of 5 percent. The first activity or node in a certain network converts sunlight, while subsequent activities utilize waste from another node in this network. 1. Compare the
Consider an ecological network consisting of activities as nodes, with each node having an efficiency of 4 percent. The entire network is run by 1000 W of sunlight, which is converted to useful products by one node. The waste from this node is used as a resource by another node, and so on. The
Migration is a popular strategy among many species. Monarch butterflies migrate between the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico and many locations across the USA and Canada. Answer the following questions about this amazing phenomenon. You may benefit from learning more with the help of sources such
The relationship between deer and wolves is considered to be of a predatory nature. Describe how the interaction between grass, deer, and wolves can result in an autocatalytic or self-sustaining system.
Explain with examples why the release phase of Holling's adaptive cycle is often referred to as creative destruction. It is often claimed that the development of digital photography resulted in creative destruction. Explain this claim based on Holling's cycle as applied to the evolution of
Some of the most diverse ecosystems are in regions that lack a rich supply of resources. Coral reefs and tropical rain forests are two such examples. Explain how these systems are able to thrive in resource-poor areas. What does this insight imply for developing human-designed systems?
Explain the meaning of using nature as a model, mentor, and measure.
Give two examples of materials developed by biomimicry. Why is the approach used for developing them called reductionist biomimicry?
Some results from a study of an EIP in Ulsan, Korea are summarized in Table 19.6. For each flow, determine the time required to recover the investment. What is the total reduction in CO emissions due to this EIP? Is this a "win-win" situation?Table 19.6:
A start-up company is based on the development of a material that can be used to make recyclable carbon fiber composites. This allows snowboards and scraps from snowboard production to be recycled to be used again. The recycled materials are sent back into the snowboard industry and other
What is a Type III industrial ecosystem?
Selected material and energy flows from a bituminous coal-burning power plant are shown in Table 19.7. The ash and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) residue can be used to produce cement by replacing sand. The environmental impact per ton of virgin sand includes 0.03 GJ of primary energy use, 2.4 kg
What is the benefit of the materials marketplace for bauxite mining?
A coal-based power plant consumes 500 tons of coal per hour to produce 700 MW of electricity. Sixty percent of the heat content in the coal is lost as heat. The coal contains 20 percent ash. The fuel value of coal is 30,000 kJ/kg. By selling the electricity, the power plant earns a profit of $2 x
Using the last three rows of the data in Table 19.3, compare the impact of the industrial ecosystem with the two reference. Identify trade-offs, if any, between the three cases.Table 19.3:scenarios. For all the emissions in the table and results in Example 19.3: Table 19.3 Selected emissions (kg)
An EIP consists of three processes: leather processing, protein hydrolysates manufacturing, and plastofill production. Leather processing produces 65 x 106 m3/yr of tanned leather, 85,000 ton/yr of chrome liquors, 80,000 ton/yr of fleshing, and 4.6 x 105 m/yr of waste water. Chrome liquors are
Calculate circularity metrics for the paper flow system depicted in Figure 12.12. Compare this system with the global and European economies. What can you conclude about the relative circularity of the paper system? Identify opportunities for making this system more circular.Figure 12.12:
Two common examples of activities needed to develop a performance economy are car sharing and electronics take-back (see Box 19.3). Sketch an approximate life cycle system boundary of these activities with and without sharing. Under what conditions would a sharing economy result in a smaller life
Define traditional ecological knowledge and provide two examples.
What is self-design? How is it different from imposed design?
Choose an indigenous community in any part of the world and determine two ways in which they use traditional ecological knowledge. Is their approach ecologically friendlier than the modern approach for accomplishing the same task? Does it seem likely that their knowledge will be forgotten in the
What is a vertical flow subsurface wetland?
Some communities in East Africa seem to have established a mutualistic relationship with a local bird. The bird, called a honeyguide, helps people find bee hives. People collect the honey, and then the honeyguide feeds on the wax combs left behind. Communities have developed different vocalizations
What is the key difference between techno-ecological synergy and byproduct synergy?
The effect of temperature on the ability of wetlands to remove nitrates is captured through the relationship of the time constant with temperature, which is given by k = k20θ (T-20) Here, k20 is the removal rate coefficient at 20 οC, is the temperature factor whose value in such systems is 1.15,
The results of an emergy analysis of various green infrastructure options for treating storm water in Syracuse, New York are summarized in Table 20.5.Table 20.5: Using these results, discuss the environmental sustainability of each option. Table 20.5 Emergy metrics for green infrastructure
What are the technological and ecological options to maintain soil fertility?
The treatment of urban waste water results in the production of biosolids. This byproduct may be landfilled, incinerated, composted to use as fertilizer, or applied directly to land. Each alternative involves different costs and greenhouse gas emissions. A study of biosolids management options in
A short-rotation coppice in the UK sequesters biomass at the rate of 1 kg/(m2 yr2). Calculate the mean cooling over a typical 16-hour day in the summer. How much will the temperature of the surrounding air decrease due to this cooling? You may assume that the cooling affects air up to a height of
From the data in Table 20.4: evaluate the trade-off between GHG emissions and NPV, with and without including the agroecosystem service of carbon sequestration. Discuss the feasibility of producing ethanol from corn versus switchgrass. Note that the ethanol plant processes corn or switchgrass from
You wish to utilize 10,000 acres of land to produce energy with no net emission of greenhouse gases. Using the data in Table 20.4, determine a combination of available land-use options to satisfy this goal. Now determine a combination that also provides the maximum NPV.Table Table 20.4 Data for
Box 20.5 suggests the possibility of relying on vegetation to mitigate industrial air pollution. Suppose that a manufacturing site wishes to get credit for the air quality regulation ecosystem service provided by the vegetation on its own site. Answer the following questions for this TES
Define and provide an example of environmental externalities.
It is estimated that, at the present rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Addressing the issue of plastic pollution is an urgent need and many approaches are being tried. Suggest some economics-based approaches and discuss their pros and cons. Also describe some
State some shortcomings of command and control environmental regulations.
Answer the following questions about payment for ecosystem services. Videos available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzNWnREZ2xI and http://wqt.epri.com/overview.html may help. 1. In a typical PES scheme, who pays money to whom, and why? 2. Is an entity such as a government or some other institution
Why is the increase in price due to an environmental tax less than the tax itself?
The emissions trading of sulfur dioxide has been very effective in reducing the total SO emissions in the USA. However, it has resulted in "hotspots." Explain the reasons for this phenomenon.
How do emissions permits provide a "right to pollute"?
A study of ethanol as a transportation fuel reveals that the competitive equilibrium is expected to be at a price of $4 per gallon and a consumption rate of 100 million gallons/day. For a production rate of 10 million gallons/day, the marginal cost is found to be $1 per gallon. Also, at a price of
Evaluate the approach of inclusive wealth using the six requirements for sustainability assessment listed in Box 3.3. Box 3.3:Can any of the shortcomings of this approach be overcome with the help of other sustainability assessment methods, such as life cycle assessment or techno-ecological
Which are the types of capital included in inclusive wealth?
The demand curve for a lawn fertilizer may be represented by P = -3Q+75, while the marginal cost curve is given by C = 2Q. Here, P and C are the price and marginal cost in dollars, respectively, while Q represents the quantity of the product. Calculate the competitive equilibrium. If the external
In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled 38,000 metric tons of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Until the more recent Deepwater Horizon spill, this was the largest oil spill in the USA. Damage from this spill was estimated to include the deaths of 250,000 seabirds, 2800 sea otters, and 300
Discuss the pros and cons of metrics for quantifying weak and strong sustainability. Can you suggest ways of modifying the inclusive wealth metric to make it stronger?
How are some utilities relying on social pressure to encourage individuals to reduce their home energy use?
Does taking a course on sustainable engineering affect individual behavior toward greater sustainability? Why or why not?
How is deep ecology different from shallow ecology?
Does Pope Francis' encyclical in Box 22.1 Align with shallow ecology or deep ecology? Justify your answer in detail.Box 22.1: BOX 22.1 Excerpts from Pope Francis' Encyclical, "Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home" [2] Need for sustainable engineering. "These [pollution] problems are closely
Describe recent efforts in at least two religions toward sustainable development. Explain the motivation behind these efforts and the barriers to their success.
What is Pope Francis' position on carbon trading?
What is the Mad Max scenario for the future?
Despite the insight provided by Ostrom's design principles for the sustainable management of common resources, tragedies of the commons continue to occur. One prominent example is the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. On the basis of the eight principles in
Compare the fishing practices of the Cree with the scientific approach of maximizing yield. How do both strategies address the multiscale and complex nature of managing fish as a common resource?
Why is technological skepticism the recommended worldview?
Unsustainable use of groundwater is causing the depletion of many aquifers across the world. Groundwater is a common pool resource that cannot be seen and is often developed by precipitation over many centuries. Using Ostrom's principles, suggest an approach for managing this resource. Can you find
Explain the possible outcomes if we adopt a technologically optimistic world view. Which outcomes are sustainable?
Which Sustainable Development Goals connect most closely with sustainable engineering? Provide a detailed justification and discuss the methods that can be used. Take a look at the UN SDG websites for more details about each goal.
Consider an emerging technology that has the potential to greatly benefit people but is also likely to cause ecological degradation. Discuss how society may respond to the adoption of such a technology from the worldviews of technology optimism versus technology skepticism.
Give examples of practices that were once widely accepted but are now unthinkable. Select one such practice and learn about its history. What role did individual action play in enabling the change?
What is a performance economy?
Generating a joule of electricity requires 1.2 joules of biomass and 0.3 joules of additional energy. Determine the energy return on investment and energy efficiency.
For the US Sankey diagram shown in Figure 12.7.Figure 12.7:Calculate the energy efficiency of power generation and the four sectors. Obtain the Sankey diagrams for the USA from the cited source for earlier years and compare how the overall energy efficiency and the efficiency of the five activities
Why has the EROI of crude oil decreased over time?
From the US Sankey diagram, identify the least efficient and most efficient economic activities.
Sankey diagrams for various countries are available at http://flowcharts.llnl.gov. Obtain the flowcharts for China, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and USA for 2011. Compare the overall efficiency of each country and the efficiencies of electricity and heat generation in the residential, commercial,
Compare the material efficiency of the economies of the world and the European Union.
An input-output model is given as This system uses 300 J of energy for $50 of throughput in sector 1, and 100 J of energy for $100 of throughput from sector 2. All of this energy is used for processing. Calculate the energy return on investment for sector 1 if it produces 100 J of fuel per dollar
A home heating system maintains the indoor temperature at 20 C. The outside temperature is 0 C. A furnace burns natural gas to heat a 1:4 mixture of outside and inside air. The resulting air is at a temperature of 40 C. Draw a Sankey diagram of this system for a furnace that loses 20 percent of
Professors David Pimentel and Bruce Dale debated the use of net energy analysis for determining "The Cost of Biofuels. Answer the following questions based on this article. Table 12.4 contains data that the authors use for their arguments. 1. Calculate the energy ROI for gasoline and ethanol
Consider the electricity generation system in the USA as shown in the Sankey diagram of Figure 12.7. Assuming that 70 percent of the total feedstock entering this system is converted into electricity, calculate the energy return on investment of the system.Figure 12.7:
For the rice preparation problem in Example 12.5, if three cups of water are used to wash the rice before cooking, draw the Sankey diagram and determine the material efficiency. Example 12.5 Cooking 1 cup of dry rice requires 2 cups of water. In the cooking process 40 percent of the water
For nickel flows in China, how has the material efficiency changed between 2000 and 2005? Perform this calculation with and without accounting for imports and exports.
Liquid iron at 1000 οC cools to 750 οC. Determine the lost work and generated entropy. Where does this entropy go? The specific heat of liquid iron is 0.197 cal/g οC.
What is the relationship between exergy and entropy?

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