Summary
Concluding Remarks
Staff/Oversight
Background of Participants
|
Summary
BRIDGES has established benchmark values for sustainability metrics for
50 top chemical processes by utilizing data in the Process Economics Program
Library at SRI, International. Values were calculated for key sustainability
metrics established through work of the Center for Waste Reduction Technologies
(CWRT) and other organizations.
SRI International's Process Economics Program, or PEP, includes extensive
information on the efficiencies of many processes for producing chemical
products. SRI has developed this information by using confidentiality agreements
that prevent them from disclosing specifics about individual company practices.
The metrics developed by the CWRT also provide a means of establishing ranges
of eco-efficiency performance for products without disclosing proprietary
information. By reporting the metrics as ratios, using output denominators
of mass or value-added, confidential information can be protected.
Five basic sustainability metrics and one complementary metric were calculated
for each of the chemical products studied. For some of the products, metrics
were calculated for more than one manufacturing process.The five basic metrics
are: material intensity, energy intensity, water consumption, toxics dispersion,
and pollutants dispersion. The additional metric, greenhouse gases, is a
complementary metric for pollutants dispersion.
Each metric is expressed as a set of ratios calculated with three different
output denominators. The first output denominator is mass, and is the mass
of all products sold, including saleable by-products and co-products. The
second is revenue, and is the dollar amount for the product, and by-products
and co-products, if such are produced in the process. The last denominator
is value-added, and is the revenue minus the cost of raw materials and utilities.
Definitions of the metrics calculated with the PEP data are based on those
developed by CRWT. The material intensity metric is expressed as pounds
of mass per output denominator and is a measure of the quantity of mass
that is wasted in the manufacture of the product. The calculation is done
on a dry basis and equals the mass of raw materials used minus the mass
of the product and any saleable by-products or co-products.
The energy intensity metric is expressed as B.T.U.'s per unit output and
is the measure of the net energy that is consumed in the manufacture of
the product. In those cases when the process generates energy, the recovered
energy is credited in the metric by entering the recovered B.T.U.'s as a
negative value.
The water consumption metric is expressed as gallons of fresh water per
unit output and is a measure of fresh water that has been consumed in the
manufacturing process or rendered unavailable for beneficial use. The water
metric takes into consideration process water that is consumed, estimated
losses from cooling water usage, and water contained in waste streams.
The toxic dispersion metric is expressed as pounds of toxic material per
unit output emitted by the process. Chemicals are considered toxic if they
are listed by the U.S. EPA as chemicals that must be reported on the Toxic
Chemical Release Inventory Form under SARA 313.
The pollutants dispersion metric is expressed as pounds of pollutant material
per unit output emitted by the process, but is in fact a calculation of
pollutant effects and not actual pounds of pollutant. Substances that have
a eutrophication effect in receiving waters, for example, are expressed
as pounds of phosphate equivalents. The following pollutant effects are
calculated in pounds and summed for this metric: pH effects for air emissions,
ozone depletion, NOx emissions, eutrophication, acidification of fresh water,
and salinity in freshwater.
The greenhouse gas metric is expressed as pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents
per output denominator emitted by the process. Greenhouse gases are considered
from the following sources: incinerated waste streams, the biological treatment
of liquid waste streams, gas streams vented to the atmosphere which include
carbon dioxide or other gases (such as methane) which have a greenhouse
effect, and emissions from the burning of natural gas or fuel oil.
The six metrics were calculated for the following chemical products using
each of the three output denominators. A |
|
Concluding
Remarks
This intent of this project was not to measure and communicate all aspects
and details of industrial performance, whether at corporate, division,
facility or product level. The product metrics obtained, however, will
allow companies to understand their relative performance and establish
goals for eco-efficiency in the manufacture of these products. The benchmark
values will assist management of companies, their boards of directors
and eventually external stakeholders in tracking progress towards performance
targets, and in facilitating meaningful comparison of performance between
companies and across sectors.
Staffing/Oversight
The principal investigators were: Earl R. Beaver and Beth R. Beloff of
BRIDGES to Sustainability™. Jay Johnson, an economics doctoral candidate
at University of Houston, and Jeanette Schwarz, project track leader conducted
most of the metrics research as a research associate on the team. A workshop
was conducted at the conclusion of the data-gathering to report progress
on the project, to test the credibility of the values obtained and to
develop plans for the use of metrics. David Allen, Professor of Chemical
Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, provided guidance to
the project plan, reviewed the findings, and assisted in hosting the workshop
at Pickle Research Center. David Heustis, a senior consultant from SRI's
PEP program, provided assistance in procuring and evaluating the PEP data.
A final report has been completed and will be published..
Background of Participants
Center for Waste Reduction Technologies:
The Center for Waste Reduction Technologies (CWRT) is an industry-led
consortium of 30 sponsors, largely from the manufacturing sector which
is focused on the development of innovative waste elimination technologies
and tools for Sustainable Development. It is an organization within the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (New York), a professional organization
representing 57,000 chemical engineers. CWRT provides a means for collaborative
research on reducing waste among entities, which are traditionally competitive
with one another. Industries represented range from chemicals to pharmaceuticals
to building materials and appliances. CWRT also brings an excellent vehicle
for communicating results through respected publications and conferences.
David T. Allen, Ph.D.: Dr. David Allen is
Beckman Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Center for
Energy and Environmental Resources at The University of Texas at Austin.
Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Texas, Dr. Allen was
Professor and Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University
of California, Los Angeles. His research interests lie in environmental
reaction engineering, particularly issues related to air quality and pollution
prevention. He is the author of three books and over 100 papers in these
areas and the quality of his research has been recognized by the National
Science Foundation through the Presidential Young Investigator Award and
the AT&T Foundation through an award in Industrial Ecology. Dr. Allen
is also active in developing pollution prevention education materials
for engineering curricula and his teaching has been recognized through
UCLA's Excellence in Engineering Teaching Award. Dr. Allen received his
B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University
in 1979. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering were awarded
by the California Institute of Technology in 1981 and 1983. He has held
visiting faculty appointments at the California Institute of Technology
and the Department of Energy.
Earl R. Beaver, Ph.D.: Earl Beaver is Chief
Technical Officer of BRIDGES to Sustainability™ and the founder of
Practical Sustainability in St. Louis. He retired from Monsanto after
30 years of service. In his final position at Monsanto he was responsible
for the development of new environmental technology solutions for Monsanto
Company's diverse operations, internal and external advocacy for sustainability
and pollution prevention as well as the development of eco-efficiency
tools. He has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in
research, development, environmental and commercial functions during his
career with Monsanto Company. In addition, he is emeritus chair of the
Center for Waste Reduction Technologies. He is a member of the American
Chemical Society and a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Chemical Processing
Magazine. He has authored many publications and patents. In 1994, Dr.
Beaver was awarded the Lawrence K. Cecil Award by the Environmental Division
of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Institute's Gary
Leach Recognition Award. At Monsanto, he was associated with the successful
co-product development program, the development and commercialization
of air separation membranes (Prism®, Prism Alpha®, and Prism Cactus® membranes
and separators), the 90% Air Toxics Reduction Program and the Monsanto
$1 Million Challenge Program. He currently serves as a consultant in "Industries
of the Future" and "Practical Tools for Sustainable Development." His
B.A. was awarded in Chemistry by McMurry University and his Ph.D. in Physical
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering was awarded by Texas Tech University.
Beth R. Beloff is president of BRIDGES to
Sustainability, a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster global
sustainable development through innovative partnerships, leadership approaches
and education programs. Ms. Beloff directs the Institute for Corporate
Environmental Management (ICEM) in the College of Business Administration
at the University of Houston. ICEM has worked with business schools to
integrate environmental issues into the curriculum, and with industry
to develop methods to better integrate environmental management with other
critical business aspects. ICEM has created numerous forums to share approaches
for integration of business and environment, and has been engaged in applied
research relating to development of methodologies to better communicate
environmental costs and benefits within the business organization, particularly
environmental cost accounting. Ms. Beloff has lectured extensively on
issues of sustainable development. Ms. Beloff is the recipient of the
Shell Interdisciplinary Scholars Award at the University of Houston for
the last three years, and is an investigator and coordinator of research
funded by NSF, TNRCC, EPA, MEB, Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research
Center, Shell and Business Council for Sustainable Development-Gulf of
Mexico. Ms. Beloff has co-authored several publications on environmental
accounting and education for sustainability. She serves on a number of
committees and boards, including: Editorial Advisory Board of Environmental
Quality Management Journal, Advisor to the TNRCC Clean Industries Team,
Business Council for Sustainable Development-Gulf of Mexico. She received
an MBA from the University of Houston, MA from UCLA, and a BA from University
of California at Berkeley, and has taken the Advanced Training in The
Natural Step.
|