Grantee Research Project Results

Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Prediction of Processing Waste Streams for Discrete Products

EPA Grant Number: R825370C057
Subproject: this is subproject number 057 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825370
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc., Environmental Research and Technology Transfer Program
Center Director: Schumacher, Dorin
Title: Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Prediction of Processing Waste Streams for Discrete Products
Investigators: Sutherland, John , Olson, Walter
Current Investigators: Sutherland, John
Institution: Michigan Technological University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period:    
RFA: Exploratory Environmental Research Centers (1992) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Center for Clean Industrial and Treatment Technologies (CenCITT) , Targeted Research

Objective:

The aim of the project is to characterize the waste streams produced during product manufacture. Waste stream characteristics of various manufacturing processes are to be predicted with the objective of developing a decision making tool which will enable manufacturing process modification so as to minimize waste.

Approach:

The ECM focus area is being jointly undertaken by Michigan Technological University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The ultimate goal of the focus area is to produce an Environmental Advisory System that can be used to evaluate product concepts early in the design process. The following figure illustrates the structure of the product evaluation tool.

Product Evaluation Tool Structure

The research work at MTU is focused on the development of a manufacturing process waste stream evaluation software tool based on appropriate theoretical underpinnings. Initial efforts have been directed at identifying appropriate process models for waste streams. The other part of the product design tool is being developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the supervision of Dr. Rajit Gadh and is focused on the post-use processing of a product.

Rationale:

Product manufacture often produces undesirable environmental, health, and safety impacts. The long term cost associated with manufacturing processes need to take these environmental factors into consideration. Therefore, it is desirable to identify processes and processing conditions that minimize waste streams. This economic aspect provides the motivation for developing tools and enhancing knowledge related to reducing waste. This contributes to a central mission of CenCITT, pollution prevention.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this subproject: View all 21 publications for this subproject | View all 155 publications for this center

Journal Articles:

Journal Articles have been submitted on this subproject: View all 4 journal articles for this subproject | View all 36 journal articles for this center

Supplemental Keywords:

Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Economics & Decision Making, Civil Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Sustainable Environment, decision-making, Economics and Business, cleaner production/pollution prevention, New/Innovative technologies, Environmental Engineering, waste minimization, pollution prevention, Production/Pollution Prevention, environmentally conscious manufacturing, machining, production processes, environmental decision making, catalyst vapors, modeling production technology, models, waste streams, decision analysis, waste reduction

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R825370    The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc., Environmental Research and Technology Transfer Program

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825370C032 Means for Producing an Entirely New Generation of Lignin-Based Plastics
R825370C042 Environmentally Conscious Design for Construction
R825370C046 Clean Process Advisory System (CPAS) Core Activities
R825370C048 Investigation of the Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol in a Simulated Countercurrent Moving Bed Reactor
R825370C054 Predictive Tool for Ultrafiltration Performance
R825370C055 Heuristic Reactor Design for Clean Synthesis and Processing - Separative Reactors
R825370C056 Characterization of Selective Solid Acid Catalysts Towards the Rational Design of Catalytic Reactions
R825370C057 Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Prediction of Processing Waste Streams for Discrete Products
R825370C064 The Physical Properties Management System (PPMS™): A P2 Engineering Aid to Support Process Design and Analysis
R825370C065 Development and Testing of Pollution Prevention Design Aids for Process Analysis and Decision Making
R825370C066 Design Tools for Chemical Process Safety: Accident Probability
R825370C067 Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Design for Disassembly (DFD) in De-Manufacturing of Products
R825370C068 An Economic Comparison of Wet and Dry Machining
R825370C069 In-Line Copper Recovery Technology
R825370C070 Selective Catalytic Hydrogenation of Lactic Acid
R825370C071 Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers from Industrial Wastewater
R825370C072 Tin Zeolites for Partial Oxidation Catalysis
R825370C073 Development of a High Performance Photocatalytic Reactor System for the Production of Methanol from Methane in the Gas Phase
R825370C074 Recovery of Waste Polymer Generated by Lost Foam Technology in the Metal Casting Industry
R825370C075 Industrial Implementation of the P2 Framework
R825370C076 Establishing Automated Linkages Between Existing P2-Related Software Design Tools
R825370C077 Integrated Applications of the Clean Process Advisory System to P2-Conscious Process Analysis and Improvement
R825370C078 Development of Environmental Indices for Green Chemical Production and Use