Citation:

SIKDAR, S. K. SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVE AND CHEMISTRY-BASED TECHNOLOGIES. D.R. Paul (ed.), INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 46(14):4727-4733, (2007).

Impact/Purpose:

to inform the public

Description:

Inefficient technologies create adverse and societal impacts while consuming material and energy resources. Yet technology enterprises are the strongest enabler of sustainability. Technologies that will address the complex concerns of these impacts and the consequences of the use of exhaustible resources will result from deliberate inclusion of these concerns at the design phase with tools having the ability to predict the outcomes of such designs. The approach suggested in this work for designing "sustainable technologies" is seen in the context of defining a technology system simultaneously with its surrounding. When both are improved as a result of this design approach, we achieve the desired effect of contributing to the goal of sustainability. Availability of suitable energy resources is the primary constraint on technology development and sustainability. Any discussion of sustainable technologies therefore must first be viewed in the context of energy availability and its environmental quality. Many research opportunities have emerged because of these constraints posed by energy and material uses. Efficient technologies alone, however, would not make us sustainable. Regulatory and socio-economic measures will also be needed to complement the effects of technologies.

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