Copyright CPI All rights reserved 1 LOW CARBON ENERGY AND WASTE North East Recycling Forum Prof Graham Hillier, CEng, FIMMM, FRSA Director of Strategy and Futures Centre for Process Innovation 28 th January 2010

From innovation to commercialisation 2 The Resource Challenge We need a Behaviour Change Start Thinking of Waste as a Resource Making Waste Management Part of Our Future Content

From innovation to commercialisation 3 The Resource Challenge Dealing with: Growing Population –Inexorably increasing the need for food and shelter Growing Affluence –The amount of emissions rise with affluence and we use more Resource Consumption –There is only a finite resource it will not last for ever This Puts Immense Stress on a Finite System

From innovation to commercialisation 4 Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere Rises with Population Source: Mauna Loa Observatory plus historic data from ice cores

From innovation to commercialisation 5 Earth Incoming Energy Resources Used Earth Resource Balance Prior to 1850 Resource Builds up as Use is less than Incoming Energy

From innovation to commercialisation 6 Earth Incoming Energy Resources Used Earth Resource Balance Since 1850 Resource Use exceeds Incoming Energy Extract Resource Refine Resource Use Resource Scrap Resource Waste Air Emission Water Emission

From innovation to commercialisation 7 UK Wastes Data: Controlled Wastes 2008 A Total of 150 Million Tonnes A Lot Still Gets Landfilled What Happens to Transferred?

From innovation to commercialisation 8 Organic Wastes: Million to 40 Million Tonnes of Useful Organic Waste UK Government’s Business Task Force on Sustainable Consumption & Production, March 2008

From innovation to commercialisation 9 Resource Availability Many Important Elements Are in Short Supply ElementAvailable ResourceRecycling Rate Indium4-13 Years0% Silver9-29 Years16% Lead8-42 Years72% Antimony13-30 Years- Tin17-40 Years26% Uranium19-59 Years0% Zinc36-46 Years26% Gold36-45 Years43% Nickel57-90 Years35% Chromium Years25% Phosphorous Years0% Platinum Years0% Aluminium Years49% Source: New Scientist, May 2007

From innovation to commercialisation 10 Resource Demand in A Simple Equation We Need to Become More Efficient in Our Use of Resources North East: Highest Residual Waste per Household – 727kg Second Lowest Recycling Rate – 31.1% CO 2 Emissions = Population x Gross Domestic Product x Energy Used x CO 2 Emission Population GDP Energy Used Waste = Population x Gross Domestic Product x Resource Used x Waste Made Population GDP Resource Used Based on work by Shell scenario planning group and DEFRA data 2008/9

From innovation to commercialisation 11 As Engineers We Have to.. Develop more sustainable processes Use resources more efficiency Improve the efficiency of our processes Look at the efficiency of integrated systems Convert wastes to products Convert batch processes to continuous ones Top Six are Increasingly Strong Political and Economic Drivers Bottom Two are Our Areas of Strength There is a Lot We Can Do

Copyright CPI All rights reserved 12 WE NEED A BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

From innovation to commercialisation 13 Approaches to Improved Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Significant Improvements can be Made Reduce resource use Operate the process you have as well as possible so resource use is as low as possible Use highly efficient conversion technologies Add on additional technologies Reduces Resources Consumed Cost Emissions Wastes Increases Efficiency of Resource Use Requires A Different Way of Thinking Less Conventional Technology

From innovation to commercialisation 14 Sustainability in Practice: A Schematic for Manufacturing Raw MaterialComponentEnd of LifeSystem RecycleReconditionRe-furbishRe-use Assembled Product Resource Efficient Flexible & Adaptable Design

Copyright CPI All rights reserved 15 START THINKNIG OF WASTE AS A RESOURCE

From innovation to commercialisation 16 The Steel Mini-Mill Completely changed the complexion of the steel industry Uses locally arising scrap to supply a local market Capital reduced by an order of magnitude, operating costs are low Much lower logistics costs Batches can be smaller Investment is affordable Product is the same quality as virgin steel for sections, rod and bar Now 30% (400 million tonnes / year) of steel production Changed by the small upstart company not the incumbents Overall system cost is lower What Else Can we Change Like This?

From innovation to commercialisation 17 Ashden Rwandan Prison Anaerobic Digestion Example True Sustainable Intervention: Eliminate 2 problems, Create solutions and Educate people to use their skills to repeat the benefit Influx of people to a resource poor community, Burns all the fire wood, generates untreated sewage, Prisoners built anaerobic digestion plant in the gardens –Exclude air from pit of sewage and natural bacteria produce methane No need to denude fire wood No sewage problem By-product is digestate for use a fertilizer Source: Ashden Awards, AD Section

From innovation to commercialisation 18 Resource Efficient Systems Integrate Technologies to Reduce Consumption Community, Town, Factory, Store, Home Excess Heat IC ENGINE FUEL CELL GAS TOP UP PYROLISE GASIFY DIGEST FERTILIZER, COMPOST WASTE GLASS & METAL COOLING ELECTRICITY HEAT CLEAN GAS GRID TOP UPWIND TURBINE EXTRA WASTE SORT Waste VEHICLE FUEL

Copyright CPI All rights reserved 19 MAKING WASTE MANAGEMENT PART OF OUR FUTURE

From innovation to commercialisation 20 Big Challenges to Change To drive resource efficiency we must: –Look at engineering problems differently; –Make sure policy makers, business leaders and engineers understand change is needed and is possible; –Aspire to deliver the benefits; –Work collaboratively across technical and social disciplinary boundaries; –Create a favourable legislative and regulatory environment –Take account of the value of finite resources in our economics; –Make attractive, reliable and useable products and demonstrate there are benefits. There is a Large Opportunity but We need to Change Our Behaviour

From innovation to commercialisation 21 What Could We do? To do this we need to: Facilitate links between research, development and commercial interests to create value through application development. Create a range of supply partnerships that close resource loops. Build supply chain networks that develop the UK industry base. Utilise a range of funding sources. Create a ‘Low Carbon Resource Efficient Community’ Based on an integrated set of projects that Combine industrial, residential, agricultural and transport applications to Exploit the inherent strengths of the Communities and Regions And Deliver Economic Well Being

From innovation to commercialisation 22 An Case Study of an Innovation Challenge (Organics) Light Fossil Carbon Fossil Fuel Gas Production Unit Anaerobic Digestion Unit Bio Processing Power Generation Land Heat Production Oils Food Pharmaceuticals Neutraceuticals Alkane, Alkene or Alkyne Hydrogen Extraction Rapid Plant Growth Carbon Dioxide Plant Matter Depleted Plant Matter Fertilizer Hydrogen Oxygen Carbon Dioxide And Nutrients Food Waste Sewage Brewing ands Distillery Waste Bio Diesel and Bio Ethanol Waste Vehicles Source: Entering the Ecological Age: The Engineer’s Role CPI and Arup Water Methane Conventional Bio mass

From innovation to commercialisation 23 Conclusions Design things that use little energy and resource Make or build efficiently as possible, preferably with reuse in mind Think about resource flows before you design Think about resource flows through communities and systems Think how wastes can be eliminated or used as fuels or feedstocks Drive collaborative interdisciplinary working Take action REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, RELATE WASTE AS A MAJOR RESOURCE

Copyright CPI All rights reserved 24 The Centre for Process Innovation CPI receives funding from: