I. Industrial Ecology and Sustainability Frameworks

Industrial Ecology: Metaphor and Systems

Analysis for Sustainability

Biomimicry• Nature as model

– study nature’s models and imitate designs and processes to solve human problems

• emulating 3.8 billion years of well-adapted technology

• Nature as measure– ecological standard to judge our innovations

• Nature as mentor– new way of viewing and valuing nature (era based on we

what we can learn not what we can extract from nature)

• http://www.biomimicry.net/• Case studies

Janine Benyus Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Nature as a model• “The industrial ecosystem would function as an analogue of biological

ecosystems. (Plants synthesize nutrients that feed herbivores, which in turn feed a chain of carnivores whose wastes and bodies eventually feed further generations of plants.)” Frosch and Gallopoulous, 1989

The Story behind Velcro

http://naturaledgeproject.net/BenyusTour06.aspx

Inside the termite mound, insects farm fungus for consumption. This fungus must be kept at an optimum temperature. By carefully adjusted convection currents air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound, down into enclosures with muddy walls and up through a channel to the peak of the termite mound. The termites constantly dig new vents and plug old ones to regulate the temperature. So, if the air from outside the termite mound is warmer it should warm up the inside of the termite mound. On the other hand if the air is cooler it cools the termite mound. That way, the fungus in the mound should be kept at an optimum temperature and the insects in the mound will not starve.

Termite mounds and natural passive cooling The Eastgate Complex, located in Harare , Zimbabwe , is a 324,000 square-foot commercial/office and shopping complex, the largest in the country. The building is designed with two nine-story office buildings and a glazed atrium – amazingly enough in Zimbabwe 's hot climate the buildings primary cooling system is naturally ventilated. Engineers from environmental engineering firm Arup, led by Mick Pearce, sought inspiration for the naturally ventilated marvel from termite mounds – these creatures require their home to remain at an exact temperature of 87 degrees Fahrenheit throughout a 24 hour daily temperature range of 35-104 degrees Fahrenheit (night and day respectively). The solution was a passive-cooling structure with specially designed hooded windows, variable thickness walls and light colored paints to reduce heat absorption.

Bullet Trains and birds The 500-Series Shinkansen Japanese bullet train that runs between Tokyo and Hakata is one of the fastest trains in the world. The challenge for the design of the Shinkansen was how to make it run quietly, learning that the owl family is the most silent and stealthy fliers of all birds, the Shinkansen design team discovered the bird's secret in its wing plumage. Another problem to be overcome was the noise occurring from tunnel exiting, looking into nature for a solution to the sudden changes in air resistance creating such noise, the design team came across the kingfisher bird. The kingfisher's specially designed beak enables it to dive from air to water (low to high resistance mediums respectively) without splashing. Using computer modeling techniques to determine what style nose for the Shinkansen would reduce sonic-booms in tunnels, it revealed the kingfisher beak shape to be the most ideal shape.

Learning From Chimpanzees How to Heal Ourselves

By observing how chimps and other species cope with illness, researchers have acquired leads on plants with promising medical applications to human health. Trees from the Vernonia genus, for example, which chimpanzees regularly seek out when ill, have been found to contain chemical compounds that show promise in treating parasites such as pinworm, hookworm, and giardia in humans.

http://www.thepaxgroup.com/technology/index.html

Solar energy capture efficiency

= biomass energy/ solar energy

• Upper limit of 7.2% for terrestrial plants and 9.7% for aquatic

• Green algae in Thailand = 4.9%– Annual yield of 164 t/ha-year

• Willow/hybrid poplar = 0.31 – 0.41 %– Annual yield of 8-11 t/ha-year

Efficiency = electricity generated/solar energy input

Effic

ienc

y (%

)

Universityof Maine

Boeing

Boeing

Boeing

BoeingARCO

NREL

Boeing

Euro-CIS

200019951990198519801975

NREL/Spectrolab

NRELNREL

JapanEnergy

Spire

No. CarolinaState University

Multijunction ConcentratorsThree-junction (2-terminal, monolithic)Two-junction (2-terminal, monolithic)Crystalline Si CellsSingle crystalMulticrystallineThin Film TechnologiesCu(In,Ga)Se2

CdTeAmorphous Si:H (stabilized)Emerging PVDye cells Organic cells(various technologies)

Varian

RCA

Solarex

UNSW

UNSW

ARCO

UNSWUNSW

UNSWSpire Stanford

Westing-house

UNSWGeorgia TechGeorgia Tech Sharp

NREL

Spectrolab

NREL

MatsushitaMonosolar Kodak

KodakAMETEK Photon Energy

UniversitySo. Florida

NREL

NREL

NRELCu(In,Ga)Se2

14x concentration

NREL

United Solar

United Solar

RCA

RCARCA

RCA RCARCA

Spectrolab

Solarex12

8

4

0

16

20

24

28

32

36

University ofLausanne

University ofLausanne

Siemens

2005

Kodak* UCSB*Cambridge*

Groningen

University LinzBerkeley*

Princeton*

UniversityLinz*

NREL

*Not NREL-confirmed

40NREL

NREL

• Best “lab cells” shown• Modules typically ~ 60%

of best lab cells

Bolko von RoedernNational Center for Photovoltaics

Spider Silk

• Inputs– flies and crickets

• Outputs– six different silks

• draglines• sometimes used for shrouds to wrap dead

• Processes– raw material converted into soluble liquid protein– extruded through spinneret as a insoluble highly

ordered fiber

Properties

• Stronger than steel – 5x on a per mass basis

• Tougher than Kevlar– able to absorb 5x the impact force without

breaking

• Highly elastic– can stretch 40% in strong wind– bungees 30% farther than nylon