4' Conservation of Resources

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• 4. Conservation of Resources
• Environmental implications of the industrial age.
  
• Influencing the future
• Renewable sources of energy
• Conservation/Eco Strategies
• Redesign and manufacturing processes
• Minimising waste and the disposal of products
• Advantages and disadvantages of recycling
  materials

You need to Understand the environmental
implications of the industrial age Understand the
management of waste, the disposal of product and
pollution control
Key words conservation, renewable,
non-renewable, resources, recycling, sustainable
development, environmentally friendly,
sustainable technology, biotechnology.
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Environmental implications of the industrial age.
Problem Use of finite resources ie non renewable
such as coal, gas and oil. It is important to
recognise this as a problem so that a clear
vision can be developed to tackle with the issues
related to conservation and management of
resources.
Drilling for oil. Oil rigs at sea.
Coral reefs and marine life
Open cast mining in Australia
The 20th Century was an age of prolific design
activity where the predominant focus was on want
rather then need how sustainable is that for the
21st Century. Questions for the designers of the
future 1. What are the aims and objectives of
product designers- what is their role, leader or
servant? 2. How can we impact the future trends
in technical and industrial activity?
development that meets the needs of the
present, without compromising the ability of
future generations meet their own needs. 1987
Brundtland report.
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Influencing the future
To conserve resource and to reduce the amount
being used in the future then it is clear that
numbers of products made needs to be reduced.
Conservation/Eco Strategies Leasing not
buying Develop a range of products that are
designed for rent not purchase. This particularly
useful for products that tend not to be too
reliable- dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum
cleaners, cars. Sharing products Community based
share co ops. This where a group of households
co-purchase products that are used everyday such
as lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, Design for
disassembly Products today use this philosophy.
Introduced by BMW the components of a product are
labelled for easy disposal and recycling.
International codes for plastics include PP
(polypropylene) PC (polycarbonate) Product return
schemes Related for DFD the manufacturer is
responsible for the life of the product and takes
it back for recycling. Design Classics quality
products Design and develop high cost, well
engineered products. Many kitchen product follow
this concept. Spare parts are readily available.
Dyson washing machine
BMW
Dualit Toaster
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Renewable sources of energy
Wind Tides Waves Water Solar
Geothermal Biomass Forests
Wind turbines
Solar panels
Geothermal power
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Redesign and manufacturing processes Environmental
Technology Best Practice Programme (ETBPP)
Redesigning products that conform to industry
recommendation can not only help minimise the
environmental impact of a product throughout its
life cycle but also its substantially Designing
products that create less waste during production
and are easier to reuse, refurbish or recycle and
provides financial benefits for companies. The
UKs Department of trade and Industry developed
the ETBPP programme to encourage designers to
analyse their products and look for ways to
reduce materials and develop cleaner processes
during manufacturing.
The main initiatives for the ETBPP programme are
Waste minimisation Cost effective cleaner
technology
Companies such as Envirowise provide advisory
services for business and industries throughout
the UK suggesting strategies that deal with the
programmes aims. Business are charged for this
services the there is a net saving as companies
reduce the use of material and energy in the
manufacture of their products. Saving are made
particularly in the engineering industry where
government taxes are imposed on waste materials.
Reducing swarf during machining saves natural
resources, time and taxes.
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Minimising waste and the disposal of products
Initiative such as ETBPP are prevalent throughout
the world. Some are community based initiatives
and many like ETBPP are government based and
provide some financial advantage to the
business. Simple planning ideas in the use of
materials can have significant effects on
minimising waste.
Aluminium sheet
Aluminium sheet
Square layout 21.9 scrap rate
Triangular layout 9.4 scrap rate
Arranging the the machine to stamp out the
aluminium discs shown in B makes a waste
reduction for these can top from 21.4 scrap to
9.4 scrap. A he saving for an expensive material
to produce. This would represent a huge financial
saving and minimise waste taxes.
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Advantages and disadvantages of recycling
materials
Non- Ferrous metals these have a high
commerical value and are easily graded and
sorted. Steel and cast iron- they are graded by
size they do not have as much value as non
ferrous but are easily recycled back through the
blast furnace. Glass, rubber ands plastics
Glass and plastic are easy to dispose of into
recycling centres and although they have lower
values than metals the represet some of the most
commonly recycled materials and have stimulated a
huge industry. Design for recycling From mobile
phones to cars designers and their companies are
being encouraged by governments to develop
products that are easily recyclable. The use of
shape memory polymers have enabled mobile phone
manufacturers to use heat as part of the
recycling process. The plastic parts drop off as
they revert to their original shape at differing
temperatures during the recycling process. The
huge amount of cars in the world will allow new
disassembly businesses to prosper with high
percentage recycling a possibility. It is
estimated that 98 of ferrous metals and 90
non-ferrous metals could be recovered.
New EU laws are struggling to take effect
350,00 cars are dumped each year in the UK
Car-recyling.co.uk is a business in the UK that
provide some useful tips on how you can dispose
of your car in a responsible way.