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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2021) | Viewed by 67721

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Trubetskaya

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Co. Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland
Interests: life cycle analysis; manufacturing; risk models; bioenergy; water systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lara Carvalho

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Guest Editor

School of Business Society and Engineering, Division of Environmental Engineering and Energy Processes, Mälardalens University, 721 23 Västerås, Sweden
Interests: bioenergy; thermochemical conversion systems; system analysis; resource recovery; techno-economic analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Life cycle analysis, manufacturing, and risk assessment are valuable tools for identifying resources, reducing the impact on the environment, and defining and mitigating risks in support of the national policy system. Methodologies such as life cycle assessment and manufacturing are very powerful tools that can be used to address trade-offs between life cycle stages, manufacturing supply chains, and different sustainability pillars. This Special Issue aims to explore the most advanced solutions in life cycle analysis and sustainable manufacturing. The concept of sustainable manufacturing includes processes that are green, lean, and highly efficient with less consumption and contamination. The assessment of anthropogenic impacts on water quality, including societal and economic impacts of associated risks due to solid waste management practices, will be a part of this Special Issue. The scope of this Special Issue will also cover progress in advanced risk assessment, risk management, and decision-making tools. Specific case studies, conceptual frameworks, and integrated risk modeling approaches, including multicriteria decision analysis and life cycle analysis, are welcome. This Special Issue will include both research and state-of-the-art manuscripts on the interactions between technology, consumption, and policy to help identify more sustainable solutions for both production and consumption systems. Sustainable solutions will be identified through investigations in both the public sector and industrial process engineering to make our planet “greener” using appropriate scientific and decision-making tools.

Authors are encouraged to contact one of the editors to discuss the relevance of the selected topic before the submission deadline.

Dr. Anna Trubetskaya
Dr. Lara Carvalho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainability
risk analysis
water, soil, air
life cycle analysis
manufacturing

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3052 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantification of Carbon Emission and Solid Waste from Pottery Production by Using Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) Method in Yunnan, China

by Yang Li, Amir Hamzah Sharaai, Sining Ma, Wafaurahman Wafa, Zhijian He and Latifah Abdul Ghani

Processes 2022, 10(5), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10050926 - 7 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3637

Abstract

Environmental pollution in the pottery industry is a severe problem, particularly dust and smoke pollution from the building-pottery industry. The main objectives of this study are to quantify the carbon emissions and solid-waste generation from the life cycle of pottery production in Yunnan. This study was carried out between November 2020 and May 2021. LCA was used, and 1 kg of pottery was used as the functional unit. There is a lot of literature to obtain data on the carbon emissions and solid waste generated in the process of pottery production for reference and calculation. This study forces the extraction of raw materials to the processing point, the device boundary of the pottery-production process. Carbon emissions in the pottery-production process account for about 80% of the whole pottery life cycle. Moreover, a large amount of solid waste is mainly produced as a result of the waste and production process. It is recommended that the serious pollution-causing combustion system should be reformed. The enterprise’s waste can be recycled. Most of the waste products can only be used as construction filling, and a small amount of the waste products can be used as hard materials in proportion after crushing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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28 pages, 9866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Sustainability of Industrial Equipment Life Extension Strategies through a Life Cycle Approach: Methodology and Practical Guidelines

by Ludovica Rossi, Deborah Leone, Andrea Barni and Alessandro Fontana

Processes 2022, 10(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10020203 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3444

Abstract

Nowadays, Circular Economy (CE) is shifting from a nice-to-have marketing operation to a business development strategy that is central to the restoring and preservation of our natural ecosystem. However, despite motivated promotion efforts, the concrete application of this model at the micro-level is still in its infancy due to several challenges that companies face. One of these challenges is the uncertainty that businesses have in the estimation of the actual impact that adopting CE strategies can have on their activities from an environmental and economic perspective. This work aims to define a conceptual framework to be applied to the Life Cycle Extension Strategies (LCES) of products, which is meant to understand whether the application of a strategy is beneficial from an environmental and economic point of view. In order to address the identified need, a list of indicators to be exploited in the LCES performance analysis has been designed and divided into the two categories of environmental and economic indicators. On the top of this, a calculation methodology that is based on life cycle perspective approaches is applied, which exploits a gap-based approach and thus, compares the effects generated by the linear strategy and those created by the LCES analysis. The evaluation approach is meant to highlight the possible advantages and disadvantages offered by the CE model for product lifecycles. The conceptual framework is tested through an industrial case study and further analysis leading to the improvement of the calculation methodology is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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20 pages, 5701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Assessment of Industrial Building Construction and Recovery Potential. Case Studies in Seville

by Madelyn Marrero, Cristina Rivero-Camacho, Alejandro Martínez-Rocamora, María Desirée Alba-Rodríguez and Jaime Solís-Guzmán

Processes 2022, 10(1), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10010076 - 30 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4566

Abstract

In Spain, most businesses are medium to small size enterprises, representing 90% of the total, but there is a lack of studies of the types of building this sector uses. The main objective of this paper is to present a method for the evaluation of small industrial construction projects to facilitate the introduction of eco-efficient solutions. For this, it is necessary to identify the most representative buildings and the aspects of these which have the most environmental impact. A methodology in place for the evaluation of dwelling construction is adapted, for the first time, to evaluate industrial buildings. The construction solutions characterized are those traditionally used in the sector, as identified through 87 surveys. A standardized classification of work units is proposed to enable the use of environmental product information, such as eco-labels and/or EPD, and LCA databases. The carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint (WF) are the indicators selected because of their straightforward message. Finally, a comparative analysis is performed showing the high recycling potential of concrete and cement which, along with metals and aggregates, control the impact in terms of CF. With respect to the WF indicator, plastic substitute aggregates are among the materials with the greatest impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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16 pages, 1468 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biogas Production by Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Co-Digestion and Life Cycle Assessment Using a Real Scale Scenario: Independent Parameters and Co-Substrates Influence

by Jhessica Mosquera, Carol Rangel, Jogy Thomas, Angelica Santis, Paola Acevedo and Ivan Cabeza

Processes 2021, 9(11), 1875; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9111875 - 21 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3648

Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of different agricultural by-products to identify the potential effect of independent variables, using as the dependent variable the biogas production. A Box–Behnken experimental design was carried out in a pilot-scale plant of four stirred stainless-steel digesters under mesophilic semi-continuous digestion. The results obtained support the creation of a technical framework to scale up the process and further evaluation of the potential environmental impacts through life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A stable behaviour was achieved in 12 of the 13 experiments proposed. The highest value of daily biogas production was 2200.15 mL day⁻¹ with a stabilization time of 14 days, an organic loading rate of 4 g VS feed daily, low C/N ratio and a 1:1 relation of nitrogen providers. The concentrations of CH₄ remained stable after the production stabilization and an average biogas composition of 60.6% CH₄, 40.1% CO₂ and 0.3% O₂ was obtained for the conditions mentioned above. Therefore, the real scale plant was estimated to manage 2.67 tonnes of residual biomass per day, generating 369.69 kWh day⁻¹ of electricity. The LCA analysis confirms that the co-digestion process evaluated is a feasible and environmentally sustainable option for the diversification of the Colombian energy matrix and the development of the agro-industrial sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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24 pages, 5561 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Process Simulation and Life Cycle Assessment of Ceramic Pigment Production: A Case Study of Green Cr₂O₃

by Olympios Alifieris, Dimitrios Katsourinis, Dimitrios Giannopoulos and Maria Founti

Processes 2021, 9(10), 1731; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9101731 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3293

Abstract

This study presents a combined process modeling—Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach for the evaluation of green Cr₂O₃ ceramic pigments production. Pigment production is associated with high calcination temperatures, achieved through the combustion of fossil fuels. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate its environmental impact with regards to energy requirements and CO₂ emissions. Initially, a process model is developed to simulate the final calcination stage of the traditional pigments production process. It is validated against titanium dioxide (TiO₂) white production industrial data and adjusted for Cr₂O₃ production. Three alternative processes are examined: two for pigment grade (PIGM1, PIGM2) and one for metallurgical (MET) Cr₂O₃. Heat demand and CO₂ emissions computed by the developed process models are used as input in the LCA along with upstream data from the literature using a cradle-to-gate approach. The implementation of the LCA has resulted in calculated Global Warming Potential (GWP100) ranging from 7.9 to 12.8 CO₂-eq and fossil Primary Energy Demand (PED) between 91.4–159.6 MJ-eq (all referring to 1 kg of pigment production). It is depicted that the biggest part of the emissions originates from the upstream production and transportation of raw materials (contributing up to 96% of total CO₂ emissions) and other sources (electricity, production plant, etc.), rather than the examined calcination stage (contributing from 1.3 to 3.5% of GWP). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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20 pages, 6694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development, Optimization and Validation of a Sustainable and Quantifiable Methodology for the Determination of 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole, 2,3,4,6-Tetrachloroanisole, 2,4,6-Tribromoanisole, Pentachloroanisole, 2-Methylisoborneole and Geosmin in Air

by Patricia Jové, Marina Vives-Mestres, Raquel De Nadal and Maria Verdum

Processes 2021, 9(9), 1571; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091571 - 1 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2520

Abstract

Compounds 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), 2,3,4,6-tetrachloroanisole (TeCA), 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) and pentachloroanisole (PCA), 2-methylisoborneol (2MIB) and geosmin (GSM) have been reported as being responsible for cork and wine taint. A sustainable method based on thermal desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) has been developed and optimized, taking into account desorption parameters and chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions. The combination of parameters that jointly maximized the compound detection was as follows: desorption temperature at 300 °C, desorption time at 30 min, cryo-temperature at 20 °C and trap high temperature at 305 °C. The proposed methodology showed a good linearity (R ≤ 0.994) within the tested range (from 0.1 to 2 ng) for all target compounds. The precision expressed as repeatability and reproducibility was RSD < 10% in both. The limits of quantification ranged from 0.05 to 0.1 ng. The developed methodology and the sampling rates (R-values) of all targeted compounds (from 0.013 to 0.071 m³ h⁻¹) were applied to the air analysis of two wineries. The results showed that the developed methodology is a sustainable and useful tool for the determination of these compounds in air. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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27 pages, 9909 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Machining of Inserts with PCD Cutting-Edge Technology and Determination of Optimum Machining Conditions Based on Roundness Deviation and Chip-Cross Section of AW 5083 AL-Alloy Verified with Grey Relation Analysis

by Martin Miškiv-Pavlík and Jozef Jurko

Processes 2021, 9(9), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091485 - 24 Aug 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2527

Abstract

This paper describes the important significance of cutting-edge technology in the machining of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting inserts by comparing the evaluation criteria. The LASER technology of cutting-edge machining is compared with grinding and electrical discharge machining (EDM) technologies. To evaluate the data from the experiments, the Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) method was used to optimize the input factors of turning to achieve the required output parameters, namely the deviation of roundness and chip cross-section. The input factors of cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and corner radius were applied in the experiment for three different levels (minimum, medium and maximum). The optimal input factors for turning of aluminum alloy (AW 5083) were determined for the factorial plan according to Grey Relational Grade based on the GRA method for the multi-criteria of the output parameters. The results were confirmed by a verification test according to the GRA method and optimal values of input factors were recommended for the machining of Al-alloy (AW 5083) products. This material is currently being developed by engineers for forming selected components for the automotive and railway industries, mainly to reduce weight and energy costs. The best values of the output parameters were obtained at a cutting speed of 870 m/min, feed rate of 0.1 mm/min, depth of cut of 0.5 mm and a corner radius of 1.2 mm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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10 pages, 39326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Blue and Grey Water in the Supply Chain of China’s Apparel Manufacturing

by Ao Liu, Aixi Han and Li Chai

Processes 2021, 9(7), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9071212 - 15 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2857

Abstract

Apparel manufacturing involves high water consumption and heavy water pollution in its supply chain, e.g., planting cotton, producing chemical fibers, and dyeing. This study employs a multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model to (1) assess the life cycle of blue and grey water (chemical oxygen demand (COD) specific) of China’s apparel manufacturing; (2) reveal the hidden linkage among sectors and regions in the whole supply chain; and (3) identify the key regions and upstream sectors with the most water consumption and heaviest water pollution. We found that the agricultural sector (i.e., planting fiber crops) is responsible for primary water consumption and water pollution. In addition, different provinces assume different production roles. Guangdong is a major output province in apparel manufacturing. However, its economic output is contributed to by other regions, such as blue water from Xinjiang and Jiangsu and grey water from Hebei and Shandong. Our research reveals the significance of taking an inter-regional perspective on water resource issues throughout the supply chain in apparel manufacturing. The sustainable development of China’s apparel manufacturing relies on improving water-use efficiency and reasonable industrial layout. The results are of significance and informative for policymakers to build a water-sustainable apparel industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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24 pages, 6149 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applying Lean Six Sigma Methodology to a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility: A Case Study

by Brian Byrne, Olivia McDermott and John Noonan

Processes 2021, 9(3), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9030550 - 20 Mar 2021

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 26572

Abstract

This research examines a case study on the implementation of an effective approach to advanced Lean Six Sigma problem-solving within a pharmaceutical manufacturing site which manufactures acetaminophen (paracetamol containing pain relief) tablets. Though this study was completed in a single manufacturing company, the implementation of this study delivers important application and results that can be deployed in other such manufacturing companies. The manufacturing site faced backlogs in customer orders due to increased demand. Increased demand is due to brand popularity and recognition, product efficacy and a COVID 19 pandemic that intensified the demand for pain relief tablets in an already very busy site. With increased demand, to ensure timely deliveries, customer satisfaction and minimize delays, sources of site productivity losses and wastes needed to be analyzed and reduced or eliminated. Manufacturing Packaging line downtime was identified as one area of concern. The goal of the research was to introduce a problem-solving technique to reduce downtime within a manufacturing site without affecting the production required to fulfil customer demand while increasing product quality. The research utilized an integrated LSS methodology which identifies, stratifies and effectively eliminates non-value adding (waste) activities, by following a 7-step customized problem-solving methodology which resulted in complete elimination of the issue under investigation and savings of just under half a million dollars. The learnings are being deployed and leveraged worldwide across the pharmaceutical organizations parent site and sister sites. The presented results demonstrated that Lean Six Sigma methodology and tools are effective for accurate root causing of problems and enablers of implementation of continuous improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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22 pages, 2241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Methodology for Industrial Water Footprint Assessment Using Energy-Water-Carbon Nexus

by Anna Trubetskaya, William Horan, Paul Conheady, Ken Stockil and Sean Moore

Processes 2021, 9(2), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9020393 - 22 Feb 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6728

Abstract

Recent national government policy in Ireland proposes a radical transformation of the energy sector and a large reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2050. Water and energy form the water–energy nexus, with water being an essential component in energy production. However, the connection between the production of energy and water is rarely made. In particular, the end-user processes are generally excluded because they occur outside the water industry. The present study includes two simple approaches for industrial sites to calculate their carbon footprint in the water sector. The assessment of the milk powder manufacturing using both approaches indicates that the combined emission factor of the water supply and treatment is approximately 1.28 kg CO₂ m⁻³ of water. The dairy production among steel, textile, and paper industries appears to be the most carbon-emitting industry. However, the results show that the carbon intensity of the water supply and treatment can be minimized by the integration of renewable energy sources for the onsite heat/steam and electricity generation. The uniqueness of our approaches compared to calculations illustrated by the ecoinvent and other governmental databases is its simplicity and a focus on the main energy consuming manufacturing steps in the entire industrial process. We believe that the management of water and energy resources will be more efficient when “active water citizens” raise environmental awareness through promoting measures regarding data monitoring and collection, observed leaks and damages, dissimilation and exchange of information on sustainable water stewardship to public and various industrial stakeholders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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Review

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16 pages, 529 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Lean Adoption in the Irish MedTech Industry

by Anna Trubetskaya, Declan Manto and Olivia McDermott

Processes 2022, 10(2), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10020391 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5706

Abstract

There have been many literature reviews carried out on Lean implementation in larger organisations with specific focus on the automobile industry. Lean implementation in the medical device industry has not been extensively investigated. Thus, this research endeavored to analyse the benefits of Lean, tools utilised and challenges and results of Lean implementation in Medtech companies. This article aims to bridge a gap in the literature by reviewing the literature that discusses Lean implementation in MedTech companies in Ireland with a perspective of identifying the benefits and challenges faced. The quantitative methodology allows us to review the comprehensive numbers and data which were collected from 20 Enterprise Ireland MedTech case studies. There are very few published case studies in the literature on Lean due to the highly regulated nature of MedTech sector and the vast array of medical devices, which are often under privacy and confidentiality constraints. The results showed that integration of Lean has brought benefits to companies by increasing productivity and product quality, optimised cost, and time. An inclusive discussion of Lean tools for Lean implementation within MedTech was established and suggestions for future research orientations are thus provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Manufacturing and LCA Tools for Industrial Sectors)

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