Sustainable Engineering: Concepts, Design and Case Studies, Rough Cuts

Description

This is the Rough Cut version of the printed book.

Engineers will play a central role in addressing one of the twenty-first century’s key challenges: the development of new technologies that address societal needs and wants within the constraints imposed by limited natural resources and the need to protect environmental systems.

To create tomorrow’s sustainable products, engineers must carefully consider environmental, economic, and social factors in evaluating their designs. Fortunately, quantitative tools for incorporating sustainability concepts into engineering designs and performance metrics are now emerging. Sustainable Engineering introduces these tools and shows how to apply them.

Building on widely accepted principles they first introduced in Green Engineering, David T. Allen and David R. Shonnard discuss key aspects of designing sustainable systems in any engineering discipline. Their powerful, unified approach integrates essential engineering and quantitative design skills, industry perspectives, and case studies, enabling engineering professionals, educators, and students to incorporate sustainability throughout their work. Coverage includes

• A concise review of the natural resource and environmental challenges engineers face when designing for sustainability
• Analysis and legislative frameworks for addressing environmental issues and sustainability
• Methods for identifying green and sustainable materials
• Principles for improving the sustainability of engineering designs
• Tools for evaluating sustainable designs and monetizing their benefits

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Preface                        ix

Acknowledgments                               xi

About the Authors                             xiii

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sustainability                       1

1.1 Introduction     1

1.2 The Magnitude of the Sustainability Challenge 2

1.3 Energy 3

1.4 Materials Use 8

1.5 Environmental Emissions 13

1.6 Summary 27

Problems 28

References 32

Chapter 2: Risk and Life-Cycle Frameworks for Sustainability                 35

2.1 Introduction   35

2.2 Risk 35

2.3 Life-Cycle Frameworks   42

2.4 Life-Cycle Assessment Tools   55

2.5 Summary   57

Problems   57

Appendix: Readily Available Hazard References   61

References   62

Chapter 3: Environmental Law and Regulation              65

3.1 Introduction   65

3.2 Nine Prominent Federal Environmental Statutes   68

3.3 Evolution of Regulatory and Voluntary Programs from End-of-Pipe to Pollution Prevention and Sustainability   72

3.4 Pollution Prevention Concepts and Terminology   73

3.5 Environmental Law and Sustainability   74

Problems   75

Appendix   77

References   89

Chapter 4: Green, Sustainable Materials              91

4.1 Introduction   91

4.2 Environmental and Natural Resource Use Footprints of Material Extraction and Refining   91

4.3 Tracking Material Flows in Engineered Systems   99

4.4 Environmental Releases   107

4.5 Summary   114

Problems   114

References   115

Chapter 5: Design for Sustainability: Economic, Environmental, and Social Indicators           117

5.1 Introduction   117

5.2 Sustainable Engineering Design Principles   118

5.3 Economic Performance Indicators 

Updates

Submit Errata