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 Cleaner Production Ȃ New Technology
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c Cleaner Productionc
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c Case 1: Pumperdump Pty Ltdc
2.1 Need of New Technology
2.2 New Technology
2.3 Environmental Gains
2.4 Cost & Savings
2.5 The Way Forward
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c Case 2: Licotec Pty Ltdc
3.1 Need for New Technology
3.2 New Technology
3.3 Environmental Gains
3.4 Cost & Savings
3.5 The Way Forward
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c Case 3: COATING AUSTRALIA PTY LTDc
4.1 Cleaner production motivators
4.2 Traditional Approach
4.3 Cleaner Production Initiatives
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c Case 4: Cleaner technologies for sustainable tourism:
Caribbean case studyc
5.1 Need for Sustainable Tourism
5.2 New Technology
5.3 Technological innovation in the Caribbean tourism sector
5.4 Findings from the case
5.5 Conclusions
5.6 Achievements
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c Case 5: Polish herring filleting plantc
6.1 Options Implemented
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c References
Environment Assignment Page 2
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 Cleaner Production Ȃ New Technology
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Cleaner Production
Cleaner production is a preventive, company-specific environmental protection initiative. It is
intendend to minimize waste and emissions and maximize product output. By analysing the flow
of materials and energy in a company, one tries to identify options to minimize waste and
emissions out of industrial processes through source reduction strategies. Improvements of
organisation and technology help to reduce or suggest better choices in use of materials and
energy, and to avoid waste, waste water generation, and gaseous emissions, and also waste
heat and noise.

Examples for cleaner production options are:

a Documentation of consumption (as a basic analysis of material and energy flows, e. g.

with a Sankey diagram)
a Use of indicators and controlling (to identify losses from poor planning, poor education
and training, mistakes)
a Substitution of raw materials and auxiliary materials (especially renewable materials and
energy)
a Increase of useful life of auxiliary materials and process liquids (by avoiding drag in, drag
out, contamination)
a Improved control and automatisation
a Reuse of waste (internal or external)
a New, low waste processes and technologies

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Case 1 : Pumperdump Pty Ltd

Pumperdump Pty Ltd provides the construction industry with an economical and
environmentally friendly option for dealing with solid and liquid waste generated during concrete
pours.

Pumperdump Pty Ltd was formed in 2002 and is owned and operated by proprietor Richard
Amadio. Pumperdump¶s concrete separator is the first of its kind worldwide. The concrete waste
separation unit dramatically reduces the amount of waste concrete the construction industry
sends to landfill, and stops concrete wastewater from entering stormwater drains.

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Pumperdump could see there would be quantifiable benefits for industry and for the
environment. When the cleanup, disposal and labour costs of the traditional method of dealing
with concrete waste were added up, and the cost benefits of reducing environmental and OH&S
risk were taken into account, it was clear that the CWSU was a cost-effective and efficient
service.

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Richard Amadio sought funding from the NSW Government¶s Industry Partnership Program to
help develop a revolutionary concrete waste separation unit (CWSU). After identifying the target
market, Richard designed a customised truck that could take the CWSU to and from more than
55 building sites across Sydney over a six-month trial period.

   
  

More than 80 concrete and building sites trialed the new waste service. In the six-month trial
period the participating sites reported:

‡ there were no pollution incidents

‡ labour costs were significantly reduced
‡ time spent cleaning-up was reduced.

  

Labour, disposal and clean-up costs are substantially reduced. The companies trialing
Pumperdump reported combined annual savings of $10,000.

 


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Pumperdump¶s operations within the construction industry are continually expanding. The
company is aiming to encourage construction companies to improve their environmental and
economic management in other ways.

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Case 2 : Licotec Pty Ltd

Licotec is dedicated to the research, development and commercialisation of liquid composite
technology. Licotec is owned and operated by Dr Serge Agafonoff and inventor, Peter Hodgson.

The case basically focuses on new technology boosting efficiency for a whole industry.

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After years of working in pool manufacturing, inventor Peter Hodgson believed ³there simply had
to be a better way´ than the conventional labour intensive, time-consuming and messy process
of fibreglass application.

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With the support of $39,000 from the Industry Partnership Program, this world-first composite
was trialled at two of the largest pool and spa manufacturers in NSW. The trials demonstrated
that the new liquid composite is capable of bringing about dramatic efficiency improvements for
the whole composites industry, as well as savings on production costs and improvements to the
workplace environment.

The technology trial at two large pool manufacturers was independently verified by The
University of Newcastle Research Associates (TUNRA) and demonstrated that liquid
composites:

a Slash VOC emissions

a Reduce energy and raw material consumption
a Reduce waste disposal costs

   
  

The industry-based trials demonstrated that significant environmental improvements can be

gained by using liquid composite material in fibreglass manufacturing:

a VOC emissions are reduced by at least 30%²approximately 20 kg per pool

a glass fibres floating in the atmosphere are eliminated
a consumption of raw materials is reduced by up to 50%
a energy consumption is reduced by 50%
a quantity of waste generated during manufacturing is reduced
a recyclability is improved²liquid composite material is more userfriendly for recycling into
products such as fillers for body putties etc.

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A typical manufacturer could save 2% of input costs (excluding labour) by introducing liquid
composites. Compass Pools has identified $42,000 in annual savings at their current output, but
the major advantage of using liquid composites is it can speed up production with no additional
capital input, potentially increasing productivity by 25%.

 


Licotec continues to develop the microfibre liquid composite, advancing the surface coat to
increase the material¶s strength and resilience, and pursuing its commercial application to both
open and closed moulding processes.

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Case 3 : COATING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Coating Australia Pty. Ltd. was established in 1997 to increase competitiveness and improve
business practices in the furniture industry.The business is focussing on assembling and
polishing furniture made from solid timber, timber veneer and particle board.


 
 

Increased production while minimising manual spraying and thereby labour. Compete
internationally with the demand in South East Asian markets to produce environmentally friendly
products. Reduce the dissipation of hazardous substances into the atmosphere.


 


a The SA furniture industry uses approx 1.2 ML of paint and solvent per annum.
a Traditional polishing errors such as runs, patches missed, consume a lot of paints,
solvents and thinners. Final products vary in appearance because the degree of staining
varies between different polishers.
a Operators are exposed to chemicals.
a Rate of production of a spraying machine is limited by factors such as finishing features,
required quality, shape of the piece, gun movement and number of guns used for
spraying. It is a labour intensive process and there are few qualified polishers in SA.
a A polished piece of furniture is very soft and there is a high rework rate between the
assembly process and the polishing process.

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The UV rollercoater eliminates the use of solvents and thinners by rolling the lacquer (UV
material) directly on to the piece of timber. UV light applied to the timber cures the lacquer within
seconds and the timber is ready to be assembled into the piece of furniture. This method is
used especially for drying the less visible areas of furniture such as underneath surfaces, and
for commercial desks. The drying time is in the range 5±10 seconds.

The airless high output pressure spraying equipment, especially for base coat lacquers, allows
more lacquer to be applied within a specific time and very little product bouncing since the
sprayed lacquer droplets are larger and not mixed with high pressure air.

   
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a Reduced dissipation of solvents, paints and thinners; emissions ventilated into an air
exhaust system.
a Lacquer oversprays caught by filters located in different places on the machine
preventing discharge of solid particles into the atmosphere.
a Airless guns reduce overspray and hence fumes within the finishing area.

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a Minimized volume of lacquers and stains used in the process by 30±40%, reduced the
explosive hazard and substantially reduced storage of hazardous substances on the
premises.
a Usage of environmentally friendly substances (water-based stains and paints, UV
lacquers).
a Optimising the process by using mechanical spraying instead of gun spraying has
reduced the amounts of paint used and increased the quality of the product.

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a $150,000 (includes the EPA contribution)

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a Reduced manufacturing costs.

a Automatic spraying does not require qualified painters.


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a Reduced production time: much faster process than traditional polishing.

a Much improved production efficiency, far better product quality and superior finish.
a Greater export opportunities, positive effect on developing potential export markets for
Australian furniture manufacturers.
a Significantly improved physical and chemical features of finished products, especially
mechanical strength finish much harder than with traditional spray polishing.
a More consistency in stain colour.
a Less rework, less polishing errors and rejects.

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a Increased profitability of 5%.

a The curtain coater reduces the consumption of lacquers and stains by 30±40%. The UV
roller saves approx 80% solvent usage.
a The savings in labour approx 20±25%; savings in materials approx 40%
a Total saving in turnover of about 20%

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a The payback period likely to be less than 5 years.

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a Health risks to the operators reduced substantially since no operator required during
spraying process.
a Skin contact with hazardous chemicals and inhalation of solvents and solids extensively
eliminated.

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Case 4 : Cleaner technologies for sustainable tourism:

Caribbean case study
Tourists are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their selection of tourism destination. A
major factor that has been gaining importance in their choice set is the environmental quality of
their preferred destination. Tourism planners need to recognize that the sustainability of their
destination and its various offerings necessitates the consideration of environmental protection
and conservation- related issues.

The analysis of the case studies indicates that cleaner technologies are playing a role in
enhancing the sustainability of the Caribbean tourism industry. It was also found that there is a
Caribbean tourism cluster focused on developing an environmentally sound tourism product.

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Sustainable tourism is an important issue given the limits imposed on the human economy by
the ecological system. This paper attempts to show to what extent, if any, has man¶s ingenuity,
resulting in the development and diffusion of cleaner technologies, increased the viability and
sustainability of the Caribbean model of the tourism industry.

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Cleaner technologies are technologies that allow production with little or no waste through total
recycling of by-products. Examples of cleaner technology related to the tourism sector include:
1. Tertiary treated sewage used for irrigation
2. Metals, glass, and plastics recycled
3. Compost from organic solid waste
4. Use of renewable energy sources
5. Smart building design to reduce energy demand for lighting and cooling systems.

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The economic factor of profitability shapes the technological innovations that are diffused to
consumers, in this case, managers of tourism enterprises. With regard to sustainable tourism
development that implies a process of balance with nature: µµClose cooperation between tourism
enterprises at the destination level is regarded as essential for harmonic development¶¶.
Adoption of cleaner technology also depends on financial and technical resources.

Number of tourists as a function of environmental quality


   

The responses from St. Lucia came from properties where in terms of size, the number of
rooms on the properties ranged from 20 to 327, while the number of employees on the
properties ranged from 16 to 600. With regard to the origin of guests, there was almost an
inverse distribution between the larger properties (more than 75 rooms) and the smaller
properties(15±75 rooms) in relation to the origin of their guests.

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Origin of guests, large properties, St. Lucia

The following reasons were reported as important in the non-use of cleaner technology
in hotels:

a Too expensive;
a No requests from guests;
a No government sanctions;
a Lack of skilled, professional staff.

Origin of guests, small properties, St. Lucia

 
  

The findings indicate that the primary geographic region of origin of a hotel¶s guests did not play
a significant role in decisions about whether to use or not to use cleaner technologies. Decisions
to use these technologies were based primarily on good business strategies. Nevertheless, the
geographic origin of the guests did create pressure on some properties to use more
environmentally friendly technologies. Best has found for example that µµthere are indications
that tourists are increasingly making their holiday decisions based on a hotel or destination¶s
proven environmental responsibility¶¶.

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Attracting green consumers was indicated by the majority of the respondents as a reason for
using cleaner technologies in their operations. This points to the business logic that is driving
the use of cleaner technologies in hotel operations. This is apart from the rationality ofthe use of
cleaner technologies in terms of protection of the environment, upon which the tourism industry
depends.

It was felt that once they had hotels doing the correct things like recycling, garbage separation,
compliance with laws and regulations, water and energy conservation etc. there was insufficient
outside support for recycling plastics and glass and disposing of the solid waste properly. In
addition, it was also felt that there was little or no effective enforcement of laws pertaining to
environmental issues, and, the lack of incentives to encourage properties, when upgrading to
use environmentally correct equipment.¶¶

    

a Sound environmental practices meeting internationally recognized Green Globe 21

criteria.
a The forging of collaborative partnerships²Ministerial, Regional, NGO and Community²
to ensure the longevity of the tourism product.
a Conservation of natural resources.
a Environmental awareness training for staff, fellow hoteliers, learning institutes,
businesses and associations.
a Massive reductions in waste by composting and other re-use and recycling initiatives.
a Limited chemical use in preference for natural alternatives.
a Promotion of all that is local²food, art, history, culture, music, and furniture.
a Protection of turtle nesting habitat.
a Mitigation of environmental impacts to precious eco-systems.
a Revegitation projects

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Case 5 : Polish herring filleting plant

This case study originates from a Cleaner Production assessment carried out at a Polish herring
filleting plant. It shows what the company did and what the assessment achieved.

The company was under pressure from the local authorities because the organic load in the
wastewater was too high; and the neighbours complained about odour and effluent from the
plant. For these reasons, the managing director committed the company to a project aimed at
reducing the company¶s emissions to the environment.

The company decided on the following environmental policy:

Overall aim:
a to upgrade production whilst meeting the demands of the local and central authorities
a to address the complaints of residents nearby

Objectives:
a to increase yield
a to decrease pollution load in effluent
a to reduce odour
a to improve work environment

Targets:
a to increase yield by 3%
a to reduce water consumption and wastewater volumes by 50%
a to receive no complaints from neighbours

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Process flow chart of the operation

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a A system for grading fish was introduced. A belt grader was installed to remove fish that
were either too small or too large. This enabled the correct adjustment of the filleting
machines for fish of uniform size.
a A production control system was installed and the staff and managers underwent
training.
a Equipment monitoring procedures were put in place which included the sharpening and
changing of knives at each shift.
a Product yield monitoring procedures were also introduced for each filleting line.
Machines are adjusted or overhauled based on the feedback from the monitoring results.

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a Small chutes guide the offal and water to a filtration belt with 1 mm mesh size for rapid
separation of the offal from the water. The separated water then flows to floor drains that
take it to a microfiltration belt with a narrower mesh size.
a The solid offal separated from the filtration belt is taken to a main belt conveyor for
transport to a silage plant.

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a Wastewater containing offal that has fallen to the floor is transported by gravity to the
main filtration belt for screening. The screened offal is added to the main offal stream
and also used for silage.

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a Water meters were installed to record consumption.
a Trigger nozzles were fitted to all cleaning hoses.
a Solenoids valves were installed on all filleting machines to shut off water during
shutdown periods.
a Operators are now made aware of water consumption figures in order to increase
awareness.



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a Instead of sending the offal to a fish meal plant, the offal is now used to produce silage.
The production of silage is less energy consuming than production of fish meal, and is
used as fodder.

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References
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