Climate change is wreaking havoc with the management of large buildings and critical infrastructure. Whether you’re trying to reduce carbon emissions and operating costs in a shopping centre, airport, office building or museum, or keep systems in a manufacturing facility operating at their peak, it’s critical to maintain reliable and effective control.

But as the extremes of weather continue to grow further apart — stifling heat and humidity interspersed with periods of increased cold weather — it becomes harder to manage building conditions in a cost-effective and environmentally conscious way.

The key to navigating these challenging waters is to move away from disconnected systems and take a holistic view of all building operations. The digital transformation of property operations is a powerful enabler to achieve Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets, reach net zero, as well as manage rising energy costs and the impact of harmful carbon emissions.

Thinking in multiple dimensions

Successful digital transformation programs don’t operate in just one dimension. For a large complex building, it’s important to maintain visibility over all operational and environmental elements, learn from historical trends and understand the future impact of decisions and actions.

This relies on having access to the right insight-rich data in order to make adjustments in real time rather than waiting for tenants or patrons to raise complaints or simply to meet ESG targets and government mandates. The ability to use internal, external and historical data enables you to use predictive analytics. You can ask questions such as, “What can I expect if building occupancy increases by a third when the weather is 25°C?” or “Is the plant and equipment in my building operating at times of day when they don’t need to?”

Using analytics tools and machine learning, building owners and managers can quickly analyse the data to gain insights that can inform decisions. The conditions inside a building are directly impacted by the external climate. Combining data from a range of sources enables facilities managers to anticipate conditions and make adjustments ahead of time.

Rather than trying to cool a building when external temperatures are peaking, it may be more effective to initiate cooling systems earlier. For example, if the external temperature is expected to peak at 40°C at noon, initiating the cooling of an office building at 3:00 am may be more cost-effective and result in lower carbon emissions than trying to lower the temperature at 8:00 am, when the temperature is already rising.

Response is data driven

Thinking in each of those dimensions — internally, externally, historically and predictive — relies on having data and that enables you to understand how all the elements inside a building interact. Digital transformation is not about extracting some data and slapping a pretty dashboard in front of it.

Successful digital transformation in the built environment is about using data to connect disparate systems and services to enable better decision-making. The time for ‘gut feel’ decision-making is over, as data becomes more readily accessible.

In order to prepare for the impact of climate change on the management of large buildings such as shopping centres, office towers, museums or airports, we need access to quality data and tools that allow facilities and building managers to make sound decisions that ensure patron and tenant comfort and safety. That same data enables building and portfolio managers to make sound decisions that enable them to achieve their ESG targets, improve their sustainability credentials and maintain their regulatory obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Warchi

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/article/digital-transformation-to-navigate-climate-change-impacts-539202530

Heavy industry is responsible for approximately 20% of global CO₂ emissions. Approximately three-quarters of this energy requirement is for heat or reductants, and is currently supplied almost entirely from fossil fuels owing to their low cost and wide availability. The sheer scale of the net-zero power or hydrogen required means that it will take decades to implement, attracting billions of dollars in investment and generating thousands of new jobs. Products such as ‘green steel’ and its precursors, made using hydrogen rather than coal, represent a huge opportunity for Australia.

Running from 26–28 September at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide, this year’s High Temperature Minerals Processing (HiTeMP) 3 Forum is organised by the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology, the Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition (HILT) CRC and Mission Innovation’s Net Zero Industry (NZI) mission.

“Industry, research and government experts from Australia and around the world will convene at HiTeMP 3. The aim is to identify the world’s best practice from those at the forefront of driving the transition to net-zero CO₂ emissions in high-temperature industrial processes used to produce materials such iron, steel, cement and aluminium,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor Gus Nathan, Director of the Centre for Energy Technology.

“Engaging those at the forefront will generate cross-fertilisation of ideas and establish new partnerships to accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions for the sector. The circular economy — turning by-products from one industry into new products for another — is a focus of this third forum.

“The low-carbon transition will significantly impact global supply chains, generating new opportunities for those nations which have a coincidence of mineral and energy resources, together with a framework to drive investment in net-zero energy systems.

“With a growing number of high-temperature manufacturing companies across the world already committed to decarbonising, new markets are opening up for emerging certified low-carbon products as well as for the new technologies needed to manufacture them.”

The event will aim to identify the following:

• Ways to achieve net-zero carbon production for high-temperature industrial processes in the cement/lime, iron/steel, alumina/aluminium and non-ferrous metal industries;
• Emerging opportunities to implement circular economy principles for the heavy industrial sector;
• Examples of CO₂ capture, reuse and/or sequestration in the heavy industrial sector;
• Ways that energy sources like hydrogen, electrification, solar thermal, alternative fuels and storage may be used across the sector to accelerate the pathway to net-zero emissions;
• Opportunities through collaboration and international partnerships, knowledge sharing, industrial/innovation ecosystems, new business, markets and financial models, together with policy and regulatory frameworks, to accelerate the pathway to net zero for industry; and
• Next steps for the sector, including key enablers, projects and demonstrations that are needed to de-risk future investments in the path towards net-zero carbon production.
   

Image credit: iStock.com/cagkansayin

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/news/finding-the-pathway-to-decarbonise-heavy-industry-173392060

An independent review of the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme (TPSS), administered by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), shows commendable work has delivered public benefit at small cost to the economy but that the scheme has reached a turning point.

The review was commissioned by TSA to satisfy the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) requirements of authorisation.

It involved a close examination of efficiencies and operations and consultation with key stakeholders from:

• federal, state and territory and local governments;
• industry sectors including tyre importers and retailers, manufacturing, mining and other off-the-road tyre segments, vehicle fleet operators and the tyre resource recovery sector;
• global circular economy and stewardship peers;
• ESG advisors and researchers.
   

Top-line findings of the review include:

• The public benefits of the TPSS significantly outweigh any public detriment.
• TSA has administered the TPSS to improve environmental stewardship.
• TSA exhibits a high level of corporate governance understanding and practice in its administration of the TPSS.
• That under its current voluntary scheme structure, the TPSS has reached a plateau which limits its capability to do more and poses an existential risk of financial non-viability were a contributor to depart.
• That a regulated scheme structure would enable the TPSS to significantly expand its activities and pursue strategic opportunities and innovation for stakeholders in the circular tyre economy and bring it line with the ‘cradle to grave’ approach taken by other schemes around the world.
   

“This is a hard-core scorecard for the scheme’s successes and failures,” said TSA CEO Lina Goodman.

“It shows us what our stakeholders need from a product stewardship organisation, where there are failures which impact the recovery of end-of-life tyres in Australia and provides recommendations that will advance Australia’s product stewardship of tyres locally.

“It also raises some critical questions for TSA, as the administrator of the scheme, for the regulators and for all the stakeholders in the circular tyre economy.

“Has a voluntary scheme for end-of-life tyres reached the peak of its ability to make a difference? Who is being left behind under the current structure? How can true circular economy principles be supported and advanced through a product stewardship organisation?

“What are the potential opportunities a regulated scheme would allow us to pursue, particularly for regional, rural and remote stakeholders?

“Can we do more to foster local manufacturers to use tyre-derived material? Is there a need to think about a scheme design that supports investment for greater local recovery of used tyres?

“It is questions like these which we now need to explore with all the stakeholders in the circular tyre economy, both within Australia and globally.”

Read the full report at https://www.tyrestewardship.org.au/assessments/.

Image credit: iStock.com/Ogdum

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/news/independent-review-of-australia-s-tyre-product-stewardship-scheme-255220426

The winners of the 20th Premier’s Sustainability Awards were announced by The Hon Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Environment and Climate Action, at a ceremony in Melbourne on 20 September.

The 12 Victorian winners included packaging made from mushrooms, the transformation of a degraded grassy woodland into a functioning ecosystem, a community resale shed and clean energy solutions.

Premier Daniel Andrews personally selected the winners of the two overall awards — the Premier’s Recognition Award was awarded to Fungi Solutions and the Premier’s Regional Recognition Award was awarded to Euroa Arboretum.

This year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards were delivered collaboratively by Sustainability Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government, along with the Banksia Foundation and Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria.

Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria’s Interim CEO, said this year’s entries demonstrated the sheer breadth of work being done in sustainability and congratulated all winners for their tremendous achievements.

There are two winners for each of the six categories, which were refreshed in 2021 to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Community Champion Award recognises individuals and small organisations, and the Industry Leader Award celebrates medium and large organisations driving a sustainable future.

The Premier’s Sustainability Awards Community Champion winners have a pathway to the national Keep Australia Beautiful awards program and all winners are eligible for the National Banksia Sustainability Awards.

And the winners are…

Circular economy innovation

• Industry Leader: City of Greater Bendigo
• Community Champion: Fungi Solutions

Future energy

• Industry Leader: Solar Thermal
• Community Champion: Euroa Environment Group

Healthy and fair society

• Industry Leader: Fire Rescue Victoria
• Community Champion: Alex Makes Meals

Thriving Environment

• Industry Leader: Darebin City Council
• Community Champion: Euroa Arboretum

Sustainable Places and Destinations

• Industry Leader: North West Program Alliance
• Community Champion: Warrnambool Community Garden

Waste and Litter Reduction

• Industry Leader: Rock Posters
• Community Champion: Anglesea Community House

Premier’s Recognition Awards

• Fungi Solutions
• Regional: Euroa Arboretum
   

Image credit: iStock.com/Petmal

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/article/victorian-sustainability-awards-winners-announced-794966922

The V12so Odour Control Cannon combines four different functions in one machine. Originally designed to eliminate odours, the machine can also provide a solution for dust suppression, cooling and most recently, disinfection. While these functions may seem different, the low water consumption and dosing pump is the common feature that has made this machine adaptable for all solutions.

Working at two speed levels, the machine has a water consumption of only 4 Lpm and a throwing range of up to 50 m. Recent research with the independent laboratory SEA in Toronto concluded that the V12so could reduce the bacterial load by 95%.

With automated and remote control functionality, the machine is suitable for recycling plants and landfill sites for dust, odour and disinfection control. It is also suitable for large halls and warehouses for both cooling and disinfection, as well as production facilities (including food).

Due to the turbine used in the machine, large areas can be disinfected quickly and with its low sedimentation speed, the fog reaches hidden corners and angles.

Tecpro Australia is the exclusive distributor of the V12so in Australia.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/product/emi-controls-v12so-odour-control-cannon-737135727

UNSW Sydney engineers have developed a process to 3D print solid-state polymer electrolytes into any shape desired for use in energy storage.

The process could be particularly useful in future medical devices where small, intricately designed energy storage offers several benefits, according to the research team from the School of Chemical Engineering — led by Professor Cyrille Boyer and including Dr Nathaniel Corrigan and Kenny Lee.

Solid-state electrolytes are a key component in solid-state batteries, but they have traditionally suffered from poor performance due to low ionic conductivities or poor mechanical properties.

UNSW researchers claim that their 3D printed solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) offers high conductivity, as well as robust strength, which means they can potentially be used as the actual structure of a device.

Designing storage on a micro-scale level

“Nobody has 3D printed solid polymer electrolytes before. Traditionally they have been made using a mould, but previous processes did not offer the ability to control the strength of the material, or to form it into complex shapes,” Lee said.

“With existing solid-state electrolytes, when you increase the mechanical strength of the material, you sacrifice a lot of the conductivity. If you want higher conductivity the material is much less robust. What we have achieved is a simultaneous combination of both, which can be 3D printed into sophisticated geometries.

“This polymer electrolyte has the potential to be a load-bearing energy storage material. Because of its strength, it could be used as the actual structure of small electronics, or in aerospace applications, or in small personal medical devices given our 3D printing process can be very intricate and precise.

“We can create really tiny structures with the kind of systems we’re using. So it has fantastic application in nanotechnology and anywhere you need to design energy storage on a micro-scale level,” Lee said.

Increased cycling stability

Although the solid polymer electrolyte developed by the UNSW team is regarded as a high-performance material, the researchers say it can be manufactured using inexpensive and commercially available 3D printers, rather than sophisticated engineering equipment.

The SPE described in the paper is composed of nano-scale ion-conducting channels embedded in a rigid crosslinked polymer matrix. It is produced via a process known as polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS).

To showcase the versatility of the material, the researchers 3D printed an intricate map of Australia which was then tested as an energy storage device.

“One of the other benefits of this SPE in energy storage devices is the fact it increases the cycling stability — that is the number of charging and discharging cycles until its capacity is reduced to a certain amount,” Corrigan said.

“In our paper, we show that this material is very stable and has the ability to charge and discharge over thousands of cycles. After 3000 cycles there was only roughly a 10% drop.”

Researchers used a standard 3D printer to produce an intricate map of Australia made of solid polymer electrolyte which was then tested as an energy storage device. Photo from Dr Nathaniel Corrigan.

High energy storage density

In future, product designers could use their SPE to create items with a much higher energy storage density, according to the researchers.

“Imagine an earpod predominantly made out of this material, which is also acting as the battery. The storage density will be much higher and the power would therefore last longer,” Boyer said.

“We really hope to be able to push forward in terms of commercialisation because we’ve created some really incredible materials and processes.”

Findings of the study have been published in Advanced Materials.

Top image: UNSW researcher Dr Nathaniel Corrigan working with a 3D printer in the laboratory. Photo from Dr Corrigan.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/news/unsw-engineers-develop-3d-printed-energy-storage-design-options-921558806

WaterGroup is now a reseller of the Landis+Gyr W350, a network-enabled, ultrasonic, fully integrated smart water meter.

The smart water meter is used to obtain 24/7 visibility of water use.

Using its embedded SIM card, the water meter wirelessly connects to a subset of the cellular network, the narrowband NB-IoT, just like a mobile phone.

It features the option to have both an embedded pressure and network leak or vibration sensor, allowing utilities to get on the front foot with leak reduction programs.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/water/product/landis-gyr-w350-digital-water-meter-688311124

The Series PMI Particulate Matter Transmitter is designed to measure indoor air quality by detecting particulate matter in an office environment or HVAC duct. Using laser scattering technology, the device can measure particles as small as 0.3 µm, making it suitable for indoor air quality monitoring system. The optional relay combined with the settable alarm and control parameters allow it to be a standalone controller.

Applications include educational institutions, healthcare facilities, corporate offices, hotels/restaurants and air purifiers.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/product/dwyer-instruments-series-pmi-particulate-matter-transmitter-678834669

The Series MSX Magnesense Differential Pressure Transmitter now has optional BACnet and Modbus communications available immediately for use in building control applications. This option is selectable for the device under the optional feature designated as -COM. The option allows the device to communicate via selectable Modbus or BACnet communication.

For building pressure measurement applications, the series combines the stability and versatility of the original Series MS2 Magnesense II transmitter.

Applications include: filter monitoring in air handler units; building pressure in pharmaceutical/semiconductor cleanrooms; duct static pressure in commercial buildings; and air velocity/flow in VAV systems.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/product/dwyer-instruments-series-msx-magnesense-differential-pressure-transmitter-1075064325

The European ECOFUNCO project’s goal is to use waste from the agricultural and food industry, in this case seeds and skins from tomatoes, watermelons and apples, to extract high-value compounds that are subsequently used in packaging for food and personal hygiene use.

Obtaining new, more sustainable and recyclable materials and contributing to the circular economy are two of the main aims of the project, explained by M Carmen Garrigós, principal researcher of the University of Alicante (UA) involved the project.

UA’s NANOBIOPOL group has carried out the extraction of the active compounds present in the agri-food waste. By using sustainable extraction techniques based on microwaves and ultrasound, it has managed to obtain new extracts with high added value (proteins, cutin, polysaccharides, polyphenols, fatty acids). These compounds have enabled the development of antimicrobial and antioxidant coatings for personal hygiene products such as tissues, as well as plastics for active packaging of fresh products, and single-use cartons (trays, plates, cups) with improved water-barrier properties.

In addition to obtaining products with new advantages and taking advantage of the biomass generated in the agri-food sector, all the products developed with the compounds extracted by the UA researchers are recyclable and biodegradable.

Image credit: iStock.com/Dan Totilca

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/case-study/going-full-circle-from-fruit-waste-to-food-packaging-784422344