Materials Technology Materials & Environment

Overview Core The student will learn about… The economic use of resources The student will be able to… Recognise the need for economic and sustainable use of energy and materials (including recycling), and take account of time and other factors

Overview Option The student will learn about… The environmental and social considerations applied in product design and manufacture The student will be able to… Describe how economic use of the earth’s resources informs selection of materials, processes, finish, etc

Materials Technology To a pessimist the glass is half empty To an optimist the glass is half full To a technologist the glass is just twice as big as it needs to be!

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Do we need economic and sustainable use of materials and resources? The pictures speak for themselves!

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources It is increasingly recognised that significant changes in production and consumption systems will be required to meet the needs and aspirations of a growing world population. The Earth’s finite resources are limited and must be used in a sustainable manner

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Economic and social considerations have always been an integral part of engineering design and a force for refinement and sophistication of design methods

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Engineers traditionally see themselves as the interface between science, technology and business allowing industry to create wealth from scientific and technological developments.

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Industrial ecology is an approach to organizing industrial systems that uses natural biological ecosystems as a model. The structure and processes of natural ecosystems, including the complex interactions of organisms with each other, are used as a basis for creating industrial networks. Nature shows us the way to finding equilibrium! (a)Traditional linear industrial system (b)Industrial ecology system

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Industrial ecology in practice is outlined below Material & energy exchanges in the eco-industrial park in Kalundborg, Denmark

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Life Cycle of a Product over Time Careful consideration must be given to a product from the ore extraction / raw material stage to its final end of use stage. Each stage is managed and planned.

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Environmental impact statements are used to ensure that the environment is considered by those designing significant engineering projects Boyne Bridge Shannon Tunnel Lansdowne Stadium

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Environmental impact statements deal with the gross impacts of developments on the environment. However… Engineers and scientists now need to consider at the design stage of every product, irrespective of size, how their choice of materials, processes and serviceability, will impact on the environment over the lifecycle of the product

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Engineering design is based on a collective engineering science base which includes a comprehensive and detailed analysis of materials and their behaviour under certain operating conditions James Joyce Bridge DublinBCE Place Toronto

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Sustainable development brings the designer closer to the context of use of the final product – particularly the environmental context Ecological considerations need to be assessed as part of the design process in the way that economics is, so that micro-decisions at every stage of the design process take account of resources, energy use, recyclability, pollution and sustainability

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Traditional EngineeringSustainable Engineering Considers the objectConsiders the system in which the product will be used Focuses on technical issuesIntegrates technical and non- technical issues Solves the immediate problemLooks towards the long term Considers the local contextConsiders the global context Assumes others will deal with politics, ethics and societal issues Engineers interact with other experts related to the problem

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Closing Thoughts We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to – Terri Swearingen Treat the Earth well it was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children – Kenyan Proverb When we tug at a single thing in nature we find it attached to the rest of the world – John Muir I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ‘til oil and coal run out before we tackle that – Thomas Edison Our world has enough for each persons need, but not for his greed – Mahatma Gandhi

Economic & Sustainable Use of Resources Closing Thoughts The boundless blue sky, the ocean which gives us breath and protects us from the endless black and death, is but an infinitesimally thin film – Vladimir Shatalov - Cosmonaut