Using less, recycling and encouraging synergy One thing is clear: important investments and innovation efforts will be made in the future on the development of environmental and energy processes which reduce the burden on natural resources of the elements “water”, “fire” (energy fuels) and “earth” (soil and material ore). Reducing use The use of energy, water, etc., can be improved through proper management of the processes and an installation design that is well-adapted to actual process needs (no unnecessary cooling or heating, no use of machines for longer or at higher power than necessary, reducing heat losses, selective use of air and water, etc.). Recycling A variation in the optimisation of the use of natural resources is recycling, for example via closed cycles (i.e. re-use of water in closed circuits, with local cooling or water treatment instead of “once through” use, recovery of residual heat for other needs in the process, etc.), with the goal of reducing costs for the external supply of energy, water and related taxes. Synergy Finally, one can also make use of the specific synergy between processes where a combined production is better for the environment or economically more interesting than the sum of separate productions, and where generating fresh water, electricity, etc. is not for one’s own needs, but destined for the market. For example, it regards process combinations for: - electricity and fresh water or hydrogen production - process heat (e.g. residues incineration) and electricity - CO2 capture and fuel for the transport sector - water purification and fertilizer production, etc. Interaction between the four elements Besides proactive use of interesting synergies between the four elements, it is important when dealing with one of the four process areas, that the impact or consequences on each of the three other areas is also being examined. e.g. In the area of waste treatment, a shift took place from dumping (polluting the earth) to incineration as the reference treatment. This required an important focus on emission management (polluting the air). However, incinerating also requires energy and cooling water, a disadvantage that is countered by recovering residual heat for the production of steam and electricity.
Agoria, the Federation for the technology Industry
5