Resource Efficiency
Efficiency in the use of resources means using the Planet's finite resources sustainably, decoupling economic growth from increased resource demand. To achieve this, it is necessary to develop techniques and methodologies that improve and optimize production processes in terms of energy, water, and raw materials and substantially reduce generated waste. It is also critical to design products that reduce the demand for scarce resources in their manufacture, promoting their reuse and increasing their recycling (Ecodesign).
In short, transitioning from a linear production model (use and discard) to a circular economy (use, reuse, recycle, and remake new products from previous waste, cycling as many times as possible). The participation of all stakeholders (material suppliers, material converters, brand owners and retailers, waste managers, and so on) improves the connection of different parts of the value chain. All resources must be managed more efficiently throughout their lifecycle under this principle.
Our research activity in energy savings began in the early 1980s, with numerous international recognitions for our industrial and academic contributions in Thermal, Electrical, and Thermoeconomics Engineering with the Laws of Energy Efficiency.
However, neither water nor raw materials, both abiotic and biotic, could be left out of our studies. Since the late 1990s, we have begun studying and applying desalination and water purification technologies for saline, brackish, contaminated, and general water systems. A few years later, we started our studies on the evaluation of the Planet's Mineral Capital and the dispersive use of the most critical materials, including plastics. Although materials do not disappear, they mix, alloy, react, degrade, disperse, and contaminate, preventing their immediate reuse. They need to be re-graded, which consumes energy and more materials, apart from money and other efforts. So much so that it is cheaper in practically all cases to continue using natural raw materials instead of recycling them. Hence our concern and urgency to develop what we call Spiral Economy, beyond the Circular Economy.
Energy Efficiency in Generation Sources, Industry, and Buildings
The future in this field, in which ENERGAIA has been working since 1993, are coal or coal and biomass plants with highly efficient technologies: supercritical steam cycle plants in combustion boilers (there are commercial plants) or fluid bed (in development). Also, combined cycle plants, with integrated gasification or directly with natural gas. These technologies increase the efficiency of conventional installations by almost 50%, now almost only a mere comparative reference. In combustion processes, improvement using advanced monitoring and supervision techniques, such as flame image monitoring, allows the development of advanced algorithms that facilitate knowledge of combustion gas temperatures. Thus, maintenance and operation of the equipment used are reduced.
The energy management of a building aims to achieve the greatest efficiency in energy use while maintaining comfort levels. Monitoring existing energy consumption in a building is a necessary first step to reduce it. Using novel integrated schemes to meet its demands is the complement to reach the NZEB concept, along with the use of low environmental impact materials, which can be analyzed with the corresponding LCA, are aspects that ENERGAIA has also carried out. Finally, using thermoeconomic analysis, numerous improvements have been found in the integration of production processes in energy-intensive industries in various public and private projects.
