Energy societal impacts

Environmental Problems. In The European Transition from Oil Societal Impacts and Constraints on Energy Policy, ed. by G. T. Goodman, L. A. Kiistoferson, and J. M. Hollander. London Academic Press. 

TES systems can contribute to increased sustainability as they can help extend supplies of energy resources, improve costs and reduce environmental and other negative societal impacts. 

Products and processes all have a natural life cycle. For example, the life cycle of a product starts from the extraction of raw materials for its production and ends when the product is finally disposed. In the production, use and disposal of this product, energy is consumed and wastes and emissions are generated. A life-cycle assessment is an analysis in which the use of energy and materials are quantified and the potential environmental and societal impacts are predicted. Life-cycle thinking is progressively being adopted by industry as an... 

In this chapter we described some of the industrial aspects of ceramics. Ceramics make money. Unfortunately obtaining the raw materials can have some undesirable environmental and societal impacts. The environmental impact of nanomaterials is an issue that has not yet significantly concerned the ceramics industry because no one knows exactly what that impact is. But as the market for ceramic nanopowders and other nanostructures (such as wires and tubes) increases the environmental concerns will have to be addressed. Many of the grand challenges we face as a society, such as energy, the enviromnent, and health care, will require innovative technological solutions. Ceramics can play an important role in these areas, e.g., nuclear waste immobilization, catalytic conversion, and viral nanosensors. 

The purpose of this volume is to highlight several recent research efforts to discover and to develop selective, catalytic reactions and processes for the cmiver-sion of ligno-cellulosic and plant oil-derived feedstocks to value-added chemicals. The value of catalytic chemical processes lies in their reduced energy consumption and potentially increased efficiency and product selectivity, which minimize environmental and societal impacts. Selectivity is especially important for the preparation of commodity and specialty chemical and materials where single compounds are usually needed, unlike fuel production where mixtures of high energy compounds (e.g., gasoline and diesel) are useable. 

The impact of corrosion on everyday life is a major issue, given that corrosion and materials reliability affects public infrastructure, industrial complexes, and major areas of governmental endeavor and responsibility. The deleterious effects of corrosion and its societal impact are highlighted by growing concerns about public safety, endangerment of personnel, national security, energy security, national de-... 

Sustainability can be measured by the outcomes of using a material, process, or system on the environment, society, and economy. The three components of sustainability have economic, social, and environmental aspects and are related with each other as shown in Figure 1.1. Materials, processes, and systems can have environmental, economic, and societal impact. Sustainable materials, processes, and systems have all three impacts. For example, the development of materials will have environmental impacts of using raw materials, energy sources, and transportation that come from natural resources, which can create air, land. 

Not only is there a direct and indirect financial burden, but corrosion also has a considerable societal impact. Crucial industries such as energy, aerospace, transportation, food, agriculture, electronics, marine, and petrochemical rely on the safety and availability of their infrastructures. In many instances, these requirements have been compromised by corrosion events that have led to loss of life, enviroiunental pollution, and loss of jxrwer to industry. However, between 25 and 50% of the economic impact (depending on the specific industry) could have been prevented by the use of well-accepted materials selection and corrosion prevention measures. 

Breakout questions What major discoveries or advances related to energy or transportation have been made in the chemical sciences during the past several decades What is the length of time for them to show impact What are the societal benefits of research in the chemical sciences What are the intangible benefits, for example, in health and quality of life What problems exist in the chemical sciences Has there been a real or sustained decline in research investment in either the public or private sector Has there been a shift in off-shore investment ... 

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