Resource sustainability application considerations

The use of re-refined base oils to produce lubricants is increasingly considered on a worldwide basis. The driving force is the concept of sustainability [6], in this application, the recycling of resources to minimise their environmental impact. These considerations, whilst commendable in principle, appear to ignore the environmental costs of collection and transport. Against this, the material must be collected for disposal in any case. 

Engineering polymers such as polyamides are important in structural and mechanical applications, whereas addition polymers are commodity polymers which are able to meet many essential consumer requirements. Therefore, full or even partial replacement of petroleum-based raw materials by renewable resource-based materials for the manufacture of polymeric products poses considerable difficulties. However, this is essential, as the use of renewable raw materials contributes to sustainable development and the responsibility of meeting the needs of the present without creating problems for future generations. However, not many reports are available on this topic and the discussion is therefore not comprehensive. 

For space environments for humans to become feasible, further research and development must take place in three main areas fife-support systems and shielding, types of space-bound habitats, and resources to sustain habitat populations. Given the vast number of possibilities within these scenarios, there are many considerations that will take precedence over others as humankind progresses toward a more developed future in space. For example, the operating conditions, power resources needs, and amenities aboard a habitat built for long-term, near-Earth orbit will be very different from those for a round-trip to the Moon or Mars. Despite these differences, there are many other areas in which research and development could uncover certain universally applicable materials and techniques. 

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