Browse Topic: Waste management
The purpose of this research is to examine the fundamental principles of a circular economy (CE) in relation to the automotive industry in India, which plays a vital role in the country's economy. As a result, energy consumption and environmental impacts also pose significant challenges. CE provide a transformative approach through the life cycle of a vehicle, guiding the automotive industry toward a more sustainable transportation system. In order to decarbonize this industry, the global automotive commission recommends that recycled plastic content in vehicles be increased to 20-25% by 2030. This target necessitates the recovery of plastics from end-of-life vehicles, though these materials are rarely integrated into compounds today. The automotive industry's reliance on plastics has grown substantially due to their lightweight properties, which enhance fuel efficiency, reduce CO₂ emissions, and improve versatility and mechanical performance. polypropylene polymer and several other polyolefins are used for components like bumpers. The most prevalent recycling method for polypropylene bumpers is mechanical recycling, yet it presents notable challenges. It is important to note that paint, in particular, affects both the aesthetic quality and the structural integrity of recycled materials. This review work also explores the primary recycling methods documented in literature, particularly those that have minimal environmental impact. Further, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of India's transition toward sustainability in the automotive sector, including procedures for waste disposal and reuse. The report emphasizes the industry's growing pressure to adopt circular and sustainable approaches in production, vehicle design, and waste management while emphasizing the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste.
This paper presents the design and implementation of a Semi-Autonomous Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) capable of following a person while performing obstacle avoidance in urban and controlled environments. The LCV leverages its onboard 360-degree view camera, RTK-GNSS, Ultrasonic sensors, and algorithms to independently navigate the environment, avoiding obstacles and maintaining a safe distance from the person it is following. The path planning algorithm described here generates a secondary lateral path originating from the primary driving path to navigate around static obstacles. A Behavior Planner is utilized to decide when to generate the path and avoid obstacles. The primary objective is to ensure safe navigation in environments where static obstacles are prevalent. The LCV's path tracking is achieved using a combination of Pure Pursuit and Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers. The Pure Pursuit controller is utilized as lateral control to follow the generated path, ensuring smooth and accurate path tracking. Additionally, a PI controller is utilized for speed control, maintaining a consistent and safe speed. Multiple tests were conducted in various urban and controlled environments, especially densely-parked city roads, ramps, residential streets to evaluate the LCV's performance. The results demonstrate the LCV's ability to safely avoid parked vehicles showing human-like decision making and motion control, also maintaining a consistent following distance with the lead-person. The solution focuses on slow-speed applications where precision is of utmost priority. Additionally, the application of ultrasonic sensors helped in achieving immediate stops in close proximity scenarios. This system has significant potential for applications in last-mile delivery, logistics, waste management, and urban mobility, offering a versatile solution for safe and efficient navigation in complex environments and narrow roads.
The next generation of mobility, driven by shared, driverless, connected, and electrified vehicles, holds strong potential to advance sustainability through lower emissions and improved resource efficiency. However, critical questions remain regarding their true environmental impact, including battery lifecycle management, material consumption, and circular manufacturing practices. Sustainable Circular Future Mobility: Environmental Impact of Next-gen Vehicles explores these unresolved issues, focusing on the shift from internal combustion to electric vehicles, supply chain challenges, regulatory gaps, and the operational realities of sustainable productization. It also critically examines the risks of greenwashing, the need for consistent standards, and the role of intersectoral collaboration—with energy, urban planning, information and communications technologies, and waste management sectors—in building resilient, scalable solutions. The report provides strategic recommendations and actionable solutions to help stakeholders better navigate the transition toward a circular future for mobility. It further highlights the overlooked complexities in the Global South, emphasizing the importance of ethical market expansion and localized mobility strategies. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.
In recent trends, renewable energy has gained significance in worldwide applications due to avail from nature, low cost, and pollution-free. Based on the world population, a large volume of municipal and sewage water waste affects the environmental water sources, resulting in pollution. To save the earth and maintain a green environment, the present investigation aims to produce bio-hydrogen from municipal and sewage waste through a gasification process with a pyrolysis reactor. The temperature and time of the gasification process were varied by 600-900°C and 60 min. The impact of gasification temperature (600-900°C) and 60 min on molar fraction, gas yield, and gasification efficiency behaviour has to be investigated, and higher temperature (900°) with 60 min gasification process showed the superior molar fraction with 18.4 mol/kg hydrogen yield and improved gasification efficiency of 72%. The gained bio-hydrogen suggested energy storage applications.
Innovators at the NASA Kennedy Space Center have developed a new optical sensor for measuring concentration in a liquid solution. The sensor was designed for measuring the pretreat solution concentration within the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), a specialized toilet designed for the International Space Station (ISS) and other future missions. The sensor was developed to replace the current pretreat concentration sensor within the UWMS that uses electrical conductivity instead of light-based methods.
Scrap collection from any location is handled with mortal interference in several places and companies which may be extremely harmful or even dangerous to humanity. The demand for robotization has risen rapidly in recent years, owing to cutting-edge technologies that minimize manpower and threat-taking training directly or indirectly. The main objective of the paper is to study, analyze, investigate the main contribution of waste collecting by workers while cleaning in the Mechanical Industry. In order to ensure the safety of the workers during cleaning we had implemented the Automatic Trash Collecting Machine in the industry. For Fabricating the Trash collecting Machine first we had analyzed the problem in the industry and then we had started the free hand sketch of Trash Collecting Machine. Then the design work of Automatic Trash Collecting Machine is done in the modeling software Catia V5. Then the material selection for our model has been done. We had taken the mild steel for the frame, 4 motors for the conveyor and the movement of the vehicle and a movable trash bin for the disposal of waste and a karcher brush for collecting the waste. Then for the Automatic motion we had used Node mc, IoT and the coding part has done for the model. Then the fabrication work for our model is done and finally the testing part for our model in the industry is demonstrated. After the implementation of the model in the industry the safety of the workers while cleaning has greatly increased.
The interest towards hydrogen fueling in internal combustion engines (ICEs) is rapidly growing, due to its potential impact on the reduction of the carbon footprint of the road transportation sector in a short-term scenario. While the conversion of the existing fleet to a battery-electric counterpart is highly debated in terms of both technical feasibility and life-cycle-based environmental impact, automotive researchers and technicians are exploring other solutions to reduce, if not to nullify, the carbon footprint of the existing ICE fleet. Indeed, ICE conversion to “green” fuels is seen as a promising short-term solution which does not require massive changes in powertrain production and end-of-life waste management. To better evaluate potentials and challenges of hydrogen fueling, a clear understanding of fuel injection and mixture formation prior to combustion is mandatory. The paper reports a preliminary experimental and numerical characterization of high-pressure gas jets exiting from a single-hole injector derived from a GDI unit and purposely re-designed for gaseous fuel operations. A wide range of operating conditions is explored to perform a sensitivity analysis to key-factors such as injection pressure and temperature and ambient backpressure. Multiple state-of-the-art experimental techniques are adopted to characterize the gas jets and to support the numerical sensitivity analyses to key modelling aspects such as grid density and turbulence modelling.
Currently, alternative fuels produced from waste resources are gaining much attention to replace depleting fossil fuels. The disposal of waste plastic poses severe environmental problems across the globe. The energy embodied in waste plastics can be converted into liquid fuel by pyrolysis. The present work explores the possibility of utilizing waste plastic oil (WPO) produced from municipal plastic wastes and waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel produced from used cooking oil in a dual fuel reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) mode. A single-cylinder light-duty diesel engine used for agricultural water pumping applications is modified to run in RCCI through suitable intake and fuel injection systems modifications. Alternative fuel blends, viz. WPO and WCO biodiesel with 20 vol. % in gasoline and diesel is used as a port and direct-injected fuels in RCCI. The premixed ratio and direct-injected fuel timings are optimized to achieve maximum thermal efficiency. The engine combustion, performance, and exhaust emissions with waste fuel blends are compared with gasoline and diesel (G/D) as a port and direct-injected reference fuels. The results show that compared to G/D RCCI, the unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are reduced by up to 50% and 56%, respectively, with waste fuel blends. Further, the brake thermal efficiency increases by ~20%, and the brake specific fuel consumption is reduced by ~13% with waste fuel blends. The oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions are increased with waste fuel blends. However, there were no significant changes in soot emission values. In conclusion, the present work shows that waste fuel blends can be used in RCCI mode with improved engine performance and reduced emissions, except NOx. Thus, the present study provides a sustainable global waste management solution through effective utilization in high efficiency, clean combustion diesel engine operation.
Traditional methods of municipal domestic waste analysis and prediction lack precision, while most data’s sample size is not suitable for many neural networks. In this paper, combining the advantage of deep learning methods with the results of association analysis, a waste production prediction method TLSTM is proposed based on long short-term memory(LSTM). It is found that the most influencing factors are population, public cost, household and GDP. Meanwhile, the garbage production in Shanghai will continue to decline in the future, indicating the policy of refuse classification is effective. The R-square index and MSE index of the model were 0.55 and 76571.73 respectively, surpassing other state-of-the-art models. In cooperation with School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the dataset comes from the average data of the Shanghai Household Waste Management Regulation from 1980 to 2020. This research method has a certain guiding significance to both the related fields of municipal solid waste management and environmental planning and the application of neural network models in other fields.
The energy demand of the world is keep increasing, major share of the demand is compensated by non-renewable fossil fuels. Automotive sector consumes a huge amount of fossil fuels, as majority of the segment use internal combustion as a prime mover. In the present era researches are carried to figure out the suitable replacements for fossil fuels to attain sustainable environment. One of the major challenge and keen interest of everyone is on waste management, several researches are aimed to bridge the gap between energy demand and waste management. In such way biofuels came into limelight a decade ago, still numerous works are carried in the area for creating socio economic friendly environment. Enormous studies have been carried out to assess their performance in the internal combustion engines, here in the present study performance of the working material against the biodiesel is studied. In order to optimize the material and its composition, there is need for characterization against the susceptible factors such as corrosion and wear if bio fuels are employed as working fluid. In internal combustion engines the materials used in piston and its associated components have to encounter the working fluid; their endurance should be ensured before their service. The present work covers the characterization of cast iron and aluminum alloy used in piston against biofuel for corrosion and wear resistance. Test specimens are prepared as per the standards; biodiesel is prepared from waste cooking oil by transesterification process for carrying out the experiment. Corrosion rate analysis is carried out as per the standards using constant electric water temperature bath for 1300 hours and surface morphology of test specimens is studied with help of scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Aluminum alloy test specimens were prepared and wear rate analysis is done using pin on disc machine. The corrosion rate of cast iron is more compared to aluminum alloy by 40 % when the working fluid is neat diesel and the rate increases to 55 % if biodiesel is used as working fluid. The wear rate of aluminum alloy increases rapidly when the lubrication oil contamination increases.
Professor Aaron Sadow of Ames Laboratory in Iowa is director of the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP). The Institute has developed a chemical process that produces valuable biodegradable chemicals from discarded plastics, which are then used as surfactants and detergents in a range of applications.
Reliability and cost effectiveness of electronics demands its usage in all the wings of science and technology. Thus an attempt was made in this work to investigate the potential of using electronics for injecting primary fuel for the compression ignition engine used by farmers for agricultural purpose. In the first phase of the work, a new Electronic Control Unit (ECU) for primary fuel injection was developed and tested for its repeatability on fuel injection quantity for the different input voltages. Test engine was developed and tested under various load condition for its performance, emission, and combustion characteristics with neat diesel and Waste Cooking Oil Methyl Esters (WCOME) as baseline readings in the second phase of the work. In the third phase of work, the developed engine was modified to operate in duel fuel mode with developed ECU. In this work, ethanol was chosen as primary fuel due to its availability and less toxic nature as compared to other green fuels. Pilot fuel (i.e. WCOME) was injected using mechanical fuel injection system. Results inferred that the brake thermal efficiency was increased by 33.33% with newly developed injection system. The results also inferred that harmful carbon based emissions were simultaneously reduced with the modified engine because of the precise metering of primary fuel using ECU. On the point of commercialization, cost involved in developing the new ECU was found to be very low as compared to conventional fuel injection system. In addition to the above point, developed duel fuel engine with ECU also helped in the utilization of renewable energy resources like ethanol and WCOME, as fuel in diesel engine which indirectly helps in the effective waste management of molasses from the sugar industry as well as waste cooking oil. Hence it can be concluded that, the low cost duel fuel compression ignition engine has great potential in future for agricultural purpose.
In order to compensate energy demand while with replacement of fossil fuels at least to some extent, the development of alternative energy sources is evitable. Global warming and waste management policies have forced for the use of alternative fuels on engines. The production of fuel from plastic wastes will indeed tackle the environmental pollution problem of waste plastic management in the landfills. Plastics being derived from petrochemical source has higher amount of hydrocarbon which yield oil with high calorific value. Engine tests have been carried out using neat waste plastic oil and blends of waste plastic oil in proportions of 25%, 50%, and 75% with diesel as fuel. Combinatorial mathematics based approach has been adapted to choose the optimum blend for superior performance of the engine. Carbon hydrogen nitrogen sulphur analysis of waste plastic oil blends reveals that the amount of oxygen increases with increase in waste plastic oil percentage in blends. Results of combinatorial mathematics based approach and experimental tests showed that 25% of waste plastic oil with diesel is optimum blend.
Volvo Construction Equipment partnered with Waste Management (WM), the California Energy Commission and CALSTART to put its LX1 prototype electric hybrid wheel loader to the test: field test, that is. The company showcased the LX1 at a media event in July at WM's Redwood Landfill in Novato, CA. Made up of 98% new parts, the LX1 prototype series hybrid has a fundamentally new machine design. It incorporates a driveline that consists of electric-drive motors mounted at the wheels, electric-driven hydraulics, a battery energy storage system, a significantly smaller diesel engine and new machine architecture including a new design of the lifting unit.
With limited reserves and strict environmental regulations, recyclers look to established extraction means to reuse, recycle, and dispose of the used batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are the preferred energy storage systems for electric vehicles due to their inherent advantages in energy and their power density characteristics. As more lithium batteries are generated, the topic of reuse, recycling, and disposal is critical to comply with the disposal norms of waste batteries. As lithium reserves are also limited, proper recycling methods would be of use to extract the same energy out of used batteries. Extractive metallurgy offers an excellent path for selective extraction and refining of a variety of metals from various sources, including naturally occurring ores, minerals, man-made products, etc. In a broader sense, it allows recyclers to selectively separate and refine the metals from various sources irrespective of their nature. However, the extraction process may vary with respect to the nature of metal source and aim of separation.
As the market for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles continues to grow, so too will the demand for advanced batteries using lithium-ion and other chemistries. The need to recycle advanced batteries will grow as well lest the batteries become a solid waste disposal problem. Currently, lithium recycling is an industry in its infancy, but one that will need to develop to meet expected growing demand. This considers policy issues that policymakers will need to address as the demand for advanced battery recycling emerges.
Electrification of the transportation industry is increasing rapidly with batteries currently the technology of choice. At the end of life, the battery chemistry used to electrify the vehicle may not be easily identifiable. A simple, common identifier is required to allow consumers, service and waste management personnel to direct unknown battery types to appropriate recyclers or secondary use markets. Recyclers also benefit from this identifier as it allows them to sort, screen for potential contamination to existing process streams, and identify the manufacturer so they may contact them to find detailed information about the battery to ensure proper and safe recycling. The SAE Battery Recycling Committee has recommended that batteries be identified by battery system, miscellaneous hazards and date of manufacture be identified as part of chemistry identification code. For the lithium-ion chemistry it is further recommended that cathode and anode be specified. To avoid confusion and duplication with other standards, the SAE identifier has selected identification letters and a color background consistent with the Battery Association of Japan's (BAJ) “Guidelines for Recycle Mark on Batteries” (1).
The Chennai is an one of Automotive hub of India due to it's Automotive Industry presence producing over 40% of the India's Vehicle and Components. During 2001-02, the Automotive Component Industries(ACI) in Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai has faced problems on infrastructure(Approach Road, Storm water drainage system, Sewerage System, Sewage treatment plant, Solid Waste Management, Landscaping, Street Lighting and Logistics/ Parking), technology, procurement, production and marketing. In the year 2004-05 under the Cluster Development Approach (CDA), they formed Auto Cluster (AC) got grant under Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme from Government of India under Public Private Partnership Concept and implemented UNIDO-AIEMA Auto Cluster Supplier Development Programme under Consolidated Project for SME development in India. Due to this the infrastructure, technology, procurement, production and marketing interrelationships taken place among ACI. The objective is to find the technical efficiency of auto cluster before (2001-02) and after the CDA (2008-09). The methodology adopted is collection of primary data from ACI and analyzing using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) of Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) Model. The Correlation Coefficient Analysis reveals that there is significant increase in correlation coefficient and the Regression Analysis informs that for one percent increase in employment and net worth the gross output increases significantly after the CDA. The DEA gives the technical efficiency of ACI by taking employment, net worth as input variable and gross output as output variable. From the technical score and ranking of auto component manufactures, it is found that there is significant increase in technical efficiency of ACI after the CDA when compared to before CDA. The slack variables obtained clearly reveals the excess employment and net worth and no shortage of gross output. Government policy on CDA by intervention in interrelationships not only benefited Chennai Auto Cluster in general but also Chennai Auto Components Industries in particular.
A life support system (LSS) is usually defined as a system that provides elements necessary for maintaining human life and health in the state required for performing a prescribed mission. The LSS, depending upon specific design requirements, will provide pressure, temperature, and composition of local atmosphere, food, and water. It may or may not collect, dispose, or reprocess wastes such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, urine, and feces. It can be seen from the preceding definition that LSS requirements may differ widely, depending on the mission specified, such as operation in Earth orbit or lunar mission. In all cases the time of operation is an important design factor. An LSS is sometimes briefly defined as a system providing atmospheric control and water, waste, and thermal management. The major subsystems required to accomplish the general functions mentioned above are: 1 Breathing and pressurization gas storage system. 2 Temperature and humidity control system. 3 Carbon dioxide control system. 4 Trace contaminant control system. 5 Water management system. 6 Waste management system.
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