Steam sterilisation’s energy and water footprint

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forbes McGain ◽  
Graham Moore ◽  
Jim Black
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Hospital Equipment ◽  
Load Mass

Objective The aim of the present study was to quantify hospital steam steriliser resource consumption to provide baseline environmental data and identify possible efficiency gains. We sought to find the amount of steriliser electricity and water used for active cycles and for idling (standby), and the relationship between the electricity and water consumption and the mass and type of items sterilised. Methods We logged a hospital steam steriliser’s electricity and water meters every 5 min for up to 1 year. We obtained details of all active cycles (standard 134°C and accessory or ‘test’ cycles), recording item masses and types. Relationships were investigated for both the weight and type of items sterilised with electricity and water consumption. Results Over 304 days there were 2173 active cycles, including 1343 standard 134°C cycles that had an average load mass of 21.2 kg, with 32% of cycles <15 kg. Electricity used for active cycles was 32 652 kWh (60% of total), whereas the water used was 1 243 495 L (79%). Standby used 21 457 kWh (40%) electricity and 329 200 L (21%) water. Total electricity and water consumption per mass sterilised was 1.9 kWh kg–1 and 58 L kg–1, respectively. The linear regression model predicting electricity use was: kWh = 15.7+ 0.14 × mass (in kg; R2 = 0.58, P < 0.01). Models for water and item type were poor. Electricity and water use fell from 3 kWh kg–1 and 200 L kg–1, respectively, for 5-kg loads to 0.5 kWh kg–1 and 20 L kg–1, respectively, for 40-kg loads. Conclusions Considerable electricity and water use occurred during standby, load mass was only moderately predictive of electricity consumption and light loads were common yet inefficient. The findings of the present study are a baseline for steam sterilisation’s environmental footprint and identify areas to improve efficiencies. What is known about the topic? There is increasing interest in the environmental effects of healthcare. Life cycle assessment (‘cradle to grave’) provides a scientific method of analysing environmental effects. Although data of the effects of steam sterilisation are integral to the life cycles of reusable items and procedures using such items, there are few data available. Further, there is scant information regarding the efficiency of the long-term in-hospital use of sterilisers. What does this paper add? We quantified, for the first time, long-term electricity and water use of a hospital steam steriliser. We provide useful input data for future life cycle assessments of all reusable, steam-sterilised equipment. Further, we identified opportunities for improved steriliser efficiencies, including rotating off idle sterilisers and reducing the number of light steriliser loads. Finally, others could use our methods to examine steam sterilisers and many other energy-intensive items of hospital equipment. What are the implications for practitioners? We provide useful input data for all researchers examining the environmental footprint of reusable hospital equipment and procedures using such equipment. As a result of the present study, staff in the hospital sterile supply department have reduced steam steriliser electricity and water use considerably without impeding sterilisation throughput (and reduced time inefficiencies). Many other hospitals could benefit from similar methods to improve steam steriliser and other hospital equipment efficiencies.

Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment

2009 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Partial Migration ◽  
Environmental Stochasticity ◽  
Species Dynamics ◽  
Life Cycle Pattern ◽  
Aquatic Sciences ◽  
Diversity Of Life

<em>Abstract</em>.-In the study of species life histories and the structure of diadromous populations, an emerging trend is the prevalence of life cycle diversity-that is, individuals within populations that do not conform to a single life cycle pattern. A rapid rise in publications documenting within-population variability in life cycles has resulted in the use of numerous terms and phrases. We argue that myriad terms specific to taxa, ecosystem types, and applications are in fact describing the same phenomenon-life cycle diversity. This phenomenon has been obscured by the use of multiple terms across applications, but also by the overuse of typologies (i.e., anadromy, catadromy) that fail to convey the extent of life cycle variations that underlay population, metapopulation, and species dynamics. To illustrate this, we review migration and habitat-use terms that have been used to describe life cycles and life cycle variation. Using a citation index (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts © Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts), terms were tallied across taxonomic family, ecosystem, type of application, analytical approach, and country of study. Studies on life cycle diversity have increased threefold during the past 15 years, with a total of 336 papers identified in this review. Most of the 40 terms we identified described either sedentary or migratory lifetime behaviors. The sedentary-migratory dichotomy fits well with the phenomenon of partial migration, which has been commonly reported for birds and Salmonidae and is postulated to be the result of early life thresholds (switch-points). On the other hand, the lexicon supports alternate modes of migration, beyond the simple sedentary-migratory dichotomy. Here more elaborate causal mechanisms such as the entrainment hypothesis may have application. Diversity of life cycles in fish populations, whether due to partial migration, entrainment, or other mechanisms, is increasingly recognized as having the effect of offsetting environmental stochasticity and contributing to long-term persistence.

Nutrition-oriented reformulation of extruded cereals and associated environmental footprint: a case study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namy Espinoza-Orias ◽  
Antonis Vlassopoulos ◽  
Gabriel Masset
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Environmental Consequences

Abstract Background The global food system faces a dual challenge for the decades ahead: providing nutritious food to a growing population while reducing its environmental footprint. Reformulation of food has been identified as a strategy to improve the nutritional quality of products; but the environmental consequences of such reformulations have rarely been studied. The objective was to assess the evolution of five environmental impact indicators following reformulations of extruded breakfast cereals. Methods Recipe, nutritional composition and sourcing data for three extruded breakfast cereals were retrieved from the manufacturer, at three distinctive time points of a 15-year reformulation cycle: 2003, 2010, and 2018. Nutritional information was summarized using the Nutri-Score indicator. The environmental impact of all recipes was assessed by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using five indicators: climate change (CC), Freshwater consumption scarcity (FWCS), Abiotic resource depletion (ARD), Land use impacts on biodiversity (LUIB), and Impacts on ecosphere/ecosystems quality (IEEQ). Life cycle inventory (LCI) was both primary data from the manufacturer and secondary data from usual third-party LCI datasets. Results Reformulation led to improved nutritional quality for all three products. In terms of environmental impact, improvements were observed for the CC, ARD and IEEQ indicators, with average reductions of 12%, 14% and 2% between 2003 and 208, respectively. Conversely, the FWCS and LUIB indicators were increased by 57% and 70%, respectively. For all indicators but ARD, ingredients contributed most to the environmental impact, while the absolute impacts of other stages of the supply chain (i.e. manufacturing, packaging, transport and end-of-life) reduced. A sensitivity analysis simulating no deforestation agricultural practices suggested that the CC indicator could be further reduced by 21 to 49% for the 2018 recipes. Conclusions This study highlighted the need to better account for the environmental consequences of changing food product recipes. While improvements can be achieved at all stages of products’ life cycles, agricultural commodities need to be the focus for further improvement, in particular in shelf-stable grain-based products such as extruded cereals. This could be achieved through selection of less demanding ingredients and improvements in agricultural practices.

scholarly journals What does rebounding water use look like? An examination of post-drought and post-flood water end-use demand in Queensland, Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Beal ◽  
A. Makki ◽  
R. A. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Residential Water Consumption ◽  
End Use ◽  
Capacity Data ◽  
Residential Water

Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful water supply following a very dry period. However, the drivers of such rebounds in water consumption are varied and not well understood. Knowledge of such drivers can greatly assist managers towards proactive demand management, modelling and timely promotion of water efficient behaviours. Total and end-use residential water consumption has been tracked in South East Queensland, Australia for a sample of up to 252 homes in post-drought conditions (dam supplies growing but water restrictions continued, changed water use behaviours still ‘fresh’), and during and post-flooding conditions (eased restrictions, 100% dam capacity). Data on end-use water consumption trends using nearly 3 years of residential water end-use data have revealed several interesting patterns of consumption such as a delayed return to pre-drought use, the influence of climate and end-use specific rebounds (e.g. indoor versus outdoor use). The end-use data have helped to identify the drivers of rebounding water consumption which appear to include environmental cues (rainfall, temperature), social cues (e.g. government encouraging consumers to turn on tap) and a gradual general reduction in conservative water use behaviours. The paper concludes with a discussion of how this knowledge can be used to inform long-term demand management policy, particularly in variable climates.

scholarly journals Long term researches regarding the irrigation influence on sugarbeet crop inthe Crisurilor Plain

2013 ◽  
pp. 11-15
Author(s):  
Radu Brejea ◽  
Cristian Domuţa
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Yield Level ◽  
Total Water Consumption ◽  
Yield Gain ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Variation Interval

The paper is based on the researches carried out in the long term trial placed on the preluvosoil from Agricultural Research and Development Station Oradea, Crisurilor Plain in during 1976–2012. The soil water reserve in 0–75 cm depth decreased bellow easily available water content every year and in 32% of years the soil water reserve decreased bellow wilting point. For optimum water supply an irrigation rate of 2665 m3 ha-1 (variation interval 500–5090 m3 ha-1) was needed. The irrigation determined improving of water/temperature + light report (Domuta climate index) with 47.4% in average in the period May–September. A statistically very significant connection was quantified between this indicator and the yield. Daily water consumption increased in the irrigated variant, the biggest difference in comparison with unirrigated variant was registered in August, 86% in comparison with unirrigated variant. As consequence, the value of the total water consumption increased with 50%, variation interval was 11–154%. The irrigation covered 37.8% of total water consumption, the variation interval was 8.3%–67.9%. The yield level of the sugarbeet increased in average with 61%, the variation interval was 9–227%. Standard deviation was lower in the irrigated variant and this emphasizes an improve of the yield stability with 25.1%. The sugar content of the sugarbeet roots from irrigated variant increased statistically very significantly in the droughty years and differs significantly in the rainy years. Water use efficiency increased in the irrigated variant with 7% and irrigation water use efficiency was between 7.9 kg yield gain 1 m-3 irrigation water and 17.4 kg yield gain 1 m-3 irrigation water. The positive influence of the irrigation on microclimate, water consumption, yield level, stability and quality and on water use efficiency sustain the need of the irrigation in sugarbeet from Crisurilor Plain.

Analytical prediction of the integral risk of violation of the acceptable performance of the set of standard processes in a life cycle of highly available systems Part 1. Mathematical models and methods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Nistratov
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Process Approach ◽  
Analytical Prediction ◽  
Methodological Study ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Real Picture

With the widespread adoption and development of the process approach, it became clear that the standard processes used in the life cycle of highly available systems undoubtedly have a cumulative impact on risks that arise. However, the possibilities for predicting risks in practice are significantly limited: private and integral risks of violation of the acceptable performance of implemented processes, estimated by simplified methods, do not reflect the real picture, and specialized models of specific systems and processes require painstaking and long-term scientific and methodological study. Thus, there was a critical methodological contradiction between objective needs and real capabilities in predicting private and integral risks. Carrying out a scientific search for ways to eliminate the identified contradiction, the main goal of this work (in two parts) is to create scientifically based methodological and software-technological solutions for analytical prediction of the integral risk of violation of the acceptable performance of a given set of standard processes in the life cycle of systems. In the first part of the work, for 30 standard processes defined by GOST R 57193 (characterized by typical actions and real or hypothetical input data for modeling and linked to possible scenarios for their use in the creation and/or operation and/or disposal of systems), mathematical models and methods for predicting the integral risk of violating the acceptable performance of a given set of standard processes with the possibility of traceable analytical dependence on influencing factors are proposed. The second part of the work is devoted to the description of the proposed software-technological solutions for risks prediction using models and methods of the first part for solving practical problems of system engineering.

scholarly journals Assessment of ecologically relevant hydrological change in China due to water use and reservoirs

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Zhang ◽  
P. Döll
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Flow Regimes ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Water Diversion

Abstract. As China's economy booms, increasing water use has significantly affected hydro-geomorphic processes and thus the ecology of surface waters. A large variety of hydrological changes arising from human activities such as reservoir construction and management, water abstraction, water diversion and agricultural land expansion have been sustained throughout China. Using the global scale hydrological and water use model WaterGAP, natural and anthropogenically altered flow conditions are calculated, taking into account flow alterations due to human water consumption and 580 large reservoirs. The impacts resulting from water consumption and reservoirs have been analyzed separately. A modified "Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration" approach is used to describe the human pressures on aquatic ecosystems due to anthropogenic alterations in river flow regimes. The changes in long-term average river discharge, average monthly mean discharge and coefficients of variation of monthly river discharges under natural and impacted conditions are compared and analyzed. The indicators show very significant alterations of natural river flow regimes in a large part of northern China and only minor alterations in most of southern China. The detected large alterations in long-term average river discharge, the seasonality of flows and the inter-annual variability in the northern half of China are very likely to have caused significant ecological impacts.

Water Footprint

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maite M. Aldaya ◽  
M. Ramón Llamas ◽  
Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Blue Water

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Please check back later for the full article. The water footprint concept broadens the scope of traditional national and corporate water accounting as it has been previously known. It highlights the ways in which water consuming and polluting activities relate to the structure of the global economy, opening a window of opportunity to increase transparency and improve water management along whole-production and supply chains. This concept adds a new dimension to integrated water resources management in a globalized world. The water footprint is a relatively recent indicator. Created in 2002, it aims to quantify the effect of consumption and trade on the use of water resources. Specifically, the water footprint is an indicator of freshwater use that considers both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. For instance, the water footprint of a product refers to the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, tracing the origin of raw material and ingredients along their respective supply chains. This novel indirect component of water use in supply chains is, in many cases, the greatest share of water use, for example, in the food and beverage sector and the apparel industry. Water footprint assessment shows the full water balance, with water consumption and pollution components specified geographically and temporally and with water consumption specified by type of source (e.g., rainwater, groundwater, or surface water). It introduces three components: 1. The blue water footprint refers to the consumption of blue water resources (i.e., surface and groundwater including natural freshwater lakes, manmade reservoirs, rivers, and aquifers) along the supply chain of a product, versus the traditional and restricted water withdrawal measure. 2. The green water footprint refers to consumption through transpiration or evaporation of green water resources (i.e., soilwater originating from rainwater). Green water maintains natural vegetation (e.g., forests, meadows, scrubland, tundra) and rain-fed agriculture, yet plays an important role in most irrigated agriculture as well. Importantly, this kind of water is not quantified in most traditional agricultural water use analyses. 3. The grey water footprint refers to pollution and is defined as the volume of freshwater that is required to assimilate the load of pollutants given natural concentrations for naturally occurring substances and existing ambient water-quality standards. The water footprint concept has been incorporated into public policies and international standards. In 2011, the Water Footprint Network adopted the Water Footprint Assessment Manual, which provides a standardized method and guidelines. In 2014, the International Organization for Standardization adopted a life cycle-based ISO 14046 standard for the water footprint; it offers guidelines to integrate water footprint analysis in life-cycle assessment for products. In practice, water footprint assessment generally results in increased awareness of critical elements in a supply chain, such as hotspots that deserve most attention, and what can be done to improve water management in those hotspots. Water footprint assessment, including the estimation of virtual water trade, applied in different countries and contexts, is producing new data and bringing larger perspectives that, in many cases, lead to a better understanding of the drivers behind water scarcity.

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