DEVELOPING THE MATERIAL-SERVICE SYSTEM CONCEPT: A CASE STUDY OF STEEL INDUSTRIAL DRUMS

Within the circular economy, the Product-Service System (PSS) is a key business model to slow down and dematerialise resource consumption between manufacturers or service providers and customers. Material-Service Systems (MSSs) have been proposed as a business model to develop the performance economy focusing on the relationship between material suppliers and manufacturers. The aim of this research is to introduce and develop the MSS concept and to apply it to a real-world case study. The research involved two stages. First, a modelling method is proposed to represent the flow, transformation and ownership of resources by the stakeholders in a supply chain. Second, the method is tested using steel industrial drums as a case. The results indicate that the MSS has the potential to radically transform the steel drums industry and it could work effectively with a PSS within a reuse system to recondition and reintroduce obsolete drums into the market.

Constructing a geophysical test site for a coastal community's research and education activities

A geophysical test site (GTS) contains subsurface targets of known materials, orientations, and depths. GTSs offer unique opportunities for geophysical research, training, and educational activities. They provide platforms to investigate the penetration and resolution of different geophysical techniques for characterizing the shallow subsurface. GTS-based field exercises represent an interesting, motivating, rewarding, and enjoyable experience for students and instructors. We have constructed a GTS at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi that contains several objects (e.g., steel drums, plastic drums, plastic buckets, steel pipes, and well covers) buried at depths ranging from 0.5 to 3 m to simulate real-life situations. In this article, we provide a thorough description of the site location, subsurface geology, surface topography, and construction methodology, as well as the types, locations, orientations, and depths of the subsurface targets. Research and education significance and implications of the GTS are also described. This article could serve as a reference for the construction of new GTSs worldwide.

Biochar—just a black matter is not enough

What differs biochar from charcoal? The simple answer is that biochar is a carbon-rich product obtained from the thermal decomposition of organic material, at the presence of no or only a bit of oxygen. In principle, the production of biochar is comparable to the production of charcoal, one of the oldest and most established processes developed by mankind. While charcoal is made traditionally from wood, biochar can be based on a wide range of biomass and biomass residues. However, a variety of technologies for the production of biochar has been developed in recent years. The technologies are based on pyrolysis, gasification, or hydrothermal carbonization and are ranging from simple units, like heated steel drums to full automated and controlled processes. Therefore, the obtained products have tremendous differences in its properties and resulting qualities. The quality defines the field of application. To obtain the required quality for each application, the right process must be applied. Consequently, it is not enough only to enrich the carbon content by thermal decomposition of organic material. The production of tailor-made biochar for specific high added–value application is much more complex. In addition, side products like liquid biofuels make business cases stronger. If it is done in the right way, biochar production combined with advanced biofuels can be an economic solution to overcome the problems of climate change. “So for the future of mankind, this black matter might give the light at the end of the tunnel.”