RESOURCE EFFICIENCY WRAP PROJECT
Can the installed capacity of heating
Around 26% of all extractable copper in the Earth’s crust has been lost as waste, rather than being recycled
be further reduced by challenging design assumptions? Distribution pipework is typically steel or copper. There are alternative materials used in some buildings, such as polyethylene pipework, which has a lower environmental impact. Can alternative pipework materials be
used in place of copper and steel? Heating systems use metals such as aluminium, steel and copper in boilers and heat exchangers. Modular plant rooms comprising boilers, pump sets and pipework are available. This should allow manufacturers to improve quality, reduce materials wastage, and to refine their designs to reduce pipe runs, and so on. Can modular plant rooms be used to reduce the embodied energy use?
NG Bailey delivering prefabricated pipework at the Arla dairy in Aylesbury
Lifts and escalators A typical lift is made up of many materials including stainless steel, copper, aluminium, plastic and glass. Stainless steel can make up over 50% of the embodied energy content. This is mainly driven by the landing lift doors, so more floors means there will be more steel. Stainless steel has a high embodied energy
and contains chromium, which is a major contributor to the embodied energy and
is a fast-depleting natural resource. What are the opportunities for lifts to use alternative materials for doors and cars? The motors for lifts and escalators can contain copper and rare-earth magnets. There are opportunities to reclaim materials and components and to re-condition motors. Can these motors be made without using these rare-earth elements?
Barriers and challenges There are significant challenges presented by this agenda. Particularly with the more radical suggestions of designing out the need for services, standardising products, encouraging reuse, and leasing services. These fundamental changes would require all parts of the industry to work together and there would have to be a cultural shift in the way the industry works with its clients. There are technical barriers to overcome
for even the simpler resource efficiency ideas. Not least of which is the trade-off between the increased operational efficiencies of high- efficiency equipment (for example, using rare- earth magnets in compressors and motors) versus the environmental and social impact of mining these materials. There are also technical barriers to
using alternative materials and products, and questions as to whether they will perform to the same standard in terms of efficiency, performance, maintenance and reliability. These questions need to be addressed to ensure that robust alternatives can be proposed.
Engaging with the industry The aim is to work with industry to identify the barriers and technical risks and to do the research to find potential, practical design solutions. WRAP and CIBSE are running a series
of workshops during May and early June to consult with industry and discuss these issues. A project email address has been set up
to allow people to provide comments on the project and to volunteer to become involved in the consultation process. To take part email
resource-efficiency@cibse.org CJ
References
1 Inventory Of Carbon & Energy (ICE) Version 2.0, Summary Tables, University of Bath, 2011
2 A paper published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ by Thomas Graedel of Yale University, 2012
3 Situation and Policies of China’s Rare-Earth Industry, Information Office of the State Council The People’s Republic of China, Beijing, June 2012
4
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/ AJ201212130054
28
CIBSE Journal May 2013
www.cibsejournal.com
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