Circular economy: systems engineering for a better planet
Word has gotten around that we need to treat our planet better. Nature shows us how to do it: recycling. We live in a (simplified) closed system to which only the sun adds energy. This makes our world a circular economy, a regenerative system.
However, we humans have operated a "throwaway economy" up to now. A large proportion of our waste is removed from the cycle via incineration and landfill. To meet the challenges of the 21st century, we need to change this. And systems engineering plays a central role in this.
Air "pollution" not for the first time
Incineration in particular is a problem, as the waste (CO₂) accumulates in the atmosphere. It doesn't matter whether we burn waste or fossil fuels.
There are two ways to deal with this problem. The best would be to simply stop burning fossil fuels. Burning non-fossil fuels such as wood would be fine, because then we have a circular economy: the CO₂ from burning is fed into the new fuel (growing trees), which takes a few years. (Technically, this also applies to fossil fuels, but the cycle times of tens of thousands to millions of years are problematic).
The great oxygen catastrophe had wiped out a large part of life on earth
Wikipedia
Incidentally, there was an event in the history of our planet that wiped out a large part of life. During the great oxygen catastrophe 2.4 billion years ago, the concentration of oxygen rose sharply in a short space of time. At that time, oxygen was toxic to most organisms. Of course, this event was necessary to enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, which is essential for life.
The primitive creatures of that time had neither consciousness nor the ability to intervene. Today, however, things are different.
The transition to a circular economy
Research into the circular economy has been going on since the 1970s under the name "circular economy". The topic has gained more and more momentum in recent decades. For example, since 2009 there has been the Ellen McArthur Foundationwhich has set itself the goal of transitioning to a circular economy. The circular economy is based on three principles:
- Systematically reduce waste by design - The best way to avoid waste is not to produce it in the first place
- Resilience through diversification - don't put all your eggs in one basket!
- Obtain energy from renewable sources wherever possible
The principles are simple, the implementation a generational task.
Systems engineering in the circular economy
An important role is played by the Process engineeringwhich deals with the processes and workflows. And that brings us to systems engineering, which is responsible for implementing the processes. The relationship between the disciplines is even more evident in English
Process engineering is called "Process Systems Engineering" in English
We are now faced with the challenge of implementing the principles of the circular economy with our tools as systems engineers.
In this context, the paper by Avraamidou et al: Circular Economy - A challenge and an opportunity for Process Systems Engineering. In it, the authors describe a systematic approach. The authors substantiate these ideas with a case study.
In their work, the authors have uncovered a gap: currently, the durability and reliability of products are hardly taken into account in process engineering. However, this is an important goal of the circular economy. The following image shows how this can be integrated into process engineering:
The importance of requirements
As is so often the case, requirements play a central role in product development. Many principles can be realized without higher costs if they are taken into account from the outset. A classic example is Security. Environmental sustainability is another. I remember a lecture on product development that I attended at MIT in the 90s. In the search for less environmental impact, the packaging material was changed from polystyrene to cardboard. The new packaging was not only much more environmentally friendly, but also cheaper.
So, as systems engineers, to help with the transition to a circular economy, we need to consider the relevant requirements from the outset. I expect that we will see a lot of exciting research and encouraging developments in the near future. I look forward to it.
