UNIT 2: APPLICATION OF

GREEN ENGINEERING
PRINCIPLES

MODULE 1: UTILISATION OF SUSTAINABLE

MATERIALS AND ENERGY
UTILISATION OF SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
AND ENERGY I

2
 GENERAL OBJECTIVES

On completion of this Module, students should:

✔ Understand the sustainable utilization of materials and energy;

3
 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Students should be able to:

1. Discuss the importance of selecting the appropriate materials
Materials in 4 states of matter: (a) solid; (b) liquid; (c) gas; and, (d) plasma
2. Justify the utilization of materials
Affordability, availability, accessibility, reusability, utility, environmental soundness, social
acceptability.
3. Discuss the importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Energy sources, including fossil fuel, water, solar, wind, bio energy and geothermal.
4. Conduct experiments to determine the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of
materials

4
 Suggested Teaching and Learning
Activities

To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives in this Module,

teachers are advised to engage students in the following teaching and learning activities.

1. Use ICT (including video clips and websites) to observe the behavior of materials used for
manufacturing and construction.

2. Conduct lecture/discussion on materials and energy used for manufacturing and construction,
the development and enforcement of legislation and the implications of these for sustainability.

3. Organize field trips to manufacturing entities and material testing facilities.

4. Invite guest lectures to do presentations on manufacturing and testing processes .

5
Meet Your Presenter
Dr. Marhoun FERHAT
ACTIVITY: MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Congratulations! You have been appointed the Science Club Advisor for 2020-2021.
You want your students to appreciate the importance of materials in product design.
Identify an item in your school (e.g. water tank; chair; microwave; fan) and help your
students consider the following:

• What material(s) is it made from?

• What makes that material suitable for a particular product?
• Which manufacturing methods have been used in the production of your chosen
product?
• Could that product be improved by utilising a different material?

7
GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS

PHOTO: SAVANNAH EAST CERTIFIED AS TRINIDAD & TOBAGO’S

FIRST GREEN BUILDING

8
 1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials

What is a material ?
A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be
pure or impure, living or non-living matter.
From a fundamental point of view, Atoms are the building blocks of all materials, no matter how
simple or complicated the material is.

Why materials are important?

The knowledge of materials characteristics allows the designer not only to make the best
material selection as a function of its application in a given product, but also to overcome its
limits and constraints in a design path where materials and transformation technologies become
variables of the creation process.

What are the natural state of matter?

There are four natural states of matter: Solids, liquids, gases and plasma. Less familiar phases
(man made under extreme conditions) include: quark-gluon plasma; Bose-Einstein condensates
and fermionic condensates; quantum spin Hall state; degenerate matter; strange matter;
superfluids and supersolids; and possibly string-net liquids.

9
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter

10
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter

https://www.britannica.com/science/phase-state-of-matter

11
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter

12
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter

https://www.britannica.com/science/phase-state-of-matter

13
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter

14
1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials

The four natural states of matter

Natural state of the matter in your car !

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322096172_Modern_materials_for_automotive_industry/figures?lo=1

15
 1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter
Natural state of the matter in your car ! How does it work?

1.Intake:
2.The piston (green) is pulled down inside the cylinder
(gray) by the momentum of the crankshaft (gray wheel
at the bottom. The inlet valve (left) opens, letting a
mixture of fuel and air (blue cloud) into the cylinder
through the purple pipe.

16
 1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials

The four natural states of matter

Natural state of the matter in your car ! How does it work?

2.Compression:
The inlet valve closes. The piston moves back up the
cylinder and compresses (squeezes) the fuel-air mixture.
When the piston reaches the top of the cylinder, the
sparking plug (yellow) fires.

17
 1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials

The four natural states of matter

Natural state of the matter in your car ! How does it work?

3. Power:
The spark ignites the fuel-air mixture causing a mini
explosion. The fuel burns immediately, giving off hot gas
that pushes the piston back down. The energy released by
the fuel is now powering the crankshaft.

18
 1. The importance of selecting the appropriate materials
The four natural states of matter
Natural state of the matter in your car ! How does it work?

4. Exhaust:
The outlet valve (right) opens. As the crankshaft continues
to turn, the piston is forced back up the cylinder for a
second time. It forces the exhaust gases (produced when
the fuel burned) out through the exhaust outlet (blue pipe).
The whole cycle then repeats itself.

19
 2. The utilization of materials

Availability, affordability, accessibility, reusability, utility, environmental soundness, social

acceptability.

⮚ The selection of a material to meet given design requirements generally requires

that a compromise be struck between several, usually conflicting, objectives. The
problem is complicated because the decision-space is large, it is discrete rather
than continuous, and the relative value to be placed on each objective is
imprecisely known.

⮚ In our modern society, sustainability’s imperative of economic development in

tandem with social advancement and environmental protection must be met.
Typically, criteria such as availability, affordability, accessibility, reusability, utility,
environmental soundness and social acceptability are of big importance for
materials utilization.

20
 2. The utilization of materials
Availability

Availability of a material is simply the quality of being able to

be used or obtained easily. To characterize the availability
level three measures are needed: fill rate (fraction on
requirements met without delay), mean delay, and variance
of delay when shortages occur

21
 2. The utilization of materials
Affordability

The adjective affordable can either mean "cheap," or

it can imply that even if it's expensive, you have enough
money to easily buy it. If something is affordable, it's priced
reasonably, and you have enough money to buy it.

22
 2. The utilization of materials
Accessibility

Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service,

or environment is available to as many people as
possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access”
and benefit from some system or entity.

23
 2. The utilization of materials
Reusability

Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for

its original purpose (conventional reuse) or to fulfil a different
function (creative reuse or repurposing). It should be
distinguished from recycling, which is the breaking down of
used items to make raw materials for the manufacture of new
products.

24
 2. The utilization of materials
Utility

Utility is a term in economics that refers to the total

satisfaction received from consuming a good or service.
Economic theories based on rational choice usually assume
that consumers will strive to maximize their utility.

25
 2. The utilization of materials
Environmental soundness

Environmentally sound technologies are techniques and

technologies capable of reducing environmental damage
through processes and materials that generate fewer
potentially damaging substances, recover such substances
from emissions prior to discharge, or utilize and recycle
production residues.

26
 2. The utilization of materials
Social acceptability

Social acceptability is a judgement people make about

whether an action, attribute, or condition is rated as superior
or relatively neutral when compared with potential
alternatives

27
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy

Energy sources, including fossil fuel,

water, solar, wind, bio energy and geothermal.

Definition

Energy, in physics, the capacity for doing work. It may exist in potential, kinetic,
thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms.

There are, moreover, heat and work—i.e., energy in the process of transfer from one
body to another. After it has been transferred, energy is always designated according
to its nature.

Hence, heat transferred may become thermal energy, while work done may manifest
itself in the form of mechanical energy.

28
3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Basic concepts: Forms of Energy.

http://pluspng.com/types-of-energy-png-4630.html

29
3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Basic concepts: Energy Transformations

http://energythic.com/view.php?node=424

30
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy

Energy Sources

Primary Energy sources Secondary Energy sources

Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, Sources derived from a
coal) primary source like…
Nuclear energy Electricity
Falling water, geothermal, Gasoline
solar Alcohol fuels (gasohol)

31
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Fossil Fuel
Fossil fuels are made from decomposing plants and animals. These fuels are found in
the Earth's crust and contain carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy.
Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels.

https://slideplayer.com/slide/3872885/

32
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Water

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower, the

production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or
flowing water.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/h
ydroelectric-energy http://water.usgs.gov/edu/graphics/wuhytypicalplant.gif

33
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Solar

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly
using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination..

http://jamaica gleaner.com/gleaner/20140509/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/

lead/lead1.html#slideshow-0 how-solar-panels-work-0423/

34
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Wind

Wind power or wind energy is the use of wind to provide the mechanical power
through wind turbines to turn electric generators and traditionally to do other work,
like milling or pumping. Wind power is a sustainable and renewable energy and has a
much smaller impact on the environment compared to burning fossil fuels.

https://www.japanindustrynews.com/2016/09/japan-eyes-wind-
farms-power-energy-needs-sets-ambitious-goals/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/167548048616707670/

35
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Biomass

Biomass energy is energy generated or produced by living or once-living organisms.

The most common biomass materials used for energy are plants, such as corn and soy.
The energy from these organisms can be burned to create heat or converted into
electricity.

https://www.bioenergyconsult.com/tag/types-of-biomass/

36
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Geothermal
A geothermal power plant uses heat from Earth’s interior as an energy source to
produce electricity.

1. Hot water is pumped from deep underground

through a well under high pressure.
2. When the water reaches the surface, the
pressure is dropped, which causes the water to
turn into steam.
3. The steam spins a turbine, which is
connected to a generator that produces
electricity.
4. The steam cools off in a cooling tower and
condenses back to water.
5. The cooled water is pumped back into the
Earth to begin the process again. https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/solutions/technologies/geot
hermal.html

37
 4. Experiments to determine the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of
materials.

https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-engineering/materials scien https://www.e-education.psu.edu/matse81/node/2102

ce/material-properties/strength/concept-of-stress-and-strain-stress-
strain-model/

38
 3. The importance of selecting the appropriate energy
Summary
Energy Type Advantage Disadvantage

Coal Easy to transport Pollutes air

Oil Produces large amounts Nonrenewable

of energy
Solar Renewable, does not Requires sunshine
pollute
Wind Renewable, does not Requires steady winds,
pollute generators noisy
Hydroelectric No pollution Dams cause
environmental harm
Geothermal Renewable, does not Limited availability, deep
pollute drilling expensive
Nuclear Produces huge amount Radioactive waste
of energy

39
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q1

• Energy sources derived from organic materials are called:

I. geothermal energy sources
II. fossil fuels
III. biomass

A. II only
B. III only
C. I and III only
D. II and III only

40
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q1

• Energy sources derived from organic materials are called:

I. geothermal energy sources
II. fossil fuels
III. biomass

A. II only
B. III only
C. I and III only
D. II and III only

41
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q2

• Hydropower is usually favoured as a source of energy for

manufacturing because:
A. It is easily installed
B. It is a renewable source of power
C. Large power plants would stabilize the grid
D. It is usually cheap

42
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q2

• Hydropower is usually favoured as a source of energy for

manufacturing because:
A. It is easily installed
B. It is a renewable source of power
C. Large power plants would stabilize the grid
D. It is usually cheap

43
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q3

• Which of the following are considerations in selecting materials

I. social acceptability, II accessibility; III reusability0
IV. affordability
A. II and III
B. II, III and IV
C. I, II and IV
D. All of the above

44
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q3

• Which of the following are considerations in selecting materials

I. social acceptability, II accessibility; III reusability;
IV. affordability
A. II and III
B. II, III and IV
C. I, II and IV
D. All of the above

45
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q4

• The following are considered primary energy sources except:

A. coal
B. Nuclear energy
C. geothermal
D. electricity

46
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q4

• The following are considered primary energy sources except:

A. coal
B. Nuclear energy
C. geothermal
D. electricity

47
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q5

• Consider the graph. The labels I, II

and III represent (in this order)

A. proportional limit; yield point;

ultimate strength
B. Proportional limit; ultimate
strength; yield point
C. Ultimate strength; yield point;
proportional limit
D. Ultimate strength; proportional
limit; yield point

48
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – Q5

• Consider the graph. The labels I, II

and III represent (in this order)

A. proportional limit; yield point;

ultimate strength
B. Proportional limit; ultimate
strength; yield point
C. Ultimate strength; yield point;
proportional limit
D. Ultimate strength; proportional
limit; yield point

49
 RESOURCES

The Brundtland Commission and Herman E. Daly, http://acwi.gov/swrr/whatis-sustainability-

wide.pdf

Center for Sustainable Systems (formerly the National Pollution Prevention Center)
http://www.css.snre.umich.edu/

Suggested video clip

Materials and Technologies for a sustainable future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uELKK4oly6I

https://energy.caricom.org/media-gallery/
50
 RESOURCES
Allen, D. T. and Shonnard, D. R. Green Engineering:
Environmentally Conscious Design of Chemical Processes. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Incorporated, 2001.

Arunaye, F.I., Mwasha A.

‘On behavior of limited life Geotextile materials for reinforcing embankment on soft ground’.
World Journal of Engineering 8 (2), 195-199.

Goldman, D. Ecological Intelligence. Broadway: New York Books, 2009.

Iwaro J., and Mwasha, A.

‘Towards energy sustainability in the world: the implications of energy subsidy for developing
countries’. International Journal of Energy and Environment 1 (4), 705-714.

McKibben, B. Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. New York: St Martin’s Griffin,
2011.

51