Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the industrial sector focusses on energy-intensive industries (EIIs) since they comprise a significant proportion of industrial sector emissions. However, collective emissions from non-EII industries is substantial and organisations require guidance to reach car...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Suzanne O'Keeffe, Dominic O'Sullivan, Ken Bruton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2022-09-01
Series:Chemical Engineering Transactions
Online Access:https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/12564
_version_ 1811275046583271424
author Suzanne O'Keeffe
Dominic O'Sullivan
Ken Bruton
author_facet Suzanne O'Keeffe
Dominic O'Sullivan
Ken Bruton
author_sort Suzanne O'Keeffe
collection DOAJ
description Greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the industrial sector focusses on energy-intensive industries (EIIs) since they comprise a significant proportion of industrial sector emissions. However, collective emissions from non-EII industries is substantial and organisations require guidance to reach carbon neutrality. This study addresses the research question ‘What methodologies and modelling tools do industrial organisations use to plan and subsequently achieve carbon emissions neutrality?’ There is a research gap between general, independent, emissions abatement measures and organisation-specific plans developed using in-house or commercial software and/or energy management consultants. This study proposes a detailed, open access, cross-sectoral and strategic methodology aimed at the organisational level. A Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer (SIPOC) methodology is used in an adapted Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework to provide a high-level, visual pathway to carbon neutrality, clearly indicating the supplier, input, process, output, and customer for each carbon mitigation step. The Analyse step involves an energy audit, and heat and renewable energy studies to generate modelling tool input. The Improve step models the potential emissions abatement measures in priority order of efficiency, new technology, heat recovery, and renewables, with the budget or timeline as the dominant parameter. The model outputs are a carbon neutrality waterfall as the pathway, and a sensitivity graph to highlight influential modelling inputs. Future work includes modelling tool development, and validation with a case study of a medical device manufacturing facility.
first_indexed 2024-04-12T23:31:06Z
format Article
id doaj.art-04eb1b28bb724362af4f2fd0a8a7cc9d
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2283-9216
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-12T23:31:06Z
publishDate 2022-09-01
publisher AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.
record_format Article
series Chemical Engineering Transactions
spelling doaj.art-04eb1b28bb724362af4f2fd0a8a7cc9d2022-12-22T03:12:17ZengAIDIC Servizi S.r.l.Chemical Engineering Transactions2283-92162022-09-019410.3303/CET2294007Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial ManufacturingSuzanne O'KeeffeDominic O'SullivanKen BrutonGreenhouse gas emissions reduction in the industrial sector focusses on energy-intensive industries (EIIs) since they comprise a significant proportion of industrial sector emissions. However, collective emissions from non-EII industries is substantial and organisations require guidance to reach carbon neutrality. This study addresses the research question ‘What methodologies and modelling tools do industrial organisations use to plan and subsequently achieve carbon emissions neutrality?’ There is a research gap between general, independent, emissions abatement measures and organisation-specific plans developed using in-house or commercial software and/or energy management consultants. This study proposes a detailed, open access, cross-sectoral and strategic methodology aimed at the organisational level. A Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer (SIPOC) methodology is used in an adapted Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework to provide a high-level, visual pathway to carbon neutrality, clearly indicating the supplier, input, process, output, and customer for each carbon mitigation step. The Analyse step involves an energy audit, and heat and renewable energy studies to generate modelling tool input. The Improve step models the potential emissions abatement measures in priority order of efficiency, new technology, heat recovery, and renewables, with the budget or timeline as the dominant parameter. The model outputs are a carbon neutrality waterfall as the pathway, and a sensitivity graph to highlight influential modelling inputs. Future work includes modelling tool development, and validation with a case study of a medical device manufacturing facility.https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/12564
spellingShingle Suzanne O'Keeffe
Dominic O'Sullivan
Ken Bruton
Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
Chemical Engineering Transactions
title Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
title_full Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
title_fullStr Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
title_full_unstemmed Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
title_short Methodology for Carbon Emissions Neutrality in Industrial Manufacturing
title_sort methodology for carbon emissions neutrality in industrial manufacturing
url https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/12564
work_keys_str_mv AT suzanneokeeffe methodologyforcarbonemissionsneutralityinindustrialmanufacturing
AT dominicosullivan methodologyforcarbonemissionsneutralityinindustrialmanufacturing
AT kenbruton methodologyforcarbonemissionsneutralityinindustrialmanufacturing