d40 last exam
Colonialism
A system of domination that grants colonizer access to land for colonizer goals. o "a way to describe relationships characterized by conquest and genocide that grant colonialist/settlers ongoing state access to land and resources" (Libiron, pg 9). o Settler colonialism is fundamentally about access to land
2) Mobile Communications:
Cellphones:18 kg coz / device - 2kWh / year Smartphones:30kg coz / device - 7kWh / year Laptops:240kg CO2 / device - 40kWh / year
Early Plastics
Celluloid: - guncotton / nitrocellulose ( explosive) - camphor sap - try to make it look like linen ~ flammable ~ replaces : ivory , tortoiseshell ~ eventually ran out of camphor sap Bakelite: - rubber or plastic-like ~ petroleum byproduct ~ can be poured into molds ~ stain-resistant
History of Lighting
Whale Oil, Kerosene/paraffin, coal-gas lighting, & then electricity (next lecture...)
From a Linear to a Circular Economy
From cradle-to-grave to cradle-to-cradle "Zero-waste" strategies for the circular economy, sustainable consumption, less pollution
New BioMaterials
Fungi -Mushroom mycelia for furniture, building construction, and packaging (Phil Ross Mycoworks www.mycoworks.com and Ecovative https://ecovativedesign.com/ -engineered yeasts to produce collagen used for leather-like material (http://zoa.is/ ) -engineered yeasts to produce silk (Bolt Threads) https://boltthreads.com/technology/microsilk/ ) Bacteria -bacteria induced calcite precipitation: "cold" formed bricks (Ginger Krieg Dosier); bioconcrete and cementation (Henk Jonkers, Magnus Larsson's Dune with Jason DeJong at UC Davis) -bacterial cellulose fashion and products (Sacha Laurin, UCD biodesign teams) -bacteria produced dyes for textiles/fashion (Natsai Chieza) Bioluminescence - "cold" lighting of microorganisms (http://teresavandongen.com/ambio )
Plastics
"Better Living Through Chemistry" (Dupont's slogan) Definition: anything capable of being passively moulded, or Dupont's definition: "manmade combinations of basic chemicals and materials" Celluloid (from cotton and camphor) and Bakelite (phenol formaldehyde) to... the whole worldof "Synthetica": including Cellulose acetate (a nonflammable thermoplastic), Acrylics, vinyl compounds (Barbie, gogo boots, flooring), melamine, laminates (Formica), nylon(stockings), polystyrene (all pre WW2 but not yet commercial, then used in TVs in1959), Styrofoam (from polystyrene), polyethylene (Tupperware, packaging, toy soldiers), polypropylene (luggage), ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene - sheet material for lining fridges, and Legos), polyester (fabric), polyurethane (varnish),polyurethane sprayed foam (houses/domes), Teflon (cook surface), fiberglass, inflatables, ..... But... most plastics are not biodegradable... but rather disposed of into the ocean or landfillsthrough waste colonialism, even if after being "downcycled."
California's Energy Future
"Clean Coal" - "Carbon Capture and Sequester" vs fracking Forecasts of The 2050 Report: California's Energy Future (2011) Recent California Law Passed in 2018: SB 100
1) Silicon Chip Manufacturing
"How Do They Make Silicon Wafers and Computer Chips?"(8'42" video that we will watch in class) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWVywhzuHnQ Be able to summarize in general the process of making a silicon chip. - cycle layers - changes properties for each layer - heat polysilicon ~ Molten silicon → crystal lowered into it- - -Cut into pieces: polished --- chern. Process to polish even more What materials is polysilicon made from? - 1 part quartzite - 2 parts coal - hydrochloric acid - hydrogen glass Why are Front-Opening Unified Pods (FOUPS) important? - prevents dust from getting on the chips - protect workers from dangerous chemical Basic Principles to Know: 1. The Silicon Era has only been possible because of cheap sources of energy. 2. As you scale down in size as focus of manufacturing (transistors, chips, nanotechnology), there is an exponential increase in the amount of energy used in production. 3. Obsolescence of devices is a key problem in overall life cycle impacts - how long do you use a single computer compared to a car or refrigerator?
5) Moving Towards End-of-Life Phase of Laptops and Digital Electronic Waste Take Away Lessons:
"Low-Entropy/Highly-ordered" designs like chips and laptops are VERY energy intensive. They are built using highly processed raw materials and many rare metals that are scarce natural resources (whose production is often controlled by China). These include: quartzite for chips, and Gold, Platinum, Neodymium, Tantalum, Gallium, Silver, Indium, and Cobalt. The carbon footprint to extract these metals is very high (from 60-11,000x that of iron). These metals achieve very low end-of-life recycling percentages (all less than 1% except silver, which is over 50%). Computers and mobile communications devices are designed for obsolescence and continuous "upgrades." This leads to a vast amount of electronic waste.
Disposability as Colonialism
"The future of plastics is in the trash can" Lloyd Stouffer 1956 o Disposable items assume there is an "away" to send waste to o Pre 2018 - China largest importer of recyclables, banned import in 2018 o Most recyclables sent to Southeast Asian countries
New living design concepts for bioproducts:
"lease of life" (alternate version of planned obsolescence) design for death: "death dating," "kill switches" But what about OLD circular materials - why aren't these being advocated for as strongly today? A problem of economics, building codes, etc .... not materials!
Describe three reasons why internal combustion engines were integral to the popularization of automobiles.
- Greater power - Smaller, less heavy, more portable - Quick Start - Hygienic - Easier, less inputs - Safer- Cheaper1) 1885: Karl Benz, world's first car, similar engine to Daimler's 1892: Rudolf Diesel, compression engine running on diesel fuel (no spark plugs) (more efficient than Otto engines; energy-dense and heavy liquid fuel) 1903: Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company - first Model T's produced in the US via assembly line manufacture (ran on petrol or kerosene or ethanol) 1903: Wilbur and Orville Wright designed 4-cylinder internal combustion engine for first airplane and flight
Internal Combustion Engines - THE prime mover of the 20th century!
- Powered by coal gas, diesel, and crude oil processed into liquid petroleum/gasoline (higher energy density than coal, cleaner to burn, easier to move and store) - Weighed 1/10 as much per watt than first steam engines (c. 1800) - Superior machining necessary owing to explosion pressure, heat, and force (strength)
Good Short Answer Question: Summarize the life-cycle of a desktop or laptop computer, with reference to spatial locations of sites of production and deconstruction.
.1) design : USA ( L.A. , Seattle) , Europe , Japan 2) materials extracted : Africa , Australia 3) Chip Manufacturing: USA, UK, Middle East , Taiwan 4) hardware manufacturing; Mexico , China , Singapore , Taiwan 5) USE : globally 6) Recycling : Germany , China , Philippines , Indonesia , India , USA L.A / Seattle → Dubai → India / China - many in rural areas Manufacturing - Fossil Fuels 240 kg FF - CRT monitor 266 kg FF - LCD monitor manufacturing - Monitors • Lead / Zinc leaching -CRT : dangerous
Big Take Away Summary and Questions: Fossil fuels and nuclear power have the highest energy densities. Fossil fuels are used both primary energy sources and for manufacturing fossil-fuel-derived electricity (a secondary energy source), whereas nuclear is only used for creating secondary energy electricity. They are both powerful and reliable in availability (for now) and power output. Fossil fuels are flexible and mobile, but nuclear power is NOT - reactors must be by water for cooling. Both are cheap(still... relatively... due in part to government subsidies). Fossil fuels supply the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, whereas nuclear supplies the least. However, nuclear waste is a huge drawback. Fossil-fuel-produced and nuclear-power-produced electricity are supported by generative and distributive infrastructure. Renewable Energy Sources do not share these traits for the most part. They have lower energy densities and power output, are variable in their availability and power output, are semi-flexible in their location, still supply some greenhouses gases to the atmosphere or have other environmental detriments, and are variable in cost (depending on government subsidies, in part).The infrastructure to generate and store or transmit power from renewables on a very large scale is still in its infancy.
1) Be able to discuss the above big picture take away in detail with regards to fossil fuel derived electricity in comparison with that made by nuclear, hydroelectric, solar and wind power. Do so with regards to: comparable power density, reliability, location flexibility, greenhouse gas (GHG) outputs, and whether this type of power can stand on its own without a back-up source. 2) Consider that there are two to three orders of magnitude (or more) difference between fossil fuel and nuclear power densities & those of renewable energies. What does this imply for the future about downsizing fossil fuels and increasingreliance on renewable energy sources?
Big Take Away Summary and Questions: Fossil fuels have the highest energy densities, and are used as materials, as primary energy sources, and for manufacturing fossil-fuel-derived electricity (a secondary energy source). They are powerful, reliable in availability and power output, flexible (in location) and mobile, cheap(still... relatively... due in part to government subsidies), and supply the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels and electricity are supported by generative and distributive infrastructure. Renewable Energy Sources do not share these traits for the most part. They have lower energy densities and power output, are variable in their availability and power output, are semi-flexible in their location, still supply some greenhouses gases to the atmosphere or have other environmental detriments, and they are variable in cost (depending on government subsidies, in part). The infrastructure to generate and store or transmit power from renewables is still in its infancy.
1) Be able to discuss the above big take away in detail with regards to fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-derived electricity, and also with regards to wind, solar, and hydro-powered electricity. 2) Consider that there are three to four orders of magnitude difference between fossil fuel power densities & those of renewable energies. What does this imply for the future about downsizing fossil fuels and increasing reliance on renewable energy sources for all our energy needs, including manufacturing in the industrial sector?
Key Ideas (from Lecture 11, but discussed here today):
All fuels are byproducts of solar energy plus time. What are the differences in replacement time foreach of these fuels, and what are the implications of this for the future considering their different energy densities? Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas take millions of years to form, and their extraction rates far exceed their natural replacement rates. This means that they are considered non-renewable resources and are being depleted at an unsustainable rate. The implications of continued reliance on fossil fuels include the depletion of these finite resources, increased carbon emissions and climate change, and geopolitical conflicts over scarce resources. In contrast, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower are replenished naturally and can be harnessed without depleting the earth's resources. While there are some environmental costs associated with their extraction and production, they are generally considered to be more sustainable and less damaging to the environment than fossil fuels. The replacement time for renewable energy sources varies depending on the specific technology and location but is typically much shorter than that of fossil fuels. The differences in replacement time and energy density of these fuels have significant implications for the future of energy production and consumption. As non-renewable fossil fuels become increasingly scarce and costly to extract, there is a growing need to transition to renewable energy sources. While renewable energy sources generally have lower energy densities than fossil fuels, advances in technology and infrastructure have made them increasingly viable for meeting global energy demands. The transition to renewable energy will require significant investment and policy changes, but it offers the potential for a more sustainable and equitable energy future.
History of Fossil Fuels for Power:
Coal - Han Chinese (200 BCE and blast furnaces for iron, 900-1100CE), Britain c. 1700s Natural Gas - Han Chinese (c.200 BCE) with percussion drilling! Kerosene - first distilled in London, 1853; replaced whale oil in lamps Crude Oil - discovered in Pennsylvania, 1859; soon wells in Romania, California, Texas and Sumatra; then by 1915, in Mexico, Iran, Trinidad, and Venezuela = overproduction, and cheap prices.(energy density 50% higher than coal, so ideal for transport when one had to carry the weight/volume of the fuel with the vehicle); Necessity of crude oil standardization
Biodesign (definition)
Design that uses biological materials or processes, including those of biotechnology and synthetic biology, to design products for the circular economy. Bio design is based upon plants, animals, archaea, bacteria, fungi, and/or synthetic biology.
Fossil-Fuel-Derived Electricity: Major Developments and Uses
Discovery of Electricity and choice of Alternating Current/AC (for long-distance distribution) Distribution Infrastructure: under or overground? Best materials? Overhead cables-Aluminum, steel. Underground cable-copper and Aluminum Lighting - From Arc Lamps to Light Bulbs ... to LEDs Factory Layout and Electric Motorized Manufacturing - Dynamos (generators) use mechanical/kinetic energy to produce electricity, whereas electric motors use electricity to produce motion/mechanical energy Communication Systems: Railroad Semaphore Signaling, Telegraph & Telephone- 1866 first transatlantic cable for telegraph communication; 1901 first wireless transatlantic telegraph transmission Electric and Hybrid Cars (1880s-1930s) (Nikola Tesla, 1888, first electric AC motor) Home Appliances (Refrigerators, Washing Machines, Ovens, Fans, Vacuums, Irons, etc...) Recent Patterns of Electricity Use: Load and Peak Load (considering latitude especially) Cogeneration (of electricity and heat from coal-fired power plants) and its increased efficiency from 35-40% up to 80% of coal's available energy - Scandinavia vs US
Renewable Energies: Water (Hydroelectric Power/Dams):
History of dam building benefits(renewable resources in general): They have lower energy densities and power output - recreation - reliable , clean energy , free to run after being built Drawbacks: Still supply some greenhouses gases to the atmosphere or have other environmental detriments, and are variable in cost (depending on government subsidies, in part). The infrastructure to generate and store or transmit power from renewables is still in its infancy. releases methane: algae, People / towns relocated, ecological changes - fish , etc, archeological sites under water, political tools, runs out of water due to droughts for control
Why do we call the 19th-20th centuries the Carbon Era?
Hydrocarbon chains in fossil fuels Forms: solid, liquid, gas Sectors: manufacturing, lighting, transportation, use as a material, and later, fuel source for electricity
Settler colonialism is NOT a time period
It is a way to structure society
Aluminum
No pure metal in earth; only in alloy form (potash alum, aluminum oxide from bauxite, cryolite, corundum (ruby, sapphire, amethyst emerald topaz), alumite, turquoise, kaolin feldspar, mica); 7.6% of earth's crust is aluminum, and only 4.7% iron, so very available How to make pure aluminum: electric current through water-based solution with metal salts, but.. hard for Al: first, make aluminia (Al oxide), then dissolve this in molten cryolite, then electrolyze this solution to produce pure Al globules (several hours, 1000-degreesCelcius, lots of electricity - only cheap after 1900 when turbines were generating electricity through dynamos - then at $4/pound) History of discovery: alloys Henri Deville, France 1854; electrolysis for pure form, Charles Hall(and Paul Heroult in France), 1886. - what to do with a new metal? How to convincepeople to use it? How to make it cheaply (1858, $27/pound; $11.75/pound in 1862,cheaper than silver, but "rare"? Be able to describe three important properties of Aluminum. High strength, good corrosion resistance, low density, and high electrical and thermal conductivity. Aluminum is magnetic and is easy to recycle. Aluminum can also easily be formed by rolling and forging.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear fission Power density of Uranium (compared to coal): 16,000x more electricity with zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation nuclear reactors Benefits of nuclear power: - Super high energy density - Very little GhG (some C02) - appealing given global warming - Very expensive outlay but cheap energy if you ignore the outlay costs Drawbacks of nuclear power: - Uranium's supposedly accessible supply will peak around 2040-2050; thorium more plentiful but technology for it not yet developed - Disasters: leaks, meltdowns, deaths, multiple catastrophes at once (earthquake, tsunami, meltdown) (safety problems) - Toxicity and cost of clean-up after disasters - Terrorism (security) - hijacking radioactive waste and making bombs; targetingnuclear reactors - Long-lived waste (hundreds of thousands of years - where to put it, how to store it safely, how to warn future generations) (storage areas: salt mines/aquifers, between impervious rock beds) (safety problems) - How to persist/run/shut down during a crisis (infrastructure and safety problems - Evil/ taboo - demise of humanity and earth; slippery slope of environmental and military catastrophe (public opinion)
Fossil Fuels as Materials
Rubber - Natural and Synthetic insulator / non-conductive - Flexible / elastic deformation, returns "good memory" - "tackiness" stickiness - plasticity - bouncy - water/air tight Natural Rubber (From a tree): becomes scarce Synthetic Rubber (from fossil fuels):petroleum byproducts
Renewable Energies: Wind (Turbines):
Semi-flexible location + highly variable energy source that doesn't conform to peak needs Variable output and efficiencies (low vs high-speed turbines)Spacing needs to avoid wakes and maintain kinetic energy in the windflow... Storage or distribution of wind power? From where to where? Insect coverage and cleaning blades (for maximal efficiency) Energy payback of wind turbines: about 5-6 months :) Life expectancy: 20 years
Textile production powered by steam engine
Spinning (thread and yarn making; 1785 first powered by steam engine) Weaving (Jacquard loom, first "computer," for silk weaving originally, and removed the "draw-boy" from the process) - steam-powered in 1830s-1850s Sewing Machine! Singer, 1851 in Boston, led to rise of ready-made clothing industry in 1860s (hand-and foot-powered, and then electric) Social context of textiles: Tied directly to slavery and cotton in South; child labor in factories, 7-daywork week... up through 1880s + fires in textile factories - dangerous work + lung disease for linen workers from flax seed Steam-Powered Printing Presses! Prominent in England 1830s on - increased literacy
Colonial Resource relations
The morality of maximum use of Resources, dispossession, and property as a way to control both time and space to secure settler colonial futures o Land as a Resource (for extraction), Land as a Sink (a site for storing waste) These resources provide the material and spiritual sustenance of Indigenous societies and also the foundation of colonial state formation, settlement, and capitalist development.
Renewable Energies: The Sun (Solar Power):
Towers (mirrors + fluids/thermal heat) Troughs (mirrors + fluids/thermal heat) Photovoltaic (PV) Panels and Films: - Use semiconductors ("chips") - On the grid (centralized/urban) or off the grid (decentralized/rural)? - Net Metering (for urban on the grid homes) - Do they track the sun or not for efficiency? where you are affects the productivity. - Regular replacement (panels, 25 yrs; converters, every 10 years) and cleaning... - Energy payback of solar panels: a few months :) - Life expectancy: 25 years
4) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Infrastructure - Data Servers & Beyond
What percentage of the world's energy use and CO2 output today are produced by ICT? 2- 4% Of global CO2 emissions~ growing 15% per year 2%- 10% of world's energy use Why are data centers so energy intensive? ~ energy consumption during storage~ powering / cooling data center - sending data from user to server and back What are critical raw materials and why do they matter? Rare earth elements (REEs), Lithium, Cobalt, Tungsten.... ~ these materials are finite ~ supply risk ~ carbon footprint is high : during mining ~ they aren't being recycled - hard to disassemble
Waste colonialism
transboundary movement of waste from areas of privilege and affluence to areas with lower economic status and influence o coined 1989 at the United Nations Environmental Programme Basel Convention when several African nations articulated concerns about the disposal of hazardous wastes by wealthy countries into their territories.
3) Desktop and Laptop Computer Manufacturing
~ 81% of energy → production~ 19% operation ~ memory chips - 800x its weight in fossil fuels/ chemicals
Synthetic Biology:
definition by Marc Facciotti (UCD prof.) - "the application of engineering principles to the design and construction of biological systems." It is like genetic engineering, with the alteration of DNA to produce changed outputs but with different emphasis on single-celled organisms (mostly bacteria and fungi) as "workhorses," "chassis" or "factories" to produce chemical outputs useful for pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and materials for design.
What are "Living Machines?" Using information from the assigned reading, be able to clearly explain two major similarities and three major differences that pertain to living machines in comparison and contrast to inorganic mechanized technologies.
genetically modifying organisms Similarities: both make something , inputs → outputs , design functions Differences: non - living : carbon based fuel / electricity. - outputs : predictable , standardized , mass produce.~ living : glucose , agricultural waste , cells , metabolic chem processes. - organism is material, more compostable, unpredictable, variability, reproduce, evolve/mutate
Modern wastes are characterized by
o Tonnage o Toxicity o Externalization o Heterogeneity
