Thermodynamics for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (Green Energy and Technology)

This book examines ways of assessing the rational management of nonrenewable resources. Integrating numerous methods, it systematically exposes the strengths of exergy analysis in resources management. Divided into two parts, the first section provides the theoretical background to assessment methods, while the second section provides practical application examples. The topics covered in detail include the theory of exergy cost and thermo-ecological cost, cumulative calculus and life cycle evaluation. This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers looking to investigate a range of advanced thermodynamic assessments of the influence of production processes on the depletion of nonrenewable resources. Front Matter....Pages i-vi Introduction....Pages 1-4 Front Matter....Pages 5-5 Resources. Production. Depletion....Pages 7-36 Fundamentals of Exergy Analysis....Pages 37-80 “Input-Output” Approach to Energy Production Systems....Pages 81-107 Cumulative Calculus and Life Cycle Evaluation....Pages 109-130 Thermodynamic Methods to Evaluate Resources....Pages 131-165 Theory of Exergy Cost and Thermo-ecological Cost....Pages 167-202 The Thermodynamic Rarity Concept for the Evaluation of Mineral Resources....Pages 203-232 Externalities Burdening Production Processes and Systems....Pages 233-252 Front Matter....Pages 253-253 Computable Examples of the Application of “Input-Output” Models of Energy Production Systems....Pages 255-287 Application of Thermo-ecological Cost (TEC) as Sustainability Measure for Useful Products....Pages 289-336 Integrating the Thermo-ecological and Exergy Replacement Costs to Assess Mineral Processing....Pages 337-352 Application of Thermo-economic Analysis (TEA) to Industrial Ecology (IE)....Pages 353-370 Assessment of Water Resources by Exergy Cost....Pages 371-404 Exergo-ecological Assessment of Multi-generation Energy Systems....Pages 405-442 Thermo-ecological Evaluation of Advanced Coal-Fired Power Technologies....Pages 443-471 Cumulative Green-House Gasses (GHG) Emissions as Total Measure of Global Warming Potential....Pages 473-488 Thermo-ecological System Analysis as a Tool Supporting the Analysis of the National Energy and Environmental Policy....Pages 489-510