ARS | Publication request: Designing for multi-lifecycle to promote industrial ecology philosophy

Submitted to: Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: October 11, 2006
Publication Date: October 30, 2006
Citation: Dunmade, I., Rosentrater, K.A. 2006. Designing for multi-lifecycle to promote industrial ecology philosophy. Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing VI Conference, September 30-October 4, 2006, Boston MA.

Technical Abstract: This paper presents a design concept originally developed to suit the needs of the agro-industrial sector in the developing economies. It also highlights how this concept fits into other green design paradigms and to the goals of industrial ecology. The need to design for multi-lifecycles arose from the need for durable, easily maintained agro-processing machines in these economies. Most of the available machines are typically imported from countries of entirely different technological, climatic and socio-cultural conditions. Many become unmanageable after only a few years of use because of lack of technical know-how. Consequently, they become environmental problems and sources of economic drain for farmers, processors, regional and municipal authorities. There is therefore a need to develop a design concept that considers all prevalent local techno-economic and socio-cultural conditions, as well as develop design features that promote multi-lifecycle use of such agro-industrial machinery. This design concept incorporates DfX paradigms such as design for modularity, cost, assemblability, manufacturability, disassemblability, maintainability, reusability, and remanufacturability. This concept has been used to design and develop a cassava processing machine. The performance evaluation of the machine compares with the imported ones. By incorporating all the aforementioned DfXs, this design concept promotes resource use optimization, pollution prevention and cost minimization which are among the goals of industrial ecology. It is believed that this design concept can be applied to other areas of need in the industrial and agricultural sectors, and that using this design concept will go far in complementing various efforts aimed at reducing total environmental impact of our industrial activities.