Conceptual model of environmental management system (EM) of reversed information streams Jani Nurminen 1 and Eva ongrácz 2 University of Oulu, Department of rocess and Environmental Engineering FIN-90014 University of Oulu,.O. Box 4300 1 Chemical rocess Engineering Laboratory 2 Mass and Heat Transfer rocess Laboratory ABTRACT In this paper, an approach to conceptualize environmental management systems is studied using an object-oriented model of waste management theory which is modelled using the 1 language. The use of the methodology in creating a conceptual model of environmental management systems is illustrated by modeling the new theory of waste management and conceptualising it into a functional environmental management system. Furthermore, a conceptual model of an environmental management system of reversed information streams is introduced. 1. INTRODUCTION Conceptual modelling is traditionally connected to the fundamental design of things. ketches and drawings are often used for gathering ideas and developing them as well as being a process for which innovativeness is a common characteristic. Conceptual modelling tools are usually made for this purpose, to support creativity in the way of offering a tool for describing one s thoughts in the form of concepts. Furthermore, developed conceptual modelling tools can also provide a formal method for narrowing the search space of possible design alternatives, and to lead into technically or economically feasible design decisions in a shorter time span. The language has a solid academic background, acting as such a tool that assists the designer to pinpoint unfeasible design alternatives that would lead to environmental, safety or health problems later on. Unique to the language, and by using it as the basis for making conceptual models of real systems, the inclusion of the model of the environment within the system model, makes safety, health and environmental (HE) issues a natural, integral part of object-oriented systems design. The conceptual design phase of systems-design still has quite a large unused potential. An advanced conceptual modelling tool is able to provide a robust framework taking effect all the way from the very start of the design task, and ending with the ability to adapt itself with the last version of the model before the actual building or construction process starts. A well-functioning conceptual model not only assists in the testing, scale-up and construction phases, but also in the evaluation and development of the system at the starting, run time and shutdown phases as well. Conceptualization was also initiated with the perspective of gaining possible economic advantages in the creation of software tools for environmental management systems (EM) and environmental information systems. Conceptual object-oriented system models can also act as 1 is a registered trademark of Nordem Oy
the basis for software tools created by object-oriented coding languages such as the extensible mark-up language, XML. A conceptual model of an EM can be very useful for the purpose of instantiating activity objects targeting such a system to come about a project gathered around these elements. Or it can help the developers of such a system to test, analyze and improve the functionality of the system in real cases, and in scenarios, without the heavy costs typical for information systems development and implementation. However, modelling environmentally essential issues as these types of objects is, initially, an attempt to find new perspectives and improved methods for both setting targets and achieving them. Conceptual models presented in this paper are therefore created for the purpose of scientists of different disciplines to be able to get closer to the subject with using the same language; a domain-independent language of objects. 2 Conceptual models 2.1 language The language is the basis upon which the conceptual models of waste management systems will be applied in this paper. The language was created in the early 1990 s at the University of Oulu, for the purpose of modelling chemical processes. As the tools and the theory developed, the object-oriented method expanded to fulfil the needs of many other real life situations as well becoming a tool of a high descriptive potential to be used for describing any real system. In this paper, this tool () has been used for the benefit of environmental management systems. According to ontology, any real thing can be modelled as an object having four attributes: urpose, tructure, tate and erformance forming the acronym. Under urpose, the prefixed constraints for structure, state (behaviour) and performance of the modelled object are specified. Under tructure, the structural building blocks and the spatial, temporal and causal relationships between them are specified in two dimensions: the topological dimension in which the thing is disaggregated into nodes belonging to the same object class as itself, and the unitstructural dimension in which a node is decomposed to its internal parts, which belong to other object classes than the node. Under tate, the spatial and temporal distributions of the state variables, solved from the aggregate of the causal links given under tructure, are specified. Under erformance, the goodness of the thing is assessed against the criteria and constraints given under urpose. This is how a hierarchical model of any real system can be formally generated; and whether the system is an activity or a non-activity. 2.2 Mapping the context for an Environmental Management ystem (EM) The perspective of this study was to aim at the formation of a model for a new type of environmental management system that uses the theoretical knowledge of the new theory of waste management by ongrácz (2002). For this purpose, the task became the modelling of first the theory of waste management in the form of objects, and then try to implement it into an environmental management system including other objects, activities, practical knowledge and other issues essential to environmental problem solving tasks.
Administrative bodies Legislation, Environmental policies, National regulations, International standards roductive and consumptive bodies roduction, products, consumers, infrastructures Academic bodies, reaseach institutions Theory & Technology development, demonstrations, evaluation, definitions EM roducts & processes design, infrastructural design Figure 1 Environmental Management ystem (EM) context; impacts and driving forces. In Fig. 1, the academic bodies represent the sole developer of the system. It may be somewhat misleading without noticing that, basically, each of the objects is connected to one and other through the EM object. The idea of this is to not only increase the university-administration - industry - co-operation but also to create a self-iterative process for continuous improvement of EM systems of this type. For better understanding the purpose, functionality and performance criterion of the EM object, the modelling was started by mapping the upcoming EM object surroundings. This is also the phase of EM systems design in which the targets of the desired impact groups is formed. In the attempt to integrate the decision-making over the whole lifecycle of materials, both the design and production /consumption phases were set to represent the waste prevention, waste minimization and waste management perspectives. Other perspectives, administrative bodies and the development agents of the EM were also connected to the object. The EM object itself can then be modelled as an artefact. It is possible to create an object representation of it both from the objective of modelling activities targeting to fulfil the goals of the EM object, and as a theoretical, non-activity object as well. The non-activity object model for EM is a view, or an attempt to see, the EM object as a functional information system, in which the necessary elements for better, environmentally conscious decision-making, data storage and data generation activities are included and systemized. To achieve functionality for EM, what resulted was the inclusion of a database and an expert system, which can represent both computerized assistance and consulting, inside the EM object interior. This is to assure efficient organizing of data gathered as an input, systemized knowledge generation required for problem solving, systematic tool for objective analyzing and evaluation of the most relevant data as data processing, producing then the management solution as an output. The output can be, depending on the objective of modelling and the character of the problem case, a set of rules unique for each of the environmental problem cases It can also be general guidance for instantiating and managing environmental consulting activities as well as supporting new theory and environmental policy development. Characteristic to this type of a system, since the EM object itself defines what particular type of data need to be gathered and
knowledge generated for the problem solving task, the environmental data gathering activity has already a purpose while it launches. This leads into a system of reversed information streams and improved rationality of environmental management. 2.3 EM object and Waste Management Theory (WMT) 2.3.1 Conceptualization of Waste Management Theory Following the methodology set by the language used, the first question to be answered in the modelling task is to find the urpose for the EM object. In this study, the purpose for the conceptualization activity of EM is to search for best practices through the conceptualization of waste management related theories. The EM object itself then can have many types of purposes to be discussed. The ultimate target of the EM object could be, for example, set to provide guidance in finding both the ecological and economical optimum for materials and energy resource use efficiency. By modelling the topology of waste management theory (WMT) and decomposing the known theoretical parts of it, it raises the question of the purpose of all these theories with respect to EM object purpose. The purpose of WMT is to provide knowledge in internalizing environmental issues into product or process design. WMT can suggest tools to be used to achieve set goals by EM. For example, design for environment is recommended to develop such equipment assembly from which the most valuable components are easy to recover at the end of its useful life. This procedure will also help to define more practical categories and classes of waste, specify the role of waste prevention, waste minimization and waste management actions and their mutual relationships. It links WMT development, EM development and policy-making activities that can be carried out through EM demonstrations. In the attempt to conceptualize waste management theory as an object for the basis of a new EM, modelling the theoretical parts of the existing knowledge inside WMT has a very specific role. The structural decomposition has been done to enlighten the formation of the waste management hierarchy but still with the aim of not locking any individual objects from moving freely from one category to another. Jurisdic WMT Economics Waste Waste Waste revention Minimisation Treatment Ecology Green Chemistry Clean roduction Technologies rocess Management Design Design for Catalysis Environment Technology Recycling Logistics Design Theory Biology Information Technology Chemistry Figure 2 Waste Management Theory (WMT) object structural decomposition; Topological parts.
By applying the conceptual model of WMT object as a part of the EM object, the interaction between these two can be both monitored and further developed. This aims for a systematic approach to generate both better WMT development combining present theories dealing with environmental engineering able also to coordinate their development as independent objects each having a target set by EM object purpose, as well as developing the multidisciplinary evaluated best practices for the whole field of environmental technology. 2.3.2 Knowledge and guidance generation in WM object A conceptual representation of Waste Management ystem (WM) includes building conceptual representations of the waste-related things, the associated waste management activities (WMA), and all the relevant relationships. A holistic view of waste management implies integrating WM into other related activities within society or an organisation. (ohjola and ongrácz 1999.) The amount of knowledge installed in the current individual theories related to environmental issues is enormous. Therefore, in the attempt to combine it to produce only one, possibly very complex but still unique solution for each environmental problem case, a harsh simplification task should be carried out. This phase of generalization is probably the most delicate one in the whole process of trying to describe such a system in the form of objects and requires the best possible expertise in the field of environmental science. The conceptual phase of the EM design task allows you to test, demonstrate and develop the system continuously after each problem case salvation. It also produces better criterion, possibly even characteristic for each problem scenario, to be used in the WM guidance generation for the next time. This is an issue strongly related to the conceptual modelling tool used and, therefore, highly dependant on the ability of the tool to be flexible, creatively supporting, but still efficiently assisting the most undesirable combinations to be omitted as early as possible as the environmental problem-solving task proceeds. Waste revention 1) trict avoidance of 2) Reduction of the use of.. 3)? WM Guidance - Reduction of CO 2 emissions by.. - roduct ID s - Catalysis in process B4.. - Waste Minimisation 1) Re-use of 2) Recycling of Green Chemistry 1) Catalyst A in use for 2) Catalyst B in use for.. 3)? 1) DD Methodology 2) HE-Conscious Design 3)? rocess Design Figure 3 WM Guidance generation principle combining different theories in WM object. In Fig. 3, the theoretical knowledge of each independent theory is simplified into its most essential principles and, either under software or under human expert judgement, is evaluated to be the most significant ones taking affect in the technical solution as a representative of that particular theory in the selection of overall actions to correct the situation. The WM guidance
is, therefore, an evaluation of the possible problem solving actions gathered from the theories of each waste preventive, minimising or management nature. It can be argued that this sort of simplification task of multidisciplinary scientific theories is even possible to carry out. In practice, it requires all the available expertise of the theory to be successful. However, even if the simplifications prove to be of unfeasible in performance in practical cases, they can be altered, since all of the theory is still included in the object in its structure. Finding the best criterion to represent the heuristics of each of the theories is somewhat in the test phase of the WM object and at the same time a massive part of the EM development. 2.3.3 From WM to EM As described in objects and as a functional part of the EM interior, the WM guidance needs to be further rationalized. The advisory given by WM object is purely theoretic and relies on the variety of technically-possible solutions for the environmental problem case. Economic feasibility and the local environmental policies do, however, dominate the decision-making of which possibility can be applied. The separation of this technical-theoretical solution aims for the coherence of policies and optimal usage of resources aimed for the environmental management activity. Using separate decision-making in the solutions phase, every environmental management act, independent from their economic feasibility, should always lead to the right direction, even if they were made under heavy financial stress. Therefore, the principle behind the EM guidance object is to find the optimum of economically feasible solutions among the search space of all, technically possible solutions and still directing all chosen solutions aiming for the same goal. From the policies point of view, demonstrating the use of new technical innovations as well as new theoretical development for the benefit of the environment, the task of lining international environmental strategies becomes more concrete, and the environmental target setting will rely on the economic perspective alone of when this new technology can be expected to be implemented in the industry. The practical objectives of domestic and/or international economy and policies are, therefore, included in the EM guidance with the evaluation tools of their own and are so not further discussed more widely in this paper. 3. EM OF REVERED INFORMATION TREAM 3.1 Information streams and the EM object In the current state-of-the-art of environmental management, there is a common feature initiating environmental problem solving by mapping the material and energy flows. The procedure has numerous advantages, from which the biggest is set by the first rule of environmental management: one cannot manage unless one does not measure. The measured data is then collected, analyzed and with the best knowledge of environmental technology, a guidance of environmentally best procedure is then generated either by using the knowledge of human experts or the knowledge generated by expert systems using software tools forming a wide range of possible solutions. the functionality of the conceptualised EM is described by applying to electronic waste recovery.
EM Guidance object WM Guidance - Reduction of CO 2 emissions by.. - roduct ID s - Catalysis in process B4.. - Economic feasibility - Cost of technology development - Cost of implementation - Marketing olicies support - Agenda for technology supporting actions - Laws and regulations development - Employment effect Figure 4 Guidance generation principle combining theories with practices in EM object. The objective of the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is electronic waste minimisation utilising a roducer Responsibility approach. It is argued that using a holistic waste management theory model to achieve a controlled and eco-efficient flow of resources, upholding the objectives of the WEEE Directive. While the model itself is adaptable and transferable, its demonstration process will build upon a Finland-wide database on WEEE material quality/quantity value and information flow structure model, describing patterns of WEEE generation and the state-of-the-art of its treatment. To interpret and organize the data, an expert system needs to be built to analyze present practices and recommend best practices to achieve life cycle environmental improvements of EEE, in order to aid enterprises internalising environmental issues; and to support decision-making bodies to predict consumer behaviour along with providing a feedback on the efficiency of their actions. Endowed with the expert system, the waste management model will perform as a producer responsibility support tool.. While the development of WMT will have a crucial role in sustainable electronic waste management, to have a practical value, it needs to build upon a WEEE material quality/quantity database, and an associated material and information flow structure model. This descriptive model should describe patterns of WEEE generation and the state-of-the-art of its treatment. To interpret and organize the data, an expert system will have to be built, to analyse current practices and to recommend Best ractices to achieve life-cycle environmental improvements of EEE. Endowed with the expert system, the waste management model would perform as a producer responsibility support tool. 3.2 EM object and case of electronic waste Most of the electronics manufacturers are operating in the field of dispersed production consisting of sub-contractors. That enables highly competitive business process leaving them the concern of the most crucial phase of electronic product design and simple compound assembly. Typical for current environmental management in intensive electronics production, management solutions are often offered from the producer perspective. As international environmental policies are vacillating between the economic limitations of consumption and sustainability and from producer responsibility to the responsibility of the community, short-term environmental
goals are most often launched by environmental legislation and fulfilled by external environmental managers. This is a fact rising from manufacturing economics. The need for environmental management in the future will rest on consumer awareness. Manufacturers are more and more often required to report on the environmental performance of their products. However, there is unfortunate tendency: while environmental reporting tools are spreading, the balance is moving away from the ultimate goal of all environmental managing activity, achieving a sustainable material balance of production and consumption. This is because of the small amount of resources being used for environmental management actions and for that they are not used perhaps in the most efficient manner. When a company is forced to spend resources on environmental management, it does not usually expect to gain economic benefit from this contribution. The improvements in the eco-efficiency are not often considered as production development in the sense of increasing economic efficiency or the process. In the following case studied, both of these, the need for coherence of environmental actions carried out by external managers, and the economic features of environmental management activity are pointed out in the light of the new EM. The problem of short-term environmental consulting is its lack of perspective. When environmental management decisions are made under heavy economic stress and in short periods of time, the risk of evaluating misleading environmental data is always there. Considering a scenario described in the first section of the following Fig. 5, the evaluation of the assumed environmental impact of the actions of Manufacturer A and onto which Company A will be stating its environmental policy, they simply rely on the faulty judgement of the material balance. The same problem, a design risk of this type, is always present in product/process design tasks even when life cycle analysis tools are used. In the attempt to avoid these sorts of misunderstandings, a broader perspective is needed. As described in section 2 of Fig. 5, by collecting the information over the whole manufacturing chain under one solution, the importance of each link in the chain can be balanced in a more equal manner. Company A can include Companies B, C and D as integral parts of their own environmental policy and furthermore, increase their production efficiency at the same time as their eco-efficiency improves. However, performance of this division and finding the optimum solution for both the objective of environmental and economic aspects, tools are simply still lacking. When solving the second section problem and achieving the actual material/energy balance taking place, in the case of electronics waste, we are facing a problem of logistics, a problem able to derail the environmental management solution onto yet another course. When for the subcontractor business the process is feasible even when shipping compounds from Japan and Taiwan to Europe for assembly, the route of the raw materials disassembled here back to its origin is not. The third section of Fig. 5 describes the solution provided by the cellular network of similar EM structures. With the help of EM guidance, the most feasible company for materials redirecting should be able to be located. Now, when considering the logistics problem, for the material balance the case is solved as fast as the company (F, G, H) is able to use the material disassembled by Company B that can be found and, therefore, should be considered as the goal of the environmental managing activity.
1. Company A 100 95 95 Company B 25%, waste 40 Manufacturing 5, waste Disassembly 35 2. C D E subcontractors A 20%, waste, not recycled => total 38,75% 95 75 5, waste X After-sales, consumers B 25 -> 18,75%, waste 40 -> 30 35 -> 26,25 EM Cell I EM Cell WM object W M T WMA 3. F Alternative material redirection G H I J Figure 5 Material, energy and information flows in EM. 4. CONCLUION The theoretical, experimental or even heuristic knowledge implemented, and information of the material and energy streams gathered into a database of pre-fixed systematic data processing, together form the core of the information system, which, in this paper, is called an expert system. The function of this expert system is to produce guidance of the best practice for each company individually, over the whole product production chain or materials lifecycle independent from the product or field of industry the companies are located in. The expert system function, together with a systemized data collection, storage and analyzing, is expected to form a cellular structure of individually operating cells using same type of procedures, information systems and objectives of function, that can easily be combined together later, integrating different fields of industry, different companies and product families all over
the world leading toward the optimal resource use efficiency. This type of systemacity would not only be for the common good but also an inherent part of any company s resource use economy. Even when in the actual cases of environmental management and when the resources for the activity are not sufficient to perform a task described above, the method and EM tool should act as the basis for environmental management business. When applying such a method, the target of environmental management can be set to match the efforts of the companies and to achieve the economic optimum for those actions, still considering all possibilities. For a small to medium enterprise, an efficient eco-management pays itself easily back in the form of improved resource usage, and fulfilling the goals of environmental policies at the same time. For a large company, possibly operating in many different areas of industry, integration of the raw materials cycle, re-directing waste flows back into the production and with the help of process development included in the environmental management solution, it not only improves their image as an environmentally conscious company but also provides an unused potential for supporting their present production steering activities and tools. 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The work reported in this paper is a part of the REOT project run under the Eco-efficient society program financed by the Ministry of Environment. References Bogdanoff, M.A., Koivisto, R.A, Nurminen J., ohjola, V.J. 2000. An Innovative Object- Oriented Approach to rocess Design. The third international conference on loss prevention (afety, Health & Environment) in the oil, chemical and process industries. 4. - 8.12.2000, ingapore. Douglas, J.M., 1988. Conceptual design of Chemical rocesses, McGraw-Hill, New York. Koivisto, R.A. 1996. afety-conscious rocess Design. Espoo: Technical Research Center of Finland, VTT ublications 264.129 pp. Nurminen J. 2000. HE-Consciousness in rocess Design - Case study. Diploma work. The OEM roject, ERIT, EU Information Technologies rogramme. ohjola, V.J., Koivisto, R., Alha, M.K., 1994a. Conceptual association of safety with process design and operation. FOCAO '93 Conference, Mount Crested Butte, Colorado, July 18-23, 1993. In David W.T. Rippin, John C. Hale, James F. Davis (Editors), Foundations of Computer-Aided rocess Operations, Austin TX, Cache, pp.457-463. ohjola V.J. & ongrácz E. (1999) Holistic representation of waste management knowledge. roc. 15th International Conference on olid Waste Technology and Management. hiladelphia, A, U..A., December12-15, 1999 ongracz, E., 2002. Re-defining the concepts of waste and waste management, Evolving the Theory of Waste Management. Doctoral thesis, Oulu University ress, Oulu. IBN 951-42- 6820-2 166 p. Article reference: Nurminen J & ongrácz E (2004) Conceptual model of environmental management system (EM) of reversed information streams. In: ongrácz E. (ed.): roc. Waste Minimization and Resources Use Optimization Conference. June 10, 2004, University of Oulu, Finland. Oulu University ress: Oulu. p.69-81.