How Can Operations Research Help to Achieve

Sustainability ?

Operations Research I ToolsLinear Programming

Integer Programming

Goal Programming

Network Analysis

Dynamic Programming

Nonlinear Programming

Operations Research I Approach to SustainabilityBy the end of this unit, for a given topic,

students will be able to address the following questions:

1.What are the issues that impact sustainability? What is currently known about these issues?

2.What are relevant objectives for sustainability? Do we want to minimize, maximize, or meet a target?

3.What are possible actions to achieve sustainability? What are practical issues and constraints for implementing these?

4.How can operations research tools be used to guide more sustainable decisions?

Example:Groundwater Sustainability

50% of the U.S. depends on groundwater for daily drinking water.

Sustainability Issues:

Maintaining groundwater levels

Keeping groundwaterfree of contaminants[3]

Groundwater SustainabilityWhat is currently known about groundwater

levels?Climate change is primarily quantified by a rise in

the Earth’s near-surface air temperature.The rise in temperature will cause glaciers, ice

sheets, and snowcaps to melt, causing added runoff into oceans.

The runoff into oceans will increase sea level.The primary sources of fresh water (glaciers, etc.)

will be reduced.Fresh ground water supplies at coasts could be

contaminated by salt water from oceans.

Groundwater SustainabilityWhat are sources of groundwater contamination?Surface water contamination and runoff.Combined sewer/stormwater systems that overflow

during significant storm events.Malfunctioning or leaking septic systems, lagoon

systems, centralized wastewater treatment systems.How does nature prevent contamination?Native shrubs, perennials, flowers absorb water and

filter out contaminants.Trees, shrubs, and grasses can form buffers to protect

clean water sources.

Groundwater SustainabilityWhat are relevant objectives for

sustainability?Minimize contaminants in groundwater.Maintain the supply of fresh water.Minimize runoff.Minimize overflow from combined

sewer/stormwater systems.Maximize use of natural habitats and native

plants.Minimize life cycle economic cost.

Groundwater SustainabilityWhat are possible actions to achieve

sustainability?Practical issues? Constraints?To reduce contamination from malfunctioning

systems, implement a maintenance program.Issues: Need regulation or economic incentives to

implement such a program. To reduce runoff, use porous pavements that mimic

nature (e.g., Cowboys stadium) or rain gardens that use native plants.

Issues: Need to study the choices relative to the situation and consider cost.

Groundwater SustainabilityWhat are possible actions to achieve

sustainability?Practical issues? Constraints?To maintain the supply of fresh water under the

effects of climate change, consider desalination.Issues: Desalination is currently not cost-effective. To reduce the impact of sewer/stormwater overflow,

keep fresh water supplies upstream or use trees and shrubs as buffers or re-design these systems.

Issues: The appropriate choice depends on the location and incidence of overflows.

Groundwater SustainabilityHow can operations research tools be used to

guide more sustainable decisions?Use dynamic programming to optimize a system’s

maintenance plan over time.Use integer programming to select among various

choices for a given situation.Use network analysis to study the network of

groundwater sources and their potential for contamination.

Use goal programming to design a cost-effective desalination process.

Topic 1: Transportation Systems

Emissions from vehicles have been cited as major contributors to greenhouse gases and land use.

Sustainability Issues:Air pollutionLand useTelecommuting[4]

Transportation SystemsWhat is currently known?Public transportation consumes less energy and

uses land more efficiently than private transportation.

Public transportation is accessible to all members of society.

Public transportation encourages cities to grow more compactly.

Telecommuting replaces the daily work commute with telecommunication links.

Adding HOV lanes reduces vehicle traffic.

Transportation SystemsHow do transportation systems impact

pollution?Vehicle emissions are one of the leading

contributors to air pollution.Adding HOV lanes reduces vehicle traffic.Under-utilized public transportation systems fail to

reduce vehicle traffic.Idling, acceleration, and deceleration of vehicles

contributes higher emissions per mile traveled.Cars are most fuel efficient at 40-60 mph.Disposal of old vehicles is not sustainable.

Topic 2: Cleaner Energy

Alternative energy sources are critically important for curbing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more independent energy economy.

Sustainability Issues:Renewable energyElectric vehiclesBiodiesel[5]

Cleaner EnergyWhat is currently known?Our present fuel resources are mostly made up of

fossil fuels, which are not considered renewable. (The world’s consumption of fossil fuels is 100,000 times faster than their natural production.)

The combustion of fossil fuels releases air pollutants.Renewable energy sources are naturally renewable,

such as solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal.In 2010, only a small portion of electricity

generation, about 18%, was from renewables.Renewables have high variation and higher cost.

Cleaner EnergyWhat are alternatives for vehicles?Biodiesel is a mixture of diesel and biomass from

plant oils, animal fats and even recycled grease, and can reduce vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases by 75%, but the cost-effectiveness of biodiesel processes is still unclear.

Diesel vehicles can directly use biodiesel blends without any engine modifications.

Battery electric cars have zero tail pipe emissions, but their battery storage still needs improvement.

Hybrid gas-electric cars can improve fuel-efficiency, but require special engines.

Topic 3: LoggingThe U.S., with less than 5%of the world's

population, consumes 17% of the world's output of timber and is the third largest importer of tropical timber.

Sustainability Issues:DeforestationForest biodiversityPulp/paper production[6]

LoggingWhat is currently known?The forest products industry is a large part of the

economies in developed and developing countries.Wood is considered a renewable resource.The primary material for making paper is wood

pulp. Alternatives include recycled pulp and field crop fiber.

Wood is also used for construction and is hard to replace.

LoggingWhat is known about deforestation?Deforestation is one the major contributors to

global warming.Deforestation disturbs the water cycle (i.e.,

rainfall) and increases soil erosion.Reforestation replenishes forests, but can diminish

biodiversity.Tropical deforestation is still a problem. The

restriction of trade in certain species is enabled by listing with CITES(the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna), but this is still controversial.

Topic 4: FisheriesThe global fishing fleet is estimated to be

250% larger than what the ocean can sustainably produce.

Sustainability Issues:OverfishingOcean conservationFood supply[7]

FisheriesWhat is currently known?Fish currently supply the greatest percentage of the

world's protein consumed by humans.Seafood guides help consumers make informed

choices.Fish farming, an alternative to sea fishing needs

more development.Management of ocean ecosystems as a whole is

needed, including prohibiting fishing in certain zones.

Management requires communication between national governments and markets.

FisheriesWhat is known about overfishing?Depleted fish stocks can be restored only if the

species' ecosystem remains intact.Overfishing disturbs the life cycle (food web) of

aquatic flora and fauna.Overfishing and by-catches made during fishing

may result in depletion of certain species, leading to possible extinction and a reduced food supply for predators.

Advanced technologies have contributed to overfishing.

Topic 5: Waste ManagementIn 2006, U.S. residents, businesses, and

institutions produced approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day.

Sustainability Issues:LandfillsRecyclingBioreactors[8]

What is currently known?Reuse, recycle, reduce, recover.Landfill mining and reclamation (LFMR) is a process

whereby solid wastes that have previously been landfilled are excavated and processed.

Landfills are monitored to minimize groundwater contamination.

Methane from landfills is a natural energy source.The decomposition of plastics takes about 1000

years.Landfills occupy land that could be used for other

purposes.

Waste Management

What are bioreactors?Bioreactors use moisture to enhance the waste

degradation process, but more research is needed to design safe bioreactor landfills.

Different biological process are performed to decompose different types of waste.

Different types of waste (e.g., recyclables, food, textiles, drugs, e-waste) can be treated more efficiently if separated, but this is a difficult to achieve in practice.

Waste Management

Topic 6: Green BuildingBuildings account for a large amount of land

use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration.

Sustainability Issues:Environmental ImpactLife Cycle CostSustainable Design[9]

Green BuildingWhat is currently known?Green building typically costs more to implement,

but costs less to maintain, and is more economical over the entire life cycle (cradle-to-grave).

There are already many green building guides (e.g., LEED in U.S., BREEAM in U.K., Green Star in Australia).

Green building uses non-toxic recycled materials and rapidly renewable plants (like bamboo), and seeks to reduce waste during construction.

Green BuildingWhat are the impacts of green building?Reduced energy usage via solar energy,

insulation, high-efficiency windows, natural lighting/shading.

Reduced water usage via on-site water treatment or a greywater system for irrigation.

Better indoor air quality improves human health.Reduced waste generation.