UNESCO sponsored conference
4th DUBROVNIK CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF ENERGY WATER AND ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS
June 4-8 2007, Dubrovnik, Croatia
>> SPECIAL SESSIONS
Special Session: Energy and Water Polygeneration |
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Invited Papers Session resume: During the last decades the world’s economy has continuously augmented, reaching an average value of 5.1% in 2004, the highest rate recorded during the last three decades. Present world’s population is about 6.5 billion people, experiencing a two fold increase during the last three decades. As a consequence, natural resources demand is continuously growing –it is estimated that during the first two decades of 21st Century, humankind will consume as much natural resources as during the whole 20th Century. The increased usage of natural resources, particularly water and energy, which are limited and essential for the life and for the socio-economic development of societies, are provoking environmental loads endangering the sustainability of life support systems as we know at present. Process integration and polygeneration are promising tools not enough exploited yet, allowing to reach the double objective of increasing the efficiency of natural resources minimizing at the same time their consumption as well as the environmental impact. In this session the concepts of polygeneration and energy integration are discussed and analyzed –e.g. simultaneous sugar, alcohol and energy production; conventional and innovative CHP systems based on ORC and Fuel Cell systems; combined production of water and energy-, showing their feasibility and the dramatic saving of natural resources that can be achieved without reducing the quantity and quality of products and services obtained. 
Prof. Luis SerraUniversity of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SpainLuis M. Serra is Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. He has taught courses in Thermodynamics, Thermal Engineering, Thermoeconomics, Eco-efficiency, Life Cycle Assessment, Sustainable Development for Engineers and related areas. He is also the coordinator of the Postgraduate Program on Environmental Quality and Sustainable Development. In January 2006 he was appointed Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Zaragoza. Serra has participated and led several research and development projects on energy systems and energy saving in general and particularly on thermoeconomic analysis, process integration (polygeneration) and environmental assessment, e.g. thermoeconomic diagnosis of the integrated gasification combined cycle power plant in Puertollano (Spain), thermoeconomic analysis of combined production of water and energy in the dual purpose power and desalination plant of Al Taweelah (Unit Arab Emirates), the Life Cycle Assessment of combined water and energy production technologies or energy process integration in sugar cane factories (Cruz Alta, Brazil), pulp paper (Torraspapel, Spain) and so on. Serra has been the co-recipient of the best paper award on Advanced Energy Systems from ASME (Edward F. Obert Award 2003). He has served as consultant for the Administration and for companies, e.g. Elcogas, Endesa, CLAS, among others, and has participated as researcher and project manager in CIRCE Foundation. At present he is leading the Research Group on Thermal Engineering and Energy Systems at the Aragón Institute for Engineering Research. He is member of the EDS, Fellow of LEAD Europe and member of the Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served as member of the international scientific committee of several international conferences (e.g. International Conference on Sustainable Development of Water, Energy and Environment Systems; Conferencia Internacional El Plan Hidrológico Nacional y la Gestión Sostenible del Agua; The Sustainable City 2006; The Third International Energy, Exergy and Environment Symposium). He is author and co-author of more than 90 papers and books, has been invited as keynote speaker at international courses and conferences, and is member of the editorial board of Energy The International Journal and International Journal of Ecodynamics, as well as reviewer for several international journals, e.g. ASME Journal of Energy Resources Technology, Solar Energy, Desalination, International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research and Journal of Cleaner Production. |
Special Session: Bioethanol in Transport |
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Invited Papers Session resume: Ethanol produced from agricultural crops is becoming an important alternative for gasoline substitution. Several countries have already legislated to introduce bioethanol in their respective energy matrix. The two most important experiences are Brazil and the USA, although the market will include European and Asian countries. This session’s objective is to discuss the potential for bioethanol production throughout the world and the perspectives for market development for light vehicles. At the Dubrovnik Conference in 2002 Prof Luis Cortez has presented the paper “Worldwide Use of Ethanol: A Contribution for Economic and Environmental Sustainability”. In that article was foreseen the creation of an ethanol market for transport and discussed the possibilities for Brazil to become its major supplier. This session will have the participation of participants from Europe and Latin America presenting their own experiences and views for the future. 
Prof. Luis CortezUniversity of Campinas, Campinas, SP, BrazilLuís A B Cortez is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering – FEAGRI at The State University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Brazil. He obtained a B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from UNICAMP in 1980, a M.Sc. at Université Laval in Québec, Canadá in 1984 and a PhD at Texas Tech University at Lubbock, Texas, US in 1989. Since he entered at UNICAMP in 1988 he develops research in the field of energy applied to agriculture, specifically in the use of biomass for energy conversion and refrigeration of horticultural products. Among the most important contributions are the works on sugarcane by-products such as vinasse, bagasse and trash and the evaluation of the ethanol programme in Brazil. He is the vice-coordinator of a project to substitute 10% of gasoline consumed in the world by 2025 by ethanol. He has also coodinated the Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Planning of UNICAMP from November 1997 to January 2002, and is presently the Coordinator of International Relations of UNICAMP. |
Special Session: Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Transportation |
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Invited Papers Session resume: Hydrogen is a fuel that is by many considered a future solution of the current energy problems. Hydrogen itself is not toxic and its combustion does not create any pollution or greenhouse gases. Hydrogen does not have to be combusted – electrochemical conversion in fuel cells is a very efficient way of using hydrogen to provide useful energy. Hydrogen is a synthetic fuel which can be produced from all and any energy sources including fossil fuels, nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. Hydrogen may be used as fuel in almost any application where fossil fuels are used today – particularly in transportation, where it would offer immediate benefits in terms of reduced pollution and cleaner environment. Almost every car manufacturer has already developed and demonstrated at least one prototype fuel cell vehicle, and some have already went through several iterations / generations of fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cells in transportation offer clean alternative to gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines. For some countries, such as U.S., the ability to generate it’s own fuel is a more important driver for fuel cell vehicles development than low emissions. The main challenges for fuel cell vehicles are the size of hydrogen storage needed for an acceptable range, the cost of the fuel cells, and the cost and logistics of establishing hydrogen infrastructure. Contributions to this session will cover different aspects of fuel cells for transportation, from in-field experience of setting up an infrastructure to run hydrogen vehicles to the visions of future infrastructure, from the details of fuel cell and fuel cell engines development and testing to the critical barriers to the transition towards a hydrogen-centric sustainable energy system. 
Prof. Frano BarbirUniversity of Split, Split, CroatiaFrano Barbir is professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at University of Split, Croatia. He has been actively involved in fuel cell technology, R&D, engineering and applications, since 1989 working in the U.S. in both industry (Energy Partners, Proton Energy Systems) and academia (University of Miami, University of Connecticut). He has led many R&D projects on fuel cell development sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Army, Ford Motor Co., 3M Company, etc. For the last two years, he has been serving as the Associate Director of UNIDO International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies in Istanbul, Turkey. He has authored and/or co-authored more than 150 papers on hydrogen and fuel cells published in scientific and technical journals, books, encyclopedias, and conference proceedings, including 7 U.S. patents on various aspects fuel cell stack and system design and operation. He is the author of the book PEM Fuel Cells: Theory and Practice, published by Elsevier/Academic Press in 2005. He is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, responsible for the fuel cell issues. He serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Hydrogen Energy, and he is the President of the newly formed Croatian Association for Hydrogen Energy. |
Special Session: Sustainable Energy and Transportation Systems |
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Invited Papers Session resume: Around the world e.g. in US, the European Union and China, policies has been formulated with the objective of decreasing CO2 emissions. And in many nations policies to raise the share of renewable energy are being initiated as part of the global response to climate change. A key element in achieving such goals is to use renewable energy in the transportation sector. Several different technologies have been put forward, but in practice no single technology can solve the problem on its own. Lots of different single contributions have to be put together and have to be coordinated with parallel activities with the rest of the energy sector. This session temps to focus on the methodologies and practice in analysing such coherent sustainable energy and transportation systems. 
Prof. Henrik LundAalborg University, Aalborg, DenmarkHenrik Lund is professor in Energy Planning at the Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University and was head of department from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Lund holds a PhD in “implementation of sustainable energy systems” (1990). His area of expertise has for more than 20 years been energy system analysis, energy planning and energy economics. The International Energy Foundation (IEF) gave him a gold medal for ”Best Research Paper Award” within the area “Energy Policies &Economics” in 1998. He has been involved in a number of research projects and committee works in Danish energy planning, and in the implementation of various local energy projects in Denmark as well as in many other countries. In 2001 he was member of an expert group analysing “management of fluctuations in electricity production from renewable energy and CHP” conducted by the Danish Energy Agency for the Danish Parliament. |
Special Session: Sustainable Socio-technical Transport Systems |
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Invited Papers Session resume: It seems fair to state that engineers typically do not systematically seek advice from social scientists – or only in an end-of-pipe fashion to advertise 'objectively' superior products to public, corporate or private consumers. The 4th Dubrovnik Conference on Sustainable Development in general, and this session in particular provides a venue where the advantages and shortcomings of this approach can be explored. Contributions to this session offer insights from recent research about the systemic interweavement of the social, institutional and technical aspects of the challenge to achieve more sustainable transport futures. 
Dr. Ralf BrandThe University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDr. Ralf Brand is championing a co-evolutionary approach to sustainable development, through which social and technical innovations can be aligned. Most of his publications revolve around this idea to synchronise social and technical change and help to understand the socio-technical complexities of attempts to create more sustainable futures – for example his seminal study on the mobility policy in the Belgian city of Hasselt. He holds a Ph.D. In Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin and is currently Lecturer in the Manchester Architecture Research Centre. |
Special Session: Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources |
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Invited Papers Session resume: This session is focused on the application of thermodynamic thinking to those new areas of study that are concerned with the human use of resources, and the development of a sustainable society. The contributions involving destruction of material/energy resources and ecological impact of manufacturing and other systems and processes would be of interest. Comparing alternatives from the viewpoint of their sustainability requires a systems view that goes beyond the relatively narrow focus of traditional engineering analysis, and considers the entire life cycle, including relevant economic, ecological and societal systems. Since ecosystems are the underlying basis of all economic and societal activities, many methods focus mainly on the impact of human activities on ecological systems. These methods include life cycle assessment, eco-efficiency analysis, and total cost assessment. However, regardless of the methods used, thermodynamic thinking is an underlining discipline in many of these inquiries. The session welcomes papers devoted to this synergy. 
Prof. Dusan P. SekulicUniversity of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USADusan P. Sekulic is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky, Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is the Director of Graduate Studies for the MSE Graduate Program and the Director of the Laboratory for Brazing and Heat Exchanger Design. Dr. Sekulic is a Consulting Professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. He is a Fellow of ASME. His current area of research is thermodynamics and transport phenomena for materials processing in sustainable manufacturing and design theory of heat exchangers. His projects are focused on manufacturing process modeling and development of new technologies involving light metal joining including brazing and lead-free soldering. He has over 150 technical publications including a dozen extended book chapters, and a book on Heat Exchanger Design written jointly with R. Shah of the Rochester Institute of Technology and published by Wiley. Currently, he is working a new book: Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources, with Bhavik Bakshi of Ohio State University and Thimoty Gutowski from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be published by the Cambridge University Press. 
Prof. Timothy G. GutowskiMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USATimothy G. Gutowski is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 2001 until 2005 he was the Associate Department Head for Mechanical Engineering, and from 1994 until 2004 he was the Director of MIT’s Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity. His current area of research is Environmentally Benign Manufacturing, with projects directed toward a better understanding of how products, and manufacturing processes and systems, interact with the environment and contribute to, or take away from, our sustainability. Previously he had worked in the area of advanced composite materials for aero-structures. Those projects focused on manufacturing process development and modeling. He has over 100 technical publications, a book on Advance Composites Manufacturing and 7 patents. Currently he is working a new book: Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources, with Bhavik Bakshi of Ohio State and Dusan Sekulic from U. Kentucky. |
Special Session: Scenarios of Sustainable Development |
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Invited Papers Session resume: Twenty years after the Brundtland commission established the modern definition of sustainable development there are still many open questions. While in theory the concept of sustainability seems clear and well defined, many contemporary challenges are threatening its implementation, such as the global climate change, the need for a transition to renewable energy systems, and the need to implement sustainability principles in all sectors of human activity. Transformation of environmental challenges into economic opportunities could be a possible solution to many of these challenges. Such a solution is however not simple and requires high quality knowledge and skills of many different stakeholders. Some important contemporary challenges to sustainable development and some examples for possible solutions will be presented within the special session on Scenarios of Sustainable Development. 
Prof. Aleksander ZidanšekJožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, SloveniaAleksander Zidanšek is Associate Professor of Physics and a researcher at »Jožef Stefan« Institute, Director of International Center for Sustainable Development and Secretary General of the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School. Dr. Zidanšek holds Ph.D. in Physics and Master Degrees in Physics and Business Administration, with specialization in sustainable development management. Prof. Zidanšek is active in both solid state experimental physics and in research of renewable energy sources, in particular for applications in multifunctional devices, which combine energy production with other functions such as antiwind or antinoise barrier. He has been involved in a number of national and international research and education projects in solid state physics and in sustainable development, most recently in networks Tenvors and Train to LA21. He received a Fulbright Grant for research at Montana State University with Prof. V. H. Schmidt in 1995/1996. He became associate member of tt30 in 2001 and associate member of the Club of Rome in 2005 (www.clubofrome.org). |
