dc.description.abstract |
Technology innovation is needed to support sustainable waste management systems
and innovation should be viewed as a central focus of policy design. The difficulty is
that policy is designed at a single point in time where as the environment and the
processes of innovation are dynamic.
The research investigates the extent to which the design of European Union waste
policy and its implementation in the UK stimulates the opportunity for technology
innovation. The research investigates how understanding of the relationships between
EU waste policy, the process of innovation and technology assessment technique
affect the opportunity for technology innovation.
The research reviews the development of integrated waste management system
models highlighting their limitation in evaluating waste technology options within the
wider policy context in an uncertain environment over time. The review identifies
their failure to consider the interaction between the financial, environmental, social
and operational objectives of new technology. The research describes how failure to
simulate system characteristics such as waste process operational
demands/constraints, varying spatial resolutions, flexible system boundaries and the
uncertain environment over time can affect the opportunity for technology innovation.
The research describes the development of a modelling tool addressing these
limitations in SIMILE Process Simulation Modelling Software. The model uses the
Bedfordshire sub-region of the UK as a case study mapping the flow of waste from
generation to disposal. The model calculates a single cost function based on
economic, environmental and social costs through, wherever feasible, attributing
monetary values to all impacts of any technology.
Scenarios are modelled to investigate the extent to which ED waste policy and its
implementation affects the opportunity for technology innovation. The model is used
to investigate the extent to which relationships between the financial, environmental,
social and operational objectives of technology create barriers to new technology.
The research identifies how the design, development and application of waste strategy
assessment models can influence the opportunity for technology innovation. The
research identifies how policy imposes additional cost burdens on the opportunity for
technology innovation in the Bedfordshire region. The research concludes by
suggesting how policy might be designed to stimulate and support technology
innovation. |
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