On exergy and environmental impact

Environmental problems span a continuously growing range of pollutants, hazards and eco-system degradation factors that affect areas ranging from local through regional to global. Some of these problems may arise from observable, chronic effects on, for instance, human health, while others may stem from the perceived risk of a possible accidental release of hazardous materials. A significant number of these environmental issues are caused by or relate to the production, transformation and end use of energy. In this regard, energy and environment studies which lead to increased energy efficiency can reduce environmental impact by reducing energy losses. Within the scope of exergy methods, such activities lead to increased exergy efficiency, which is of great importance for practical applications. In this study, the main relationships between energy and environmental impact are identified. Historical and modern examples are used to illustrate some of the concepts. The relationships introduced are: order-destruction/chaos-creation, resource degradation and waste exergy emissions. Some examples are given demonstrating the use of exergy analysis in addressing and solving environmental problems. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.