Approaches to environmental protection

Waste reduction should be geared towards increasing production efficiency in existing industrial plants that is, one must know what is going on inside the factory walls. In-depth knowledge about the production is essential for the implementation of a preventive approach to environmental protection that... 

Goulder, L.H., Parry, I.W.H., Burtraw, D., 1997. Revenue-raising vs other approaches to environmental protection the critical significance of pre-existing tax distortions. RAND Journal of Economics 28, 708-731. 

As is evident from the examples we have cited, most environmental problems are highly complex and often ill-defined. At a minimum, they usually require a synthesis of virtually all elements of the chemical engineer s arsenal—thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and transport phenomena at the most, an interdisciplinary team is required. An insufficient understanding of molecular-scale processes is frequently the key obstacle in developing innovative approaches to environmental protection. 

Supplier involvement a no score has been given since there is no appar ent strategy in place to encourage suppliers or insist they have a responsible approach to environmental protection. 

Given the very necessary government role in protecting the environment, the real question becomes how best to do this. Market-based approaches to environmental protection are premised on the idea that it is possible to confront private firms, individuals, and even other levels of government with the same kinds of incentives they face in markets for labor, capital, and raw materials—that is, prices that force them to economize. The rationale for market-based approaches, in other words, is to try to put the powerful advantages of markets to work in service to the environment. 

Figure 5. Approaches to environmental protection in chemical production...

Indeed, recognition of the production of these atmospheric pollutants in considerable quantities every year has led to the institution of national emission standards for many pollutants. Using sulfur dioxide as the example, the various standards are not only very specific (Table 22.5) (Kyte, 1991) but will become more stringent with the passage of time (lEA Coal Research, 1991). Atmospheric pollution is being taken very seriously and there is also the threat, or promise, of heavy fines and/or jail terms for any pollution-minded miscreants who seek to flaunt the laws (Vallero, 2008). Be that as it may, a trend to the increased use of coal will require more stringent approaches to environmental protection issues than we have ever known at any time in the past. 

There are fundamentally two approaches to environmental protection waste treatment and waste prevention. Treatment systems are well known and are beyond the scope of this discnssion. Some comments on prevention will be presented. These pollntion prevention ideas are similar to the more extensive treatment given in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Manual for Best Management Practices for Pollution Prevention in Textile Processing [1]. 

Chemists working toward this goal have made dramatic advances in technologies that not only address issues of environmental and health impacts but do so in a manner that satisfies the efficacy, efficiency and economic criteria that are crucial to having these technologies incorporated into widespread use. It is exactly because many of these new approaches are economically beneficial that they become market catalyzed. While most approaches to environmental protection historically have been economically costly, the Green Chemistry approach is a way of alleviating industry and society of those costs. 

The current status of environmental protection in the United States is constructed from a generation of statutes and regulations. The vast majority of these regulations were written at a time where command and control approaches to environmental protection was the order of the day. Many of these laws require... 

Walter, Jason, Arthur, and Patrick expressed ambivalence over their concern for the environment and espoused a middle-of-the-road approach to environmentalism. Walter described the contradiction these four all felt between protecting the environment and maintaining the look of their yards ... 

Meanwhile the federal government had not been idle, and its activities betray a similar shift to a more centralized approach to environmental matters. The Federal Clean Air Act of 1963, its amendments in 1965, and the Air Quality Acts of 1967 and 1970 put the federal government prominently into the picture. The 1970 legislation requires the implementing of ambient air standards set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. A strict and tight enforcement schedule is intended to solve the nation s pollution problems from stationary sources in three to five years. 

Environmental impact assessment has already shown its value for implementing and strengthening sustainable development, as it combines the precautionary principle of preventing environmental damage and also arranges for public participation. EIA has also become the major tool for an integrated approach to the protection of the environment since it requires a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of an activity on the environment, contrary to the traditional sectoral approach. Moreover, EIA requires the formulation of alternatives to the proposed activity and brings facts and information on environmental impacts to the attention of the decision-makers and the public. 

CropLife International member conqianies and associations, one of vdiich is Sumitomo Chemical, are committed to IPM as defined in the FAO Code of Conduct, as an economically viable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable approach to crop protection (7). 

Pyrite cinder is produced as a by-produet of sulfurie acid industry Domestic production is more than 12 million tons every year and occupied area is over 10 million square meters The pyrite cinder outdoor not only pollutes air but also damages surrounding surface It after treatment used for iron-making is an ideal reclamation approach for its rich iron which is commonly 40-60% But pyrite cinder gets low utilization for its low iron grade and high sulfur content in China Therefore, comprehensive utilization of pyrite cinder has profound significance to environmental protection and the development of domestic iron and steel industry. 

The nature and rate of atmospheric corrosive attack are dependent on the composition and properties of the thin-film surface electrolyte. Time of wetness and the type and concentration of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere largely affect these in turn. The classification of atmospheric corrosivity is important for specifying suitable materials and corrosion protection measures at the design stage and for asset maintenance management to ensure adequate service life. Two fundamental approaches to classifying atmospheric corrosivity have been followed, as shown in Fig. 2.7. These two approaches to environmental classification can be used in a complementary manner to derive relationships between atmospheric corrosion rates and the dominant atmospheric variables. Ultimately, the value of atmospheric corrosivity classifications is enhanced if they are linked to estimates of actual corrosion rates of different metals or alloys. 

A good example of a prescriptive approach to quality assessment is the protocol outlined in Figure 15.2, published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for laboratories involved in monitoring studies of water and wastewater. Independent samples A and B are collected simultaneously at the sample site. Sample A is split into two equal-volume samples, and labeled Ai and A2. Sample B is also split into two equal-volume samples, one of which, Bsf, is spiked with a known amount of analyte. A field blank. Dp, also is spiked with the same amount of analyte. All five samples (Ai, A2, B, Bsf, and Dp) are preserved if necessary and transported to the laboratory for analysis. 

Example of a prescriptive approach to quality assurance. Adapted from Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Handbook for Analytical Quality Control in Water and Wastewater Laboratories," March 1979. 

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