Materials selection environmental assessment

In recent years, concern for the environmental impact of discharges from industrial and energy processes to air, water, and land receptors has expanded far beyond the traditional lists of a few selected pollutants. This has given rise to the concept of a comprehensive characterization of all materials released to the environment, and the phrase environmental assessment has been added to the vocabulary of many organizations. The four major components of an environmental assessment, as used by our group, are as follows [1]... 

The analytical procedures applied at Level 2 may be extensions of the Level 1 procedures. In most cases, however, Information developed at Level 1 will provide background for selection and utilization of more sophisticated sampling and analysis techniques. Because Level 2 analyses must positively identify the materials in sources which have already been found to cause adverse environmental effects, these analyses are the most critical of all three levels. It is equally important, however, that the analyses be conducted in an information-effective manner. This is because increasing specificity and accuracy result in cost escalations which are, at best, exponential rather than proportional. Due to the multiplicity of analytical techniques required and the potential for unnecessarily high expenditures, the analyses must be conducted with a full awareness of the information requirements of the environmental assessment program. 

The extraction of raw materials, manufacturing processes, use/reuse, and disposal represent the basic stages of a solvent s life cycle. Each stage of a solvent s life cycle generates a variety of environmental burdens. Environmental-impact evaluation qualitatively assesses the life-cycle stages for chemical solvents. The goal of this evaluation is to select environmentally preferable solvents that can best minimize these life-cycle impacts. 

It is important to note that LCA is a tool to evaluate all environmental effects of a product or process throughout its entire life cycle. This includes identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, assessing their environmental impact, and evaluating opportunities for improvement. LCA can also be used in various ways to evaluate alternatives including in-process analysis, material selection, product evaluation, product comparison, and policy-... 

K. Christiansen, L. Hoffmann, L. E. Hansen, A. Schmidt, A. A. Jensen, K. Pommer, and A. Grove, Environmental Assessment of PVC and Selected Altemative Materials, in UNEP/IEO (United Nations Environmental Programme, Industry and Environmental Office) Cleaner Production Programme Working Group on Policies, Strategies and Instruments to Promote Cleaner Production (Seminar), Trolleholm, Sweden, pp. 112-115, 1991. 

Since life cycle assessment (LCA) can be more than an environmental impact assessment approach, chapter Life Cycle Sustainabiftty Assessment A Holistic Evaluation of Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts discusses life cycle sustainabiftty assessment. This extends the holistic environmental LCA to account for the economic and social pillars of sustainabiftty. Lastly, chapter Embedding Sustainabiftty in Product and Process Development—The Role of Process Systems Engineers describes the practical role of process systems engineers in the implementation of sustainabiftty in product and process development. It shows some key aspects and tools that practitioners should take into account to design and develop more sustainable products and processes during material selection, process design, process and product modeling, and supply chain implications. 

The ability to efficiently synthesize enantiomerically enriched materials is of key importance to the pharmaceutical, flavor and fragrance, animal health, agrochemicals, and functional materials industries [1]. An enantiomeric catalytic approach potentially offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible solution, and the assessment of chiral technologies applied to date shows enantioselective hydrogenation to be one of the most industrially applicable [2]. This is not least due to the ability to systematically modify chiral ligands, within an appropriate catalyst system, to obtain the desired reactivity and selectivity. With respect to this, phosphorus(III)-based ligands have proven to be the most effective. 

Level 1 sampling provides a single set of samples acquired to represent the average composition of each stream. This sample set is separated, either in the field or in the laboratory, into solid, liquid, and gas-phase components. Each fraction is evaluated with survey techniques which define its basic physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. The survey methods selected are compatible with a very broad spectrum of materials and have sufficient sensitivity to ensure a high probability of detecting environmental problems. Analytical techniques and instrumentation have been kept as simple as possible in order to provide an effective level of information at minimum cost. Each individual piece of data developed adds a relevant point to the overall evaluation. Conversely, since the information from a given analysis is limited, all the tests must be performed to provide a valid assessment of the sample. 

The focus of this program was to evaluate the environmental impacts of the current standard material formulations and alternative formulations.95 The partnership used a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach to examine the impacts of heat stabilizers, polymer systems, and flame-retardants used in insulation and jacketing for selected wire and cable products. The project began in March 2004 and the report was issued in May 2008.96... 

---