Pollution Prevention Environmental awareness

Since the late 1980s, several developed countries have made major public sector commitments to build awareness of cleaner production, also referred to as pollution prevention and waste minimization. These commitments, most notably in Denmark, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S., have led the private sector to investigate and implement pollution prevention measures for existing processes and products. As a result, cleaner production is now seen in these countries as a potentially cost-effective complement to pollution abatement in meeting environmental standards. 

The implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the Clean Air Act, and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 has resulted in increased awareness of organic solvent use in chemical processing. The advances made in the search to find green replacements for traditional solvents have been tremendous. With reference to solvent alternatives for cleaning, coatings, and chemical reaction and separation processes, the development of solvent databases and computational methods that aid in the selection and/or design of feasible or optimal environmentally benign solvent alternatives for specific applications have been discussed (Sherman et al., 1998). 

Improved Company Image and Community Relations The USEPA publishes details of companies waste and pollution prevention efforts through the Toxic Release Inventory. With a society aware of the environmental hazards associated with the all types of waste, it becomes increasingly difficult for big polluters to maintain an ongoing relationship with the community. The USEPA also publicly recognizes companies that make voluntary commitments to P2, so as to enhance their image in the community. 

The register represents a key element of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. It is also linked to the 1999 Aarhus Convention on Access to information and public participation in environmental matters , which includes the disclosure of site-specific information of relevant polluting sources. The EPER will be a further step in improving public awareness and meeting the public right to know requirement. 

The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) Responsible Care Program is designed to provide CMA members with guidance regarding safety, health, and environmental quality. The program includes six codes of practice covering Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER), Pollution Prevention, Process Safety, Distribution, Employee Health and Safety, and Product Stewardship. 

Measurement. The need for cost-effective pollution prevention, efficiency improvements, and emissions meastmement has created a need for new types of integrated control and meastirement systems. One of the best methods to improve environmental performance initially is to maximize efficiency through optimization in their manufacturing and energy processes. Many cement kilns now use continuous NOx measurement at the kiln exit to feed back information to the process control to optimize combustion. Capital costs are usually small, especially if PEM/ optimization software systems can be included at the time of a control system u rade. The increased operator awareness of the plant is a benefit, and fuel savings, qualify control, and maintenance planning can quickly pay back initial costs. 

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