Pollution prevention techniques

Figure 25-2 provides a more detailed schematic representation of the two preferred pollution prevention techniques (i.e., source reduction ana recychng). 

Although numerous cases have been documented where petroleum refineries have simultaneously reduced pollution outputs and operating costs through pollution prevention techniques, there are often barriers to their im-plementation. The primary barrier to most pollution prevention projects is cost. Many pollution prevention options simply do not pay for themselves, or the economics often appear marginal. Corporate investments typically must earn an adequate return on invested capital for the shareholders and some pollution prevention options at some facilities may not meet the requirements set by company policies. 

It should be emphasized, however, that pollution prevention techniques are, nevertheless, often more cost-effective than pollution reduction through end-of-pipe treatment technologies. A case study based on the Amoco/EPA joint study claimed that the same pollution reduction currently realized through end-of-pipe regulatory requirements at the Amoco facility could be achieved at 15% of the current costs using pollution prevention techniques. 

Note that some treatment operations choose a pollution prevention technique to dispose of the float. This involves feeding the float to animals. When this is done for the situation where the feed animals are used for human consumption, organic compounds such as chitosan, carrageenan, lignosulfonic acid,or their derivatives can be used. Use only compounds that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Veterinary Medicine. 

Countries need to build the technical and scientific institutional capacity to develop, absorb, and diffuse pollution prevention techniques and cleaner production processes essential for a successful program. This could be done by the following9 ... 

Providing technical support for the design, establishment, operation, evaluation, and monitoring of pollution prevention techniques and cleaner production processes and technologies... 

Pollution prevention in the U.S., whether through source material reduction/reuse, or waste recycling, is practiced in various sectors of the nonferrous metals industry. Pollution prevention techniques and processes currently used by the nonferrous metals industry can be grouped into the following general categories1 2 3 4 ... 

Identify and promote the implementation of effective non-technological approaches to pollution prevention. This research area includes socioeconomic and institutional factors that motivate behavior and foster changes in behavior as they relate to incentives for adopting pollution prevention techniques. Research is needed to understand the roles of non-technological factors in implementing pollution prevention approaches and their impact on the effectiveness of pollution prevention programs. 

In order to provide a liaison channel between researchers in the field of pollution prevention and potential implementors of new and improved pollution prevention techniques, the EPA has joined with the University of Cincinnati in establishing the Waste Reduction Institute for Scientists and Engineers (WRISE). This new channel is important because of the unique nature of EPA s pollution prevention program and because EPA s ultimate clientele for this research are, to a large part, individuals in industry with whom EPA, traditionally, has not directly dealt, i.e., those people concerned with the processes that generate pollutants as opposed to those people who are concerned with the treatment and disposal of wastes. 

A hazard is anything that will produce an adverse effect on human health and the environment. In environmental risk assessment, the hazard component generally refers to toxicity. Exposure is the quantitative or qualitative assessment of contact to the skin or orifices of the body by a chemical. Traditional pollution prevention techniques focus on reducing waste as much as possible however, risk assessment methods used in pollution prevention can help quantify the degree of environmental impact for individual chemicals. This approach provides a powerful tool that enables engineers to better design processes and products by focusing on the most beneficial methods to minimize all aspects of risk. 

Pollution prevention techniques must be evaluated through a thorough consideration of all media, hence the term multimedia. This approach is a clear departure from previous pollution treatment or control techniques where it was acceptable to transfer a pollutant from one source to another in order to solve a waste problem. Such strategies merely provide short-term solutions to an ever increasing problem. As an example, air pollution control equipment prevents or reduces the discharge of waste into the air but at the same time can produce a solid (hazardous) waste problem. 

The policies and practices of commercial manufacturers and suppliers of laboratory chemicals directly affect the management of chemicals in the laboratory, especially the ability to practice effective pollution-prevention techniques such as source reduction and recycling-reuse-recovery. The costs and risks associ... 

The distinctions made above are the result of an approach to waste management that incorporates a hierarchy of pollution prevention techniques. At the top of the hierarchy is source reduction, which is always the preferred technique. Source reduction can be achieved by using a smaller quantity of material or a less hazardous material or by making a process more efficient. However, while source reduction is highly desirable, it is not always technically or economically feasible. 

Pollution prevention techniques (product substitution, recycling, and reuse of... 

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