Sustainable environmental impact

Sustainability, environmental impact assessment and, 10 245 Sustainable chemistry, 24 162 Sustainable development, 24 197 chemistry and, 24 162-205 economic-ecological efficiency and, 24 188-189... 

Once yield was the primary factor that determined the success of a reaction, but increasingly, concerns about sustainability, environmental impact and related legislation, as well as toxicity, are incorporated into the design of an experiment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined twelve principles of Green Chemistry, which call for safer reactants and procedures, less chemical and energy waste, avoiding the use of environmentally persistent materials and unnecessary reactions, and the use of renewable feedstocks [75]. 

Evaluate Effectiveness on the Basis of Outputs and Acceptance Once the system has been implemented on its chosen site, its effectiveness needs to be evaluated at frequent intervals so that corrective action can be taken in the event of problems. The first criterion for success is that the system must generate unique insights into the causes of errors and accidents, which would not otherwise have been apparent. Second, the system must demonstrate a capability to specify remedial strategies that, in the long term, lead to enhanced safety, environmental impact and plant losses. Finally, the system must be owned by the workforce to the extent that its value is accepted and it demonstrates its capability to be self-sustaining. 

In both the materials used and the construction process, sustainability and efficiency will become standard. Improvements mjob site management and building design will reduce waste and cost of construction. Materials such as engineered wood, recycled carpeting, and cellulose insulation, which have lower environmental impact, will become cheaper and more widely available. Not only are buildings constructed with such material friendlier to the environment, they also provide higher-quality, lower-cost solutions. 

For an industry sector of your choice (not chemistry related) describe the environmental impact it has had in the last 25 years and discuss some of the initiatives being taken to make it more sustainable. What lessons can chemistry-based industries learn from this ... 

The ECO method was developed to aid environmental impact and cost optimisation of chemical synthesis pathways or processes suitable for the research and development (R D) stage. In order to represent terms of ecological as well as economic sustainability, three objective functions which incorporate (i) energy demand (EF), (ii) risks concerning human health and the environment (EHF) and (iii) costs (CE), were defined. Their calculation follows the life cycle approach and is based on the data available already in R D. Because the application of a comprehensive LCA is both, too complex and based on data which are partially not available at the R D stage, the determination of the three objective functions is based on the SLCA approach extended by economic issues. The key objectives are introduced below. 

Thermodynamic principles can be used to assess, design and improve energy and other systems, and to better understand environmental impact and sustainability issues. For the broadest understanding, all thermodynamic principles must be used, not just those pertaining to energy. Thus, many researchers feel that an understanding and appreciation of exergy is essential to discussions of sustainable development. 

The relation between exergy, sustainability and environmental impact is illustrated in Figure 6. There, sustainability can be seen to increase and environmental impact to decrease as the exergy efficiency of a process increases. Two limiting efficiency cases, as shown in Figure 5, are of practical significance ... 

Figure 6. Qualitative illustration of the linkages between the environmental impact and sustainability of a system or process, and its exergy efficiency...

As exergy efficiency approaches 100%, the environmental impact associated with process operation approaches zero, since exergy is only converted from one form to another without loss. Also sustainability approaches infinity because the process approaches reversibility. 

Tilman D. Global environmental impacts of agricultural expansion The need for sustainable and efficient practices. P Natl Acad Sci USA. 1999 96 5995-6000. DOI 10.1073/pnas.96.11.5995... 

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