Industrial Pollution Prevention

371 Pages·1995·8.094 MB·English

by  Professor Thomas T. Shen (auth.)

Environmental Engineering
Series Editors: U. Forstner, R. J. Murphy, W. H Rulkens
Thomas T. Shen
Industrial Pollution
Prevention
With 26 Figures
Springer-Verlag
Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Series Editors
Prof. Dr. U. Forstner Arbeitsbereich Umweltschutztechnik
Technische Universitat Hamburg-Harburg
EiBendorfer StraBe 40
D-21073 Hamburg, Germany
Prof. Robert J. Murphy Dept. of Civil Engineering and Mechanics
College ofE ngineering
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Avenue, ENG 118
Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA
Prof. Dr. ir. W. H. Rulkens Wageningen Agricultural University
Dept. of Environmental Technology
Bomenweg 2, P.O. Box 8129
NL-6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
Author
Professor Thomas T. Shen
146 FembankAvenue
Delmar, NY 12054
USA
ISBN 978-3-662-03112-4 ISBN 978-3-662-03110-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-03110-0
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Preface
The inexorable growth in the scale of industrial production has resulted in the
inexorable growth in environmental pollution worldwide. Although pollution
control has improved in environmental quality to a certain extent, but in general,
it not only fails tp eliminate pollutants but also often transfers them from one
medium to another. Pollution prevention is the current environmental manage
ment strategy to minimize pollution problems. It seeks to establish a society
oriented approach towards sustainable development by encouraging society to
prevent pollution so as not to waste our natural resources.
This book is conceived as a reference and a training textbook for those who
are interested in and responsible for pollution prevention. It will help readers
understand the principles and practices of industrial pollution prevention with
guidelines for pollution prevention projects and explanations of the benefits of
pollution prevention. This book suggests ways to conduct pollution prevention
feasibility analyses and to establish and implement pollution prevention pro
grams; illustrates how to measure progress of pollution prevention programs;
relates some of the essential governmental and industrial pollution prevention
programs and projects; discusses subjects such as toxic chemicals, industrial and
hazardous wastes, materials and product design for the environment; and covers
policy issues and economic analyses.
Industrial pollution prevention begins in the early stages of process develop
ment and product design. Because the author addresses the most recent develop
ments in theory and methodology for environmentally and economically viable
solutions, this book is an important and handy reference for environmental lawyers,
economists, ecologists, and politicians, as well as a valuable textbook for graduate
engineering and business students. The book consists of 16 chapters with appendi
ces which comprise of forms, worksheets, checklists and reading suggestions.
I would like to especially thank the following individuals who have assisted
me in reviewing the manuscript chapters:
Joseph T. Ling, Ph.D., Retired Vice President of 3M Company
Frances Irwin, Ph.D., Director of Pollution Prevention Office, World Wildlife
Foundation
Edward Chian, Ph.D., Professor of Georgia Institute of Technology
Joyce Shen Shavers, 1.D. , Associate of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Mary Warner, Section Chief, Pollution Prevention Unit, NYS Dept. of Env.
Conservation
VI Preface
I would also like to thank Dr. Ling of 3M Company and Dr. Granville Sewell
(deceased) of Columbia University for their early encouragement and inspiration;
Mr. and Mrs. Nei-juin Zhou for their continual help in preparing the tables and
figures; Mr. John Iannotti for the material on Section 16.1 of the New York State
Pollution Prevention Programs; and my wife, Cynthia and two daughters, Joyce
and Grace, for their support, while this book would have been impossible without
the aid and support of all these individuals.
Foreword
Sustainable economic development is necessary to improve the standard of living
and quality of life in the developing countries. It is also required to maintain or
enhance their attributes for those lands already commercially developed. Past
experience indicates that one of the most important elements in the economic
growth is the development of industry. It should be also recognized that develop
ing industry, if pursued according to the traditional means, entails the additional
inefficient consumption of limited national resource and generation of large
amount of residue that called industrial pollution.
In general, industry has three generations of pollution problems. The first
generation pollution problem is from the manufacturing facilities. The second
generation pollution problem is related to the use of the products after leaving the
site of manufacturing. The final disposal of the used or unused products repre
sents the third-generation pollution problem for industry.
The traditional way of controlling pollution by industry is building costly
waste treatment facilities added-on to the end of manufacturing processes.
Industry also has to commit continuous funding to maintain and operate these
facilities for their entire life span. The waste treatment facilities were supposed to
solve the manufacturing related pollution problem for industry, i.e., the first
generation problem. In fact, these facilities, in according to the Law of Conser
vation, do not make the pollution disappeared. They only transform, accumulate
and generate residues of different forms which create separate control problems
of their own. This becomes a Catch 22 situation. It take resources to remove
pollution; pollution removal generates residue. It take more resources to dispose
of these residues. Disposal of these residues also produces pollution. It can be
visualized that this approach will not be able to provide a final solution to the
industry's first-generation pollution problem and leaves the second and third
generation pollution problem untouched.
It becomes very clear that, solving the industrial pollution problem more effi
ciently and effectively, a new approach is needed. The concept of pollution pre
vention was born. The primary purpose of this book is to provide industry with
the needed information and methods to plan and implement pollution prevention
programs, and with successful examples. The book can also be used as a course
manual or references for education and training purposes.
The very first coordinated company-wide industrial pollution prevention pro
gram was initiated in 1975 in the 3M Company, a multi-national enterprise with
operations in over 50 countries. The basic concept of this program, i.e., Pollution
VIII Foreword
Prevention Pays Program (3P Program, in short), was that eliminating or reducing
the pollution at the source will eliminate or reduce the clean-up costs and it
will also provide some solutions to the second- and third-generation pollution
problems. Since most pollutants are actually valuable raw materials passing
through the manufacturing processes, preventing the generation of pollution will
also conserve raw materials and make the manufacturing processes more effi
ciently and less costly.
The 3P program in 3M Company consisted of two parts. Part I is Process
Environmental Assessment which is to· solve the first-generation pollution
problems. The Product Environmental Assessment (Part II) is to looking for
solutions to the second-and third-generation pollution problems.
In the first year, the 3P program achieved significant environmental gain and
produces a saving of some 20 million dollars. At the invitation of the United
Nations Economic Commission (UNEC) for Europe, the results of 3P program
were presented to the Conference of Non-waste Technology and Production in
Paris in 1976. The presentation was very well received. The UNEC requested
if a book could be prepared about this 3P new approach so that many industries
in other countries could be benefited. Due to the many other commitments,
I declined to the request but committed to prepare a 30-page booklet "Low- or
Non-Pollution Technology Through Pollution Prevention". It was published and
widely distributed by the United Nations Environment program (UNEP) at its
Annual Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. Meanwhile Dr. Michael Rayston of the
Center For Education in International Management in Geneva volunteered to
prepare a book with the title of "Pollution Prevention Pays" and I was honored to
write the Foreword. Since then, many countries and many international organiza
tions and industries established their oWn instruments to promote and implement
the preventive concept in their environmental programs, including the United
Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and Organization of Economic Coope
ration and Development (OECD).
In the United States, the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and
US Department of Commerce also indicated their interest in the pollution pre
vention approach. In 1977, they jointly sponsored four regional conferences in
Chicago, Boston, Dallas and San Francisco to encourage other industry elimina
ting pollution at the sources. However, U.S. Congress did not recognize the merit
of the preventive approach until the hazardous wastes became an issue. Because
the distribution of hazardous wastes was so widely scattered and the control tech
nology was lacking, the Congress called for preventing and minimizing the gene
ration hazardous waste when the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) was amended in 1984. In 1989, the USEPA established an Office of Pol
lution Prevention and issued a national policy statement on pollution prevention.
Finally, the Congress adopted the Pollution Prevention Act in 1990. USEPA also
funded the American Institute For Pollution Prevention (AIPP) to promote the
preventive approach and I was honored to be the first chairman.
It took 20 years before the benefit of pollution prevention is fully recognized.
The Clinton Administration declared that pollution prevention is the "Comer
Foreword IX
Stone" of its environmental program. Chapter 14 of this book has compiled a
number of successful pollution prevention examples. In spite of these positive
results, a large number of industries are not taking the advantage of this preven
tive approach as yet. This is especially true for the small-and medium-sized com
panies, and even more true for many of new and old industrial facilities in most
developing countries. It is my sincere hope that the book will provide additional
encouragement to those who may want to start their own pollution prevention
programs.
The very first worldwide environmental concern was initiated at the World
Conference on Human and the Environment sponsored in the United Nations in
Stockholm in 1972. The most visible result of the Conference was the creation
of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). As UNEP promoting en
vironmental enhancement program around the world, it encountered tremendous
resistance during the 1970's when many countries suffered much economic diffi
culties. It was then realized that when governments are busy fighting the unem
ployment and other economic and social issues, environment becomes an unim
portant matter. In responses to this significant revelation, the United Nations
General Assembly created a World Commission on Environment and Develop
ment in 1984. After 3-year deliberation, this Commission issued its final report
"Our Common Future" which called for "Sustainable Development". This con
cept was further confirmed by the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Conference con
cluded that "Sustainable Development" is the realistic way to meet the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their
own needs. Of course, maintaining a livable environment is a very important ele
ment in the "Sustainable Development".
To follow-up the recommendation of "Sustainable Development", the United
Nations established an UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The Clin
ton Administration also formed a President's Commission on Sustainable Devel
opment. It is clear that "Sustainable Development" is the pew challenge for the
years to come and industry has a major role to playas described in Chapter 12 of
this book.
It is my believe that tl:te most important contribution of industry to the
"Sustainable Development" is the developing and marketing environmentally
compatible products with minimum use of non-renewable resources. Industry can
achieve this by intelligently applying the pollution prevention concept with pro
duct life cycle analysis and assessment approach in the product design, and con
sidering environmental problems not constrains but opportunities, and producing
no or minimum environmental impact as the design objective. In other words,
pollution prevention remains as a very valuable tool to meet this new challenge.
More detailed discussions are presented in Chapter 10 of the book.
It is essential that other sectors of society, in addition to industry, must also
cooperate to accomplish this goal of "Sustainable Development". This includes
government and the general public as discussed in Chapter 15 of this book. The
government must build resource and environmental concerns into its existing and
x Foreword
new policies, regulations, programs, covering not only in the environmental field
but also in the areas related to economic development, land use, city planning,
transportation, agriculture, mining and energy development. The public must
demand and support appropriate governmental actions and private initiatives to
encourage environmentally friendly programs. The public should also open to the
idea of modifying life style and consuming habits to reduce their own impact to
the environment and the associated non-renewable resource.
Experience revealed that it does not always require highly sophisticated tech
nology nor large sum of expenditure for preventing the pollution at its source.
When pollution prevention is properly implemented, industry will not only be
able to meet their environmental requirements efficiently but also work toward
the goal of the new challenge "Sustainable Development".
The advantages of pollution prevention are many as described in this book.
Dr. Shen took tremendous effort of collecting, reviewing, and compiling a large
amount of useful information and data, and carefully explained the essential
knowledge required and the steps to be taken in planning and implementing in
dustrial pollution prevention programs.
This is an excellent guidebook for those industries, governments, universities
and professionals who are contemplating to start or plan a pollution prevention
program. Because of the immense challenge and tremendous opportunity present
ed, Dr. Shen's book is especially timely and welcome.
Dr. Joseph T. Ling, Ph. D.
Vice President (Retired)
Responsible for Environmental Quality
3M Company
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 The Environmental Challenge 1
1.2 Industrial Pollution Problems 2
1.3 Environmental Management Strategies 9
1.4 Purpose.............. 12
2 Industrial Pollution Prevention 15
2.1 What is Pollution? . . . . . . . . 16
2.2 What is Pollution Prevention? . . 17
2.3 Benefits of Pollution Prevention 19
2.4 The U. S. Pollution Prevention Program 22
2.5 USEPA's Pollution Prevention Research Program 32
2.6 Education and Training ........ . 33
3 Toxic Chemicals and Processes Wastes 37
3.1 Industrial Processes .. 38
3.2 Industrial Wastes .... 40
3.3 Waste Characterization 44
3.4 Toxic Chemicals .... 45
3.5 Legislation and Regulation. 50
4 Pollution Prevention Technology . 59
4.1 Improved Plant Operations. 59
4.2 In-Process Recycling. . . . . . . . 63
4.3 Process Modification ...... . 64
4.4 Materials and Product Substitutions 65
4.5 Materials Separation . . . . . . . 67
4.6 Technology Update ...... . 70
4.7 Solvent Alternative Technologies 73
4.8 Risk Assessment . . . . . . . . . 74
5 Environmental Management Audit 83
5.1 Why Audit? . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.2 Why Waste is Generated? ..... 84
5.3 Environmental Management Audit 87
5.4 Facility Environmental Auditing .. 91
5.5 Development and Implemention of Environmental Auditing 93