Center For Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR)
The pollution prevention practices described here have been developed specifically for the chemical production industry and have been implemented in other chemical production facilities.
Pollution prevention is the reduction or elimination of discharges or emissions to the environment. This includes all pollution: hazardous and non-hazardous, regulated and unregulated, across all media, and from all sources. Pollution prevention can be accomplished by reducing the generation of wastes at their source (source reduction) or by using, reusing or reclaiming wastes once they are generated (environmentally sound recycling).
Pollution prevention is good business. While most pollution control strategies cost money, pollution prevention has saved many firms thousands of dollars in treatment and disposal costs alone.
Many companies have already discovered the tremendous benefits of pollution prevention. The 3M Co.'s "Pollution Prevention Pays" Program has eliminated the annual generation of more than 500,000 tons of pollutants. Cumulative savings since the program began in 1975 are estimated at $426 million.
Smaller companies can also benefit. One firm reduced its hazardous waste disposal costs by 74% and decreased raw material costs by 16%.
A systematic approach will produce better results than piecemeal efforts. An essential first step is a comprehensive waste audit. The waste audit should systematically evaluate opportunities for improved operating procedures, process modifications, process redesign and recycling.
A 1987 Chemical Manufacturer's Association (CMA) survey indicates that the chemical industry has made strides in waste reduction. In 1987, 77% of hazardous solid waste was recycled. The generation of solid waste, excluding material that was recycled, was reduced by about 40% between 1981 and 1987.
Despite these reductions, according to Department of Commerce figures, in 1988 the chemical industry spent approximately $3.1 billion on pollution control. So the industry still has tremendous incentive to reduce waste.
Setting up a pollution prevention program does not require exotic or expensive technologies. Some of the most effective techniques are simple and inexpensive. Others require significant capital expenditures, however many provide a return on that investment.
Good operating procedures rely not on changes in technology or materials, but on human adaptability. Small changes in personnel practices, housekeeping, inventory control, waste stream segregation, material handling and scheduling improvements, spill and leak prevention and preventive maintenance can mean big waste reductions. To reduce waste in chemical production:
Chemical engineers are uniquely qualified to solve problems in the chemical industry because of their background in disciplines including, chemistry, reaction kinetics, physics, thermodynamics, engineering, fluid mechanics, economics, and fine particle technology.
In the past, chemical engineers have done a good job of designing and modifying chemical production processes and technologies to recover product and unconverted raw materials. They pursued this strategy to the point that the cost of further recovery could not be justified.
Now the costs of end-of-pipe treatment and disposal have made source reduction an equally good investment. Greater reductions are possible when process engineers trained in pollution prevention incorporate waste reduction into process redesign projects. Designs that reduce the amount of waste generated can also reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs. For example:
A company which manufactures intermediates used in the production of a powerful antibiotic purified one intermediate via caustic hydrolysis, to assure the intermediate did not degrade while being held for subsequent processing. The purification generated 2,300 gallons of toluene-contaminated wastewater per batch. Three process vessels used for purification could emit as much as 1,600 pounds of toluene per year to the air.
The company determined that by modifying the mole ratios of reagents used to manufacture the intermediate, the one reagent causing the degradation could be significantly reduced. The caustic purification step was eliminated. Product stability and throughput dramatically increased. Manufacturing costs were reduced by $280,000 per year without any capital expenditures for new equipment.
Recycling is the use, reuse, or reclamation of a waste after it is generated. The chemical firm should check with federal, state and local environmental authorities for applicability of recycling programs. Examples of recycling opportunities include:
Rethinking an entire production or manufacturing process can be a very effective way of preventing pollution. Often the new process is more efficient and costs less to operate. Upgrading the system not only reduces waste but can improve product quality, save money by reducing the need for maintenance, and increase control of raw materials used in production. Consider the following process modifications
Pollution prevention requires a new attitude about pollution control. Traditional thinking places all the responsibility on a few environmental experts in charge of treatment. The new focus makes pollution prevention everyone's responsibility. Preventing pollution may be a new role for production-oriented managers and workers, but their cooperation is crucial. It will be the workers themselves who must make pollution prevention succeed in the workplace.
Management commitment and employee participation are vital to a successful pollution prevention program. Management can demonstrate its commitment to pollution prevention and encourage employee participation by:
Center For Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR)
320 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
(800)334-CHMR
(412) 826-5320
James Hemby
Pollution Prevention Program
U.S. EPA Region I
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9800
Greg Harder
Division of Waste Minimization and Planning
PA Department of Environmental Resources
PO Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-7382
The American Chemical Society
1155 16th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 872-4600
American Institute for Chemical Engineering
345 East 47th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 705-7321
Chemical Manufacturers Association
2501 M. Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 887-1100
Chemical Sosialities Manufacturing Association
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 872-8110
The Center for Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR) is a non-profit subsidiary of the University of Pittsburgh Trust, and is a non-regulatory organization. Its mission is to assist in developing and implementing practical solutions to the technical, environmental, economic, and health problems associated with hazardous and solid waste. For more information on this and other CHMR publications call (800) 334-CHMR.
Last Updated: January 9, 1996