Pollution Prevention:

A Win-Win Solution
P2 Hierarchy

What is Pollution Prevention?

In a process reducing or eliminating toxic

materials

replacing a material in the production line

reformulating the product
installing new or modifying existing process
equipment

Closed loop (on-site) recycling

Should involve a holistic approach

Pollution Prevention Policy

pollution should be prevented or reduced at the

source whenever feasible;
pollution that cannot be prevented should be
recycled in an environmentally safe manner
whenever feasible;
pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled
should be treated in an environmentally safe
manner whenever feasible; and
disposal or other release into the environment
should be employed only as a last resort and should
be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.
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Pollution Reduction at Source

Reduce or eliminate the
creation of pollutants
through:
increased efficiency in the
use of raw materials,
energy, water, or other
resources, or
protection of natural
resources by conservation.

synthesis, processing and

use of chemicals that
reduces risks to human
health and the environment
synthetic chemistry
designed to use and
generate fewer hazardous
substances
aims at reducing the use of
endangered resources by
switching to more plentiful
or renewable resources
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Define "source reduction" to mean any

practice which:

reduces the amount of any hazardous

substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering
any waste stream or otherwise released into
the environment (including fugitive emissions)
prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and
reduces the hazards to public health and the
environment associated with the release of
such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

Process Development And Design

Refinement of a process concept from

early conceptual stages through
preliminary engineering
Waste generation can often be minimized
through proper design and operation of the
process system

Typical Environmental Design Constraints

and Objectives
Constraints

Objectives

Compliance with all applicable

environmental regulations

Minimal use of toxics in-process

Compliance with existing permit

requirements for discharge and emissions

Minimize life-cycle impact within

acceptable financial parameters

Process loadings not to exceed existing

treatment capacity

Implement all pollution prevention options

meeting investment hurdles

Zero discharge of regulated wastes

Maximize use of recycled raw materials

Academic Award in 1999

Professor Terry Collins
Carnegie Mellon University
TAML Oxidant Activators:

General Activation of Hydrogen Peroxide for Green

Chemistry: a series of environmentally friendly
oxidant activators based on iron. These TAMLTM
(tetraamido-macrocyclic ligand)
activators catalyze the reactions of oxidants in
general. Their activation properties with hydrogen
peroxide in water are of greatest environmental
significance.
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TAML Oxidant Activators: General Activation of

Hydrogen Peroxide for Green Chemistry: 1999 Award

Users of TAMLTM peroxide activators will

range from huge primary extractiveprocessing industries to household consumers
throughout the world. In laboratory tests, the
Collins activators have shown this potential in
the major industrial application of wood-pulp
delignification and
In the broad-based consumer process of
laundry cleaning
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totally chlorine free (TCF) bleaching.

It has been clearly demonstrated that TAMLTM

activators can provide the Pulp and Paper Industry
(P&PI) with the first low-temperature hydrogen
peroxide-based delignification technology for
treating pulp.
The new process moves the elemental balance of
pulp delignification closer to what Nature
employs for degrading lignin, a strategy reflected in
the industrys recent development of totally chlorine
free (TCF) bleaching procedures.

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What tasks enable Pollution Prevention?

1.

equipment or technology modifications,

2.

process or procedure modifications,

3.

reformulation or redesign or products,

4.

substitution of raw materials, and

5.

improvements in housekeeping,
maintenance, training, or inventory control.

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Life-cycle analysis (LCA)

LCA is a sophisticated way of examining the
total environmental impact of a product through
every step of its life -- from obtaining raw
materials all the way through making it in a
factory, selling it in a store, using it in the home,
and disposing of it.

What is LCA?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for

assessing the potential environmental aspects
associated with a product (or service), by:
compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and
outputs,
evaluating the potential environmental impacts
associated with those inputs and outputs,
interpreting the results of the inventory and impact
phases in relation to the objectives of the study.

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Product Life Cycle

Manufacture
Mining/
extraction

Material
processing

Monomer/
raw material
regeneration

Resources

Product
manufacture
Reprocess
recycled
material

Distribution

Direct
recycle
Remanufacture
components

Landfill
Energy recovery
from incineration

Material
demanufacture

Product
demanufacture

Demanufacture

Product
take-back

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LCA and the Regulatory Process

LCA is voluntary in the U.S. At present

its use is limited, but expanding

LCA is mandatory in some European

countries

used as the basis of packaging recovery and

recycling targets

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Benefits Of LCA

companies can claim one product is better

than another on the basis of LCA

LCA inventory process helps to narrow in on

the area where the biggest reductions in
environmental emissions can be made

can be used to reduce production costs

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Basis of Pollution Prevention Planning

requires a detailed understanding of how a

company does business and how it makes its
products
the plan should provide a mechanism for
comprehensive and continuous review of
companys activities as they pertain to
environmental issues

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Major Elements of a
Pollution Prevention Plan

building support for the plan throughout the

company
organizing the program
setting goals and objectives
performing a preliminary assessment of P2
opportunities
identifying potential problems and solutions

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Environmental Management Systems

P2 planning procedures are now unified into

a comprehensive system for managing
environmental impacts by industry
ISO 14000 standards establish benchmarks
for environmental management performance,
and describe the measures that must be
taken by industry to conform to these
standards

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ISO 14000 EMS Model Principles

ISO 14000:

Commitment and Environmental Policy

Environmental Management Plan

Implementation

Measurement and Evaluation

Continual Review and Improvement

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Green Chemistry

synthesis, processing and use of chemicals

that reduces risks to human health and the
environment
synthetic chemistry designed to use and
generate fewer hazardous substances
aims at reducing the use of endangered
resources by switching to more plentiful or
renewable resources

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What does Green chemistry define?

By definition, Green chemistry is the design,

development, and implementation of chemical
products and processes to reduce or eliminate the
use of substances hazardous to human health and
the environment.
This effort also allows economic progress and
environmental growth to proceed in harmony. This
new branch of science that includes modification of
engineering practices and bioremediation, also
promotes catalytic processes and eco-friendly
reaction media, as well as the concept of atom
economy leading to almost zero waste.
22

Green chemistry

The Green chemistry Programme, developed

through collaborations with academia,
industry and government agencies fosters
research, development and implementation
of innovative chemical technologies that
prevent pollution in a scientifically sound and
cost-effective manner.

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The Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) introduced Green chemistry as a
formal focus area in 1991.

Chemical technologies for the reduction or

elimination of the use of hazardous
substances during the design, manufacture
and use of chemical products and processes.
Developing educational materials, including
laboratory experiments for different levels of
education.
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Tenets of Green chemistry

Waste prevention instead of waste clean-up,

Atom economy as an important concern,
Design of environmentally friendly synthetic
methodologies, design of safer chemicals,
redundancy of auxiliary substances,
conservation of energy, use of renewable
feedstock, reduction of unnecessary
derivatization, catalytic reactions instead of
stoichiometric ones, debasement of final
products after the end of their function, real-time
analysis for pollution prevention and
strategies for chemical accident prevention.
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Green Design

term coined by Office of Technology

Assessment-USA
signifies a design process in which
environmental attributes of a product are
treated as design opportunities, rather than
design constraints
incorporates environmental objectives with
minimum loss to product, useful life or
functionality
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Dual Goals of Green Design

27

Product Design
Material Acquisition
Manufacture
Processing

Product Design

Use

Disassembly
Post-Use
(demanufacturing)

Reutilization

Disposal
28

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is development

that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own

needs
29

Pollution prevention approaches can be

applied to all pollution-generating activities:

In the energy, agriculture, consumer, as well

as industrial sectors. The impairment of
wetlands, ground water sources, and other
critical resources constitutes pollution, and
prevention practices may be essential for
preserving these resources. These practices
may include conservation techniques and
changes in management practices to prevent
harm to sensitive ecosystems.
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In the agricultural sector, pollution

prevention approaches include:

reducing the use of water and chemical

inputs;

adoption of less environmentally harmful

pesticides or cultivation of crop strains with
natural resistance to pests; and

protection of sensitive areas.

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In the energy sector, pollution prevention can

reduce environmental damages from extraction,
processing, transport, and combustion of fuels.
Pollution prevention approaches include:
increasing efficiency in energy use;
substituting environmentally benign fuel sources;

and
design changes that reduce the demand for energy.
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Under the US Pollution Prevention Act,

recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and

disposal are not included within the definition
of pollution prevention.
Some practices commonly described as "inprocess recycling" may qualify as pollution
prevention. Recycling that is conducted in an
environmentally sound manner shares many
of the advantages of preventionit can
reduce the need for treatment or disposal,
and conserve energy and resources.
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Environmental Protection in India

Particularly in urban slums and rural areas,

problems emerge in the supply of safe drinking
and service water.
At the same time, sewage disposal from private
households and industries is not ensured.
An environmentally sound communal
waste disposal system and proper treatment of
industrial residuals are still not in place.
Rivers are burdened with effluents and wastes to a
large extent.

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Environmental Protection in India

Urban traffic, wood-burning and firing

plants of numerous small industries lead to
air pollution, frequently exceeding the
stipulated limits.
Urban industrial conglomerations are
responsible for severe pollution of the
environment.
Several enterprises in rural areas also
contribute to considerable contamination.

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Environmental Protection in India

Even though the statutory organization of the Indian

Government, i.e. Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB), was constituted in September, 1974, the
awareness of environmental protection and pollution
control in India came into sharp focus only in the
aftermath of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy on 2-3 December
1984 when thousands died due to a leakage of over 40
tonnes of highly poisonous methylisocyanate gas from
the pesticide factory of Union Carbide in Bhopal.

Thereafter, the environment industry received formal

recognition in the year 1985 when a full fledged Ministry
of Environment and Forests was constituted at the
federal level.
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It took Britain half the

resources of the planet
to achieve its prosperity;
how many planets
will a country like India
require....?
Mahatma Gandhi
[when asked if, after
independence, India would
attain British standards of
living]

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