Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
tive waste management solutions suggested. The
workers and the management of the company can
be influenced to take environmental precautions
by informing them about impacts of products
produced or materials used. After clarifying the
environmental impacts of raw materials, produc-
tion processes and products, it will be effective to
suggest alternative waste management solutions
as a new way of achieving better working condi-
tions in the facility.
3. Treatment of waste streams
4. Controlled disposal when there is no other
solution.
The reduction of wastes at source may be ac-
complished by the purchase of new equipments or
materials, or may simply involve small changes
in the production process. Pollution prevention
alternatives aiming the reduction of waste at the
source are at the first priority. The environmental
and economic benefits of reducing waste at source
are much higher than other alternatives because
the raw material usage and the waste manage-
ment costs can both be reduced. If the formation
of waste can not be prevented at source, internal
and external recycling alternatives must be con-
sidered in order to minimize the waste treated/
disposed. With the recycling opportunities, wastes
from one industrial process can serve as a raw
material for another, therefore the impact of the
industry on the environment is reduced. Specifi-
cally, on-site recycling is very valuable because
it eliminates the cost of sending the waste to an
off-site facility, therefore increases the productiv-
ity of the company. In cases where the waste can
not be prevented or can not be reused within the
facility, off-site recycling is a choice allowing to
send out the waste from the facility and to allow
its reuse by other industrial processes. Therefore,
the impact of the waste to the environment is
diminished. However, off-site recycling creates
a cost due to the transportation of wastes to the
recycling facility, and more importantly, due to
the inefficient use of raw material that can not be
converted into a product.
The treatment of waste streams is accomplished
to remove the hazardous portion of a waste from
the non-hazardous portion, such as water. Various
techniques are available to reduce the volume of
a waste through physical treatment. For example,
concentration techniques including vacuum filtra-
tion, filter press or heat drying are commonly used
to dewater the sludge. These techniques are used
to reduce the volume, and thus the cost of dispos-
Identification of Alternative
Waste Management Solutions
In the second step of the methodology, the inves-
tigation of possible alternatives aiming to reduce
or reuse waste should be performed. Once the
production wastes and inefficient processes in
manufacturing system are identified, the next move
is to investigate the available waste management
technologies or practices in the literature. Current
operational conditions of the company must be
compared with the conditions reported in the rel-
evant literature. The investigations may draw upon
basic research results, literature searches, field
research, and discussions with industry experts
and technology-users. This process will make it
possible to recognize environmentally friendly
methods, the best available technologies, and the
newest technologies. Alternative waste manage-
ment solutions are prepared by using information
about wastes and processes operating with low
efficiencies. Alternative waste management solu-
tions involving the integration of economic and
environmental efforts are investigated. According
to this integrated point of view, waste is accepted
as a resource that can be used in the production
process. The investigation of alternative waste
management solutions will pursue the following
hierarchy:
1. Reduction at source
2. Internal (on-site) and external (off-site)
recycling
