Page 29 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

L1644_C01.fm Page 5 Monday, October 20, 2003 11:46 AM

1.2.3 POLLUTION PREVENTION
Pollution prevention (PP2) entails avoiding pollutant production right before pollut-
ants are issued at ends of pipes, through stacks or into waste containers. The principle
of prevention says that prevention is better than cure and is related to concepts such
as waste reduction, waste minimization, and reduction at source. The PP2 principle
may be easier to understand than to implement because establishing the boundaries
between wise and unwise prevention procedures is not as easy as it may seem. This
principle was created before the emergence of the philosophy of sustainable devel-
opment. The waste management hierarchy list, established by the 1990 Federal
Pollution Prevention Act (U.S.), may serve as reference:

1. Whenever feasible, pollution or waste should be prevented or reduced at
the source.
2. If the pollution or waste cannot be prevented, reusing or recycling is the
next preferred approach.
3. If the pollution or waste cannot be prevented or recycled, safe treatment
must be carried out.
4. Disposal or other release into the environment should be employed as a
last resort and accomplished in a safe manner.

Some examples of PP2 measures are (US-EPA, 2000a):

• Raw material replacement
• Product replacement
• Process redesign
• Equipment redesign
• Waste recycling
• Preventive maintenance (i.e., pump-end lock leaks)
• Stock minimization to prevent future wastes
• Solvent adsorption or distillation in water and later recycling

1.3 BUSINESS GOALS
In the face of social demands toward sustainable development, businesses may
behave mainly in two different ways. Businesses may be content simply with watch-
ing regulations and standards or they may undertake an aggressive approach by
establishing their own environmental strategies beyond mere implementation of
regulations.

1.3.1 IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

Administrations adopt regulations on the basis of this philosophy: each business
must comply with established legislation. ISO and other regulations are not manda-
tory for businesses although increasingly more businesses are demanding that their
providers get ISO or other certification.

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