Page 16 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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Introduction
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cradle-to-grave systems to ones that apply cradle-to-cradle concepts. These
systems should also reduce or completely eliminate any disposal stages.
Chapter 1 of this book will cover the common waste management pro-
cedures currently practiced worldwide and will discuss their impacts on
future sustainability and conservation of natural resources. The life cycle of
waste in these procedures will be analyzed to demonstrate that it follows a
cradle-to-grave approach. We will then examine the impact these procedures
have on environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.
Subsequently, the cradle-to-cradle concepts will be discussed in detail with
a listing of their pros and cons. We will explain the role of the government
and civil society in effecting these cradle-to-cradle concepts for the conser-
vation of our natural resources using the principle of extended producer
responsibilities. We will introduce a new term in environmental engineering –
“sustainable treatment” – as well as a new hierarchy for waste management,
which will apply cradle-to-cradle concepts. The following chapters will serve
as applications and implementations of this definition.
Chapter 2 will introduce the concept of cleaner production (CP), its
techniques, and its benefits. Obstacles or barriers to cleaner production will
be discussed and solutions will be offered. This chapter attempts to success-
fully develop cleaner production opportunities and assess their implementa-
tions. A discussion will follow of various case studies in the different industrial
sectors (food, textile, oil and soap, etc.), with elaborate cost/benefit analyses.
The case studies will demonstrate and assess different cleaner production
opportunities and implementation techniques.
Chapter 3 is about sustainable development and industrial ecology. It
will discuss the principles of industrial ecology and will attempt to integrate
our industrial activities within a natural ecosystem. Barriers to industrial
ecology will also be discussed in all their dimensions: technical, marketing
and awareness, financial, and barriers involving regional strategy and regu-
lations. Eco-industrial parks (EIP) will be discussed in further detail with case
studies implemented in different parts of the world demonstrating EIP appli-
cations using a top-down scheme, bottom-up scheme, or combinations of both.
These case studies are intended to guide the readers in developing their own
EIP implementation schemes in their own country or community. It also hopes
to equip the readers with the methodologies for converting existing industrial
estates into environmentally friendly ones – eco-industrial parks.
Chapter 4 on sustainable development and environmental reform will
employ the first three chapters to develop a framework for sustainable devel-
opment and environmental reform. Sustainable development tools and
methodologies will be discussed such as the environmental management sys-
tem (EMS), cleaner production (CP), environmental impact assessment (EIA),
and environmental information technologies (EIT). This chapter will then
move on to suggest an integration of cleaner production and environmental
management systems to promote and manage cleaner production imple-
mentation throughout the different industrial sectors. This is a proposed