Page 20 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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Chapter 1

Current Practice and Future

Sustainability

1.1 Introduction
One of the major problems facing the world today is the environmental pro-
tection cost and return. The current practice of pollution control, treatment
and environmental protection can be considered very expensive activities
where people consider it a burden for development. There is a worldwide
misconception that “environmental protection comes at the expense of eco-
nomic development or vice versa”. This is not true if sustainable develop-
ment is achieved. Sustainable development promotes economic growth given
that this growth does not compromise the management of the environmen-
tal resources. The traditional approach for clinical waste, agricultural waste,
industrial and municipal solid waste, industrial and municipal liquid waste,
etc. can be considered disastrous worldwide because it is depleting the nat-
ural resources and may pollute the environment if it is not treated/disposed
of properly. Any solution should suit not only the developed countries but
also the developing countries should include the economical benefits, tech-
nological availability, environmental and social perspectives otherwise they
will never be sustainable. The objective of this book is to conserve the nat-
ural resources by approaching 100% full utilization of all types of wastes by
a cradle-to-cradle concept through sustainable treatment.

1.2 Waste Management
Waste generations vary from one country to another, but many previous
studies indicated that as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increases,
per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and other types of wastes
also increases. So, waste management is a must for conservation of natural

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