Page 32 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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Current Practice and Future Sustainability
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in a pilot scale to most of the industrial sectors (El-Haggar, 2000a, 2002, 2003a),
numerous projects (El-Haggar, 2003b) and rural communities (El-Haggar,
2001b) as will be explained throughout this book.
Capital investment, running cost as well as adverse environmental
impacts of landfills, incineration and treatment heartens the implementa-
tion of the 7Rs Golden Rule. It is very simple, natural and not a newborn
theory. Fundamentally, the theory depends on all kinds of recycling (on-site
recycling, off-site recycling, sustainable treatment for possible recycling,
etc). This is mainly because recycling is considered a pivotal income gener-
ated activity that conserves natural resources, protects the environment and
provides job opportunities.
Zero pollution can be defined as the pollution generated from any man-
made activity and should be within the allowable limits stated by the national
or international environmental regulations. The concept of zero pollution is
not new; Professor Nemerow (1995) developed a methodology for the future
of industrial complexes or parks to approach zero pollution. Most of the
countries (developed and developing countries) are working toward zero pol-
lution not only in industrial sectors but also in all other sectors.
From the above analysis, it is clear that traditional treatment, inciner-
ation and final disposal through landfilling processes for solid and liquid
waste require a huge capital and might cause environmental problems if it is
not managed and operated properly. If the treatment/disposal is not done
properly, or the treatment/disposal facility is not well designed and con-
structed, the adverse impacts will be significant. Who will pay for the treat-
ment/disposal facility? Who will manage the treatment/disposal facility?
Who will run the treatment/disposal facility? Government, society or indus-
try? In conclusion, sustainable treatment has proved to be the most suitable
solution and can be implemented to solve the problem of waste not only in
developed countries but also in developing countries compared with incin-
eration and/or landfill according to the 7Rs Golden Rule using the concept
of cradle-to-cradle that will be discussed in the next section.

1.7 Life Cycle Analysis and Extended Producer Responsibility
The USEPA has defined life cycle assessment/analysis (LCA) as a method to
evaluate the environmental effects associated with any given industrial
activity from the initial gathering of raw materials from the earth to the
point at which all residuals are returned to the earth, a process also known
as cradle-to-grave.
LCA results will not be promising as long as the evaluation is done for
industrial activities that adopt a cradle-to-grave flow of materials. Unfortu-
nately most manufacturing processes since the industrial revolution are
based on a one-way, cradle-to-grave flow of materials; initially by extracting
raw materials, followed by processing, producing goods, selling, utilization