Streamlining the production process

Process facilities often use a combination of centralized and decentralized treatment plants for solid, liquid and gaseous waste streams. However, despite continual improvements in pollution-control technologies, treatment and disposal methods rarely lead to zero emissions. And, many add-on controls consume raw materials and energy themselves, create secondary waste streams, or require additional capital and operating costs. Environmentally sound manufacturing does not come only from developing better techniques for treating wastes at the end of the production process. Greater effort and capital budgets must be devoted to developing preventive measures, rather than simply working to improve existing treatment and disposal methods. In general all aspects of chemical production and waste management must be integrated. Since pollution-prevention efforts cannot totally eliminate waste formation, process operators should also consider the possibility of onsite reuse of unwanted byproduct streams. IN some cases, the recovery and reuse of unreacted raw materials or auxiliaries may be more cost effective than investing in system overhauls to eliminate their formation.