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Ethiopian Institute of Technology-Mekelle (EiT-M)

Industrial Engineering
Environmental pollution control and clear production
(IEng5184)
Chapter two: sustainability & cleaner production
solutions to reduce waste generation
By: Desbelom W.
Chemical Engineering (Environmental Engineering)
 Sustainable Development
• Generally Development is the gradual growth of a situation that

becomes more advanced and strong than previous one.

• Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs.

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A brief history of sustainable development

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 Sustainabilit
y
 Sustainability is “… an economic, social, and ecological concept. It is

intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity

so that society and its members are able to meet their needs and
express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving
biodiversity and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these
ideals indefinitely.
 Sustainability affects every level of organization, from the local

neighborhood to the entire globe”. Put in simpler terms, sustainability

is providing for the best for people and the environment both now and
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in the indefinite future.
 Sustainable Development
 The key principles of sustainability are:

1. Integration: The effective integration of environmental, social

and economic considerations in decision-making.

2. Community involvement: Recognition that sustainability cannot

be achieved, nor significant progress made toward it, without the
support and involvement of the whole community.

3. Precautionary behaviour: Where there are threats of serious or

irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific
certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures
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to prevent environmental degradation, such as taking measures to
 Sustainable Development

4. Equity within and between generations: Fairness and equal

access to opportunities both in our lifetimes, as well as for future
generations.

5. Continual improvement: The declining environmental situation

means there is an imperative to take immediate action to become
more sustainable and to make continual improvement.

6. Ecological integrity: This requires the protection of biological

diversity and maintenance of essential ecological processes and life-
support systems.
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 The Three Pillars of
1. Sustainability:
Environmental
sustainability
2. Economic sustainability;
and
3. Social-political
sustainability

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 The Three Pillars of Sustainability

1. Social components-
 Workers health and safety

 Impact on local communities, quality of life

 Benefits to disadvantaged groups

2. Economic components:
 Creation for new markets and opportunities for sale growth

 Costreduction through efficiency and

improvements and reduced energy and raw material
inputs
10  Creation of additional value
 The Three Pillars of Sustainability

3. Environmental components:
 Reduce waste, effluent generation, emission into environment

 Reduce impact on human health

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 The three pillars of sustainability

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 The three pillars of sustainability

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 The three pillars of
sustainability

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 Cleaner Production Technologies

 The best approach to improve the environment is to prevent the

generation of pollution rather than to find ways to clean it up after it

has been generated.

 Cleaner Technology can be used to explore approaches to problem

solving for cleaner production and sustainable environment.

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 Cleaner Production…

Evolution of approach to environmental protection

1. No action and/or lack of recognition for the problem until mid-
20th century

2. Dispersion/“solution by dilution” (the 1960s)

3. End-of-pipe treatment (the 1970s)

4. Recycling and energy recovery (the 1980s)

5. Cleaner production and preventive measures (the 1990s)

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6. In the future: dematerialization? Industrial ecology?
 Cleaner
Production…

Evolution to sustainable production and services

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The waste cost iceberg showing the hidden costs of waste

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 Cleaner Production
Techniques

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 Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention

 Cleaner Production (CP) and Pollution Prevention (P2) focus on a

strategy of continuously reducing pollution and environmental impact

through source reduction -- that is eliminating waste within the
process rather than at the end-of pipe. Waste treatment does not fall
under the definition of CP or P2 because it does not prevent the
creation of waste.
 Cleaner production (CP) is a general term used to describe a

preventative approach to industrial activity. It encompasses:

1. Waste minimization,
2.19 Waste avoidance, and
 Cleaner
Production…
 According to the cleaner production approach, pollution and waste

are largely a result of the insufficiency and inefficiency of resource

use and production processes. Cleaner production aims to solve
these problems; therefore, it not only reduces waste generation, but
also provides economic benefits.

 Cleaner Production stands for a proactive and preventive approach to

industrial environmental management and aims for process- and/or

product-integrated solutions that are both environmentally and
economically efficient („eco-efficiency‟).
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 Cleaner Production, on the contrary, aims to reduce both the negative
 Basic Principles of Cleaner Production

 Five Basic Principles of Cleaner Production Cleaner Production

requires that resources be managed efficiently. This consists both of
careful use of resources, the closing of material streams, and
resource substitution. It is possible to outline five general principles
of Cleaner Production:

1. Input-Substitution

2. Good Housekeeping

3. Internal Recycling
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4. Technological Optimization/Change
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 Cleaner Production …… key points

1. CP adds value to the Environmental Management

System(EMS): it places emphasis on pollution

prevention rather than control, with clear improvement
in environmental performance.

2. CP does not deny or impede growth but insists that

growth can be ecologically sustainable.

3. CP is not limited only to manufacturing industries of a

23 certain type or size, it can be applied towards the
 Cleaner Production …… key points

4. CP includes safety and protection of health.

5. CP emphasizes risk reduction.

6. CP improves immediate efficiency as well as long-term

efficacy.

8. CP is Win-Win-Win factor: it benefits the environment,

communities and businesses.

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 Scope of Cleaner Production
 In Production Processes:

Conservation of raw materials and energy

Elimination of the use of toxic raw materials
Reducing the quantity and toxicityof all emissions
and wastes before they leave a process

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 Scope of Cleaner
Production
In Products :Reducing negative impacts along life cycle of a
product, from raw material extraction to its ultimate the disposal

 In Services :

Incorporation of environmental concerns in the design

and
delivery of services.

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 Cleaner
Production
 Properly implemented CP Always reduces long-term liabilities which
companies can face many years after pollution has been generated or
disposed at a given site. Usually CP
 increases profitability

 lowers production costs

 enhances productivity

 provides a rapid return on any capital or operating investments

required
 increases product yield

 leads to the more efficient use of energy and raw materials

 results in improved product quality

27  increases staff motivation

 Proactive environmental strategies: Cleaner Production
 Prevention of Waste generation:

 Good housekeeping

 Input substitution

 Better process control

 Equipment modification

 Technology change

 On-site recovery/reuse

 Production of a useful by-

product
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 Product modification
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 CP Versus End-pipe
approach

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 Benefits of Cleaner Production
 Understanding and implementing cleaner production interventions is
beneficial for a private enterprise in many ways. These benefits can
be summarized as follows:
1. Economic Benefits:
i. Increase in production efficiency: As a result of the efficient
use of resources, more raw material becomes a commercially-
viable product. Reducing the use of energy, natural resources and
raw materials provides savings for the enterprise. Thus,
production costs are reduced and more production is possible
with fewer raw materials. More efficient resource use can
increase production speed and competitiveness.
ii. Reduction of waste treatment and disposal costs: Cleaner
production practices reduce the amount of waste generated during
the production process. As a result, energy and chemical use,
man power allocation, space requirements and disposal costs are
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 Benefits of Cleaner
Production…
2. Environmental Benefits:
i. Reduction of environmental impacts: Cleaner production
practices provide efficient use of natural resources; minimization
of solid waste, wastewater and emissions; and reduction of toxic
contents. Thus, the negative impacts of the production processes
on humans and nature are reduced. It also contributes positively to
the performance of the waste management infrastructure.
ii. Support for compliance with legislation today and
preparation for the future: Cleaner production practices are
advantageous in terms of compliance with applicable laws and
regulations. It is the general trend that environmental legislation is
becoming more demanding and is more often enforced; this trend is
very relevant in the case of China. If legislation changes, it may be
expensive to adapt and impossible to comply, which may lead to
more costs. But, cleaner production prepares enterprises for future
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 Benefits of Cleaner Production
3. Social Benefits:
i. Safeguarding and building reputation: Cleaner production
practices can help manage and develop the image and reputation of
a business whereas poor management of water resources, waste
and wastewater can threaten the reputation of the business.
Consumers increasingly demand that production does not harm the
environment or detrimentally affect local people. A company that
is sensitive to the environment acquires the support of society and
consumers and increases its competitive advantage and market
share. The implementation of cleaner production interventions can
be a signal to international partners of the forward-thinking
mindset of the company, its willingness to invest in its future and
its knowledge of forefront technology and practices.
ii. Support for occupational safety and worker health: It is
possible to prevent potential accidents by improving and
developing working conditions. At the same time, employees are
protected from pollutants and dangerous substances.
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 Cleaner Production Assessment
Methodologies
Cleaner Production assessment is one of the specific Cleaner
Production diagnostic tools. This is a systematic procedure for
the identification and evaluation of Cleaner Production options
for the companies that are launching a Cleaner Production
project. The methodology allows us to identify areas of
inefficient use of resources and poor management of wastes in
production.
 A Cleaner Production Assessment and an Environmental
Management System (EMS), are comparable. While Cleaner
Production projects have a technical orientation, an
environmental management system focuses on setting a
management framework. It will be obvious from this chapter
that a CP assessment a solid management structure, just as it is
clear that an EMS needs a technical component when it is
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 Overview of the Cleaner Production assessment
methodology

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1. Planning and Organizing Cleaner
Production
 The objective of this phase is to obtain commitment to the project,
allocate resources and plan the details of the work to come.
A. Obtain Management Commitment
B. Establish a Project Team: The CP project team undertakes the
following tasks:
i. Analysis and review of present
Development and evaluation of proposed Cleaner Production
practices.
Implementation and maintenance of agreed changes.
ii. initiatives.
iii.
C. Develop Environmental Policy, Objectives and Targets: In
general,
objectives and targets should be:
i. Acceptable to those who work to achieve them.
ii. Flexible and adaptable to changing requirements.
iii. Measurable over time.
iv. Motivational.
v. In line with the overall policy statement.
43D. Plan the Cleaner Production Assessment
 2. Pre-assessment
 The objective of the pre-assessment is to obtain an overview of
the production and environmental aspects of a company.
Production processes are best represented by a flow chart
showing inputs, outputs and environmental problem areas.
A. Company Description and Flow Chart
B. Walk-through Inspection
C. Establish a Focus

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 4.
 Assessment
The aim of the assessment phase is to collect data and
evaluate the environmental performance and production
efficiency of the company.
A. Collection of Quantitative Data
B. Material Balance
C. Identify Cleaner Production Opportunities
D. Record and Sort Options

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 5. Evaluation and Feasibility Study
 The objective of the evaluation and feasibility study phase is to
evaluate the proposed Cleaner Production opportunities and to
select those suitable for implementation.
A. Preliminary Evaluation
B. Technical Evaluation
C. Economic Evaluation
D. Environmental Evaluation
E. Select Viable Options

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 Implementation and Continuation
 The objective of the last phase of the assessment is to
ensure that the selected options are implemented, and that
the resulting reductions in resource consumption and waste
generation are monitored continuously.
A. Prepare an Implementation Plan
B. Implement Selected Options
C. Monitor Performance
D. Sustain Cleaner Production Activities

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 Possible causes for waste generation

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