Chemical Process Industries

Contents
Why is environmental protection important? .............................................................................................. 3
What can I do to help protect the environment? ......................................................................................... 3
Why Do We Have to Protect the Environment? ........................................................................................... 4
What are some of the consequences? ......................................................................................................... 4
Environmentalism and Politics...................................................................................................................... 5
The industrial/business sector must protect the environment .................................................................... 6
Corporate Environmental Management....................................................................................................... 7
Benefits of environmental management for a company.............................................................................. 7
Economic benefits..................................................................................................................................... 7
Cost savings ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Revenue Savings ................................................................................................................................... 7
Strategic benefits .................................................................................................................................. 8
Why We Need to be Environmentally Conscious ......................................................................................... 8
35 reasons why humankind should save the environment .......................................................................... 8
The environment helps in protecting the ecosystem ............................................................................... 8
Protecting the environment protects humanity ....................................................................................... 8
Humans have a moral obligation to preserve nature and its features ..................................................... 9
Biodiversity is a significant part of life in the world:................................................................................. 9
Forests provide raw materials for various consumer products ................................................................ 9
Forests provide habitats for a variety of species ...................................................................................... 9
The way in which a person protects the environment reflects their personality .................................... 9
It is a way to give to your generation ....................................................................................................... 9
It is a way to give to the future generations ............................................................................................. 9
It is a way to give back to the planet ...................................................................................................... 10
The environment is effective in generating successful food chain......................................................... 10
The trees that are a significant part of the environment helps in keeping the climate cool: ................ 10
The environment is useful in maintaining the earth’s balance .............................................................. 10
A balanced ecosystem results in rain...................................................................................................... 10
Trees, a significant part of the environment, play a critical role in the refilling of aquifers .................. 10

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Trees play a significant role in blocking the wind ................................................................................... 11

Trees help in keeping dirt in its place ..................................................................................................... 11
Many animals need the environment for survival .................................................................................. 11
Preserving the environment could prevent soil erosion: ....................................................................... 11
Maintaining the environment slows down global warming ................................................................... 11
Maintaining the environment leads to the creation of the natural watersheds .................................... 11
The environment provides an excellent source of groundwater ........................................................... 12
Forest, a useful part of the environment, helps us to breathe............................................................... 12
The forest gives us clean air .................................................................................................................... 12
Maintaining the environment leads to less solar radiation .................................................................... 12
Maintaining the environment such as growing of forests stabilizes noise pollution ............................. 12
Maintaining the environment is critical in providing food for people.................................................... 12
Maintaining the environment leads to availability of food for both animals and plants ....................... 13
Environmental protection promotes economic stability: ....................................................................... 13
Protecting the environment make us happy .......................................................................................... 13
Environmental protection encourages better physical health ............................................................... 13
Environmental protection reminds us to appreciate the beauty of nature: .......................................... 13
Environmental protection awakens our imagination ............................................................................. 13
Protecting the environment increases tourism ...................................................................................... 13
Medicines can be found throughout the forests and environment: ...................................................... 14
How to Reduce Air Pollution from Industries ............................................................................................. 14
Air pollution from Stationary Emission sources in Industry ................................................................... 14
Air pollution from Mobile emission sources in Industry......................................................................... 14
How to Reduce Air Pollution from Industries / Factories ....................................................................... 15
Reducing Pollution: ..................................................................................................................................... 16
Degrading Toxicants .................................................................................................................................... 16
Recolonization......................................................................................................................................... 16
Action Plan .............................................................................................................................................. 17
Detoxification and Recolonization: ............................................................................................................. 18

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Environmental protection

Environmental protection is practiced for protecting the natural environment on individual,

organization controlled by governmental levels, for the benefit of both the environment and
humans. Due to the pressures of overconsumption, population and technology, the biophysical
environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently.

Why is environmental protection important?

Without environmental protection and regulation,

 Industry would have unlimited ability to produce chemicals for use as pesticides,
additives, etc. without being required to measure their effects on people or their
accumulation in water or soils and their impact on the environment, their toxicity, and
potential exposure hazard
 Waste water would be monitored, but there would be no limits or benchmarks for the
levels of contaminants in the water
 Automobile manufacturers would not be required to adhere to achieve a specific
benchmark for noxious gas output, and cars would not be monitored for their output
over time. It is debatable if gas mileage would be a consideration, as the only
motivator for manufacturers to increase fuel economy would be the price of fuel and
consumer willingness to bear the burden of fuel costs
 Industry would not be limited in the amount of noxious gases it produces through
combustion. Smog would not be monitored and there would be no limits on emissions,
leaving people and the environment at risk.

What can I do to help protect the environment?

There are a number of ways you can help protect the environment in your everyday life. Some
things you can do to reduce waste, conserve energy and prevent pollution include:

 Use reusable products or borrow, rent, or share items used infrequently,

 Select products made from recycled materials or designed to be safer for the environment,
 Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room,
 Take public transportation instead of driving,
 Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer,
 Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines at fast-food restaurants or banks. Park your car and
go in.

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Why Do We Have to Protect the Environment?

What are we doing wrong? Mostly the problem is destruction of habitat by:

 industrial pollution
 mining
 farming
 transporting species into habitats where they had not been

What are some of the consequences?

 One billion people in the world have no clean water

 Two billion people have inadequate sanitation
 One and a half billion people (mostly in large cities of newly industrialized countries)
breath air that is dangerously unhealthy
 Hundreds of millions of poor farmers struggle to make a living on poor land
 Whole countries are on the verge of famine

People don't like to be ridiculed as "environmental wackos" or "tree huggers." But it is important
to care about the environment. Thoughtful people can care about the environment and at the
same time see the need to exploit or use nature for resources to satisfy the needs of our species.

The human species needs food and water. We need energy. But we also need to protect the
ecosystem niches that make survival of our species possible. Beyond that, we need to protect the
niches for other species too. Why do niches need protection?

1. It's not nice to try to fool Mother Nature. Ecosystems are complicated. We have seen in
these lessons that complexity grows as we move up the ladder from cells to organ
systems to ecosystems. The history of our attempts to manipulate ecosystems shows that
we often make mistakes and fail to see the unintended consequences of our actions. Rich
ecosystems are those with many occupied niches. A change in any one niche is likely to
affect other niches and their occupant species. Extinction is forever. We don't get a
second chance.
2. Environmental hazards are dangerous. Especially our lakes and oceans have become
dumping grounds for dangerous chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, oil and refinery
products, industrial wastes, and heavy metals). Some of these toxins actually concentrate
in food webs, such as mercury in fish.
3. Moral obligation. Our species owes its existence to the living world that we share with
other species. We owe the living world a chance to perpetuate the life-creating processes
of natural selection, population dynamics, and exchange cycles. We can only pay this
debt by protecting the environment.

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We humans are doing well as a species (see graph below). But our success comes at the expense
of other species. The United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center predicts that 25%
of all the earth's species of mammals may become extinct in the next 30 years. Over 10% of the
bird species face extinction in that time.

Environmentalism and Politics

Many people in the world like to blame industrialized nations, especially the United States, for
destroying world ecosystems. It is true that industrialized countries create much of the air
pollution. But the problem will not be cured by treaties that punish American companies for air
pollution when competing companies in other countries are exempt from regulation.

World population is now at 6 billion. Over 100-years, the world population has tripled and the
growth seems to be continuing at the same rate. How long can the human species sustain such
growth?

The really frightening prospect is the rapid pace of industrialization in many Third World
countries where unregulated industries expand to serve the growth of the already huge
populations. China has 1.2 billion people. India has about 1 billion people. What will world
pollution be like when countries like these become fully industrialized and modernized?

People who wish to protect the environment often become politically active. They may come to
believe that animals, and even plants, have "rights." What do you think?

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The idea of "rights" originally came from perceived inequalities in power and privilege
among humans. "Rights" are something we United States citizens have to pursue "life, liberty,
and happiness."

To extend the idea of rights across species quickly creates problems for ecosystems. Does the
wolf have a right to kill sheep? Or do sheep have a right to be protected from predators? Does
any species have a right to use Nature's resources to perpetuate itself as a species? Does a species
have a right to destroy niches of other species in the process of exploiting nature for survival of
the species? And if we could agree on any of these rights, we must answer the question, "Who
issued these rights?"

To argue in the political terms of "rights" misses the point about how Nature's ecosystems
work. Competition between and within species is not only natural but necessary for ecosystems
to function well. Competition and exercise of power becomes a problem only when it is so
destructive that an ecosystem itself becomes threatened. Because humans have the greatest
power to damage ecosystems, humans also have the greatest duty to protect ecosystems.

The industrial/business sector must protect the environment

Industry and its products have an impact on the natural resource base of civilization through the
entire cycle of raw materials exploration and extraction, transformation into products, energy
consumption, waste generation, and the use and disposal of products by consumers. These
impacts may be positive, enhancing the quality of a resource or extending its use or they may be
negative, as a result of process and product pollution and of depletion or degradation of
resources. The negative environmental impacts of industrial activity were initially perceived as
localized problems of air, water and land pollution. Industrial expansion following the Second
World War took place without much awareness of the environment and brought with it a rapid
rise in pollution. These problems are widespread in Swaziland as industrial growth, urbanization
and the use of automobiles spreads. In the light of this and the growth trends projected through
the next century, it is evident that measures to reduce control and prevent industrial pollution
need to be greatly strengthened. If they are not, pollution damage to human health could become
intolerable in certain cities and places of residence and threats to poverty and ecosystems will
continue to grow.

Industry's response to pollution and resource degradation has not been and should not be limited
to compliance with regulations. It should accept a broad sense of social responsibility and ensure
an awareness of environmental considerations at all levels. Towards this, all industrial
enterprises, trade associations and labor unions should establish company-wide or industry-wide
policies concerning resource and environmental management, including compliance with the
laws and requirements of the country.

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Corporate Environmental Management

Corporate Environmental Management is key element in achieving sustainable development of

both industrialized countries and developing countries. Environmental protection should be
integrated into all managerial functions with the aim of reaching an optimum between economic
and ecological performance of a company. The key question for a manager "how to make money
and protect the environment at the same time?” can be answered in a variety of ways according
to the setting. It applies not only to "Greening and cleaning" existing businesses, but requires
entrepreneurial creativity to turn the so-called environmental constraints into new business
opportunities. The attraction of polluter-intensive industries from the developed countries
formed, and continues to form, part of the industrial development strategy for a number of
developing countries and newly industrialized countries. It is now becoming clear, however, that
this development strategy is not negatively affecting the long-term competitive advantages of a
country.

In contrast, industries which have to comply with strict environmental regulations have
developed the know-how in "Green and Clean" products and processes, resulting in competitive
advantages in national and international markets. As the pressure for stricter environmental
regulations on a global level mounts, those countries and industries which were among the first
to implement environmental protection measures now have considerable growth opportunities.

A manager would like to know how his business will be affected as a consequence of the
increasing environmental consciousness of consumers and the government. Will the
environmental challenge present an opportunity or a threat to the business?

Benefits of environmental management for a company

Economic benefits

Cost savings:

 Savings due to reduced consumption of energy and other resources

 Savings due to recycling, selling of by-products resulting in decreased waste disposal
costs.
 Reduced environmental charges, pollution penalties, compensation following legal
damage suits.

Revenue Savings:

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 Increased marginal contribution of environment-friendly products which sell at higher

prices.
 Increased market share due to product innovation and less per formative competitors.
 Completely new products open up new markets.
 Increased demand for a product which contributes to pollution abatement and
environmental sustainability.

Strategic benefits

 Improved public image

 Renovation of product portfolio
 Productivity improvement
 Higher staff commitment and better labor relations
 Creativity and openness to new challenges.
 Better relations with public authorities, community and environmental pressure groups.
 Ensured access to foreign markets
 Easier compliance with environmental standards.

Why we need to be Environmentally Conscious

It is critical to protect the environment so as to reduce the destruction of eco-systems caused by a

myriad of anthropogenic activities. It is more of a moral obligation for humans to protect the
environment from pollution and other activities that lead to environmental degradation.
Importantly, environmental degradation is detrimental since it threatens the long-term health of
the animals, humans and plants.

Air and water pollution, global warming, smog, acid rain, deforestation, wildfires are just few of
the environmental issues that we are facing right now. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care
of the environment to make this planet a wonderful place to live. One does not need to put lot of
money to go green but simple changes in daily lifestyle is all what is required to reduce
your carbon footprint on the environment.

35 reasons why humankind should save the environment

The environment helps in protecting the ecosystem:

Changes affecting the ecosystem put multiple species in the danger of extinction necessitating
the need of protecting the environment. Ecosystems are deeply connected to one another.

Protecting the environment protects humanity:

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Pollution is one of the most hazardous factors affecting the environment. It affects the quality
of food leading to the ingestion of toxic substances.

Humans have a moral obligation to preserve nature and its features:

Humans are responsible for taking care of the environment. Protecting the environment
would be an act of fulfilling their compulsions.

Biodiversity is a significant part of life in the world:

Biodiversity not only consists of the animals living of earth but also the forests, grasslands
and tundra, which is significant, features in maintaining the life-cycle of the eco-system.

Forests provide raw materials for various consumer products:

Forests are a significant part of the environment, which helps in providing various raw
materials such as food, rubber, timber and essential oils. Forest management means
availability and sustainable use of these natural resources.

Forests provide habitats for a variety of species:

Almost half of the species live in forests thus destroying the forests would lead to the
destruction of the ecosystem at large.

The way in which a person protects the environment reflects their

personality:

Just as the way you treat other people reflects your personality, the way you treat the
environment reflects who you actually are. A good person will treat the environment
responsibly. So treat the environment well and prove that you indeed have a good
personality.

It is a way to give to your generation:

One will be happier in life if you focus on giving rather than receiving. Treating the
environment well is one way to give to the others in your generation. By treating the
environment well, you make the planet a better place to live for everyone. You help yourself
and others to have higher quality of life.

It is a way to give to the future generations:

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Not only protecting the environment benefits people in current generation; it will also
benefit people in many generations to come. This planet is our legacy to the future
generations.

It is a way to give back to the planet:

Whether we realize it or not, we can only live by consuming resources provided by this
planet. Take energy for instance. We only get the energy by utilizing resources like oil and
coal provided by the earth. This is not to mention basic needs like food and water.

The environment is effective in generating successful food chain:

The sun provides light for the plants. The plants are food for the animals that are in turn
consumed by other animals. Therefore, destroying the environment would destroy the food
chain system.

The trees that are a significant part of the environment helps in keeping
the climate cool:

Trees play a significant role in creating shades on the ground. Urban trees help buildings
stay cool, reducing the need for electric fans or air conditioners, while large forests can tackle
daunting tasks.

The environment is useful in maintaining the earth’s balance:

Trees also have another way to beat the heat: absorb CO2 that fuels global warming. Plants
need some CO2 for photosynthesis which is stored in wood, leaves and soil, often for
centuries. The forests equally absorb impurities from emissions.

A balanced ecosystem results in rain:

Large forests have the tendency of influencing the weather patterns hence creating their own
microclimates.

Trees, a significant part of the environment, play a critical role in the

refilling of aquifers:

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Forests are like giant sponges, catching runoff rather than letting it roll across the surface,
but they cannot absorb all of it. Water that gets past their roots trickles down into
aquifers, replenishing groundwater supplies that are important for drinking, sanitation and
irrigation around the world.

Trees play a significant role in blocking the wind:

Farming near a forest has many benefits, like bats and songbirds that eat insects or owls and
foxes that eat rats. Nevertheless, trees can also serve as windbreakers, reducing wind speeds
of wind-sensitive crops. In addition, beyond protecting those plants, less wind makes it easier
for bees to pollinate them.

Trees help in keeping dirt in its place:

A forest’s root network stabilizes huge amounts of soil, bracing the entire ecosystem’s
foundation against erosion by wind or water. Not only does deforestation disrupt all that, but
also the ensuing soil erosion can trigger new, life-threatening problems like landslides and
dust storms.

Many animals need the environment for survival:

As the environment gets destroyed, the more animals in the ecosystem perish. As
the environment is degrading, most of the animal species face extinction.

Preserving the environment could prevent soil erosion:

Soil erosion is a factor that occurs due to various human activities that have led
to environmental degradation. Erosion can occur naturally from the impact of water and
wind, or it can be encouraged by irresponsible farming practices.

Maintaining the environment slows down global warming:

Deforestation adds more carbon and carbon dioxide that capture and absorb heat, thus
speeding up the process of global warming by making the Earth hotter. The forest slows this
process down because carbon dioxide is stored in the trees and also converts it to the oxygen.

Maintaining the environment leads to the creation of the natural

watersheds:

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The plants and trees in the forest catch rain and other types of moisture. It helps water to
naturally discharge into larger water bodies like the lakes and rivers. This maintains water
quality and enables aquatic systems to flourish.

The environment provides an excellent source of groundwater:

The Forest Service has reported that 20% of our drinking water comes from forests. In forest
ecosystems, rain and moisture is made into groundwater that is collected as freshwater used
for drinking.

Forest, a useful part of the environment, helps us to breathe:

Did you know that more than 10 people can get nourished by oxygen from a single tree?
Well, trees are the typical lungs of the earth as they absorb carbon dioxide and change it to
oxygen thereby allowing survival on earth.

The forest gives us clean air:

The air we breathe is less harmful to us because the forest trees act as a natural filter to
remove the harmful particles.

Maintaining the environment leads to less solar radiation:

In small doses, the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun are good for us and provide a healthy
dose of vitamin D. But, when we are exposed to too much sun, it can be uncomfortable and
lead to skin cancer or many other health issues. UV rays are made less powerful because the
forest has the ability to weaken solar radiation.

Maintaining the environment such as growing of forests stabilizes noise

pollution:

With the way our ears process sound, the forest actually cuts down much of the noise we hear
or make some sounds so subtle that we barely notice them. Instead, the forest replaces
intrusive noises with its own pleasant sounds of birds chirping and leaves softly rustling.

Maintaining the environment is critical in providing food for people:

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There are many healthy edibles found throughout the forest. Around the world, many people
depend on forest food to live.

Maintaining the environment leads to availability of food for both animals

and plants:

Food from the forest also provides sustenance for animals. Without the forest, many of these
animals would perish. Even if we tried, we could not replicate all the foods that are naturally
healthy for them in the way the forest can.

Environmental protection promotes economic stability:

Many people are employed because of the forest and millions of jobs would be lost without
it. The forests simply provide energy and are a source of livelihood for many.

Protecting the environment make us happy:

Millions of people head to the forest to find relaxation and renew their spiritual energy. It
has also been scientifically proven that the natural elements of the forest can serve as a
remedy for emotional and mental distress.

Environmental protection encourages better physical health:

The quality of air found in the forest can help to improve lung health and there are many
recreational activities to be found there as well. For example, taking a walk through the forest
enhances ones physical endurance.

Environmental protection reminds us to appreciate the beauty of nature:

There is nothing quite like spending time in the forests to sightsee and enjoy a day filled
with surprises that only nature can afford. The visual splendor of the forest is one of the
things that make the Earth especially stunning and unique.

Environmental protection awakens our imagination:

The visual and mental stimulation that the forest provides heightens our imagination and
inspires our motives.

Protecting the environment increases tourism:

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Many societies have benefited from funding, support and economic revitalization through
tourism. Tourists are mainly attracted to areas such as forests and zoos which are all part of
our environment.

Medicines can be found throughout the forests and environment:

Medicines are found in the forest that can be used for a wide variety of health disorders.
Medicines can be extracted to cure infections and a myriad of health problems.

How to Reduce Air Pollution from Industries

We can reduce air pollution from industries or factories by using public transport to travel,
increasing efficiency of equipment’s to consume less energy and opting for natural gas.

Nowadays environmental pollution has become a critical issue due to increased demand to
products and development. Due to deforestation and industrialization, air quality is constantly
degrading year on year.

Any type of air pollution has sources of industrial activities is known as Industrial air
pollution. Cutting down air pollution is the first step to go green.

Industrial air pollution is major source of total environmental air pollution.

Industrial air pollution can be divided in two categories:

 Stationary emission sources

 Mobile emission sources

Air pollution from Stationary Emission sources in Industry

Stationary emission sources from industries / factories include pollution from stacks, chimney,
diesel generators, boilers etc. They emit majorly Particulate Matter (PM10 & PM2.5), Sulphur
Dioxides (SO2), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Carbon monoxide (CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), VOC
etc.

Perfect Pollucon Services offers Air quality monitoring Services at Workplace

Air pollution from Mobile emission sources in Industry

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Mobile emission sources majorly include transportation of products or raw materials in

industries. It includes harmful gases like particulate matter (PM2.5 & PM10) and Nitrogen
Oxides (NOx).

How to Reduce Air Pollution from Industries / Factories

As Industrial activities are so different from each other it is very difficult to arrive at single
solution for all industries as per their pollution challenges. If something is working in
Pharmaceutical industry is meaningless in cement industry.

Read More how wind rose diagrams can help you to reduce pollution and improve air flow in
your premises.

Perfect Pollucon Services offers Indoor air quality testing services for Residential areas and
offices

 We can reduce air pollution by conserving energy by turning off lights, computers, air
conditioners and other appliances when not in use.
 Encourage your employees to use public transport or you can arrange a bus from a
common point for your employees.
 When purchasing a vehicle for your company consider buying most efficient, lowest
polluting or if possible zero emission electric vehicle.
 Encourage employees to use bicycle for daily commute
 Ensure drivers in your company obeying traffic laws, speed limits, maintaining vehicles
properly and keeping optimum air pressure in tyres.
 Replace lights in your factory to energy efficient bulbs
 GO green by limiting the use of paper as it may save some trees
 Choose materials which are made from recycled materials
 Encourage teleconference than physical meeting
 Encourage activities like planting trees once a year among employees
 Give awards to employees who reduced emissions in their shifts
 Improve machineries or manufacturing processes to reduce emissions from factories
 Boosting performance of boilers can sharply reduce air pollution from industry
 Earlier companies used electric motors with efficiencies 60-90 percentage now electric
motors with 95% of efficiency are also available
 Proper maintenance of boiler e.g. blowing dust from surface, reducing excess air can
reduce air pollution from industries
 Reducing the need of steam the use of boiler, by identifying leaks can boost system by
10-50%
 Switching from coal, oil to natural gas reduced operating costs and extend plant’s life by
eliminating corrosion from fuels

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 to identify irregularities in pollutants level in air and keep your pollutants level within
limits

Reducing Pollution:
There are two approaches through which pollution can be reduced:

1. Reducing consumption or usage of a polluting product

2. Treatment of wastes, discharges and disposals of a pollutant

Yet waste treatment can only be effective if pollution is coming from a defined and
accessible source (point source).

Degrading Toxicants
In the case of pollution leading to buildup of toxic material, reduction of availability to the
environment must be ensured to rebuild ecosystem services in a polluted area. Although physical
or chemical methods such as change in acidity or absorption into the soil can help decrease the
availability of chemicals, additional monitoring and securing is necessary to make sure that the
pollutant is not brought back into the environment. Ideally, the system should be able to degrade
the pollutant by microbes or fungi, as this will irreversibly destroy the toxicant.
Many inorganic materials take a long time to biodegrade, which means that their buildup
rate is almost proportional to the total rate of pollution at any given time. These are also often
some of the most potent and generally poisonous materials and thus strongly toxic even in low
concentrations. Influential inorganic pollutants include non-metals like ammonia and cyanide
and heavy metals such as Cu, Hg, Cd among others, which are all toxic in various degrees. Many
inorganic discharges are point sources, so proper treatment of material is generally possible
through biological degradation with microbes and fungi or electro kinetic treatment (the use of
electricity to reduce heavy metal ions and turn them into elemental precipitates). Also, most
heavy metals are much less toxic in alkaline environments, a fact that can be used in treatment
plans. Some combination of these three techniques should be established to lower emissions for
point source metal pollution.

Recolonization

After a site has been rid of its toxicity and offers a space in which normal, pollution-
intolerant organisms can live, recolonization and reconstruction of the ecosystem need to occur.
This recolonization depends on the availability of organisms to refill the parts of the ecosystem
that have been destroyed. If a distinct and isolated environment were destroyed, such as pond
ecosystem, not all species may be available in close proximity.

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Macroorganisms, like mammals, amphibians, or fish, often have their own mechanisms of
travel, yet even many of them need connected biomes. On the other hand, many smaller
organisms that are essential to the ecosystem, such as small insects or microbes, cannot travel on
their own and rely on wind, rain, drift, or transportation by other organisms to change places.
Macroorganism travel may be significantly impaired by habitat fragmentation
through urbanization, pollution of river biomes all the way to their sources, or an extinction or
large reduction in numbers of transporting species such as waterfowl (Yukimura et al., 2009).
These obstacles are also often directly correlated to the pollution or the cause of pollution. For
instance, strong industrial presence can pollute environments, but will also lead to urbanization
and habitat fragmentation due to workers living nearby. If there are no colonies preserved from
pre-pollution eras and classical mechanisms of transport have been destroyed for organisms
occupying important niches in the ecosystems, careful human intervention may be needed to
introduce necessary species.

Action Plan

In conclusion, any action plan to reduce industrial pollution will need to be tailored toward
specific pollutants to work well and not pose undue risks on either the economy or the
environment. A slightly generalized plan based on the different kinds of solutions available can
be proposed for the different pollutants:
Reduction of Pollution:

 Toxic metals should have a restriction on maximum environmental release based on relative
toxicity levels and accumulation rates in ecosystems. If it is inevitable that heavy metals
will be released in waste, treatment is necessary before the waste is being released into the
environment. In a series of steps, electrolysis should be used to reduce precious metals (Cu,
Ag), which can then be refined and sold. Then, biological processing with the appropriate
microbes should be used to reduce toxicity of very reactive ions (Hg, Cd, Mn). Last, the
waste solution should be made slightly alkaline to precipitate as much metal hydroxides as
possible before release into the environment.
 Toxic organic compound emissions that are not pesticide applications should be reduced by
setting a fixed standard of emissions and ecotoxicity in a cap-and-trade system which can
gradually be lowered. Ideally, this would eventually lead to zero emissions, as most organic
compounds can be degraded by microbes and thus treated effectively. If compounds are
found to be excessively toxic, a blanket ban should be introduced.
 Agrochemicals should be subject to a taxation system in which the ecotoxicity of the
compound determines the levy. However, some dangerous pesticides such as atrazine
should be incorporated in a cap-and-trade system of dangerous agrochemicals that would
gradually be lowered to allow time for transition to less dangerous chemicals. Again,
excessively toxic compounds will need to be removed from the market by a blanket ban.

Department Of Chemical Engineering/ 3rd Semester Page 17

Chemical Process Industries

Detoxification and Recolonization:

 Strongly polluted sites should be cleaned up through programs such as the U.S. Superfund,
though bioremediation and in-site cleanup should be the preferential treatment options.
 Physical and chemical reductions to bioavailability will need to be secured additionally,
preferably by an irreversible degradation, so that pollutants cannot be released again.
 Once a site has been detoxified, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that all
important positions of the biome can be fulfilled.

Research is necessary for more advanced treatment plans, systems of production that do
not use polluting agents and remediation technology. Research should be influenced by key
concepts such as integration of ecosystems and bio mimicry

Department Of Chemical Engineering/ 3rd Semester Page 18