Environmental Sustainability and Industries identifies and discusses critical areas related to environmentally conscious industrial development of products and services that may support more sustainable and equitable societies. This book addresses pollution prevention by referring to the use of processes, practices, and materials that reduce or eliminate the generation of pollutants at the source of production, more efficient use of raw materials, energy, water or other resources, or by conserving natural resources by maintaining clean production. It explains industrial energy efficiency as the most cost-effective use of energy in manufacturing processes, reducing its wastage as well as the total consumption of primary energy resources. Life cycle assessment is used as an analytical method to quantify environmental impacts, focusing on environmental considerations concerning process design and optimization, and including various sustainable manufacturing parameters in the context of industrial processes and proposes a classification of identified parameters to evaluate and optimize the manufacturing performances. The book also dives into industrial ecology, investigating how, where, and why environmental improvements can be made to develop a sustainable industry, meeting the needs of current generations without sacrificing the needs of the future ones. This book analyzes a company’s environmental, social, and economic performance and their interrelationships, emphasizing the importance of identifying and understanding causal relationships between alternative approaches to action and their impact on financial and nonfinancial performance. It concludes with a view on the future of sustainable industrial systems stressing change as a joint effort of scientists, governments, people in business, and academicians.
The special world of industrial chemistry is illuminated in this text. Issues such as naming and classification of chemicals, safety, formulations and specifications, information and patents are treated. Process-related topics are discussed, such as scaling-up, equipment selection, construction materials, environmental impact and waste minimization. Aspects which fall in between the traditional disciplines of chemistry and chemical engineering are covered, which are so critical for the development of a successful industrial process, and the awareness of which avoids pitfalls in industrial research and development. Case studies are given, and special appendices provide useful information for the industrial chemist or student.The book is aimed at industrial chemists and engineers, and at students in those faculties, intending to pursue this field in industry. Marketing and purchasing staff will also find this text valuable.
Unexploded military ordnance and toxic chemicals, some dating back to the two World Wars, are a global concern, especially when former military bases are redeveloped for housing or other civilian uses. Internationally, there are the added challenges of cleanup of battlegrounds and minefields. Experts estimate that the United States alone could spend between $50–250 billion to clean up these sites, many of which are in areas of high population density, where the demand for land for development is high. This book is unique in providing detailed guidance for cleaning up military ordnance sites – listing explosives, chemical warfare materials and breakdown products which can contaminate soil and groundwater and the tests needed to detect them, as well as cleanup techniques. Also included are remote sensing techniques, geophysical techniques, safety issues, the particular challenges of chemical weapons, etc. The author illustrates these techniques with case studies, including former battlegrounds in Europe and Asia, storage and waste disposal sites in Russia and former Soviet territories, and an extended study of the remediation of the large and complex Spring Valley site in the District of Columbia,. The second edition has been fully revised and updated, and also includes new and expanded sections on: geophysical techniques for discovering buried ordnance underwater sites and remediation techniques use of robotics, including remotely operated vehicles compliance and regulatory issues guidance documents from US Department of Defense and other sources The focus on test procedures, environmental remediation techniques, and learning from past case studies, makes Albright’s book the most comprehensive and practical guide on the market for a topic of international importance.
Unexploded military ordnance and toxic chemicals, some dating back to World War I, are a worldwide concern, especially at closed military bases that will be redeveloped for housing or civilian use. In Europe and Asia, many munitions sites are former battlegrounds; in Russia and its former territories, sites are used for storage and waste disposal. Experts estimate that the United States alone could spend between $50 and 250 billion dollars to cleanup these sites, many of which are in high-population density, residential areas. You might live near one such site right now. This book gives detailed instructions for cleaning up military ordnance sites, and lists of explosives, chemical warfare materials and breakdown products that the soil and groundwater must be tested for. Also included are archival studies; remote sensing techniques; geophysical techniques; safety issues; a chemical weapons, explosives and ordnance primer; known and unknown range lists; and a case study of documents written for cleaning up one of the worst examples yet: Spring Valley in the District of Columbia. It disproves myths, common misconceptions and lies, and explains what, how, and where to look for munitions and their residual contamination.
Some of the more difficult environmental problems facing the Department of Defense (DOD) include (1) chemical weapons destruction, (2) explosive waste remediation, and (3) unexploded ordnance clearance and extraction. It is conceivable that $50 to $100 billion will be spent by DOD for these three programs, offering unusual opportunities for environmental engineering and related firms. Military installations are similar to small cities in terms of population, industrial activities, and some types of contaminated sites. However, some cover an area larger than a small state. DOD has operated industrial facilities on its installations for several decades that have generated, stored, recycled, or disposed of hazardous wastes. Many of these activities have contaminated the nearby soil and groundwater. To study and clean up contaminated sites, DOD established the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) in 1975. In 1984, the IRP was made part of the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.The Secretary of Defense delegated cleanup responsibility to the Army, Navy, the Air Force, and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Cleanup actions are usually accomplished under contract with private firms, which are monitored by the services. Most cleanup actions are funded through the Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) and the Base Realignment and Closure Account. Congress established DERA in 1984 to fund the cleanup of inactive contaminated sites on DOD installations.The technology to clean up the conventional hazardous wastes on DOD sites are the same as those utilized for industrial sites, and well-documented by this publisher.However, there are three DOD programs that require the utilization of somewhat unusual or different technologies that have not been as well documented. These three programs are:1. Chemical weapons destruction2. Remediation of explosives contaminated soils and lagoons3. Unexploded ordnance detection, clearance, and extractionThis book discusses the current and potential treatment technologies involved in these three programs.
This volume of proceedings reviews the status of risks entailed in the manufacture, handling, use and disposal of the chemicals on which we all depend and suggests further action for the protection of both the workplace and the natural environment.
Radon was discovered in 1900 but it was not until the 1950's that an awareness of its potential as a hazard to humans developed. This resulted primarily from a recognition of the high levels of exposure for uranium miners. Measurement of high concentrations of radon in homes led environmental health agencies to focus on radon as a health hazard and has resulted in concern from scientists, the medical profession and the general public. It is in this context that the author undertook the writing of this book.A need for a broader understanding of radon in the general environment in addition to that of indoors has become apparent. Since much of the author's research has to do with outdoor radon and its decay products, it seems appropriate to have a book available stressing studies on outdoor radon as well was that found indoors.This book is intended to fill a gap in our knowledge of radon concentration in the outdoor atmosphere as well as to provide results of previously published indoor measurements. In addition, work on radon decay product ion concentrations in these environments contributes a unique set of results on effects of radon and its decay products on the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere. These studies are important both from their significant contribution to human dose as well as their role in the atmospheric electrical environment.