Process Alternatives for Pollution Prevention

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To aid in the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's priorities for source reduction and recycling, the PI plans to develop a systematic procedure for identifying the source of treatment problems in terms of the design decisions that are the cause of that problem (such as the addition of steam as a reactor diluent). By identifying the design decision as the cause, an alternative decision, that will avoid the necessity for treatment or disposal, can be identified. This approach is applicable to both continuous and batch processes, but since the stream flows are much larger in continuous processes, much larger reductions in emissions should be possible. A hierarchical decision procedure will be implemented that provides a simple way of identifying potential pollution problems early in the development stages of a new process. The procedure focuses on the decisions required to complete a design. If alternative decisions are made, process alternatives are generated. Some of the decisions affect the exit streams from (and the feeds to) the process, and in some cases these exit streams can have an adverse environmental impact. Hence, of one can make decisions, i.e. find alternatives, that do not lead to pollution problems, one can develop cleaner processes. The hierarchical decision procedure can also be used to decompose existing designs; then, process alternatives that eleminate existing pollution sources can be identified. ***