Cleaner Production

TRP Chapter 4.1 1

 Whats in a name?
Waste minimisation Source reduction

Waste avoidance Eco efficiency

Waste reduction Cleaner Production

Waste prevention Industrial ecology

Green Productivity Industrial metabolism

Pollution Prevention Green productivity

Cleaner Production is the continuous application of

an integrated preventive environmental strategy to
processes, products and services to increase
overall efficiency and reduce risks to humans and
the environment
TRP Chapter 4.1 2
 The production process

Cleaner Waste
Production prevention

Source: David S Newby TRP Chapter 4.1 3

 Waste hierarchy

Source: David C Wilson 1993, 1997, 2001 TRP Chapter 4.1 4

 Sustainable consumption
Conserving finite resources eg use of
renewable energy

Reduction of toxic or polluting components

Shift from products to services

Improved product design

Re-use and recycling of waste

TRP Chapter 4.1 5

Elements of a product policy for
waste prevention
Product design:
eco-design
green chemistry initiatives
reverse engineering

Green purchasing policies

Targets for recycled content in new goods

Reverse distribution (collection of end-of-life

products)

TRP Chapter 4.1 6

Key players in Cleaner Production

Global bodies eg UNEP, WBCSD, UNIDO

National and regional governments
Industry associations
Industry sectors

TRP Chapter 4.1 7

Cleaner Production Centres
National Centres:

Brazil - China - Costa Rica - Czech Republic -

El Salvador - Ethiopia - Guatemala - Hungary
- India - Kenya - Mexico - Morocco -
Mozambique - Nicaragua - Slovak Republic -
Russia - Tanzania - Tunisia - Vietnam -
Zimbabwe

TRP Chapter 4.1 8

Case study: China

TRP Chapter 4.1 9

Tools for waste prevention and
Cleaner Production

Economic instruments
Environmental Management Systems
eg ISO 14 000, ISO 14001
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Auditing
Environmental impact assessment
Technology assessment eg EnTA
Eco-labels
Product design initiatives

TRP Chapter 4.1 10

 Support systems and delivery
mechanisms

Cleaner Production Centres - national & regional

Round Tables
National and global information systems
National and international
conferences
Waste management and technology
centres
Sector-based working groups and
networks
Training institutes for management
and technical personnel
Professional management bodies
TRP Chapter 4.1 11
 Waste prevention and the waste
industry
Conflicts?

Disincentives?

Need to work with industry

not simply for industry

Need to extend the role of

recycling companies to
include prevention

TRP Chapter 4.1 12

Waste minimisation

TRP Chapter 4.2 13

 Why minimise waste?

waste
source No waste
disposal
minimisation

to treatment

With waste
source waste disposal minimisation,
recycling and
Off-site treatment
On-site recycling
recycling
TRP Chapter 4.2 14
Preferred hierarchy of waste
management options
Source
reduction

On-site/off-site Waste
recycling diversion

Treatment

Final disposal

TRP Chapter 4.2 15

Source reduction opportunities

Source
reduction

Housekeeping Product Input material Technology

improvement reformulation alteration alteration

TRP Chapter 4.2 16

 Successful example: 3M

reduced effluent discharges by 3.7 billion litres

eliminated 10,000 tonnes of water pollutants
eliminated 140,000 tonnes of sludge
eliminated 90,000 tonnes of air pollutants

Savings = US$192million

TRP Chapter 4.2 17

 Factors influencing waste
minimisation

Government policy and regulations

Technological feasibility
Economic viability
Management commitment and support

TRP Chapter 4.2 18

Waste minimisation - incentives
Reduced costs:
raw materials, energy, water
storage and handling
waste disposal
health and safety
Regulatory compliance
Improved efficiency
Improved corporate image

TRP Chapter 4.2 19

Waste minimisation - barriers

Economic barriers

Technical barriers

Regulatory barriers

TRP Chapter 4.2 20

Waste minimisation opportunities
applicable to all operations 1
Use higher purity materials
Use less toxic raw materials
Use non-corrosive materials
Convert from batch to continuous process
Improve equipment inspection & maintenance
Improve operator training
Improve supervision
Improve housekeeping

TRP Chapter 4.2 21

Waste minimisation opportunities
applicable to all operations 2
Improve material tracking and inventory
control:
avoid over-purchasing
inspect deliveries before acceptance
make frequent inventory checks
label all containers accurately
ensure materials with limited shelf-life are
used by expiry date
where possible, install computer-assisted
inventory control

TRP Chapter 4.2 22

 Demonstration projects
Alternative approaches:
participants from different industry sectors eg
companies on an industrial estate, members
of Green Business Club
participants within a single industry sector eg
via a trade association

Common themes:
specialist consultant to manage programme
facilitated discussion and dissemination
shared experiences
encouraging replication
TRP Chapter 4.2 23
 Case studies

Delivering textile dyeing wastewater, Thailand

Source: Ministry of Industry, Thailand TRP Chapter 4.2 24

Implementing a company waste
minimisation programme
A systematic and ongoing effort to reduce
waste generation
Must be tailored to specific company
needs and practices
3 main phases:
planning and organisation
conducting a waste audit
implementing, monitoring and reviewing

TRP Chapter 4.2 25

 Phase 1: Planning and
organisation

Obtain management commitment

Establish programme task force

Set goals and priorities

Establish an audit team

TRP Chapter 4.2 26

Phase 2: Waste audit

6 main steps:
identify plant operations
define process inputs
define process outputs
assess material balance
identify opportunities
conduct feasibility study

TRP Chapter 4.2 27

Step 1: Identify plant operations

Inspect the site

Identify different processes undertaken on site

List processes and obtain as much

information as possible on them

TRP Chapter 4.2 28

 Step 2: Define process inputs
Account for all the material flows into each
individual process
materials
energy
water

Make sure all inputs are accounted for in

detail eg kg of raw materials, kilowatts of
electricity, litres of water

Make sure figures are on same basis

eg annual, monthly, weekly inputs

TRP Chapter 4.2 29

Step 3: Define process outputs

Identify and quantify all process outputs

primary products
co-products
waste for re-use or recycling
waste for disposal

TRP Chapter 4.2 30

Step 4: Assess material balance

To ensure that all resources are accounted

for, conduct a materials balance assessment

Total Total
material in = material + Product
out

TRP Chapter 4.2 31

Typical components of a material
balance

Inputs Outputs

Gaseous emissions

Raw material 1 Product

Raw material 2
Production By-product
process or unit
Raw material 3 Wastewater
operation
Water/air Wastes for storage or
off-site disposal

TRP Chapter 4.2 32

Step 5: Identify opportunities for
waste minimisation

Using data acquired during the waste

audit, make preliminary evaluation of the
potential for waste minimisation

Prioritise options for implementation

TRP Chapter 4.2 33

Step 6: Conduct feasibility study
Conduct feasibility analysis of selected options

Technical considerations:
Availability of technology
Facility constraints including compatibility
with existing operation
Product requirements
Operator safety and training
Potential for health and environmental
impacts
Economic considerations:
Capital and operating costs
Pay-back period
TRP Chapter 4.2 34
 Phase 3: Implementing,
monitoring and reviewing

Prepare Action Plan

Identify resources
Implement the measures
Evaluate performance

TRP Chapter 4.2 35

Recycling and waste exchange

TRP Chapter 4.3 36

 Recycling
What is recycling?
The re-use and remanufacture of
waste materials

What is the purpose of recycling?

To recover useful materials and save
resources
To prevent pollutants reaching the
waste stream

What are the benefits of recycling?

More efficient resource use, lower
energy consumption, reduced
pollution
TRP Chapter 4.3 37
 On-site recycling
Benefits:
close to the point of generation
less contamination
lower cost raw materials
reduced waste disposal costs

Costs:
capital investment in equipment
staff training
maintenance and repair
staff time
residue disposal
quality control

TRP Chapter 4.3 38

 Off-site recycling

Factors influencing off-site recycling:

if on-site recycling is not appropriate
if on-site recycling is not cost-effective
availability and location of recycling facilities
availability of advanced technology
economies of scale

Need:
storage for materials awaiting collection
transport to off-site facility

Materials commonly recycled off-site include:

oils, solvents, electroplating sludges, lead-acid batteries

TRP Chapter 4.3 39

 Secondary raw materials
Use of secondary raw materials is common in
some sectors eg metals, paper, oil
Economics of process may depend on
recycling of by-products
Large international trade in many such wastes
Technology for processing requires large
investment, high volumes
May generate new problematic residue stream
May provide opportunities for illegal practices

TRP Chapter 4.3 40

 Recycling technologies
Waste Type
Recycling Technology
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Activated-carbon Absorption
Distillation
Steam Distillation
Electrolytic Recovery
Ion Exchange
Hydrometallurgical Concentration
Membrane Separation
Evaporation
Freeze-Crystallisation
Pyrometallurgy
1 - Corrosive wastes 6 - Oil-containing wastes
2 - Cyanide containing wastes 7 - Metal containing wastes
3 - Halogenated solvents 8 - Organic containing wastes
4 - Non-halogenated solvents
9 - Reactive wastes
5 - Other organic wastes TRP Chapter 4.3 41
 Solvent recovery 1

Simple solvent recovery plant, SE Asia 1990

Source: David C Wilson TRP Chapter 4.3 42

 Solvent recovery 2

Source: David C Wilson 1990 TRP Chapter 4.3 43

 Case study: Battery recycling
PLACID Process

paste leaching melting and

casting

electrowinning

residue 99.99% Pb
washing ingots
purification

Inert
residues Bi, Cu, As, Sb ...

TRP Chapter 4.3 44

 Case study: Advantages of
process

No liquid effluent discharges

Leaching residue is inert gypsum
Dusts and drosses are recycled
Leaded slags and soils can be treated

TRP Chapter 4.3 45

 Waste exchange

Puts generators in contact with potential

users
Example of off-site recycling
Some free, some charge fees
List wastes available and wanted
Some local, some regional, a few
national
Number increasing thanks to Internet
Printed catalogue or computerised on-
line systems
TRP Chapter 4.3 46
 Types of waste exchange
Information clearinghouse or material broker

Information on Information on
wastes available wastes available
Waste
Waste User
generator
Information on exchange
Information on
wastes wanted wastes wanted

TRP Chapter 4.3 47

 Which wastes?

Wastes arising in small quantities

Wastes needing specialised recycling
High value materials not usable by
generator
Low value materials
Off-specification products
Contaminated material
Surplus and outdated materials

TRP Chapter 4.3 48

 Waste listings
Often divided into Requests and Offers eg
Requests Offers
Ethanol, sodium hydroxide Copper sulphate
Electronic scrap Fluorspar
Fertilisers Hydrochloric acid
Metal containing wastes Magnesium hydroxide
Organic materials Filter cakes
Sludges Sodium sulphate

May give detailed description eg

Phenol formaldehyde resin from vat coating of
fibreglass. Solution contains 54% phenolic resin in 23%
ethanol with 1% formaldehyde by net weight. 5 drums
available.
TRP Chapter 4.3 49
 Measuring success

volumes recycled
raw materials saved
costs reduced
awareness raised

Example: US Dept of Defense Defense

Reutilisation Marketing Organisation

TRP Chapter 4.3 50

Influences on expansion of waste
exchanges

Internet
Integration of exchanges
Government support and funding
Research into opportunities for particular wastes
Limited liability for users

TRP Chapter 4.3 51