Pollution prevention opportunity assessment: Foundation of pollution prevention for waste management
The objective of this paper is to promote the Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) technique as a fundamental of pollution prevention for waste management. All key elements of an effective PPOA program are presented. These key elements include impacts of environmental laws on pollution prevention, PPOA concepts and overview, waste minimization opportunities assessment, reporting and monitoring waste minimization progress, and PPOA program implementation. As environmental laws evolve the focus is shifting from end-of-pipe pollution control to front-end source reduction. Waste minimization was mistakenly interpreted to mean the reduction of hazardous waste after generation in the past. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 has clearly defined its requirement on resource reduction. Waste reduction can be viewed as a criterion to assess all industrial processes and operations. The fundamental approach of PPOA focuses on a mass balance concept. This concept deals with tracking of chemicals from the point of purchase, through storage, utilization in the process, and waste generation at the end of process. In other words, PPOA is a technique to analyze this input/output process. By applying PPOA techniques, the framework of applicable compliance requirements to the current operation process is established. Furthermore, documentation of PPOA itself can meet as documentation requirements for environmental compliance. In general, the PPOA process consists of two phases. The first phase involves input and output process description and waste characterization. The second phase is an opportunities assessment for waste minimization from input/output waste characterization. These two phases are explained in detail in the paper.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- OSTI ID:
- 10110014
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-M-94173; CONF-9408204-1; ON: DE95005033; TRN: 95:001467
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. annual international conference on global business environment and strategies,Sun Valley, ID (United States),11-13 Aug 1994; Other Information: PBD: 24 Mar 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
POLLUTION LAWS
COMPLIANCE
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
MATERIAL BALANCE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
CHEMICAL WASTES
053003
052000
290300
CHEMICAL AND THERMAL EFFLUENTS
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND SAFETY