Cleaner Production Measures Research Articles

Evaluation of the environmental impacts of a Cleaner Production Agreement by frozen fish facilities in the Biobío Region, Chile

The six biggest frozen fish processing companies in Chile signed a Cleaner Production Agreement with the Regional Cleaner Production Secretary, supported by several public institutions related to health, labor risk, and environment. The overall objective of the Agreement was the incorporation of cleaner production measures for frozen fish installations in order to increase production efficiency, to reduce pollution at source, to improve the management of industrial liquid and solid waste, as well as to incorporate upgrading and recycling measures. The implementation phase took two years, in which three audits were carried out, whose results are analyzed in this work. The most important achievements of the implemented measures were the reduction of water consumption (28%), solid waste generation (40%) and energy consumption (24%). Especially important was the implementation of sound management systems that encouraged employee participation, which had a strong effect on diminishing the accident rates of all partner companies (18%) during the study period. Finally, after establishing the basis of quality standards in the processing facilities, it is suggested that the forthcoming renewal Agreements should include further improvements such as incorporating more steps of the products value chain, following a lifecycle approach (e.g. fishing, packaging, transport), into the sectorial evaluation.

Conservation of resources in the pulp and paper industry derived from cleaner production approach

This paper analyses the utilization of water and recycled fiber from waste paper for the production in one Serbian cardboard mill. Water and fiber consumption, wastewater generation and its characteristics, as well as sludge recirculation were monitored during production of various paper types, with different grade and weight. The aim was to evaluate production rationality and running stability concerning water and fiber utilization and possibilities for their conservation. Cleaner production measures inside the mill and in the effluent treatment plant were suggested for the improvement of wastewater quality and water conservation. Savings in water and fibers were estimated, with the respect to economic and environmental aspects of proposed cleaner production measures.

Technique assessment for eco-industrial parks in China

The planning of large scale industrial parks in China began in the 1980s. The circular economy, especially in eco-industrial parks, is supported; thus the need for technique assessment methods for cleaner production measures in such complex production networks. This paper presents the concept of the multi objective pinch analysis (MOPA), which consists of a combination of pinch analyses with different targets (energy consumption, wastewater generation, consumption of solvents, etc.) and a subsequent multi-criteria analysis. The starting point for its development was the fact that pinch analyses are well-established tools for plant layout design in large chemical installations, whereas such support for small and medium sized enterprises (SME) is still lacking. With the proliferation of industry parks (especially in industrialising countries) and the agglomeration of SME in close neighbourhoods, the potential arises for a coupling of by-product streams for reuse, once a critical mass is reached. In such production networks, various kinds of process streams exist, which call for the various types of pinch analysis. The application of MOPA is demonstrated in a case study on bicycle coating.

Integrated management strategies for brick kiln emission reduction in Vietnam: a case study

The brick manufacturing industry in Vietnam is developing rapidly to meet rising demand from construction activities. Production is mainly small‐scale and without emission control measures, and hence can bring about severe health and environmental impacts including effects on agricultural crops. In this paper, we analyse the current production situation of a brick‐making commune in Vietnam and the effects on air quality. A combination of the ‘command and control’ (such as enforcement of control devices or fuel quality standards) and ‘market‐based instruments’ (such as emission fees) would stimulate the industry to adopt cleaner production measures that would benefit both economy and the environment.

Wastewater management in small- and medium-size enterprises: case studies

Wastewater management in small and medium-sized enterprises representing the chemical and food industries was investigated. The results showed that wastewater discharged from an ink-production factory was highly contaminated with organic pollutants. Anaerobic biological treatment followed by chemical coagulation using ferric chloride aided with lime proved to be very effective and produced an effluent that complied with national regulatory standard for wastewater discharge into public sewage network. Also, management of wastewater from a confectionery factory representing the food sector was carried out. Aerobic biological treatment using plastic-packed trickling filter proved to be an effective treatment method. However, application of in-plant control measures alleviated the requirement for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant. The applied pollution prevention and cleaner production measures involved good housekeeping, recovery of spent chocolate, modification of floor cleaning and installation of suction devices for the removal of sugar and starch powders. All improvement measures were documented by cost/benefit analysis.

Governmental policies on hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) mitigation and its cleaner production measures – case study in Taiwan

Taiwan, a small island country located in the southeastern rim of Asia, is playing a vital role of mitigating hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) mitigation, although it is not a signatory to the Montreal Protocol. Furthermore, the Government has established a ministry-level organization, National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD), for pursuing sustainability in this country and fulfilling its responsibility as a member of the international community. In this paper, the description was thus centered on reviewing the current uses of HCFCs and its current consumption status and cleaner production measures adopted by the local industries in Taiwan, and summarizing the governmental policies on promoting HCFCs mitigation through the encouragement of regulatory, economic and financial approaches. The preliminary analyses of the achievements of HCFCs mitigation in comparison with other relevant socioeconomic statistics were also discussed in this paper. It was concluded that Taiwan was in a positive trend to mitigate HCFCs consumption in the past decade (1996–2005) under the promotion of its policy framework. Further, the successful case could be developed into a sustainable development indicator in the environmental pollution dimension, thereby providing a demonstrated example for other island and developing countries in progress toward global sustainability.

Possible steps to follow for filling the gap between requirements and the real condition in tanneries

The tannery industry, as one of most important industrial activities, faced more dilemmas at the fall of communistic era: - Can the branch keep a leading position for the exported products at the national level, under a de-centralized system? - Can the industry comply with the new, more stringent environmental legislation? - How far is this industrial branch from the European BAT/BATNEC? Facing a completely new perspective for their development, many industrial units had a limited margin for manoeuvre and those not enough flexible had to shut down. “Economic survival whatever the price” has been the mantra for some good years. The newly presented EU legislation has been raising many difficult and complex problems for the units that managed to survive that they need to prioritize their improvement actions. Combining Cleaner Production (CP) measures with laboratory research for technology upgrades can have a synergistic effect for improving environmental performance and decrease resource consumption. The effects were evaluated for more experimented measures, such as better process control, toxics use reduction, and source separation of wastes. The results demonstrate that real improvements of environmental performance can be achieved and the indicators that were utilized have values that are comparable with those published for “advanced” processes practiced in EU.

Cleaner production measures in small-scale slaughterhouse industry – case study in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The goal of this project was to demonstrate to Bosnian and Herzegovinian industries that significant reductions in water use, wastewater discharge and pollution load can be obtained at little or no cost and that efficient use of resources and reduction of waste generation at source are clearly preferable compared with the end-of-pipe wastewater treatment. The project was performed on a small-scale slaughterhouse industry “Sahbaz” using a methodology prescribed by the Regional Activity Center for Cleaner Production from Barcelona and the Ministry of Environment of Spain. Upon detailed diagnosis of the industrial process and waste flows generated, the opportunities for environmental improvement were identified and CP measures were recommended and implemented. In the first three months of project implementation the amount of water saved and BOD reduced was 32 percent while salt consumption was reduced by 40 percent. Total annual net savings resulting from the application of selected measures were 669 €/year.

Genetic algorithm with adaptive and dynamic penalty functions for the selection of cleaner production measures: a constrained optimization problem

This paper presents a new approach of genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the constrained optimization problem. In a constrained optimization problem, feasible and infeasible regions occupy the search space. The infeasible regions consist of the solutions that violate the constraint. Oftentimes classical genetic operators generate infeasible or invalid chromosomes. This situation takes a turn for the worse when infeasible chromosomes alone occupy the whole population. To address this problem, dynamic and adaptive penalty functions are proposed for the GA search process. This is a novel strategy because it will attempt to transform the constrained problem into an unconstrained problem by penalizing the GA fitness function dynamically and adaptively. New equations describing these functions are presented and tested. The effects of the proposed functions developed have been investigated and tested using different GA parameters such as mutation and crossover. Comparisons of the performance of the proposed adaptive and dynamic penalty functions with traditional static penalty functions are presented. The result from the experiments show that the proposed functions developed are more accurate, efficient, robust and easy to implement. The algorithms developed in this research can be applied to evaluate environmental impacts from process operations.

Encouraging industry to assess and implement cleaner production measures

Cleaner production stakeholders have a strong desire for industry to consider cleaner production opportunities in their facilities and once they are assessed, to follow through on their implementation. This paper examines local and international initiatives within the Canadian stakeholder community (including government, NGOs, consultants, industry) that contribute to the initiation and implementation of cleaner production in industry. Specifically, stakeholders have consciously drafted regulatory compliance, education, co-funding incentives, and development-based cleaner production programs. As illustrated by case studies from six industries, the programs work together to create a climate favorable for implementation of cleaner production concepts and approaches. Based on the cleaner production drivers and barriers identified by research, the programs are well designed. However, as with cleaner production itself, there is always room for further improvement. Specifically: (i) regulatory compliance programs and timetables should leave room for cleaner production (versus end-of-pipe) approaches; (ii) cleaner production co-funding programs should target small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and require them to use a multimedia approach (air, water, waste); (iii) education programs should incorporate demonstration assessments, feasibility assessments of common recommendations, and follow-up communication to foster implementation and continuous improvement; and (iv) mandated cleaner production should include absolute (i.e. waste/tonne production) rather than relative standards (i.e. X% reduction from status quo) in order to avoid penalizing historically proactive corporations.

Organisational factors determining the implementation of cleaner production measures in the corporate sector

Empirical research undertaken at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration concentrated on the organisational factors hindering energy related cleaner production measures at several major Hungarian companies. The underlying objective of the research was to analyse the barriers to preventive environmental actions which often impede the implementation of cost effective CP measures at the company level. As a result of this research, organisational barriers to effective implementation of CP measures have been identified at eight enterprises of the Hungarian industry and recommendations have been developed to overcome the barriers for the implementation of the CP options. Although some characteristics of the sample companies are specific to a country in transition, most of the experiences gained can be utilised in more developed regions of the world as well.

Recent experiences and challenges in promoting cleaner production investments in developing countries

The paper presents on the experience of the first year of implementation of the UNEP project ‘Strategies and mechanisms for promoting cleaner production (CP) investments in developing countries’. An insight into the experience gained in two developing countries, Guatemala and Zimbabwe is given in separate cases. The paper attempts a preliminary—by no means exhaustive—analysis of the current status of CP awareness among the financial community in selected developing countries and the main barriers to funding CP from a financial sector perspective. The experience gained in five developing countries allows to better investigate the ways whereby the financial community could, and perhaps should, more effectively promote financing of CP, thus contributing to the spread of the CP concept and measures at the macro (government), medium (industry associations, chambers of commerce) and micro (enterprises) levels. In doing so, the paper indirectly emphasises the role of other key stakeholders. Suggestions and recommendations expressed in the paper have to be taken clearly with a pinch of salt, as each country in the developing world has its distinct economic, political, social and cultural features.

China's national cleaner production strategy

Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, China has been developing a strategy for cleaner production (CP). Key elements of the CP strategy include a new policy framework for industrial development and environmental protection, demonstration projects and case studies, and CP training and institution building. Successful cooperation between international organizations, national and local government agencies, and local industries in China has led to the adoption of CP measures by numerous Chinese enterprises and to substantial reductions in pollution. Despite this success, a number of barriers to CP implementation and dissemination continue to exist in China, including knowledge and awareness problems, regulatory impediments, financial obstacles, technological hurdles, and organizational barriers.

Small-Scale Industry and Cleaner Production Strategies

Economically favorable cleaner production measures could be particularly attractive for small-scale industry in developing countries. Research in Kenya indicated that cleaner production measures could generate promising results in reducing pollution levels at low costs. The small-scale industries are, however, constrained in implementing cleaner production by various attitudinal, organizational, technical and economic barriers. To introduce cleaner production methods successfully, the small-scale sector needs support, such as technical and financial incentives, from policy organizations and nongovernmental organizations. This requires better coordination of policy efforts and organization of small-scale enterprises, in particular because environmental improvements could be induced within enhanced industrial interactions.