A unique tool

The Environmental Guide to Pollution Control Technology is intended to simplify and shorten the process of reaching the correct and optimised specification for pollution control technology. The guide will assist the environmental manager to define the problem, to identify suitable technology, to interact positively with suppliers, and to prepare the specification and a tender list.

A time of change

Over the last two decades, attitudes to the environment have changed dramatically. There is a general expectation of continuous environmental improvement. The public no longer accepts that pollution is inevitable, but believes that it should be avoided, and that the polluter should pay for cleanup. These changes in attitude have been very significant for industry and they appear to be largely unaffected by the economic climate.

During this period governments have introduced new legislation and economic instruments, and established regulatory authorities with increased powers to enforce compliance.

Industry is affected directly by increased regulation and more subtly by the change in public attitude to the environment. In order to continue to respond positively, companies need to reappraise their activities at regular intervals and to introduce waste minimisation, clean technology and energy saving schemes. It is in this way that pollution can be avoided.

However, for many industries the priority is to comply with the law, and pollution control systems must be introduced while waste minimisation programmes are being implemented. And even clean technologies almost always have some gaseous emission, liquid discharge or solid waste stream that requires the application of pollution control technology. Indeed, for the vast majority of industrial companies, it is the integration of pollution avoidance, pollution control and waste minimisation plans that ensures that the targets for compliance are attained.

A difficult choice

Even in a forward-looking company, it may be difficult to decide upon and to organise the correct combination of investment in clean technology, pollution control technology, and waste minimisation. A wide range of options is available for each particular part of a problem, and a conscientious manager can be overwhelmed by the complexity and number of different solutions which exist.

Each environmental problem has to be analysed to determine how much of the pollution can be avoided. Reliable data is required to characterise the extent of the problem so that the system of pollution control can be identified and sized. As the process of specification, tendering, purchase and commissioning may take many months, it is important to make objective decisions on critical points as early as possible.