ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

AEN 3209 / MEC 4202

POLLUTION
 Eng. Mutumba Raymonds

0700967439
raymondmutumba@gmail.com
What is Pollution?
 What is Pollution?
 Introduction of matter or energy forms or inducing conditions to
the receiving medium(e.g. water, air, land…)

 Directly or indirectly forms a detrimental alteration of quality for

the medium with respect to later uses or its ecological function

 E.g. of pollutants: Water, Air and Land

 Pollution Control & Pollution Prevention
Pollution control (PC):

 Measures taken to manage pollution after it has occurred…e.g

Pollution Prevention (PP):

 Measures taken at the source to eliminate and/or reduce

pollution (service operations, industrial complex
production/manufacturing)…e.g

 Five areas of PP focus: Water, Air, Solids, Time & Energy

 Goals of PP :
 Eliminate and/or reduce waste generation

 Conserve natural resources and materials

 Prevent spills and accidental releases

 Prevent product losses

 Policy as an approach for PP :

 Define environmental management policy (goals, accountable,

how to achieve , by whom )

 Achieve a greater decentralization of policies (known by all)

 Aim at improving performance management styles rather than

practices that emphasize strictly emissions control
 Cleaner Production (CP):
 Continual effort: prevent pollution, reduce consumption of raw
materials and energy, and minimize waste generation at the
source, without decrease in production capacity

 CP refers to PP within the production processes (manufacturing)

 CP reduces waste and energy (reduces air, water and land

pollution thus benefit the environment and society)

 CP reduce costs and can generate profit; practical & feasible and
contribute to a sustainable future

 CP is process based and evolves with improvement in technology

and innovations
 Cleaner Production (CP):
 Waste reduction: Achieve zero waste discharge

 Non-polluting production: Closed loop production processes with zero

contaminant release

 Environmentally sound products & By-products: Health and environmental

factors must be considered at the earliest point of product and process design
and over the product life-cycle (Production-use-disposal)

 Safe and healthy work environment: Minimize risks of workers by making the
workplace a cleaner, safer and healthier environment

 Production energy efficiency: Requires highest levels of energy efficiency

(Energy consumption per product output) & conservation (Reduction of
energy usage)

 Environmentally sound Packaging: Minimized product packaging and ensure

environmental friendly
 PP and CP
 The effectiveness of the PP program is dependent on:

(i) Availability of resources (Technical, financial, Scientific,

and Engineering)

(ii) Cultural acceptance (Change of practices and envisioning

new goals of PP)

(iii) Development stages (Existence of different degrees/

levels of pollution due to the socio-economic development)
 Key benefits of PP & CP Programs
 PP and CP have significant environmental (Reduction/eliminate CO2 & SO2
emissions; issues of climate change, acid precipitation, urban smog),
economic (Averted further environmental damage in a cost-effective manner)
and social benefits (Restoration of natural environment creates a safer and
more enjoyable habitat, and improves health & living standards)

 Reduction in operating costs (Reduced waste treatment, storage & disposal

costs; fewer resources for production & packaging; efficiency measures;
energy costs & facility cleanup)

 Reduction in ecological damage (Air quality improvement, no pollution of

water & land from waste generating, transporting, storage & disposal)

 Improved company/organization image (Positive employee attitude because

of safe & health working environment; Healthy, Safety & Sustainability of
neighborhoods)

 Reduction of civil and criminal liability (Reduced waste generated)…..

 Other benefits of PP
 Minimizes or avoids the creation of pollutants;

 Avoids the transfer of pollutants from one medium to another;

 Accelerates the reduction and/or elimination of pollutants;

 Minimizes health risks;

 Promotes the development of pollution prevention technologies

eg. recycling technologies can help recover valuable materials
from waste
 Uses energy, materials and resources, more efficiently;

 Minimizes the need for costly enforcement;

 Avoids costly clean-up in the future; and

 Promotes a more competitive economy

 Factors which affect PP programs
 The effectiveness of the PP program is dependent on:

(i) Availability of resources (Technical, financial, Scientific, and

Engineering)

(ii) Cultural acceptance (Change of practices and envisioning new

goals of PP)

(iii) Development stages (Existence of different degrees/levels

of pollution due to the socio-economic development)
 Constraints to PP & CP Programs
 Resistance to change

 Fear of high costs

 Uncertainty of customer response to change

 Lack of priority for PP and CP programs

 Summary

 Pollution, control and prevention-definition, goals, benefits,

factors, constraints…