A Pollution Prevention Guide for Small Chemical Manufacturing Operations

Small Chemical Manufacturing Operations

Industries involved in the manufacture of chemicals produce many types of waste, coming from a variety of activities and processes. These wastes may be hazardous or non-hazardous and may be released to all media. Some types of waste that may be discharged to water or land are:

In addition, significant quantities of chemicals escape into the air, where they are no longer usable by the company and may pose a threat to human health and/or the environment.

Whatever the nature and characteristics of the waste may be, it all has one thing in common: All waste represents loss of resources and loss of money.

Businesses throughout the country have implemented waste reduction programs and found that there are many benefits to be gained from such an approach to the management of resources.

Reducing the amount of waste your business generates can help you:

The most effective way to minimize the losses associated with waste is to avoid producing the waste in the first place. This is the concept behind DNREC’s Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program, which has produced this Guide to assist you and others in the chemical manufacturing business to reduce your losses while at the same time helping to improve the environment.

Waste Reduction Works

In recent years, the chemical manufacturing industry has made great strides in reducing and recycling its waste. According to a 1987 Chemical Manufacturer’s Association survey, the industry reduced its generation of solid waste by about 40% between 1981 and 1987; in 1987, 77% of the industry’s hazardous solid waste was recycled. Toxic Release Inventory data show dramatic decreases by the chemical industry in discharges to air, surface water, and land from 1988 to 1989. Even so, there is still a tremendous potential for additional savings through waste reduction.

Getting Started

A comprehensive waste audit is the essential first step in developing a waste reduction strategy. The waste audit should evaluate opportunities in the areas of improved operating procedures, process and equipment modifications, and reuse/recycling.

Here are the steps to follow in conducting a waste audit:

1. List all wastes being generated.
2. Identify the composition and source of each waste.
3. Identify options to reduce the generation of these substances, focusing on those wastes that are most hazardous and those techniques that are most easily implemented.
4. Compare the technical and economic feasibility of the options identified.
5. Evaluate the results and schedule periodic review of the waste reduction program.

Improved Operating Procedures

Improving the company’s operating procedures is often the easiest and least expensive way to reduce waste. No expensive equipment or materials are involved -- only small changes in the way things are done. This includes improvements in housekeeping, inventory control, material handling, and actions taken to prevent spills, leaks, or equipment breakdowns. Here are a few examples of good operating procedures that can reduce waste:

• Keep storage and work areas clean and well organized and keep all containers properly labeled.
• Inspect materials upon delivery, and immediately return unacceptable materials to the supplier.
• Keep accurate records of raw material usage so that you can measure reductions in use. Mark the purchase date on each container and adopt a “first in, first out” policy so that older materials are used up before new ones are opened; assign someone to distribute and keep track of raw materials.
• Practice preventative maintenance to avoid future losses. Periodically inspect containers and equipment for leaks.
• Keep all containers covered to prevent evaporation, spillage, or drying out of contents.
• Keep waste streams separate for reuse, recycling, or treatment. Keep non-hazardous materials from becoming contaminated.

Production Process and Equipment Modifications

Often a process can be modified, or the equipment used can be improved or upgraded, so that the process will run more efficiently and produce less waste. Some examples of production process and equipment changes that may help you reduce waste are:

• Improved scheduling. Scheduling the production of chemicals that use the same production line can reduce cleaning requirements.
• Switching from batch manufacturing to continuous manufacturing. This can reduce evaporation loss.
• Maximizing dedication of process equipment. This can reduce equipment cleaning frequency and waste generated.
• Relocating process equipment and changing piping configuration to prevent possible contamination from other sources.
• Relocating process equipment and changing piping configuration to prevent possible contamination from other sources.
• Minimizing the amount of cleaning solution used. If water is the cleaning agent, use sprays or jets of water to clean tanks for equipment. Where possible, the small amount of concentrated waste collected should be recycled as a raw material. Rinse machinery and tanks less often.
• Transferring liquids by means of pumps and piping systems rather than by hand. This can reduce the changes of spillage.
• Product reformulation. For example, preparing chemicals in pellet form instead of power can reduce dust emissions.
• Substituting less toxic or non-toxic substances as raw materials.

Reusing and Recycling Other Wastes

Good waste reduction plans address all of the waste streams being generated by a particular business or industry. Try to find ways to apply the Three Rs to all of your shop’s waste, including such things as waste paper, empty containers, lubricating fluids, etc. Here are some tips for these types of materials:

• Reuse or recycle excess, off-specification materials and samples taken for quality control testing.
• Segregate and reuse emissions in the production process.
• Distill waste solvents, and regenerate catalyst.
• Find as many ways to reuse paper as you can (as note pads, poster paper, etc.).
• Recycle as many of the company’s waste materials as possible. Corrugated cardboard, computer and office paper, aluminum, ferrous metals, and plastic and glass containers are some commonly recycled items. DNREC’s Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program (739-3822) may be able to help you find recyclers for various materials.
• Recycle lube oils.

Getting the Job Done

Accomplishing the goals of a waste reduction program requires the cooperation of every employee of the company. Top management must make a commitment to pollution prevention, but it will be the workers themselves who will make the program succeed.

Management can demonstrate its commitment to waste reduction by:

• Providing employees with training in waste reduction techniques and practices -- including period “refresher courses” to increase employees’ awareness of the importance of waste reduction.
• Involving the employees in designing and implementing waste reduction measures.
• Establishing incentives to encourage workers to use waste reduction techniques and to suggest changes in design or operating procedures that would further reduce waste generation.

Following up

As long as wastes are being produced, there is the potential for waste reduction. Less-polluting materials, equipment, and procedures are constantly being developed, so that wastes that are difficult or costly to control today may be easily eliminated tomorrow. Stay alert for such developments.

Here are some ways to keep the waste reduction program vital:

• When buying new equipment, look for equipment that will minimize both the amount of toxic materials used and the amount of waste produced.
• Reassess the company’s operations and waste handling practices periodically with an eye to avoiding the temptation of slipping back into old, more wasteful ways of doing things and to identifying additional waste reduction possibilities.
• Publicize the firm’s commitment to waste reduction. Customers will feel good about doing business with a company that is environmentally responsible.

Source of Additional Help

This Guide is not intended to be comprehensive list of all the techniques that could be used to reduce waste in a chemical manufacturing company. Each facility is unique, with its own challenges and opportunities for minimizing waste; therefore, each waste reduction program will be unique. There are a number of resources available to help businesses develop and implement programs that meet their individual needs:

The Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation which is dedicated to improving the quality, productivity, and profitability of Delaware manufacturers, and to serving as a prime service resource for the state’s new and existing manufacturers. The DEMEP can be reached at (302)283-3133.

The Northeast Industrial Waste Exchange may be able to help you find companies that can use your wastes. You can call the Exchange directly at (315)422-6572.

The Chemical Manufactures Association (CMA) has published materials designed to help the industry develop corporate and facility-specific waste minimization programs. The CMA can be reached by calling (202)887-1100.

A Waste Reduction Self-Evaluation Manual has been developed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to assist small and medium-sized business in implementing waste reduction programs. Copies of the manual can be obtained by calling the Department at 739-6400.

The Delaware Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (302)739-6400 provides technical assistance, information resources, as well as assistance with other services that are available to your business.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

This publication is one of a series of pollution prevention guides for various types of businesses. For more information on this and other pollution prevention or waste minimization programs, contact the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control at 739-6400.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is an equal opportunity employer. No person or group shall be excluded from participation, denied any benefits, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap.

Last Updated: May 28, 2002

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