Address all three of the following writing prompts. Your responses to your three

Question

Address all three of the following writing prompts. Your responses to your three chosen prompts should be at least 350 words each.

No title page is needed, but be sure to indicate which writing prompts you are addressing at the top of each response. Each response needs its own reference page. Writing Prompts (respond to all three):

1. Review the Reading Assignment titled as "Pollution Prevention Practices in Oregon's Electronics Industry" by Harding and Jones. In your review, include: an overview of the article, benefits of using pollution prevention in the electronics industry, specific process modifications discussed in the article, MEE 6201, Advanced Pollution Prevention 4 chemical substitutions mentioned in the article, economics of making the suggested changes, and reasons companies might not embrace pollution prevention.

2. Review the Reading Assignment titled as "Optimal Deployment of Emissions Reduction Technologies for Construction Equipment" by Barl, Zietsman, Quadrifoglio, and Farzaneh. In your review: Write an overview of the article. Describe hydrogen enrichment (HE), selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and fuel additive (FA) technologies. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of HE, SCR, and FA, including a discussion of costs. Does the computer model do a satisfactory job of determining the best technology? Explain. What would be your recommendations as far as which technology (HE, SCR, and/or FA) should be used, or should none be used?

3. Review the Reading Assignment titled as "Flue Gas Desulfurization: The State of the Art" by Srivastava and Jozewicz. In your review: Write an overview of the article. Describe flue gas desulfurization (FGD) at coal-fired power plants and why it is used. Explain the details of one once-through process and one regenerable process.

Summarize the section titled "The MEL [magnesium enhanced slurry] Cost Model." Discuss how the article is useful to a pollution prevention manager. Conduct an Internet search to explain the concept of Best Available Technology (BAT) and whether any of the FGD processes described in the article are considered BATs. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for all of your responses. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

Explanation / Answer

Answer 1. Overview of the article:

Oregon, the electronics industry has recently been identified by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as one of the top five polluters in the state of Oregon when measured in pounds of pollution produced. Despite the data suggesting that Oregon’s electronics industry produces large quantities of hazardous waste, little is known about the industry’s interest and/or involvement in switching to less polluting practices. The purpose of this study, therefore,was to identify pollution prevention strategies that are currently being used in the electronic industry of oregon.

Benefits of using pollution prevention in the electronics industry:

! Protect human health and environmental quality.

! Reduce operating costs.

! Improve employee morale and participation.

! Enhance the company’s image in the community.

! Assist in compliance with environmental laws.

specific process modifications discussed in the article, MEE 6201, Advanced Pollution Prevention :

Some experts suggest that pollution prevention options in the electronics industry should focus on process modifications rather than product substitutions.

a) An example of a process modification might be to control crystal growth formations on the silicon chips so the need for sandblasting and cropping is greatly reduced.

b) Another modification might be to computerize the wafer slicing process which would yield thinner and more uniform slices.

c) selecting the least hazardous production process for operation or automating procedures so employee contact with potentially harmful products or processes is reduced.

chemical substitutions mentioned in the article:

a. Examples of substitutions included: (1) using hot water as an alternative to freon products and degreasers and (2) substituting "eco" nuts, scrap office paper, butcher paper, and real popcorn for packing materials.

b. With the implementation of pollution prevention practices, some manufacturers have attempted substituting less harmful chemicals in the production process. Although these substitutions are honest attempts at reducing pollution, cases exist in which the substituted chemical (which is advertised as being environmentally benign) is actually no less toxic than the original material.

For example, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were considered safe for 40 years. Nontoxic, nonflammable, and noncorrosive, they replaced hazardous substances such as ammonia and sulfur dioxide. Scientists, however, discovered that CFCs were not benign rather, the chemicals were rising into the atmosphere and insidiously eating a hole in the earth's protective ozone layer.

economics of making the suggested changes:

Businesses and governments have strong incentives to reduce the toxicity and volume of the waste that they generate. As pollution prevention activities lower operating costs, production costs will decrease. Therefore, companies with an effective, ongoing pollution prevention program will have a significant competitive advantage.

Because this industry indicated financial assistance would motivate businesses to switch to less environmentally harmful products and/or processes, the industry itself should reward companies that adopt pollution prevention practices. Both private and public mechanisms should be available for recognition, such as grants, tax incentives, or even cash bonuses.

reasons companies might not embrace pollution prevention.:

The main barriers to incorporating pollution prevention strategies into current processes are that new products or processes do not work as well as current practices, and that the costs of making the initial switch are prohibitive.

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