Process Engineering Equipment Handbook

Industrial ecology, based on recycling of waste products, is a sustainable development strategy that is gaining ground. The reductions in overall industrial and commercial fuel use gained by sharing energy among a group of neighboring facilities contributes to resource sustainability. Another aspect of the ecological park concept is waste-heat recovery and energy from waste projects. There is also the potential for many companies to cooperate to reduce waste-management costs by reassessing industrial processes to recycle many liquid and solid waste streams. Many air- and waste-management issues can be dealt with using pollution prevention technology.
A successful ecological park is much easier to integrate into local communities that might otherwise complain about waste, smoke, pollution, and so forth. To succeed, therefore, a high level of public awareness, information, and support is required. Governments, local or otherwise, can assist by being educated on the basics of the technology and providing financial incentives.
When operating a plant in certain countries such as the Scandinavian countries, the public and government are well educated in environmental issues. In countries such as Canada, the level of the general population's environmental education may not be as consistent, but it is likely to be higher than in the U.S., for instance. Penalties for damage to ecosystems may reflect a higher percentage of revenues in ecologically aware countries.
Table E-1 outlines various...