Chemical Engineering December 2010 - 44

Environmental Manager
Chemical Lifecycle Management
Sustainability demands
a higher level
of oversight that seeks
new ways to effectively
and cost efficiently
procure, handle and
dispose of,
or recycle materials
Victor Belenchia
Clean Harbors
C
hemicals in production and
laboratory environments
alike have three distinct
lifecycle phases: the first is
procurement and inventory storage;
the second is use in a manufacturing
process or research program; and the
third is post-use, including onsite handling,
removal and beneficial reuse,
recycle or disposal.
A number of considerations including
regulations, safety, material utilization
efficiency, costs and sustainability
govern all of the steps in this
lifecycle. The challenge for laboratory
and production managers is to balance
these sometimes competing forces to
create an effective process that meets
the organization's overall needs.
Proper chemical handling during
processing is typically emphasized in
production facilities, but how to handle
chemicals post-use is often given
less attention. While this article examines
the full chemical lifecycle, it
focuses on this post-use phase.
Sustainable lifecycles
Every laboratory and chemical processor
must follow environmental,
health and safety (EH&S) procedures
and regulations. This is often
a challenge, especially for smaller
operations, since implementation frequently
rests on individual managers,
Carbon,
chlorine and
other offsets
Manufacturer / waste generator
Waste diversion/disposal options
Production
SAA
SAA
MSA
Reprocess
Toll
Waste
management
disposal
services
Secondary market
Fuel
blending
(recycle) Treatment
Input to manufacturing process
Figure 1. Managing post-use chemicals is a vital part of chemical lifecycle management.
Recycling " waste " chemicals is an option that can contribute greatly to
sustainability goals
local teams and staff who have other
primary responsibilities. Regardless
of size, laboratory and production
managers must periodically review
their policies, conduct training and
audit their chemical inventories and
waste materials. Requirements, processes
and regulations change, and
it is management's responsibility to
remain in compliance, while meeting
everyday production demands.
Environmental sustainability continues
to increase in importance and
is embraced as a corporate goal at
many manufacturing organizations.
This takes chemical management beyond
the traditional regulatory and
safety considerations. The chemical
process industries (CPI) have become
even greater stewards of the materials
throughout their entire lifecycles as
they seek ways to further reuse or recycle
materials that were historically
disposed of as waste (Figure 1).
Sustainability requires the minimization
of consumption and waste
in order to reduce environmental impact
through process optimization and
reuse or recycling whenever possible.
This can require additional recordkeeping
and administrative steps. The
44 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2010
challenge, when it comes to chemical
lifecycle management, is to find operationally
efficient and cost-effective
ways to reduce the overall waste
stream through process optimization,
efficient material use, tolling or selling
recyclable materials to a secondary
market.
Purchasing and storage
Effective chemical management
starts before the chemicals arrive at
the site. Laboratory and operations
personnel need to work carefully with
purchasing staff to order the correct
amounts, minimize order errors and
ensure that proper receiving and
storage provisions are in place. For
operations personnel, it is a balance
between anticipating customer orders
and manufacturing volume in order
to eliminate production interruptions,
minimize storage and other inventory
costs, and to avoid having to dispose
of outdated materials. Purchasing
staff can consolidate orders to lower
costs, but they must have an understanding
of the chemical properties
and intended uses in order to ensure
that materials are consumed before
they begin to degrade and negatively
Landfill
Incineration
Recycle
Reuse
Disposal
Laboratory
SAA
http://www.Che.Com
Chemical Engineering December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering December 2010
