POLLUTION PREVENTION

Pollution Prevention



Pollution Prevention

Question 1

The feed water, depending on its source, may contain various concentrations of suspended solids and dissolved matter. Suspended solids may consist of inorganic particles, colloids and biological debris such as microorganisms and algae. Dissolved matter may consist of highly soluble salts, such as chlorides, and sparingly soluble salts, such as carbonates, sulfates, and silica. During the RO process, the volume of feed water decreases, and the concentration of suspended particles and dissolved ions increases.

Suspended particles may settle on the membrane surface, thus blocking feed channels and increasing friction losses (pressure drop) across the system. Sparingly soluble salts may precipitate from the concentrate stream, create scale on the membrane surface, and result in lower water permeability through the RO membranes (flux decline). This process of formation of a deposited layer on a membrane surface is called membrane fouling and results in performance decline of the RO system (Freeman, 1995). The objective of the feed water pretreatment process is to improve the quality of the feed water to the level which would result in reliable operation of the RO membranes. The initial removal of large particles from the feed water is accomplished using mesh strainers or traveling screens.

Question 2

An SEP will not be allowed for projects which the respondent has already completed, or which the respondent already intends to do or is likely to do.1 An SEP will also not be allowed for activities which the respondent is required to do by statute, regulation, permit or order or which the Department has the legal authority to require the respondent to do. Under some circumstances, an SEP may provide for accelerated compliance through which a significant environmental benefit is achieved substantially sooner than is otherwise required by law (see discussion under the section entitled, “Pollution Reduction Projects” (Hart, 1997).

Environmental projects can assist your company develop and integrate an environmental management system in line with current systems and/or in accordance with ISO 14001 requirements. Our team works alongside our clients to achieve results which meet their needs with the aim to provide both practical and easy to implement systems, enabling all levels of the workforce to successfully own and understand the requirements of the system. Environmental projects can assist clients who need to develop site/job specific tools for environmental management and monitoring. We offer our services for the creation of; environmental management (and implementation) plans, environmental compliance plans, environmental monitoring strategies and programs, environmental audits/reporting components of environmental management systems, environmental specifications for contracts and designs.



Question 3

Reusing an item is when you use the same item over and over again. The goal of reuse is to lengthen the life of an item or material. If you're reusing materials, you might hand down your smaller clothes to your younger brother or sister. Other examples of reuse include buying and selling used items, borrowing lawn equipment from a friend and renting DVDs. The goal of reusing is to make the same product last as long as you ...