Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
POLLUTANTS IN
MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Group 6
• The manufacturing process turns raw materials into useful goods. But
some of the by-products of manufacturing — waste materials left over
or substances produced by the manufacturing process itself — may
be harmful to the environment. Manufacturing contributes to air and
water pollution, but regulations that limit the amount of pollutants
released into the air and water have reduced the problem.
• Our activities affect the environment and the environment affects our
health. As the number of humans on earth increases, our agricultural
and industrial activities have a greater impact on the environment,
particularly on the atmosphere.
AIR POLLUTION
• Many manufacturing processes involve heating
raw materials to transform them into more useful
forms. Oil refining, for instance, is a process called
fractional distillation that heats petroleum to high
temperatures to separate it into various grades of
gasoline and other petroleum products. Doing so
releases sulfur dioxide into the air. Other
manufacturing types use heat from coal or diesel
furnaces to provide steam power to run the plant.
Burning these fuels can also release pollutants into
the air.
WATER POLLUTION
• Some manufacturing methods use large quantities of water.
Waste water from these processes released into streams, rivers
and lakes adds pollutants to the water. Other water pollution
occurs when tanks storing chemicals leak and leach into the
groundwater. Paper and textile manufacturing, which use
chemicals such as chlorine and benzene, are among the
processes that can contribute to water pollution.
WHAT KINDS OF POLLUTANTS ARE
EMITTED FROM PAINT AND COATING
MANUFACTURING?
• Paint and Coating manufacturing facilities emit pollutants such
as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds
(VOC), and particle pollution (dust).
• While Federal, state, local, and Tribal regulations limit the amount
of emissions from paint and coating manufacturing facilities,
dangerous releases of HAPs can occur if a paint and coating
manufacturing facility does not operate in compliance with
regulations.
• Mixing and cleaning operations can release some HAPs and
VOC. Chemicals in these substances can react in the air to form
ground-level ozone (smog), which has been linked to a number
of respiratory effects. EPA has developed an extensive Web site
related to ground-level ozone.