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Zero pollution for industry: Waste minimisation through industrial complexes
Environmental
Pollution, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 241-242, 1996 Copyright 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
ELSEVIER
BOOK REVIEWS These criticisms aside, I am sure that this book will become a standard reference text on the use and problems of using sewage sludge. The bringing together of a vast amount of information, both from published reports, government reports, legislation and also the more ‘grey’ literature of research corporation reports results in an excellent resource which will be valuable for all concerned with the disposal and use of sewage sludge, whether from a standpoint of agriculture, environmental protection or industry. This is an important topic for society at large as after all, this is an environmental problem to which we all contribute on a daily basis!
Agricultural Recycling of Sewage Sludge and the Environment. By S. R. Smith. CAB International, Wallingford, 1996, ISBN 0 85198 980 2, 382 pp. Price: E49.50. This is ‘everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know’ about sewage sludge, and lots more besides. All aspects of the use of sewage sludge in agriculture are considered, both the benefits in terms of disposal of a major waste and contributions to soil fertility, and the problems due to sludge use resulting in pollution. Over half the book is devoted to the ‘potentially toxic elements’ (PTEs) more commonly known as heavy metals. The other main concerns associated with use of sewage sludges, namely the organic pollutants (of which we are likely to hear much more in future) and transmission of pathogenic organisms also receive detailed coverage. The positive side of using sewage sludge on agricultural land is discussed in terms of the contribution of organic matter to improve soil structure, and handling and provision of nitrogen and phosphorus for crop growth. This is combined with a well-balanced consideration of the downside of sewage sludge contributing to eutrophication and nitrate contamination of groundwaters through leaching and runoff. Environmental assessment and legislation are then described in the final chapter and an appendix. The author, Stephen Smith, works for the Water Research Centre which has a close relationship with the water companies, and his writing does tend to convey a rather ‘industry-orientated’ view of the topic. For example, what comprise ‘alarmist attitudes’ (p. 6) and leads one to conclude on the ‘overall minimal risk’ (p. 261) of sewage sludge use depends very much on which side of the fence one sits. Few would doubt the sense of recycling human waste to agricultural land, but I fear some of the approach advocated could result in complacency when long-term pollution of soil, the basis of a sustainable agriculture, is considered. I must admit I did not always find it easy readingthe treatment of the literature is very thorough, rather than selective or synthetic, to the extent that clarity of arguments is lost in places, with long lists of references (10 or more at times) justifying single points. I was slightly bemused that in one chapter the Commission of European Communities and the cation exchange capacity are both abbreviated as CEC, but luckily (although the US EPA do) the CEC do not take the CEC into account in setting their limits for PTEs. A little less jargon and some summaries of the main points at the end of each chapter would have been helpful for the reader. In fact the summaries are really all located in the final chapter on Environmental Assessment which povides a very useful synthesis of information.
Ken Giller
Zero Pollution for Industry: Waste Minimisation Through Industrial Complexes. By N. L. Nemerow. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1995, ISBN 0 471121 649, 217 pp. Price f45.00. The issue of waste minimisation at the local level is a key aspect of sustainability at the global level and many countries are now actively promoting improved waste minimisation as a component of national policy. With this background, ‘Zero Pollution for Industry’ will be seen as a topical book, since it discusses industrial waste minimisation at source and waste recycling, and proposes the concept and establishment of Environmentally Balanced Industrial Complexes (EBTCs), in which two or more industrial facilities are co-located so that wastes from each site can be utilised as raw material on a sister site. The early chapters of the book consider the cost/ benefit elements of reducing discharges to the environment, in terms of both improved production costs and greater amenity value, and move on to the cost basis of waste minimisation, recycling and recovery. The EBIC concept is then developed, and Nemerow gives some weight to what to many would seem a utopian concept through a total of fifteen worked examples covering a variety of industrial sectors including pulp and paper, textiles, timber, power plants, cement, plastics, sugar cane and steel. Despite the topical subject matter, and Nemerow’s long-standing academic contribution to the waste management field, the book is marred by two major deficiencies. Firstly, amongst the fifteen examples of industrial complexes proposed by Nemerow, only one case is cited of a full-scale example, that of the Brooksville power plant, Florida, which is a cement-lime-power plant combination. This is surprising because numerous 241
242
Book Reviews
relevant examples do exist, although perhaps not quite achieving the ‘zero waste’ objective. There are for example: power plants which host fish farms and glasshouse complexes utilising the waste heat and water from the power plant; power plants which produce cement blocks from ash wastes; and chemical complexes such as the former ICI Billingham site, with co-sited plants designed to use each other’s wastes or by-products as raw materials. Further, there are examples of local groupings of established industries forming consortia to utilise each other’s wastes e.g. the Furness Consortium in Cumbria. Secondly, the book is focused primarily on US data
and experience, despite very relevant experience being evident elsewhere. This lack of a more global perspective, and the attendant lack (though not a complete absence in this case) of metric units are sadly not uncommon in US publications. In summary, the book makes a worthwhile contribution to the sustainability debate. The failure to relate the concepts espoused to real examples, and the lack of coverage of non-US experience, detract substantially from a worthy message, and will lessen the potential impact of the book, particularly outside North America. D. Worrall
Pollution, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 241-242, 1996 Copyright 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
ELSEVIER
BOOK REVIEWS These criticisms aside, I am sure that this book will become a standard reference text on the use and problems of using sewage sludge. The bringing together of a vast amount of information, both from published reports, government reports, legislation and also the more ‘grey’ literature of research corporation reports results in an excellent resource which will be valuable for all concerned with the disposal and use of sewage sludge, whether from a standpoint of agriculture, environmental protection or industry. This is an important topic for society at large as after all, this is an environmental problem to which we all contribute on a daily basis!
Agricultural Recycling of Sewage Sludge and the Environment. By S. R. Smith. CAB International, Wallingford, 1996, ISBN 0 85198 980 2, 382 pp. Price: E49.50. This is ‘everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know’ about sewage sludge, and lots more besides. All aspects of the use of sewage sludge in agriculture are considered, both the benefits in terms of disposal of a major waste and contributions to soil fertility, and the problems due to sludge use resulting in pollution. Over half the book is devoted to the ‘potentially toxic elements’ (PTEs) more commonly known as heavy metals. The other main concerns associated with use of sewage sludges, namely the organic pollutants (of which we are likely to hear much more in future) and transmission of pathogenic organisms also receive detailed coverage. The positive side of using sewage sludge on agricultural land is discussed in terms of the contribution of organic matter to improve soil structure, and handling and provision of nitrogen and phosphorus for crop growth. This is combined with a well-balanced consideration of the downside of sewage sludge contributing to eutrophication and nitrate contamination of groundwaters through leaching and runoff. Environmental assessment and legislation are then described in the final chapter and an appendix. The author, Stephen Smith, works for the Water Research Centre which has a close relationship with the water companies, and his writing does tend to convey a rather ‘industry-orientated’ view of the topic. For example, what comprise ‘alarmist attitudes’ (p. 6) and leads one to conclude on the ‘overall minimal risk’ (p. 261) of sewage sludge use depends very much on which side of the fence one sits. Few would doubt the sense of recycling human waste to agricultural land, but I fear some of the approach advocated could result in complacency when long-term pollution of soil, the basis of a sustainable agriculture, is considered. I must admit I did not always find it easy readingthe treatment of the literature is very thorough, rather than selective or synthetic, to the extent that clarity of arguments is lost in places, with long lists of references (10 or more at times) justifying single points. I was slightly bemused that in one chapter the Commission of European Communities and the cation exchange capacity are both abbreviated as CEC, but luckily (although the US EPA do) the CEC do not take the CEC into account in setting their limits for PTEs. A little less jargon and some summaries of the main points at the end of each chapter would have been helpful for the reader. In fact the summaries are really all located in the final chapter on Environmental Assessment which povides a very useful synthesis of information.
Ken Giller
Zero Pollution for Industry: Waste Minimisation Through Industrial Complexes. By N. L. Nemerow. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1995, ISBN 0 471121 649, 217 pp. Price f45.00. The issue of waste minimisation at the local level is a key aspect of sustainability at the global level and many countries are now actively promoting improved waste minimisation as a component of national policy. With this background, ‘Zero Pollution for Industry’ will be seen as a topical book, since it discusses industrial waste minimisation at source and waste recycling, and proposes the concept and establishment of Environmentally Balanced Industrial Complexes (EBTCs), in which two or more industrial facilities are co-located so that wastes from each site can be utilised as raw material on a sister site. The early chapters of the book consider the cost/ benefit elements of reducing discharges to the environment, in terms of both improved production costs and greater amenity value, and move on to the cost basis of waste minimisation, recycling and recovery. The EBIC concept is then developed, and Nemerow gives some weight to what to many would seem a utopian concept through a total of fifteen worked examples covering a variety of industrial sectors including pulp and paper, textiles, timber, power plants, cement, plastics, sugar cane and steel. Despite the topical subject matter, and Nemerow’s long-standing academic contribution to the waste management field, the book is marred by two major deficiencies. Firstly, amongst the fifteen examples of industrial complexes proposed by Nemerow, only one case is cited of a full-scale example, that of the Brooksville power plant, Florida, which is a cement-lime-power plant combination. This is surprising because numerous 241
242
Book Reviews
relevant examples do exist, although perhaps not quite achieving the ‘zero waste’ objective. There are for example: power plants which host fish farms and glasshouse complexes utilising the waste heat and water from the power plant; power plants which produce cement blocks from ash wastes; and chemical complexes such as the former ICI Billingham site, with co-sited plants designed to use each other’s wastes or by-products as raw materials. Further, there are examples of local groupings of established industries forming consortia to utilise each other’s wastes e.g. the Furness Consortium in Cumbria. Secondly, the book is focused primarily on US data
and experience, despite very relevant experience being evident elsewhere. This lack of a more global perspective, and the attendant lack (though not a complete absence in this case) of metric units are sadly not uncommon in US publications. In summary, the book makes a worthwhile contribution to the sustainability debate. The failure to relate the concepts espoused to real examples, and the lack of coverage of non-US experience, detract substantially from a worthy message, and will lessen the potential impact of the book, particularly outside North America. D. Worrall