Pollution control

1. Important reminders: Presentation on Honors course 3 & 4 October @ 13:15 in Science Centre, Westville Campus !!!!!!! Hons. Applications close 31 October for admission in 2008!!!!!

2. Download Biol347 PowerPoint presentations: http://marinesci.ukzn.ac.za/documents/ and choose the BIOL347 folder REMEMBER: Each week’s presentations will only be available after the Tuesday lecture. Presentation only provide the framework, please do some extra reading on each subject – you are expected to do 68 hours of self-study during the course of the semester, i.e. about 5 hours per week

3. The Environment and People Overview of Environmental science Human Population growth The Environment Live on Earth The Biosphere: Populations, Communities, Ecosystems and Biogeochemical cycles The distribution of Live on Earth The dynamic earth and Natural Hazards Resource use and management People and natural resources Fundamentals of energy, fossil fuels, nuclear energy Renewable and alternative energy sources Water resources Conserving Biological Resources Land Resources and management Food and Soil Resources Dealing with Environmental Degradation Principles of Pollution control, Toxicology and Risk Water Pollution Air Pollution: Local and Regional Air Pollution: Destruction of the Ozone layer and global climate change Municipal Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Social Solutions to Environmental Concerns Environmental Economics Historical and Cultural Aspects of Environmental Concerns

4. Principles of Pollution Control Pollution and waste are symptoms, not causes, of the environmental crisis. Paul Hawken Pictures © 2006 Jones and Bartlett Publishers

6. What is pollution? Pollution = society’s excess output into the environment Something produced in amounts high enough to be harmful to us, other life, or valuable objects

7. Pollution has many faces Pollution as matter cycling and energy flow The environment ultimately consists of matter cycles and energy flows. Pollution represents local concentrations in the matter cycle or energy flows e.g. Heat pollution is a form of air and water pollution

9. Pollution has many faces Pollution as a stepwise process High volumes of waste produced as by products for other products/ processes “ Everything must go somewhere” as either energy flowing or matter cycling As a result, waste often end up in water, air or land. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) / Cradle to grave analysis can pinpoint steps in processes that can either be eliminated or made more efficient Therefore: “Cradle to grave” pollution = the many ways a product can pollute in its lifetime Pictures © 2006 Jones and Bartlett Publishers

10. Pollution has many faces Pollution as a stepwise process Pictures © 2006 Jones and Bartlett Publishers

14. Controlling pollution How much to control? Pictures © 2006 Jones and Bartlett Publishers

15. Controlling pollution What to control? Pictures © 2006 Jones and Bartlett Publishers Low cost High cost

16. Controlling pollution Pollution control vs. remediation vs. restoration Remediation counteracts some of the effects of pollution after it has been released into the environment, e.g. treat lakes contaminated with acid rain with lime. Very expensive Restoration seeks to reinstate the environment to its former condition. Extremely expensive Pollution control aims to remove the pollutant and dispose of it in a landfill or incinerator, e.g. cleaning up toxic fly ash from electricity generating plants. Very expensive.

17. Controlling pollution Implementing pollution control There are three basic ways prevent people from polluting: Persuasion: Ask people to change polluting behavior. Should be accompanied by education. Very cheap, but not too effective. Regulation: Pass laws requiring less pollution. Most useful when polluters are few in numbers and pollution can be easily monitored, e.g. hazardous waste of large factories. Incentives: Reward behavior that reduces pollution, e.g. tax incentives and subsidies for renewable energy use. Much lower cost than regulation. Examples: (1) deposits paid when potential waste is purchased and (2) pay as you throw schemes, where the polluter has to pay for discarding waste

18. Controlling pollution Implementing pollution control There are three basic ways prevent people from polluting: Persuasion: Ask people to change polluting behavior. Should be accompanied by education. Very cheap, but not too effective. Regulation: Pass laws requiring less pollution. Most useful when polluters are few in numbers and pollution can be easily monitored, e.g. hazardous waste of large factories. Incentives: Reward behavior that reduces pollution, e.g. tax incentives and subsidies for renewable energy use. Much lower cost than regulation. Examples: (1) deposits paid when potential waste is purchased and (2) pay as you throw schemes, where the polluter has to pay for discarding waste