4
1 Introduction and Overview
environmentally compatible chemicals aimed to avoid longer-term effects such as
chronic toxicity and bioaccumulation, and this was recognized to also help prevent
significant future costs associated with paying compensation for damages.
An ongoing challenge for industrial chemistry today is the implementation of
safety and the protection of human health and the environment given the following:
(1) Global competitiveness has become an essential aspect for the survival of
businesses. (2) The chemical industry has become an embedded part of society
with mutual dependencies. This requires industry not only to consider meeting the
needs of customers but also to be accepted by society. (3) The natural environment
provides crucial resources that society depends on, and its long-term preservation
should be of concern to every decision-maker. The material and energy cycles within
the environment provide a framework (but also constraints) for economic activities,
and their importance increases the more their limits are exceeded.
To help overcome these challenges, this book aims to present readers with basic
elements and techniques that can be used to ensure safety and the protection of
human health and the environment within the development of chemical products and
processes. These are introduced in the context of applying integrated development,
which is a core concept used throughout the chapters to come.
1.2
The Concept of Integrated Development
Integrated development is the approach of considering risks related to safety and the
protection of human health and the environment in the development of a product and
its associated production processes. This includes risks from throughout the entire
life cycle of the product and process, which should be considered from the very
first development steps. Integrated development makes use of inputs from multiple
perspectives and areas of expertise, and it encourages iterative improvements as
illustrated in Fig. 1.1.
Within integrated development, every development stage of the planned technical
system needs to be designed, modeled, analyzed, and then evaluated. This requires
that a minimal set of relevant data be either newly generated or collected. In particular, the modeling step should aim to include data about material and energy flows
that characterize interactions the system will have with humans and the environment
throughout the entire life cycle. The analysis step then aims to identify both adverse
effects and benefits of the system according to different scenarios that could occur.
In a final step, an evaluation is carried out of the expected benefits, adverse effects,
and risks considering economic objectives, legal framework conditions, societal
values, and the company’s desired profile. This model-based approach allows for
a comparison of each potential product or process design by creating a profile of
strengths and weaknesses for each variant.
For an effective and efficient development process, the widest possible range
of design variations (e.g. products, synthesis processes, application processes,
recycling technologies, utilization/disposal routes) should be initially considered.
Further and more refined versions of the technical system can then be created for
1 Introduction and Overview
environmentally compatible chemicals aimed to avoid longer-term effects such as
chronic toxicity and bioaccumulation, and this was recognized to also help prevent
significant future costs associated with paying compensation for damages.
An ongoing challenge for industrial chemistry today is the implementation of
safety and the protection of human health and the environment given the following:
(1) Global competitiveness has become an essential aspect for the survival of
businesses. (2) The chemical industry has become an embedded part of society
with mutual dependencies. This requires industry not only to consider meeting the
needs of customers but also to be accepted by society. (3) The natural environment
provides crucial resources that society depends on, and its long-term preservation
should be of concern to every decision-maker. The material and energy cycles within
the environment provide a framework (but also constraints) for economic activities,
and their importance increases the more their limits are exceeded.
To help overcome these challenges, this book aims to present readers with basic
elements and techniques that can be used to ensure safety and the protection of
human health and the environment within the development of chemical products and
processes. These are introduced in the context of applying integrated development,
which is a core concept used throughout the chapters to come.
1.2
The Concept of Integrated Development
Integrated development is the approach of considering risks related to safety and the
protection of human health and the environment in the development of a product and
its associated production processes. This includes risks from throughout the entire
life cycle of the product and process, which should be considered from the very
first development steps. Integrated development makes use of inputs from multiple
perspectives and areas of expertise, and it encourages iterative improvements as
illustrated in Fig. 1.1.
Within integrated development, every development stage of the planned technical
system needs to be designed, modeled, analyzed, and then evaluated. This requires
that a minimal set of relevant data be either newly generated or collected. In particular, the modeling step should aim to include data about material and energy flows
that characterize interactions the system will have with humans and the environment
throughout the entire life cycle. The analysis step then aims to identify both adverse
effects and benefits of the system according to different scenarios that could occur.
In a final step, an evaluation is carried out of the expected benefits, adverse effects,
and risks considering economic objectives, legal framework conditions, societal
values, and the company’s desired profile. This model-based approach allows for
a comparison of each potential product or process design by creating a profile of
strengths and weaknesses for each variant.
For an effective and efficient development process, the widest possible range
of design variations (e.g. products, synthesis processes, application processes,
recycling technologies, utilization/disposal routes) should be initially considered.
Further and more refined versions of the technical system can then be created for