pollution and the consumption of goods—an aspect of the problem stemming
almost entirely from industrial rather than domestic wastes—to determine the
sources of the remaining increases:
Almost 77 percent of incremental BOD production and 58 percent of the increased discharge of phosphorus to sewers can be traced to the amount and
composition of rising consumption of goods by Americans. Signicantly, much
of that production cannot be considered to have improved the real economic
well—being of consumers. Twenty—three percent of the total increase in BOD
occurred as a result of the growth of pulp and paper output, where more elab—
orate packaging has provided much of the impetus for growth. Similarly, no
less than 55 percent of the larger output of BOD [that is, the total BOD increase] arose from chemicals production, and an indeterminate but large por—
tion of that increase must be ascribed to [the] expanding use of various dis—
posable products. In the same general way, an estimated 42 million pounds of
sewered phosphorus can be ascribed to increased utilization of phosphorus in
detergent formulations—an increase in unit use that was again reinforced after
1968 with the appearance
of phosphorus—rich “enzyme” pre—soaks and deter—
gent compounds. [7]
EPA analysts were of the opinion that “The economy of the United States has
been marked not only by a voracious absolute demand for more goods, but by
a relative preference for goods whose production involves a substantial was—
ting of organic materials to water.” [8] Other information shows that this demand is reflected in a number of industrial operations ranging from the basic
process of steelmaking to advanced techniques for manufacturing complex
chemicals. The emphasis on increased production speed and lighter unit
weight in the steelmaking industry means that advanced technology now
being introduced will actually produce more of certain types of pollution per
ingot ton of steel than did the older technology.
Steelmaking.
For example, the basic oxygen furnace, which utilizes pres—
surized oxygen
to speed steelmaking, outproduces the older open hearth fur—
nace, but in so doing requires larger volumes of water to clean and cool com—
bustion gases. These wastewaters contain extremely ne suspended particles
which are especially difcult to remove. Continuous casting, in which molten
steel is converted directly into seminished shapes rather than into ingot
molds, is gaining favor because it eliminates certain interim steps in the con—
ventional steelmaking procedure, thereby increasing production rates. However, continuous casting also requires copious amounts of water to cool molds
and castings, producing as a side eËect large quantities of contaminated
wastewater. In another modern operation, hot—strip mills with reheating furnaces and continuous rolling procedures can turn a thick slab of steel intü a
thin sheet about six feet wide and a quarter of a mile long in three minutes or
less. This high-speed process answers the demand for large quantities of thin—
gauge metal, but it also requires large amounts of water to carry away scale
removed from the metal surface and to cool the hot steel sheets. Some of the
newer hot—strip mills produce up
to 100,000 gallons of wastewater per
minute
containing scale particles too fine to be removed in ordinary gravity-settling
Modern Technology cmd lncreosed Pollution
93
almost entirely from industrial rather than domestic wastes—to determine the
sources of the remaining increases:
Almost 77 percent of incremental BOD production and 58 percent of the increased discharge of phosphorus to sewers can be traced to the amount and
composition of rising consumption of goods by Americans. Signicantly, much
of that production cannot be considered to have improved the real economic
well—being of consumers. Twenty—three percent of the total increase in BOD
occurred as a result of the growth of pulp and paper output, where more elab—
orate packaging has provided much of the impetus for growth. Similarly, no
less than 55 percent of the larger output of BOD [that is, the total BOD increase] arose from chemicals production, and an indeterminate but large por—
tion of that increase must be ascribed to [the] expanding use of various dis—
posable products. In the same general way, an estimated 42 million pounds of
sewered phosphorus can be ascribed to increased utilization of phosphorus in
detergent formulations—an increase in unit use that was again reinforced after
1968 with the appearance
of phosphorus—rich “enzyme” pre—soaks and deter—
gent compounds. [7]
EPA analysts were of the opinion that “The economy of the United States has
been marked not only by a voracious absolute demand for more goods, but by
a relative preference for goods whose production involves a substantial was—
ting of organic materials to water.” [8] Other information shows that this demand is reflected in a number of industrial operations ranging from the basic
process of steelmaking to advanced techniques for manufacturing complex
chemicals. The emphasis on increased production speed and lighter unit
weight in the steelmaking industry means that advanced technology now
being introduced will actually produce more of certain types of pollution per
ingot ton of steel than did the older technology.
Steelmaking.
For example, the basic oxygen furnace, which utilizes pres—
surized oxygen
to speed steelmaking, outproduces the older open hearth fur—
nace, but in so doing requires larger volumes of water to clean and cool com—
bustion gases. These wastewaters contain extremely ne suspended particles
which are especially difcult to remove. Continuous casting, in which molten
steel is converted directly into seminished shapes rather than into ingot
molds, is gaining favor because it eliminates certain interim steps in the con—
ventional steelmaking procedure, thereby increasing production rates. However, continuous casting also requires copious amounts of water to cool molds
and castings, producing as a side eËect large quantities of contaminated
wastewater. In another modern operation, hot—strip mills with reheating furnaces and continuous rolling procedures can turn a thick slab of steel intü a
thin sheet about six feet wide and a quarter of a mile long in three minutes or
less. This high-speed process answers the demand for large quantities of thin—
gauge metal, but it also requires large amounts of water to carry away scale
removed from the metal surface and to cool the hot steel sheets. Some of the
newer hot—strip mills produce up
to 100,000 gallons of wastewater per
minute
containing scale particles too fine to be removed in ordinary gravity-settling
Modern Technology cmd lncreosed Pollution
93