Factories can stop pollution by controlling existing pollution, preventing future pollution, and selling by-products as raw materials. They can reduce air pollution by changing procedures and using filters, and treat sewage to prevent water pollution. Selling by-products reduces greenhouse gas emissions. However, pollution is not completely eliminated and preventing it altogether is the ultimate goal.
Factories around the world that want to help stop pollution have two basic options: work to control existing pollution and try to prevent future pollution. In many countries, factories are required to comply with certain environmental laws; others must implement their own self-imposed methods to stop pollution. Usually, their goals are to minimize the damage caused by existing pollutants and to attempt to prevent further pollution by changing their industry practices. A related option is to sell specific by-products as raw materials to other industries.
Air pollution usually takes the form of smoke or smog, but sometimes the pollutants are invisible to the naked eye. Contaminants can include particles in the air as well as solid and liquid aerosols; other common air pollutants include sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, produced by industrial activities such as coal burning. To help stop pollution, a factory may change its procedures or use different equipment. For example, filters on smokestacks can help stop pollution by trapping harmful substances and cleaning the fumes before they reach the air. Also, a factory could reduce carbon monoxide emissions, for example by burning natural gas instead of oil or coal.
Water pollution harms the animals and plants that live in rivers, streams and oceans. Factories can help stop pollution by treating sewage and other waste before releasing it into the environment. Additionally, water treatment plants clean polluted water and add chemicals in order to make it safe for wildlife and, often, human use. In the United States and abroad, the dumping of hazardous materials into ocean waters is prohibited by international regulations. The United States is also one of many countries subject to federal legislation that mandates specific anti-pollution practices.
In addition to changing their industrial practices, many factories try to stop pollution by selling some pollutants as by-products. Instead of being dumped, the by-products are recycled or reused as raw materials for another product. A recently documented example demonstrates the conversion of ‘slag’, a by-product of steel production, into a useful feedstock for cement production. The most notable environmental benefit of these sales has been a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
While these efforts to stop pollution may have alleviated some problems, they have not eliminated them. Climate change, for example, continues to worry all countries and it is often unclear whether some anti-pollution measures have been effective. In many industrialized countries, the ultimate goal is to prevent pollution altogether, rather than to manage it.
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