Handbook Of Pollution Control And Waste Minimization - Chapter 13 pdf

The purpose of the roadmap was to identify: Areas in which waste minimization and pollution prevention would have the greatest impact Options for preventing pollution or minimizing waste

Using Roadmaps in Pollution Prevention: The Los Alamos Model

Thomas P Starke

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

James H Scott

Abaxial Technologies, Los Alamos, New Mexico

1 INTRODUCTION

Roadmapping is a powerful technique for displaying the structural relationships among science, technology, applications, and results of applications Because they can incorporate complex, multiple relationships, they are used to display the possible paths from the present state to a desired end state Well-constructed, comprehensive roadmaps are used for science and technology management, including strategic planning, evaluating cost/risk, and program execution; for enhancing communications among researchers, technologists, managers, and stakeholders; for identifying deficiencies and opportunities in science and tech-nology programs; and for identifying obstacles to achieving a desired end state There are several roadmap methodologies in use today, including forecast roadmaps, retrospective roadmaps, and process evaluation roadmaps Because roadmapping methodology is so flexible, it can be used in many applications; it is frequently used for process evaluation, technology forecasting, and for defining investment

strategies Roadmaps have been used successfully by the U.S Department of Defense (DoD), the semiconductor industry, and various manufacturing concerns The starting point for all roadmapping methodologies consist of a defined current state and a very well-defined desired end state; in general, one cannot have a high-quality map without a carefully and comprehensively defined end state A complex project or process will have a number of intermediate states or goals between the current state and the desired end state The roadmap itself consists of a network of nodes representing activities, events, or processes Nodes can contain a variety of information, depending on the purpose of the node Nodes

are linked by actions The network of nodes and links ideally represents all

pathways from the current state to the desired end state in such a way that schedule, cost, and technical risk can be evaluated along each pathway Analysis

of high-quality maps can help evaluate options relative to risk, cost, and schedule; define deficiencies in current programs; and identify opportunities

In 1997 the Environmental Stewardship Office (ESO) at Los Alamos National Laboratory decided to prepare a roadmap for reaching the laboratory pollution prevention goal of substantially eliminating waste generation and pollutant re-lease by the year 2010 The purpose of the roadmap was to identify:

Areas in which waste minimization and pollution prevention would have the greatest impact

Options for preventing pollution or minimizing waste in those areas Costs, technical risk, time, and return on investment associated with im-plementing those options

The most cost-effective strategies for reaching the goal of substantially eliminating pollution and waste resulting from laboratory operations

In order to prepare this roadmap, ESO chose a methodology that is based

on technology roadmap principles developed by the Office of Naval Research and widely used in the DoD community (1) This methodology was modified by Los Alamos to incorporate the principals of process mapping developed by Robert Pojasek (2) The resulting methodology produces a roadmap with very broad scope but sufficient detail to allow identification of specific sources of pollution and waste and, consequently, specific remedial action options

The DoD roadmap methodology is hierarchical and proceeds through a series of submaps or map elements from general to specific Thus, the roadmap is made

up of several levels, with the higher levels being more general and less detailed

The highest level contains only the definition of the desired goal or end state, the overall strategy for achieving that goal, and the definition of the waste types to

be considered in the roadmap Normally, the highest-level map element is called the zero level, or the mission-level map element This element is comprehensive

in that it identifies the current condition and lays the foundation for the succeed-ing map elements In the zero level map element the waste types from any particular set of operations are defined

Level one maps take the waste types defined at level zero and develop process flow diagrams for each waste type A process flow diagram is an overview

of the process that generates the waste Process flow diagrams provide a summary

of the processes and activities that result in the generation of waste These diagrams are used to decompose each waste type into specific waste streams For example, a waste type may be sanitary waste, and waste streams within that type may be food waste, paper, and glass

At level two, process diagrams are developed for each waste steam within

a waste type These diagrams depict the process flow at a greater level of detail

In addition to these waste stream process diagrams, new or modified procedures, processes, or technologies are identified which may reduce or eliminate the waste stream The point in the process flow where the new technology can be deployed

is identified, along with the likely impact of deployment

For some high-priority waste streams, further detail is provided in a third level, including assessment of various options The hierarchical structure de-scribed above is shown schematically in Figure 1

As an example of roadmap structure and how the roadmap can be used, consider a path through Figure 1 The mission-level map element defines the N waste types These waste types could be sanitary, hazardous, liquid effluent, or many others, depending on the nature of the operations at level zero

At level one we define each waste stream within a waste type In the example, we have associated five waste streams with the second waste type The other waste types also have associated streams, not shown here for simplicity’s sake

At level two, a process map element is constructed to describe the processes that produce each waste stream An adjunct to the process flow map element is the definition of procedure, process, or technology options for treating the object The likely impact of each option is then described Technical risk, schedule risk, cost, and health and safety impacts are assessed

For high-priority or complex waste streams the options identified in the process flow map element are broken down in further detail, and a series of issues and attributes is developed to aid in comparing options To clarify the construction process, we will show how each of the map elements at various levels is constructed

3.1 Example: Los Alamos Environmental

Stewardship Roadmap

To illustrate the techniques used in construction of the roadmap elements we will follow the specific path for sanitary waste through the Los Alamos Environmental Stewardship roadmap The techniques can and should be generalized to other applications We will start with a conceptual mission-level map for Los Alamos National Laboratory

3.1.1 Level Zero or Mission-Level Map Element

Construct mission-level map element

Define waste types

Mission Level

Type 1 Waste

Type 2

Mission Level Map Element

Waste Defined

Process Flow Possible Sol'tns

1 2 3 4

Option 1 Element

Option 2 Element

Option 3 Element

Option 4 Element

Process flow defined for each Waste stream

For each process flow define waste minimization or pollution prevention actions defined

In some cases, solution options detailed with issues or further mapped

Waste Stream Defined For each Waste Type

Type 2 Waste

Type N Waste

Level Zero Map Element

Level One Map Element

Level Two Map Element

Level Three Map Element

Waste Type 2 Stream 1

Waste Type 2 Stream 2

Waste Type 2 Stream 3 Waste Type 2

Stream 4

Waste Type 2 Stream 5

F IGURE 1 Roadmap hierarchy example.

This mission level map is constructed to represent the laboratory as a system with

a series of material and energy flows, both into and out of the system The first step in constructing the mission-level map is to decide the scope of the initial system In this case, the system is the entire laboratory site We can also choose to examine a smaller subset if we wish to focus on a particular area Figure 2 shows the laboratory process map, which is a view of the laboratory from the local environmen-tal perspective The perspective can be important If we had chosen a regional perspective, the resulting roadmap would have been quite different

The map element is constructed by identifying inflows of materials and energy to the system, identifying the operations that use the materials and energy, and identifying system outflows, including all the products of the operations including wastes and pollutants The wastes are accrued into a number of broad waste types This is a critical step since it will form, in many cases, the foundation for all subsequent analysis The waste types must be comprehensive and include all wastes generated from operations

The laboratory performs work for government sponsors and private indus-try In performing this work, the laboratory procures services, materials, equip-ment, new facilities, and commodities (electricity and natural gas) The laboratory also takes in water from the regional aquifer and air from the surrounding atmosphere This series of inflows is shown at the left in Figure 2 Once in the laboratory, the inflows are used in the six different kinds of operations listed in Figure 2

Most person-hours are spent conducting office operations These involve office space, furniture, information processing equipment, paper, and office

MLLW TRU Waste

Excess Property

Materials

Power

Water

Effluents Ecosystem Impact,

LLW & Sanitary Disposal

Products

• Office Operations

• Experimental Operations

• Production Operations

• Maintenance and Infrastructure Operations

• Construction

• Environmental Restoration

Emissions Los Alamos National Laboratory

Hazardous Waste

F IGURE 2 Laboratory process map.

supplies Energy is expended to operate equipment and provide climate control Water is used in evaporative cooling to transfer waste heat to the atmosphere Experimental operation includes bench-scale and large-scale research En-ergy is expended to operate the equipment and provide climate control Water is used in evaporative cooling to remove waste heat Experimental operations typically procure large amounts of equipment but small amounts of chemicals and other materials

Production operations include all the site production operations Production operations consume material, water, and energy, but in this particular case energy and water usage is modest

Maintenance and infrastructure operations include all maintenance activi-ties, facility management activiactivi-ties, and site-wide infrastructure systems, such as the sanitary wastewater plant, on-site power plant, water influent system, and highway system These operations consume large quantities of chemicals and produce most of the site’s hazardous waste They also consume significant amounts of energy and water

Construction includes both smaller construction projects and major con-struction projects Concon-struction operations are important not only as a source of immediate environmental impact during construction activities; design decisions made during the construction process can lock in environmental impact for the lifetime of the facility

Environmental remediation includes all remediation activities on the site For purposes of this roadmap, only newly generated wastes and pollutants were considered, but that need not have been the case

Because the products of the laboratory are mostly information, most material inflows become by-product or waste outflows Identified outflows of waste and pollutants are divided into the eight categories shown in Figure 2 These include transuranic waste (TRU), mixed level waste (MLLW), low-level waste (LLW), hazardous waste, solid sanitary waste, excess property entering the salvage system for reuse or recycle, gaseous emissions, and liq-uid outfalls

Another result of operation also occurs The presence of laboratory facili-ties, infrastructure, operations, and land management affects local ecosystems Much of this is unavoidable, and much of it is not necessarily harmful to the local environment This local ecosystem impact can be minimized through wise operational choices

Once the operations and outflows have been identified, a fundamental choice must be made The subsequent lower-level maps can be organized and broken down according to either operation or waste type, depending on the specific goals of the mapping activity Roadmaps based on operations are particularly good if one wishes to focus on organizational structure and its impact

on pollution and waste generation and may include issues such as structure,

funding, and customer base Roadmaps based on waste type are generally more useful for devising pollution prevention and waste minimization strategies and choosing among technological alternatives As an example, we will construct a map based on waste type and follow a specific waste type—sanitary waste— through the succeeding map elements Janet Watson constructed the complete ESO sanitary roadmap, from which this was abstracted

3.1.2 Level One or Waste Stream Definition Level

Construct waste type process flow diagram

Define waste streams

Define issues and constraints

Prioritize waste streams

Since we have chosen to follow the development of roadmap elements through the sanitary waste type, we first construct a sanitary waste process flow diagram This diagram is constructed using the same principles that are used in all process flow diagrams: the inflows of materials and energy are identified, the process or operations are identified, and the outflows of waste material are identified At this level, quantification becomes important, since it will be used to prioritize waste streams for waste reduction activities The first-level map element that emerges from examination of the data is shown in Figure 3

Nonhazardous, nonradioactive materials enter the laboratory as procured items, mail, food, and various other substances such as glass, brush, and construc-tion materials These items are used by the laboratory and are either recycled, reused, or salvaged, or are disposed in the county landfill Materials disposed include such items as construction waste, food and food-contaminated wastes, paper products, glass, Styrofoam, and various other substances

Material outflow pathways are shown at the right of the diagram The composition of materials in those pathways is broken down in the pie charts at the bottom It is important to carefully and completely identify the constituents

of the waste and to quantify the volumes, since that information will form the foundation for the succeeding process flow diagrams

In this case, we will examine the dumpster waste in greater detail There are a number of waste streams to be considered As a normal part of the roadmapping process, it is important to prioritize these waste streams for action based on some criteria The basic question here is: Which waste streams should

we attempt to minimize first? Other questions that need to be addressed are the cost of minimization and the return on investment for minimization activities Before choosing criteria, it is necessary to examine all issues and con-straints associated with the waste streams Issues might involve such considera-tions as lifetime of the landfill If the landfill has a short lifetime and there are no easy alternatives to disposal at the current landfill, an overriding consideration

might be to minimize the volume of material sent to the landfill, even if the cost savings for that action are small compared to other possible actions Constraints might involve such things as regulatory requirements or operating policy Actions designed to meet regulatory requirements will probably be placed high on the priority list even if the costs are high and the return on investment is low In many pollution prevention and waste minimization programs, actions are prioritized based on Pareto analysis The underlying assumption of Pareto analysis, generally surprisingly good, is that 80% of the waste comes from 20% of the operations and that 20% is where you should concentrate your efforts at prevention If the operations are fully compliant with regulation and there are no overriding local issues, Pareto analysis is a very good way to prioritize activities In a classic Pareto chart, the volumes of waste are plotted for each waste stream in a bar chart The streams that contain 80% of the waste are then identified If there are no overriding constraints, these are the streams that are selected for intervention, usually either in the order of total waste quantity or total waste cost Robert

Pojasek, in “Prioritizing P2 Alternatives” (Pollution Prevention Review, vol 7,

Office Supplies

External Salvage Laboratory Processes

Internal recycle/reuse

Internal Salvage

Construction

Disposal

at landfill

Food Waste

Paper

Plastic StyrofoamWood Metal Glass

Cardboard

Construction

Recycle/reuse

Dumpsters

Sanitary Waste Dumpster Waste

Mail Food Substances Procurement

F IGURE 3 Sanitary waste streams.

no 1, pp 105–112, 1997), discusses Pareto analysis and its major variants

in detail

At this point, it is usual to construct a table listing the waste streams, issues, constraints, the cost of treatment, handling, and disposal, the cost of regulatory support, and quantities for each stream If the costs can be obtained on a unit quantity basis, calculating the cost associated with each stream is straight-forward These factors all influence the final prioritization of the waste stream

As stated previously, issues and constraints may outweigh the more obvious cost arguments

For this exercise we will not prioritize the sanitary waste streams but will choose to examine a subset of the paper waste stream—mail—in detail

3.1.3 Level Two or Waste Stream Process Definition

Construct waste stream process flow diagram

Identify intervention points

Identify prevention options

The process flow diagram for the “mail” waste stream is constructed like the previous process flow diagrams However, at this level the operations are dia-gramed explicitly and in some detail rather than being simply listed This is necessary because at this level we are trying to identify sources of waste and potential intervention points Often, physical inspection of the operation is required to develop the necessary detail For manufacturing or processing opera-tions, these diagrams can become very complex In this diagram, we have diagramed all the major pathways for mail between receiving and final disposi-tion Each box or node identifies a process or handling step

Every year the laboratory receives and distributes 714 MT of mail This mail includes junk mail, catalogs, telephone directories, and various documents,

as well as business mail The mail received by the laboratory includes a small amount of classified mail The process flow diagram for the mail waste stream is shown in Figure 4

Mail, including internally generated mail, is received by the laboratory and distributed Any unwanted mail can be sent by the recipient to Mail Stop A1000 for sorting and recycle Documents such as catalogs and directories that are glue-bound must first have the bindings sheared off before the paper is recycled The bindings are sent to the landfill for disposal Mail is also disposed by discarding in green desk-side containers or trash bins The contents of the green containers are sent to recycle, while the contents of the trash bins are sorted for recyclable materials at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Classified material may not be disposed unless it has been security (crosscut) shredded The strip-shredded material can be recycled, but crosscut strip-shredded material currently goes

to the landfill

With the advent of MRF operations, the opportunity to recover nearly all the discarded recyclable mail is realized The emphasis will then be on reducing the source of unwanted mail

At this point, it is usual to identify possible intervention points Examina-tion of the process flow diagram shows limited opportunities to reduce the quantity of mail going to the landfill The strategy has to be either to prevent mail from entering the laboratory or to increase the fraction of discarded mail that is recycled Eliminating all incoming mail is, of course, not an option, but there may

be ways to reduce particular incoming mail streams Most notably, it is possible

to reduce the volume of “junk mail” and certain print documents such as paper telephone books This upstream approach has the advantage of preventing waste

so that it never has to be handled At the disposal end of the diagram, the only destinations for waste mail are recycle and the landfill, so if the quantity of discarded mail going to the landfill is to be reduced, the recycle fraction must be increased Planning meetings with the personnel involved in recycle revealed two promising avenues to pursue

With the intervention points identified, a set of initiatives are formulated, with the numbers keyed to process flow diagram

Initiative 1: Reduction of “junk mail.” A substantial fraction of the mail

consists of recurring, unwanted “junk” mail A centralized stop-mail service for “junk mail” is currently in the pilot phase Any laboratory employee who wishes to request removal of his or her name from a mailing list can use this service

Initiative 2: Eliminate paper phonebooks Paper phonebooks are widely

used and are difficult to recycle US West directories, which are routinely distributed to all employees, will be eliminated as a source of waste by restricting delivery and asking employees to use the “on-line” directory

Mail

LAB

Mail Stop A1000

Green Bins Trash Bins

Glue Bindings Recycle

Shearing Dumpster

Recycle Collection

Paper

Recycle

Landfill

Sandia Discard

1

2

MRF-Sort

Publications

- Distribute internally generated mail &

publications -Distribute External

4

F IGURE 4 Mail and document distribution and disposal.