Everyone knows that one of the most acute problems facing mankind of our time is the pollution of our environment. This topic resonates in the scientific community, and it is discussed by many media.
To date, various organizations have been created and are operating, whose activities are aimed at combating ever-worsening environmental conditions. Scientists are sounding the alarm, warning humanity about the inevitability of terrible environmental disasters.
And today the topic of pollution of our environment is one of the most discussed. A large number of books and scientific papers are devoted to her. However, despite all the efforts spent, the issue of environmental pollution remains relevant and important. Putting it in a long drawer is not worth it. The consequences of environmental disasters are unpredictable and can be a great tragedy for our planet.
Pollution history
The problem of conservation of nature, which excites humanity today, is not new. Even in the era of primitive society, people were barbarously destroying forests, destroying animals, changing the landscape of the territory in order to obtain valuable resources and create arable land. Already in those distant times, such activities led not only to climate change, but also to the emergence of other environmental problems.
As the number of inhabitants of our planet and the progress of civilization increased, people began to intensively extract minerals and drain water bodies. The impact of man on nature has been aggravated by the technical revolution. It not only marked a new era of social order, but also brought a new wave of natural pollution.
With the development of technology and science, a person got his hands on a different tool, using which, you can make a trial and accurate analysis of the ecological state of our planet. And the relevance of this issue is confirmed by alarming weather reports, data on monitoring the chemical composition of soil, water and air, as well as satellite images. Smoky pipes of plants and oil spills formed on the surface of the water have a negative impact on the environment. With the expansion of the technosphere, the problem of preserving the environment is rapidly exacerbating. No wonder the appearance of man is called the main environmental disaster of our planet.
Sources of pollution
To ensure his life, a person is forced to work. He produces water in order to eat it and use it in production. Necessary for human life and food. They also need to grow, produce and process. The goal of all other types of people’s activities is to solve their everyday needs for clothes and housing. For this, mining and processing of minerals and natural resources is carried out, they are transported and transported, and energy is generated.
A person constantly fights not only for life, but also for improving its quality. He expands his space, waging devastating wars, exploring space, engaging in science, etc.
All of the above human activities are nothing but the main sources of pollution of our planet. After all, their result is the appearance of domestic and industrial waste.
Sources of environmental pollution are classified according to their respective production areas. The most dangerous for our planet is gas and oil production, chemical industry and metallurgy, energy, agriculture and transport. Moreover, waste generation occurs not only at the end of the production cycle. Substances polluting our planet are also produced during the technological process.
Sometimes the waste itself becomes dangerous to nature. In case of their improper storage, disposal, and in the absence of processing, they become a source of emissions of harmful substances.
Environmental Assessment
Today, humanity seeks to use the achievements of scientific and technological progress in solving environmental problems. This is primarily due to the optimization and improvement of resource-saving and environmentally friendly technological processes, the creation of waste-free production and the widespread use of water circulation systems. Of particular importance is the assessment of the state of the environment. It becomes possible on the basis of data obtained by control systems for emissions of elements hazardous to humans into the environment and the state of natural objects. The main purpose of this assessment is the possibility of early diagnosis of negative changes.
The information system for continuous monitoring and subsequent analysis of pollution levels and the effects caused by these processes in the biosphere is called monitoring. This procedure consists of three elements:
- observations;
- state assessments;
- forecast of likely changes.
To carry out environmental monitoring, regular observations of natural resources and environments, of the animal and plant world are carried out. At the same time, the data obtained make it possible to determine their condition, as well as those processes that occur because a person is exposed to nature.
As a result of the environmental monitoring, the researchers give a constant assessment of the conditions of the environment in which a person lives and various biological objects (animals, plants, microorganisms, etc.). This analysis determines the functional value of ecosystems. In addition, if there is any problem of environmental pollution, then environmentalists determine those corrective actions that must be performed to improve the state of nature.
Nevertheless, the main component of monitoring is the assessment of the state of the environment. To determine it, the characteristics and indicators of objects of nature are selected, and their direct change is revealed. The totality of the data allows us to answer the question "What is the state of the environment?"
Types of environmental measures
What are the ways to solve environmental problems? First of all, they are concluded in carrying out various environmental measures. This concept, which is abbreviated as POM, includes all types of diverse human activities that are aimed at eliminating and reducing the negative impact of production on the environment. Under such measures, they also mean the preservation, rational use and improvement of the country's resource base. At the same time, types of environmental technologies are as follows:
- construction and operation of neutralizing and treatment facilities;
- development of non-waste and low-waste industries and technological processes;
- location of traffic flows and enterprises, taking into account environmental requirements;
- fight against soil erosion;
- land restoration;
- the rational use of various mineral resources and the protection of mineral resources and much more.
The purpose of environmental activities
How to combine such different concepts as “production” and “environment”? Environmental technologies are the main key to solving environmental problems arising on our planet.
Their use is intended to provide:
- Compliance with the developed regulatory requirements for the state of the environment, which meet the interests of human health and take into account promising changes due to demographic shifts and the development of the production sector;
- obtaining the greatest economic effect from a more complete use and conservation of mineral resources.
Atmosphere protection
Consider the main ways to solve environmental problems, which are concluded in the use of environmental technologies.
Industrial enterprises, developing measures for the protection of the atmosphere, primarily determine:
- sources of emissions of harmful substances;
- amount and composition of emissions;
- levels of air pollution in the dispersion zones of hazardous elements;
- MPE emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
In this case, one or another technological decision must be made to reduce the harmful effects on the atmosphere with the determination of the required amount of gas-cleaning and dust-collecting equipment.
Wastewater treatment
The use of environmental technologies affects this area of industrial production. Wastewater enterprises must be treated with special substances. Only in this case, the destruction or removal from them of hazardous elements that should not fall into water bodies in accordance with applicable laws.
There are two methods of such cleaning - destructive and regenerative. At the first of them, hazardous substances contained in the water that passed through the technological cycle are destroyed by various chemical or physico-chemical methods (reduction, oxidation, etc.). The result is decomposition products that are removed as precipitates or gases.
In the regeneration technique, liquid wastes are returned to the production cycle, used in another production, or lost in their valuable components. Similar environmental technologies emit contaminated water, spent fuel or oil, and various multicomponent mixtures as their objects.
Recycling
The problem of environmental pollution cannot be solved without the use of environmental technologies related to the collection, destruction and disposal of various kinds of unnecessary elements. At the same time, not only industrial waste is considered, but also solid household waste. This problem is especially acute in cities and industrial centers.
What environmental technologies exist to address this underlying problem? These include:
- reduction of waste;
- reuse of resources disposed of as part of MSW;
- burning non-hazardous waste;
- placement of solid household waste at special landfills, where they will be stored for a long time (if hazardous substances are present in their composition).
Non-waste technology
Today, the process of improving technology is gaining momentum. The industry produces a huge number of very complex mechanisms and machines, consisting of a wide variety of materials. Their list includes non-ferrous and ferrous metals, wood and plastic, fiberglass, rubber and composites. Moreover, the service life of such equipment is not determined at all by its physical wear. She quickly becomes obsolete. That is why more and more technically sound products and materials are being dumped. However, this raw material is quite useful when creating new mechanisms. And here environmental technologies such as creating the cyclical nature of material flows find their place.
A promising direction at the same time is the expansion of industries using non-waste technology. With this method of production, environmental and energy-saving technologies find their application. This allows you to maintain the normal functioning of the environment due to the minimal impact on it.
A large number of modern industries throw part of their waste into air and water. However, that which enters the atmosphere also contains substances valuable for managing. Using environmental technologies, we can highlight the necessary elements. The most promising project that would allow solving this problem is the use of waste from one production as a raw material of another. This will significantly reduce the volume of liquid, solid and gaseous emissions and discharges.
Ecology and fuel and energy complex
An important condition for the preservation of our planet is environmental technology in the power system. This is due to the fact that the enterprises of this complex are one of the main sources of negative environmental impacts.
The stages of the fuel and energy complex are:
- production, processing and transportation of fuel;
- the production of energy in the form of electricity and heat;
- transportation and processing of waste and its disposal.
In all of the above stages, there is a whole technological chain of interconnected processes. And each of these links has its own effect on nature. So, impressive emissions into the air are made from large coal mines. At the same time, carbon dioxide and dust, nitrogen oxides and toxins enter the atmosphere. All these substances are the result of blasting and the movement of mining vehicles.
A negative effect on the environment is provided by the activities of thermal power plants. To generate heat, they burn gas and fuel oil, peat and coal, as well as wood processing waste. At the same time, toxic substances and hazardous chemical elements are released into the atmosphere.
What environmental technologies are used in this complex? The environmental impact is reduced by:
- established cleaning systems;
- optimization of technological processes at all stages of electricity and heat generation;
- the choice of fossil fuels;
- purification of exhaust gases;
- emissions of hazardous elements into the atmosphere and into water bodies.
The energy saving and environmental safety of the complex can be improved only by taking measures implemented at all three stages of its operation.
