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Emission Standards (emission + standards)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences40%

Selected Abstracts

Integrated environmental product innovation and impacts on company competitiveness: a case study of the automotive industry in the region of Munich

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2008
Ursula Triebswetter
Abstract This paper examines the impact of integrated environmental product innovations on company competitiveness. In a regional case study about automotive, rail and commercial vehicle firms in Southern Germany it is found that integrated environmental product innovation is driven by factors such as regulatory pressure, the search for competitive advantages and technological lead as well as customer pressure. Regulatory pressure includes sector policies, such as emission standards, and wider non-sector energy conservation issues, at both national and international levels. For instance, EU directives on future use of renewable energy as well as national goals for reaching the Kyoto protocol play an important role in driving innovation. The study finds that integrated environmental product innovations driven by regulatory pressure produce similar competitiveness impacts as innovations undertaken voluntarily by companies. Such results yield supporting evidence for the so-called ,Porter hypothesis', which assumes that environmental legislation stimulates innovation and leads to ,win,win' situations , the simultaneous reduction of pollution and increase in productivity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Evolution of hazardous waste combustors MACT standards

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 4 2001
Charles W. Lamb Ph.D.
This year, on July 24, the DC Circuit Court ruled that the EPA had not correctly derived emission standards, and vacated the MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) rule for Hazardous Waste Combustors (HWC) [1, 2]. A major complaint, voiced by the Sierra Club, was that the MACT methodology was misapplied in a manner that produced overly lenient standards. Industry and trade associations argued just the opposite. The Sierra Club won the first round when the court agreed that the emission standards should be based on the average of the best-performing 12% of units in each category. The next question was, "What will be the regulations until the final standards can be developed?" This caused considerable angst because, if no standards were in place by May 15, 2002, control would revert to case-by-case permits by Federal and State regulatory agencies as set forth in Section 112 of the Clean Air Act. Obviously, that would be the antithesis of the Congressional mandate and the objectives of environmental groups. The Sierra Club and most litigants did not want the uncertainties and inconsistencies this would introduce. [source]

Bioprocesses for the removal of nitrogen oxides from polluted air

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
Yaomin Jin
Abstract Nitrogen oxides (NOx) of environmental concern are nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). They are hazardous air pollutants that lead to the formation of acid rain and tropospheric ozone. Both pollutants are usually present simultaneously and are, therefore, called NOx. Another compound is N2O which is found in the stratosphere where it plays a role in the greenhouse effect. Concern for environmental and health issues coupled with stringent NOx emission standards generates a need for the development of efficient low-cost NOx abatement technologies. Under such circumstances, it becomes mandatory for each NOx-emitting industry or facility to opt for proper NOx control measures. Several techniques are available to control NOx emissions: selective catalytic reduction (SCR), selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), adsorption, scrubbing, and biological methods. Each process offers specific advantages and limitations. Since bioprocesses present many advantages over conventional technologies for flue gas cleaning, a lot of interest has recently been shown for these processes. This article reviews the major characteristics of conventional non-biological technologies and recent advances in the biological removal of NOx from flue gases based on the catalytic activity of either eucaryotes or procaryotes, ie nitrification, denitrification, the use of microalgae, and a combined physicochemical and biological process (BioDeNOx). Relatively uncomplicated design and simple operation and maintenance requirements make biological removal a good option for the control of NOx emissions in stationary sources. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

STRATEGIC BEHAVIORS TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION: A CASE OF TRUCKING INDUSTRY

CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2007
TERENCE LAM
We used trucking industry's response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's acceleration of 2004 diesel emissions standards as a case study to examine the importance of accounting for regulatees' strategic behaviors in drafting of environmental regulations. Our analysis of the time series data of aggregate U.S. and Canada heavy-duty truck production data from 1992 through 2003 found that heavy-duty trucks production increased by 20%,23% in the 6 mo prior to the date of compliance. The increases might be due to truck operators pre-buying trucks with less expensive but noncompliant engines and behaving strategically in anticipation of other uncertainties. (JEL L51, Q25) [source]

Pathways to industrial environmental improvement in the East Asian newly industrializing economies

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2002
Michael T. Rock
After the adoption of ,grow first clean up later' environmental strategies, governments in the East Asian newly industrializing economies (NIEs) turned to environmental ,clean-up' by enacting landmark environmental legislation, creating command and control environmental agencies and promulgating tough air and water emissions standards. Available evidence suggests there is wide variability in the performance of these new environmental regulatory agencies. Most attribute this variability to differences in ,political will'. However, why have some governments among the East Asian NIEs been able to muster the ,political will' to impose duties on industrial polluters while others have not? This paper answers this question by summarizing a larger study (Rock, 2002) which examines the ,politics of industrial pollution' control in six East Asian NIEs. Each case study is based on extensive interviews, the collection of data on the effectiveness of pollution management policies, and the integration of both with the political economy literature on each economy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment [source]