Manufacturing Processes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Manufacturing Processes - Assignment Example This paper produces a report on the utility and application of these tools to a manufacturing environment specifically bringing out the necessity of applying these principles and also to evaluate the exact reasons why such an analysis need to be done at all. For the purpose of outlining the manufacturing process we take the example of paper production processes. For manufacturing paper wood, bagasse (outer stalk sugar cane), hemp straw etc are used. Normally the paper manufacturing is preceded by the pulping process where the raw material for example wood is made into pulp. Pulping processes are generally classified as chemical, mechanical or semi-chemical. The three chemical pulping methods are known as kraft, sulfite and soda. There are three steps involved the pulping; initial processing, washing the pulp and bleaching the pulp. At the end of the processes several Toxic Air and Water Pollutants like Volatile Organic Compounds causing damages to lungs tissues, Total reduced Sulphur with foul odors, Hazardous Air Pollutants causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Adsorbable Organic Halides Chloroform, Dioxin and Furan are generated. (EPA Fact Sheet 1997) 3.0 Life cycle Analysis (LCA): "LCA is a technique [] compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs of a product system; evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs; and interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the study" (ISO 14040:2006) This part of the paper deals with an important tool for assessing the impact of the manufacturing processes on the environment. According to O'Neill (2003) Life Cycle Analysis is a technique used to quantify the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle. The different parts of the life cycle are examined from raw material extraction, manufacture, transport and use through to waste processing. The publication of Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme envisages that LCA can be used to evaluate the environmental performance of processes, products and services1 from 'cradle to grave' and identify potential cost savings. It is relevant to most, if not all, industrial situations where a product is manufactured or a service provided. The figure below illustrates the life cycle stages: Karolina Flemstrom et al.(2004) opines that the effects of product or services considered in LCA are overall potential environmental impacts e.g. global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, photochemical oxidant formation, toxicity and eutrophication, of all resources used and waste generated in a defined technical system. To conduct an LCA it is essential that the following three interrelated components are identified and addressed during the LCA process: Life cycle Inventory: is the process of quantifying energy and raw material requirements, air emissions, waterborne effluents, solid waste