Definition - What does Sustainable Development mean?
Sustainable development is a type of development that can be maintained over time without damaging the environment or the ability of people in the future to meet their needs.
Sustainable development is very important in chemical processes because it must be:
- Energy efficient
- Environmentally benign
- Conducive to the rapid commercialization of new products
Sustainable development leads to corrosion protection by developing more corrosion-resistant materials.
Corrosionpedia explains Sustainable Development
Sustainable development constantly seeks to achieve social and economic progress in ways that will not exhaust the Earth’s finite natural resources.
The goals of sustainable development are:
- Improve chemical processes that convert raw materials into finished products.
- Reduce fuel consumption through better energy efficiency and product yield.
- Maximize the reuse of valuable byproducts.
- Decrease the use of scarce natural resources and fossil fuels.
- Minimize corrosion.
- Eliminate the release of harmful pollutants into the environment.
These goals may be achieved through the aggressive use of recycling and reuse of materials as well as through more complex efforts, such as highly engineered closed-loop or zero-discharge industrial operations.
To minimize the consumption of increasingly scarce raw water, wastewater streams are treated to allow for maximum reuse within a facility. Chemical engineers develop imaginative technologies to minimize the amount of virgin raw materials, fuel and power required in product manufacturing.
Corrosion management is an essential element for the development of a sustainable industrial society, including issues such as the selection and development of corrosion-resistant materials, coatings and environmentally friendly inhibitors.
Corrosion scientists also look for more corrosion-resistant materials, environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors and coatings for making structures or objects which are sustainable and do not harm the environment and the needs of future generations.