Selected Proceedings from the Sixth European Meeting on Chemical Industry and Environment (EMChIE VI) Mechelen,Belgium,May 17–19,2010 Environmental Issues in Chemical Industry

Due to increasingly stringent legislation driven by an increasing public awareness of environmental issues, the environmental burden created by industrial activities must be reduced. Not only should the pollutants emitted to the environment be addressed, but also the increased energy efficiency of processes and the use of sustainable and renewable sources of energy and feedstock, which are important for mitigation of global warming.

The chemical industry has already made significant investments in more environmentally friendly processes. During the past decade, a major shift in approach has been evident. Whereas, in the past, the main focus was on end-of-pipe techniques for the abatement of generated pollutants, now the main emphasis is on development of clean production facilities that generate less waste containing, less hazardous components. Aside from the environmental benefits, this also reduces the cost of processes, since a larger fraction of the spent raw materials is incorporated in the final product. The concepts of green chemistry, green engineering, and cleaner production are no longer just academic curiosities but offer a framework to implement these changes.

The shift from end-of-pipe solutions to “clean technology,” by incorporating renewable feedstock and alternatives to fossil fuels, is only possible through radical changes in design of new facilities, and by incorporating new technologies in existing ones. Further, the introduction of biotechnology in chemical processes is a breakthrough domain: biochemical conversions will continue to increase in importance, driven by new technologies for the identification and selection of microorganisms and bio-inspirational management. It is clear that research and development play a key role in these changes.

This special issue of Environmental Engineering Science bundles selected papers from those presented at the Sixth European Meeting on Chemical Industry and Environment (EMChIE VI), which took place in Mechelen, Belgium, from May 17–19, 2010. The conference series was originally founded by Prof. Joaquim Casal of the Universitat Polytècnica de Catalunya (Spain). Since its first edition in 1993, the EMChIE conference has been organized by various renowned European universities. The total of 147 papers included in the conference proceedings illustrate that the topics covered by the EMChIE conference are still of high interest, even 17 years after the first EMChIE conference took place in Gerona.

In concluding this introduction, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all authors for submitting their manuscripts and to the editorial team of Environmental Engineering Science (and especially to the European Editor Dr. Julia Stegemann) for their willingness to dedicate a special issue to the conference.