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A

ABS
Copolymer comprising three constituents: acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene


Accident frequency rate
Number of accidents of Solvay personnel with a lost time for the injured person / million hours worked


Alkali
Family of products derived from alkali metals, including compounds such as sodium carbonate and caustic soda. Solvay′s Alkalis Sector covers derivatives from soda production and electrolysis, and a range of other inorganic products.


Allyl
Family of products derived from the allyl group CH2=CH-CH2 and used in particular to produce epoxy resins.


Ammonia
NH3 gas formed by combining nitrogen with hydrogen; a very important intermediate throughout the chemical industry.


Ammonium Hydroxide
Aqueous solution of ammonia


Array
Multiple interconnected stages in series.


B

BAT
Best Available Techniques describe the most effective technology and methods designed to prevent and where is not praticable, to reduce emissions and their impacts on the environment. These techniques must be already developed under economically and technically viable conditions. BAT are linked to IPPC Directive


Bentonite
Clay (soft stone formed mainly of aluminum silicate) with a high capacity for absorption and decolorization


Bicar®Jet
System developed for surfaces cleaning in the industry (moulds, equipments, ...) and the restoration of building façades (removal of graffity, smog, ...) without damaging the support


Biorientation
Additional processing technique which greatly improves the mechanical resistance of plastic parts (PVC bottles and sheets); drawing the material in two directions (transversally and longitudinally) rearranges the molecular chains, thereby increasing cohesion


Brine
Mixture of salt and water


C

Calendering
Technique for processing plastics into sheets or film: the material is heated and mixed to obtain a viscous paste, which is passed through a series of rollers until it forms a continuous sheet, and gradually cooled before being wound into a roll.


Caprolactone
Intramolecular ester of 6-hexanolactone; a cyclic compound in which the ring opens during polymerization to produce polycaprolactone, a biodegradable polyester.


Carechem
Service developed for transport accidents of products, providing information based on Solvay safety data sheets, wehenever the accident occured


Caro′s acid
Common name for peroxysulfuric acid (H2SO5); can be produced from hydrogen peroxide


Caustic Soda
NaOH, sodium hydroxide; important intermediate in the chemical industry owing to its properties as a base


Causticization
Manufacturing process whereby alkaline hydroxides are produced by treating the corresponding salt, e.g. production of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) by treating sodium carbonate with caustic lime


Certification
Recognition by an external body; certification can only apply to instruments; instruments are nor accredited but they may be certified


CFCs
See Chlorofluorocarbons


Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Family of fluorocarbons, composed of carbon (C), chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F); production is being phased out in all the signatory countries to the Montreal protocol (1987)


Coating
Plastics processing technique whereby a polymerized coating is spread over a material (textile, paper, non-woven fabric) to produce leatherette, wall coverings, etc


Coextrusion
Plastics processing technique to produce multi-layered objects; coextrusion is used in the production of pipes, films, gas tanks, bottles, etc


Colon bacillus
A family of bacteria or bacilli including Escherichia coli, which is normally commensal in the human colon. Under certain conditions and depending on the strain, this bacteria can be pathogenic, causing infections of the urinary tract and diarrhea


Colostomy
Operation whereby an opening, temporary or definitive, is made from the colon to the skin to create an artificial anus


Compound
Plastics preparations in the form of granules, pellets, etc. ready for use in processing machines; depending on the intended use, stabilizers, fillers, pigments, reinforcing agents, etc. can be added to the basic resin


Concentrate
Raw water (or liquid) that does not pass through the membrane barrier. The concentrate stream contains higher total dissolved solids or suspended solids than the feed stream.


Concentration polarization
The accumulation of ionics species within the boundary layer at the surface of crossflow membranes. The concentration of ions is greater at the surface of the membrane than in the bulk feed stream.


Control of emission
Techniques which are used to limit, to reduce, to minimise or to prevent emissions


Copolymer
Polymer whose chain contains a series of dissimilar monomers


Crossflow
A type of membrane filtration where the pressurized feed stream flows parallel to the membrane surface to continuously wash concentrated contaminants away from the membrane surface.


Cyanization
Process of extracting gold from its ore by attacking the latter with sodium cyanide (NaCN) in the presence of oxygen (O2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or Caro′s acid (H2SO5); the effluents remaining once the gold has been separated contain toxic cyanide salts, which are oxidized by the hydrogen peroxide or Caro′s acid into non-toxic, decomposable cyanates


D

Dichloroethane
Molecule derived from ethane (CH3-CH3), in which two chlorine atoms replace the hydrogen atoms


Diffuse emission
Emission arising from direct contact of volatile or light dusty substances with the environment (atmoshere, under normal operating circumstances. These can result from: - inherent design of the equipment (e.g. filters, dryers, ...) - operating conditions (e.g. during transfer of material between containers) - or from a gradual release to other media (e.g. to cooling water or waste water) - type of operation (e.g. maintenance activities). Diffuse emission sources can be point, linear, surface or volume sources; multiple emissions inside a building are normally considered as diffuse emissions, whereas the general ventilation system exhaust is a ducted emission. Examples of diffuse emissions: opening of a filter or a vessel; diffusion through an open surface; volatile compounds emissions from sewers, loading/unloading operations without capture of vented vapours; dust from bulk storage, ...


Dioxins and Furans
Family of aromatic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and chlorine. They are produced in numerous combustion processes and may be destroyed at high temperatures


E

Ecobalance or life cycle analysis
Analysis and measurement of the environmental impact of a product or process throughout its life cycle, from the production of the raw materials and energy to waste and recycling


EDC
Ethylene Dichloride: C2H4Cl2 raw material used to produce VCM thru thermal cracking


Effluent
Physical fluid (air or water together with contaminants) forming an emission


Emission
Release of a quantity of substance, energy or vibration, into the environment (air, water, soil, ...); the emission can be expressed as a total quantity in absolute or as a rate per a defined period of time. IPPC definition: direct or indirect of substances, vibration, heat or noise form individual or diffuse sources in the installation into the air, water or land EPER definition: direct release of a pollutant to air or water as well as the indirect release by transfer to an off-site wastewater treatment plan


Emission factor
Direct relation or fixed ratio between measured data or physical parameters and a quantitative emission value, based on operational experience or previous numerous measurements, and defined within some context and within boundary conditions, expressed as specific emission


Emission limit value
Mass, expressed in terms of certain specific parameters, concentration and/or level of an emission, which may not be exceeded during one or more periods of time; ELVs may also be laid down for certain groups, families or categories of substances, in particular those list in annex III of the IPPC directive


Epichlorohydrin
Epoxide compound with the formula CH2Cl-(CH-CH2)O, the raw material for epoxy resins


Estrogen
Hormone secreted by the sex organs in both women and men. Estrogen is prescribed for hormone deficiencies, e.g. to relieve certain symptoms associated with the menopause and to treat osteoporosis, amenorrhea and some cases of infertility


EVCM
European Council of Vinyls Manufacturer, all western European PVC producer are represented in this organisation, which is leading member of Vinyl2010, the body managing the Voluntary Commitment of the industry chain


Extrusion
Plastics processing technique to produce films, pipes and smooth or corrugated sheeting. The plastic is forced through a flat or perforated annular die, which gives the object its definitive shape


Extrusion blow molding
Plastics processing technique whereby an intermediate product, a parison obtained by extrusion, is placed in a mold; a gas, generally air, is then blown in to force it to take the shape of the mold. This technique is used to produce hollow objects such as barrels, bottles and tanks


F

Feed
Raw water (or liquid) input to a membrane array.


Feedwater spacer
A netting or similar material that separates adjacent leaves and allows feedwater to flow freely across the membrane surface.


Flue gas purification
Technique of reducing the pollutant contents of a gaseous effluent (mostly smoke): may concern dust (solid particles), acid components, heavy metals, organic micropollutants (dioxins, furans); is generally severely regulated by official emission limits (e.g. European Directives)


Fluorinated polymers
Products produced by polymerisation of fluorine containing starting material being used for surface treatment of paper and textiles creating water resistant layers


Fluorination
Technique used in the production of gas tanks, for example; a fluorinated gas chemically modifies the surface of the plastic to increase the tank′s impermeability to petrol fumes


Flux
Substance which promotes the fusing of solids by reorganizing their crystal networks


Flux (Solvay Membranes)
Mass or volume rate of transfer through membrane surface, expressed as gal / ft2 / day.


Fortuitous monitoring
Monitoring achieved without any preliminary sampling plan during an anomaly or upset or unexpected conditions


Fouling
Deposition of solid material in the element from the feed stream of the membrane.


Fugitive emission
emissions into the environment resulting from a gradual loss of tightness from an equipment designed to contain an enclosed fluid (gaseous or liquid) and supposed to be tight, basically caused by a difference of pressure and a resulting leak; examples of fugitive emissions are: leak from a flange, a pump, a sealed or tightened equipment... Fugitive emissions are a subset of diffuse emissions


Furans
see "Dioxins"


G

Galenic
(from Galien) Any technique relating to the preparation, formulation, presentation and conservation of medicines (capsules, pills, intravenous and intramuscular applications, suppositories, etc.)


GLP
Good laboratory practice: set of principles that provides a framework within which laboratory studies are planned, monitored, recorded, reported and archived; these studies are undertaken to generate data by which the hazards and risks to users, consumers and third parties, including the environment, can be assessed for substances (pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, cosmetics, food and feed additives and contaminants, novel food and biocides); GLP helps assure regulatory authorities that the data submitted are a true reflection of the results obtained during the study and can therefore be relied upon when making risk/safety assessment


Good practice
Approach which provides a defined framework to the given activity; it does not preclude other approaches which may be more appropriate for a given requirement


Green Paper (PVC)
In 1996 the EU Commission started the "horizontal study on PVC", consisting of 5 individual studies. The outcome of these together with other information is the body of the "green paper on PVC" issued in 2000


Greenhouse gases
A basket of 6 gases, Carbondioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Dinitrogenoxide (N2O), HFCs, PFCs and Sulfurhexafluoride (SF6) which have a Global Warming Potential (GWP) and therefore have an impact on Climate Change


H

H2O2
See "Hydrogen Peroxide"


HCFC
Fluorine and chlorine containing hydrocarbons


HD
High density, see polyethylene


HDPE
High-density polyethylene, see polyethylene


HFC
Fluorine containing hydrocarbons which have no negative impact on the ozone and are mainly used for refrigeration, air-conditioning and insulation applications; they have replaced ozone depleting chlorinated hydrocarbons


Homopolymer
Polymer obtained from a single molecular radical


HPV
High Production Volume = the ICCA HPV Chemicals Initiative is a voluntary action by chemical companies, primarily in Europe, Japan and North America, to deliver globally harmonised data and initial hazard assessments for some 1,000 High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals


Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
Composed of carbon (C), chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F), with at least one hydrogen (H) atom. The first generation of CFC substitutes; they decompose in the troposphere and have little chance of reaching the stratosphere


Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Composed of hydrogen (H), carbon (C) and fluorine (F). The second generation of CFC substitutes, containing no chlorine atoms at all


Hydrogen Peroxide
H2O2, aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide, more commonly known as peroxide bleach, are used for their oxidizing properties in the bleaching of paper and textiles, in the treatment of effluents, in pharmacology, and as an intermediate in the chemical industry. Hydrogen peroxide is broken down into water and oxygen in an alkaline environment or in the presence of metallic derivatives


Hygrometry
The measurement of air humidity


I

Immission
level of concentration of a [substance] pollutant into the environnement after dispersion into the receiving media (air, water, soil,…) see also : ambient concentration: concentration of a substance in a medium resulting from the addition of an incremental concentration to a background concentration


Incident
Loss of containment of material or energy


Incineration of household waste
Technique of classical combustion (with air) applied to household waste, now most of the time associated with energy recovery: is often called "thermal valorization" to underline its positive role in saving non-renewable energy sources


Injection (molding)
Plastics processing technique to produce solid parts with a high degree of precision. The material is injected into a mold by a plunger; a press keeps the mold closed while the material cools. At the end of the process the mold is opened and the part ejected


Ischemia
Localized reduction or stoppage of blood flow in an organ


ISO
Standards published by the International Organization for Standardization; the 9000 series defines quality assurance models for all companies in the industrial and service sectors; certification indicates compliance with certain formalized working procedures


Isotacticity
Quality of a polymer having a molecular chain with a regular structure


K

Kidney dialysis
Technique of filtering blood through a microporous membrane; ambulatory dialysis is an option whereby the patient wears a plastic pouch containing the dialysis fluid


L

Lactose
Disaccharide (double sugar) with the formula (C12H22O11) present chiefly in milk; may be broken down into two other sugars, glucose and galactose