GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION PROCESS IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to study the management conditions of the chemical industry in order to increase operational efficiency and to create guidelines for increasing the efficiency of production processes in the chemical industry for sustainable development. Whereas, two methods were used in this research, namely, Area Frame Survey and In-depth Interview. The areas surveyed in this research are two chemical industrial estates, namely, Bangpoo Industrial Estate and Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. The In-depth Interview was an in-depth interview with 17 factory managers working in the industrial estates. The tool used in this research and data collection was a semi-structured interview guideline. For management of chemical industry in Map Ta Phut and Bangpu Industrial Estates, businesses have been operated with attention paid to environmental conservation in communities and society under the principles of ethics and good governance leading to sustainable success of business operation. When considering on operational efficiency of production process, industrial estates released wastewater of companies calculated to be 80 percent of total consumed water. In addition, in wastewater treatment process, chemicals were used causing higher expenses. Consequently, the measures on water reuse were established. According to observation on characteristics and management of factories, it was found that wastewater collection of factories was in the form of pipes for collecting wastewater from each point of production process to central cesspool without any meter for measuring water content in many points of digestion process. The Guidelines for Improving Efficiency of Production Process in Chemical Industry for Sustainable Development could be concluded by using measurement for system controlling. Separating wastewater from wastewater collection system would help to reduce burdens of wastewater treatment system by controlling dirtiness of wastewater not to be higher than controlled value. Consequently, treated wastewater would have good quality without causing any environmental impact. In addition, separation of wastewater was also able to be filled for adjusting condition of wastewater to obtain higher Biochemical Oxygen Demand in the event that Biochemical Oxygen Demand of wastewater was greatly lower than controlled value. Therefore, system would be able to be operated under controlled value. For clay sediment’s water obtained from water production process, clay sediment could be disappeared after leaving. Clear water separated from clay sediment could be reused for producing water from the next treatment that would help to reduce content of groundwater pumping.