Best Available Techniques and Green Chemical Technology: Possibilities for Convergence of Concepts

A comparative analysis of the best available techniques (BAT) and green chemistry concepts is given. It was assessed whether their convergence is possible and reasonable. The environmental and technological concept of BAT is briefly described, which has become widespread and legally formalized in many countries of the world. The best available techniques were shown to be a tool for increasing the resource efficiency of production and reducing the negative impact on the environment. The requirements of BAT apply to all subsectors of chemical industry. Determination of BAT for chloralkali and pulp and paper industries was considered as a practical example. It was proposed that green chemistry principles, aimed at preventing or reducing the formation of hazardous substances throughout the life cycle of chemical products, should be taken into account when determining BAT for chemical industry. This will help to improve the efficiency of technological regulation in the field of environmental protection. It was assumed that convergence of BAT and green chemistry concepts would create conditions for the formation of green chemical technology as a field of scientific knowledge and for the development of social and environmental responsibility of enterprises. It was emphasized that imperative compliance with BAT requirements as a key criterion for evaluating the life cycle of products, for expert evaluation of sustainable development projects (including green projects), and for substantiation of environmental marketing status would prevent dissemination of unreasonable information about the products of various industries promoted on the market.