Cole Roberts completed his MS thesis with funding from the EPA through the SC E3 program. Cole completed a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparison of hexavalent chromium and titanate and conducted a risk assessment on the environmental and human health impacts of Cr (VI) emissions. Below is the abstract to Cole’s thesis. The full document can be found at Clemson’s Tiger-Prints website; thesis number 3345.
Hexavalent chromium is a commonly used industrial anti-corrosive that is carcinogenic and toxic to humans and the environment. Although there have been several studies published over the past two decades on the adverse effects of inhaling and ingesting Cr (VI), it is still readily used and emitted by various industries. This project set out to 1) identify and analyze a possible pathway to significantly reduce the use and pollution of hexavalent chromium in South Carolina and 2) provide a risk assessment of specific emission sites in the Charleston metropolitan area. The first section of this study examined source reduction of chromium emissions, while a site risk assessment was conducted in the second section. Source reduction involved conducting a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparison of hexavalent chromium and titanate, a titanium-based alternative to chromium in metal manufacturing. The risk assessment studied emissions from specific release sites and provided significant data on the environmental and human health impacts of Cr (VI) emissions. The LCA findings bore favorable results for the titanate alternative, while the risk assessment showed significant cause for concern regarding contamination of fish and drinking water within the study area.
Recommended Citation:
Roberts, Cole Andrew, “Analysis of Hexavalent Chromium in South Carolina Industries” (2020). All Theses. 3345.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3345