Purpose-Driven Reconciliation of Approaches to Estimate Chemical Releases

A framework is presented to address the toolbox of chemical release estimation methods available for manufacturing processes. Although scientists and engineers often strive for increased accuracy, the development of fit-for-purpose release estimates can speed results that could otherwise delay decisions important to protecting human health and the environment. A number of release estimation approaches are presented, with the newest using decision trees for regression and prediction. Each method is evaluated in a case study for cumene production to study the reconciliation of data quality concerns and requirements for time, resources, training, and knowledge. The evaluation of these decision support criteria and the lessons learned are used to develop a purpose-driven framework for estimating chemical releases.