The major end-user of environmental technologies as indicated by the survey are municipalities, the energy and power generation sector, and the chemical industry. The energy and power generation sector, and the chemical industry are the major end-users of air pollution prevention technology. In the "Water and Wastewater," "Waste Management," and "Energy" sectors, municipal services, including municipal power generation, were indicated as major end-users of environmental technologies. In the sectors of "Water and Wastewater," and "Waste Management," municipal services were followed by various industries, such as mining, chemical, paper, wood, and food processing. As might be expected, the transport sector is the major end-user of air and noise and vibration pollution prevention technologies. Industry in general is also an important user of environmental technologies related to energy.
Worth noting here is the trend for municipalities to be the major end-user of environmental technologies. This is largely because of the decrease in industrial production in most countries since the late 1980s, when several factories (otherwise the most likely user of environmental technologies) ceased production because of financial problems. In addition, some major environmental problems arising from industry have already been addressed. Therefore, the focus is shifting now on pollution from the municipal sector, which was neglected in the past.
The rankings presented in Tables 1.15 to 1.19 give an indication of the major end-user groups in specific areas of environmental technology in individual countries.
| TABLE 1.15: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - AIR | |
|---|---|
| Country | Major End-User Groups |
| Czech Republic | Power plants and heat generating stations; Industrial companies |
| Hungary | Energy sector; Power plants; Chemical industry; Transport; Waste incinerators; Metallurgy |
| Poland | Energy and power generation sector; Chemical industry; Various types of manufacturing; Transport |
| Slovakia | Energy sector; Chemical industry; Transport |
| Slovenia |
Municipal power generation; Transport; Chemical and Paper industry
|
The major end-users of environmental technologies in air pollution prevention are operators of power plants and heating stations. Most power plants are owned by the state, through a majority share, while local heating stations have various forms of ownership - some are owned by former state enterprises that have become joint-stock companies. Other heating stations are private, or are owned by municipalities. The significance of the power and energy sector as clients is bound to increase in the next few years, as more stringent regulations on air pollution from stationary sources are introduced and enforced.
Other significant end-users of air pollution control equipment included the chemical industry and transport, followed by various other industries - metallurgy, pharmaceutical, paper etc. Notably, neither small, stationary pollution sources (family housing), nor the automotive sector (private vehicles) are among the major end-users, as for the most part they are not affected by regulations.
| TABLE 1.16: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - WATER AND WASTEWATER | |
|---|---|
| Country | Major End-User Groups |
| Czech Republic | Municipalities; Municipal sewage treatment and drinking water suppliers; Remediation companies; Hospitals; Food processing. |
| Hungary | Municipal water and wastewater service companies; Chemical industry; Energy sector; Mining; Food industry; Pharmaceutical industry; Textile industry, Agriculture (diluted manure) |
| Poland | Municipalities/municipal services; Chemical industry; Various types of manufacturing; Energy and power generation sector; Mining |
| Slovakia | Municipalities; Chemical industry; Manufacturing in general. |
| Slovenia | Municipal services; Chemical industry, Agriculture; Food industry; Heavy industry; Mining |
| Note: "Municipalities" are town administrations who order and purchase various technologies and services while "municipal services" are companies that are either controlled by municipalities or are contracted to provide town administrations with specific services (e.g. water supply, waste collection). | |
Municipalities (or operators of municipal systems) are the major end-users of both water and wastewater treatment systems. Considering the neglects of the past, this situation is expected to last well beyond the year 2000. With time, individual housing units, especially in more remote areas, may become a frequent buyer of compact wastewater treatment units, as prices for the removal of sewage increase.
Other important customers for wastewater treatment technologies are the chemical industry, manufacturing, the food processing industry and mining. The mining sector is still dealing with the unresolved problem of saline water disposal, and treatment of wastewater from raw ore cleaning.
The above groups are followed less frequently by other industrial groups and agriculture. Notably, the issue of non-point sources of water pollution is still uncharted territory in most countries, and can be expected to increase in the future.
| TABLE 1.17: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - WASTE MANAGEMENT | |
|---|---|
| Country | Major End-User Groups |
| Czech Republic | Municipal services; Municipalities; Mining; Public cleansing services; Landfill operators and waste processing companies; Transportation |
| Hungary | Municipal public utility companies; Mining; Energy sector; other industries (construction, textile, paper, food); aluminum industry (red mud); Agriculture |
| Poland | Municipalities/municipal services; Chemical industry; Energy and power generation sector; Manufacturing; Mining |
| Slovakia | Chemical industry; Municipalities, Mining; Energy sector. |
| Slovenia | Municipal waste management service; Chemical industry, Wood processing, Heavy industries; Mining |
Municipalities and municipal service providers are the major end-users of waste disposal technologies such as waste collection, landfilling, or incineration. The most frequent end-users of technologies for hazardous waste disposal (incineration, landfilling, re-use technologies) are the chemical industry, machinery, engineering, pulp and paper industries, and others.
Other significant categories of end-users are the energy and mining sectors, including processors of raw materials. There is still an unresolved problem of the disposal of massive amounts of phosphogypsum, slag and ash from energy generation, and pit excavation materials.
The mining and energy sectors are among significant end-users of technologies for site remediation and soil reclamation work. The state (e.g. privatization agencies) was also a frequent customer of remediation technologies.
| TABLE 1.18: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - ENERGY | |
|---|---|
| Country | Major End-User Groups |
| Czech Republic | Power plants, Heat generating stations; Municipalities; Municipal services; other industrial companies. |
| Hungary | Energy sector (production and service), Raw material processing industry (steel, aluminum); Chemical industry; Municipalities |
| Poland | Energy and power generation sector; Chemical industry; Municipalities/ municipal services; Mining; Transport |
| Slovakia | Energy sector; Chemical industry; Mining and processing of mineral resources. |
| Slovenia | Municipal power generation; other industrial sectors |
| Note: The difference between "municipalities" and "municipal services": "Municipalities" are town administrations who order and purchase various technologies and services. On the other hand, "municipal services" are companies that are either controlled by municipalities, or are contracted to a private company provide town administrations with specific services (eg. water supply, waste collection). | |
As can be expected, the major end-user of energy-related environmental technologies is the power and energy generation sector. Retrofitting of existing systems, along with process management and control were the major areas of interest within this field.
Energy saving technologies, or alternative energy sources are not currently in great demand, but may experience a boom within the next few years. At present, energy producing companies are not pressed to undertake any energy-saving measures, since they are paid for energy produced, not that saved. Alternative energy sources may become of interest to municipalities and private individuals if they become more affordable, and the price of energy rises as expected.
Other industrial branches (e.g. chemical) may also become more significant end-users for heat recovery and energy savings technologies, as prices of energy go up and industrial activity increases.
| TABLE 1.19: MAJOR END-USERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES - NOISE, VIBRATION AND OHS | |
|---|---|
| Country | Major End-User Groups |
| Czech Republic | Large industrial companies; Construction companies |
| Hungary | Transportation, Manufacturing industry, industrial sites in residential areas, Energy sector, Textile industry, Airports |
| Poland | Manufacturing; Heavy industry; Mining; Transport; Energy and power generation sector; Chemical industry |
| Slovakia | Manufacturing in general; Construction; Chemical industry |
| Slovenia | Transport; Industry; Mining |
Technologies reducing noise and vibration generally were not in great demand, and specifying major end-users was most difficult for all categories. Noise protection technologies for indoor workplaces are important to the chemical, metallurgic, mining, and heavy machinery industries. Outside noise pollution was a burden in some municipalities, and in transport. The construction industry may be one of the best clients. Technologies reducing vibrations are of interest to heavy industries.
There was no single dominant end-user for occupational health and safety equipment.