https://sites.google.com/site/rajyogikhem/home/practical-spiritual-aspects/entropyenvironmentandpollutionENTROPY
The law of entropy states that every time energy is transformed from one state to another, there is a loss in the amount of energy that was available to be converted into work because of inefficiency. This loss of energy is known as entropy. The law continues to postulate that the total entropy in the world is constantly increasing. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change from one form or another, and the corollary states that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. What this implies is that as entropy increases, the amount of available usable energy decreases. There is plenty supporting data from literature surveys validating the law and corollary. The eminent scientist Albert Einstein was convinced that these laws will never be overthrown as they are eternal laws.
It is also postulated that entropy is an irreversible process. Not only does the available energy decrease, but the unavailable energy from entropy is now waste or pollution. This waste cannot be harnessed to do any useful work economically. The conclusion infers that the world is moving towards a dissipated state and pollution of the world is constantly increasing and is tending towards a maximum.
Another aspect of the Entropy Law is that there is a universal tendency for "order" to break into "disorder". Crudely stated, entropy makes orderly states disorderly. This force of entropy has no exceptions. Entropy is at a minimum in a most ordered state in which the energy concentration is highest and available energy for useful work is maximum. It is also worth noting that whenever an attempt is made to reverse the entropy increase, it is only done by increasing the overall entropy of the surrounding environment.
Further analysis on entropy shows that in a closed system, energy moves from a higher level to a lower level of concentration. Heat always flow from a hot to a cold body and ultimately, there is no longer any difference in energy level. This is known as the equilibrium state, where entropy has reached a maximum. This can also be explained in terms of potential and kinetic energy. At the equilibrium stage, no free energy is available for work. This is also called "bound" energy. The important point to discern is that energy is exchanged with the surroundings and not matter.
By now the reader may have silently concluded that because of entropy, there is no solution to pollution. The author pauses to say that this is not necessarily so, for entropy is a natural phenomenon that creates balance in the creation. Whenever there is creation of new states, there is dissolution of other states to create balance. Boldly stated creation and destruction co-exist and that there is a dynamic non-change when this balance occurs. The danger occurs when there is imbalance in either direction. For example, lack of change in body from a child to adolescence leads to abnormality. The cells and skin must undergo entropy continuously and be replaced by new ones to accommodate growth. Similarly too much change leads to disorder, as in cancerous growth. The growth, maturity and survival of mankind depends on balance between the intelligence in the cells and the process of entropy. Ingestion, digestion and metabolism all depend on intelligence and entropy to operate effectively. Entropy must be fully understood to appreciate the situation that the world is now experiencing in terms of an unhealthy environment. This situation is because of the imbalance between entropy and intelligence. A significant portion of the imbalance is man-made.
What does all this explanation have to do with a solution to pollution? It is to fully understand the processes involved in the chemical, physical and biological reactions. What parts add value and what parts have deleterious effects. It is important for us to have the full awareness of the environmental impact of waste products and effluents. There is a direct cost associated with a product, however these are overheads and other indirect costs associated in the real cost of production. Part of this cost is treatment and disposal of unmarketable by-products and the effluents. This cost is real wherever adequate legislation is effective and in place. Environmental impact assessment for both long and short term assist in sound business decisions as well as business location. This type of education is relevant, hence the awareness and application of entropy.
Extreme care must be taken where genuine attempts are made to minimise pollution, and to ensure that pollution is not increased either downstream or upstream. This is a common occurance. The enactment of the U.S. Clean Air Act and legislation of the Environment Management Authority Bill must be commended. There has been genuine attempts to reduce the "lead" percentage emitted from vehicles using "leaded" gasoline. Many metropolitan countries have enacted legislation to phase out its use until economically acceptable alternatives are established. However, there are many published papers and reports stating that emissions from aromatic octane enhanced gasoline show appreciable increase in ozone, formaldehyde and benzene contents. The effect of this range from respiratory to cancerous because of its carcinogenic nature. What therefore appears to be the remedy for one problem is the source of another concern; history is replete with such examples.
