Why is correct industrial waste management important?

by CorpSeed Pvt Ltd Environment | Compliance | Finance

The generation of waste is a problem that affects almost all industries worldwide. Once the raw material is transformed into a finished product, the correct management of industrial waste is essential.

Industrial waste management is carried out with the intention of keeping waste in optimal conditions for transport. The treatment applied depends on the nature of the waste, and on the recycling and / or final disposal of said waste.

What is industrial waste?

Industrial waste is the result of manufacturing processes or transformation of raw materials, whether in solid or liquid state or a combination of both, and that due to their physical, chemical or microbiological properties cannot be assimilated to solid domestic waste.

For proper industrial solid waste management. it is necessary to be able to differentiate the types of waste that exist. There are different characteristics to categorize waste: its composition, its origin and its level of danger are taken into account.

In the specific case of industrial waste according to its dangerousness, we can differentiate three large groups: inert, dangerous and non-dangerous.

Inert industrial waste

This type of waste is characterized by not presenting marked structural changes. Its chemical, biological and physical composition remains practically the same over time.

These wastes are neither combustible nor biodegradable. In addition, they are elements that do not generate contamination, since they do not react either positively or negatively to contact with other types of compounds.

Within the inert waste are rubble, gravel and sand, among others.

Toxic or hazardous industrial waste

They are all those wastes that are not degradable in nature and, as their name indicates, in high concentrations are harmful to the health of people and the environment; that is, they are polluting.

These are substances that are flammable, corrosive, toxic or can lead to chemical reactions.

Find out more about the management of these hazardous waste.

Non-hazardous industrial waste

These wastes do not pose a risk to the environment. These are compounds that can be more easily recovered.

This type of waste generates a negative impact on a visual level when it is not managed correctly.

The type of waste generated depends on the industry where the waste originates, and its subsequent treatment will depend on the nature of the waste.

Within this category, paper, cardboard, metal and plastic stand out, provided they are free of any contaminating substance.

Find out more about non-hazardous waste management.

Types of industrial waste management

Sometimes, industries do not have the tools or resources necessary to properly manage industrial waste. Therefore, they refer or hire a waste manager to carry out this process.

But what is a waste manager? In short, a waste manager is a person or entity that is in charge of processing any of the operations that make up waste management, whether or not they are the producer.

One of the main functions of the industrial waste manager is to carry out the appropriate treatment for each type of waste.

For this, the waste manager must comply with strict legislation and regulations, in addition to executing rigorous and specific safety measures that guarantee the effectiveness of its treatment.

In this sense, industrial waste management consists of subjecting the waste to a series of transformation processes that allow its reuse as raw material or its final disposal, eliminating or reducing its toxicity, in the case of hazardous waste.

All types of waste need treatment, but it is hazardous waste that must go through a more careful process, since poor management of hazardous industrial waste can harm the environment.

Hazardous industrial waste treatment

The main treatments applied to hazardous industrial waste are the following:

Treatment of physical industrial waste

The waste is subjected to certain physical processes, such as filtering, centrifuging and decanting, in order to reduce its polluting effect on the environment.

Chemical industrial waste treatment

Waste is exposed to the action of chemical substances to suppress its polluting capacity or to be reused. Some chemical processes are neutralization.

Treatment of biological industrial waste

To eliminate the danger of certain industrial wastes, they must be subjected to a series of procedures, such as digestion by the action of microorganisms and fermentation processes, among others.

Treatment of industrial waste by incineration and recovery

The waste is disposed of in specialized incinerators. This is often the most widely used and effective method of disposing of toxic waste.

Through this process, its volume is radically reduced and, additionally, it allows generating energy.

Among the negative aspects of this process are the gas emissions and the ashes that are formed. Both are usually highly polluting, so they should not be expelled into the atmosphere nor should they be dumped anywhere.

Treatment of industrial waste dumped

Land filling is a fragile stage in the hazardous industrial waste treatment process, because at the end of said process it is usual that there are materials that must be deposited in a landfill for their accumulation.

During this process, it must be ensured that groundwater and surface waters are not polluted, that there are no emissions of gases or leakage of toxic products and that rainwater does not enter the discharge, because then they would have to leave and they would be loaded with pollutants.

Advantages of industrial waste management

Proper management of industrial waste is of vital importance both for its use and for its elimination, since it generates a minimum impact on the environment.

In the event that the waste is treated and can be used or recycled, there are a series of advantages that are very beneficial. The most prominent advantages are the following:

Environmental advantage

A correct management of industrial waste allows the conservation of the environment and avoids the extraction of new raw material, which leads to the saving of natural resources and, consequently, to the reduction of its disposal in landfills.

Economic advantage

There is a reduction in the production costs of products with recycled materials, while the materials are valued.

Social advantage

Environmental sources of employment are created, in addition to promoting the implementation of a collective thought oriented towards caring for the planet.

The correct management of industrial waste will not only allow a better use of resources, but will also help enormously to preserve the health of the planet, since it favors reuse and recycling, practices that are increasingly necessary to protect the environment.

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Created on Oct 13th 2020 05:35. Viewed 332 times.

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