Industrial waste

Industrial waste represents all the residues resulting from the processes carried out by factories, mines, or any processing unit. In general, these wastes are toxic to the environment, being the main cause of global warming.

History of Industrial Waste

After 1950 the problem of industrial waste got worse due to massive industrialization and improper storage. Industrial waste is also the main cause of the disappearance of some animal species and the destruction of biocenosis. The problem of industrial waste began during the first industrial revolution (between 1750-1760), at that time the population wasn’t aware of the consequences of the new technology that they just found. This is the reason why the UK ( especially London) was one of the most polluted places on the entire earth. Today exist a lot of laws that are protecting the environment. The most polluted place in the world at this moment is China because industry is one of the principal economic wings that bring most of the country’s money they are producing a lot without respecting rules about pollution.

Types of Industrial Waste

There are multiple types of industrial waste, the most important of them are:

• Solid industrial waste: Are representing most of industrial waste, in this category, is included plastic, paper, and cardboard. Because of the composition they are made of, it can take hundreds of years for these residues to degrade. Liquid Industrial Waste
• Chemical Industrial Waste: Chemical waste comes from factories and plants, it must be handled with great care because it can be dangerous to humans and animals. A large part of the chemical residues can be recycled and put back into the production process thus reducing the number of these residues.
• Toxic Industrial Waste: These residues are the most dangerous and are differentiated from the others by the place of origin and by the method of storage. These industrial residues must be stored in specially arranged places, protected from human contact. This category also includes nuclear waste, waste from power plants, and thermal power plants.

The mining Industry

A large part of the mining industry is polluting, the most toxic chemical elements that become industrial waste are the following metals:

• Chromium is a chemical element that has the chemical symbol Cr and the atomic number 24. This metal is used very often in industry, the most important things in chromium are the negatives for films, paints, and pigments. This is one of the most polluting metals on earth, an amount of about 4500kg/day is scattered in the environment. Most chromium intakes are of human origin.
• Uranium has the highest atomic mass of all-natural elements. It is found in the environment in the form of oxides, and organic complexes. Uranium is a very toxic element often used in the nuclear industry, careful storage of the waste is necessary to avoid a nuclear disaster.
• Selenium is a non-metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Se. This element is released through many ways in the environment, the most frequent are volcanic eruptions, fires, plants, and rock erosion. Selenium is normally found in the soil.
• Mercury is a chemical element represented by the symbol Hg and has the atomic number 80. This element is released into the environment through various industrial activities, the most common being metal processing and waste incineration, especially medical ones.

Solutions to avoid pollution

To avoid global warming, the United Nations came up with a plan to stop global warming and reduce pollution and industrial waste. This plan is called Agenda 2030, Agenda for Sustainable Development, this plan is composed of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to reduce pollution and industrial waste by 2030. This plan is being implemented by a multitude of countries around the world.

Another solution to reduce industrial waste pollution is recycling, a large part of all industrial waste can be recycled and reused thus bringing beneficial effects to both the environment and the economy (by recycling and reusing the raw material much lower production costs are generated than by using a new raw material).

Most industrial waste is found in water, and the vast majority of it ends up in the ocean polluting the waters of the planet. Due to the ocean currents, many of this trash is carried out to sea thus forming plastic islands. Due to these types of islands, marine life suffers, and many animals suffocate due to industrial waste.

Thanks to the gyre, most of the industrial waste is carried to all parts of the globe, and part of the industrial waste from the USA reaches Japan thanks to these currents.

References

• Rajapakse, J. (2020) Safe Water and Sanitation for a Healthier World.. A global view of progress towards SGD 6
• Bharagava, R., Saxena, G. (2020) Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Volume II. Biological Agents.
• Cirino, E. (2021) Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis. The quest for solutions to plastic crisis.

Author: Pelivan Vasile

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