Industrial Waste

Industrial wastes are generated because raw materials used contain impurities, industrial processes are not one hundred percent efficient and the processes themselves may produce unwanted by-products or rejects. The quantities of wastes generated are therefore generally related to the amounts of products although within a particular industry there can be a wide variation of waste produced per unit product depending on the technology employed, plant operational practices and conservation measures adopted. Industrial wastes can be classified into solid, liquid or gaseous. This classification is convenient since it is related to the land, water (including groundwater) and atmospheric environments into which the major innocuous portion of the wastes is to be discharged. The problems associated with industrial wastes are due to substances contained in the wastes which may be toxic to organisms or generally detrimental to ecosystems supporting life on earth