Use of Electroplating Industry Sludge as a Construction Material

Every industrial unit generates wastes along with the processed goods. These wastes actually represent loss of the valuable material and energy from the production processes and investment in the pollution control. Usual approach followed by the industries, to cope with the problem of wastes and pollution, is use of waste treatment systems as end-of-pipe remedies. The remedies adopted often result in the removal of pollution from one source and placing the pollutants somewhere else, such as, a landfill. This approach to wastes is expensive and involves wasteful use of resources. As wastes are also resources but out of place, the approach followed by the industries should give due consideration to the waste generation side in addition to the treatment of the wastes. The right approach for industrial pollution department is to employ a waste management scheme that uncovers all opportunities for in plant reduction/control of pollution and use waste treatment systems as end-of-pipe remedies only for the unavoidable waste streams of the industry.