Management of Acidic Sludge Produced in Industrial Parks in Isfahan Province, Iran: A Case Study

Inappropriate management of hazardous industrial waste has caused many problems for human societies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of acidic sludge produced in industrial parks in Isfahan, Iran, in the year 2013.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in 180 plants in 5 industrial parks, including Oshtorjan, Mobarakeh, Razi, Jay, and Mourchekhort, Iran. The status of the plants was examined using a questionnaire. For other industrial parks, the amount of acidic sludge was calculated based on yield of norm.
Findings: Acidic sludge was investigated in 8 different industrial subgroups. The paraffin and organic solvents group, with the amount of 3092 tons per hectare per year, produced the highest amount of acidic sludge and the oil treatment subgroup, with 623 tons per hectare per year, produced the lowest amount. Razi Industrial Park (2700 tons per year) and Urea Natanz (62 tons per year), respectively, produced the highest and lowest amount of sludge in the paraffin and organic solvents subgroup. In the subgroup of treatment oil, Mourchekhort (746 tons per year) and Alavicheh (39 tons per years) produced the highest and lowest amount of sludge, respectively.
Acidic sludge has been identified as hazardous waste. Thus, in order to reduce its adverse effects on the environment, the use of management methods which significantly reduce its produced volume.