Advances in Industrial Waste Reduction

Industry is an integral part of the economic activity of any country. It may be divided mainly into primary and secondary, with the tertiary sector focusing on services and the intellectual services industry. Industrial wastes are produced by industrial activity, including any material rendered useless during a manufacturing process, such as that of factories, industries, mills, and mining operations. Industrial wastes include dirt and gravel, masonry and concrete, scrap metal, oil, solvents, chemicals, scrap lumber, and even vegetable matter from restaurants. Industrial waste may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. It may be hazardous or non-hazardous waste. Hazardous waste may be toxic, ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or radioactive. Industrial waste may pollute the air, soil, or nearby water sources, eventually ending up in the sea. Industrial waste is often mixed into municipal waste, making accurate assessments difficult. An estimate for the United States reaches as high as 7.6 billion tons of industrial waste produced every year. Most countries have enacted legislation to deal with the problem of industrial waste, but strictness and compliance regimes vary. Enforcement is always an issue. Industrial wastes are increasing as the industry expands and new horizons are created. Thus, nowadays, industrial waste management is one of the key issues for reaching sustainable development and a circular economy. They have a tremendous impact on the environment, and their proper management is paramount for preserving the environment. Furthermore, their impact on climate change is very high.

This Special Issue investigates, in addition to the core issues of advanced industrial waste management technologies, the alternative approaches arising towards their reduction through sustainable, life cycle, circularity, and waste as resource approaches toward their reduction and minimization.

A total of five papers from various fields of industrial waste treatment and minimization, including industrial wastewater treatment, wastes in the lingerie manufacturing industry, a circular approach in the cell phone industry, the minimization of trim wastes in the paper mill industry, and last but not least, the impact of waste treatment methods on greenhouse gases are presented in this Special Issue. Shirin et al. [1] reported that fly ash had appreciable neutralization potential, increasing Acid Mine Drainage pH and decreasing elemental and sulfate concentrations. Thus, fly ash may be effectively used for Acid Mine Drainage neutralization, and its suitability for the management of coalfield Acid Mine Drainage pits should be assessed further. Dechampai et al. [2] reported that applying Material Flow Cost Accounting and Two-Dimensional, Irregularly Shaped Cutting Stock Problems in the Lingerie Manufacturing Industry is an efficient method for reducing negative product costs by reducing waste generation. Cordova-Pizarro et al. [3] concluded that with a well-designed public policy, the electronics industry (including the mobile phone sector) in Mexico could move toward a CE model more rapidly. A stronger initiative for CE by design should be part of these policies, not only in Mexico but also internationally. The role of better eco-labelling in promoting consumers’ environmental awareness is essential. Khan et al. [4] proposed a new model for post-optimization procedures, which significantly reduced trim loss and outperformed traditional exact approaches. The cutting optimization resulted in minimum losses in paper trimming and a lesser amount of paper being reprocessed to make new reels, which reduced the discharge of effluent to the environment. Xin et al. [5] investigated three end-disposal methods (sanitary landfill, incineration, and composting), including collection and transportation and the emission reduction benefits of electricity generation from incineration and the recycling of renewable resources were considered. The results show that an emission reduction benefit of 70.82% could be achieved when kitchen waste and recyclables are sorted and recycled, and the residue is incinerated. The optimal strategy selection was not affected by changes in the separation rate. In addition, landfill would emit more GHGs than incineration and composting.

Although submissions for this Special Issue have closed, more in-depth research in the field of industrial waste reduction and wastewater treatment technologies continues to address the challenges we face today, such as climate change, water shortages, and energy crises.