Question

Suggest suitable mechanisms for waste management fertilizer industries.

Answer 1

Hint: The fertilizer industry produces the waste which mainly consists of harmful chemical compounds and the harmful gases which needs to be treated before being released into the environment.

Complete answer:
The main wastes which are produced in a fertilizer industry are the effluents and the harmful gases. Fertilizer industry is the one where production of the fertilizer is done by using different raw materials, then combining them in definite proportions, their purification, packaging all are done. So the waste will be produced at each and every step and this needs to be managed to prevent any environmental contamination and to avoid any impact on the biotic as well as abiotic factors surrounding the industry.
Some suitable mechanisms for waste management in fertilizer industries are as follows:
1. To control the release of gases that are harmful into the environment, some combustion equipment can be used which will oxidize these pollutants. In this the pollutants are treated and exposed to high temperatures.
2. The air pollutants like vapors, inflammable compounds and some gases can be controlled by the use of adsorption equipment.
3. Adsorption and absorption are two different phenomena, adsorption is a surface phenomenon while in absorption, compounds get absorbed into the substance being used.
For the control of effluents, three different methods can be used:
i. Effluent quantity should be controlled at the point of generation wherever it is produced in the industry.
ii. Before discharging into the municipal systems, the water should be treated in the industry only so that addition of harmful substances does not occur with the municipal waste.
iii. The waste water which is produced can also be reused in the industry only rather than discharging completely like for cleaning the machineries etc.

Note: The waste produced in the fertilizer industry is different from the waste being produced in other industries like textile, food processing, distilleries etc. so different management practices are required to treat the waste produced in each industry because of the raw materials, methods used and the composition of the waste.