Industrial and

agricultural waste

WASTE MANAGEMENT
AND TECHNOLOGY

Martin Kubal
Institute of Chemical Technology in
Prague
 industrial waste – technical definitions

Industrial Waste is unwanted material produced in or

eliminated from an industrial operation and categorized under
a variety of headings, such as liquid waste, sludge, solid
waste, and hazardous waste.
(http://en.mimi.hu/environment/industrial_waste.html)

Industrial waste is a waste caused by industrial factories or

mills. The problem began along with the outset of industrial
revolution. Toxic waste and chemical waste are a kind of
industrial waste. (http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org)

Since the industrial revolution, industrial and mining operations have been
accompanied by a problem: industrial waste which may be toxic, ignitable,
corrosive or reactive.
 industrial waste – formal definition

There exists no formal definition of industrial waste generally

accepted within EU countries.

Many different approaches and overlapping definitions are

used for the classification of industrial waste in EU countries,
leading to different results, a situation that often complicates
the collection and interpretation of data on this type of waste.

Different definitions are also applied within the field of

engineering, science and legislation.
industrial waste – coal mining
industrial waste – power engineering
industrial waste – power engineering
industrial waste – metal mining
industrial waste
industrial waste – metal mining

http://movies.nytimes.com
industrial waste – chemical production
industrial waste – chemical production
Total waste generation in the EU-27 by
economic activity in 2008 (EUROSTAT)
Total waste generation in the EU-27 by waste
(EUROSTAT)
category in 2008 (EUROSTAT)
Waste generation per country and for EU-27 in 2008
(kg/cap) (EUROSTAT)

http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
 industrial waste composition

?
It is not possible to define generally the average
composition of industrial waste.

Main tool to categorize industrial wastes:

List of wastes (Decision 2000/532/EC of 3 May 2000)
(The list indicates whether the waste is hazardous)
industrial waste processing
 industrial waste processing

The manufacturing industry has a central role to play in the prevention

and reduction of waste as the products that they manufacture today
become the wastes of tomorrow. Manufacturers can achieve this by:

- considering the impacts of their products throughout its life at the design
stage of the product;

- using manufacturing processes that minimise material and energy

usage;

- eliminating or reducing where possible the use of substances or

materials hazardous to health or the environment; and

- manufacturing products in such a way that they last longer and may be
recycled or reused at the end-of-life stage.
industrial waste processing – least favoured option

http://www.reichler.net/images
industrial waste processing – least favoured option

http://www.envitechinc.com
 agricultural waste – technical definitions

Agricultural waste is composed of organic wastes (animal

excreta in the form of slurries and farmyard manures, spent
mushroom compost, soiled water and silage effluent) and
waste such as plastic, scrap machinery, fencing, pesticides,
waste oils and veterinary medicines.
(http://scp.eionet.europa.eu/themes/waste).

Agricultural waste is waste produced as a result of various

agricultural operations. It includes manure and other wastes
from farms, poultry houses and slaughterhouses; harvest
waste; fertilizer run- off from fields; pesticides that enter into
water, air or soils; and salt and silt drained from fields.
(http://stats.oecd.org/glossary)
 agricultural waste – formal definitions

There is no legal definition of agricultural waste generally

accepted within EU countries, but a few countries adopted
national definitions.

Example: England + Wales

The legal definition of “agricultural waste”: “waste from premises
used for agriculture within the meaning of the Agriculture Act 1947.”

The Agriculture Act 1947 defines “agriculture” as including:-

“…horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, dairy farming and
livestock breeding and keeping, the use of land as grazing land,
meadow land, osier land, market gardens and nursery grounds,
and the use of land for woodlands where that use is ancillary to the
farming of land for other agricultural purposes, and ‘agriculture’
shall be construed accordingly.”
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/
agricultural waste – forestry
agricultural waste – food production
application of chemicals in agriculture
source of hazadrous wastes
 agricultural waste composition

Agricultural waste is composed of organic wastes (animal

excreta in the form of slurries and farmyard manures, spent
mushroom compost, soiled water and silage effluent) and
waste such as plastic, scrap machinery, fencing, pesticides,
waste oils and veterinary medicines.

Typical constituents:
- wet organic matter (food waste, sludge)
- dry organic matter (wood, straw)
- inert materials (sand, soil)
- recyclable materials (plastics, metal, glass and paper)
- hazardous materials (chemicals)
 agricultural waste statistics

No overall estimates are available on the quantity of

agricultural waste produced in the EU. The national
sources are quite difficult to compare.

Example: Production of agricultural wastes in the Czech

Republic in 2010
Total production of waste: 24 123 560 tons
Agricultural waste 113 685 tons
Hazardous agricultural waste 6 166 tons
 agricultural waste processing

The general waste management hierarchy should

basically be followed.

If preferred options (prevention, minimisation,…..) are not

applicable, there are a number of methods used to treat
agricultural waste. These include for example spreading the
waste on land (landfarming) under strict conditions,
anaerobic digestion and composting.
agricultural waste processing - landfarming

http://www.lra.co.uk/news/spreading-waste-to-land-6.html
agricultural waste processing
anaerobic digestion

http://www.skyrenewableenergy.com/renewable-energy/bio/
agricultural waste processing - composting

http://thelivinggreensolution.com/backyard-composting-101/
 Relative representation of industrial and
agricultural waste
all the waste types generated in Europe

agricultural waste 30 – 80%

electrical and electronic waste 0.4 %
mining waste 28 – 30 %
construction and demolition waste 25 %
hazardous waste 1%
industrial waste 2%
municipal waste 10 – 15 %
 Important for exam

Typical relative representation of industrial and agricultural

waste within EU
Typical hazardous components in agricultural waste
Main treatment processes for agricultural waste in EU