Reclassification of Solids Using Virotec’s Reagents

Industrial operations such as tanning, timber preservation and metals finishing produce heavy metal bearing wastewaters and solid wastes, that are often classified as hazardous by environmental authorities.

The magnitude of these wastes is tremendous. Current estimates indicate that about 496,141 tons of hazardous sludge is produced in the US annually by electroplating alone. The cost of handling this waste nationwide is enormous.

Effluent treatment processes typically generate large volumes of unstable and toxic sludge that must be covered with clean fill in a purpose-built clay-lined landfill; the mobility of contaminants found within the sludge can be high depending on pH conditions. However, this burial procedure causes substantial environmental degradation when the clay lining of the landfill deteriorates and becomes ineffective.

The use of Virotec’s Platform Bauxsol Technology reduces sludge volumes by up to 50% and generates sediments that have very low TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) characteristics. This means that industrial sludge can be re-classified as “Inert Waste” (e.g. in NSW, Australia) or as “Clean Fill” (e.g. in Queensland, Australia) allowing it to be disposed of in a regular landfill.