Marble Production and Environmental Pressure

The marble manufacturing industry is one of the major waste-generating industries that requires special mitigation and environmental assessment to minimize its harmful environmental impacts. The study's main objective is to investigate the pollutant load of marble industries, with particular emphasis on wastewater treatment techniques. To achieve the objective of the study, Hayatabad Industrial Estate, Peshawar was visited for marble processing plants to learn about the mitigation process for marble-waste management. During the fieldwork, 25% of the operational marble processing plants were investigated and kept under observation for production to waste management process. To determine the quality of wastewater, samples were also taken at industrial discharge points. To know about the energy and economic costs, the marble processing industries were investigated for consumption of environmental resources as products and byproducts. To reduce the pollution load, wastewater from the marble industry was treated in the laboratory by adopting physical and chemical treatment methods. The results obtained were compared with the required permissible limits recommended by the Pak-National Environmental Quality Standards and the World Health Organization. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the chemical parameters of wastewater were observed above the required limits suggested by the Pak-NEQS/WHO. In terms of water, air, and land resources, contamination has been observed through unsafe waste disposal strategies adopted by the marble industries. Results of the chemical treatment (coagulation) with hydrated ferric chloride showed maximum removal of suspended load with 92% efficiency. It is concluded that marble processing units pose serious threats to the environmental quality by degrading water resources. Keeping in view the national standards, these industries need special attention for waste generation and its safe disposal. For this, eco-innovation techniques are recommended to achieve the sustainability of resources.