Industrial waste water is used in production and cooling, but contains pollutants that harm humans and animals. Treatment plants remove pollutants, but plant corrosion and bacterial growth are common. Agricultural industries also produce water waste that harms marine life. Petrochemicals and oils are also common pollutants.
Industrial waste water is water that is used in the production or process of goods and energy. A large amount of modern industry relies on water to assist in cooling equipment or cleaning pollutants within the manufacturing process. According to the US Department of Energy, industrial wastewater levels have dropped considerably in the early 21st century, but the fact remains that a number of different industries rely on the use of water to function.
This industrial water waste is managed by either removing the water and sending it to a treatment facility or by treating the water on site and releasing it into streams and lakes. Due to the lengthy industrial wastewater treatment process, plant corrosion is common, along with the encouragement of bacterial growth. This includes the possibility of Legionnaires’ disease, which can be fatal.
One of the most common examples of industrial waste water comes from the cooling or heating process. This can be achieved in machinery with a large scale radiator that cools different parts of a device. When the water is released it is generally of a higher temperature than the other bodies of water it will be fed into. The same goes for the water used in boiler plants. Outside of temperature concerns, other factors like rust contamination are commonplace.
A large amount of industrial waste water contains additional pollutants that must be treated by treatment plants. Due to its widespread use in the 20th century, both asbestos and lead are commonly found in wastewater. Both of these materials can harm humans and animals by causing tumors or damaging enzymes in the body. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mercury has also been found in industrial wastewater.
Farms and agricultural industries produce a variety of water wastes that directly impact groundwater used for drinking and cleaning. Fertilizers commonly include both nitrates and phosphates to help stimulate growth. Both are washed away by rain and irrigation during the growing process. The biggest concern according to the EPA is harm to marine life.
Sulfur, petrochemicals and oils also find their way into industrial wastewater. In a variety of factories and engineering facilities, water is used to clean floors and machinery. This water collects these materials and is usually disposed of in an unwanted way, such as simply flushed down the sewer. Normal water treatment plants are generally ill-equipped to handle the influx of these harmful elements.
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