Abstract
Industrial wastewater and other trade wastes are often sources of pollution which can cause environmental damage. However, resource recovery approaches have the potential to lead to positive environmental outcomes, profits, and new sources of finite commodities. Information on these waste sources, and the valuable components which may be contained in such waste is increasingly being made available by public, academic and commercial stakeholders (including companies active in meat processing, dairy, brewing, textile and other sectors). Utilising academic and industry literature, this review evaluates several methods of resource recovery (e.g., bioreactors, membrane technologies, and traditional chemical processes) and their advantages and disadvantages in a trade waste setting. This review lays the groundwork for classification of waste and resource recovery technologies, in order to inform process choices, which may lead to wider commercial application of these technologies. Although each waste source and recovery process is unique, membrane bioreactors show promise for a wide range of resource recovery applications. Despite interest, uptake of resource recovery technologies remains low, or not widely championed. For this to change, knowledge needs to increase in several key areas including: availabilities and classification of trade wastes, technology choice processes, and industrial viability.
Highlights
Trade waste, or trade effluent, is liquid waste put into the sewer system from a commercial or industrial premises [1]
This study aims to evaluate the possibilities for industrial integration of resource recovery from trade wastes, classification of waste streams and understanding of the technologies available, as there are no current reviews available on this confluence of topics
Trade waste originating from these diverse sources will in turn display different compositional profiles, depending on the industry, plant, and even production run
Summary
Trade effluent, is liquid waste put into the sewer system from a commercial or industrial premises [1]. Pollution from industrial trade wastes have been understood as destructive [2], with eutrophication of waterways [3], the spread of disease [4], odours [5], aesthetic decline [2], and damage to infrastructure [6] all linked to poorly treated waste. In a world where greenhouse gas emissions, water scarcity, famine, and resource shortages present an ever-increasing danger to our continued life, recovery of resources from trade wastes can go some way to closing the loop in the circular economy, while providing a profit stream, reducing waste fees, improving a company’s green credentials, and potentially minimising environmental damage. Informed choices must be made, as resource recovery is not a guaranteed panacea for environmental impacts, and may increase certain emissions [13]
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