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Corresponding Author: Hassan Hoveidi, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6135, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: hoveidi@ut.ac.ir.

Industrial Waste Management with Application of RIAM Environmental Assessment: A Case Study on Toos Industrial State, Mashhad

Hassan Hoveidi, Masumeh Ahmadi Pari, HosseinVahidi, Maryam Pazoki and Tahereh Koulaeian

Abstract: Systematic industrial waste management is one of an important issue due to high environmental riskscaused by improper waste disposal. Hence, present research was conducted to investigate environmentalaspects of optimal disposal and management methods of industrial waste of Toos industrial estate in Mashhad.In this work, one of the environmental impact assessment methods called Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix(RIAM) was applied. Thus, various disposal options such as open dumping, sanitary landfill, gasification andincineration from the viewpoint of the physical, chemical, biological, ecological, cultural and social, economicaland environmental aspects were evaluated. All of these aspects were compared due to selection of disposalmethods through application of RIAM technique. The obtained results showed that sanitary landfill led to morebeneficial effects than the other four mentioned options. Therefore, the best method of choice in compare toother options for waste management in the industrial estate of Toos, Mashhad was selected.

Key words: Waste management Rapid matrix Environmental impact assessment Toos industrial estate Industrial waste

INTRODUCTION rapid growth in population and consequently increase

One of the major environmental problems crisis in human societies [2, 3]. Improper Transfer andencountered in the country's big cities is Municipal, disposal of industrial waste that contain some hazardousindustrial, healthcare and hazardous solid wastes materials, create serious problems for human and themanagement. Industrial and hazardous waste safe environment. Thus, applying effective methodsmanagement, among all of these different kinds of wastes in control and management of industrial waste foris great important issue due to the lack of proper planning hygiene industrial waste management initially startedand management which leads to extensive pollution of in the United States of America by adoption of resourcesurface and ground water, soil and atmosphere of conservation and recovery act in 1976. Guideline No. 21surrounding environment. Considering the importance of as a global and systematic plan for achieving sustainablethis issue and the overall approach to archive a proper development; has devoted its chapter twenty to solidcomprehensive waste management, industrial waste and hazardous waste management and also hasmanagement is one of the main axes of the comprehensive recommended to prevent further growth in generationwaste management that requires special attention and of waste and waste minimization through theconsequently systems for management and control of any codification of implementation plans. So far, manypollution sources. studies have been conducted in the field of waste

Intensity of environmental pollution caused by management. Morrissey and Browne [4] have proposedmunicipal and industrial wastes is in a manner that has that a sustainable waste management system should beattracted the scientific resources and administrative effective and practical in environmental and economicauthorities attention all over the world. In fact, terms, as well as being socially acceptable. In order toimplementation of recycling or proper disposal of any provide optimum management of solid offered a set ofwaste materials is absolutely necessary [1]. Increase in attributes containing technical, economic, environmentalamount of solid waste due to industrial development and and social aspects [5].

in amount consumed materials, has caused serious

Iranica Journal of Energy & Environment 4 (2): 142-149, 2013ISSN 2079-2115 IJEE an Official Peer Reviewed Journal of Babol Noshirvani University of TechnologyDOI: 10.5829/idosi.ijee.2013.04.02.11

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Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6135, Tehran, Iran

(Received: November 4, 2012; Accepted in Revised form: February 7, 2013)

There are some researches were conducted in the assessment technique namely RIAM is used to evaluatefield of industrial solid wastes in Iran [6]. Industrial waste the different scenarios for the waste management of theof Tehran and the relationship between weight and estate.volume of produced waste with the number of staff The RIAM method is a useful and productiveworking in factories were investigated [7]. In another approach in evaluation of environmental and humanstudy, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of impacts (positive and negative) with respect to currentwaste of BouAli industrial estate in Hamadan was and potential operations. It was presented by Pastakia [11,evaluated [8]. It was defined that if there is enough 12]. It has developed a good reputation as a reliableinformation about household and industrial waste method, as well as having the transparency often lackingcomponents and also useful information about the capita in some other methods. This is due to the use of a semi-production of different kinds of waste in this estate; then quantitative approach which requires justification ofone can establish a management system for industrial scores derived by the assessor(s). Moreover, there arewaste. Deficiency of mentioned previous researches is many articles which use RIAM technique to evaluate thethat a comprehensive management system that can be impacts of projects or natural systems including;extended to other parts of the country was not defined; concerning municipal waste disposal options for a site ininstead most effort was carried out to propose a single Varanasi, India [13]; the environmental impacts arisingsolution to achieve a final disposal of all kind of industrial from the exploration, drilling and operation of thewaste. Sabalan geothermal power plant in Iran was investigated

As a result of studies it has been proven that an [14]; and also RIAM was used to evaluate the impact ofintegrated management system for organizing industrial humans upon coastal morphology in Kuwait [15].waste is required. However, none of these previous Furthermore, the usability of RIAM approach has beenstudies has discussed on strategies to achieve this goal. evaluated by Kuitunen et al. and Ijs et al. [16, 17].Therefore, in this study, industrial waste generation in Kuitunen and his coworkers [16] have explored whetherToos industry estate has been studied to select the best the RIAM could be used to compare results obtained inscenario in terms of technical and environmental waste an EIA and a SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment).management. Environment and resource management is Kuitunen et al. [16] have determined that it was possibleparticularly important [9, 10]. Furthermore, there are many to evaluate and compare different projects, plans andincentives for different industries and institutions around programs using the RIAM as a method. Ijs et al. [17]the world to apply waste management as mentioned have evaluated the use of the method with respect tobelow. impact significance

Economic Incentives: More benefit, obtaining production to ensure that potential impacts of development projectslicense or export licenses, reduction in environmental on environment are fully identified and considered infines and incredible increase in waste treatment and calculations. In other words, the word assessment refersdisposal costs (especially in developed countries). to a procedure for determining, prediction and

Legal Reasons: To observe the environmental laws, in environment, public health and ecosystems which humanother word to compliance with environmental regulations life depends on.enacted by local, national and international authorities. In summary, the general concepts of assessment can

Public Protests: Public demands, increased sensitivity,awareness and experience of the human, about hazardous Its a study on effects of a proposed activity onwaste. environment.

Moral Requirements: Managers and experts on human reasonable options. health and the environment need to comply with the It determines a desirable goal.ethical requirements. It sought to determine the best option. Selected

Considering extent of the estate and resulting large optimum Options is the one with reasonable costsamounts of waste production, waste management is not and benefits (Costs and benefits of the selectedin good condition. Hence, an environmental impact desirable optimum options are reasonable).

As a definition, assessment is an important technique

interpretation of environmental impacts of a project on

be summarized as follow:

It provides comparison and incorporation of different

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Its based on prediction of qualitative changes in the 40% of non-enclosed areas. Transportions vehicles usedenvironment made by a proposed action. to disposal site in 36.66 and 53.33% of cases are truck andIt evaluates environmental impacts from the point pickups, respectively. It seems that in this estate,view of economic costs and benefit aspects. transportation of waste to disposal sites is not performedIts a decision making tool. in a proper systematic manner.

Any project has several effects on surrounding the viewpoint of sanitary (considering different factorsenvironment such as affecting physical environment, such as standard storage containers, odor production,biological, economical social and cultural environment. existence of insects