Pollutant or Resource – Two Aspects of Sustainability in the Innovative Treatment of Industrial Hazardous Residues

The current transformation phase of industry in the context of sustainability goals brings new requirements that go beyond thermal treatment as a safe pollutant sink.

by Stefan Kühnbach, Florian Grote and Dina Filiz

Technical requirements in the treatment of hazardous residues from industrial processes have increased over the last decades together with environmental and social requirements and perceptions. The current transformation phase of industry in the context of sustainability goals brings new requirements that go beyond thermal treatment as a safe pollutant sink. At the same time, the amount of residual materials to be treated is increasing with every gain in knowledge about substances of very high concern (SVHC). This raises questions about the possibilities of recycling hazardous residues, both thermally and non-thermally, despite and with the increasing complexity in the composition of these residues. In addition to thermal recycling, two other processes are briefly presented that offer an alternative way of recovering, treating or recycling residual materials. The authors see this as essential to support the sustainability goals of the industry and at the same time to support thermal treatment as a safe final pollutant.

Industrial residues with a hazardous pollutant potential are mainly treated thermally or physicochemically. This is done with the aim of removing the pollutant potential from the environment by destroying the toxic components and breaking them down into their basic components or by means of a separation process combined with subsequent treatment or disposal. These treatments reflect a development that has been established over decades, always accompanied by political and social developments with environmental protection in mind.

---

published: Abfallwirtschaft und Energie, Band 2 , 1|2025
Keywords: Pollution Control, Sustainability, Climate, Resource management, Hazardous Waste, Germany