Accumulation and storage of industrial waste in the Republic of Belarus. Characteristics of the problem.

1.3. Accumulation and storage of industrial waste in the Republic of Belarus. Characteristics of the problem.

Annually up to 1850 thousand tonnes of waste are generated at industrial enterprises of Belarus situated in the Dnipro River basin, 62% of this waste is industrial waste of the I-IV classes of hazard (toxicity). At the end of 2001 in industrial centres of Belarus in the Dnipro River basin the volume of industrial waste at waste disposal objects (waste storage facilities, settling ponds, storage reservoirs, polygons) exceeded 22,5 million tonnes.  In 1995-2001 the situation in the Dnipro River basin in the territory of Belarus was characterized by the growth of the volume of industrial waste. Information about the volume of industrial waste accumulated in various oblasts within the Dnipro River basin in the territory of Belarus for the period 1995-2001 is presented in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3. Dynamics of generation of industrial waste in individual oblasts and within the Dnipro River basin as a whole in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Characteristics of industrial waste generated in the territory of the Republic of Belarus according the class of hazard (toxicity) is presented in Table 1.4.

Table 1.4. Volume of industrial waste accumulated within the Dnipro River basin in the territory of Belarus for 2001.

It should be noted that in Mogilevskaya Oblast the volume of accumulated industrial waste had been reduced ten times more because in 1998 lignine of Bobruisky hydrolytic plant was buried in another disposal site.

The largest volume of industrial waste is accumulated in Gomelskaya Oblast. The major share of industrial waste in Gomelskaya Oblast is presented by phosphogypsum (IV class of hazard), which is generated in the process of production of phosphate fertilizers. At that annually 96% of phosphogypsum is sent to refuse heaps. Phosphogypsum makes up 70% of total volume of industrial waste accumulated in the Dnipro River basin.

The other large-tonnage industrial waste in Gomelskaya Oblast is the slag from electric furnaces of Belarus metallurgical plant. More than 50% of this waste is recycled. Hydrolytic lygnine as well as galvanic sludge, waste of oxides and hydroxides , furnace breakage form up to 10,7% of total volume of industrial waste accumulated in the territory of Gomelskaya Oblast.

The industry of Minsk City (the Svislotch River) is also characterized by large volumes of industrial waste generation. This is mostly the group of industrial waste of non-organic mineral origin, in particular: foundry loam, cupola slag, foundry waste. They make up 25% of total volume of industrial waste. Waste containing vegetable and animal fat accounts for about 12% of industrial waste.

The following types of industrial waste are typical for the territory of Mogilevskaya Oblast: hydrolytic lygnine (55% of total volume), wood waste (25%), zinc sludge (10%)- as the product of production of artificial fibre.

In the territory of Brestskaya and Vitebskaya Oblasts industrial waste is mostly presented by waste water sludge.

Generation of industrial waste of the IV class of hazard is typical for all oblasts of Belarus in the Dnipro River basin. The share of industrial waste of I – III classes of hazard is small – up to 1% of total volume.

The area of storage structures (settling ponds, storage reservoirs, polygons) for industrial waste within the Dnipro River basin in the territory of Belarus is 629 hectares. The inventory of the objects of waste disposal showed that in most of industrial centres industrial waste is collected in polygons (dumps) of solid domestic waste (SDW) – up to 50%, sometimes this figure reaches 70%.

In the Republic of Belarus current practice of generation, collection, storage, burial, neutralization and recycling of industrial waste entails irreversible processes of environmental pollution. In spite of the fact that most of the storage facilities are equipped with environmental protecting structures (earth mounds, etc.) intended to minimize environmental pollution (surface and underground water) the facts of formation of aureoles of contaminated soils, surface and ground water still exist. Thereupon the extent of hazard of enterprises with industrial waste in many respects depends upon the capacity of soil to retain emissions of contaminants, in other words upon geologic-hydrogeological conditions of waste disposal.

During the last 10 years in Belarus it is observed serious progress in the development of the network of observation wells and control of chemical composition of underground water in the vicinity of the objects if industrial waste disposal (accumulation). Control of environmental conditions in the areas of industrial waste disposal is exercised by environmental authorities and economic agents within the framework of local monitoring.

Analysis of ground water in the zones of salt dumps and sludge pits (industrial waste of  “Belaruskaliy”) revealed substantial pollution of water-bearing complex with the components of industrial waste generated at this enterprise (potassium, natrium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine). Concentrations of these chemical elements exceed the approved levels of maximum allowable concentrations for water fit for domestic needs. During the period of operation of potassium industries more than 35 million tonnes of sodium chloride salts arrived in underground water and it should be noted that they also contain such trace elements as copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cobalt, cadmium.

In the region of storage of phosphogypsum generated at Gomelsky chemical plant concentration of sulphate-ion in underground water reaches 5,4-7,2 g/dm³ (MAC - 500 mg/dm³), phosphates – up to 13,2 g/dm³ (MAC – 3,5 mg/dm³), fluorine - up to 38 g/dm³ (MAC – 0,7-1,5 mg/dm³).

The analysis of data of hydro-chemical monitoring of underground water in the areas of accumulation of industrial waste, which was carried out during two years showed the tendency of gradual contamination of underground water. The most serious contamination of underground water is observed in the areas where the storage structures (settling ponds, storage reservoirs, polygons) for industrial waste are located in the sites with unfavourable hydrogeological conditions as well as the sites where the special nature-conservative measures were not taken.

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