What a waste: studies in anthropogenic sources of pollution

What a waste: studies in anthropogenic sources of pollution

Sustainability is a multifaceted concept. At its heart is how to make best use of finite resources of all kinds―energy, water, land and so on. One important aspect of sustainability concerns waste and how best to deal with it. Much of the debate about waste focuses on aspects such as reducing the volume of waste generated in a modern economy by industrial and other processes, how to expand recycling to cut the need for landfill or reduce discharges into the environment, and how to improve treatment methods and create safe disposal options. Progress with each of these valuable approaches has already made a significant difference to humanity’s pursuit of a truly sustainable future, and both reducing the volume of waste and greater use of recycling makes sound business sense as well as constituting socially responsible practice.
Repurposing waste in ways which allow it to be reused in entirely different applications for different purposes is less common. Dr Lee Fergusson explored this aspect of sustainability in a previous book called 'Red Mud Futures: Repurposing One of the World’s Largest Industrial Waste By-products'. That earlier book examined the repurposing of alumina refinery residue or 'red mud', and introduced three examples of reuse in mining. In his new book, Dr Fergusson now takes the argument further and shows that this hazardous waste can be reused in a host of remarkable industrial and municipal applications. These include using modified red mud to treat underground coal gasification waste, contaminated marine sediments and pesticide-rich industrial wastewater, all the way through to ameliorating lead-contaminated stormwater and municipal wastewater; even improvements in composting and cotton production are examined. This wide range of applications suggests a more sustainable future for both the alumina industry, from which red mud originates, and for a variety of municipal and industrial domains, where both hazardous and non-hazardous gaseous, liquid and solid wastes occur.
From this it is clear that Dr Fergusson’s innovative research in environmental and industrial science makes important contributions to social and human well-being. This new book points to and explains both the long-term benefits possible through repurposing and reusing industrial waste while exploring clever and creative ways to apply advanced technology to contemporary environmental waste challenges. I commend this book to anyone interested in the waste-to-resource discussion.

―Tim Yeo
former Member of Parliament [UK] and Environment Minister, London

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