ISSN 0004-881X

PERENNIAL PROBLEMS - SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS CERAMIC "FIXES" FOR INDUSTRIAL WASTE

by R. Branson
Qubator Pty Ltd. Riverview, NSW 2066 Australia

Abstract

Rather than being dumped, some types of industrial waste can be converted into materials that are fit for use and hence have commercial value. However, truly intractable waste may still have to be dumped in which case the best practical approach is to minimise the environmental impact and cost of disposal. The concepts underlying technical ceramics and associated manufacturing processes can be adapted to achieve these various ends. This paper discusses the definition of waste and the meaning of sustainability, in the context of waste disposal. It describes a project that illustrates how ceramic technology was applied to facilitate the use of waste. The conclusions are that materials fit for use should not be defined as waste, that sustainability must connote durability in perpetuity and that ceramics technology is a useful approach to achieving both environmental and commercial objectives in disposing of some materials that are potentially fit for use.

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