Iranian J Env Health Sci Eng, 2004,Iranian Vol.1, JNo.2, Env pp.36-42Health Sci Eng, 2004, Vol.1, No.2, pp.36-42 Identification of the Water Pollutant Industries in Khuzestan Province N Jafarzadeh 1, S Rostami 2, K Sepehrfar 2, A Lahijanzadeh 2 1 Faculty of Health, Jondi Shapour Medical Sciences University of Ahvaz, Iran 2 State Head Office of Khuzestan Environmental Protection, Iran ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to build up a logic ranked pattern between the most important industrial activities with respect the type of water pollution and the discharge ways or managing the wastewaters in these units. For this purpose all of the statistical data have been gathered by referring to the responsible organizations. After that, by using the desk study, field work and selecting some of the industrial units as studied cases and by referring to their production processes and obtaining the curtained analytical results, the industries have been separated to several groups including Food ,Textile , Pulp & Paper/, Chemical, Non- metallic mineral, Metal and Electricity & electronics Comparing the number of active industrial plants within the boundaries of Khuzestan province at 5 catchments area, indicates that Karun, Dez and Jarrahi basins with 1044. 324 and 290 active plants, respectively, are crowded with a lot of industries. Nature of the examined parameters has been selected in view of the production process type and includes pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, chloride, sulfate, BOD, COD, TSS, iron. Results indicates that Dez river basin, being compared with the other two basins, impose the most degradable organic, nutrient substances and suspended particle loads to Dez River , and the metal pollution load at Karun basin is more than the other two basins , caused by the steel industries concentrated in Ahvaz city. Keyword: Industries, Pollutant parameter, Khuzestan, Iran INTRODUCTION tive and quantitative effects and disadvanta- geous consequences in the developed and/or Water is considered as one of the foremost lev- developing world, among them our country, is ers of today’s world development; therefore, important. Our nation’s industrial development studying the issues concerning its pollution too, is not excluded from this urgency and fa- sources and environment pollution and their miliarization, precise and multilateral knowl- management under the present development edge of all-important and various dimensions of conditions are an urgent and unavoidable affair. the industrial development in the framework of At present setting forth the development issue the scientific studies and examinations are in- in the various social-economic-cultural and in- dispensable and compulsory. dustrial dimensions and knowing their qualita- In Khuzestan province, due to its much poten- tial in various expansion dimensions, industrial *Corresponding authors: Tel: +98 611 3365621, development is confronted with the ever-in- E-mail: [email protected] creasing pollution of the water sources. Thus 36 S Rostami et al: Identification of… for the reason of importance and effective role and the Rural Industries Committee of the of industry in the environmental pollutions of Ministry of Jahad Keshvarzi, determination of Khuzestan province and quick and simple ac- dispersion and distribution of the industrial cess to the existing conditions in the environ- pollutant sources regarding the industrial group, ment, examination of the water pollutant in- the polluted site and type of pollution, prepara- dustries has been taken under advisement. tion of a suitable information bank, transfer of The pollutant industries in Khuzestan province data and finding out the technical and manage- have been somehow examined in the various ment priorities (Rostami, 2002). researches conducted by the State Head Office of Khuzestan Environment Protection and the MATERIALS AND METHODS other bodies, which are used in the present re- search (Rostami et al., 1997). To achieve the intended objectives, the phases A study conducted on Rasht Zarchub River in of the present study have been executed at 5 1979-80 revealed that river pollution in the basins of Karun, Dez, Jarahi, Karkheh and spring reached to its maximum and that also the Zohreh Rivers, identifying the active industrial pollution had shown incensement from the first plants, including cities of Khuzestan province station towards the river’s last station which the and based on the standardized classification, cause had been known to be arising from emer- statistics and information provided by the con- gence of the pollutants caused by agro indus- cerned bodies. In the next stage, the water pol- tries and city sources (Binaye Motlagh, 1981). lutant industries at 5 basins of Khuzestan The studies conducted on Fars Kor and Sivand province were compared and classified from the Rivers (Sofel Environmental Engineers, 1981), paid of view of their importance. Isfahan Zayandehrud (Jamab Consultants, Then discharge conditions of the wastewater of 1997) and Gillan Sefidrud (Parsvista Consult- these sources, to the surface waters and ants, 1996) rivers indicate that presence of met- groundwater were examined due to importance als in the various river environments is resulted of the surface waters in Khuzestan province and from deposition of the industrial, agricultural since the majority of wastewater plants which and urban wastewaters. discharge their wastewaters into the surface The studies conducted on the effluents of Steel waters belong to the large industrial plants Industries indicate that these companies waste- group (employing more than 50 persons), this water quality in connection with the biochemi- group of industries (including 28 large indus- cal and chemical oxygen demands, oil and tries) has been examined. grease, cadmium, lead and zinc is below the This study includes the industries situation re- standard limit (Khuzestan Steel Cooperation, garding their position, type and quantity of raw 1999). materials and products, amount of water draw- The study conducted on the wastewater of Mo- ing and wastewater discharge, production proc- barakeh Steel Company indicates that bio- ess and situation of the wastewater treatment chemical and chemical oxygen demands, oil systems. Based on the manpower, equipment, and grease, cadmium, lead and zinc is below the frequency of sampling from the industries the standard limits of environment protection in question, it was decided to be effected once agency (Mobarakeh Steel Industry, 1998). within each 3 months and during one year in- The present study has been conducted as an in- terval of 2001-2. The wastewater sampling has ventory research on the industries existing in been affected through grab sampling and based Khuzestan province and on the basis of the let- on the Standard Methods (Karajca Jaromi, ter of instructions of the Mines & Industry Or- 1989). Nature of the examined parameters was ganization, the Industrial complex Company selected based onthe production process type 37 Iranian J Env Health Sci Eng, 2004, Vol.1, No.2, pp.36-42 include pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, portance of the receiving source, pollutants sig- chloriding , sulfate, BOD, COD, TSS and Iron . nificance and intensification, the industries in The measurements have been made based on question were classified and the most important the Standard Methods for the Examinations of management control priorities were determined. Water and Wastewater (APHA, AWWA, WEF, 1999). Upon sampling and conducting the re- RESULTS quired tests, amount of the pollution load was calculated and based on the definite criteria; There are a total of 1710 active industrial plants pollution of each industry was classified. at the 5 basins; the most of them are situated at At the end of this study regarding the area con- Karun, Dez and Jarrahi basins, respectively. ditions and based on the treatment technical These data are shown in Table 1. feasibility, financial feasibility aspects and im- Table 1: Number of the active plants separated by industrial group and basin Basin Karoon Dez Jarahi Karkheh Zohreh Total Industrial group Food 234 53 65 9 3 364 Textile 52 11 5 8 - 76 Cellulose Industry 47 9 6 1 - 63 Chemical 152 54 19 2 - 227 Non-metallic mineral 293 141 162 22 - 618 Metal Industry 247 53 31 4 3 338 Electricity & electronics 19 3 2 - - 24 Total 1044 324 290 46 6 1710 The majority of the water pollutant industries Khuzestan Province and as the majority of are located at Karun River basin followed by wastewater dischares are related to the big in- Jarrahi, Dez and Zohreh basins respectively. dustries (having more than 50 employees), this Thus, there was no significant industry regard- group in basins of Karun, Dez and Jarrahi Riv- ing, the water pollution at Karkheh basin. ers were placed in the first priority of the study. Due to importance of the surface waters at The characteristics of these industries are stated in Tables 2 and 3. Table 2: Wastewater discharge of the studied industries based on basin and industrial group Basin Industrial Group Wastewater Discharge (m3/d) Pulp & Paper industries 40700 Dez Food 21600 Food 179300 Electricity & electronics 11000 Karoon Metal industry 44670 Non-metallic mineral 350 Chemical 235710 Jarahi Chemical 33500 38 S Rostami et al: Identification of… Table 3: Percentage of the industries having an effluent of wastewater above the discharge standard limit prescribed Parameter Basin pH Turbidity BOD COD Chloride Sulfate Tss Iron Dez 20 80 20 80 - 20 60 20 % Industry