Recycling of Marble Slurry Waste: A case study on Rajasthan marble industry

Rajasthan state is located on the western side of India. This state is rich in natural resources and has a rich historical value also. Many famous rulers were born here. Rajasthan has a rich marble belt and it is estimated that 1100 tones of marble resume in the state. India is contributing approximately 10% of the world’s total marble supply out of which 95% alone is coming from Rajasthan state.

There are around 1100 marble processing unit s all over Rajasthan state. Important processing centers are Kishangarh, Alwar, Makrana, Udaipur, Rajasmand and Nathdwara. In the processing unit the marble blocks are cut into slabs by gang saw units. During the process of cutting and tiling marble dust is formed and generated as waste. In order to prevent damage to the blades due to excessive abrasion, water is sprinkled on blades continuously. The water gets mixed with marble powder and slurry is formed. All the units in Rajasthan state are collectively generating approximately 5-6 million metric tonnes of slurry every year. There are few dumping sites for the dumping of marble slurry but most of the marble slurry is being thrown in open areas, wastelands and in agricultural fields. This adds to dust pollution and through rain water it gets released to near by water bodies.

The paper includes the statues of marble slurry and the problem caused utilization of slurry for the improvement of environment in the Rajasthan state..

Author(s): Sonal Gupta

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