Managing Marble Quarry Waste: Opportunities and Challenges for Circular Economy Implementation

Marble has been a prominent natural stone exploited since ancient times, commonly employed as a building material and ornamental stone. However, the disposal of waste generated from marble extraction, particularly fine sludge, poses significant environmental challenges for the dimensional stone indu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 16; no. 7; p. 3056
Main Authors Tazzini, Antonio, Gambino, Francesca, Casale, Marco, Dino, Giovanna Antonella
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2024
Subjects
Carbonates
Circular economy
Cultural heritage
Economic aspects
Environmental impact
Extractive industries
Highway construction
Landfill
Marble
Natural resources
Quarries
Raw materials
Refuse and refuse disposal
Sand, gravel and stone industry
Sludge
Steel production
Stone & clay industries
Sustainable development
Waste management
Italy
Egypt
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Marble has been a prominent natural stone exploited since ancient times, commonly employed as a building material and ornamental stone. However, the disposal of waste generated from marble extraction, particularly fine sludge, poses significant environmental challenges for the dimensional stone industry. The difficulty in managing and recovering these materials, exacerbated by local regulations and the absence of suitable recovery protocols, often leads to landfilling. This issue is exemplified by the Carrara Marble Basin in the Apuan Alps (Tuscany, Italy), where more than half of the extracted marble remains as quarry waste or debris. Modern cutting technologies have intensified the production of finer materials and sawing residue, known as “marmettola”, ranging in size from fine sand to silt. The disposal of these materials, commonly through landfilling or abandonment, has profound environmental repercussions. This research primarily aimed to carry out a preliminary physical, mineralogical, and morphological characterization of the fine waste and sludges generated from Carrara Marble exploitation. The findings reveal the high granulometric uniformity of the materials, and a nearly pure carbonate composition, suggesting potential for reuse in various industrial sectors such as paper, plastics, and pharmaceuticals production.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su16073056