Marble Production and Environmental Constrains: Case Study from Zarqa Governorate, Jordan

Along the rapid growth of human needs in many sectors, a significant decrease in the availability and viability of the natural resources is always faced. The high volume production is always associated by considerable amount of waste materials that may adversely impacts the surrounding environment. One of the major waste generating industries is the marble production industry, by which ornamental stone manufacture acquires special mitigation process and environmental assessment to minimize the negative environmental impacts that may generate. Efforts on bypassing such dilemma were intensified looking for new regulations and legislations to minimize and reuse the generated waste. This paper addressed the possible environmental impacts that might generate from ornamental stone production as a rapid growth industrial sector in Jordan and to review the adequacy of Jordanian environmental legislations in controlling the environmental protections norms associated with such industry. Preliminary environmental impact assessment was conducted at eight marble manufacturing enterprises distributed in Zarqa Governorate at north-west of the capital city Amman. The assessment included testing of major chemical and physical environmental resources, products and byproducts generated from each establishment according to the production stages and in accordance to the Jordanian environmental regulations and legislations in force. Results indicated that noise levels were above the International Standards, which require a special attention. In terms of water and land resources, ornamental waste products; estimated to be around 10% of the prime material consumed; may form a source of contamination through the unsuitable solid and liquid waste disposal strategies adopted by the inspected manufacturers. The paper addressed the implementation of chemical-stabilization wastewater treatment units to treat wastewater before disposing it into the domestic sewage system, whereas solid waste should be disposed only in specialized industrial plants.