Final Report: Improving Water Conservation in the Marble and Granite Industry in Lebanon

The size of the marble and granite market in Lebanon is around $96.61M, where more than 400 industries and 600 traders exist. Marble and granite industries are known to be large consumers of water, with equipment used in stone cutting processes requiring large amounts of water for cooling, lubrication, and cleaning. Significant quantities of wastewater are generated as a result. Achieving sustainability in industries is integral to efficient water management. In recognition of the scarcity of water and the inevitable increase in the water demand of the industrial sector in Lebanon, conservation and efficient use of existing water sources is becoming imperative. The Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI) signed a partnership agreement with the USAID-funded Lebanon Water Project (LWP), the Water Efficiency in Lebanese Industries (WELI) Program on "Improving Water Conservation in the Marble and Granite Industry in Lebanon". The program will provide financial incentives to promote the culture of water conservation among Marble and Granite industries in Lebanon. The processing of marble or granite to produce final marketable products entails cutting raw dimensional stone into plates of defined shapes and sizes followed by surface polishing. The production process involves water recirculation aiming to cool down the cutting and polishing equipment and to control particulate matter emissions. Fine particles (<0.2 mm) are generated during the cutting and polishing processes, where around 25-40% of the weight of the block is produced as fine particles during the cutting process. Thus, large amounts of water are used to capture the produced particles, resulting in the generation of a high-in-solids effluent. The marble and granite industry mainly faces two major challenges related to water management. First, the cutting and polishing processes involve large quantities of water, most of which are reused. The majority of marble and granite processing industries utilize basic physical treatment of the generated water (i.e. simple solid–liquid separation, settlement basins). However, due to the high demand of water for the industrial and low retention time in the treatment system, improper application of coagulants, improper management practices...etc., the efficiency of the wastewater treatment system is generally low. The main concerns related to the wastewater are related to the high levels of total solids and the high turbidity of the water. Baseline water audits were prepared for nine marble and granite industries in order to assess the water consumption within the facilities and to identify opportunities to improve water use efficiency. The audits revealed that the industries are generating significant quantities of wastewater, with high levels of total solids and turbidity. The audits also identified opportunities to improve water use efficiency, including the implementation of more efficient wastewater treatment systems and the reduction of water consumption through the use of more efficient equipment. The implementation of more efficient wastewater treatment systems is critical to reducing the environmental impact of the marble and granite industry. The industry generates significant quantities of wastewater, which can negatively affect the physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of both surface and groundwater. The implementation of more efficient wastewater treatment systems can help to reduce the levels of total solids and turbidity in the wastewater, making it safer for reuse and reducing the risk of environmental pollution. The WELI program aims to promote the culture of water conservation among Marble and Granite industries in Lebanon. The program will provide financial incentives to industries that implement more efficient wastewater treatment systems and reduce their water consumption. The program also aims to raise awareness among industry stakeholders about the importance of water conservation and the need to implement more efficient water management practices.