Environmental Risk Assessment of Liquid Aluminum Sulfate Water Treatment Agent Prepared from Waste Sulfuric Acid in the Integrated Circuit Industry

The comprehensive utilization of hazardous waste may introduce heavy metals, organic pollutants, etc., into products, resulting in secondary pollution. The environmental risk assessment method for hazardous waste resource utilization products is an important technical means of environmental management. We have established a standardized method for hazard identification, exposure evaluation and risk characterization. This study selects waste sulfuric acid generated in the integrated circuit industry as the object and investigates the use of waste sulfuric acid to react with aluminum hydroxide to produce liquid aluminum sulfate flocculant, as well as the environmental risks brought to practitioners and the potential relevant population in the sewage treatment process. By analyzing sulfuric acid and aluminum hydroxide, toxic substances such as nitrate ions, fluorides, As, Pb, Cr, Hg, Cd, etc., were identified. Through exposure scenario analysis, the exposure levels of occupational and non-occupational populations were determined. Based on the dose–response relationship data in the IRIS database of the United States and the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic data of skin contact routes, it was suggested that chromium and its compounds were the main contributors to carcinogenic risk, and cadmium, its compounds, and mercuric chloride were the contributors to the non-carcinogenic risk. The total carcinogenic risk to human health in occupational populations was 5.31 × 10−5, and the total non-carcinogenic risk was 8.80 × 10−1. The total carcinogenic risk to human health in non-occupational populations was 1.73 × 10−15, and the total non-carcinogenic risk was 1.23 × 10−11. Based on this research, it is clear that the production of liquid aluminum sulfate flocculants from waste sulfuric acid generated in the integrated circuit industry has a low impact on occupational and other populations during use, and the environmental risks generated by this product are acceptable even under the most dangerous conditions.