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.

Comprehensive utilization of hazardous industrial waste can recover resources but may also transfer residual hazardous constituents into downstream products. Preparing water treatment agents with low environmental risk is an important path towards sustainable development for the sulfuric acid industry. Following the framework of hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, and risk characterization in the forthcoming Chinese national standard “General Principles for Environmental Risk Assessment of Products from Comprehensive Utilization of Hazardous Wastes”, this case study evaluated the use-phase human-health and aquatic ecological risks of a liquid polyferric sulfate coagulant produced from waste sulfuric acid. As, Pb, Hg, Cr, Zn, and Ni were reported in the product at 8.6 × 10⁻⁴, 8.6 × 10⁻⁵, 1.5 × 10⁻⁷, 4.78 × 10⁻³, 7.96 × 10⁻³, and 2.10 × 10⁻⁴ mg/L, respectively. Three predefined scenarios were considered: direct worker dermal contact during dosing, indirect dermal contact with receiving water, and aquatic exposure after discharge. Under the case-study parameterization, the total carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were 2.46 × 10⁻⁷ and 3.90 × 10⁻⁴ for occupational exposure and 8.04 × 10⁻¹⁸ and 5.47 × 10⁻¹⁵ for indirect population exposure, respectively. The available ecological-effect dataset supported only a partial Hg-based screening. Thus, the conclusions are limited to the measured product composition, selected scenarios, assumptions, and benchmarks and do not constitute a comprehensive occupational, life-cycle, or multimedia environmental-safety assessment.