Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop the forensic technology of the sludge of the leather and petrochemical industries. The study collected the manufacture processes, raw materials used, chemicals added, wastewater treatment, facility and operation, related international and domestic information regarding the sludge forensics, and related information such as the sludge features of printed circuit board (PCB), calcium fluoride, leathering, and petrochemical industries. As for the sludge index establishment of the leather and petrochemical industries, SEM was used to observe the appearance, EDX was used to determine the characteristic constituents, XRD was used to analyze the crystalline structure, XRF (or EDX) was used to identify the primary, secondary, and trace constituents, GC/MS was used to determine the organic chemicals, LC/Q-TOF was used to identify highly polarized and water-soluble organic chemicals, and DNA analytical methods were used to determine the bacterial populations and abundances. Based on the results of the above analyses, the sludge characteristics of the leather and petrochemical industries can be summarized as follows: Leather industry •XRF: chromium, sulfur •Organic matters: cholesterol, degreasing agent (dipropylene glycol), bactericide, phenol, 2-(methylthio)-benzothiazole Petrochemical industry •XRF: no characteristic metals • Organic matters: Depending upon the products, it varies among cyclohexane, DOPs, PAHs, 1,3-dioxolane, phthalic anhydride, plasticizing agent TOTM. In addition, the feasibility study of using LC/Q-TOF and DNA analytical methods on leather and petrochemical industries. The results showed that the methods could be effectively used to identify organic acids, amino acids, PEG degreasing agent, and bacteria in the sludge of the leather and petrochemical industries.

sludge、characteristic analysis、forensic technology