Fourelements vs. four elements by the purpose of sustainability of the built environment / Azadeh Aliasgarian, Nayereh Zolfipour and Elham Setayeshgar

Wastes and pollution are recurring problems caused by the presence of various industries located inlarge cities.
To solve these problems it is possible to create new cities based on industry. It is a known fact that the most severe damaging effect of industrial complexes are their pollutants that contaminate the air, soil, and water. Most of these types of pollutions are caused by fire. The ancient Iranian ancestors believed the simplest essential parts and principles upon which anything consisted were of these fourholy elements, i.e. water, wind, soil, and fire ("char akhshij").Methods of preventing industrial pollution for the purpose of “sustainability of the built environment” can be achieved by: (1) removing air pollution carried by wind, (2) the appropriate use of area (soil) for the industrial complex, (3) the industrial waste removal with the water, (4) the use of fire to convert the industrial waste to renewable fuel.The Mobarkeh Steel Complex (MSC) in Isfahan produces severe
pollution in the city’s (1) air, (2) soil, and (3) water. The case study in this essay focuses on the methods for reducing these pollutions with the use of elements described above.