What is the waste material that is discharged from the distilling process?

During the distilling process, especially in the context of water desalination or the separation of various components, brine is the waste material typically discharged. Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt and other impurities that results from the removal of freshwater from seawater or saline water during distillation.

In many distillation applications, especially those involving seawater, a significant portion of the original solution contains dissolved salts and other minerals. When freshwater is extracted, the remaining concentrated solution becomes brine, which is then discharged as waste.

The other options represent different types of materials but do not accurately describe the specific waste product of the distillation process in this context. Contaminated water could refer to various types of polluted water but does not specifically denote the concentrated saline waste created during distillation. Freshwater, as the name suggests, is the goal of the distillation process, and sludge is more commonly associated with the accumulation of solid waste materials, such as sediments from biological or chemical processes, rather than the result of distillation. Therefore, brine is the correct answer as it specifically identifies the saline waste product resulting from distillation.