What is a solid waste
•
Any material that we discard, that is not liquid
or gas, is solid waste
–
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW):
•
Solid waste from home or office
–
Industrial Solid Waste:
•
Solid waste produced from Mines, Agriculture or
What is a Hazardous Waste?
• Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment
• Ignitability - Ignitable wastes create fires under certain conditions or are
spontaneously combustible, or have a flash point less than 60 °C (140 °F).
• Corrosivity - Corrosive wastes are acids or bases (pH less than or equal to 2 or
greater than or equal to 12.5) that are capable of corroding metal containers, such as storage tanks, drums, and barrels.
• Reactivity - Reactive wastes are unstable under "normal" conditions. They can cause explosions, toxic fumes, gases, or vapors when mixed with water.
• Toxicity - Toxic wastes are harmful or fatal when ingested or absorbed (e.g.,
containing mercury, lead, etc.). When toxic wastes are disposed of on land, contaminated liquid may drain (leach) from the waste and pollute ground water. Toxicity is defined through a laboratory procedure called the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP).
U.S. Scenario
•
4.6% of world population
•
50% of toxic wastes
•
1/3
rdof solid wastes
•
Mining (76%), agricultural (13%), industrial
(9.5%) = 98.5%
Auto batteries: 99.2%
Office Type Papers: 70.9% Yard Trimmings: 64.7% Steel Cans: 62.8%
Aluminum Beer and Soft Drink Cans: 48.2% Tires: 35.4%
HDPE Natural (White Translucent) Bottles: 29.3% Glass Containers: 28.0%
PET Bottles and Jars: 27.2%
Benefits of Recycling
•
USA recycled 83 million tons of MSW.
•
This provides an annual benefit of 182 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent
emissions reduced,
•
comparable to removing the emissions from
33 million passenger cars.
•
But the ultimate benefits from recycling are
Municipal Waste
•
On-site (at home)
•
Open Dump
•
Sanitary Landfill
•
Incineration
Open Dump
•
Unsanitary, draws pests and vermin, harmful
runoff and leachates, toxic gases
•
Still accounts for half of solid waste
Sanitary Landfill
•
Sanitary Landfill
– Layer of compacted trash covered with a layer of earth once a
day and a thicker layer when the site is full
– Require impermeable barriers to stop escape of leachates:
can cause problem by overflow
– Gases produced by decomposing garbage needs venting
– 1 acre/10,000 people: acute space problem: wastes piling up over 150 million tons/year;
– # of landfills down from 8000(1988) to 3091(1996) – NIMBY, NIMFYE, NIMEY, NOPE
Sanitary Landfill
•
Avoid:
–
Swampy area/ Flood plains /coastal areas
–
Fractures or porous rocks
–
High water table
•
Prefer:
–
Clay layers
Monitoring of Sanitary Landfills
•
Gases: Methane, Ammonia, Hydrogen sulphide
•
Heavy Metals: Lead, Chromium in soil
•
Soluble substances: chloride, nitrate, sulfate
•
Surface Run-offs
•
Vegetation: may pick up toxic substances
•
Plant residue in soil
Incineration
•
Solves space problem but:
– produces toxic gases like Cl, HCl, HCN, SO2
– High temp furnaces break down hazardous compounds but are expensive ($75 - $2K/ton)
– Heat generated can be recovered: % of waste burnt
• Japan 67%, Switzerland 80%, USA 6%
– North Little Rock, AK saving $50K in heating cost and reducing landfill requirement by 95%
Ocean Dumping
•
Out of sight, free of emission control norms
•
Contributes to ocean pollution
•
Can wash back on beaches, and can cause death of
marine mammals
•
Preferred method: incineration in open sea
•
Ocean Dumping Ban Act, 1988: bans dumping of
sewage sludge and industrial waste
•
Dredge spoils still dumped in oceans, can cause
Reducing Waste
•
Incineration, compacting
•
Hog feed: requires heat treatment
•
Composting: requires separation of organics from glass
and metals
•
Recycling and Reusing
– Recycle of glass containers: 5 million tons – Plastic: marked by types for easy recycling
– Converted into Fibers, trash bags, plastic lumber, fill for
pillows, insulation etc
Municipal Waste
•
On-site (at home)
•
Open Dump
•
Sanitary Landfill
•
Incineration
Open Dump
•
Unsanitary, draws pests and vermin, harmful
runoff and leachates, toxic gases
•
Still accounts for half of solid waste
Sanitary Landfill
•
Sanitary Landfill
– Layer of compacted trash covered with a layer of earth once a
day and a thicker layer when the site is full
– Require impermeable barriers to stop escape of leachates:
can cause problem by overflow
– Gases produced by decomposing garbage needs venting
– 1 acre/10,000 people: acute space problem: wastes piling up over 150 million tons/year;
– # of landfills down from 8000(1988) to 3091(1996) – NIMBY, NIMFYE, NIMEY, NOPE
Sanitary Landfill
•
Avoid:
–
Swampy area/ Flood plains /coastal areas
–
Fractures or porous rocks
–
High water table
•
Prefer:
–
Clay layers
Monitoring of Sanitary Landfills
•
Gases: Methane, Ammonia, Hydrogen sulphide
•
Heavy Metals: Lead, Chromium in soil
•
Soluble substances: chloride, nitrate, sulfate
•
Surface Run-offs
•
Vegetation: may pick up toxic substances
•
Plant residue in soil
Incineration
•
Solves space problem but:
– produces toxic gases like Cl, HCl, HCN, SO2
– High temp furnaces break down hazardous compounds but are expensive ($75 - $2K/ton)
– Heat generated can be recovered: % of waste burnt
• Japan 67%, Switzerland 80%, USA 6%
– North Little Rock, AK saving $50K in heating cost and reducing landfill requirement by 95%
Ocean Dumping
•
Out of sight, free of emission control norms
•
Contributes to ocean pollution
•
Can wash back on beaches, and can cause death of
marine mammals
•
Preferred method: incineration in open sea
•
Ocean Dumping Ban Act, 1988: bans dumping of
sewage sludge and industrial waste
•
Dredge spoils still dumped in oceans, can cause
Reducing Waste
•
Incineration, compacting
•
Hog feed: requires heat treatment
•
Composting: requires separation of organics from glass
and metals
•
Recycling and Reusing
– Recycle of glass containers: 5 million tons – Plastic: marked by types for easy recycling
– Converted into Fibers, trash bags, plastic lumber, fill for
pillows, insulation etc
•In 1996, recycling of solid waste in the United States prevented the release of 33 million tons of carbon into the air— roughly the amount emitted annually by 25 million cars.
•1 ton of newspaper=18 trees, 3 m3 of
landfill, 60% less energy. Govt recycling saving 223,000 tons, 4 million trees, $7.4 million
Recycling: facts and figures
• In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64
million tons of material from ending up in landfills and
incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
• 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles,
45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
Waste Exchange
•
One persons waste can be another persons
raw material
•
Fluorite from Al smelter in MD
•
Isopropyl alcohol = cleaning solvent
•
Nitric Acid from Electronic Industry = high
grade fertilizer
Liquid Waste
•
Sewage
•
Highly toxic Industrial Waste & Used Oil
– Dilute and Disperse
– Concentrate and Contain
– Secure Landfill
• Sealed drums to be put in impermeable holds with monitoring wells to check for leakage: does not work
– Deep well Disposal
• Pumping in deep porous layer bounded by impermeable formations, well below water table
• $1 million to drill, $15-20/ton afterwards
Story of Love Canal
• A ditch 20m wide, 3m deep and 1km long
• 1890: Built near Niagara falls for hydro-power
• 1905: Hooker Electrochemical established
• 1942: Hooker buys the site for waste disposal, 20,000 tons of toxic chemical
dumped in 10 yr
• 1953: site bought by Niagara School board for $1, Hooker absolved of any
future damage
• 1977: study shows toxic effects in adjoining homes,>40 toxic chemicals
identified
• 1978: Health advisory, 100 families to be shifted
• 1980: remedial measures taken, EPA study shows chromosome defects in
residents, President Carter declares emergency, provides federal aid
• 1981: Over 500 families moved out, hundreds waiting for aid
• EPA estimate: 30,000 hazardous waste sites in US, only 10% of hazardous
•In 1996, recycling of solid waste in the United States prevented the release of 33 million tons of carbon into the air— roughly the amount emitted annually by 25 million cars.
•1 ton of newspaper=18 trees, 3 m3 of
landfill, 60% less energy. Govt recycling saving 223,000 tons, 4 million trees, $7.4 million
Recycling: facts and figures
• In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64
million tons of material from ending up in landfills and
incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
• 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles,
45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
Waste Exchange
•
One persons waste can be another persons
raw material
•
Fluorite from Al smelter in MD
•
Isopropyl alcohol = cleaning solvent
•
Nitric Acid from Electronic Industry = high
grade fertilizer
Liquid Waste
•
Sewage
•
Highly toxic Industrial Waste & Used Oil
– Dilute and Disperse
– Concentrate and Contain
– Secure Landfill
• Sealed drums to be put in impermeable holds with monitoring wells to check for leakage: does not work
– Deep well Disposal
• Pumping in deep porous layer bounded by impermeable formations, well below water table
• $1 million to drill, $15-20/ton afterwards
Story of Love Canal
• A ditch 20m wide, 3m deep and 1km long
• 1890: Built near Niagara falls for hydro-power
• 1905: Hooker Electrochemical established
• 1942: Hooker buys the site for waste disposal, 20,000 tons of toxic chemical
dumped in 10 yr
• 1953: site bought by Niagara School board for $1, Hooker absolved of any
future damage
• 1977: study shows toxic effects in adjoining homes,>40 toxic chemicals
identified
• 1978: Health advisory, 100 families to be shifted
• 1980: remedial measures taken, EPA study shows chromosome defects in
residents, President Carter declares emergency, provides federal aid
• 1981: Over 500 families moved out, hundreds waiting for aid
• EPA estimate: 30,000 hazardous waste sites in US, only 10% of hazardous
Radioactive Waste Disposal
•
Isotopes with short half-lives are gone quickly, those
with long half-lives will decay too little
•
Low level wastes: 90% of all radioactive wastes
–
20 temporary and 6 commercial disposal sites
–
States to take care of their low level waste
•
High level wastes e.g., spent nuclear fuel rods
–
Should be so disposed as to cause less than 1000 death in
High Level Waste Depository
•
Rocketing to sun
•
Under Antarctica Ice sheet
•
Subduction Zone
•
Sea bed disposal
•
Bedrock caverns
–
Granites, basalt, tuff, shale, salt caverns
–
Salt: High melting point, impermeable in dry condition,
self-sealing, cheap resource
Requirements for a radio-active
waste disposal system
•
Design and Fabricate a System that will
–
Last thousands of years longer than recorded
human history
–
Be robust enough to isolate highly radioactive
material so that it will not threaten human health
and environment for more than ten thousand
Story of Yucca Mountain Site
• 1982: Nuclear Waste Policy Act
– Congress charges DOE with the task
– Two high level waste depository in the eastern and the western USA
– Billions collected from tax on utilities
• 1986: Hanford, Wa, Yucca Mtn, Ne and Deaf Smith County, Tx shortlisted as western sites
• 1987: Congress suddenly decides on Nevada (screw Nevada
bill)
– Read about “Screw Nevada Bill” – Nevada to receive $20 million/year
• Feb 15, 2002: Pres. Bush approved Yucca Mtn as the site for
Yucca Mountain Site
•
Geologically stable (?)
–
Limited fault displacement
–
No volcanism in 10,000 years
•
Tuff host rock, 1000 ft below the surface, 1000 ft
above the water table
•
Arid climate, no streams, low water table
•
Low population density
