Agrochemicals disposal

Sources of land pollution include direct dumping of domestic and industrial solid waste, excessive application of agrochemicals, and indirect contamination resulting from leaks or from leaching of hazardous components from liquid waste disposal sites or from atmospheric fallout. Land may also become contaminated by chemicals processed, stored or dumped at the site, perhaps in the distant past. Such contamination may pose a health risk to workers on the site, those subsequently involved in building, construction or engineering works, or the public (e.g. arising from trespass), and to animals. 

Part Two provides the reader with the necessary information needed to apply, store, and dispose of specific pesticides and other hazardous agrochemicals properly. Emergency guidelines and first aid procedures are also provided in the context of handling incidents such as fires, spills and clean-up. 

Goldsworthy, P.E. and Carter, P. (1998) The safe disposal of clean agrochemical containers on farm - an interim report. BCPC Symposium No. 70 Managing Pesticide Waste and Packaging, pp. 85-88. 

Anthropogenic (man-made) sources of zinc are from mining, zinc and metal production facilities, corrosion of galvanized structures, coal and fuel combustion, waste disposal and incineration, and use of zinc-containing fertilizers and agrochemicals. 

The effective disposal of small volumes of aqueous pesticide wastes Is one of the major practical problems facing American agriculture today. Public concern for the state of groundwater purity and the broad regulations embodied In the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) have stimulated renewed and Increased Interest In the use of microorganisms with unique blodegradatlve properties for the safe disposal of agrochemical wastes. 

Simultaneously with the use of PBI for the analysis of pesticides and agrochemicals, both dispersed in large quantities in the environment [109], this interface type was also appHed to perform the determination of a broad spectrum of pollutants generated by degradation processes, mobilized from waste disposals and contained in the leachates [110] and finally found in the aquatic environment The analysis of 500 L samples of drinking water made the pollution of these waters with alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) and alkylphenol carboxylates (APECs) obvious [111]. As polar constituents of wastewater samples non-ionic surfactants of NPEO type and their acidic metaboHtes, plasticizers, and plastic additives could be confirmed by the appHcation of PBI-LC-MS [112]. 

Environmental considerations are just some of the many issues currently faced by pharmaceutical and agrochemical producers. These encompass the direct effect of their products on the environment, the impact of their production processes on the local environment and the most appropriate disposal route for waste products. Other considerations affecting choice of raw materials used include issues such as security of supply for processes that are not easy to alter. At a time when some regulatory authorities now have the power to delay new product approvals if the process is deemed not to be environmentally acceptable, the stakes are high. As such, efficiency considerations are no longer the only factors in determining the optimum configuration for a new process. 

The modem process chemist has at their disposal tools that allow a link to be made between the bulk crystal chemistry, the surface chemistry of the crystal faces and their potential interactions with solvents and impurities. Examples of industrial application include aspirin [58], the agrochemical product paclobutrazol [59]. The subsequent sections in this chapter provide the details of how such an understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic synthons can be used in the design of pharmaceutical products in particular addressing the challenges in form selection, particle fonnation and formulation design. 

Clearly, both the Syntex and Zambon processes for production of 5-naproxen afford considerable quantities of waste for disposal. Some of these waste streams are in principle recyclable. This situation is in common with most pharmaceutical/fine chemical operations, where the use of batch production methods and stoichiometric quantities of reagents is the norm. Had naproxen been produced and marketed as a racemic drug, in common with most other NSAI agents, the amount of waste produced would presumably be even greater. Thus production of drugs in homochiral form is itself a positive environmental factor. This is even more true for agrochemicals which are applied directly to the environment, as stated earlier. 

Besides mulch films, other potential agricultural applications for biodegradable polymers include devices for the controlled release of agrochemicals (such as fertilisers, soil applied active ingredients, insect pheromones and so on), disposable articles such as plant pots, composting containers and bags, envelopes of ensilage, seed trays and so on. 

A reduced risk of pollution from nitrates, phosphates and agrochemicals is fairly obvious but less inputs used more effectively means fewer road miles for delivery, less packaging production and waste and less pressure on disposal of plastics, etc. It conld mean fewer passes through the field if the inputs are used more effectively, saving on fuel and reducing GHG emissions. 

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