Environmental Impacts of Wastes

Reducing the long-term environmental impact of wastes arising from uranium mining... 

The E factor, and derived metrics, takes only the mass of waste generated into account. However, the environmental impact of waste is determined not only by its amount but also by its nature. Hence, we introduced [13] the term environmental quotient , EQ, obtained by multiplying the E factor by an arbitrarily... 

Expand the reusability and recyclability of wastes and products and the demand for recycled materials. Research is needed to improve the reusability and recyclability of wastes and products, and to increase the capacity and demand for recycled materials in production processes. Such improvements will prolong the useful life of materials and reduce the environmental impacts of wastes and pollutants from all waste streams. 

The environmental impact of waste disposal and of chemical use in Europe has led to three legislative actions that, in today s global economy, greatly affect flame-retardant use and research. These actions go by the acronyms of RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemical substances). These actions are discussed in detail in Chapter 22, but need to be mentioned here as they are clear examples of how changing regulations affect flame-retardant use, selection, and new fire-safety developments. The first one, RoHS, refers to how new items are manufactured, and specifically bans chemicals and elements of environmental and toxicological concern in Europe. One fall-out item of RoHS is the move from a lead-based solder on circuit... 

Figure 16.3 Graphical comparison of potential environmental impact of waste.

The environmental impact can also be calculated for the feedstock of the process (PEIin), allowing us to assess the hazards and the costs associated with the use of the starting materials of a particular process. This should always be carried out to make sure that a decrease of the environmental impact of waste is not made at the expense of using more hazardous or (environmentally) expensive starting materials. 

Moreover, the results of this comparison show that the alternative process allows a significant reduction of the mass of waste, the environmental impact of waste and of the hazards and costs associated with the materials used for the process. With the aid of the EATOS tool it was also possible to establish the process zones were most of the environmental impact is produced. From the analysis, it clearly emerged that the use of other green metrics based only on waste mass would have led to different or underestimated results. 

Figure 6. Various adverse environmental impacts of wastes and their end results (ESCAP, 2000)-...

In many regions of the world where ores of toxic elements were exploited and smelted for long periods, the environmental impact of wastes is often an unresolved problem, mostly owing to the lack of adequate reclamation. 

Concern over the environmental impact of waste plastic and the sensitivity of polypropylene production costs to monomer cost have led to an interest in the... 

Industrial ecology is a recent concept in engineering and management, and is an attempt to manage an industrial unit as an ecosystem, with feedback loops and the minimal use of resources and production of waste [7]. Life cycle assessment, which was designed to take into account the environmental impact of waste, can help achieve cleaner production technologies and sustainable waste management practices which are all important aspects of... 

The goals of development of MhhP2T is to provide the user with a program that can easily be used to model the plating process and evaluate the effects of modifications to the plating process on the environmental impact of wastes produced. In order to meet this objective, the model must conduct material balances around each process in the plating line and evaluate potential chemical reactions that may occur within each tank. For example, spent rinse water may be reused at numerous locations within the process. The program will need to evaluate the different reuse possibilities, determine which are feasible and compare the economic aspects of the different reuse options. 

MFFP2T allows the metal finishing industry to evaluate various process modifications to reduce the quantity and environmental impact of wastes generated. The environmental impact packages developed as part of MFFP2T can be used to analyze similar processes that support the CAPE-OPEN interfaces, expanding the applicability of these environmental impact packages to the chemical and allied industry. 

Another downstream issue that should be considered is that of recycling and recovery e.g. of solvents and catalysts). This is important and can have a positive effect on the environmental impact and hence the metrics of a given process. Studies have been earned out to determine whether solvent recoveiy is viable depending upon faetors sueh as the energy required to achieve this. ETH Zurich has also developed an LCA based tool that allows the environmental impact of waste-solvent treatment to be quantified. ... 

Burkowska, A., Swiontek Brzezinska, M., Kalwasihska, A. 2011. Impact of the municipal landfill site on microbiological contamination of air. Contemporary Problems of Management and Environmental Protection, No. 9. Some Aspects of Environmental Impact of Waste Dumps 71-87. 

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