Rendering environmental issues

Another important environmental issue is the fate of cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide, if spilled, evaporates quite readily. That which does not evaporate is soon decomposed or rendered nonha2ardous by complexing with iron in the soil, biological oxidation, or polymeri2ation. 

The rendering industry is constantly changing. Only those companies that are able to adapt to this ever-changing industry will survive. The primary changes will continue to occur in the area of environmental issues, governmental regulations, raw material, and market conditions. 

Landfills are simply buried containers designed to hold solid wastes while at the same time preventing waste materials from having a negative environmental impact. Such precautions are necessary, especially if land reuse for alternate purposes is a key issue. Consequently, it is best to regard a landfill site as merely a temporary disposal facility. For example, if the contents of a landfill site present an environmental contamination problem, they may have to be either relocated or rendered environmentally neutral (i.e., having no residual biodegradable oil and no residual content of leachable material). 

Over the past years, plastics have gathered a rather bad reputation as they are able to resist degradation and therefore accumulate in the environment [1]. The fact that most of these plastic materials are derived from fossil natural sources has contributed significantly to these environmental issues since plastics are generally labelled "unsustainable . Additionally, their low cost of production renders them easily disposable, resulting in high amounts of plastic waste being discarded annually. 

A common theme throughout this volume involves the adsorption and interfacial, especially biointerfacial, behaviour of all of the above mentioned nanomaterials. For environmental and human protection, the adsorption of heavy metal ions, toxins, pollutants, drugs, chemical warfare agents, narcotics, etc. is often desirable. A healthy mix of experimental and theoretical approaches to address these problems is described in various contributions. In other cases the application of materials, particularly for biomedical applications, requires a surface rendered inactive to adsorption for long term biocompatibility. Adsorption, surface chemistry, and particle size also plays an important role in the toxicological behaviour of nanoparticles, a cause for concern in the application of nanomaterials. Each one of these issues is addressed in one or more contributions in this volume. 

From the above, it may readily be seen that AB type coalescing solvents give the best performance in use. These are the high molecular weight esters and ester alcohols. Other species have some of the benefits of these materials but have side effects, which render them less suitable. Minimization of the quantity used tends to be a key financial issue, as well as offering the best environmental option. In virtually all cases, the efficiency of the AB group in application is so marked, that they have become the industry standards. Several other properties, perhaps less important, than efficiency must then be considered when selecting between these. 

Before any remedial measures are taken, it is assumed that a site survey will be undertaken to establish the structural condition of the SNF containers and evidence of radionuclide leakage. In view of their relatively low levels of activity, this section does not address the issue of remedial measures for non-SNF radioactive material. Also, no attempt is made to assess the need for remedial measures, as it is beyond the remit of the Group. However, an estimate is provided below of the physical condition of the SNF containers to assist in any assessment of necessary or feasible actions. It is up to other expert groups to assess whether the environmental impact, technologies, and cost considerations render such actions necessary and or feasible. 

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