Solid Waste Concerns

The basic problem was that in some areas of the U.S., there was a significant decrease in the availability of landfill space, at a time when approximately 90% of municipal solid waste (MSW) was disposed of by landfilling. The problem was generally worse in major cities than in smaller towns or rural areas, and was particularly acute in the northeastern U.S. One focus of attempts to deal with the problem was to look for ways to minimize MSW generation. Another was to seek alternatives to landfill disposal, including incineration and recycling. A third was to seek new landfill sites. 

In the year 2000, the EU also instituted a broader approach of requiring that packaging adhere to what are referred to as essential requirements related to source reduction, minimal presence of hazardous substances, and the design and production to facilitate recovery, reuse, and recycling. Adoption of standards necessary to enforce the requirements is up to individual member states. Some countries have issued detailed standards (UK, Erance, Czech Republic) but the others have only much more general language [7]. In much of the developing world, open dumps are still a common method of waste disposal, even in major urban areas. The appreciable 

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THAYER FiasticsRecyding Efforts and Solid Waste Concerns... 

Solid waste concerns single use assemblies are normally handled as medical waste and incinerated this cost is largely offset by reduced use of power, water and caustic chemicals for cleaning and treatment of the liquid effluent. 

To satisfy the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1977) and its amendment for hazardous and solid waste (1984), the 80(K) Series Methods have been designed to analyze solid waste, soUs, and groundwater. In particular, methods 8240/8260 require the use of a purge-and-trap device in conjunction with packed or capillary GC/MS, respectively, for the analysis of purgeable organic compounds. Methods 8250/8270 concern analyses for the less-volatile bases, neutrals, and acids by GC/MS after extraction from the matrix by an organic solvent. 

AlUiough Uiis act was directed toward tlie research and development of technologies to deal with the solid waste problem, it resembled the other laws discussed in this section in that it was not concerned with emergency plaiuiing and response,... 

Public concerns about air quality led to the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 to amendments to that act in 1977 and 1990. The 1990 amendments contained seven separate titles covering different regula-toiy programs and include requirements to install more advanced pollution control equipment and make other changes in industrial operations to reduce emissions of air pollutants. The 1990 amendments address sulfur dioxide emissions and acid rain deposition, nitrous oxide emissions, ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide emissions, particulate emissions, tail pipe emissions, evaporative emissions, reformulated gasoline, clean-fueled vehicles and fleets, hazardous air pollutants, solid waste incineration, and accidental chemical releases. 

Studies of the incineration of liquid and solid wastes must determine the rates at which hazardous compounds are released into the vapor phase or are transformed in the condensed phase, particularly when the hazardous materials make up a small fraction of the liquid burned. We must be particularly concerned with understanding the effects of the major composition and property variations that might be encountered in waste incinerator operations—for example, fluctuations in heating value and water content, as well as phase separations. Evidence of the importance of variations in waste properties on incinerator performance has been demonstrated by the observation of major smges in emissions from rotary-kiln incinerators as a consequence of the rapid release of volatiles during the feeding of unstable materials into the incinerator. 

This chapter attempts to provide an overview of the application of principles, outlined in previous chapters, to the bioremediation of contaminated terrestrial sites and the associated groundwater. Cardinal microbiological processes will be addressed only briefly, and references should be made to previous chapters for metabolic details. There are several reasons for the heightened concern over the increasing volume of solid waste—both industrial and domestic. On the positive side, however,... 

Solid effluents arising from metallurgical operations occur principally in two forms fine particulate solids or dusts, and solid wastes. As an example, blast furnace gas may contain up to 170 kg of dust per ton of pig iron produced. Suitable methods must be devised for processing the solid effluents for two reasons (i) to prevent pollution of the environment and (ii) to recover their valuable content, if any. As far as the latter is concerned, reference may be drawn, as an example, to the recovery of rhenium from the exit gas from molybdenite roasting in a multiple-hearth furnace. 

There is real concern over waste impoundments used to store acidic liquid. Small amounts of acid such as that contained in a barrel in a solid waste landfill underlain by a 3-ft thick liner will not inflict a major damage on the soil liner. A large volume of liquid in the impoundment, however, can damage the soil seriously. 

PCDD/Fs are emitted or spilled from many processes, but as they were found in the emissions from all combustion processes, thermal processes are recognized to be a main source, and a major public concern, especially waste incineration. But dioxins problem is attributed to all human activities, connected either with production or utilization of solid wastes and wastewaters. One of the crucial examples of the problem is sewage sludge contamination. 

The committee considered the small amounts of PCBs that are suspected to be present in rocket motors and concluded that these amounts are far too small to pose an environmental concern. No data on PCBs were provided in any of the tests that the committee evaluated. Any small amounts of PCBs that may be present from rockets treated would end up in one of the solid waste streams and be at a concentration well below regulatory limits. 

There is now particular concern about the heavy metals that are present in most electronic machines. The constant upgrading of computers means that some are discarded without care so that the metal ions within them are gradually escaping into the environment. It is estimated that, in the USA alone, 60 million new computers are purchased each year and worldwide the number is about 130 million. Many of these are replaced within a few years, and disposal of old computers leads to large amounts of electronic waste (known as e-waste ). It is estimated that 5% of aU solid waste in the USA is e-waste, accounting for about 70% of aU the heavy metals in waste dumps. The problem of e-waste and human health is discussed in a book entitled Challenging the Chip, eds Smith, Sonnenfeld, et al. (2006). 

In 1974, federally recommended procedures were published under authority of the 1972 amendments of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that addressed pesticide disposal (2). These recommendations identified an incinerator operating at 1000°C (1832°F) with 2-s retention time in the combustion zone as acceptable for destruction of organic pesticides. Other incinerators, such as those for municipal solid waste capable of effecting complete pesticide destruction, are also acceptable. During this same time frame, i.e., from the early 1970s to date, a number of research and demonstration studies have been conducted involving pesticide incineration. Most of these concern either the identification of incinerator... 

Plastics Recycling Efforts Spurred by Concerns About Solid Waste... 

Every year the U.S. generates about 320 billion lb of what is called municipal solid waste, or postconsumer waste. About 85% of this trash is currently disposed of in landfills. Yet as the amount of solid waste increases—and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that it will reach 380 billion lb by 2000—a third of the landfills are expected to close in the next five years. Many people are concerned that efforts to deal with the growing quantity of garbage are not moving fast enough. 

This paper is concerned with the potential for production of liquid fuels from biomass in Canada. To this end, the availability and cost of wood wastes, surplus roundwood, bush residues, energy plantation trees, and municipal solid wastes (mostly cellulosic) are assessed and promising thermal, chemical and biochemical conversion processes reviewed. 

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