Solid wastes biodegradability

Gomez, M. A. Baldini, M. Marcos, M. Martinez, A. Fernandez, S. Reyes, S. Aerobic microbial activity and solid waste biodegradation in a landfill located in a semi-arid region of Argentina. Ann. Microbiol. 2012, <52,745-752. 

Degrade plastics (solid waste) by one of four processes biodegradation, photodegradation, chemical degradation, and hydrodegradation. 

Narayan R (2001) Drivers for biodegradable/compostable plastics and role of composting in waste management and sustainable agriculture. Bioprocess Solid Waste Sludge 1(1)... 

The Landfill Directive 99/31 mandates the reduction of biodegradable solid waste to be landfilled. 

Wash effluents from nitration installation can cause problems due to the high nitrophenol concentrations, their high toxicity to sewage bacteric and their general resistance to biodegradation. Electrochemical pretreatment tests in the laboratory showed a reduction in toxicity, and improvement of the color smell, etc. The electrochemical pretreatment is also attractive because of the absence of solid waste coproducts and its ease of operational control, [135]. 

Thermal pretreatment of waste can enhance the biodegradability of hazardous substance. Homogenization/suspension of solid wastes or nondissolved sludges in water will increase the surface of the waste particles and, as result of this, the rate of biodegradation wiU also be increased. 

Composts can be made from most biodegradable materials, and could derive from many unusual sources. If it originates from municipal solid waste, however, care should be taken that no toxic and non-degradable materials remain after the supplier s separation processes. Small pieces of brick and concrete, glass and plastic (inerts), lead residues from old car batteries and cadmium from electroplated items are possible. A useful work on specifications and recommended chemical analyses of composts is the book by Bertoldi et al., 1987. 

The joint result of these three factors was that, by the 1960s, Americans had adopted an attitude about solid wastes quite different from that of their 1900 forebears. They were consuming a much larger volume of materials, most of which were not naturally biodegradable, that were simply being dumped in the most convenient locations in open dumps, landfills, large lakes, or the oceans. 

Brookhaven National Laboratory s (BNL s) biochemical recovery of radionuclides and heavy metals is a patented biochemical recovery process for the removal of metals and radionuclides from contaminated minerals, soil, and waste sites. In this process, citric acid, a naturally occurring organic complexing agent, is used to extract metals and radionuclides from solid wastes by the formation of water-soluble, metal-citrate complexes. The complex-rich extract is then subjected to microbiological biodegradation that removes most of the extracted heavy metals. 

Ozone is applied in three-phase systems where a selective ozone reaction, oxidation of residual compounds and/or enhancement of biodegradability is required. It can be used to treat drinking water and waste water, as well as gaseous or solid wastes. Especially in drinking water treatment full-scale applications are common, e. g. for particle removal and disinfection, while in waste water treatment sludge ozonation and the use of catalyst in AOP have been applied occasionally. Current research areas for three-phase ozonation include soil treatment and oxidative regeneration of adsorbers. Ozonation in water-solvent systems is seldom studied on the lab-scale and seems favorable only in special cases. In general, potential still exists for new developments and improvements in ozone applications for gas/watcr/solvent and gas/waler/solid systems. 

Dye-containing solid wastes, including cleanup wastes from manufacturing and textile dyeing operations, are likely to enter landfills, where aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation, sorption to soils, and leaching may occur. 

Franke, M., Jandl, G, and Leinweber, P. (2006). Characterization of organic compounds in aerobic biological treated municipal solid waste and re-circulated leachates. Biodegradation 17, 473 185. 

Lambolez (1994) and Bispo (1998) showed that this kind of index can be used for integrating different results obtained from solid waste leachates without having to take into account the ME Vs obtained after biodegradation nor the flow (Q in the PEEP formula) specific to effluents. The Waste PEEP formula defining a PEEP index for waste then becomes ... 

Because of their low density, plastics comprise approximately 20% by volume of landfilled solid waste, although they contribute only about 7% of the total weight. Public opposition limits the disposal of plastics via incineration, despite their comparatively high energy content. These factors have stimulated considerable interest in the development of biodegradable plastics as replacements for conventional plastics, particularly in packaging and disposable applications. 

---