Waste minimization recycling

Fostering early stage environmental process review to identify opportunities for waste minimization, recycling, and process streamlining prior to production ... 

The process recovers hydrocarbons suitable for reuse or recycling and recovers water treatable in wastewater treatment facilities. Thermal distillation can be used for waste minimization, recycling, or as a final treatment. 

Many of these techniques involve source reduction— the preferred option on the EPA s hierarchy of waste management (24). Others deal with on-and off-site recycling. The best way to determine how these general approaches can fit a particular company s needs is to conduct a waste minimization... 

Although the EPAs policy does not consider recycling or treatment as actual pollution prevention methods per se, these methods present an opportunity to reduce the amount of waste that might otheiwise be discharged into the environment. Clearly, the definition of pollution prevention and its synonyms (e.g., waste minimization) must be understood to fully appreciate and apply these techniques. 

It would obviously be desirable to eliminate the generation of waste. Practical alternatives are to minimize it by reduction at source or to recycle it. Table 16.7 illustrates the hierarchy of waste minimization practices. Source reduction includes increased process efficiency economies in the use of energy are also relevant, e.g. it may result in a decrease in the consumption of fossil fuels ... 

Waste Minimization source reduction, certain types of recycling and reclamation. Waste minimization does not include recycling activities whose uses constitute disposal and burning for energy recovery. 

Information provided in Part III. Section 8. of Form R is optional. In this section, you may identify waste minimization efforts relating to the reported toxic chemical. Waste minimization reduces the amount of the toxic chemicai in wastes by reducing waste generation or by recycling. This can be accomplished by equipment changes, process modifications, product reformulation, chemical substitutions, or other techniques. Waste minimization refers exclusively to practices which prevent the generation of wastes. Treatment or disposal does not minimize waste and should not be reported In this section. Recycling or reuse of a toxic chemical is considered waste minimization. Waste minimization applies to air emissions and wastewater, as well as to liquid or solid mate-... 

This act completely reformed arrangements for controlling pollution at national and local levels and created a complete interlocking framework for pollution control. It introduced integrated pollution control (IPC), a new approach with waste minimization at its centre and a commitment to higher environmental standards via the concept of the best practical environmental option (BPEO). The reform of waste disposal is designed to minimize waste and maximize recycling. 

Pulping liquors. Pulping liquor, also called black liquor, is a corrosive material used to dissolve wood chips for the manufacturing of paper and other materials. To promote waste minimization and recycling, U.S. EPA excluded pulping liquors from the definition of solid waste if they are reclaimed in a recovery furnace and then reused in the pulping process. If the liquors are recycled in another way, or are accumulated speculatively, they are not excluded. 

When viewing effluent treatment methods, it is clear that the basic problem of disposing safely of waste material is, in many cases, not so much solved but moved from one place to another. If a method of treatment can be used that allows material to be recycled, then the waste problem is truly solved. However, if the treatment simply concentrates the waste as concentrated liquid, slurry or solid in a form, which cannot be recycled, then it will still need to be disposed of. Landfill disposal of such waste is increasingly unacceptable and thermal oxidation causes pollution through products of combustion and liquors from scrubbing systems. The best method for dealing with effluent problems is to solve the problem at source by waste minimization, as will be discussed in Chapter 28. 

Figure 28.2 Waste minimization in separation and recycle systems.

Smith R and Petela EA (1991) Waste Minimization in the Process Industries Part 3 Separation and Recycle Systems, Chem Eng, 513 24. 

It may be useful to recall some facts concerning the environmental impact of plastics. Sustainability, pollution minimization, recycling and safe elimination of wastes are basic principles of environment policy. 

It is suggested that waste minimization, spill prevention, leakage prevention, volume reduction, waste recycle, energy conversion, and conservation be practiced by the industry as well as the community. Innovative technology must be developed, and good managerial methods must be established for this practice. With all these improvements, modern incinerators and landfill facilities may still be needed, but their numbers and sizes will be significantly reduced. 

The technology allows for waste minimizing and materials recycling. 

Despite the emphasis on waste minimization and recycling, society will continue to generate waste requiring incineration or landfill disposal in the foreseeable future. Owing to the formation of bottom and fly ash through MSW incineration, it is important to find criteria for their utilization in an environmentally sound manner. This is in line with the policies adopted by several EU countries, such as Italy, where the utilization of... 

Treatment of waste should be considered only after source reduction and recycling options are fully addressed. Treatment includes methods for separation of the metals fraction from the wastes stream. This typically involves neutralization, precipitation, filtration and drying operations. Waste treatment, although often desirable and necessary, is not considered to be a waste minimization option by the USEPA... 

---