Waste Minimization—Summary

The best solution to effluent problems is not to produce the waste in the first place, i.e., waste minimization. If waste can be minimized at the source, this brings the dual benefit of reducing waste treatment costs and reducing raw materials costs. 

Since the reactor is at the heart of the process, this is where to start 

Process waste minimization in general terms is a question of 

The utility system also creates waste through products of combustion from boilers and furnaces and wastewater from water treatment, boiler blowdown, etc. Utility waste minimization is in general terms a question of  

and Petela, E., Waste Minimization in the Process Industries 3. Separation and Recycle Systems, Chem. Eng., 513 13, 1991. 

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You can order the following three Waste Minimization Audit Reports from NTIS. Or you can order the executive summaries from EPA/ATD/HWERL, 26 West St. Clair Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45268. 

The next paragraphs discuss the inadequacy of end-of-pipe pollution control approaches, waste management hierarchy, incentives gained from adopting waste minimization practices, barriers to effective waste minimization, and applications of waste minimization programs in drilling operations. The following is a summary. 

The information gathered in the first two steps is often collected in an effluent summary worksheet. An effluent summary lists the regulated pollutants produced by the process and summarizes the quantities produced and where they originate. The effluent summary can be used to focus waste minimization efforts and as a design basis for the design of effluent treatment processes. The information in the effluent... 

The physical and health hazards associated with chemicals should be determined before working with them This determination may involve consulting literature references. Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries (LCSSs), Matmal Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), or other reference materials (see also Chapter 3, section 3.B) and may require discussions with the laboratory supervisor and consultants such as safety and industrial hygiene officers. Every step of the waste minimization and removal processes should be checked against federal, state, and local regulations. Production of mixed chemical-radioactive-biological waste (see Chapter 7, section 7.C.1.3) should not be considered without discussions with environmental health and safety experts. 

Prepare and Implement an Area Waste Management Plan Compde all preferred waste management and minimization practices and write waste management summaries for each waste. Implement the plan on a field level. 

Hazardous Waste Consultant (0738-0232). This journal has articles about the newest developments relating to hazardous waste assessment, treatment, storage, and disposal as well as waste minimization technologies. In addition, summaries of federal and state legal cases with a focus on regulatory interpretation and enforcement related to hazardous waste compliance are reported. 

The Venturi Thermal Oxidizer does not destroy inorganic contaminants. Fumes with a dew point over 120°F should be cooled, condensed, and moisture separated to minimize fuel costs. The system may not be cost effective for contaminant waste streams with low lower explosive limit fume streams. Information in this summary is from the vendor and has not been independently verified. 

As an extraction technique, SFE proved to give comparable recoveries to those of Soxhlet extraction. In all cases, SFE dramatically shortened extraction times and minimized most environmental hazards, solvent concentration steps, and waste disposal costs. A summary of this comparison is included as Table XII and is a projected cost comparison of SFE to Soxhlet extraction, based on our experiences with the SFE system used in these studies (Isco SFE System 1200). The projected cost per extraction was determined to be 15.85(SFE) vs. 22.60(Soxhlet). 

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