Waste, solid quantities

Table 16.4 Major solid wastes origin, quantities and destination ...

Land availability could dictate the choice between throwaway and recovery processes. A considerable quantity of land is required for disposal of waste solids. 

Rather than carry out liquid-liquid extractions, which are time-consuming and lead to large quantities of waste, solid supports can be constructed that have high affinity for selected types of molecules. Simple filtration of a solution through a column of the solid-phase medium results in efficient extraction of the product. This method is quite widely used and is of particular interest for fluorous chemistry (see below). 

Limestone Utilization. At a scrubber inlet pH of about 5.2, the corresponding limestone utilization is normally 80 percent or higher for an adipic acid-enhanced system, as compared to 65 to 70 percent in unenhanced limestone systems at an equivalent S0 removal. Thus the quantity of waste solids generated is reduced in an adipic acid-enhanced system. Higher limestone utilization also contributes to more reliable scrubber operation by reducing the fouling tendency. This increased reliability is a very attractive feature of adipic acid-enhanced systems, since reliability problems have historically plagued limestone FGD. 

Solid Waste Large quantities of solid waste are generated from the operation of fossil fuel plants. These wastes, predominantly combustion ashes, contain heavy... 

Drying— removal of solvent or water from a solid or semisolid (sludge) or the removal of solvent from a liquid or suspension— is a very important operation, because water is often the major constituent of waste products, such as sludges. In freeze drying, the solvent usually water, is sublimed from a frozen material. Hazardous-waste solids and sludges are dried to reduce the quantity of waste, to remove solvent or water that might interfere with subsequent treatment processes, and to remove hazardous volatile constituents. 

Despite the intensive efforts of some countries to reduce the amounts of waste, the quantity of solid waste is significantly increasing within the European Unioa From 1995 to 2003 municipal waste generation in the European Union (EU 25) has con-stantfy grown by about 2% per year from 204 million tonnes (457 kg/person) in 1995 to 243 milhon tonnes (534kg/person) in 2003 (cf Fig. 1.2) [4],... 

As discussed previously, mineral processing produces large quantities of waste solids. Other sources of waste solids include ash from coal combustion, municipal garbage, and solid wastes from various industrial processes. Ultimately, these wastes are placed on or in the geosphere. Such measures have an obvious potential for pollution. 

Quantities of Solid Wastes Representative data on the quantities of sohd wastes and factors affecting the generation rates are considered briefly in the following paragraphs. 

Solid Wastes and Biomass Large and increasing quantities of solid wastes are a significant feature of affluent societies. In the United States in 1993 the rate was about 1.8 kg (4 lb) per capita per day or nearly 190 Tg (2.07 X 10 U.S. tons) per year, but the growth rate has slowed in recent years as recycling efforts have increased. Table 27-4 shows that the composition of miscellaneous refuse is surprisingly uniform, but size and moisture variations cause major difficulties in efficient, economical disposal. 

The atmospheric movement of pollutants from sources to receptors is only one form of translocation. A second one involves our attempt to control air pollutants at the source. The control of parhculate matter by wet or dry scrubbing techniques 3delds large quantities of waste materials—often toxic—which are subsequently taken to landfills. If these wastes are not properly stored, they can be released to soil or water systems. The prime examples involve the disposal of toxic materials in dump sites or landfills. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and subsequent revisions are examples of legislation to ensure proper management of solid waste disposal and to minimize damage to areas near landfills (4). 

Liquid spillages may be sueked up by pump and non-toxie solids ean be vaeuumed or brushed up (after wetting down where appropriate). Only small quantities of inert, water-soluble waste should be disearded to drains aeids and alkalis should first be neutralized. 

The effects from solid waste treatment and disposal depend upon the specific waste and the methods employed. The major disposal methods, depending upon the quantity and nature of the waste, are ... 

Listing of solid wastes, quantities, analyses and physical form (e.g. solid, slurry, suspension, sludge) toxicity and flammability. Checking the reliability and legality of waste disposal options, including any transportation offsite. Record keeping. 

NOTE - Petrochemical plants also generate significant amounts of solid wastes and sludges, some of which may be considered hazardous because of the presence of toxic organics and heavy metals. Spent caustic and other hazardous wastes may be generated in significant quantities examples are distillation residues associated with units handling acetaldehyde, acetonitrile, benzyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, cumene, phthallic anhydride, nitrobenzene, methyl ethyl pyridine, toluene diisocyanate, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, perchloro-ethylene, aniline, chlorobenzenes, dimethyl hydrazine, ethylene dibromide, toluenediamine, epichlorohydrin, ethyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, and vinyl chloride. 

Your process may produce wastes that cannot be treated on-site, and so must be transported off-site for treatment and disposal. Wastes of this type are usually non-aqueous liquids, sludge, or solids. Often, wastes for off-site disposal are costly to transport and to treat, and represent a third-party liability. Therefore, minimization of these wastes yields a direct cost benefit, both present and future. Measure the quantity and note the composition of any wastes associated with your process that need to be sent for off-site disposal. Record your results in a table or an appropriate spreadsheet. 

Enter the total pounds of the toxic chemical contained In all wastes from the reporting facility (air emissions, water discharges, solid wastes and off-sIte transfers) generated during the reporting year. This quantity may be the sum of all the release amounts reported on Form R if there is no on-site treatment of the chemical. The quantity will often be greater than the total reported release amounts because it includes waste prior to treatment. 

Tonnage of air emissions, water emissions and liquid and solid effluent and tonnage of hazardous materials released into the environment. These two measures are related to one another. However, the first measure relates the total effluent, including nonpolluting materials. The second measure looks only at the tonnage of hazardous materials contained in the total effluent. Both measures can be important indicators. For example, for solid waste it is important to know the total volume of material for disposal and different upstream treatment techniques may affect the total volume. However, for ozone depleting chemicals, only the quantity of these gases is important and other components such as water vapor may be irrelevant. 

Among the basic fields of applications, the major use of acrylamide polymers is liquid-solid separation in water treatment and waste treatment. Smaller quantities are used in the manufacturing of paper and in the processing of minerals in mining. Relatively nonlarge quantities are use as additives for enhanced oil recovery. 

Bacteria, yeast and algae are produced in massive quantities of protein sources as food for animals and humans.1 SCP is considered a major source of feed for animals. The production of valuable biological products from industrial and agricultural wastes is considered through the bioconversion of solid wastes to added-value fermented product, which is easily marketable as animal feedstock. The waste streams that otherwise would cause pollution and threaten the environment can be considered raw material for CSP production using suitable strains of microorganisms. 

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