Waste Sources and Characteristics

The low and intermediate level wastes that may be processed in an incineration facility are produced in different forms and are of different origins (e.g. from the operation, maintenance, modification and decommissioning of nuclear reactor facilities, from spent fuel reprocessing plants, from nuclear research laboratories, from hospital laboratories). Additional information on waste sources and characteristics is provided in Annex I. The radiological characteristics of the incinerator waste feed may vary considerably, and the wastes may be divided into three main categories ... 

In the selection and development of containment and treatment options a thorough knowledge of site geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, ore geochemistry, metallurgy and potential waste sources and characteristics are essential. 

Dry solid wastes may typically be received in metal drums, wood or cardboard boxes, or plastic bags, depending on the source and characteristics of the waste. The following factors should be taken into consideration ... 

The use of alternative fibers depends on the abdity of the fibers to bond to one another with sufficient strength to form a cohesive sheet. However, practical considerations determine whether pulp from a particular plant source is commercially feasible. These include the characteristics of the fiber, such as strength and optical properties, supply, yield of desirable fibers, waste generated, and the abdity to store the fibers without degeneration. 

Economical factors, such as disposal costs, the availability of conventional materials, and transportation costs, are critical considerations. As with any material, transportation costs are generally the highest cost factor in recycling solid waste. The most economically sustainable options for recycling foundry solid waste will generally match the volume and characteristics of the materials with nearby businesses and construction projects. Small foundries may not generate enough material on a weekly or monthly basis to satisfy the need for construction sands. In this case, it may be necessary to collect similar wastestreams from multiple sources or to partially substitute for conventional materials in order to meet volume requirements. 

The sources of contamination are usually those hazardous materials that are contained in drums, tanks, surface impoundments, waste piles, and landfills, as well as heavily contaminated media (such as soil) affected by the original leaking or spilling source. The purpose of defining sources of contamination is to help to identify the source location, potential releases, and engineering characteristics that are important in the evaluation of remedial actions, as well as waste characteristics, such as the type and quantity of contaminants that may be contained in or released to the environment, and the physical or chemical characteristics of the hazardous wastes present in the source. 

The sources, amounts, and composition of injected hazardous wastes are a matter of record, because the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)5,14 requires hazardous waste to be manifested (i.e., a record noting the generator of the waste, its composition or characteristics, and its volume must follow the waste load from its source to its ultimate disposal site). The sources and amounts of injected hazardous waste can be determined, therefore, based on these records. Table 20.2 shows the estimated volume of deep-well-injected wastes by industrial category.3 More than 11 billion gallons of hazardous waste were injected in 1983. Organic chemicals (51%) and petroleum-refining and petrochemical products (25%) accounted for three-quarters of the volume of injected wastes that... 

The sources of wastewater generation in petroleum refineries have been discussed previously in this chapter. Table 5 presents a qualitative evaluation of wastewater flow and characteristics by fundamental refinery processes [5]. The trend of the industry has been to reduce wastewater production by improving the management of the wastewater systems. Table 6 shows waste-water loadings and volumes per unit fundamental process throughput in older, typical, and newer technologies [15]. Table 7 shows typical wastewater characteristics associated with several refinery processes [16]. 

The RCRA metal-containing aqueous wastes include characteristic wastes (D wastes) and the listed wastes (K and F wastes). The characteristic wastes are those containing any of the eight RCRA metals above the concentrations (EP Toxicity levels) identified in the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 261.24). The F and K wastes are source-specific wastes and do not require any minimum metal concentration to be a RCRA hazardous waste. Table 1 identifies the RCRA waste codes chat have aqueous wastes with metals, and associated effective daces for land disposal restrictions. 

Different separation steps typically have inherent sources of waste generation. These sources must first be identified prior to waste minimization. In considering distillation, gas absorption and drying as examples of separation steps, we can identify characteristic waste sources. 

Waste disposal and mining activities are characteristic point sources for environmental pollutants in air, vater, and soil (Table 9.3). Waste incineration typically releases more volatile metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead into the atmosphere emission control, therefore, is not only crucial for smelting activities, but also the decisive prerequisite for all technologies involving higher temperature and vaste materials. Landfill leachates are enriched... 

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