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BIOL 381 > 16: Waste Management > Flashcards

16: Waste Management Flashcards

1
Q

Major waste streams of most countries

A

Manufacturing/industry
Municipal waste
Construction
Agriculture/forestry big in Japan

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2
Q

What is the link between waste and wealth?

A

Countries with higher national income levels generate more waste per capita

Most of the waste of lower GDP countries is organic material

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3
Q

Major ways municipal solid waste is dealt with

A
  • landfill
  • incineration
  • recycling
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4
Q

What is the waste pyramid/waste hierarchy

A

From largest to smallest (currently):
disposal-> energy recovery-> recycling-> reuse-> minimalization-> prevention

Hope to invert the pyramid in the future

Slide 7

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5
Q

What is municipal waste? municipal wastewater?

A

Waste: waste produced by consumers, public facilities and small businesses

Wastewater: water that has been used by people in some way, including sewage, water from showers, sinks, washing machines, etc

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6
Q

Countries with high municipal waste n 2020

A

Denmark, United States, Luxembourg, New Zealand

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7
Q

What is source reduction? Waste reduction? Waste disposal?

A

Source reduction: minimizing packaging, purchasing ‘green’ products, efficient industry]

Waste reduction: recover items for recycling/composting

Waste disposal: incinerate, dispose of waste in landfill

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8
Q

Hierarchy of waste management practice

A

Bury (67%)
Recycle/compost (23%)
Incinerate (9%)
Reuse (0.2%)
Reduce (<0.1%)

Want to bury, incinerate least
Then recycle/compost
Want to reduce most or reuse

SLide 10

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9
Q

What types of solid waste are most commonly diverted from landfill

A

Paper, organic materials

From residential and non-residential sources

Slide 12, 13

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10
Q

Slides 14-18

A

Landfills

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11
Q

Two problems with landfills

A
  • you’re stuck with a pile of trash
  • wealthy communities often export their garbage to landfills in less-wealthy areas
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12
Q

What was the Basel Convention? Goals

A

1992 Treaty on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

  • reduce hazardous waste generation, promote sound management of HW
  • restrict transboundary movement of HW
  • regulatory system for cases where transboundary movements are allowed
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13
Q

What is e-waste?

A

Electronic waste: monitors, TVs, computers, phones, DVD players, radios

AND

Electric waste: refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, AC units, vacuums, toasters

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14
Q

Slides 22-26

A

E-waste

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15
Q

What are waste incinerators?

A

The combustion of waste at very high temps, reducing it’s volume by as much as 90% (and weight by as much as 75%)

Metals (which can be recycled) are removed before incineration

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16
Q

What is a problem with incinerators

A

Produce air pollution and secondary pollutants

SO2 can be scrubbed out of emissions, along with some PM to reduce pollution

Slides 28,29

17
Q

The Edmonton waste management center manages what waste streams?

A

Recycling, compost, biofuel production, landfill

Currently recycle or compost 50% of waste, goal 90% by 2018

18
Q

Describe recycling at the EWMC

A

Processes 50,000 tonnes/year of metals, glass, paper

Material collected from: blue bag program, blue bin program, recycling depots

Also manage an e-waste recycling facility

19
Q

Describe composting at the EWMC

A

Divert ~50% of residential waste from landfill to compost or recycling

Process 160,000 tonnes per year

Sold as ‘second nature’ compost and topsoil

20
Q

What new facility is now at the EWMC? What does it do/what is its goal?

A

Anaerobic Digestion Facility (ADF)

Bacteria, fungi digest organic material. Collect biogenic natural gas emissions and use it as a fuel source

Goal is to divert 90% of waste from landfill

Slide 33

21
Q

What is the EWMC landfill? What does it do

A

Clover Bar Landfill

Landfill gas recovery
- collects CH4, CO2
- used to power generators

22
Q

How much plastic enters the ocean each year? What % of plastic if recycled?

A

8 million tones each year

14%

23
Q

Slides 39, 40

A

Plastic

24
Q

Important items to rethink using/waste you might not think of

A
  • disposable diapers
  • disposable razors
  • disposable bags
  • plastic straws
  • chewing gum
  • condiment packets
25
Q

What is planned obsolescence?

A

Designing a product with an artificially limited useful life to force consumers to purchase new products in shorter intervals

Usually by making product difficult to repair, trendy, or programming them to shut off

26
Q

Pretreatment of municipal wastewater

A
  • aerated grit tank: removes large, heavy materials e.g. rocks
  • bar screens: remove large, light materials e.g. plastics, wood
27
Q

Primary treatment of municipal wastewater

A

Settling tanks: allows heavier solids/sludge to settle at bottom of tank, removes 60% of suspended solids

Sludge is then fermented, digested or used as fertilizer

28
Q

Secondary treatment of municipal wastewater

A

Aeration
- encourages growth of microbes which degrade organic pollutants
- removes biological nutrients (P and N)
- sometimes called “bioreactors”
- does not kill disease causing bacteria, toxins

29
Q

Steps of tertiary municipal wastewater treatment

A
  • Clarification: second set of settling tanks allows microbes to floc (heavier and sink)
  • UV disinfection: treat effluent with UV light to kill remaining microbes
  • membrane filtration: similar effects as UV, use micropore filters to remove microbes
30
Q

What is quaternary treatment? What are some problems?

A

Removal of pharmaceutical pollutants, and other persistent compounds

Problems:
- we don’t know how to do it efficiently yet
- it will be very expensive
- testing methods involved carbon and ozone

31
Q

Four things that can go wrong with wastewater treatment

A
  1. Equipment malfunction
  2. Overburdened system (e.g. flood)
  3. Too expensive to do properly
  4. Non-compliance or lack of regulations
32
Q

How can climate change overburden wastewater treatment plants

A

Less predictable climate = more storms = more stormwater = more wastewater

33
Q

What can go wrong with improperly treated wastewater?

A
  • Pathogens: in effluent or solid waste used as fertilizer
  • Excess nutrients: phosphorus (eutrophication) and nitrogen
34
Q

What is disruption of biological treatment of wastewater?

A

Occurs when hazardous waste, toxins get into wastewater

Can disrupt or kill the microbes involved in secondary treatment
Municipal systems not designed to treat this waste

35
Q

Four things that can go wrong with wastewater treatment

A
  • Untreated wastewater (malfunction, overburden)
  • Improper treatment
  • Disruptions to biological treatment
  • Fatbergs
36
Q

What are fatbergs?

A
  • Conglomerates of products that can’t degrade in sewage systems
  • Mix of fats, oils, diapers, condoms, wet wipes, menstrual products, etc
37
Q

Why should we try to reduce municipal wastewater?

A
  • Treating wastewater takes energy, resources, and time
  • Some sludge is disposed of in landfills
  • Some systems produce energy but are rarely energy neutral
38
Q

What are low flow fixtures?

A

Method of reducing wastewater by reducing the amount of water needed for a toilet to flush (high efficiency toilets)

BIOL 381 (18 decks)

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