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Environmental Health > 2.18 - Solid and Liquid Waste > Flashcards

2.18 - Solid and Liquid Waste Flashcards

1
Q

Solid Waste

A

Solid waste is any garbage, refuse, sludge from a water/waste treament plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials (solid, liquid, semi-solid, contained gaseous material) resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities.

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2
Q

MSW

A

Municipal solid waste (aka trash/garbage/urban solid waste) is a waste that includes predominantly household waste with sometimes the addition of commercial wastes collected by a municipality. Either solid or semi-solid form and exclude industrial hazardous wastes.

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3
Q

Industrial Waste

A

Waste resulting from the production of good and products (industrial activity) such as factories, mills, and mines. Existed since the industrial revolution. Most is neither hazardous or toxic (eg waste fiber from logging/agriculture)

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4
Q

Hazardous Waste

A

Waste that poses a substantial or potential hazard/harm to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of. Can be liquids, solids, gases, or sludges. Can be discarded commercial products (cleaning fluids/pesticides) or by products of manufacturing process. Excludes municipal waste, mining waste, agricultural runoff

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5
Q

Characteristic of Hazardous Wastes

A

Toxic (substances that are injurious to health when ingested or inhaled)
Reactive (substances that are chemically unstable and may explode or generate poisonous gasses)
Ignitability (substances that catch fire with a flash point of 12.5)

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6
Q

Radioactive Wastes

A

Wastes containing radioactive chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose (usually products of nuclear process such as fission). Includes waste that is not directly connected to nuclear industry. Majoity of waste is low-level waste consisting of protective clothing which is only slightly contaminated. Radioactivity diminishes overt ime so in principle the waste needs to be isolated for a period of time until it no longer poses a hazard.

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7
Q

Medical Waste

A

Waste products that cannot be considered general waste that is produced from healthcare premises. Includes waste clasified as infectious or bio-hazardous and could lead to the spread of infectious disease. Infectious waste is often incinerated or sterilized if placed in landfill

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8
Q

Garbage in the US

A

250 million US Tons (85 million recycled)

4.43 lbs per capita per day (1.51 lbs recycled)

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9
Q

Components of MSW

A

Paper, food scraps, yard trimmings, plastics, metals, rubber/leather/textiles, wood, glass

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10
Q

Causes for Increase Waste Generation

A

Demographic changes - population growth and more single households
Degree of Urbanization - more people in cities (city dwellers generate more trash)
Consumer Preference - use of disposable stuff
Demand for convenience ahead of the environment
Little economic incentive for Americans to reduce waste

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11
Q

3 Steps for Solid Waste Management

A

Source Reduction, Recovery for Recycling, and Treatment Methods for Disposal

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12
Q

Source Reduction

A

Minimize amount of waste generated, less material per product (eg water bottles), make products last longer/reusable, front-end approach to waste management;
Waste recycling/reuse - repeat use of items before disposing/repair the item

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13
Q

Recycling

A

Minimizing waste generation by recovering and reprocessing usable products that might otherwise become waste.
Advantages - conserve resources, reduce emissions, save energy (50-90% compared to mftring), reduce need for landfills, create employment

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14
Q

Waste Recycling Programs

A

Reuse center, grasscycling, home composting, pay as you throw, business recycling, business composting, drop off recycling center, home yard trimmings pick up, home recycling pick up

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15
Q

Reasons more MSW isnt recycled

A

Attitudes - convenience, conditioned by advertising, throwaway attitude toward waste, not valued as a resource, out of sight, out of mind, people don’t care
Economic - Public policy, expense of sorting/transportation, plastic virgin material is less expensive than producing recycled material
Market - environmental cost not reflected in market price; environmental costs must be internalized.

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16
Q

Ways to Encourage Recycling

A

Source separation, materials recovery facility, producing and selling recyclable material
Govt Incentives - bottle bills, minimum recycled content mandate, PAYT financial incentive

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17
Q

Composting

A

Utilizing natural biodegredation to transform organic wastes into humus-like products that can be used as a natural fertilizer. About 26% of household waste could be composted (not dairy, fats, oils, pet wastes, etc.)

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18
Q

Composting Process

A

Preparation - combine organic wastes (yard trimmings, food waste, manure) into proper ratios into vessels
Adding bulking agents (eg wood chips) as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials
Curing - allowing the finished material to fully stabilize and mature through a curing process

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19
Q

Composting Benefits

A

Reduce amount of materials in landfills
Suppress plants disease
Reduce need for chemical fertilizer
Promote higher yield of crops
Faciliate reforestation, wetland restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending damaged soil
Cost effective to remediate soil with hazardous waste
Remove solids, oil, greese, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff
Capture and destroy 99.6 % of VOCs in contaminated air
Provide cost saving of at least 50 percent over conventional pollution remediation tech

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20
Q

Landfills

A

Engineered areas where waste is placed into the land. Facilities are located, designed, operated, and monitored to ensure compliance with fed/state regs.

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21
Q

Major Parts of a Landfill

A

Bottom Liner - drainage layer (with collection pipes), synthetic (HDPE) layer, and compacted clay layer (2 layers in exact order)
Leachate Collecting Sys
Cover - Low permeability layer, FML liner, gas monitoring system, protective layer, vegetation
Appropriate Location

22
Q

Leachate

A

liquid containing dissolved solids and toxics that results from precipitation percolating down through the waste. May result in hazardous substances entering surface/ground water or soil

23
Q

Prevent Leachate Contamination

A

Liner - prevents it from seeping into groundwater; prevents landfill gas from migrating out of the landfill
Leachate drainage blanket/collection - enhance the effectivess of the liner by minimizing the leachate head, protect liner from puncture
Groundwater Monitoring System - detect groundwater contamination (most drinking water from groundwater)

24
Q

Final Cover System

A

Low Perm Layer - minimize leachate production by shedding precipitation (prevents percolation), prevents leachate popouts, provide a barrier between waste and receptors, prevent uncontrolled emission of landfill gas into atmosphere through top of landfill

25
Protective Layer
Protect low perm layer from freeze/thaw, desiccation cracking, and puncture; provide durable/low maintenance surface Gas monitoring sys - characterize gas production within the landfill, detect any methane moving out of the landfill
26
Problems Associated with Landfills
Land is used for decades; leaching of nutrients, heavy metals and other toxic compounds from landfills; Generation of VOCs, methane, gasses; Increase transport
27
Landfill Solutions
Improve federal standards for landfill construction | combine small landfills into largers ones (500-10000) tons of trash per day
28
Advantages for Sanitary Landfills
``` No open burning little odor low groudwater pollution can be built quickly low operating costs handles a large amount of waste filled land can be used for other purposes no shortage of landfill space in many areas ```
29
Disadvantages of Sanitary Landfills
tipping fee slow decomposition of waste releases greenhouse gasses unless collected air pollution from toxic gasses/trucks output approach that encourages waste production eventually leaks and can contaminate groundwater ground settling - change structure of earth
30
Incineration
Reduce waste to solid residues, gasses, and water vapor (T=2500F) Reduces waste volume by 80-90% (weight by 75%) Generate energy solid residues need further disposal (landfill)
31
Waste to Energy
See figure in slides - 5 steps (slide 39)
32
Problems with Incinerators
Generate hazardous emission - PCBs, Cd, etc. Global warming contribution worse than zero waste solutions Masks the real problem Economics - expensive, require "put or pay" contracts, competes with zero waste solutions/energy alternatives, incentives encourage burning more waste (paid to take waste vs. pay for fuels)
33
Integrated MSW Management Plan
Source Reduction - onsite composting, reuse, eliminate packaging, extend product life Recycling, reuse, recovery - source separation, curbside collection, offsite composting, recycling, reuse Safe Treatment/Disposal
34
Worldwide Hazardous Waste Problem
Developed countries would trade waste to developing countries (which have no adequate facilities for safe disposal). Treaty of Basel Convention on teh Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal regulates this to promote safe disposal
35
Superfund Sites
40,000 sites with uncontrolled haz waste of which 1300 are on the NPL (superfund sites). Potential human health effects, high cleanup costs, reduction in property value, potential economic damage.
36
Love Canal Disaster
In Niagara Falls, NY, a company dmped 20,000 tons of toxic waste (dioxin, pesticides, etc.) and then the land was used for schools/homes. Families were evacuated and residents had many health problems. Lead to formation of Superfund.
37
Liquid Waste
Industrial liquid wastes (mftr, mining, oil, and natural gas production byproducts), chemical byproducts, municipal waste (sweage), agricultural wastes, and radioactive water (coolant in nuclear power plants
38
Industry Wastewater
High conc of conventional pollutants (oil/greese), toxic pollutants (heavy metals, volatile organic compounds), other nonconvential pollutants (ammonia)
39
Agricultural Wastewater
``` Comes from washed off fields. Contains nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus in commercial fertilizers), animal manure, pesticides, and herbicides ```
40
Animal Wastes
Generated from modern intensive methods of raising livestock - nutrients for growth, organic materials, microorganisms, residues of animal medicines, toxic gasses.
41
Sewage
Waste/wastewater from residential and commercial sources discharged into sewers. From toilets, showers, washers, etc. One of the major liquid wastes. Often contains a variety of toxic chemicals and biological species. New species of concern for pharm. See slide 54
42
Rivers/Streams
Source of pollution mainly from agriculture. Problems are mainly soil into water and bacteria
43
Primary Treatment (physical/mechanical)
Hold sewage in a large tank to permit removal of solids by sedimentation. Screen used to remove big material that would cause damage before entering settling tank
44
Secondary treatment (biological)
Similar to naturally occuring decomposition but greatly accelerated to digest organic waste
45
Tertiary or Adv Treatment
Only required when final effluent must be so cleanthat 95% of contaminants must be removed. Includes filtration, removal of nutrients (N and P), removal of other specific contaminants, disinfection to destroy disease causing bacteria
46
Disinfection
Process of killing pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or protozoans before they can infect new victims. Primary/secondary treatments leaves behind many live organisms. Used to be done with chlorination of final effluent
47
Chlorination
Chlorination not required in >50% of states. Chlorine is effective in killing bacteria but not protozoans and viruses Chloramines formed may be toxic to aquatic life Chlorine treatment is expensive
48
Other Sewage Disposal Methods
Composting Toilets - Convert human excrement into a soil-like material that must be buried or hauled away for disposal Septic System - underground well that receives human waste that includes a septic tank and a subsurface fluid distribution system.
49
Reduction of Liquid Waste
Use less water | Reuse/recycle water for watering lawn, flushing toilets, recharge aquifers/augment surface waters
50
Challenges
Financial Issue - its getting pricey and repairs/upgrades are needed DBPs - disinfectant by-products (DBPs) from chlorination and ozonization Protection of ground water from contamination Removal of biological contaminants

Environmental Health (1 decks)

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