Chapter 22 Vocab Flashcards
Waste
refers to any unwanted material that results from a human activity or process
Municipal solid waste
is non-liquid waste that comes from homes, institutions, and small businesses.
Industrial solid waste
includes waste from the production of consumer goods, mining, agriculture, and petroleum extraction and refining
Hazardous waste
refers to solid or liquid waste that is toxic, chemically reactive, flammable, or corrosive
Recycling
the process of collecting used goods and sending them to facilities that extract and reprocess raw materials that can then be used to manufacture new goods
Composting
the practice of recovering organic waste (such as food and yard waste), by converting it into mulch or humus through the natural biological processes of decomposition
Municipal solid waste
the waste produced by consumers, public facilities, and small businesses
sanitary landfills
waste is buried in the ground or piled up in large, carefully engineered mounds designed to prevent waste from contaminating the environment
leachate
liquid that results when substances in trash dissolve in water
Incineration
a controlled process of burning in which mixed garbage is combusted at very high temperatures
landfill gas
a mix of gases consisting of roughly half methane
life-cycle analysis
Industrial ecologists examine the entire life cycle of a given product and look for ways to make the process more ecologically efficient
industrial ecology
A holistic approach that integrates principles from engineering, chemistry, ecology, and economics
hazardous waste
Ignitable, Corrosive, Reactive, Toxic
deep-well injection
a well is drilled deep beneath an area’s water table and wastes are injected into it. In practice, wells corrode and leak wastes, allowing the hazardous wastes to enter aquifers
