Liquid and solid waste

Question 1

how are solid hazardous wastes produced

Answer 1

Can be by-products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products, such as cleaning fluids or pesticides/ from production of goods & products

Question 2

what does a Listed solid waste mean?

Answer 2

those associated with various manufacturing and industrial processes & with certain commercial chemical products that have been specifically identified by the EPA as consistently posing a hazard to human health and the environment when discarded

Question 3

what are solid waste characteristics?

Answer 3

ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity, based on test results or the knowledge of the waste generator.

Question 4

what are the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations on solid waste handling?

Answer 4

cradle to grave managing system, meaning strict standards are set on anyone who generates, recycles transports, treats, stores, or disposes of hazardous waste. From the time its created, transported, treated, stored, and disposed, it is being regulated.

Question 5

how are nonhazardous wastes produced?

Answer 5

by homeowners, municipal solid waste

Question 6

how are nonhazardous wastes handled?

Answer 6

municipal waste landfills, recycling

Question 7

how are liquid wastes produced

Answer 7

households (wastewater from washing clothes, dishes, showering, or human waste)
Commercial establishments (fats, oils, grease from cooking), industries (processing/manufacturing such as car shops), biomedical products

Question 8

what are the three classifications of liquid wastes

Answer 8

degradable, non degradable, persistent chemicals

Question 9

what are degradable liquid wastes

Answer 9

domestic (most common)

- Can be degraded or stabilized by bacteria 
- Industrial facilities with food processing, meatpacking, chemical production, etc.

Question 10

what are non degradable liquid wastes

Answer 10

contain inorganic substances

- inorganic substances such as salt, lead, mercury, etc.

Question 11

what are persistent liquid waste chemicals

Answer 11

• Synthetic organic chemicals
  
  • Coal products, DDT
  • They can be altered by biological & chemical transformation, but it’s an extremely slow process

Question 12

what are point sources of pollution

Answer 12

Localized and stationary pollution source, industrial/municipal charges

Question 13

what are non point sources of pollution

Answer 13

less obvious, more widespread sources of pollution

Ex: liquid run-off from agricultural land, water pollution issues

Question 14

what did the Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 do, what act did it become known as?

Answer 14

• First major U.S. law to address water pollution
• It was amended in 1972 and become known as the Clean Water Act:
• Makes it illegal to discharge pollutant from a point source without a permit:
  
  • Set new standards for industrial wastewater & contamination levels
• Provided funding for sewage treatment plant construction
• Requires all wastewater-treatment plants in the U.S. to provide primary & secondary treatment

Question 15

what did the Safe Drinking Act of 1974, 1996 do?

Answer 15

• Set standards for protecting groundwater & safety of public drinking water supply to ensure drinking water safety
• Source water protection, operator protection, funding for water system improvements, & public awareness campaigns

Question 16

what did the Water Quality Act of 1965 do?

Answer 16

• Required states to issue water quality standards for interstate waters, and authorized the newly created Federal Water Pollution Control Administration to set standards where states failed to do so
• To “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters”

Question 17

primary disposal

Answer 17

Permits the solids within the waste to settle and be removed
- All municipal sewage-treatment processes begin with this stage
Involves holding the sewage in a settling tank to permit the removal of solids by sedimentation
Settling tank: allows suspended particles to settle out of wastewater as it flows slowly through the tank, thereby providing some degree of purification. A layer of accumulated solids (sludge) forms at the top & is periodically removed

Question 18

secondary aka biological disposal

Answer 18

to enhance the application of the biological processes for oxidizing the organic matter in the waste

• Activated sludge process: an aerobic process designed to stabilize the organic material in sewage accomplished by passing the waste through a large open tank where it is held for several hours and its oxygen content maintained by means of air diffusers. Under these conditions, the microorganisms float as suspended particles. The effluent is then sent to a secondary settling tank, where the microorganisms that have settled to the bottom of the secondary tank are pumped back into the aerated tank to maintain an adequate population for microbial growth. The rest of the growth is treated as biosolids and sent to a digester.
• Another method that combines primary & secondary= waste stabilization pond.

Question 19

tertiary disposal

Answer 19

Involved a variety of processes tailored to the intended uses of the finished products

• Can involve any steps/processes that are applied after primary and secondary treatment
• Disinfecting sewage chemically (chlorine/ UV radiation)
• Disinfecting sewage physically (applying microfiltration prior to its discharge into a bay, lagoon, river, streams)
• Coagulating waste

Question 20

what is incineration

Answer 20

burning to reduce waste

Question 21

what is heat treatment

Answer 21

applying heat at moderate temperatures to reduce contaminants

Question 22

what is solidification

Answer 22

can melt or vaporize contaminated soil and full range of typical wastes and garbage, producing a glass or sand like residue. Through this process, hazardous and toxic chemicals are reduced to their elemental components

Question 23

what is a land treatment waste disposal

Answer 23

a disposal process in which solid waste, such as sludge from municipal sewage treatment plants, is applied onto or incorporated into the soil surface. Under proper conditions, microbes occurring naturally in the soil break down or immobilize the hazardous constituents.

Question 24

what is an underground injection well

Answer 24

Steel and concrete encased shafts placed deep in the ground into which wastes are injected under pressure. Although use in the past on a regular basis, this method is being applied in the U.S. only in the case of oil and has wells that are exempted from hazardous waste regulations

Question 25

impact of improper waste disposal

Answer 25

If there were no formal methods of disposing of wastes, toxic and infectious material will inevitably cause ill health upon humans, increasing injury and infection (Cholera easiest example)