Solid and Hazardous Waste Flashcards
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
solid waste from residential, commercial, institutional, construction, demolition, and municipal services
Field capacity
maximum amount of water that can be retained by waste placed in a landfill
Oxygen bomb calorimeter
small sample of waste placed in container and submersed in water bath- sample is combusted, causing temperature of water to increase
Heat of vaporization
energy required to transform a substance from its liquid to vapor form
Heat of fusion
energy required to transform a substance from its solid to liquid form
APC residue
particulate matter (usually flyash and scrubber byproducts like CaSO3) collected in air pollution control
Bottom ash
partially-oxidized organic matter in combustion chamber that is quenched
Pyrolysis
heating waste to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen (results in gases like hydrogen, methane, and CO2, tar/oil stream which can be used for fuel, and char)
Gasification
Oxygen is used to partially combust waste, producing combustible fuel gas
Microorganisms used in composting rely on adequate…
… carbon content, nutrients, moisture, oxygen, particle size distribution, and termperature
Phase I of stabilization (lag phase)
moisture accumulates, oxygen is consumed
Phase II of stabilization
field capacity is exceeded, microbial processes shift to anaerobic, VOAs and COD increase in leachate
Phase III of stabilization
acidogenic bacteria convert VOAs, lowering pH and solubilizing metal species from waste into leachate
Phase IV of stabilization
methanogenic bacteria convert acid compounds to methane and carbon dioxide gas
Phase V of stabilization
biodegradable matter and nutrients become limiting, landfill gas production slows
Composite liner
natural material on bottom (high clay content) and synthetic material on top (high density polyethylene or polypropylene)
Leachate
liquid that has passed through liners containing dissolved, suspended, or immiscible materials removed from solid waste
The rate of leakage of leachate is directly related to…
… the head of leachate over landfill liner
Landfill gas is approximately…
… 50% methane, 50% carbon dioxide
Landfill settlement
loss of mass from outgassing and compaction from overburden pressure results in settling of landfill
A waste can be classified as hazardous if it meets one of the following characteristics
ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity
Photolysis
the breaking of chemical bonds by UV light
Extraction
separates hazardous constituents by means of settling, filtration, adsorption, absorption
Neutralization
adding acids/bases to corrosive waste streams
Air stripping
contaminant is transferred from liquid to gaseous phase`
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Superfund (1980) established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites, liability of persons responsible for release of hazardous waste at these sites, established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party is identified
Superfund process
Site discovery, preliminary assessment/site inspection, HRS scoring, NPL site listing process, remedial investigation/feasibility study, record of decision, remedial design/action, construction completion, postconstruction completion
Bioventing
low airflow rates supplied to sustain microbiological activity in the vadose zone
Phytoremediation
process which uses plants to remove, transfer, stabilize and destroy contaminants in soil and sediment via plants
Brownfields
property whose development/expansion/redevelopment is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances
