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PubMed2002

Future solutions for the treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in China.

The current status of the treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in China is summarized on the basis of the results of the Declaring and Registration Project initiated nationally in 1995. A principle framework for the sound management of hazardous wastes is proposed, which includes three levels of technical solutions. Large-scale enterprises are encouraged to recycle, to treat, and to dispose of wastes by means of constructing facilities, and to have their extra capacities available to the public for a reasonable fee. Municipal governments, provincial governments, and the Central Government are to plan and construct centralized facilities to recycle, treat, and dispose of wastes. For a solution at the manufacturing level, recycling is identified as the main approach. Centralized facilities at the municipal level will mainly focus on special wastes that are unsuitable to transport and store, such as hospital waste, and for the technical solution at this level, incineration and recycling are identified as the main approaches. For the technical solution at the provincial and national levels, landfill and incineration are identified as the main approaches. Based on this principle and the current available data on hazardous wastes, a preliminary plan for the spatial distribution of cross-provincial centralized treatment and disposal facilities of hazardous wastes is presented. The construction of approximately nine cross-provincial comprehensive facilities is proposed. A priority list for the construction of these planned facilities is also presented.

China↗
PubMed2003

Minimizing impacts of maintenance dredged material disposal in the coastal environment: a habitat approach.

At present, coastal disposal of maintenance dredged material constitutes one of the most important problems in coastal zone management and in some coastal areas represents the major anthropogenic disturbance to the benthos. In this review we first propose, based on the classic literature, that macrofaunal communities typical of environmentally stressed habitats are more resilient than those of more environmentally stable habitats, and we outline the macrofaunal successional changes following a disturbance. Second, from a review and analysis of the published and unpublished literature on macrofaunal recovery following maintenance dredged material deposition in the coastal environment, we compare the successional sequences and recovery rates in euhaline and polyhaline systems. The review reveals that invertebrate recovery following dredged material disposal in relatively unstressed marine environments generally takes between 1 and 4 years, while in more naturally stressed areas, recovery is generally achieved within 9 months, although deeper polyhaline habitats can take up to 2 years to recover. Differences in recovery times are attributed to the number of successional stages required to regain the original community composition and that species typical of naturally unstressed assemblages do not possess life-history traits to allow rapid recolonization of disturbances. In the last section of this review, the management implications of these findings are discussed in terms of minimizing dredged material disposal impacts on fisheries resources. Since the natural disturbance regime appears to be very important in determining the response of a benthic community following dredged material disposal, it is recommended that when predicting the potential environmental impact of an operation, the nature of the physical environment in combination with the status (and role) of associated marine benthic communities should be considered.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of metal finishing sludges: influence of the pH.

Metal finishing sludges are classified as metal hydroxide hazardous wastes due to the heavy metal release to the environment. This release, commonly determined by compliance lixiviation tests based on the equilibrium conditions at the end of the leaching experiment, is mainly dependent on the pH of the solution. In this work, the leaching behaviour of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, of the 32 metal finishing sludges coming from 16 European industrial facilities, and using the distilled water compliance test DIN 38414-S4, have been studied. The concentrations of chromium and copper in the leachates do not follow the solubility evolution of their hydroxide with the pH. The simple assumption of a heavy metal concentration in the leachate directly related to the solubility of the hydroxide is not in good agreement with the experimental results of the distilled water leaching test, probably due to the presence of different species, which can contribute to the metal mobility depending on the sludge composition. An experimental evaluation of the easily available amount of metals in real wastes seems to be necessary for disposal assessment. This paper contains valuable information, from orderly handling metal finishing wastes to the statistical studies of production and management of wastes suggested recently by the Commission of the European Community.

Environmental Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Use of boron waste as an additive in red bricks.

In boron mining and processing operations, large amounts of clay containing tailings have to be discarded. Being rich in boron, the tailings do not only cause economical loss but also pose serious environmental problems. Large areas have to be allocated for waste disposal. In order to alleviate this problem, the possibility of using clayey tailings from a borax concentrator in red brick manufacturing was investigated. Up to 30% by weight tailings addition was found to improve the brick quality.

Aluminum Silicates↗
PubMed2003

Bromine in waste incineration: partitioning and influence on metal volatilisation.

INTENTION, GOAL, SCOPE, BACKGROUND: The halogen bromine is far less abundant than chlorine, but it can be found at high concentrations in special materials like flame retarded plastics. The fate and effects of Br in waste incineration are not well understood. It may have similar implications like Cl for the volatilisation of heavy metals and the formation of low volatile organic compounds. Due to its lower oxidation potential, there is a risk of formation of elementary Br2 in the offgas. OBJECTIVE: Co-combustion tests of different types of Br containing plastic waste materials (up to 22%) and MSW in the TAMARA pilot plant for waste incineration were conducted to investigate the Br partitioning and the influence of Br on metal volatilisation. METHODS: The Br inventory of the fuel mix was elevated to approx. 1 wt-%. All input and output mass flows of the furnace have been sampled and the partitioning of Cl, Br, S, and a number of heavy metals, has been calculated on the basis of closed mass balances. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Organically-bound Br was typically released to more than 90% into the raw gas. Elementary Br2 was detected at high Br levels. Its presence was always analysed when all SO2 in the raw gas was oxidised to SO3. Br enhances the volatilisation of metals like K, Zn, Cd, Sn, Sb, and Pb out of the fuel bed principally in the same way as Cl. The tests gave strong indication that the promoting influence of the halogens on metal volatilisation is more pronounced than that of the fuel bed temperature. The volatilised metals are condensated on the fly ashes and are discharged along with the filter ashes. CONCLUSIONS: As long as a surplus of SO2 is present in the raw gas no Br2 is formed. Although the halogen induced transfer out of the fuel bed causes high concentrations of volatile metals in the filter ashes, a recovery is not economically feasible for the time being. The volatilisation gives no rise to metal emission problems as long as efficient dedusting is achieved. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: If there is a risk of Br2 formation, in wet scrubbing a reducing agent has to be added to the neutral scrubber for efficient abatement. Filter ashes should be disposed of in a way that enables access for recovery in the future. The exact volatilisation characteristics of the various metals have to be studied in future using specifically tailored experiments.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

Release of mercury from broken fluorescent bulbs.

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin. Although the primary human exposure is from ingestion of fish contaminated with methyl mercury (HgCH3), exposures to elemental mercury vapor and mercury compounds via inhalation and dermal contact may also occur. Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. Estimates of the amount of this mercury released when the bulbs are discarded and broken have varied widely. A new method was developed for measuring mercury released from broken bulbs. With the assumption that all mercury released is elemental vapor, it was found that between 17 and 40% of the mercury in broken low-mercury fluorescent bulbs is released to the air during a two-week period immediately following breakage, with higher temperatures contributing to higher release rates. One-third of the mercury release occurs during the first 8 hr after breakage. Many bulbs contain more mercury than the low-mercury bulbs tested. A typical discarded bulb releases between 3 and 8 mg of elemental mercury vapor over two weeks. Approximately 620 million fluorescent bulbs are discarded annually in the United States, and many are broken during disposal. Based on the estimated release rate of 3-8 mg per broken bulb developed in this study, discarded bulbs release approximately 2-4 tons of mercury per year in the United States. Waste management systems that minimize breakage before final disposal could reduce this total, as would the reduction of mercury content of bulbs. Elevated airborne levels of mercury could exist in the vicinity of recently broken bulbs, and under certain conditions, mercury concentrations could exceed occupational exposure limits.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2003

Report: cost and financing of municipal solid waste collection services in Istanbul.

The collection is a high priority in the management of solid wastes in a modern city, and in order to plan and operate a collection service well, the cost and financial sources must be known and understood in detail. In this study the cost of collection services and environmental tax are evaluated for the year 2001 in Istanbul. The percentage of the employees working in municipal solid waste collection services is 83% by the private sector and 17% by the public sector. With privatisation, the labour costs can be reduced by approximately 75%. The unit collection cost ranges from 12.2 US dollar/ton to 50.7 US dollar/ton, and the average collection cost for Istanbul is 24.4 US dollar/ton. The cost of the collection service is about 70% of the total solid waste management costs, the cost of transfer is 17% and the regular disposal cost amounts to 13%. The proportion of collected tax to expenditures of waste collection varies from 3% to 67%. The management of solid wastes accounts for between 12 and 25% of the total expenditure of municipal authorities.

Cities↗
PubMed1983

Monitoring potential neurotoxic effects of hazardous waste disposal.

This report reviews neurotoxicological principles relevant to situations of hazardous waste disposal. Some of the diagnostic techniques currently used for field assessment of nervous system dysfunction are critically evaluated. These include nerve conduction velocity, evoked potentials, neuropsychological testing and use of the Optacon.

Evoked Potentials↗
PubMed2003

Biohazards and ecotoxicological considerations of landspreading of spent compost wastes.

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) is a major waste of the mushroom industry with low economic value. SMC arises after mushroom production in phase II compost (pIIC), predominantly comprising straw and chicken litter as principal raw ingredients. The majority of SMC waste is disposed off by application to agricultural land. It is an attractive proposition for utilising SMC as soil inorganic fertiliser supplementation. However, there is limited data available as to the consequences of this method of disposal either in terms of microbiological loading of food-borne pathogens and those of concern to mushroom industry itself. The resulting imbalance of the natural flora of the agricultural land has not been properly audited. This study aims to initially examine SMC for prevalence of faecal bacterial pathogens including Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes that may arise from chicken litter. At another level, it aims to ascertain the pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas syringae, pv phaseolicola or tolasii) and fungal populations (Trichoderma, Verticillium species) originating mainly from the straw component of the SMC, which are of concern to the mushroom industry. Lastly, the study would also qualitatively identify the diversity of bacterial populations within SMC. This was largely accomplished through employment of rDNA, PCR and direct sequencing strategies on the culturable microflora. However, for specific mushroom pathogens, nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) were directly extracted from composts before subjecting to sequence analysis. In accordance with the current legislation (ABP 02/02, Animal By Products wastes disposal EC No. 1774/2002), it is imperative to regulate the farm wastes carrying residues from animal sources including SMC before they are regarded safe for land spreading operations. The ecological microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions that potentially occur between the native bacterial soil flora and those added annually (approximately 10(18) cells) needs to be reviewed with caution. The above study highlights the ecological consequences involved in the disposal of SMC wastes on agricultural land and its implications for plant, animal and human health.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2005

Non-agricultural sources of groundwater nitrate: a review and case study.

Nitrate is often seen as an agricultural pollutant of groundwater and so is expected to be at higher concentrations in the groundwaters surrounding a city than in those beneath it. However the difference between rural and urban nitrate concentrations is often small, due to the non-agricultural sources of nitrogen that are concentrated in cities. This paper illustrates the source and significance of non-agricultural nitrogen for groundwater and presents a case study of nitrate loading in the city of Nottingham. Major sources of nitrogen in urban aquifers are related to wastewater disposal (on-site systems and leaky sewers), solid waste disposal (landfills and waste tips). The major sources of nitrogen in the Nottingham area are mains leakage and contaminated land with approximately 38% each of a total load of 21 kg N ha(-1) year(-1).

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2001

A study of iron mineral transformation to reduce red mud tailings.

This study examines the effects of iron mineral transformation in an aluminum extraction process on the settling behavior, and the physical and chemical properties of the resulting red mud slurry that must be disposed of. By producing a red mud with a higher solid content, the total volume of mud slurry will also be reduced for a given alumina production rate and more caustic soda will be recovered. The settling behavior and the mineralogical, physical, and physico-chemical properties of one bauxite and three red muds processed under varying conditions were analyzed based on examination of the iron mineral transformations. The properties of red muds derived from the same bauxite can differ markedly due to variations in operating conditions of the Bayer process, such as temperature and the addition of a reducing agent. The settling of red mud can be improved by converting goethite into hematite and/or magnetite to produce a mud of larger particle size, smaller specific surface area, and larger specific gravity, characteristics which reduce the total volume of mud slurry to be disposed of and which allow for less potential contamination from caustic soda. This study also found that the by-product--Bayer sodalite--has the high exchange capacity for Na+ that might contribute to the long-term environmental problems.

Aluminum Oxide↗
PubMed2006

Evaluation of solid waste management strategies in the Taipei metropolitan area of Taiwan.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a major concern for highly urbanized societies. Among proposed MSW management systems, regionalization programs generally have received considerable attention. This study analyzes real-world operational data to assess different MSW management policies, especially regionalization strategies, and their impact on MSW management systems in the Taipei metropolitan area. Linear programming is also used to identify the minimum costs sustained by each policy. The linear programming results show that regionalization programs are more economical and also improve incinerator operation efficiency. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the minimum treatment requirement of incinerators is a very sensitive influence on the MSW flows distributed through the entire region. The MSW of several "sensitive" administrative districts will be allocated to different treatment facilities according to different management strategies. A list of preferential sequences of MSW treatment and disposal facilities can also be identified by the model presented in this study. The results of this study may provide a useful tool for aiding decision-making related to real-world MSW management problems.

Cities↗
PubMed1993

Radioactive waste management at a large university and medical research complex.

A radioactive waste management program was developed for a large university and medical research complex to contain costs and to reduce the impact of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act. The program takes advantage of decay-in-storage, incineration, special packaging techniques, and increased training and awareness. A series of metrics are presented to evaluate the effectiveness of the radioactive waste management program. Through the use of this program the amount of waste disposed of at commercial burial sites decreased from 98% to 1.61% of the waste generated. At the same time the volume of waste generated per laboratory declined by almost 45%, from 0.35 m3 (12.31 ft3) to 0.19 m3 (6.80 ft3).

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2002

Radioactive waste minimization at a large academic medical facility.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston is a large academic medical center with about 12,700 employees, 350 radioisotope research labs and 200 permitted radioactive materials users. Consequently, UTMB generates a fairly large amount of radioactive waste. The majority of this waste contains short-lived radionuclides, such as 32P, 33P, and 35S, which are held for decay and then disposed at a sanitary landfill. However, some waste, including long-lived waste and stock vials, is compacted into drums and stored in a warehouse facility, on-site, until disposal at a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) facility. Space in the warehouse is limited but disposal is currently cost prohibitive. A reevaluation of our program was conducted to see if volumes of LLRW requiring disposal at a commercial LLRW facility could be reduced. A reevaluation of the waste streams resulted in the shifting of most of the material that was being drummed for shipment to a LLRW facility to disposal by landfill or incineration. Materials that were previously assumed to be radioactive are now being evaluated prior to disposal to determine if they may be disposed of as non-radioactive waste. Following the initial evaluation, the amount of compacted dry solids assumed to contain long-lived radionuclides was reduced. The space that was saved due to the decrease in drumming for disposal is now used to hold the increased volume of decay-in-storage material. The monetary savings will amount to about $45,000 per year. This program is currently being expanded to reduce other waste streams at the university.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2001

Solid waste characterisation study in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone, Mexico.

The key findings of a solid waste characterisation study conducted at the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone, Mexico, are reported. Objectives of the study were to estimate the daily generation rate of household (HSW) and municipal solid waste (MSW), characterise and compare their composition by type of material, determine the proportion that HSW contributes to MSW, explore changes in MSW composition through time after final disposal, and estimate the types and amount of MSW that are sorted out for recycling at final disposal sites. HSW generated during seven days by a sample of 300 households chosen through a two-stage stratified sampling design was collected, weighed and classified. MSW entering the four local disposal sites was recorded for 12 weeks, and materials' sorting was quantified. MSW samples taken by excavating trenches in two final disposal sites were also characterised. The average per capita daily HSW generation rate was 508 g. HSW mainly consisted of putrescible waste (53%), paper (10%) and plastic (9%). The average daily generation rate of MSW was 3119.2 metric tonnes. HSW represented 55.9% of MSW, and the main difference between HSW and MSW was a lower proportion of organic materials (53% vs. 16.5%, respectively). The major changes in MSW composition through time after final disposal, were the result of the quick decomposition of putrescible materials. Only 2.2% of total MSW generated in Guadalajara (mainly package waste) was sorted for recycling.

Cities↗
PubMed2006

Graded landfill requirements in South Africa--the climatic water balance classification.

Landfilling in South Africa is controlled by a set of statutory Minimum Requirements, based on a landfill classification system. Landfills are classified according to the type of waste, the projected final size of the landfill and the climate. Climate is important as climatic conditions in South Africa vary from humid sub-tropical in the east, to semi-arid on the central plateau, to semi-desert in the west. Anti-pollution measures are closely related to climate and size, with the pollution potential of small, general (i.e. domestic) waste landfills in dry climates being regarded as negligible. At the other end of the scale, large landfills where hazardous wastes are disposed have a serious pollution potential and must be designed as containment systems. The paper describes the method currently in use for deciding on the climatic classification of a site, followed by the new method that will be adopted when the latest revision of the Minimum Requirements appears shortly.

Climate↗
PubMed1985

Possibilities of detecting health effects by studies of populations exposed to chemicals from waste disposal sites.

Factors affecting the design of an epidemiologic study assessing possible health effects from chemical waste disposal sites are reviewed. Such epidemiologic studies will most likely be prompted either by a known release of chemicals into the environment around the site, or by an unusual disease cluster in a population near the site. In the latter situation, a method for evaluating the health effects is needed, and one possible approach is discussed. In the former situation, it may not be obvious what health outcomes are relevant. Reported associations between health effects and chemicals in humans were reviewed. Studies from the occupational and environmental literature were classified by chemical and target organ affected and presented in tabular form. No attempt was made to critically evaluate the quality of evidence for each health effect, although bibliographic documentation was provided where possible. Episodes of chemical contamination of food, drinking water and other media were also reviewed and presented in a separate table. The organ sites likely to be affected by toxic chemicals from waste disposal sites depend heavily on the route of exposure and the dose that is received. Ingestion is the most frequently reported route of exposure in episodes of environmental contamination. These have affected the hepatic, renal, hematopoietic, reproductive, and central nervous systems. The type and severity of effects were dose-dependent. Direct skin contact is important in the occupational environment where dermal and central nervous system effects have been reported but seems less likely as a route of exposure for populations around waste disposal sites. Inhalation, unless at relative high concentrations or as a result of fire, is unlikely to be important, although hematopoietic, reproductive, and central nervous system effects have been reported in occupational studies.

Environmental Pollutants↗
PubMed1991

Asset disposal: follow company policies or follow the law?

Several ethical issues can arise in disposing of assets. The proper management of these issues involves awareness of the applicable laws and development of policies and enforcement that respect those laws. Several examples of appropriate policy, following classical management principles, served to document the points under discussion.

Equipment and Supplies, Hospital↗