Hazardous waste is waste that has a large or potential threat to public health or the environment.
- The characteristics of hazardous waste are materials that are known or tested to indicate one or more of the following harmful properties:
- Ignitability
- Reactivity
- Corrosivity
- Toxicity
- Listed hazardous wastes are materials that are specifically listed by regulatory authorities as hazardous wastes derived from non-specific sources, certain sources, or discarded chemical products.
Hazardous wastes can be found in different physical states such as gases, liquids, or solids. Hazardous waste is a special type of waste because it can not be disposed of in the general way like other byproducts of our daily lives. Depending on the physical condition of the waste, treatment and compacting processes may be necessary.
Video Hazardous waste
Worldwide
Worldwide, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that over 400 million tonnes of hazardous waste are produced universally every year, mostly by industrialized countries (schmit, 1999). Approximately 1 percent of this is sent across international boundaries, with the majority of transfers taking place between countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (Krueger, 1999). One reason for industrialized countries to deliver hazardous waste to industrialized countries for disposal is the rising cost of hazardous waste disposal in the country of origin.
Maps Hazardous waste
Regulation history
In the United States
Conservation and Resource Recovery Act (RCRA)
Hazardous wastes are wastes with traits that make them harmful or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Hazardous waste can be liquid, solid, contain gas, or mud. They can be a by-product of the manufacturing process or simply dispose of commercial products, such as cleaning fluids or pesticides. In the regulatory provisions, the RCRA hazardous waste is a waste that appears on one of the four lists of hazardous waste (F-list, K-list, P-list, or U-list), or indicates at least one of the following four characteristics; ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. in the US Hazardous waste is regulated under the Conservation and Rescue Resource Act (RCRA), Subtitle C.
By definition, the EPA stipulates that certain wastes are dangerous. This waste is included in the list published by the Agency. The list is organized into three categories: F-list (non-specific waste sources) found in the regulations at 40 CFR 261.31, K-list (source-specific waste) found in the regulations at 40 CFR 261.32, and lists P and U- list (discarded commercial chemical products) is found in the regulations at 40 CFR 261.33.
The RCRA recording system helps track the life cycle of hazardous wastes and reduce the amount of hazardous waste disposed of illegally.
Comprehensive, Compensation and Action Response Action
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), enacted in 1980. The main contribution of CERCLA is to create a "Superfund" and provide for the cleaning and remediation of hazardous and closed-end waste sites. CERCLA discusses the historical release of hazardous materials, but does not specifically manage hazardous waste.
Harmful waste in the US.
In the United States, maintenance, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste are regulated under the Conservation and Rescue Resource Act (RCRA). Hazardous wastes are defined under RCRA at 40 CFR 261 where they are divided into two main categories: characteristic waste and listed waste.
The RCRA requirement applies to all companies that produce hazardous waste as well as companies that store or dispose of hazardous waste in the United States. Many types of businesses produce hazardous waste. dry cleaning, car workshops, hospitals, pest erasers, and photo processing centers can all produce hazardous waste. Some hazardous waste producers are large companies such as chemical producers, electroplating companies, and oil refineries.
US facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste should obtain permission to do so under the Conservation and Rescue Act. Hazardous waste generators and carriers must meet the specific requirements for handling, managing and tracking waste. Through the RCRA, Congress directed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to draft regulations to manage hazardous waste. Under this mandate, the EPA develops stringent requirements for all aspects of hazardous waste management including maintenance, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. In addition to these federal requirements, states may develop tighter requirements that are more wider in scope than federal regulations. In addition, RCRA allows countries to develop regulatory programs that are at least as rigorous as the RCRA and, after review by the EPA, states may take over responsibility for the implementation of the requirements under the RCRA. Most countries take advantage of this authority, implement their own hazardous waste programs that are at least as strict, and in some cases tighter than federal programs.
Hazardous Waste Mapping System
The US government provides some tools to map hazardous waste to specific locations. These tools also allow the user to view additional information. TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) service from the Special Information Services Division of the National Medical Library of the United States (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to help users explore data visually from the United States. State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Poison Inventory Release and Superfund Basic Research Program. This is a resource funded by the US Federal Government. TOXMAP's chemical and environmental health information is taken from NLM's Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET), PubMed, and other authoritative sources.
Universal trash
Universal waste is a special category of hazardous waste (in the US):
- generally poses a lower threat relative to other hazardous wastes everywhere and is produced in very large quantities by a large number of generators.
Some of the most common "universal junk" are: fluorescent bulbs, some special batteries (eg lithium or lead batteries), cathode ray tubes, and mercury-containing devices.
Universal waste is subject to somewhat less restrictive regulatory requirements. Small quantity generators of universal waste can be classified as "conditional small quantity generators" (CESQGs) that relieve them of some regulatory requirements for handling and storage of hazardous waste.
Universal waste must still be disposed of properly. (For more information, see Overview of Requirements for Generally Excluded Small Quantity Generators)
Household harmful waste
Hazardous Household Wastes (HHW), also referred to as domestic hazardous wastes or special materials produced by the home, are waste generated from households. HHW applies only to waste derived from the use of labeled material and sold for "home use". The waste generated by the company or on the industrial setting is not HHW.
The following list includes categories that are often applied to HHW. It is important to note that many of these categories overlap and a lot of household waste can fall into several categories:
- Paint and solvent
- Automotive waste (used motor oil, antifreeze, etc.)
- Pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
- mercury-containing wastes (thermometers, switches, fluorescent lamps, etc.)
- Electronics (computers, televisions, cell phones)
- Aerosol/Propane Cylinder
- Caustics/Cleansing Agent
- Refrigerating equipment
- Some special batteries (eg lithium, nickel cadmium, or button cell battery)
- Ammunition
- Radioactive waste (some home smoke detectors are classified as radioactive waste because they contain very small amounts of radioactive isotope isotopes - see: Smoke Detector Exhaust).
Disposal of hazardous waste
Historically, some hazardous waste has been disposed of in ordinary landfills. This results in a number of harmful ingredients seeping into the ground. These chemicals eventually enter the natural hydrological system. Many landfills now require countermeasures against groundwater contamination. For example, barriers must be installed along the foundation of the landfill to contain hazardous materials that may remain in waste disposed. At present, hazardous wastes often have to be stabilized and compacted to enter the landfill and have to undergo different treatments to stabilize and dispose of them. The most flammable materials can be recycled to industrial fuel. Some materials with hazardous constituents can be recycled, such as lead acid batteries.
Recycling
Some hazardous waste can be recycled into new products. Examples include lead-acid batteries or electronic circuit boards. When heavy metals in this type of ash go through the right treatment, they can bind other pollutants and convert them into easily-thrown solids, or they can be used as liming pavements. Such treatments reduce the threat levels of harmful chemicals, such as fly and bottom ash, while also recycling safe products.
Portland cement
Another commonly used treatment is cement-based solidification and stabilization. Cement is used because it can treat a variety of hazardous wastes by increasing physical characteristics and reducing toxicity and transmission of contaminants. The manufactured cement is categorized into 5 different divisions, depending on the strength and the components. The process of converting sludge into cement may include the addition of pH, phosphate or sulfur reagent agents to reduce curing time or curing, increase compressive strength, or reduce leach ability of contaminants.
Incineration, destruction and waste-to-energy
Hazardous waste can be "destroyed". For example, by burning it at high temperatures, flammable waste can sometimes be burned as an energy source. For example, many cement kilns burn hazardous wastes such as oil or solvents used. Currently, incineration treatments not only reduce the amount of hazardous waste, but also generate energy from the gas released in the process. It is known that this particular waste treatment releases toxic gases produced by burning byproducts or other materials that can affect the environment. However, today's technology has developed a more efficient incinerator unit that controls these emissions to the point where these treatments are considered a more profitable option. There are different types of incinerators that vary depending on the characteristics of the waste. Hunger air incineration is another method used to treat hazardous waste. Just as in general combustion, combustion takes place, but controlling the amount of oxygen permitted proves significant to reduce the amount of harmful byproducts produced. Hunger air incineration is an improvement over traditional incinerators in terms of air pollution. By using this technology, it is possible to control the rate of burning of waste and therefore reduce the air pollutants generated in the process.
Hazardous waste landfill (alienate, isolation, etc.) )
Hazardous waste can be sequestered in a hazardous waste landfill or permanent disposal facility. "In the case of hazardous waste, the landfill is defined as a disposal facility or part of a facility where hazardous waste is placed or on land and non-heap, land treatment facilities, surface retaining, underground injection wells, salt dome formation, salt layer formation, soil, cave, or corrective action management unit (40 CFR 260.10). "
Pyrolysis
Some types of hazardous waste can be removed using pyrolysis in very high temperature electric arc, under inert conditions to avoid burning. This method of treatment may be better than high temperature incineration in some circumstances such as in the destruction of concentrated types of organic waste, including PCBs, pesticides and persistent organic pollutants.
See also
References
External links
- US National Library of Medicine Bank Dangerous Zay Data (HSDB)
- Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Hazardous EPA waste page
- EPA Hazard Clearance Information System in the US
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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