Chapter 24

Solid and Hazardous Waste

Municipal1.5%

Sewage sludge1%

Mining and oiland gas

production75% Industry

9.5%

Agriculture13%

Where’s the waste from?

You are included in this

What we throw away:• Enough aluminum to rebuild all commercial

airline fleets every 3 months• Enough tires each year to encircle the Earth

almost 3 times• Enough disposable diapers in a year to lay end

to end to the moon and back 7 times• 130 million cell phones, 50 million computers, 8

million TV’s per year• Enough discarded carpet each year to cover the

entire state of Delaware.• Enough office paper each year to build a wall 11

feet high from San Francisco to NYC.

Average Life Spans

• Cell phone:

• Computer:

• Photocopier:

• Refrigerator:

• Calculator:

• Video camera:

• Digital camera:

• PDA:

• iPod:

18 months

3 years

3 years

10 years

5 years

3 years

4 years

3 years

18-24 months

The 4 R’s• Refuse

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Sustainability Six• 1. Consume less• 2. Redesign manufacturing processes and

products to use less energy and materials• 3. Redesign manufacturing processes to

produce less waste and pollution• 4. Develop products that are easy to

repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle

• 5. Design products to last longer• 6. Eliminate and reduce unnecessary

packaging.

Topsoil

Sand

Clay

Garbage

Garbage

Sand

Synthetic liner

Sand

Clay

Subsoil

When landfill is full,layers of soil and clayseal in trash

Methane storageand compressor

building

Electricitygeneratorbuilding

Leachatetreatment system

Methane gasrecovery

Pipe collect explosivemethane gas used as fuel

to generate electricity

Compactedsolid waste

Leachatestorage tank

Leachatemonitoringwell

Groundwatermonitoringwell

Leachate pipesLeachate pipes Leachate pumped upto storage tanks for

safe disposal

Clay and plastic liningto prevent leaks; pipescollect leachate from

bottom of landfill Bury it?

Probes to detect methane leaks

Groundwater

Advantages

No open burning

Little odor

Low groundwater pollution ifsited properly

Can be built quickly

Low operating costs

Can handle large amounts of waste

Filled land can be used for otherpurposes

No shortage of landfill space inmany areas

Disadvantages

Noise and traffic

Dust

Air pollution from toxic gases and volatile organiccompounds (VOCs)

Releases greenhouse gases (methane and CO2) unless they are collected

Groundwater contamination

Slow decomposition of wastes

Discourages recycling waste reduction

Eventually leaks and can contaminate groundwater

Sanitary Landfills

Trade-Offs

Hippocampus Animation

Landfill

Power plant

Steam

Turbine GeneratorElectricity

Crane

Furnace

Boiler

Wetscrubber

Electrostaticprecipitator

Conveyor

Water Bottomash

Conven-tional

landfill

Wastetreatment

Hazardouswastelandfill

Dirtywater

Waste pit

Smokestack

Flyash

Burn it?

Trade-Offs

Reduced trashvolume

Less need forlandfills

Low waterpollution

Quick andeasy

Incineration

High cost

Air pollution(especiallytoxic dioxins)

Produces ahighly toxic ash

Encourageswaste production

DiscouragesRecycling and wastereduction

Advantages Disadvantages

Hippocampus Animation

Incinerator

Hippocampus Animation

Dioxin

Take a peek a posters on your bulletin board over the next

few days.

What Harmful Chemicals Are In Your Home?

Cleaning • Disinfectants• Drain, toilet, and window cleaners • Spot removers• Septic tank cleaners

Paint

• Latex and oil-based paints• Paint thinners, solvents, and strippers • Stains, varnishes, and lacquers• Wood preservatives• Artist paints and inks

General

• Dry-cell batteries (mercury and cadmium)• Glues and cements

Gardening

• Pesticides• Weed killers• Ant and rodent killers• Flea powders

Automotive

• Gasoline• Used motor oil • Antifreeze• Battery acid• Solvents• Brake and transmission fluid• Rust inhibitor and rust remover

Cleaning up toxic wastes• Physical methods: allow particles to

settle and be filtered out

Cleaning up toxic wastes• Physical methods: allow particles to

settle and be filtered out

• Phytoremediation: using plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants. May need to genetically modify plants.

Trade-Offs

Phytoremediation

Advantages Disadvantages

Easy to establish

Inexpensive

Can reduce material dumped into land fills

Produces little air pollution compared to incineration

Low energy use

Slow (can take several growing seasons)

Effective only at depth plant roots can reach

Some toxic organic chemicals may evaporate from plant leaves

Some plants can become toxic to animals

A plant can do that?

• Sunflowers: can absorb radioactive materials (Strontium-90, Cesium-137) and other organic chemicals.

• Done through hydroponic growth

Rhizofiltration

• Roots of plants have dangling roots on ponds or in greenhouses can absorb pollutants.

A plant can do that?

• Poplars, Willows: can absorb toxic organic compounds.

Phytostabilization

• Plants can absorb chemicals and keep them from reaching groundwater or nearby surface water.

Phytodegradation

• Plants absorb toxic organic chemicals and break them down into less harmful compounds which they store or release slowly into the air.

A plant can do that?

• Indian Mustard, Brake Ferns: can absorb toxic metals like lead and arsenic

Phytoextraction

• Roots of plants can absorb toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and others and store them in their leaves.

• Plants can then be recycled or harvested and incinerated.

Inorganic metal contaminantsOrganic contaminantsRadioactive contaminants

Brake fernPoplar tree

Indian mustard

Oilspill

Groundwater

Soil Soil

Groundwater

Pollutedgroundwaterin

Pollutedleachate

Decontaminatedwater out

Landfill

Willow tree

Phytoextraction Roots of plants such as Indian mustard and brake ferns can absorb toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and others and store them in their leaves. Plants can then be recycled or harvested and incinerated.

Phytodegradation Plants such as poplars can absorb toxic organic chemicals and break them down into less harmful compounds which they store or release slowly into the air.

Phytostabilization Plants such as willow trees and poplars can absorb chemicals and keep them from reaching groundwater or nearby surface water.

Rhizofiltration Roots of plants such as sunflowers with dangling roots on ponds or in greenhouses can absorb pollutants such as radioactive strontium-90 and cesium-137 and various organic chemicals.

Sunflower

Look how much plants can get rid of!!!

• Radioactive contaminants

- ie: Strontium-90, Cesium-137

• Organic contaminants

- ie: gasoline, oil. etc.

• Inorganic metal contaminants

- ie: lead, arsenic

Cleaning up toxic wastes• Physical methods: allow particles to

settle and be filtered out

• Phytoremediation: using plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants. May need to genetically modify plants.

• Deep-well disposal: pumping liquid hazard waste deep underground.

Advantages

Safe method ifsites are chosencarefully

Wastes can beretrieved ifproblemsdevelop

Easy to do

Low cost

Disadvantages

Leaks or spills atsurface

Leaks fromcorrosion of wellcasing

Existing fracturesor earthquakescan allow wastesto escape intogroundwater

Encourageswaste production

Trade-Offs

Deep Underground Wells

Cleaning up toxic wastes• Physical methods: allow particles to

settle and be filtered out

• Phytoremediation: using plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants. May need to genetically modify plants.

• Deep-well disposal: pumping liquid hazard waste deep underground.

• Surface impoundment: use of ponds, pits, or lagoons. Water evaporates, toxins stay.

Trade-Offs

Surface Impoundments

Advantages Disadvantages

Low construction costs

Low operating costs

Can be built quickly

Wastes can beeasily retrievedif necessary

Can store wastesindefinitely withsecure doubleliners

Groundwatercontaminationfrom leaking liners(or no lining)

Air pollution fromvolatile organiccompounds

Overflow fromflooding

Disruption andleakage fromearthquakes

Promotes wasteproduction

Lead• Found in: older paint (prior to 1970),

ceramic glazes, leaded gasoline, solder/pipes, TV sets, computer monitors

• Humans exposed by: ingestion, exposure to waste incineration, inhalation of leaded gas fumes

• Health effects: mental retardation, blindness, partial paralysis, developmental delays

Solutions

Lead Poisoning

Prevention Control

Wash fresh fruits andvegetables

Sharply reduce lead emissions from old and new incinerators

Replace lead pipes andplumbing fixturescontaining lead solder

Remove leaded paint and lead dust from older houses and apartments

Remove lead from TV sets and computer monitors before incineration or land disposal

Test for lead in existingceramicware used to serve food

Test existing candlesfor lead

Phase out leadedgasoline worldwide

Phase out wasteincineration

Test blood for lead by age 1

Ban lead solder inplumbing pipes, fixtures,and food cans

Ban lead glazing for ceramicware used toserve food

Ban candles withlead cores

Mercury

• Found in: fluorescent lights, thermometers, paints, dry-cell batteries, dental fillings, burning of coal

• Health effects: mental disorders, neurological problems, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, memory loss

• Humans exposed by: inhalation of mercury vapors, eating fish contaminated (biomagnification)

Figure 24-26Page 556

AIRWINDS PRECIPITATION WINDS PRECIPITATION

WATER

SEDIMENT

BIOMAGNIFICATIONIN FOOD CHAIN

Human sources Elementalmercury

vapor(Hg)

Inorganicmercury

and acids(Hg2+)

Inorganic mercuryand acids

(Hg2+)

Large fish

Small fish

Phytoplankton Zooplankton

Elementalmercury

liquid (Hg)

Inorganicmercury

(Hg2+)

Organicmercury(CH3Hg+)

De

po

sit

ion

Va

po

rizatio

n

De

po

sit

ion

Dep

ositio

n

Settles out

Bacteria

Bacteria and acids

Settles out

Oxidation

Incinerator Coal-burning plant

Photo-chemical oxidation

Hg and SO2 Hg2+ and acids Hg2+ and acids

Bacteria

Bacteria

Oxidation

Settles out

Runoff of Hg2+ and acids

Mercury in the environment

Solutions

Mercury Pollution

Prevention Control

Sharply reduce mercury emissions from coal burning plants and incinerators

Tax each unit of mercury emitted by coal-burning plants and incinerators

Collect and recycle mercury containing electric switches, relays, and dry-cell batteries

Require labels on all products containing mercury

Phase out waste incineration

Remove mercury from coal before it is burned

Convert coal to liquid or gaseous fuel

Switch from coal to natural gas and renewable energy resources such as wind, solar cells, and hydrogen

Phase out use of mercury in all products unless they are recycled

Know your laws?

RCRA – Resource Conservation & Recovery Act

• Gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave."

• This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

Need a Stupid way to remember it?

1. RCRA sounds like Racecar

2. Just like the movie “The Shining” when

the guy says REDRUM.

3. Again, think RCRA sounds like

racecar or at least has the letters

to spell it…..almost.

• Well… you are little you can’t wait to get out of the cradle or crib to a big bed like…

Then you can’t wait to drive a car. If you drive really fast like a RaCecAR driver, you will die and go in a grave.

=

a ec AR C R

This happens in Ms. Lolich’s head

Know your case studies?

You MUST know

• Love Canal, New York

• Bhopal, India

View video clip (4:38)

Assignment

Read pages 535 – 545

You will come up with 3 specific things you can do in each of the following areas:

refuse, reuse, reduce, recycle,

Only include ideas that you could ACTUALLY do.

You will end up with at least 4 paragraphs (one per area)