Hazardous Waste Disposal

Every year, societies generate tremendous amounts of hazardous waste materials. This is especially true for industrialized societies. These materials are described as wastes that pose substantial threats to public health or the environment. Four factors are used to determine if a substance is hazardous. These include flammability, reactivity, corrosive potential and toxicity. In addition, most developed countries also describe a waste as hazardous if it has the potential to increase deaths, cause non-reversible illnesses or pose a hazard to human health or the environment if improperly transported, treated and stored. Because hazardous substances pose substantial threats to both humans and the environment, scientists and engineers are constantly developing new technologies for the safer handling and treatment of hazardous wastes.

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The types of hazardous wastes can range from common commercial products like antifreeze, dry cleaning fluids and paints to highly toxic substances like human body fluids, industrial plant by-products and the remains of nuclear fuel. Depending upon the level of toxicity or the overall negative impact upon human health and the environment, each type of hazardous material must undergo specific treatments for safe stabilization and disposal. Examples of these treatment methods include:

Recycling

The fastest segment of hazardous waste materials being generated is electronic components and the batteries needed to power them. Both the acids from batteries and the heavy metals in circuit boards pose environmental threats if they eventually leach into soils and waters. Most of these can be recycled into new products. Another hazardous material that can be recycled is fly-ash from incinerators that can be used as pavement filling if properly converted into inert solids.

Neutralization

Neutralization is a process where the hazardous components of wastes are eliminated or made inert for safe disposal. Many hazardous materials can be easily neutralized through a base or pH adjustment process. These adjustments help reduce or destroy the leaching ability of the waste.

Landfills

Many wastes are isolated or processed in landfills specifically designated for particular types of hazardous materials. These can include substances like solvents that are stored above ground in barrels or solids like asbestos based drywall that is neutralized and left to decompose in covered piles. Landfill methods for extremely hazardous materials like radioactive wastes can also include deep-well injection, salt dome or salt bed formations and the use of caves or mines for the long-term storage of extremely dangerous materials like nuclear fuel by-products.

Incineration

Many hazardous wastes are destroyed through incineration in high-temperature chambers using both conventional and electric arc combustion sources. The advantage to this method is that the energy generated through incineration can generate electrical power. Some types of flammable wastes, such as hazardous oils or solvents, can also be used as direct fuel sources for heating industrial structures like cement kilns. Care has to be taken to ensure that the combustion products do not themselves create a further hazard or pollution problems.
 

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