Saturday, March 5, 2016

Facts About Hazardous Waste Disposal

By Michelle Hamilton


Different kinds of wastes are being produced in households, industries, and commercial workplaces in large amounts. Hazardous wastes are among the wastes being produced. These wastes are referred to by that named because they are a threat to public health and the surroundings. In most developed states, hazardous waste disposal gets regulated by government agencies under very strict laws.

In the United States, RCRA is responsible for handling the regulation of hazardous materials. Under RARC, these materials are placed into two key groups, that is, listed and characteristic wastes. Wastes of all kinds that are tested and found to contain the ability of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity fall under the characteristic category. On the other hand, listed wastes are those that have been listed to be a threat by the authorities. They come from specific sources, discarded chemical products, and non-specific sources.

Both domestic and industrial applications result in the creation of hazardous wastes. Although industries and homes create the wastes, the scale on which industries do it is much larger. Production in homes is from various products that are used every day such as ammunition, paints and solvents, aerosols, caustics, pesticides, electronics, and refrigerant. Radioactive automotive wastes are also becoming more common.

Historically, landfills were the destination of most wastes of this kind. It later came to be discovered that the wastes were being leached to the underground reservoir. They then found their way into natural hydrologic systems. Counter measures had to be formulated to stop this problem. One of the counter measures developed involved installing barriers at the bases and on the sides of landfills so that wastes can be contained inside them.

Besides having bases of landfills installed with foundations, most wastes are stabilized and solidified before being disposed. The material of choice in the stabilization and solidification process is cement. This choice is made because is applicable on a multitude of wastes. Physical characteristics of materials are improved by stabilization and solidification as toxicity is reduced and ability for contaminant transmission is eliminated.

Flammable materials are often recycled so that they can be put to other uses when their life cycle has elapsed. For instance, most flammable materials are now being recycled into industrial fuel. Additionally, lead acid batteries and electronic circuit boards are also being recycled on a large scale in most developed countries. Ashes from the combustion of certain products are often used as fillings for pavements.

Another method that is used widely to dispose wastes is incineration. The method is suitable for almost all forms of wastes. Although safe, fast, efficient, and convenient, the financial commitment required at first is very high. This makes it expensive. Large companies involved in production of large amounts of wastes own incineration chambers. Efficiency in modern-day incinerators is very high and they are relatively cheaper to maintain.

During the process of incineration, wastes are burned in a huge chamber. The high temperatures in the chamber usually reduce all substances to ash. Combustion takes different amounts of time depending on the kind of substance involved. The chamber is allowed time to cool before it can be opened and emptied.




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