CHAPTER 7

HAZARDOUS SOLID WASTES MANAGEMENT

WSEE 4192 SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT

 Course contents
2

Chapter 1: Solid Waste Management

Chapter 2:Solid Waste Generation

Chapter 3:Solid Waste Handling, Storage and Processing

at the Source

Chapter 4:Solid Waste Collection Methods

Chapter 5:Solid Waste Separation, Processing and

Transformation

Chapter 6: Solid Waste Transport and Transfer and

Disposal

Chapter 7:Hazardous Solid Wastes Management

 Introduction
3

What is hazardous waste ?

 Discarded material liquid , solid, gas or sludges, that containing
substances known to be ignitable, corrosive, explosive or
reactive, fatal, toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic to
humans or other life forms.
 Households generate small quantities of hazardous waste, such
as oil-based paints, paint thinners, wood preservatives,
pesticides, household cleaners, used motor oil, antifreeze, and
batteries.
 Industry produces the largest amount of hazardous waste, 80-
90% from developed countries.
 Mining, small businesses, agriculture, utilities, and building
demolition all produce hazardous wastes.
 Synthetic organic compounds and heavy metals are particularly
hazardous because their toxicity persists over time.
 Introduction…
4

 Synthetic organic compounds resist bacterial, fungal, and insect

activity
 Plastics, tires, pesticides, solvents, wood preservatives, etc

 Keep buildings from decaying, kill pests, and keep stored

goods intact
 Their resistance to decay makes them persistent pollutants
 They are toxic because they are readily absorbed through the

skin
 They can act as mutagens, carcinogens, teratogens, and

endocrine disruptors
 Heavy metals can be hazardous: Lead, chromium, mercury,
arsenic, cadmium, tin, and copper, Used widely in industry for
wiring, electronics, metal plating and fabrication, pigments, and
dyes. They enter the environment when they are disposed of
improperly. Heavy metals that are fat soluble and break down
slowly can bioaccumulate and biomagnify.
 Introduction…
5
 Electronic waste (“e-waste”): waste
involving electronic devices such as
Computers, printers, cell phones, TVs,
MP3 players, etc
 E-waste contains many valuable metals
as well as toxic pollutants

E-waste from computers

 On average, a computer is made up of 23 % plastic, 32 %
ferrous metals, 18 % non-ferrous metals (lead, cadmium,
antimony, beryllium, chromium, and mercury), 12 %
electronic boards (gold, palladium, silver, and platinum),
and 15 % glass.
 Only about 50 % of the computer is recycled, the rest is
dumped. The toxicity of the waste is mostly due to the
lead, mercury and cadmium- non-recyclable components
 Introduction…
6
 The concern towards hazardous waste management was stimulated by
undesired massive health effects that were noticed in the
neighborhood of Niagara Falls in New York State in the United States in
the 1970s.
The Love Canal Story
 Love Canal was a waterway built in the 1800s next to
Niagara Falls, NY.
 Hooker Chemical Company purchased the site and used it
for a chemical dump 1942-53. The Company had completed
all necessary legal transactions for the permission for
dumping toxic wastes arising from the manufacturing of
chemicals.
 Site was sold to local government after dumping about
19,000 tons of chemical wastes contained in metallic drums
and a housing development and school were constructed on
the site in the 1970s.
 Introduction…
7

The Love Canal Story

 People around the Love Canal complained of bad unusual odour
coming from the Love Canal in 1976. Heavy rain occurred in 1977
that washed the toxic waste into underground water level. The
storm water also contaminated the surface area of the buildings,
homes, playgrounds.
 Unusual increased numbers of miscarriages, nerve damage,
deformities in newborns, cancer rates, rectal bleedings, skin lesions,
epilepsy, etc, were observed among the residents in the Love Canal
starting in 1976.
 Miscarriage rate 50% higher than normal, Of 17 pregnancies in
1979, 2 normal, 9 had birth defects, 2 still born, 4 miscarriages. In
adults tested, nerve impulses slower, 30% had broken
chromosomes.
 The cause of the health crisis was identified to be leakages from the
toxic waste drums. There were sharp dialogues between politicians
and scientists about the incident.
 Introduction…
8

Case Study: Bhopal India

 1984 World’s worst industrial
accident
 Union Carbide pesticide plant
explosion
 Toxic cloud settled over
region killing 23,000
 120,000 to 150,000 suffer
chronic illnesses related to
accident
 7.2 The Concern about Hazardous
Waste Management
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 Cause of mass life and material damage and loss

(disability, death, fire, explosion);
 Cause of environmental damages: potential water, solid,
and air pollution (underground and surface drinking
water);
 Cause of potential increased chemical bioaccumulation
that is hard for biodegradability (chlorine containing
chemicals);
 Cause of long term irreversible health risks (mutagenicity,
teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity)
 high concern of trans-boundary movement of toxic wastes;
 Cause of massive toxic health damages.
 7.2 The Concern about Hazardous Waste
Management…
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The dangers of hazardous waste

 Inappropriate storage, collection and treatment of
hazardous waste pose a high risk to natural resources and
public health.
 Surface Water Contamination
Changes in the water chemistry due to surface water
contamination can affect all levels of an ecosystem. It can impact
the health of lower food chain organisms and, consequently, the
availability of food up through the food chain. It can damage the
health of wetlands and impair their ability to support healthy
ecosystems, control flooding and filter pollutants from storm water
runoff. The health of animals and humans are affected when they
drink or bathe in contaminated water. Moreover, aquatic
organisms, like fish and shellfish, can accumulate and concentrate
contaminants in their bodies. When other animals or humans ingest
these organisms, the dose of contaminants is much higher than
when directly exposed to the original contamination.
 7.2 The Concern about Hazardous Waste
Management…
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The dangers of hazardous waste….

 Groundwater Contamination
Contaminated groundwater can adversely affect animals, plants and
humans if it is removed from the ground by man-made or natural
processes. Depending on the geology of the area, groundwater may
rise to the surface via springs or seeps, flow laterally into nearby
rivers, streams or ponds, or sink deeper into the earth. In many
parts of the world, groundwater is pumped out of the ground to be
used for drinking, bathing, other household uses, agriculture, and
industry.
 Air Contamination
Air pollution can cause respiratory problems and other adverse
health effects, since contaminants are absorbed by the lungs and
reach other parts of the body. Certain air contaminants can also
harm animals and humans when they contact the skin. Plants rely
on respiration for their growth and can also be affected by exposure
to contaminants transported in the air.
 7.2 The Concern about Hazardous Waste
Management…
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The dangers of hazardous waste….

 Leachate
Leachate is the liquid that forms as water trickles through contaminated
areas leaching out the chemicals. For example, the leaching of landfill can
result in a leachate containing a cocktail of chemicals. In agricultural
areas, leaching may concentrate pesticides or fertilizers, and in feedlots,
bacteria may be leached from the soil. The movement of contaminated
leachate may result in hazardous substances entering surface water,
groundwater or soil.
 Soil Contamination
Contaminants in the soil can harm plants when they take up the
contamination through their roots. Ingesting, inhaling or touching
contaminated soil, as well as eating plants or animals that have
accumulated soil contaminants can adversely impact the health of
humans and animals.

(UNEP,
2004)
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste
13

Products with the

words DANGER,
WARNING, or
CAUTION
on the product
label
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste…
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Hazardous Waste Common Symbols

Oxidizer Explosive

Poison or toxic
Flammable

Environmental Hazard Corrosive

 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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1. Flammability and Ignitability

 The waste burns or explodes with the application of fire,
friction, electricity spark, or any source of heat; wastes
with high ignitable potential and/or which burn
vigorously and persistently.
 Such wastes have a flash point of less than 600C or 140°
F.
 Flash point of a liquid is the lowest temperature at
which it gives off enough vapor to form an ignitable
mixture with the air in its surface.
 Examples: solvent washes, waste oil, alcohols,
aldehydes, paint wastes, petroleum wastes, cleaning
solvents, etc.
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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2. Corrosivity
 It is the ability of the waste to cause skin and mucosal
membrane damages: burns and erosions, and dissolves
or corrodes metallic surfaces.
 Such wastes have pH value of less than 2.5 and more
than 12.5 at normal room temperatures (250C).
 Examples: acid sludge, battery acid wastes, caustic
waste water, alkaline cleaning wastes, rust remover
waste, etc
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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3. Reactivity
 A waste that reacts violently with water with the formation of
toxic fumes, gases, or aerosols (Strong acids and HCN when
mixed with water); and explodes when mixed with water.
 Capable of detonating if heated at standard temperature and
pressure.
 Is a cyanide or sulfide bearing compound that have the potential
to form toxic gases, vapors or fumes between a pH of 2 and 12.5.
 Such incidents can also occur when the waste is mixed with other
chemicals producing the same effect.
 Wastes containing unstable chemicals are also in this category.
 Examples: Cyanide plating wastes, wastes containing strong
oxidizers such as chlorine, ozone, peroxides, permanganates, HCl,
Bleach, dry picric acid, peroxidizable compounds, and alkaline
metals such as sodium or potassium etc.
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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4. Toxicity
 A waste that is likely to produce mass acute and
chronic poisoning; long-term health effects
(mutagenicity, teratogenicity, carcinogenicity).
 The following guideline can be used for determining
whether acute and chronic toxicity may occur:
 if a waste contains an amount greater than ten times
its standard in drinking water, or a hundred times more
than in its standard in drinking water cleaning purpose ,
or a hundred times more than in its standard for water
used for recreational purposes.
 Examples: Pesticides and cleaners, etc
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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5. Infectivity
 A waste with a potential cause for infectious diseases, such as
hepatitis B. Example: medical wastes containing microbial
cultures, pathological wastes, contaminated human blood and its
products, sharps, skin-piercing objects, contaminated animal
wastes, contaminated exudates and secretions.
6. Radioactivity
 Wastes containing radioactive elements. Such wastes are mainly
from biomedical training and research institutes. Wastes may
include radioactive elements of uranium, molybdenum, cobalt,
iodine.
7. Bioaccumulation effect
 Wastes that are not easily degraded when exposed with the
environment. Examples: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB),dioxin.
 7.3 Characteristics of Hazardous
Waste….
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What Harmful Chemicals are in Your Home?

Cleaning Gardening
• Disinfectants • Pesticides
• Drain, toilet, and • Weed killers
window cleaners • Ant and rodent killers
• Spot removers • Flea powders
• Septic tank cleaners

Paint
• Latex and oil-based paints
• Paint thinners, solvents,
and strippers Automotive
• Stains, varnishes, • Gasoline
and lacquers • Used motor oil
• Wood preservatives • Antifreeze
• Artist paints and inks • Battery acid
• Solvents
General
• Brake and transmission
• Dry cell batteries
fluid
(mercury and cadmium)
• Rust inhibitor and
• Glues and cements
rust remover
 4.5. List of Hazardous Chemicals
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 The following hazardous chemicals selected as require priority

consideration:
 Arsenic and its compounds; Mercury and its compounds; Cadmium and
its compounds; Thallium and its compounds ; Beryllium and its
compounds; Chromium (VI)compounds; Lead and its compounds;
Phenolic compounds; Antimony and its compounds; Cyanide
compounds; Isocyanates; Organo halogenated compounds except inert
polymeric materials; Chlorinated solvents; Organic solvents; Biocides
and phytopharmaceutical substances; Tarry materials from refining and
tar residues from distilling; Pharmaceutical compounds; Peroxides,
chlorates, perchlorates, and azides ; Ethers; Chemical laboratory
materials, not identifiable and/or new, with unknown effects on the
environment; Asbestos ; Selenium and compounds; Tellurium and
compounds ; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ; Metal carbonyls ;
Soluble copper compounds ; Acids and/or basic substances used in the
surface treatment and finishing of metals.
 4.5. List of Hazardous Chemicals…
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 Lead: paint, gasoline, pipes, accumulates in soil and water

 neurological damage, slows brain development, kidney disorders;

children especially vulnerable.

 Mercury: paint, batteries, old thermometers, industrial processes,
combustion of coal, dental fillings, contaminated historical mining
sites.
 damages brain, kidneys, developing fetus, learning disabilities,

death with high doses.

 Arsenic: treated wood, industrial processes, contaminated soil and
water
 impairs organ, heart, and blood functions; damages nervous
system
 PCBs (Ploycholorinated biphenyls): industrial chemical (used in fire
retartands, lubricants, insulation for electrical transformers, some
printing inks)
 carcinogenic, birth defects, lower IQ, learning disabilities, impairs
neurological development
7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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 The transportation of hazardous waste can pose a threat to

the public. To promote safety and protect the public's health,
companies follow four basic control measures for the
movement of hazardous waste from a source to disposal site:
1. Hazardous waste manifest
 The concept of a cradle-to-grave tracking system is
considered key to proper management of hazardous waste.
 Manifest copies accompany each barrel of waste that leaves
the site where it is generated, and are signed and mailed to
the receiving sites to indicate the transfer of waste from one
location to another.
 Generator makes hazardous waste determinations. Waste is
accumulated in proper containers. Container is properly
closed.
 Accumulation containers are allowed adequate head space.
7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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2. Labeling:
 Each container is labeled and marked. The transporting vehicle
is labelled before waste is transported from the generating
site.
 Companies post warning labels such as: explosive, strong
oxidizer, compressed gas, flammable liquid, corrosive material,
and poisonous or toxic substances.
 Containers that are improperly labeled or do not have a label
will not be collected.
3. Haulers:
 Because of the dangers involved, haulers of hazardous waste
are subject to operator training, insurance coverage, and
special registration of vehicles transporting hazardous waste.
 Handling precautions include restrictive use of the transport
trucks and the use of gloves, face masks, and coveralls for the
workers' protection.
 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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4. Incident and
accident reporting:
 Accidents involving
hazardous waste must
be reported
immediately to the state
regulatory agency, as
well as local health
departments. Necessary
information that will
help responders
contains the material
that should be made
available.
Cradle to Grave
7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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Integrated Hazardous Waste Management

 A sustainable approach to hazardous waste is first to

produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to

convert it to less hazardous materials, and finally, to
safely store what is left.
 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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Hazardous Waste Disposal

 The hazardous waste, after treatment, can be ultimately
disposed using the following methods:
a. Land farming
 the treated waste can be used as a fertilizer or soil
conditioner with the approval of concerned regulatory
entities;
b. Deep well injection:
 A special kind of drilled well is prepared for such purposes.
Brine (40% salt solution) is usually disposed in this manner.
 liquid hazardous waste is pumped into dry, porous rock
formations far beneath aquifers; limited number of such
sites & limited space within them.
 Precautions for water pollution need to be a concern.
 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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 Deep-well injection :a
well is drilled deep
beneath the water table
 Waste is injected into it

 A long-term disposal
method
 The well is isolated
from groundwater and
humans
 However, the wells can
corrode and leak waste
 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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C. Surface impediment
 This method involves arresting
or demobilizing the movement
or migration of the waste by
containing it in a hard core:
clay soil, thermoplastics
polymers, non-corrosive
metallic containers (carbon-
steel tanks), cement, lime, fire
glass, rocks.
 The water evaporates, the
residue of solid hazardous
waste is transported
elsewhere
 Rainstorms cause overflow,
contaminating nearby areas.
 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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 7.5. Transportation and Disposal of
Hazardous Waste
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d. Hazardous Waste
Landfills
 Sometimes hazardous wastes
are put into drums and
buried in carefully designed
and monitored sites; least
used method because of
expense involved.
e. Ocean dumping:
 mostly practiced from 1945
to the 1970s. Despite the
existing public protest, this
method continuous to be an
alternative for the waste
generators.
 4.6. Control of Hazardous Waste
33

1. Whom or what to control?

 There are five types of hazardous waste generators: the
primary generator, the transporter, waste storage,
treatment, and disposal facilities.
 All the producers and the recipients of waste need to follow
certain standard operative procedures (SOP) to manage the
waste in accordance with the existing law and waste
regulations.
 Basic data/recordkeeping, reporting, manifesting, protocols
of SOP, and contingency planning in cases of emergency are
very essential for waste tracking purpose.
 4.6. Control of Hazardous Waste…
34

2. How do you classify whether the waste is hazardous or

not?
 Use the defined list of criteria.
 Identify the components of the waste.
 Review literature about the inherent characteristics of
components of the waste. For example, various WHO documents
include: toxic substances registry, environmental health criteria,
international chemical safety program documentation, etc.
3. Control approaches
a. Waste management hierarchy includes:
 source reduction > waste avoidance>waste minimization>waste
recycling >waste treatment>waste disposal.
 The approach is based on resource use maximization (efficiency)
and cost effectiveness.
 4.6. Control of Hazardous Waste…
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3. Control approaches…
 Waste Minimization Program includes: Source reduction
(Technological Efficiency, Material substitute, Good
management practice) and Waste Recycling (Direct use and
Reclamation).
b. Government and Public Involvement
 The national and regional governments need to adopt waste
management guidelines and regulations. Allocation of
adequate resources is also desired.
 Public education is important. The public and the community
need to be involved in the waste management hierarchy.
 The UN agencies involvement in the adoption of National
Waste Management Program and control of transboundary
movement of wastes should be appreciated and
acknowledged.
 4.6. Control of Hazardous Waste…
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4. Hazardous Waste Treatment
 Different technical options and alternative methods can be
employed for the treatment. The end result needs to focus on
making the waste non-harmful or less hazardous, reduce its
volume and texture, separate for re-use, and isolate it for final
disposal. Treatment methods include:
A. Physical methods: drying, screening, grinding, evaporation,
sedimentation, filtration, fixation, etc.
B. Chemical methods: Oxidation, reduction, neutralization,
hydrolysis, etc.
C. Biological methods: composting, aerobic and anaerobic
decomposition, activated sludge, enzyme treatment, etc.
D. Thermal methods: incineration, boiling, autoclaving, UV
treatment, microwave use, etc.
E. Phytoremediation: using various types of plants that
function as pollution sponges to clean up contaminants.
 Phytoremediation

37

Phytoremediation involves using various types of plants that function as

pollution sponges to clean up contaminants such as radioactive
substances (left), organic compounds (center), and toxic metals (right)
from soil and water. (Data from American Society of Plant Physiologists,
38
 Health-Care Institution Solid
39
Waste
 Health-care institution waste can be divided into two main
categories: regular medical waste and infectious waste.
 Regular medical wastes is generally everything else used
in the facility. This might include administrative waste,
paper, or food-waste from cafeterias.
 Between 75% and 90% of the waste produced by health-
care institution providers is non-risk or "general" health-
care institution waste, comparable to domestic waste.
 The remaining 10 - 25% of health-care institution waste is
regarded as hazardous and may create a variety of health
risks. This is hazardous health-care institution waste also
known as "health-care institution risk waste".
 Health-Care Institution Solid
Waste…
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 Infectious waste includes human blood and blood products,

cultures, stocks of infectious agents, pathological wastes,
contaminated sharps (hypodermic needles, scalpel blades,
capillary tubes), contaminated laboratory wastes,
contaminated wastes from patient care, contaminated
animal carcasses and body parts infected with human
pathogens such as in research and training, contaminated
equipment and miscellaneous infectious waste.
Sources
a) Medical wastes: These wastes are usually produced in
patient rooms, treatment rooms and nursing stations. The
operating room may also be a contributor, and items include
soiled dressings, bandages, catheters, swabs, plaster casts
receptacles, and masks.
 Health-Care Institution Solid
Waste…
41

b) Surgical and autopsy (Pathologic wastes): These wastes

may be produced in surgical or autopsy rooms. Items that may
be included are placenta, tissues and organs, amputated limbs,
fetus and similar material.
c) Laboratory wastes: These wastes are produced in diagnostic
or research laboratories. Items that may be included are
cultures, spinal-fluid samples, dead animals, and animal bedding.
d) Infectious solid wastes: proportion of medical waste that is
infectious (dressings, lab and pathological wastes, contaminated
blood, discarded equipments, etc.)
e) Domestic/general wastes: offices, kitchen wastes
(nonhazardous)
f) Radioactive wastes: radiating residues produced as a result of
radiotherapy and diagnosis.
 Health-Care Institution Solid
Waste…
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Management of Health Care Institution Solid Wastes

 The need for infectious and medical waste management now
reaches beyond hospitals and medical centers to smaller
waste generators such as clinics, colleges and universities,
diagnostic laboratories, and other health facilities.
 Infectious and medical waste produce occupational risks
such as direct exposure to blood products, needle sticks,
and infectious dressings by patients, visitors, and workers.
 Environmental risks include the possibility of pollution of
groundwater, surface water, or air. Even small amounts of
laboratory solvents can leach into drinking water.
Appropriate storage, collection treatment and
management of Health Care Institution Solid
hazardous Wastes highly reduces risk to natural
resources and public health.
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