Chapter 3

Waste Minimization and Resource Recovery

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Preamble Pollution prevention is a optimum choice in waste management techniques

Industries prefer waste minimization options

WM options are: recycling, reuse & treatment These methods pose more environmental risks than pollution prevention Among all WM techniques, waste reduction is the common-sense solution to prevent future HW problems
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Fig: End of pipe approach

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Definition The term Waste minimization applies to any management technique/process modification that ultimately reduces the mass or toxicity of waste sent to treatment, storage and disposal facility

The term does not include mere concentrating the hazardous contents of a waste to reduce waste volume or dilution to reduce degree of hazard
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USEPA Definition Waste minimization is the reduction of volume or toxicity of HW that is generated or subsequently treated, stored or disposed of. It includes any source reduction or activity undertaken by a generator that results in either 1. Reduction in total volume or quantity of HW, or 2. Reduction of toxicity of HW or both, as long as the reduction is consistent with the goal of minimizing present and future threats to human health and environment
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EPA suggested following management of wastes Source reduction

Recycling/reuse of waste material

hierarchy

for

Industry options

Treatment or destruction (physical destroying, chemical detoxifying) Disposal- into air, water , land
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Fig: Pollution Prevention Techniques

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Fig: Hierarchy of priorities in H W M

Approaches to Waste reduction

Volume reduction

Segregation Reuse Toxicity Reduction House keeping Practices Material Substitution Recycling Waste exchange
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Volume reduction Achieved thru # of methods ; modification of production processes, segregation & reuse Simple reduction of volume without reducing toxicity is not waste minimization Process modification- change in raw materials, equipment, operating procedures, material storage, end products Raw material substitution-simple item-cleaning materials eg., printing industry- organic solvents replaced with water-based cleaners
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Segregation Primary tenet- source reduction , avoid mixing wastes Mixing small quantity of listed HW with non HW yields large quantity of wastes to be treated If HW treatment is required, segregation permits smaller quantities of waste treatment House keeping operations- sweeping before washing floors reduces waste volumes Examples for segregation: solvents, pigments, lab samples
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Reuse Many materials that are disposed of as HW has a potential to be reused for another application Contaminated materials with adequate quality will serve as a solvent/cleaning agent for a less sensitive application e.g., 1. In printing industry, toluene is used as both cleaning agent & thinner for inks If toluene use is limited to one specific color ink, it can be reused to thin that particular color ink
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 2. Steel industry- Iron scale removal-acid cleaning process pickling neutralization recovery yields 40% Toxicity Reduction A number of WMT reduce the concentration of contaminant in liquid/solid waste stream without decreasing the volume of the waste
Toxicity reduction can be achieved through process modification, equipment modification, house keeping practices, material substitution, recycling & waste exchanges
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 Process modification that result in a less-toxic waste stream are dry powder painting & solvent recovery methods eg., Powder coating technology has reduced the need for solvent-based paints in many industrial painting applications House keeping Practices Good HK & maintenance procedures-simplest & most inexpensive method of reducing HW @ source Adequate lighting must be provided in the design of storage areas
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 Keeping different chemicals separate to preclude contamination /reaction Drums stacked on concrete pads often corrode due to concrete sweating. Use of pallets avoids the problem Production staff should have ongoing education program ( training & awareness building) Proper materials handling, economic & environmental ramifications of HW generation & disposal, emergency procedures, detecting releases of hazardous materials
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Material Substitution Manufacturing processes designed keeping 2 things in mind; product quality & profit Changing economics of waste management are forcing new look @ production formulations eg:1. use of non cyanide baths in metal plating operations & less toxic solvents in cleaning operations have proved to be cost-effective & reduced H W 2. Polyelectrolytes in place of alum in water treatment ( low cost-high volume substituted with high cost-low volume)
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 Industries manufacturing machine parts use petroleum based lubricating oils which gets contaminated with metals, becomes HW This can be substituted with synthetic lube oil ( costly , but lasts longer however, it can be returned to the manufacturer for recycling

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Recycling When reduction in volume or toxicity of waste is not feasible, best alternative is recycling to another process or another plant On-site recycling preferred to off-site shipping HW results in mishandling Water easiest material for recycle. Aqueous waste streams meeting HW characteristics(CRIT) can be recycled for some useful purpose This results in effective elimination of HW Neutralizing caustic waste with high acidic line obvious solution
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 Cost of chemicals can be cut by maximizing recycle of high & low pH lines High quality water once used in manufacturing process becomes useless in that process. This water can be recycled to another purpose (less sensitive use) eg., refinery W/W can be recycled to wet gas scrubbers Non contact cooling water discharged as heated uncontaminated waste stream It can be recycled to conserve raw water & energy can be conserved
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 Solvent recycling is common practice in many industries Common solvents recycled: Hexane, Heptane, Toluene, Xylene, Turpentine, Benzene, Phenols Ethyl Acetate Energy content of spent oil can be reused through burning in industrial boilers or furnaces ( power plants)

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Waste Exchanges Definition A waste exchange is a regional clearing house which helps to locate another company to make use of waste It maintains computer database and /or publish periodic lists of wastes available or materials required by various industries The waste exchange information base includes company ID Code, Category( acid, solvent etc) contaminants present, quantity available, geographical area, packaging
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Fig: Conceptual Waste management Model for a solvent system

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Waste Management Model for a Solvent System

Flow chart illustrates a waste management model for a solvent system beginning with shipment from the solvent supplier through off-site treatment and final disposal of the sludge & residuals On-site and Off-site treatment involves distillation operations Factors affecting selection: solvent boiling point, degree of separation desired, contaminant type and characteristics and distilled solvent specifications
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Important focal points for waste reduction modelling are: solvent supplier, incoming storage, shop storage, solvent utilization, waste solvent accumulation, interim storage and treatment processing

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Fig: Conceptual Waste management Model for a Plating System

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Conceptual Waste Management Model for a Electroplating System Electroplating is done to reduce corrosion potential or to improve the properties of the metal Flow diagram illustrates a typical processing scheme starting from shipment of the plating materials from the supplier to the ultimate disposal point of the wastes Before plating, degreasing operation is done to remove oils and grease The metal laden wastewater is treated by hydroxide precipitation
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 The reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in wastewater is accompanied with SO2, FeSO4, metallic iron, Sod. Meta bi sulfite prior to hydroxide treatment Chrome bearing streams are segregated and treated separately Waste reduction is possible at several points in the process Viz., 1. Segregating the wastes & employing selective precipitation 2. Waste reductions in the wastewater treatment phase
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3. Recovery and reuse of precipitated metals by selection of solution, pH, sulfide dosage, use of chelating agents & liquid extractors 4. Treatment with super triple phosphate which produces non-hazardous sludge 5. Significant waste reductions can also be achieved through
Choice of plating materials ( in supply stage) Allowing greater drainage time for parts to reduce cross-contamination between baths In ultimate disposal of sludge and residuals
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Waste Management Model for a Lubricant Oil System Flow chart illustrates a waste management model for a Lubricant Oil system The processing sequence includes shipment of oil to the industry, usage in vehicles and processes, waste oil accumulation, treatment and final disposal Waste oil treatment (re-refining process) includes processing steps such as filtration followed by vaccum distillation, solvent extraction and chemical treatment with hydrotreating
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 Vaccum distillation involves addition of clays to remove mercaptans & other contaminants & to improve color characteristics Solvent extraction step involves acids to extract metals, aromatics, asphault and other impurities Re-refining processes have a product yield of 7080 % and the re-refined oils perform as original oil Reprocessing of waste oils for incineration or disposal includes treatment operations such as sedimentation, centrifugation and /or filtration
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 The sequence steps of interest for waste minimization are with the oil supplier; Choice of lubricants, incoming storage, shop storage, waste oil accumulation & on-site waste oil treatment To achieve waste minimization objectives, the focal points included are- 3 Rs ( i.e., Recycle, reuse and recovery)

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EPAs Waste Minimization Assessment Procedure

To achieve goal of minimization of HW in a manufacturing industry, following procedure is outlined 1. Planning & organization 2. Characteization of waste & losses 3. Development of waste minimization options 4. Technical, regulatory & economic feasibility 5. Implementation ( including training) 6. Continued & ongoing evaluations to reach a Zero generation strategy
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 The EPA has divided these activities into 4 phases as indicated in Figure viz., 1. Planning and organization 2. Assessment phase 3. Feasibility analysis phase and 4. Implementation

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The recognized need to minimize waste

Planning & Organization Get management commitment Set overall assessment program goals Organize assessment program task force

Assessment, organization & commitment to proceed Assessment Phase Collect process and facility data Prioritize and select assessment targets Select people for assessment teams Review data and inspect site Generate options Screen & select options for further study

Select new assessment targets & revaluate previous options

Assessment report of selected options Feasibility Analysis Phase Technical evaluation Economic evaluation Select options for implementaion

Final report, including recommended options Implementation Justify projects & obtain funding Install ( equipment) Implement (procedure) Evaluate performance Repeat the process

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Successfully implemented waste minimization projects

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1. Planning and Organization The 1st phase starts with obtaining commitment of top management, setting goals, establishing incentives, budgeting financial & human resources Communicate policy matters & goals to employees, designating a person to lead the program & organizing a team to support it Preparation of schedules, work sheets & other necessary tools
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2. Assessment phase 2nd phase is to understand the types & sources of waste which is an outcome of environmental audit Waste minimization audit functions- characterize waste generation & identify obstacles to source reduction WM audit depends on complexity of the facility, its waste, stage of waste reduction industry already implemented WM audit provides a basis for identification & initial characterization of each HW stream Specific sources, generation rate, physical &
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Chemical characteristics, production rate of process / operation generating HW Includes current management methods from cradle to grave , cost of management method

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Waste-to-Waste Compatibility This term comes into picture in HWM at land disposal facilities (ultimate disposal site) Principle reason for careful tracking & disposal in cells is to ensure waste compatibility Many wastes may react with each other, resulting in the potential for heat, combustion, &/or toxic fumes By tracking the waste & disposal point within the landfill, a check can be made of the waste compatibility, to ensure safe operating conditions for landfill operators & a safe long-term disposal WRT potentially harmful chemical reactions

 The waste disposed in a landfill take several forms Drummed wastes are typically aligned & covered with other wastes such as contaminated soils or sludge taking care not to damage the drums Drums may be stacked or placed in a single lifts In all cases, the wastes are in only solid form and not in liquid form Waste compatibility is a key issue in providing safe storage for waste in landfill facility. This serves 2 things 1. Compatibility of waste with the material used to construct the container, tank or liner in contact with the waste
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Eg: certain solvents should not be stored in plastic

2. The compatibility of waste stored together with other waste Eg: Containers of cyanide waste should not be located near acid waste The key is to segregate incompatible wastes by placing them in separate areas, constructed of suitable materials If stored together, incidents such as leaks could result in mixing of incompatible wastes Different chemical reactions can occur. Some reactions could produce excessive pressure,
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posing fire or explosive hazards Others could produce toxic fumes or gases Figure shows a compatibility chart indicating about careful planning that must be made for chemical storage

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