SOLID WASTES MANAGEMENT

TYPES OF WASTES

Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded material we

produce that is not a liquid or gas.
Municipal Solid Waste : produce directly from homes.
Industrial Solid Waste : produced indirectly by
industries that supply people with goods and
services.
Agricultural Waste and Residues
Biomedical Waste
Hazardous Waste : threatens human health or the
environment because it is toxic, chemically active,
corrosive or flammable.
Nuclear Waste

Municipal solid waste

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated from households, offices,

hotels, shops, schools and other institutions.
The major components are food waste, paper, plastic, rags, metal and
glass, plus
small quantities of hazardous waste, such as electric light bulbs,
batteries, automotive parts and discarded medicines and chemicals.

Agricultural Waste and Residues

Expanding agricultural production has naturally resulted in

increased quantities of
livestock waste,
agricultural crop residues and
agro-industrial by-products.
No need to memorize line by line. This is just for your information

Industrial Solid Waste

Industrial solid waste encompasses a wide range of materials of varying

environmental toxicity.
Typically this range would include
paper,
stones,
packaging
metals,
materials,
plastics,
waste from food
rubber,
processing,
leather,
oils,
wood,
solvents,
cloth,
resins,
straw,
paints and
sludges,
abrasives, etc.
glass, ceramics,

No need to memorize line by line, just go through it

Hazardous Waste

A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential

threats to public health or the environment. There are four factors
that determine whether or not a substance is hazardous:
ignitability (i.e., flammable)
reactivity
corrosivity
toxicity

Nuclear Waste

Nuclear waste is the radioactive waste left over from

nuclear reactors,
nuclear research projects, and
nuclear bomb production.
Nuclear waste is divided into low, medium, and high-level
waste by the amount of radioactivity the waste produces.

Nuclear Waste

The safe disposal of radioactive wastes is the problem.

Radioactive wastes must be stored in an isolated area where
they cant contaminate the environment.
It must have geological stability and little or no water flowing
nearby.

Waste from Automobiles:

includes exhaust contain various poisonous gases due to

incomplete combustions of petrol in cars.
old not working vehicles are dumped that adds more waste to the
environment.

Bio-Medical Waste

Bio-medical waste means any

solid and/or liquid waste
including its container and any
intermediate product, which is
generated during the
diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings
or animals or in research
pertaining thereto or in the
production or testing thereof.
It differs from other hazardous
waste because of its source of
generation.

waste from different health care

institute like hospitals, nursing
homes involves items like
different expired medicines,
operational ingredients,
used needles & syringes,
used bandage,
blood,
pharmaceuticals.

No need to memorize line by line, just go through it

E-Waste
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) describes loosely discarded, surplus,
obsolete, or broken electrical or electronic devices.
E-waste consists of toxic and hazardous waste such as PVC, lead,
mercury, and cadmium.
Some electronic scrap components, such as CRTs, contain
contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and
brominated flame retardants.
Electronic waste is rapidly increasing as mobiles, old televisions
,so on are replaced by new gadgets .
The U.S. produces almost half of the world's e-waste but only
recycles about 10% of it.
No need to memorize line by line, just go through it

 Plastic is one of the few new

chemical materials which pose
environmental problem.

Polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,

polystyrene is largely used in the
manufacturing of plastics.

DIFFICULT TO RECYCLE & REUSE

Recycling plastic is not so simple.

Those bottles that are recycled are not used to make new bottles.
Instead, recycled plastic bottles are used to make non-recyclable
products, such as plastic lumber or parking lot bumpers.
This means more raw materials need to be used to create new
plastic bottles than is the case with easily recycled material, such as
glass or tin. Glass bottles can be melted and easily reused, as can
tin cans.

1. Waste reduction and reuse

2. Waste Exchange
3. Recovery, Reuse and Recycling

Disposal Methods for Municipal Waste

Open Dumping
Land filling
Composting
Incineration
Gasification

Open Dumping

Most widespread
method of solid waste
disposal
Uncontrolled disposal of
waste without measures
to control leachate, dust,
odor, landfill gas or
vermin.
Open burning of waste
is practiced at
dumpsites.
Waste is dumped along
the shoreline and into
the sea.

Drawbacks :
scarcity of available land.
build-up of landfill gas
(predominantly methane),
which can led to outbreaks
of fire (Occasional fires
began spontaneously from
the heat given off by
decomposition or by glass
on open dump acting as a
lens for sunlight.) and
adverse health effects on
workers and adjacent
residents.
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Environmental Concern

The following are the main environmental concerns with respect to

improper disposal of bio-medical waste management:

Spread of infection and disease through vectors (fly, mosquito, insects etc.)
which affect the in -house as well as surrounding population.
Spread of infection through unauthorized recycling of disposable items
such as hypodermic needles, tubes, blades, bottles etc.
Reaction due to use of discarded medicines

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Landlling
Landll is the conventional approach to waste management, but
space for landlls is becoming scarce in some countries.
A well-managed landll site results in limited immediate
environmental harm beyond the impacts of collection and
transport, although there are long-term risks of contamination of
soils and groundwater by some additives and breakdown by
products in plastics, which can become persistent organic
pollutants.

Landfills

The sanitary landfilling operation involves numerous stages, including

citing, design, operation, and closing.
The liner is made of plastic (typically PVC) and a layer of clay that further
reduces the chance of leakage into the groundwater of the liquid
produced by the landfill during the decomposition of the waste.
Typically, refuse is unloaded, compacted with bulldozers, and covered
with compacted soil.
Landfilling is the compaction of refuse in a lined pit and the covering of
the compacted refuse with an earthen cover.
The landfill is built up in units called cells . The daily cover is between 6
and 12 inches thick depending on soil composition , and a final cover at
least 2 feet thick is used to close the landfill.

 The liquid produced is collected by pipes laid into the landfill as it is

constructed.
Gases produced by the decomposing waste must be collected and either
vented or collected .
When the landfill is full, a cover must be placed on it such that the
seepage of rainwater into the landfill is minimized.
A land fill continues to subside after the closere, so that permanent
structures cannot be built onsite without special foundations.
Closed landfills have potential uses as golf courses, playgrounds, tennis
courts, winter recreation or parks and greenbelts.

Landfill Gas Composition

MSW contains 150-250 kg of organic carbon per ton which microorganisms convert to landfill gas via anaerobic processes.
Landfill gas production starts one to two years after the waste is
deposited in the landfill and lasts 15-25 years.
landfill gas constitutes a high-value fuel for gas engines that can be
effectively used for power generation.

No need to memorize the %ages

Landfill Gas Process Flows

Diagram is just for your information

Composting
treating solid waste in which organic
material is broken down by
microorganisms in the
absence/presence of oxygen (by
anaerobic/aerobic bacteria) to a
point where it can be safely stored,
handled and applied to the
environment.
essential part of reducing household
wastes, garden wastes.
Kitchen refuse includes vegetable
peelings, tea bags etc.
can be done inexpensively by every
household and produce a product -finished compost or humus -- that
can benefit the environment as a
natural fertilizer for gardening .

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Composts

A sweet-smelling, dark-brown, humuslike material that is rich in organic

material and soil nutrients.

Example household-sized
compost pile.

Through the process, the carbon in the carbon dioxide,

This is the same process that takes place in nature when decomposers,
such as fungi and bacteria, break down leaf litter or dead branches on a
forest floor.

 Incineration

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of

organic substances contained in waste materials.
Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and
heat.
Incineration reduces the need for landll of plastics waste, however,
there are concerns that hazardous substances may be released into the
atmosphere in the process.
Incineration can be used with recovery of some of the energy content in
the plastic.
Incineration of e-wastes can emit toxic fumes and gases, thereby
polluting the surrounding air.

POLLUTANTS FROM PLASTIC INCINERATION

The most dangerous form of burning e-waste is the open-air burning of

plastics in order to recover copper and other metals.
Many plastics, particularly PVC, when burned result in emissions of the
deadly poisons named dioxin.

Energy from Waste

Thermal Conversion: Pyrolysis

It is defined as the thermal decomposition of carbon-based materials in

an oxygen-deficient atmosphere using heat to produce syngas.
No air or oxygen is present and no direct burning takes place. The
process is endothermic.
Synthesis gas is produced
synthesis gs or Syn-gas
itself is a fuel.

No need to memorize the %ages, these are just for your

information, but you need to memorise the major components

Caloriific Value:
approx. 13
MJ/kg, half of
natural gas

Main product of
gasification and
pyrolysis

It is used as a fuel
to generate
electricity or
steam

Syngas

It is used to
produce
synthetic diesel

3. Waste Exchange

Waste exchanges represent another way of reducing waste

disposal volumes for waste that cannot be eliminated.
This is where the waste product of one process becomes the
raw material for a second process.

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1. Eco-Friendly Low-Cost Houses

built from GFRG

Gypsum is generated as waste at various fertilizer plants.

Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) Panel is made-up of calcined
gypsum plaster, reinforced with glass fibers
low-cost, eco-friendly houses by using GFRG panels can be built.
The only disadvantage is that these gypsum panels cannot be used to build
curved structures, but concrete can be used to accomplish curved
structures.

2. BIOFUEL

Bio-fuels are alternative renewable energy that has received

considerable attention in the recent past, among the well known
bio-fuel include namely bio-ethanol, which is made from crop grains

or sugarcane and
bio-diesel, which is made from vegetable oils and animal fats
both are used as sources of power for cars, trucks and aircraft

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USE OF BY-PRODUCTS OF THE OIL REFINING

INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE BIODIESEL

Three main by-products from the oil refining industry are obtained.

Soapstocks,
acid oil and
fatty acid distillate

These by-products are suitable for the production of biodiesel.

No need to memorize the structures. But memorize the scheme

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Utilization of Basic slags in agriculture

SAIL steel plants produce 10 Mt of solid wastes which is known as
slag.
Slag is produced by iron and steel-making have been used historically
in agriculture as lime substitute.

Plastic Waste Management

Disposal of plastic waste is a serious concern in India. New technologies have

been developed to minimize their adverse effect on the environment.

a. Polymer Blended Bitumen Road

A brief description of the technique used in laying road using plastic waste

b. Conversion of Plastics Waste into liquid fuel by Pyrolysis

The entire process is undertaken in closed reactor vessel followed by

condensation, if required.
Waste plastics while heating at high temperature, which is collected
in condensation chamber in the form of liquid fuel.
The organic gas is generated which can be used in dual fuel diesel
generator set for generation of electricity.

Pyrolysis Process Experiment

1. Feed stock : Type - polypropylene plastic

Source - waste butter-milk glasses and food
containers
Weight 1.7 Kg
2. Reaction Parameters : Temperature - 340 C
Pressure - Atmospheric pre.
Reaction Time - 4 hrs
3. Products : Liquid Fuel= 1.8 liters (1400 grams)
4. Non-condensed Gas= 100 grams

BIOPLASTIC

BIOPLASTICS

Bioplastics are a form of plastics

alternative way to reduce synthetic plastic and create eco-friendly environment .

Derived from renewable biomass sources :

Vegetable oil
corn starch

potato starch
pea starch

sugarcane,

soy bean oil.

STARCH BASED BIOPLASTIC

Abundant in agricultural and easier to access with cheapest prices

Contain Amylose and Amylopectin polymers.

Why Bioplastic?

These days plastics are predominantly made from crude oil

Bioplastics are also biodegradable, meaning that the material returns
to its natural state when buried in the ground.
The use of bioplastics offers significant advantages not only in an
ecological sense (environmentally friendly )but also in an economical
sense.

Applications

The use of bioplastics for shopping bags is already very common.

Bioplastics are already being used in automobile interiors and in cases
for consumer electronics.
Disposable crockery and cutlery, as well as pots and bowls, pack foils for
hamburgers and straws are being dumped after a single use, together
with food-leftovers, forming huge amounts of waste, particularly at big
events.

Reuse

- old books

- old clothes

- old computers

- excess building materials

- old equipment to local organizations

Waste Recycling

Conservation of resources by converting them into new product.

Recycling saves land, reduces the amount of solid waste, energy
consumption and pollution.
Gold, lead, nickel, steel, copper, silver, zinc, and aluminum are
recyclable.
It costs less to recycle glass than to make new glass.
Recycling of glass reduces non-biodegradable
glass out of landfills.
Tires are usually allowed if they are quartered or shredded.

Problems

Recycling does have environmental costs.

It uses energy and generates pollution.

Ex. the de-inking process in paper recycling requires energy, and

produces a toxic sludge that contains heavy metals.

Plastic Recycling
Plastic recycling is the process
of recovering scrap or
waste plastic and reprocessing the
material into useful products,
sometimes completely different in
form from their original state.
For instance, this could mean melting
down soft drink bottles and then
casting them as plastic chairs and
tables.
Typically a plastic is not recycled into
the same type of plastic, and products
made from recycled plastics are often
not recyclable.

Current Criteria

(a) Waste segregation: A wake up call!

Why segregation is so important?

Segregation is the most important step for the

waste treatment. Segregation makes the
recycling of the waste easier.
mixed waste cannot be treated.
As waste is segregated as biodegradable wet
waste and inorganic dry waste, two different
categories of waste can be treated accordingly.

Waste segregation bins with label

Biodegradable waste can be deposited in vacant land for composting or

can be sent to dumping ground.
Non-biodegradable waste can be further recycled or can be treated
separately.
This practice of waste segregation can be done by keeping several dustbins
at home.

(b) Methods of waste reduction include

manufacturing products with less packaging,

encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags for packaging,
encouraging the public to choose reusable products such as cloth
napkins and reusable plastic and glass containers,
backyard composting and sharing and
donating any unwanted items rather than discarding them.

All of the methods of waste prevention mentioned require

public participation.

(c) Waste minimization

Waste minimization is a process of elimination that reduces the amount

of waste produced in society and helps eliminate the generation of
harmful and persistent wastes,
1.
2.
3.
4.

Waste minimization involves

redesigning products or changing societal patterns,

concerning consumption and production, of waste generation,
to prevent the creation of waste.
efforts to minimize resource and energy use during manufacture.

In order to get the public on board,

training and educational programmes need to be undertaken to

educate the public about their role in the process.
Also the government may need to regulate the types and amount of
packaging used by manufacturers and
make the reuse of shopping bags mandatory.