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PubMed2005

Mechanical-biological waste treatment and the associated occupational hygiene in Finland.

A special feature of waste management in Finland has been the emphasis on the source separation of kitchen biowaste (catering waste); more than two-thirds of the Finnish population participates in this separation. Source-separated biowaste is usually treated by composting. The biowaste of about 5% of the population is handled by mechanical-biological treatment. A waste treatment plant at Mustasaari is the only plant in Finland using digestion for kitchen biowaste. For the protection of their employees, the plant owners commissioned a study on environmental factors and occupational hygiene in the plant area. During 1998-2000 the concentrations of dust, microbes and endotoxins and noise levels were investigated to identify possible problems at the plant. Three different work areas were investigated: the pre-processing and crushing hall, the bioreactor hall and the drying hall. Employees were asked about work-related health problems. Some problems with occupational hygiene were identified: concentrations of microbes and endotoxins may increase to levels harmful to health during waste crushing and in the bioreactor hall. Because employees complained of symptoms such as dry cough and rash or itching appearing once or twice a month, it is advisable to use respirator masks (class P3) during dusty working phases. The noise level in the drying hall exceeded the Finnish threshold value of 85 dBA. Qualitatively harmful factors for the health of employees are similar in all closed waste treatment plants in Finland. Quantitatively, however, the situation at the Mustasaari treatment plant is better than at some Finnish dry waste treatment plants. Therefore is reasonable to conclude that mechanical sorting, which produces a dry waste fraction for combustion and a biowaste fraction for anaerobic treatment, is in terms of occupational hygiene better for employees than combined aerobic treatment and dry waste treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Health effects from hazardous waste incineration facilities: five case studies.

Environmental pollution, primarily from industrialization, has caused significant adverse effects to humans, animals, and the ecosystem. Attempts have been made to reduce and prevent these pollutants through better waste management practices. Incineration is one such practice, which seeks to prevent adverse health impacts to future generations by destroying waste today, without increasing risk to those living near incineration facilities in the process. As with any industrial process, however, proper design and operation are important requirements to ensure the facility can be operated safely. Any technology that cannot be managed safely should not be considered acceptable. This paper reviews the scientific basis of past allegations associated with the process of hazardous waste incineration. These five case studies, which have attracted considerable public attention, have not been shown to be scientifically accurate of factually based. This paper attempts to separate fact from fiction and to show some of the consistent inaccuracies that were repeated throughout all five studies. In reviewing the above cases and others in the literature, several common elements become apparent. 1. Most of the reports are based on single newspaper articles, activist newsletters, interviews with admittedly biased respondents, and other secondary or inappropriate sources of information that do not withstand scientific scrutiny. 2. Research studies are quoted incompletely or out of context. Often the original point made by the researcher is the exact opposite of the impression left by Costner and Thornton. 3. In four of five cases, no data were supplied to substantiate the claims. As an observation, where substantive research data do not exist to support allegations of adverse health effects, a tendency seems to be increasing over time to make allegations and then not provide supporting data. Because public damage is often done simply by making the allegation, this tactic appears to be effective. Thus, unsubstantiated allegations should not go unchallenged. 4. A relatively small group of people appears to be consistently generating most of the allegations. 5. The format of the allegations tends to be similar; often just the name of the facility changes. 6. Furthermore, these same few individuals tend to repeat the same allegations about the same facilities, even after the allegations have been long since proven incorrect. Despite the widespread prevalence of incineration facilities around the world and the millions of tons of waste destroyed in them each year, surprisingly few reports of adverse health effects exist in the scientific literature relative to other types of waste management practices. 7. The existing reports do not indicate that hazardous waste incineration has widespread potential for adverse health effects. However, as with all industrial processes, care must be taken to ensure that facilities are well designed and well operated to minimize or prevent adverse health effects. As with all environmental exposures, potential impacts on public health need to be addressed scientifically. Making a scientifically valid connection between operation of an incinerator and resulting disease within a population is a difficult undertaking, requiring the combined efforts of toxicologists, epidemiologists, chemists, physicians, and persons in other disciplines. Nevertheless, concerns regarding potential impacts of incineration must be addressed and communicated, both accurately and effectively, if the actual risks of incineration are to become widely understood.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Anaerobic digestion technologies for closing the domestic water, carbon and nutrient cycles.

Sustainable wastewater treatment requires that household wastewater is collected and treated separately from industrial wastewater and rainwater run-offs. This separate treatment is, however, still inadequate, as more than 70% of the nutrients and much of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and potential pathogens of a domestic sewage system are confined to the few litres of black water (faeces, urine and toilet water). Whilst grey water can easily be filter treated and re-used for secondary household purposes, black water requires more intensive treatment due to its high COD and microbial (pathogens) content. Recently developed vacuum/dry toilets produce a nutrient rich semi-solid waste stream, which, with proper treatment, offers the possibility of nutrient, carbon, water and energy recovery. This study investigates the terrestrial applicability of Life Support System (LSS) concepts as a framework for future domestic waste management. The possibilities of treating black water together with other types of human-generated solid waste (biowastes/mixed wastes) in an anaerobic reactor system at thermophilic conditions, as well as some post treatment alternatives for product recovery and re-use, are considered. Energy can partially be recovered in the form of biogas produced during anaerobic digestion. The system is investigated in the form of theoretical mass balances, together with an assessment of the current feasibility of this technology and other post-treatment alternatives.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2002

Heavy equipment maintenance wastes and environmental management in the mining industry.

Maintenance wastes, if not managed properly, represent significant environmental issues for mining operations. Petroleum hydrocarbon liquid wastes were studied at an Australian site and a review of the literature and technology vendors was carried out to identify oil/water separation technologies. Treatment technologies and practices for managing oily wastewater, used across the broader mining industry in the Asia-Pacific region, were also identified. Key findings from the study were: (1) primary treatment is required to remove grease oil contamination and to protect secondary oily wastewater treatment systems from being overloaded; (2) selection of an effective secondary treatment system is dependent on influent oil droplet size and concentration, suspended solids concentration, flow rates (and their variability), environmental conditions, maintenance schedules and effectiveness, treatment targets and costs; and (3) oily wastewater treatment systems, based on mechanical separation, are favoured over those that are chemically based, as they simplify operational requirements. Source reduction, through housekeeping, equipment and reagent modifications, and segregation and/or consolidation of hydrocarbon waste streams, minimizes treatment costs, safety and environmental impact.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed1996

A program for reducing biomedical waste: the Wellesley Hospital experience.

As hospitals face severe financial constraints, the need to review programs to ensure cost-effectiveness is critical. Waste management practices have come under scrutiny because inappropriate waste disposal is very costly. The Wellesley Hospital in Toronto, Ontario conducted a waste audit in July 1993 and found that 18.5% of waste was being disposed of as biomedical waste. Because the hospital pays nine times more to dispose of biomedical waste than it does landfill waste, a goal was set to reduce biomedical waste to 8% of total waste. A program, which included redefining biomedical waste, reviewing waste practices throughout the hospital, educating staff and monitoring outcomes, resulted in biomedical waste levels decreasing to 7.9% of total waste within 18 months. Savings realized were approximately $67,000. This program is easily reproducible.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1997

Analysis of long-lived radionuclidic impurities in short-lived radiopharmaceutical waste using gamma spectrometry.

Large hospitals and biomedical research centers utilize decay-in-storage programs to minimize the volume of their low level radioactive waste. However, some medically useful radionuclides often contain small amounts of long-lived radionuclidic impurities which may complicate simple waste management procedures. We have evaluated the extent of this problem in low level radioactive waste involving 67Cu and (111)In over a 6-mo cycle of decay-in-storage by identifying the residual radionuclides in our dry waste using a multichannel analyzer. The multichannel analyzer was also used to quantify the radionuclide constituents of our liquid waste at the beginning of a decay-in-storage cycle. Radionuclides were identified by the presence of characteristic photopeaks of each isotope in the gamma spectrum and quantified by region of interest analysis. After a decay-in-storage cycle, long-lived 58Co, 57Co, and 56Co isotopes were observed in dry 67Cu waste and (114m)In identified in dry (111)In waste. The (114m)In was detected in dry (111)In waste containing initial (114m)In activity of 740 kBq (20 microCi), while the cobalt radionuclides were detected in dry 67Cu waste containing initial 58Co, 57Co, and 56Co activities of 444, 148, and 148 kBq (12, 4, and 4 microCi), respectively. Such dry low level radioactive waste was thus disqualified from short-term radioactive waste storage programs. The radionuclide constituents in the liquid waste were quantified in microCi mL(-1) and confirmed to be within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission set limits of 2 x 10(-4), 6 x 10(-4) and 6 x 10(-5) microCi mL(-1) for 58Co, 57Co, and 56Co, respectively, before disposal. The highest levels of long-lived isotopes that have been found in our liquid low level radioactive waste at the beginning of decay-in-storage were 5.5 x 10(-4), 4.8 x 10(-4), and 1.4 x 10(-4) microCi mL(-1) for 58Co, 57Co, and 56Co, respectively. Gamma spectrometry can be used to aid waste segregation and final management decisions on low level radioactive waste.

Copper Radioisotopes↗

PubMed2004

Management of recycling in the Gulf Co-operation Council states.

Although some of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) member states have placed recycling at the top of their waste management priorities, the low cost of landfill and the availability of land, usually old sand or gravel quarries, make recycling programs infeasible, uneconomical and unachievable. The only comprehensive form of recycling available within the GCC states is recycling of paper and cartons. The majority of the GCC states never set national or regional recycling targets. The cost of recycling in the GCC states region could be moderate to high depending on the collection system selected for the recycling program. Almost all of the cities within the GCC states use mechanised systems for daily collection of municipal solid waste (MSW). Therefore, the same daily collection system used for MSW might well be used for collection of recyclable materials, both on the same day and at the same time, or according to a different timetable. This paper provides strategies for developing an effective recycling marketing program and discusses regional co-ordination options.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

PubMed2003

Environmental management by the learning curve.

This is a futuristic appreciation of waste management challenges and their solution by means of good management models. A literature review, administrative initiatives, research results, and experiences from practice are combined in this study to render an evolutionary picture of the change in paradigm relative to municipal solid waste possible to occur between 2000 and 2025. The principal stages of progress in the 25 years studied were: the correct characterization of municipal solid waste as a function of geographical location and recycling potential, the divided collection model and its corresponding learning curve, correct opportunity cost accounting tools, and the generally admitted and accepted changeover of municipal solid waste treatment from a technical to a management problem. It is reported that as a result of this progress, the municipal landfill is a species in extinction. Regional landfills with long life spans are the rule in 2025.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

PubMed1994

The environmental risks of industrial waste disposal: an experimental approach including acute and chronic toxicity studies.

The toxicity of 15 leachates of various solid industrial wastes accepted in an engineered landfill has been studied. A cost-effective battery of tests allowing evaluation of acute and chronic toxicity, as well as genotoxicity, and investigations on different trophic levels in the aquatic environment has been used. Acute toxicity was tested on bacteria (Microtox assay with Photobacterium phosphoreum) and microcrustaceans (Daphnia magna immobilization assay). A growth inhibition test of microalgae was carried out on Raphidocelis subcapitata. A 28-day chronic test with Daphnia magna was used to detect effects on reproduction. Genotoxicity was evaluated by means of the Ames test conducted on the crude aqueous phase and also on the concentrated fractions of water-extractable micropollutants (liquid-liquid and freeze-dried extracts). Chemical analyses of leachates were carried out simultaneously. The toxicity varied greatly between the different wastes. Toxic effects were observed in the short and/or in the long term. Four samples were potentially genotoxic. In most cases, toxicity registered could not be correlated with results of the chemical analyses. This study demonstrates the usefulness of associating a toxicological monitoring with chemical analyses in waste management.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Properties of concrete containing scrap-tire rubber--an overview.

Solid waste management is one of the major environmental concerns in the United States. Over 5 billion tons of non-hazardous solid waste materials are generated in USA each year. Of these, more than 270 million scrap-tires (approximately 3.6 million tons) are generated each year. In addition to this, about 300 million scrap-tires have been stockpiled. Several studies have been carried out to reuse scrap-tires in a variety of rubber and plastic products, incineration for production of electricity, or as fuel for cement kilns, as well as in asphalt concrete. Studies show that workable rubberized concrete mixtures can be made with scrap-tire rubber. This paper presents an overview of some of the research published regarding the use of scrap-tires in portland cement concrete. The benefits of using magnesium oxychloride cement as a binder for rubberized concrete mixtures are also presented. The paper details the likely uses of rubberized concrete.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

PubMed1991

Plants for water recycling, oxygen regeneration and food production.

During long-duration space missions that require recycling and regeneration of life support materials the major human wastes to be converted to usable forms are CO2, hygiene water, urine and feces. A Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) relies on the air revitalization, water purification and food production capabilities of higher plants to rejuvenate human wastes and replenish the life support materials. The key processes in such a system are photosynthesis, whereby green plants utilize light energy to produce food and oxygen while removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and transpiration, the evaporation of water from the plant. CELSS research has emphasized the food production capacity and efforts to minimize the area/volume of higher plants required to satisfy all human life support needs. Plants are a dynamic system capable of being manipulated to favour the supply of individual products as desired. The size and energy required for a CELSS that provides virtually all human needs are determined by the food production capacity. Growing conditions maximizing food production do not maximize transpiration of water; conditions favoring transpiration and scaling to recycle only water significantly reduces the area, volume, and energy inputs per person. Likewise, system size can be adjusted to satisfy the air regeneration needs. Requirements of a waste management system supplying inputs to maintain maximum plant productivity are clear. The ability of plants to play an active role in waste processing and the consequence in terms of degraded plant performance are not well characterized. Plant-based life support systems represent the only potential for self sufficiency and food production in an extra-terrestrial habitat.

Air Conditioning↗

PubMed2005

Forecasting municipal solid waste generation in a fast-growing urban region with system dynamics modeling.

Both planning and design of municipal solid waste management systems require accurate prediction of solid waste generation. Yet achieving the anticipated prediction accuracy with regard to the generation trends facing many fast-growing regions is quite challenging. The lack of complete historical records of solid waste quantity and quality due to insufficient budget and unavailable management capacity has resulted in a situation that makes the long-term system planning and/or short-term expansion programs intangible. To effectively handle these problems based on limited data samples, a new analytical approach capable of addressing socioeconomic and environmental situations must be developed and applied for fulfilling the prediction analysis of solid waste generation with reasonable accuracy. This study presents a new approach--system dynamics modeling--for the prediction of solid waste generation in a fast-growing urban area based on a set of limited samples. To address the impact on sustainable development city wide, the practical implementation was assessed by a case study in the city of San Antonio, Texas (USA). This area is becoming one of the fastest-growing regions in North America due to the economic impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The analysis presents various trends of solid waste generation associated with five different solid waste generation models using a system dynamics simulation tool--Stella. Research findings clearly indicate that such a new forecasting approach may cover a variety of possible causative models and track inevitable uncertainties down when traditional statistical least-squares regression methods are unable to handle such issues.

Cities↗

PubMed1992

Catalytic wet-oxidation of human wastes produced in space: the effects of temperature elevation.

The filtrate of non-catalytical wet-oxidation sewage sludge was wet-oxidized again at 290 degrees C and 300 degrees C with a Ru-Rh catalyst. At each temperature, repeated batch tests were carried out. Both oxidation and denitrification efficiency of organic matter in the raw material were studied. In the 16 times batch tests at 300 degrees C, high and stable oxidation occurred. 98.0% of organic carbon in the raw material was oxidized and 98.3% of organic nitrogen was denitrified. At 290 degrees C, though high and stable denitrification occurred, oxidation did not occur highly and stably. A catalytic wet-oxidation system studied at 300 degrees C will be useful as a waste management system for a human life support system, where almost all food is resupplied from the earth. This system can prevent organic waste accumulation in the life support system.

Acetates↗

PubMed2005

Solid waste collection and recycling in Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia: a case study.

The implementation of a suitable solid waste management programme with appropriate methods of recycling as an inherent element is vital to the alleviation of the problems associated with solid waste generation, handling and disposal, environmental conservation, public hygiene, etc. The present work is a case study on solid waste collection and recycling practices in Nibong Tebal town, Penang, Malaysia. The amount and types of domestic waste generated, household participation in recycling, identification of existing problems related to the implementation of the recycling programme, etc. formed the basis of this study. Surveys (interviews/questionnaires) and on-site observations were conducted to gather information on the solid waste collection and recycling practice of the residents. A focus group of 60 individuals was selected and their response to a questionnaire, prepared according to a Likert scale, was obtained and analysed. The majority of the respondents expressed concerns about recycling and wanted more to be done in this regard. Illegal collection, aesthetically displeasing sites and a lack of public awareness were problems of major concern. Issues related to inadequate funding and manpower as well as end market are also addressed and suggestions made.

Cities↗

PubMed2006

Avian Flu pandemic in the United States. The Sanitec Industry's solution.

On the basis of the extensive testing of the Sanitec Industries, Inc. waste management system by the North Carolina State University, the authors of this Editorial strongly recommend the immediate implementation of the Sanitec medical waste disinfection system throughout the United States to prevent the potential pandemic of the Avian Flu viral infection.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The evaluation of hospital management of sanitary waste in the principality of Asturias].

BACKGROUND: With the object of evaluating the management of sanitary waste of 12 publicly funded Asturian hospitals, a visit was paid to the hospital services, particularly significant as regards the generation of waste (a total of 91 services). The evaluated hospitals represent 75.10% of the total hospital beds in the Principality. METHODS: Interviews with personnel from 91 different services were undertaken, always by the same interviewer, and according to the rules of the Joint Commission of Health Care Organizations. The information obtained was afterwards verified by the interviewer by means of direct observation. RESULTS: Amongst the most relevant results, the absence of adequate containers for "clinical" waste in 28.5% of the services visited, stands out. Into the bargain, 82.4% of the services classify this type of waste incorrectly. The percentage of incorrect classification is 1.1% for "special" waste. In large hospitals (with over 300 beds), 60% of the services have information on the handling of waste, but only 40% of these hospitals have adequate supervision over the management of waste by the Service of Preventive Medicine or another equivalent service. CONCLUSIONS: The level of incorrect classification of sanitary waste which has been discovered suggests that, in order to improve the intra-hospital management of waste, it is necessary to increase the amount of information, modify certain attitudes of the hospital staff and reinforce the level of supervision executed by the Services of Preventive Medicine.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

PubMed2002

Energy recovery from grass using two-phase anaerobic digestion.

Municipal solid wastes are major sources of air, water and soil contamination. There is a need for alternative waste management techniques to better utilize the waste and minimize its adverse environmental impact. A two-phase pilot-scale bio-fermentation system was used to evaluate the feasibility of producing methane from grass waste, a major constituent of solid wastes. The bi-phasic system consists of a solid phase and a methane phase. Leachate is re-circulated through the solid phase until a desired level of volatile fatty acid (VFA) is accumulated in the leachate. The leachate is then transferred to the methane reactor where the VFA is converted to methane. The results showed that 67% of the volatile solids in the waste can be converted into soluble chemical oxygen demand in a period of six months. The system produced an average of 0.15 m3 of methane per kg of grass. The average methane concentration in the produced gas was 71%. A mathematical model was developed to estimate the methane and carbon dioxide concentrations in the gas phase as a function of reactor properties.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed1997

[Health and hygiene aspects of the production of high-quality compost].

The present national and international trends about waste management favour recycling and recovery of waste either as materials or as energy. Therefore, it can be supposed that recycling activities of materials as for example the composting of urban waste organic fraction will be more and more encouraged in the future. Nevertheless, if we intend really to develop a market of recycling and recovery of waste, the quality of products obtained must be especially considered. As regards the compost, these problems have taken a great importance in the last years, since only high quality compost finds utilization in agriculture. In this paper, we investigate the procedure to carry out in order to obtain a compost of high quality either from a chemical, microbiological or technological point of view, by examining particularly the effects on compost quality, in consequence of separation of some specific waste streams at source.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗