apes 21-5 and 21-6

Basel convention

A treaty developed in 1989 by the UN Environment Program to restrict the international transport of hazardous waste. It allows couries to export hazardous waste only with the prior informed consent of the importing country as well as of any countries that the waste passes through in transit. -banned developed countries in the treaty from shipping hazardous waste to or through other countries without their permission -uses precautionary principle

NIMBY

Not In My Backyard attitude. People don't want things like landfills to be put where they live. but in reality, the waste will always end up in someone else's back yard

Superfund Act

The common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); a 1980 U.S. federal act that imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries, funds the cleanup of abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites, and authorizes the federal government to respond directly to the release or threatened release of substances that may pose a threat to human health or the environment.

convert

a sustainable approach to hazardous waste is first to produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to _______________ it to less hazardous materials, and finally to safely store what's left.

brownfields

abandoned industrial and commercial sites like factories, junkyards, older landfills, and gas stations -can be cleaned up and reborn as parks, reserves, etc.

-low construction costs -low operating costs -can be built quickly -wastes can often be retrieved if necessary -can store wastes indefinitely with secure double liners

advantages of storing liquid hazardous wastes in surface impoundments?

environmental justice

an ideal whereby ever person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class, or any political factor

bioremediation

bacteria and enzymes help to destroy toxic or hazardous substances or convert them to harmless compounds -a contaminated site is inoculated with an army of microorganisms that break down specific hazardous chemicals like organic solvents, PCBs, etc. and leave behind harmless substances like water -a type of biological hazardous waste treatment

-groundwater contamination from leaking liners or no lining -air pollution from volatile organic compounds -overflow from flooding -disruption and leakage from earthquakes -output approach that encourages waste production *70% of basins in the US have no liners :D

disadvantages of storing liquid hazardous wastes in surface impoundments?

because it's cheapest

ideally, burial or long-term storage of hazardous and toxic wastes should be a last resort. why is it the most widely used method then?

phytoremediation

involves using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water -plants called "pollution sponges" can help clean up soil and water contaminated with radioactive substances, organic compounds, or toxic metals

-everything is connected -there's no throw at for the wastes we produce -dilution is not always the solution to pollution -polluters and producers should pay for the wastes they produce -different categories of hazardous waste ned recyclable waste shouldn't be mixed -we should mimic nature by reusing, recycling or composting at least 3/4 of the solid wastes we produce -the best and cheapest ways to deal with solid and hazardous wastes are waste reduction and pollution prevention

key principles of waste management

:3

liquid and solid hazardous wastes are put into drums or other containers and burned in carefully designed and monitored secure hazardous waste landfills. this is the least used method because of the expense involves

deep-well disposal

liquid hazardous wastes are pumped through a pipe into a dry, porous rock formation far beneath an aquifer, many of which are tapped for drinking and irrigation water -liquids soak into the porous rock and are supposed to be isolated from overlying groundwater by impermeable layers of clay and rock -limited spaces like this -most common form of burial

nanomagnets

magnetic nanoparticles coated with certain compounds that can remove various pollutants from water -ex: chitosan coating can remove oil and other organic pollutants from contaminated water

surface impoundments

ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are stored -as water evaporates, waste settles and becomes more concentrated, but inadequate seals can allow them to percolate into groundwater and volatile harmful chemicals can evaporate into the air -can overflow after storms

periut

shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels

disproportionate

studies have shown that a _______________________ share of polluting factories, hazardous waste dumps, incinerators, and landfills int he US are located in communities populated mostly by blacks, asians, latinos, and native Americans and the working poor.

plasma and arch torch

used to incinerate hazardous wastes at very high temperatures; passing an electrical current through a gas to generate an electric arc and very high temperatures creates plasma (ionized gas made of electrically conductive ions and electrons) -decomposes liquid or solid hazardous organic waste into ions and atoms that can be converted into simple molecules of a synthetic gas, which can then be used to make fuels like hydrogen and natural gas

-bioremediation (bacteria and enzymes help to destroy toxic or hazardous substances or convert them to harmless compounds) -takes longer than physical and chemical methods but costs much less -phytoremediation (involves using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water)

what are biological methods for treating hazardous waste?

-safe method if sites are chosen carefully -waste can often be retrieved if problems develop -easy to do -low cost

what are some advantages of injecting liquid hazardous wastes into deep underground wells?

-small -mobile -produces no toxic asb

what are some advantages of using a plasma arc torch to detoxify hazardous wastes?

-easy to establish -inexpensive -can reduce material dumped into landfills -produces little air pollution compared to incineration -low energy use

what are some advantages of using phytoremediation?

-using cyclodextrin to remove toxic materials like solvents and pesticides from contaminated soil and groundwater

what are some chemical methods for detoxifying hazardous wastes? (these are used to convert hazardous chemicals to harmless or less harmful chemicals through chemical reactions)

-leaks or spills at the surface -leaks from corrosion of well casing -existing fractures or earthquakes can allow wastes to escape into groundwater -output approach that encourages waste production

what are some disadvantages of injecting liquid hazardous wastes into deep underground wells?

-high cost -produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide -can release particulates and chlorine gas -can vaporize and release toxic metals and radioactive elements

what are some disadvantages of using a plasma arc torch to detoxify hazardous wastes?

-slow (can take several growing seasons) -effective only at depth plant roots can reach -some toxic organic chemicals may evaporate from plant leaves -some plants can become toxic to animals

what are some disadvantages of using phytoremediation?

-using charcoal or resins to filter out harmful solids -distilling liquid mixtures to separate out harmful chemicals -especially deadly wastes can be encapsulated in glass, cement, or ceramics and then put in secure storage sites

what are some physical methods for detoxifying hazardous wastes?

*1. produce less of it* -change industrial processes to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste production -recycle and reuse hazardous waste *2. convert as much of it as possible to less hazardous substances* -natural decomposition -incineration -thermal treatment -chemical, physical, and biological treatment -dilution in air or water *3. put the rest in long-term, safe storage* -landfill -underground injection wells -surface impoundments -underground salt formations

what are the 3 levels of priorities for dealing with hazardous waste in the integrated management approach?