mercredi 18 novembre 2015

Information About Hazardous Waste Disposal

By Mattie Knight


Many dangerous materials and products are contained in modern-day households as lifestyles and demands change over time. Products contain many ingredients that have the potential of being harmful and dangerous if the right steps are not taken in eliminating them from the house setting. Some of the materials that most states categorize as hazardous in the home setting include solvents, aerosols, electronics, ammunition, refrigerants, paints, certain batteries, pesticides, automotive wastes, and caustics among others.

Safety of the products given above is only guaranteed when they are in good condition. However, once they lose functionality or expire, they become a threat to health and must be eliminated. Doing this correctly is very important. The center of discussion in this writing is hazardous waste disposal. The article discusses some of the most commonly used methods in the world and how efficient they are.

When proper disposal is done, the wastes offer minimum or no risk at all to people, animals and the environment. On the contrary, improper or poor disposal can be detrimental. For instance, if the materials get their way into underground water sources or into gutters, they may poison water, making it unsafe for human consumption. They also contaminate soil and render it unsuitable for agriculture.

There are several methods through which the various forms of hazardous materials can be disposed. Some of the major ones include recycling, incineration, pyrolysis, landfills, and use of cement. Recycling of wastes is a common method that can be used to avoid danger. The method involves putting products into new use ones they cannot perform the primary function they were built for. However, not all products can be recycled.

Incineration is another method that is used widely. It involves destroying materials through burning at extremely high temperatures. The equipment used for the process is called an incinerator or an incineration chamber. The end result is ash, which is harmless and easier to get rid of without causing any harm to people, animals, and the environment.

Emission of harmful gasses from incineration chambers into the environment has been cause for concern. To counter that, modern incinerators never emit any materials into the environment. In fact, their efficiency is so high that they are used for generation of power from the combustion process. A version of incineration is pyrolysis, which destroys materials under high temperatures, but does not involve combustion. Combustion is avoided by performing the process in an inert environment.

Before the emergence of better methods, landfills were the traditional way through which hazardous materials were disposed. Technological advancements and the adverse effects of landfills prompted new methods to be developed. Harmful materials seep into underground water reservoirs, causing contamination and pollution which can never be reversed. Although limited, landfill usage is still ongoing in certain countries and states.

Hazardous materials can also be treated and disposed using cement effectively. Cement stabilizes and solidifies the material for easier disposal. Usually it change the characteristics of the waste, reduces its toxicity, and reduces contamination. The use of this method is limited though.




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