Friday, November 20, 2015

Methods For 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.

The aforementioned products are safe when they are used safely and when they are still in good condition for use. However, when misused or their life-cycle expires, they become a threat to human and animal health as well as to the well-being of the environments. As such, they need to be disposed in the right way to avoid danger. Each waste material has a preferred method of disposal. This article will give some main hazardous waste disposal methods in use today.

Danger posed to animals, people, and the environment by harmful materials is highly reduced or totally eliminated when proper disposal is exercised. Failure to do this has a lot of negative effects. An example of negative effect is poisoning of water when harmful materials leak to the underground water table. Another one occurs when soils are rendered unsuitable for agriculture as a result of contamination.

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.

The second method that is in wide use is incineration. This method involves destroying the harmful materials under very high temperatures. This process takes place inside a special chamber referred to an incineration chamber or incinerators. The materials are reduced to ash, which is harmless and can be disposed with ease without posing a threat to people or the environment.

A lot of harmful gasses are emitted into the environment as the materials burn, and that has always raised concern. However, with recent advancements in technology, incinerators have been developed with capabilities of preventing emission of harmful gasses. In addition, such incinerators can generate energy from the combustion process to power other systems. Pyrolysis is similar to incineration only that the process occurs in an inert environment to prevent combustion.

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.

Cement can also be used to treat and dispose harmful material. Cement works by solidifying and stabilizing the material for ease of disposal. The material to be disposed is treated with cement, which modifies its characteristics and decreases the level of toxicity and ability for contaminants to be transmitted. Application is limited though.




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