INTRODUCTION TO SOLID WASTE:

 Chap 19 - p. 558-563

Chemical Concept: Law of Conservation of Matter is related to various disposal methods - all you can do is change the form of matter but you cannot "destroy" it. In a "throw away" society such as ours there is no "away".

Waste Management Portal - EPA
Municipal Solid Waste - Basics - Landfills, Incineration, etc - EPA
Basic Facts on Solid Waste - EPA
Municipal Waste - Reduce, Reuse. Recycle - EPA

Where it Goes When You Dispose - virtual tour - During this tour, you will have the opportunity to visit five solid waste management facilities: a transfer station, a household hazardous waste facility, an energy recovery or combustion facility, a recycling center and a landfill.

Sierra Club Policy: Zero Waste Management Reuse - Recycle

1. Types, Sources, Quantities of Solid Waste

Reading - p. 560-61

 ProfO Notes: Solid Waste
Fact Sheet - EPA - on solid waste and recycling for 2007

 A. Agriculture

Water quality - Feed lot controls 

 B. Mining

Notice cars (black spots on level area near bottom of slope) and electric poles on bottom to get a sense of the scale.

Most wastes from mining are either stored as solids or put into impoundment ponds.

C. Industrial - many processes result in a chemical waste which must be treated in some fashion.  Depending on the industry the waste in the water may go to the municipal sewage treatment plant.  In other cases the waste must be stored and then disposed by combustion or landfills or impoundments.

 

D. Municipal and Household - 4 lbs. per person per day in U.S.

ProfO Notes: Solid Waste

2. Methods of  Municipal Waste Disposal

 A. Landfill

Text p. 560-63

Inspect a Municipal Waste Landfill at Simi Valley, CA Virtual graphic tour of a modern landfill. Shows the construction of the landfill and then using it. Very complete.

Landfill design  - showing lots of pictures - gives the history as well as modern design - maybe slow to load

The Basics of Landfills and why they will leak. Contains many web links to related issues and articles.
Landfill Methane Collection - EPA - Graphics -

NOTES: History of Landfills: Until 1960, most municipal wastes was disposed in open, burning dumps to reduce the volume. Refuse under these conditions does not burn well causing smoldering clouds of smoke and obnoxious fumes. Landfills were also breeding grounds for flies, rats and other undesirable animals. Some cities used incinerators without air pollution controls. Air pollution laws and public protest caused the end to open burning in landfills and most other uncontrolled incinerators by the mid 1960s and early 1970s.

Landfills were largely uncontrolled until the 1980s. Little thought was given to location other than a convenient hole or depression in the ground such as a ravine or gully, but also including wetlands and old stone quarries. Little thought was given to what went into the landfill and the subsequent decomposition of the land filled materials.

 B. Incineration
Text p. 562-63

Combustion or incineration serves to “destroy” about 80% of the waste.  The rest in then present as an ash which still must be disposed at a landfill.  Many people are concerned about the gases escaping.  In years past there were quite a few problems the gases escaping.  Today, there are many

ProfONotes: Incinerator in Vienna, Austria
Municipal Waste Combustion - EPA

Incinerator Burns garbage/Produces steam, Good description of how an incinerator works. Wikipedia

Waste to Energy Plant - Onondaga County, NY - also includes a virtual photo tour.

Waste to Energy Plant - Emissions - Onondaga County, NY
Electricity from Solid Waste - EPA

Incineration in England - con side
Green Peace - con side

 C. Recycling (Resource Recovery)

p. 563-64

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - EPA
A New Approach to Waste - incentives to increase recycling
Recycled Plastics - more on the con side
Recycled Plastic Water Bottles - something to think about
Backgrounders on recycling
100% Recycling

500. D.Composting
     
     

Composting - EPA

Composting Yard Waste -

1. I. Molecule or Report of the Week:  Methods of Solid Waste Disposal
   
   
   

Solid Waste Report:

For this discussion, each student is assigned one method of municipal waste disposal as assigned below. All parts a-d should be discussed for full credit.

a. Discuss and explain in brief detail how the method is used. Explain any scientific principles used in the disposal of the waste. How does it "get rid" of the of the waste?

b. What are the good points about this method of disposal?

c. What are some of the negatives about this method of disposal?

d. Have new improvements been made to solve problems from the past more carelessly used methods.

Assignments are as follows:

Landfills -                           Students ID: 1-3, 13,14, 21,22

Incineration -                     Students ID: 4-6, 15, 16, 23, 24

Recycling,Reuse, Reduce - Students ID: 7-9, 17, 18, 25, 26

Composting -                     Students ID: 10-12, 19, 20, 27-30

I.  Content Questions A:  Solid Waste Disposal Reply

QUES. 1:  All students should select a different method of disposal then the one in the report, and comment about that method of disposal.  You may respond to another posting.  What or why is something interesting?  Then add a new perspective or viewpoint. Perhaps contrast the method that you did for the report above and this other method.  Compare some good and bad points of each.  This does not have to be as extensive as the first report.

II.  Content Questions B:  Hazardous Waste Methods of Disposal

Ques. 2:  Discuss or report on a Hazardous Waste Disposal method or a Case Study from Section # 3 A and B (see below).  This may be somewhat less extensive than the first report.  Almost every hyperlink below is one method that can be reported on once you get past hazardous waste combustion. You can also use the text as a source of a method or case study.

a. Discuss and explain in brief detail how the method is used or what happened in the case study. Explain any scientific principles used in the disposal of the waste. How does it "get rid" of the of the waste?

b. What are the good points about this method of disposal or the case study?

c. What are some of the negatives about this method of disposal or the case study?

d. Have new improvements been made to solve problems from the past more carelessly used methods.

3. Hazardous Waste disposal methods - p. 568-573

A. Methods: Land fills, incineration, deep injection wells, lagoons, land spreading, unsafe storage, illegal dumping

Hazardous waste Combustion

Hazardous waste Combustion - EPA

Hazardous waste incineration
Hazardous Waste Incineration - downside

Hazardous Waste Landfills

HW Landfills - EPA

Other methods of disposal

Municipal sludge disposal

New technology to destroy PCBs using liquid ammonia and sodium metal solutions

Alternate Technologies - for hazardous waste treatment

Injection Wells - EPA

B. Case Studies of poor disposal methods in the past:

Case Study - Mercury - Minamata Bay

Love Canal, NY - Love Canal - EPA links

Times Beach, MO - Times Beach - Series of links

Valley of the Drums, KY - Valley of the Drums - History - 30 years later

Sludge Pond Failures
Buffalo Creek Flood 1972 -
Martin County Sludge Spill - 2000 - check out external links on the site
Tennessee Coal Ash Spill - Dec. 24, 2008  TVA Fault -  Wikipedia article - most extensive

Exxon Valdez oil spill -

 

4. IV.  Issue Question:  Which is more eco friendly?  Paper or Plastic
   
   4. Little Known Facts Contrary to Public Perceptions
   

ProfONotes: Paper bags vs. Plastic Grocery bags: Graphic -Which is more environmentally more friendly just from the graphic?

Plastics in Perspective  - many links in the article
Life Cycle of a Plastic

Plastic vs. Paper - More facts
Plastic vs. Paper - Discussion
Plastic vs. Paper - all aspects - Washington Post article

Issue or Debate Question:  Which is more eco friendly? Plastic or Paper. 

Examine in detail the life cycle of each product.

Life Cycle Analysis of a Product:

Life cycle analysis is a method to quantify how much raw materials and energy are used to make a product. In addition, the analysis also includes how much solid waste, water pollution, and air pollution is generated at each stage of the product's life.

Life Cycle Steps:

1. 1.Extraction  and Processing of a Raw material
   

2. 2.Manufacturing and packaging.
   

3. 3.Transportation (Raw material to Mfg./Distribution of Product)
   

4. 4.Useful life, maintenance of product, reuse
   

5. 5.Possible Recycling - connects back to # 2.
   

6. 6.Final Disposal of Waste
   

Issue Question Report:  4-6 paragraphs are needed.

Examine in detail the life cycle of each product. To answer this question,  make a comparison and try to be specific (you can use generalities for numbers) for each life cycle step listed above for both plastic or paper. 

Finally what is your conclusion on the question, which is more environmentally more friendly?

Life Cycle Steps - first do the first three pages from this site. Then you can continue with more pages to get some comparison numbers on energy and pollutants. Skip the volume calculation, but try the other animations.
Complete LIfe Cycle Report - of Plastic, Paper, and biodegradable plastic - rather lengthy - you can look at the Executive Summary and also go all the way to the bottom for some comparison summaries.
Life Cycle of a Plastic -

Plastic vs. Paper - Try the links along the side for more info.
Plastic vs. Paper - Discussion
Plastic vs. Paper - all aspects - Washington Post article
What you should know about plastic bags -
Paper or Plastic? - Wall Street Journal article

Kraft Process to make paper pulp - gives a good idea of the chemicals and possible pollution involved.
Paper Pulp Bleaching - uses Chlorine (Topic 3)
Paper Making - wikipedia
Paper Making Pollution - wikipedia
Water Pollution from making paper pulp -

Polyethylene for plastic bags

Student Paper - with some aspects of the question.

ProfONotes: Paper bags vs. Plastic Grocery bags: Graphic

Need more info?  Try Google with: plastic vs. paper energy pollution

5. V.  Response or Ask a Question - respond or comment to someone else, or use General Questions to ask a general question that the Prof or others might answer.  Extra responses earn extra credit (1 pt/ques. up to 2 points)
   
   Response Format:  What or why is something interesting?  Then add a new perspective or viewpoint.  Needs to be longer than one sentence.
   
   Ask a question Format:  Give a little background of what you already know or what is your interest, then add what you already know, then finally ask your question.

Report of the Week

Ques. No.      Student ID #

Landfills                 1-3, 13, 14, 21, 22

Incineration            4-6, 15, 16, 23, 24         

Recycling, Reuse,    7-9, 17, 18, 25, 26

Reduce    

Composting           10-12, 19, 20, 27-30

Charles E. Ophardt, Professor of Chemistry, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL 60126, charleso at elmhurst.edu, Copyright 2009