Hazardous Waste Treatment Methods

Hazardous waste treatment refers to any process which destroys, physically alters or neutralizes hazardous waste material. There are dozens of methods for treating hazardous waste but only a few which are widely used. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists three types of hazardous waste treatment: combustion and incineration; land disposal units; and underground injection wells. In addition to chemical treatment, these are the most common methods of dealing with hazardous waste materials.

Incineration and Combustion

• Combustion or incineration occurs through the use of incinerators or boilers, mechanisms which can burn hazardous waste. These mechanisms include various types of kilns and furnaces, ovens and chemical reactors. Handlers burn the waste at a high temperature, although this can be problematic as air pollutants may be disperse from the burning waste. One benefit of incinerating waste, however, is its used as fuel to produce energy.

Land Disposal Units

• Land disposal units involve disposing waste material on or in the land. Landfills are the most common form of land disposal unit; other units include surface impoundment units and waste piles. A land disposal unit is designed to permanently contain the hazardous waste materials. The waste remains hazardous--although it may be treated beforehand--and is usually placed in a disposal unit away from the general population to avoid contamination.

Deep-well Injection

• Handlers usually use deep-well injections for liquid hazardous waste. They inject the liquid deep underground, into porous rocks such as limestone or sandstone to be absorbed, or below the top layer of soil. If handled incorrectly, the hazardous waste can run into waterways and potentially contaminate the public water supply.

Chemical Treatment

• There are a multitude of chemical treatments available to deal with hazardous waste. The chemicals behave in a number of ways. Some aim to neutralize the acid of the waste, altering its pH levels so that it solidifies and can be filtered out, or else oxidizing the waste to make it less toxic.

Chemical Treatment