Strategies for Industrial & Hazardous Waste Management

Waste is an inevitable by-product of resource extraction and manufacturing, and a large proportion of industrial operating costs are spent on dealing with waste. Much industrial waste is hazardous, containing lead, mercury or other heavy metals, reactive or corrosive chemicals, explosive materials and carcinogens. Improper management of industrial and hazardous waste can cause serious human health and environmental problems.

Landfilling

• Landfilling is often the cheapest method of industrial waste disposal.

  A sanitary landfill involves dumping wastes into a pit and burying it with dirt. This is similar to an open garbage dump except that the waste is compacted in layers separated by layers of dirt. At the end of each day, a top layer of dirt is laid down to prevent waste from blowing around and to minimize odors. When the landfill has reached capacity, it is covered with about 2 ft. of soil and the land can be used for development if the site is deemed safe to do so.

  If the waste is particularly hazardous, a secure chemical landfill is often used because it is the cheapest method. This type of landfill is specifically designed using compacted clay and special liners to prevent escape of hazardous waste into the environment through leaching or vaporizing into the air.

Incineration

• Incinerators can be effective for hazardous waste if done properly.

  Incineration is controlled combustion of waste to speed up the decomposition of waste and can reduce waste volume up to 90 percent and waste weight up to 75 percent. Incineration of organic and combustible waste can be used to generate energy, which is transformed into electricity.

  Incineration is often the most environmentally sound way to get rid of highly toxic wastes as long as it is done properly. Waste, air and fuel are thoroughly mixed during incineration to ensure complete combustion and special afterburners, scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators destroy or collect the harmful emissions and ash, rather than releasing them into the atmosphere.

Deep Well Injection

• Deep well injection disposes of hazardous liquid waste. The process involves pumping the waste down several thousand feet deep into porous rock, well below drinking water sources. The waste travels through an injection tube encased in multiple layers of protective tubing to ensure that a breakage in the injection tube does not contaminate underground water sources.

  As of 2010, deep well injection is becoming a more popular choice of hazardous waste management as discharge into surface waters is regulated, and therefore it is viewed as environmentally friendly. However, many unknowns exist regarding deep well injection, such as the seismic effect of the underground pressure created by injection, reaction of the wastes with the surrounding sub-surface material, and how unforeseen natural seismic activity could compromise injection sites.