Hazardous wastes - chemical classification of hazardous waste - hospital hazardous waste - Disposal of waste

1. HAZARDOUS WASTES
By,
Anitha V
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Bharathiar University
Coimbatore.

2. Hazardous Waste
• A hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of
having a harmful effect on human health or the environment.
 Non –degradable or Persistent in nature
 Biologically magnified
 Highly toxic and even lethal at very low concentration

3. Identification
1) The list provided by government agencies declaring that substance
as hazardous.
2) characteristics
 Ignitability, or something flammable
 Corrosivity, or something that can rust or decompose
 Reactivity, or something explosive
 Toxicity, or something poisonous

4. CLASSIFICATION
a) Radioactive substances
b) Chemicals
c) Biomedical wastes
d) Flammable wastes
e) Explosives
f) Household hazardous wastes

5. The Four Classifications of Hazardous Waste
 The EPA has identified four main categories in which hazardous wastes can
be classified.
 With each categorization comes different risks and disposal methods.
 When left inappropriately treated or managed, these wastes can have very
harmful effects on the environment.
 The four identifiable classifications
are listed wastes, characteristic wastes, universal wastes and mixed wastes.

6. Listed Wastes
 F- Listed Wasted
 K- Listed Wasted
 P- Listed Wasted
 U- Listed Wasted
 M- Listed Wasted

7. 1. F-List (Non-Specific Source Wastes)
 Wastes from several non-specific sources.
 Do not originate from a specific industry or a specific manufacturing
or industrial process.
 Most of these wastes are byproducts of various manufacturing and
industrial processes, and are mostly solvents used for cleaning and
degreasing.

8. Of the F-list wastes, depending on the operations that produce the wastes, they can be divided
into seven groups.
These source identification groups are as follows:
1. Dioxin-bearing wastes
2. Wood-preserving wastes
3. Spent solvent wastes
4. Petroleum refinery wastewater treatment sludges
5. Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons production
6. Multisource leachate
7. Electroplating and other metal finishing wastes

9. 2. K-List (Source-Specific Wastes)
 Unlike F-list wastes, K-list wastes are specific wastes that have
specific industry sources.
 Particular production and treatment processes generate certain types
of wastewater and sludge that become distinguishable as hazardous
wastes.

10. The wastes listed under the K-list are produced
from 13 specific industries
1. Iron and steel production
2. Petroleum refining
3. Inorganic pigment manufacturing
4. Explosives manufacturing
5. Ink formulation
6. Veterinary pharmaceuticals
manufacturing
7. Primary aluminium production
8. Organic chemicals manufacturing
9. Pesticides manufacturing
10. Coking (processing of coal to
produce coke)
11. Inorganic chemicals
manufacturing
12. Wood preservation
13. Secondary lead processing

11.  For both F-lists and K-lists, these wastes are identified by an EPA-assigned
code.
They characterize the wastes depending on if they contain any of the following
codes:
 Toxic Waste (T)
 Acute Hazardous Waste (H)
 Ignitable Waste (I)
 Corrosive Waste (C)
 Reactive Waste (R)
 Toxicity Characteristic Waste (E).

12. P-List and U-List (Discarded Commercial
Chemical Products)
• The P-list and U-list wastes include chemical products that
were discarded without being used.
• The waste has a chemical in a form that meets EPA’s
definition of a “commercial chemical product.”

13. M-List (Discarded Mercury-Containing Products)
• The M-list includes discarded products or wastes containing mercury.
• Some of the examples of wastes listed on the M-list are
 Mercury switches
 Fluorescent lamps
 Mercury-containing novelties.

14. Universal Wastes
 Also known as commonly-generated, universal wastes are
another classification for hazardous wastes.
 These types of wastes typically include bulbs, mercury-
containing equipment, pesticides and batteries.
 These wastes are of the more commonly produced and identified
oftentimes as “dangerous goods”.

15. There are 9 classifications with these wastes listed below:
Class 1: Explosives
Class 2: Gases
Class 3: Flammable Liquids
Class 4: Flammable Solids or Substances
Class 5: Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides
Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances
Class 7: Radioactive
Class 8: Corrosive Substances
Class 9: Miscellaneous Dangerous Substances and Articles

16. Mixed Wastes
 Contain both hazardous as well as radioactive
components.
 They can be low-level mixed waste (LLMW)
 High-level mixed waste (HLW)
 Mixed transuranic waste (MTRU).

18.  Storage and collection
 Transfer and transport

19. Hospital Hazardous Waste
Category Type of Waste Type of
Bags or
container
Treatment
& Disposal
YELLOW a. Human Anatomical Waste such
as human tissues, organs, body
parts and fetus below the viability
period
Yellow
colored
non-
chlorinated
bags
Incineration
or Plasma
Pyrolysis or
deep burial
b. Animal Anatomical Waste such
as Experimental animal carcasses,
body parts, organs, tissues from
snimsl houses or from veterinary
and medical institutions.

20. Red Contaminated
Waste
(Recyclable)
Waste
generated from
disposable
items such as
tubing, bottles,
intravenous
tubes and sets,
catheters,
urines bags,
syringes
Red
colored
non –
chlorinated
plastic
bags or
containers
Autoclaving or microwaving or
hydroclaving followed by shredding
or mutilation or sterilization with
Shredding.
Treated waste to be sent to
registered or authorized recyclers or
for energy recovery or plastic to
diesel or fuel oil or for road making,
Whichever is possible. Plastic
wastes should not be sent to landfill
sites.

21. White
(Trans
lucent
)
Waste sharps including
metals such as needles,
syringes with fixed
needles, needle from
needle tip cutter or burner,
scalpels, blades or any
other contaminated sharp
object that may cause
puncture and cuts. This
includes both used,
discarded and
contaminated metal sharps
Puncture
proof, Leak
proof,
tamper
proof,
containers
Autoclaving or Dry heat
Sterilization followed by
Shredding or mutilation or
encapsulation in metal
container or cement
concrete, combination of
shredding cum autoclaving
and sent for final disposal
to iron foundries or sanitary
landfill or designated
concrete waste sharp pit.

22. Blue a) Glassware: Broken or
discard and contaminated
glass including medicine
vials and ampoules except
those contaminated with
cytotoxic wastes
Cardboard
boxes with blue
colored
marking
Disinfection or
through
autoclaving or
microclaving or
hydroclaving
and then sent
for recycling

23. Procedure for management of hazardous and other wastes:
a) Prevention
b) Minimization
c) Reuse,
d) Recycling
e) Recovery, utilization including co-processing
f) Safe disposal.

24. TREATMENT METHODS
 Physical treatment
 Chemical treatment
 Biological treatment
Thermal Treatment

25. Physical treatment
 Involves variety of separation techniques
 Physical processes are
 Screening
 Sedimentation
 Centrifugation
 Flotation
 Adsorption
 Stripping
 RO.

26. Chemical treatment
 To make the complete breakdown of Hazardous Waste into non toxic
form.
 Chemical methods are
Neutralization
Precipitation
Oxidation
Reduction.

27.  Neutralization: Carried out when the waste contains
excessive amount of acid or alkali.
 Chemical oxidation: Used to destroy toxic cyanide
molecule with oxidizing agents.
 Reduction: Used in the conversion of hexa valent
chromium into trivalent chromium before it can be
precipitated.
 Anodic electrolysis: Used for the destruction of
cyanide in spent stripping & plating solutions.

28. Biological Treatment
 Land treatment
 Enzymatic Systems
 Composting
 Aerobic and anaerobic treatment

29. Biological treatment
 Different types of microorganisms are used for degradation of
specific compounds of Hazardous Waste
 Some microbes found in soil & sewage sludge have been tested in the
degradation of organic chemicals
 Tests have been conducted to degrade PCBs using pseudomonas &
Flavobacterium.
 Pseudomonas bacteria – benzene, phenol ,cresol.

30. Thermal Treatment
 Incineration
 Pyrolysis

31. INCINERATION
 Incineration is a controlled combustion process in which the waste is completely oxidized
and microorganisms, if present are destroyed and denatured at high temperature.
 Able to achieve 99.99% destruction & removal efficiency of hazardous components in
waste.
 Primary products are CO2, vapour & ash
 Sulphur bearing wastes gives off SO2, CO2, H2O when incinerated.
 By products of incomplete combustion are sometimes more harmful.
 Two types of incinerators: liquid injection system, rotary kilns.

32.  An incinerator should operate in the temperature range of 800° to
1200°C when medical waste is incinerated.
 Toxic fumes including furans and dioxins are emitted at
temperatures below 600°C if polyvinyl chloride or certain other
materials are incinerated.

33. INCINERATION
Advantages
 Minimizes Landfill Volume
 Recovery of Energy
Disadvantages
 High Building and Operation Costs
 Air Emissions
 Toxic Ash

34. PYROLYSIS
Pyrolysis involves the thermal decomposition of waste at 540–1000°C
(Environment Agency, 2011) in the absence of oxygen
Advantages
 Minimizes Landfill Volume
 Recovery of Energy
 Production of Synthetic Gas
Disadvantages
 Air Emissions
 Leachate
 Slag
 Landfilled or used in road
foundations

35. Solidification or Stabilization
 Convert the waste into an insoluble, rock hard material.
 Additive materials used to reduce the mobility of pollutants in the
waste.
 Certain materials like nickel cannot be destroyed or detoxified by
above methods.
 Solidified to reduce the leachability.

36. DISPOSAL METHODS
 The options for disposal include land disposal, underground disposal
& deep well injection.
 The choice of disposal method should be based on evaluation of
economics & potential pollution risks.
 To prevent environmental pollution from landfills , it is essential that
site c/s are taken into account.

37. LANDFILLING
 Advantages
 Small Capital Investment
 Little Maintenance
 Cheaper Disposal Fees
 Disadvantages
 Environmental Pollution
• Methane Carbon Dioxide
• Leachate
 Property Decrease in Value

39. Thank You…