HAZARDOUS WASTE: Opportunities, Characterization
The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989, notified as Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and subsequent amendments in 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2009, regulate the management of hazardous wastes produced within the country as well as the export/import of such wastes. These rules apply to the effective management of hazardous waste, mainly solid, semi-solid and other industrial wastes, which are not covered by the Act on Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. . ) And also to allow authorities to regulate environmentally sound storage, transport, treatment and disposal of waste. Any waste, based on any of its physical, chemical, reactive, radioactive, flammable, explosive or corrosive properties that are likely to be hazardous or hazardous to health or the environment, is classified as hazardous, regardless Waste or substance alone or in contact with others. The amendments aim to bring greater clarity in the classification of hazardous wastes by linking wastewater production to specific industrial processes.
Waste is categorized as banned’ or ‘restricted’ to control imports and exports. The registration procedure for recyclers/reprocessors with environmentally sound waste management facilities is laid down for the handling of waste categories, such as lead acid batteries, non-ferrous metal waste and used oils. In addition, separate rules governing the use of biomedical waste and the management and management of lead acid batteries have also been notified. Professional EIA Guidance Manual for TSDFs 3–2 June 2010. General Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.
Definition of hazardous wastes –
its applicability From the viewpoint of application of the HW (M&H) Rules, waste can be classified as hazardous, if the waste substance is solid, semi-solid or non-aqueous liquid which because of its quantity, concentration or characteristics in terms of physical, chemical, infectious quality: ̇
· can cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitate reversible illness, or ̇
· pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or environment when it is improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed off or otherwise managed
Thus, a waste is hazardous if it exhibits whether alone or when in contact with other wastes or substances, any of the characteristics identified below: ̇
· corrosivity ̇
· reactivity ̇
· ignitability ̇
· toxicity ̇
· explosive ̇
· acute toxicity ̇
· infectious property
Hazardous Waste Recycling Opportunities
There are opportunities to recycle hazardous waste. However, all these opportunities are sensitive to the characteristics of waste. For instance, efforts shall be made by industries and the TSDF operators at specific instances where waste lime received at TSDFs can be used as raw material for conversion to gypsum and for production of bricks (Fal-G Bricks) in combination with fly ash. As a result, lime finds good reception at cement kilns.
CPCB/SPCBs advocate the usage of waste lime in cement kilns and many steps are initiated in this regard. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board directed all the waste lime generators to send their waste to the existing TSDFs and from there is sent to various cement industries. This decision was intended to centralize, track and control the movement of hazardous waste. However, the acceptance of hazardous wastes in cement kilns is restricted to the waste with high calorific values, which is neither corrosive nor contains salts and can be used as alternate fuel.
Efforts were also made to promote utilization of high temperature flue gases from incinerators for power generation. However, such efforts were not successful due to the presence of higher volumes of salts in particular chlorides in the flue gases leading to corrosive effects and deposition on heat exchanger tubes in the boilers. Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities Technical EIA Guidance Manual for TSDFs 3–14 June 2010 If the present status in the country is of any indication, recycling and reuse of hazardous waste demands high level of (R&D).
Hazardous waste characterization
· Corrosivity
· Reactivity
· Ignitability
· Toxicity
