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In this paper, we take a framing perspective to corporate environmental irresponsibility and focus it on the community of place as one among the most affected, yet rarely examined, stakeholders. In particular, we take a framing microprocess perspective, to study how interactions within a community of place affect a mobilization after corporate environmental irresponsibility. We elicit two framing microprocess, losses display and scale augmentation, and show how they significantly, though differently, affect a mobilization. In so doing, we enrich our understanding of how communities of place mobilize, the types of, and venues, where interactions take place in a community of place—and how these affect a mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the reasons why the Pennsylvania government cannot mandate the use of waste incineration as an alternative source of energy under the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), particularly due to its violation of the residents' constitutional right to a clean environment. Other topics include the pollutants created by incineration like dioxins, lead and mercury, and the need to revoke municipal solid waste's (MSW) designation as alternative energy source.

Graphical abstract Highlights • Water washing of air pollution control residues removes 23% of the mass. • Most Cl and significant proportions of Na, K and Ca are removed. • Al, Si, Mg, Fe and potential pollutants are concentrated. • Pb is mainly in glass, with some PbSO 4 , and small amounts of PbO and PbCl 2. • Pb-glass may partly dissolve and convert to PbO, or leach, in water washing. Abstract Changes in elemental and mineralogical composition, and lead speciation, of air pollution control residue (APCR) from municipal solid waste incineration, due to treatment by water washing, were investigated in this work and are reported in the context of a review of the literature. Water washing was shown to substantially modify the nature of APCR by: 1) removing 23% dry mass soluble salts to disagglomerate particles and significantly reduce concentrations of the associated major elements, and increase concentrations of insoluble matrix elements and potential pollutants; and 2) respeciating elements to form new phases. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) showed that the 500 mg/kg of Pb in raw and washed APCR were comprised mainly of Pb-glass, with some PbSO 4 , and small amounts of PbO and PbCl 2. Semi-quantitative linear combination fitting suggests that the glass in the APCR may be unstable and release Pb under the alkaline pH of water washing, to reprecipitate as PbO. Chemical analysis suggests that some Pb may be removed by washing. Scientific understanding of the composition of raw and washed APCR, and particularly the speciation of potentially toxic metals, such as Zn and Pb, can help in developing effective element recovery and residue treatment, utilization or disposal strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling of incineration bottom ashes (IBA) is attracting great interest as it is considered as a vital aspect for closing the waste loop to achieve sustainable development at the growing cities around the world. Various laboratory-testing methods are developed to assess the release potential of heavy metals – one of the most important concerns of using IBA, by reflecting the release conditions of heavy metals from IBA based on the targeted land reclamation application scenarios and corresponding environmental conditions. However, realistic release of the concerned elements in actual application with the presence of complex environment could possibly deviate from the outcomes produced by leaching tests carried out in the laboratory. Hence, a set of large-scale column trial experiments was performed to experimentally determine the effective release of heavy metals, when IBA is used as a filling material in land reclamation. 20 tons of IBA and 320 m 3 of seawater were used in six column trial experiments. The release of 13 heavy metal elements was analyzed through multiple aspects which included kinetics of release, distribution of elements in seawater and the impacts of two different dumping methods, with and without application of a chute. After dumping of IBA into the seawater, almost instantaneous release of heavy metals with uniform horizontal dispersion was observed. Higher concentration of these elements was observed near the bottom of the column, especially when a chute was applied. Comparative analysis was then carried out to establish relationships between the results obtained from the column trial with batch leaching test carried out in the laboratory. Distinctive relationships were observed for different heavy metals which suggests the need of pursuance of further understanding on leaching of IBA in real application scenario and complex environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Processed MSWI residues were characterized, which has been seldom studied. • The environmental risks of different size fractions of the waste were evaluated. • Studied MSWI residues can serve as urban mines of precious metals (high Pt, Au) Abstract As conventional end-of-life disposal, municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration residues can be problematic due to potential release of toxic compounds into the environment. Using municipal solid waste incineration residues as urban-mine of valuable metals (e.g. precious metals) could provide a trash-to-treasure possibility. The objectives of the study are to (i) determine the contents of different contaminant metallic elements (Zn, Cu, Ba, Pb, Cr and Ni) in four size fractions of MSW incineration residues and discuss their mobility potential by using the modified BCR sequential extraction method; (ii) investigate the level of valuable critical contents (precious metals, rare earth elements, etc.) in these wastes. We also characterized mineralogy and elemental composition of four different grain size fractions (0–0.5, 0.5–2.0, 2.0–4.0 and 4.0–16.0 mm) of processed municipal solid waste incineration residue (PIR) from the Southwestern region of Germany, using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction and different spectroscopic techniques. Among all studied size fractions, grains smaller than 2 mm contained higher amounts of total extractable heavy metals in most cases. The most important finding of the study is that the total contents of Cu, Au and Pt in the incineration residues reached economically profitable levels (5.1 g/kg, 21.69 mg/kg and 17.45 mg/kg, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of medium-term (decades) postfire succession of a mire ecosystem were studied using multiproxy paleoecological analysis. The resistance of mire ecosystems featuring thick peat deposits to fires due to surface and patchy incineration has been noted. It was found that, in favorable climatic conditions (i.e., sufficient precipitation), the vegetation cover recovers and the vertical growth and development towards oligotrophication are resumed within a medium-term period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incineration and burial are the current practices for pig carcasses disposal but are not environmentally friendly. Anaerobic digestion can be a better alternative if the process inhibition by carcass digestion can be ameliorated. This study successfully mitigated the inhibition in anaerobic digestion of carcasses by hydrochar addition and by co-digestion with RS and HRS. Biogas production from SP of the pretreated hydrothermal carcasses was enhanced by 60.7 to 90.8% through hydrochar addition. The highest biogas production of 450 mL/g-VS was obtained at 4 g-hydrochar/L addition. The methane content was also increased from 57.5% to up to 69.8%. Each gram of hydrochar removed 25 mg of ammonium and 50 mg of VFA. Hydrochar addition promoted the conversion of VFA to biogas by strengthening the intensity of functional groups and the immobilization of microbial biomass. Co-digestion of SP with RS or HRS also increased the biogas production, and the optimal production of 428 mL/g VS was obtained at 70% SP and 30% RS. The co-digestion of carcass SP with RS and the addition of hydrochar can be a promising solution for improving biogas production from a pig carcass, and can be potentially developed as a sustainable waste management method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the assessment of the environmental sustainability of different management practices for an environmentally degraded site in Slovenia: the Old Zinc-Works in the town of Celje. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) were applied in order to evaluate possible trade-offs by comparing a proposed in situ remediation scenario with two other reclamation scenarios (scenario 2: incineration, metal extraction, underground disposal and reclamation of the site by refilling it with replacement material, and scenario 3: underground disposal and reclamation of the site by refilling it with replacement material) and with a no-action scenario. The results of the comparisons performed show that in the case of the in situ remediation scenario, the consumption of resources is smaller by a factor of 51 compared to that in the second scenario and by a factor of 7 compared to that in the third scenario. The impacts on human health and ecosystem quality are approximately 30 and 3.5 times less in the first scenario than in the second and third scenarios, respectively. Compared to the impact of the no-action scenario, the impact on human health of the in situ soil remediation scenario is approximately 6 times less, whereas its impact on the ecosystem is approximately 4 times less. The results confirmed that the in situ soil remediation scenario is the most sustainable practice from an environmental point of view. Its main advantage lies in the achieved conservation of natural resources. Despite the recovery of valuable metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ni) from the bottom ash, the second scenario is significantly more environmentally burdensome compared to both the first and third scenarios. This outcome is due to the significantly high impacts related to the consumption of fuels needed to support the incineration of low-calorific contaminated soil and to electricity consumption. The present study demonstrates that the results of LCA studies, in addition to technological, economic and social indicators, yield important information about the sustainability of different management practices and therefore should be an important part of decision-making when approaching the reclamation of environmentally degraded sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Southeast Asia and Vietnam, rice residues are routinely burned after the harvest to prepare fields for the next season. Specific to Vietnam, the two prevalent burning practices include: a). piling the residues after hand harvesting; b). burning the residues without piling, after machine harvesting. In this study, we synthesized field and laboratory studies from the literature on rice residue burning emission factors for PM 2.5 . We found significant differences in the resulting burning-practice specific emission factors, with 16.9 g kg −2 (±6.9) for pile burning and 8.8 g kg −2 (±3.5) for non-pile burning. We calculated burning-practice specific emissions based on rice area data, region-specific fuel-loading factors, combined emission factors, and estimates of burning from the literature. Our results for year 2015 estimate 180 Gg of PM 2.5 result from the pile burning method and 130 Gg result from non-pile burning method, with the most-likely current emission scenario of 150 Gg PM 2.5 emissions for Vietnam. For comparison purposes, we calculated emissions using generalized agricultural emission factors employed in global biomass burning studies. These results estimate 80 Gg PM 2.5 , which is only 44% of the pile burning-based estimates, suggesting underestimation in previous studies. We compare our emissions to an existing all-combustion sources inventory, results show emissions account for 14–18% of Vietnam's total PM 2.5 depending on burning practice. Within the highly-urbanized and cloud-covered Hanoi Capital region (HCR), we use rice area from Sentinel-1A to derive spatially-explicit emissions and indirectly estimate residue burning dates. Results from HYSPLIT back-trajectory analysis stratified by season show autumn has most emission trajectories originating in the North, while spring has most originating in the South, suggesting the latter may have bigger impact on air quality. From these results, we highlight locations where emission mitigation efforts could be focused and suggest measures for pollutant mitigation. Our study demonstrates the need to account for emissions variation due to different burning practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the fabrication and characterization of Near-Field Communication (NFC) devices based on highly flexible, carbon-based antennas composed of stacked graphene multilayers. This material features a high value of conductivity (4.20 * 10 5  S/m) comparable to monocrystalline graphite, but is much more flexible and processable. We first studied the replacement of metal with carbon antennas using computer modeling, to select the best design. Then we manufactured several devices to be used according to the communication protocol ISO/IEC 15693. The inductance of the G-paper antennas was tested before and after hundreds of thousands of bending cycles at bending radii of 45 and 90 mm. During bending the self-resonance frequency and inductance peak showed minimal variation and the resistance at 1 MHz changed from 33.09 Ω to 34.18 Ω, outperforming standard, commercial metallic antennas. The devices were successfully tested by exchanging data with a smartphone and other commercial NFC readers, matching the performance of standard, commercial metallic antennas. The graphene antennas could be deposited on different standard polymeric substrates or on textiles. Smart cards, flexible NFC tags and wearable NFC bracelets were prepared in this way to be used in electronic keys, business cards and other typical NFC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed on five commonly applied sewage sludge treatment practices: dewatering of mixed sludge (DMS), lime stabilisation of dewatered sludge (LIMS), anaerobic digestion of mixed sludge (ADS), dewatering of anaerobically-digested sludge (DADS) and incineration of dewatered anaerobically-digested sludge (INC). In the first four scenarios, the sludge residues were applied on agricultural land, while in the fifth scenario ash from sludge incineration was landfilled. It was found that the sludge treatment technology influenced in which processes carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) emissions happened. In general, the INC scenario performed better than or comparably to the scenarios with land application of the sludge. Human toxicity (non-carcinogenic) and eco-toxicity showed the highest normalised impact potentials for all the scenarios with land application. In both categories, impacts were dominated by the application of zinc and copper to agricultural soil. For the eutrophication potentials, different scenarios appeared beneficial depending on the receiving compartment in focus. The fate of phosphorus (P) dominated freshwater eutrophication, while the fate of N had a profound effect on all non-toxic impact categories other than freshwater eutrophication. The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were sensitive to soil and precipitation conditions. The ranking of scenarios was affected by local conditions for marine eutrophication. Overall, the present study highlighted the importance of including all sludge treatment stages and conducting a detailed N flow analysis, since the emission of reactive N into the environment is the major driver for almost all non-toxic impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk (wet and dry) deposition samples were collected in Saitama Prefecture, Japan throughout a year (February 8, 2012 to February 7, 2013) to estimate the influence of dioxins emitting from waste incinerators on river water quality. The annual deposition flux of dioxins was 3.3 ng-toxic equivalent (TEQ)/m 2 /year. Source identification using indicative congeners estimated that 82% of dioxin TEQ in the bulk deposition (2.7 ng-TEQ/m 2 /year) was combustion-originated, indicating that most of the dioxins in the deposition were derived from waste incinerators. In Saitama prefecture the annual flux of combustion-originated dioxins in depositions was apparently consistent with that of dioxin emission into the air from waste incinerators. The TEQ of combustion-originated dioxins in the deposition per rainfall was 2.4 pg-TEQ/L on annual average, exceeding the environmental quality standard (EQS) for water in Japan of 1 pg-TEQ/L. This suggests there is a possibility that dioxins in atmospheric deposition have a significant influence on the water quality of urban rivers which rainwater directly flows into because of many paved areas in the basins. The influence of combustion-originated dioxin in the deposition on the water quality of Ayase River, an urban river heavily polluted with dioxins, was estimated at 0.29 pg-TEQ/L on annual average in 2015. It seems that dioxins in atmospheric deposition from waste incinerators have a significant influence on water quality of some urban rivers via rainwater though the dioxins in the ambient air have achieved the EQS for atmosphere at all monitoring sites in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper process of sintering of hospital incineration ash as a counterpart of low-level active waste with borosilicate glass frit is presented. It is shown that low porosity glass-ceramic waste-form can be obtained at a temperature range of 850–900 °C. In the sinter, the main crystal phases are wollastonite and aegirine-augite pyroxenes which have a large isomorphous capacity of binding hazardous elements. The crystal phases are fully encapsulated by the glass that provides additional protection against environmental influence. Thus, multibarrier material can be obtained at a temperature considerably lower than vitrification. This, in turn, can improve the economics of immobilization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the upgrading of living standards and rapid urbanization throughout the world, municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment has become a ubiquitous environmental issue. Incineration can reduce the quantity and volume of MSW, save land resources and generate power, and it has been considered an effective means of MSW treatment. However, a variety of obstacles to the development of the waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration industry have emerged. To identify and overcome these obstacles, this paper applies the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) framework to analyse the macro-environment of the WTE incineration industry in China. First, the MSW treatment status and treatment methods in China are summarized. Then, we analyse the PESTEL factors in the WTE incineration industry in China, including relevant legislation and policies, investment modes and intensity, the distribution and scale of investment, difficulties in MSW treatment and classification, public concerns, the various incineration techniques, environmental protection issues and the existing shortcomings. Finally, managerial implications and suggestions for the government and private sector regarding policy changes, the application of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and efficient project operation are provided. It is expected to pave the way for private investors to finance such projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste to energy (WTE) plants have been built more and more worldwide nowadays. It is one of the most successful types to resolve the impact of city rubbish on environment. Refuse derived fuel (RDF) is the fuel of WTE plant, which is made of combustible refuse such us cardboard, paper, various plastics, textile and wood. According to literature, the incineration process has the advantage of reducing waste weight by 80% and volume by 70%, and around 25%-30% energy within RDF can be obtained through conversion of power facilities. Combustible refuse can be processed into pellets with physical density of more than 0.3 g/cm3 through extrusion forming after separating, crushing, and drying procedure. In this paper, pelleted RDF with different densities of 0.51, 0.42, and 0.31 g/cm3 was adopted in this experiment, and their combustion characteristics from 30 to 900 °C were investigated by means of thermogravimetric (TG), calorific value, and ash content analysis. Meanwhile, pelleted RDF was compared with non-pelleted RDF and straw which represented biomass fuel. By comparing TG of pelleted RDF and non-pelleted RDF, the results indicated that non-pelleted RDF was faster in burning, showing pelleted RDF can release energy slower, which is good for boiler equipment to absorb energy more efficiently. By comparing DTG of pelleted RDF and non-pelleted RDF, the ignition point of the non-pelleted RDF (0.10 g/cm3) was 234.0 °C, and 3 maximum mass loss rates were 6.30, 2.21 and 0.53 percentage points per minute, respectively; While for the highest density of pelleted RDF (0.51 g/cm3), the ignition point was 238.2 °C, and 3 maximum mass loss rates were 5.70, 3.11, and 0.61 percentage points per minute, respectively, showing that the higher density, the higher ignition point, and the higher burning rate got more balance. DTG data also show that pelleted RDF is more suitable for the boiler to absorb heat efficiently. After finishing burning, the content of combustion ash coming from the highest density pelleted RDF sample in this experiment was 6.7% less than that of the non-pelleted one, showing that procession of extrusion forming will help to reduce weight and volume of RDF ash, thus relieving the pressure of landfill, which is the most serious problem to our environment. For the burning calorific value, and the data from pelleted RDF and non-pelleted RDF checked by calorimeter, each sample was checked 3 times. By calculating all sample values with the method of variance analysis, F value was 0.25, while df values between groups and within group were 3 and 8, respectively, the final F0.05(3, 8) value was 4.07, and F0.01(3, 8) value was 7.59, thus F

One of the biggest challenges for developing countries such as Brazil is the adequate management of urban solid waste. In Campinas, the third-largest city in the state of São Paulo with population over one million inhabitants, the treatment of solid waste turned to be a serious problem since 2014. The daily collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) is 1304 t of which only 2.5% is selectively collected, the rest of MSW is landfilled in a neighboring city 40 km distant from Campinas. This paper presents a scenario for the treatment of MSW based on recycling and incineration and evaluates the energy, economic and environmental potentials. In this scenario, a selective collection index of 20% is adopted and the rest of MSW is incinerated with energy recovery. Results show that incineration can generate electrical energy sufficient for 135,680 homes and can render about US$ 5.799 × 10 6 per month. The benefits from the selective collection index of 20% of the potentially available recyclables include a financial return of about US$ 302,412 per month equivalent to 1120 national minimum salary, energy savings equivalent to 69.4 MW and avoided emissions of about 145.77 ktCO 2 /year equivalent to 6.2% of the total emissions of Campinas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system dynamics (SD) approach that models the economic potential of a regional incineration plant by using landfill gas to evaporate waste leachate is proposed in this study. A case study is provided to demonstrate application of the proposed approach, which takes an incineration plant and an adjacent sanitary landfill located at Chengdu City, China into account. Two scenarios are divided by different ratios of leachate evaporation and landfill gas utilization to examine the economic revenues obtained by the incineration plant. The optimal scenario with the best economic performance is identified to incorporate into future waste management practice. The limitations of this approach are discussed, laying a foundation for further work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an improved spectrofluorimetric method for the simultaneous and direct determination of ammonium and primary amine compounds is presented. The method is based on the derivatization of the analytes with o -phthaldialdehyde (OPA)/ N -acetylcysteine (NAC) reagent using high throughput microplates, and OPA/NAC ratio has been optimized in order to suppress interference of ammonium on primary amine determination. Direct measurement of these two parameters is therefore possible with a global procedure time that does not exceed 10 min. Excellent limits of detection of 1.32 μM and 0.55 μM have been achieved for ammonium and primary amines, respectively. Reagent stability issues have also been addressed and formulation of reagents solution is described for improved reagents shelf life. The proposed protocol was finally applied and validated on real samples such as wine samples, compost extracts and wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factors previously reported from various waste incineration plants have shown significant variations according to country-specific, plant-specific, and operational conditions. The purpose of this study is to estimate GHG emissions and emission factors at nine incineration facilities in Korea by measuring the GHG concentrations in the flue gas samples. The selected incineration plants had different operation systems (i.e., stoker, fluidized bed, moving grate, rotary kiln, and kiln & stoker), and different nitrogen oxide (NO x ) removal systems (i.e., selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)) to treat municipal solid waste (MSW), commercial solid waste (CSW), and specified waste (SW). The total mean emission factors for A and B facilities for MSW incineration were found to be 134 ± 17 kg CO 2 ton −1 , 88 ± 36 g CH 4 ton −1 , and 69 ± 16 g N 2 O ton −1 , while those for CSW incineration were 22.56 g CH 4 ton −1 and 259.76 g N 2 O ton −1 , and for SW incineration emission factors were 2959 kg CO 2 ton −1 , 43.44 g CH 4 ton −1 and 401.21 g N 2 O ton −1 , respectively. Total emissions calculated using annual incineration for MSW were 3587 ton CO 2 -eq yr −1 for A facility and 11,082 ton CO 2 -eq yr −1 for B facility, while those of IPCC default values were 13,167 ton CO 2- eq yr −1 for A facility and 32,916 ton CO 2- eq yr −1 , indicating that the emissions of IPCC default values were estimated higher than those of the plant-specific emission factors. The emission of CSW for C facility was 1403 ton CO 2 -eq yr −1 , while those of SW for D to I facilities was 28,830 ton CO 2 -eq yr −1 . The sensitivity analysis using a Monte Carlo simulation for GHG emission factors in MSW showed that the GHG concentrations have a greater impact than the incineration amount and flow rate of flue gas. For MSW incineration plants using the same stoker type in operation, the estimated emissions and emission factors of CH 4 showed the opposite trend with those of NO 2 when the NO x removal system was used, whereas there was no difference in CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration fly ash (IFA) can be potentially reused as a substitute for some raw materials, but treatment for detoxification is indispensable owing to high contents of heavy metals in fly ash. In the present work, due to excessive leaching concentration of lead (Pb), a moderate thermal treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) addition was employed to stabilize Pb in IFA. The moderate thermal treatment was performed under relatively low temperature ranging from 300 to 500°C and at retention time from 1 to 3 h with NaOH addition in a range of 1 to 9%. Leaching results showed that leaching concentrations of Pb in IFA leachates decreased below the standard for hazardous waste identification (5 mg/L) in China under all treatment scenarios. With the increase of temperature, retention time and the amount of NaOH, the concentration of Pb were further suppressed in IFA leachates. Especially, at 500°C for 3 h with 9% NaOH addition, the concentration of Pb dropped to 0.18 mg/L, which was below the standard for sanitary landfill (0.25 mg/L) in China. In thermal process, needle-like crystallites melted to form granules and clumps with compacter structure and less pores. After the thermal treatment, water-soluble and exchangeable fractions of Pb significantly decreased. Therefore, the thermal treatment coupled with NaOH could be applied to realize the environmentally sound management of MSW IFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems of the humid biofuel application in the distributed energy engineering facilities are considered. Use of drying (and thermal proceeding) in energy saving makes it possible to perform efficient biofuel gasification, compensating for, in many cases, the negative influence of the moisture on the efficiency of the energy facilities. The complicated functional connection between the drying and the gasification processes as well as of the gasification product purification are analyzed. The cold purification, taken as the basic technology, reduces the efficiency of the gasification versions with the temperature above the level of the liquid slag removal; yet, if the temperature is not higher than the ash softening beginning, then this influence is insufficient. When compared, the efficiency of the STIG steam-gas facility on the humid fuel tends to be just a little lower than the dry fuel and reaches 45-49%. The calculations show that, at the low gasification temperature, we should not remove all the fuel moisture if the humidity is below 40%. The oxygen blast application in the gasifier reduces the efficiency to some extent but oxygen is necessary to accumulate the highenergy synthetic gas, in particular, for the peak or the exterior application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to environmental and safety-conscious behaviour in the 21th century, it is necessary to strive to reduce all those activities that cause environmental damage in every aspect of life. More emphasis should be placed on recycling, waste-handling and environmental-friendly solutions, due to the increased amount of waste caused by the penetration of plastics. Plastic manufacture is a constantly growing industry -- especially the production of packaging -- so the amount of plastic waste generated is also growing steadily. Only a part of the accumulated waste is recycled, another part is destroyed and the remaining amount will continue to pollute the environment. One form of destruction may be energy recovery or incineration. Destruction is a form of energy recovery or incineration which is subject to strict legal requirements in addition to other possible activities. It could pose a serious burden on the human and natural environment if the process is not properly controlled and monitored. This article writes of the situation that seemingly a growing amount of plastic waste is used in residential combustion appliances, of which adverse environmental and health effects the majority of citizens are not aware, so these will be shown in particular. In this article, we examine the environmental and health effects and harm caused by the burning of plastics in detail. We write this study with the purpose o f drawing people's attention to the importance of reducing the quantities of plastic waste and thus the environmental impact they cause as well as the human and environmental risks of incineration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, in order to understand accurate calculation of greenhouse gas emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities, which are major waste incineration facilities, and problems likely to occur at this time, emissions were calculated by classifying calculation methods into 3 types. For the comparison of calculation methods, the waste characteristics ratio, dry substance content by waste characteristics, carbon content in dry substance, and12C content were analyzed; and in particular, CO2concentration in incineration gases and12C content were analyzed together. In this study, 3 types of calculation methods were made through the assay value, and by using each calculation method, emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities were calculated then compared. As a result of comparison, with Calculation Method A, which used the default value as presented in the IPCC guidelines, greenhouse gas emissions were calculated for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B at 244.43 ton CO2/day and 322.09 ton CO2/day, respectively. Hence, it showed a lot of difference from Calculation Methods B and C, which used the assay value of this study. It is determined that this was because the default value as presented in IPCC, as the world average value, could not reflect the characteristics of urban solid waste incineration facilities. Calculation Method B indicated 163.31 ton CO2/day and 230.34 ton CO2/day respectively for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B; also, Calculation Method C indicated 151.79 ton CO2/day and 218.99 ton CO2/day, respectively. Implications: This study intends to compare greenhouse gas emissions calculated using12C content default value provided by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) with greenhouse gas emissions calculated using12C content and waste assay value that can reflect the characteristics of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities. Also, the concentration and12C content were calculated by directly collecting incineration gases of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities, and greenhouse gas emissions of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities through this survey were compared with greenhouse gas emissions, which used the previously calculated assay value of solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Utilization and safety storage of hazardous waste like hospital incineration fly ash is an important ecological problem. In Poland the dominant process of waste storage is landfill. The characteristics of the raw waste as well as their transformation products after various utilization processes is very important to minimize the environmental impact. RESULTS The research presented compares product stabilization obtained using two investigated technologies: thermal plasma treatment in a vitrification process, and solidification with Portland cement as the binder in hydration and granulation processes. The leachability of six heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr), indicated in the Council Decision 2003/33/ EC as the main parameters influencing the environment, were studied. CONCLUSION The most stable products were vitrificates - immobilization exceeded 90%. The immobilization of heavy metals in solidified waste using Portland cement in a hydrated process were estimated at between 60 and 90%. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is a successful instrument to minimize generated waste and improve environmental conditions. In spite of the large share of developing countries in the textile industry, limited information is available concerning the waste management strategies implemented for textiles on those countries and their environmental impacts. In the current study, two waste management approaches for hazardous solid waste treatment of acrylic fibers (landfill and incineration) were investigated. The main research questions were: What are the different impacts of each waste management strategy? Which waste management strategy is more ecofriendly? Life cycle assessment was employed in order to model the environmental impacts of each waste streaming approach separately then compare them together. Results revealed that incineration was the more ecofriendly approach. Highest impacts of both approaches were on ecotoxicity and carcinogenic potentials due to release of metals from pigment wastes. Landfill had an impact of 46.8 % on human health as compared to 28 % by incineration. Incineration impact on ecosystem quality was higher than landfill impact (68.4 and 51.3 %, respectively). As for resources category, incineration had a higher impact than landfill (3.5 and 2.0 %, respectively). Those impacts could be mitigated if state-of-the-art landfill or incinerator were used and could be reduced by applying waste to energy approaches for both management systems In conclusion, shifting waste treatment from landfill to incineration would decrease the overall environmental impacts and allow energy recovery. The potential of waste to energy approach by incineration with heat recovery could be considered in further studies. Future research is needed in order to assess the implementation of waste management systems and the preferable waste management strategies in the textile industry on developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the US Department of Defense burned the majority of its solid waste in open-air pits or trenches, producing large amounts of potentially hazardous emissions. While journalists have covered stories of US service members who link their illnesses to these fumes, they have almost entirely ignored potential civilian impacts. However, satellite images demonstrate that pollution from open-air trash burning on US bases could not have impacted US personnel without also harming Iraqi and Afghan civilians living near bases, indicating that burn-pit pollution is an important, if unacknowledged, environmental justice issue. Content analysis of news articles shows the extent to which civilian impacts have been left out of mainstream US media reporting on burn-pit pollution. This selective attention is symptomatic of the way military violence is legitimated, which involves a complicit news media that typically overlooks the humanitarian impacts of war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental problems and climate change arising from waste incineration are taken quite seriously in the world. In Korea, the waste disposal methods are largely classified into landfill, incineration, recycling, etc. and the amount of incinerated waste has risen by 24.5% from 2002. In the analysis of CO2 emissions estimations of waste incinerators fossil carbon content are main factor by the IPCC. FCF differs depending on the characteristics of waste in each country, and a wide range of default values are proposed by the IPCC. This study conducted research on the existing classifications of the IPCC and Korean waste classification systems based on FCF for accurate greenhouse gas emissions estimation of waste incineration. The characteristics possible for sorting were classified according to FCF and form. The characteristics sorted according to fossil carbon fraction were paper, textiles, rubber, and leather. Paper was classified into pure paper and processed paper; textiles were classified into cotton and synthetic fibers; and rubber and leather were classified into artificial and natural. The analysis of FCF was implemented by collecting representative samples from each classification group, by applying the 14C method, and using AMS equipment. And the analysis values were compared with the default values proposed by the IPCC. In this study of garden and park waste and plastics, the differences were within the range of the IPCC default values or the differences were negligible. However, coated paper, synthetic textiles, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, artificial leather, and other wastes showed differences of over 10% in FCF content. IPCC is comprised of largely 9 types of qualitative classifications, in emissions estimation a great difference can occur from the combined characteristics according with the existing IPCC classification system by using the minutely classified waste characteristics as in this study. Implications:Fossil carbon fraction (FCF) differs depending on the characteristics of waste in each country; and a wide range of default values are proposed by the IPCC. This study conducted research on the existing classifications of the IPCC and Korean waste classification systems based on FCF for accurate greenhouse gas emissions estimation of waste incineration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ash from incinerated e-waste dismantling residues (EDR) may cause significant health risks to people through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact exposure pathways. Ashes of four classified e-waste types generated by an incineration plant in Zhejiang, China were collected. Total contents and the bioaccessibilities of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in ashes were measured to provide crucial information to evaluate the health risks for incinerator workers and children living in vicinity. Compared to raw e-waste in mixture, ash was metal-enriched by category incinerated. However, the physiologically based extraction test (PBET) indicates the bioaccessibilities of Ni, Pb, and Zn were less than 50 %. Obviously, bioaccessibilities need to be considered in noncancer risk estimate. Total and PBET-extractable contents of metal, except for Pb, were significantly correlated with the pH of the ash. Noncancer risks of ash from different incinerator parts decreased in the order bag filter ash (BFA) > cyclone separator ash (CFA) > bottom ash (BA). The hazard quotient for exposure to ash were decreased as ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. Pb in ingested ash dominated (>80 %) noncancer risks, and children had high chronic risks from Pb (hazard index >10). Carcinogenic risks from exposure to ash were under the acceptable level (<10) both for children and workers. Exposure to ash increased workers' cancer risks and children's noncancer risks. Given the risk estimate is complex including toxicity/bioaccessibility of metals, the ways of exposure, and many uncertainties, further researches are required before any definite decisions on mitigating health risks caused by exposure to EDR incinerated ash are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The benefits and environmental burden of two different strategies (incineration vs anaerobic digestion followed by composting) to manage the organic fraction of municipal solid waste were assessed. Particular attention was also focused on system components, including collection, treatment, facility construction, and disposal, as well as the effect of the energetic context. Source segregation intensities considered for the scenario with incineration and with anaerobic digestion followed by composting were respectively of 0 and 52 %. Methods: The analysis was performed by an LCA approach, and the impact was assessed by the CML method. The functional unit was a single ton of organic waste generated in the area considered. System boundaries were expanded to include the differences in waste collection and multi-functionality waste treatments. Existing databases were retrieved, also adopting experimental data for the waste management area considered. Results and discussion: Overall, the scenario with the highest rate of source segregation of organic waste, using anaerobic digestion followed by composting, gave a lower impact for human and terrestrial toxicity. Concerning the other impacts, incineration gave the maximum benefits. The impact of anaerobic digestion and composting arises mainly from energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., NO, VOC), and landfilling of residues. The sensitivity analysis performed by varying the energetic mix of the context confirmed the advantages of incineration of the organic fraction. Conclusions: Incineration of organic waste leads to maximum environmental benefits compared to anaerobic digestion and composting. Furthermore, anaerobic digestion and composting was characterized by high gaseous emissions with high greenhouse gas potential even if the production of organic fertilizer gave some benefits concerning the avoided exploitation of mineral resources. The impact due to the collection phase and facility construction was quite limited and in some cases negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil, vegetation, and several terrestrial species including turtledove, chicken, goose, grasshopper, dragonfly, butterfly and ant, were collected from an area surrounding a typical e-waste burning site in South China. The samples were examined to investigate the levels, congener profiles, and biomagnification extent of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) that may be present in the environment as a result of the e-waste, which was processed in a crude recycling style. Elevated levels of Σ 21 PBDEs were found in the biota (101–4725 ng g − 1 lipid weight (lw)), vegetation leaf (82.9–319 ng g − 1 dry weight (dw)) and soil samples (5.2–22 110 ng g − 1 dw), indicating that PBDE contamination in the samples collected from the e-waste burning site may pose risks to the local terrestrial ecosystem and local populations. Higher BDE congeners, especially deca-BDE (BDE-209) were the dominant homologs in organisms and nonbiological matrices, followed by nona-BDE and octa-BDE. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) were calculated as the ratio of the lipid-normalized concentration in the predator to that in the prey. The highest BMF (3.4) was determined for BDE-153 in the grasshopper/turtledove food chain. Other higher brominated congeners, such as BDE-202, -203, -154, -183 and -209, were also biomagnified in the terrestrial food chain with BMFs of 1.7–3.3. BDE-47, -100, and -99 were not biomagnified in the examined food chains (BMFs < 1), which suggests that bioaccumulation and biotransformation of PBDEs in terrestrial ecosystems could be distinguished from those in aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the reuse of washing-pretreated MSWI fly ash bas been a hot topic, the associated risk is still an issue of great concern. The present study investigated the influence of washing-pretreatment on the total contents and bioaccessibility of heavy metals in MSWI fly ash. Furthermore, the study incorporated bioaccessibility adjustment into probabilistic risk assessment, to quantify the health risk from multi-pathway exposure to the concerned chemicals as a result of reusing washed MSWI fly ash. The results revealed that both water-washing and acid-washing process have resulted in the concentrated heavy metal content, and have reduced the bioaccessibility of heavy metals. Besides, the acid-washing process increased the cancer risk in most cases, while the effect of water-washing process was uncertain. However, both water-washing and acid-washing pretreatment could decrease the hazard index based on bioaccesilbility. Despite the uncertainties accompanying these procedures, the results indicated that, in this application scenario, only water-washing or acid-washing process cannot reduce the actual risk from all samples to acceptable level, especially for cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Environmental Justice (EJ) refers to social inequities in the distribution of environmental risks. This paper presents the first Europeanspatio-temporalEJ analysis, focusing on the location of 107 waste incinerators in France since the 1960s to assess potential biases in siting decisions. It uses a spatial econometric analysis that accounts for vulnerable populations at the time unwanted land uses were sited. We find that, after controlling for a town's socio-economic characteristics and the opportunity costs represented by the demand of its neighbours, each additional 1% of a town's population that is foreign-born increased the odds that the town received an incinerator by 29%. Disproportionate siting near concentrations of immigrants thus generates environmental injustice in France. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we examine the claims that competing networks make over the safety or risk attached to an energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in Crymlyn Burrows in South Wales. The paper draws upon a governmentality perspective and identifies three networks at the heart of decision-making: a dissenter network, a developer network and a regulatory network. The arguments put forward by the networks reveal much about how power relations are realised at a local level. The paper draws upon a longitudinal case study approach to demonstrate that networks have a life beyond a development decision and that key actors can align themselves with competing networks at different points in the development and operation phase of an EfW plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuously increasing of waste quantity is a challenge for our society. Almost all the countries have strategies and plans for waste management according with theirs socio - economic politics and with financial resources. The members of European Union and Japan are promoting a hierarchical approach for waste problems, starting with reducing the quantity of waste, followed by reuse and recycling, then incineration and, at the end, safe disposal on the soil. For every particular local community always exists the question what is the best solution for waste management. This paper is analysing two solutions - disposal and incineration - from economic and ecologic point of views and presents an example of choosing the appropriate solution for Suceava County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling rates increased rapidly in the United States and across the developed world in the 1980s and 1990s but have remained relatively flat in many countries since about 2005. Could increases in incineration and a possible "feed the beast" mentality associated with efficient incineration make the recycling of some materials obsolete? In this paper, a conceptual model is delivered to better explain the possible trade-off. The model is then tested using novel data in Japan that includes both unused excess incineration capacity and recycling rates across municipalities and across time. Results suggest that, when controlling for other variables, excess incineration capacity indeed reduces recycling. These results suggest that future planned increases in recycling may be frustrated by increases in incineration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted univariate in 2008-2010 in the Variety Assessment Station in Szczecin - Dąbie. The soil on which the experience was based is made of light loamy sand (pgl). In terms of granulometric composition it includes it into the category of light soils, agricultural suitability complex IV b, good (5). The experiment included, inter alia, waste compost produced with municipal sewage sludge produced by *GWDA and ash from brown coal (waste grate). No normal ranges for heavy metals being specified in the ministerial regulations were used for environmental purposes, which are maximum 20, 500, 750, 300, 1000 and 16 mg per 1 kg dry matter for cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, copper and mercury, respectively16 were exceeded in the sewage sludge being used to produce the compost. The field experiment design consisted of 6 fertilisation objects. A test plant was Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphodrita Rusby). The content of available phosphorus, potassium and magnesium in the soil, being fertilised with municipal SSC with and without an addition of high-calcium BCA, changed after three years. There was an increase in the content of available phosphorus, potassium and magnesium forms, on average by 8.5%, 16.0% and 9.0%, respectively. When analysing the chemical properties of soil before and after this study, it may be stated that respective systems of municipal sewage sludge compost and high-calcium brown coal ash application differently affected most soil richness indices. The best fertilisation effects were obtained in the system with municipal sewage sludge compost being applied at a dose corresponding to 250 kg N ∙ ha-1 as well as with high-calcium brown coal ash at a dose corresponding to 1.5 Mg CaO ∙ ha-1 being introduced into soil in the first year of study and at a dose corresponding to 0.75 Mg CaO ∙ ha-1 in successive years. Fertilisation with municipal sewage sludge compost without and with addition of high-calcium brown coal ash favourably affected the preservation of soil environment stability and improvement of soil chemical composition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern communication era, the disposal of printed circuit boards is ecologically of dire concern on a global scale. The two prevalent methods applied for the disposal of this waste are either incineration or landfilling both of which are viewed with skepticism due to their negative environmental impact. Activation of the nonmetallic fraction of this waste leads to the development of a mesoporous material with highly functional groups which can potentially be applied for heavy metal uptake. The removal of copper, lead, and zinc was studied employing a cost-effective novel adsorbent based on waste printed circuit boards. The results indicate that the modification of the original e-waste material has a considerable effect on its surface area enhancement. Adsorption experiments revealed that the modified novel material had uptake capacities of 2.9 mmol Cu, 3.4 mmol Pb, and 2.0 mmol Zn per each gram of the adsorbent which are significantly higher values than its commercial counterparts used in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in waste quantities and composition affect incinerator operating conditions and performance. Fluegas volumes consititute a dominant environmental and financial consideration for efficient waste incinerator (WI) operation, since they affect the temperature, throughput, air pollution control system (APCS) residence time, and pollutant emissions, when the charging rate or composition of any waste is varying. Fluegas recirculation (FGR) in WI is an effective technique for reducing WI atmospheric pollution, mainly NOx emissions, albeit affecting WI throughput, temperature and destruction/removal efficiency. FGR refers to mass recirculation of a possibly cooled fraction of fluegases and differs substantially from fluegas heat recovery. The present work shows that, besides emission control, suitable manipulation of FGR enhances WI performance under waste uncertainty, enabling higher throughput, at the desired temperature and within the allowed APCS residence time range. A dimensionless parameter related to the uncertain wastes' net enthalpy contribution is isolated, which encompasses heat of reaction and enthalpy outflows from fluegas and solids and which reveals whether throughput is decreasing or increasing with temperature and FGR ratio. Normalized throughput and total fluegas volume isotherms manifest the interdependence and enable manipulation for enhanced environmental and economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) have been reported to be formed during incineration processes. Despite dioxin-like toxicities of ClPAHs, little is known on the occurrence of these chemicals in the environment. In this study, concentrations of 24-h airborne PM10 and PM2.5-associated ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs were monitored from October 2011 to March 2012 in a suburban area in Shanghai, China. In addition, daytime and nighttime particle samples were collected for 7 days in April from the same sampling site. Twelve of twenty ClPAH congeners were found in PM10 and PM2.5 at concentrations ranging from 2.45 to 47.7 pg/m³ with an average value of 12.3 pg/m³ for PM10, and from 1.34 to 22.3 pg/m³ with an average value of 9.06 pg/m³ for PM2.5. Our results indicate that ClPAHs are ubiquitous in inhalable fine particles. The concentrations of ΣClPAHs and specific congeners such as 9-ClPhe, 3-ClFlu, 1-ClPyr, 7-ClBaA, and 6-ClBaP in particles collected during nighttime were higher than those collected during daytime, which suggests not only diffusion of ClPAHs in air by atmospheric mixing but also photochemical degradation during daylight hours. Among the individual ClPAHs determined, 6-ClBaP, 1-ClPyr, and 9-ClPhe were the dominant compounds in PM10 and PM2.5. The percent composition of 6-ClBaP, 1-ClPyr, 7-ClBaA, and 3-ClFlu between PM10 and PM2.5 was similar. Significant positive correlations were found between concentrations of ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs, particle mass, and total organic carbon (organic carbon plus elemental carbon), indicating that ClPAHs are sorbed onto carbonaceous matter of PM. Concentrations of parent PAHs predicted by multiple linear regression models with PM mass, total organic carbon, temperature, and relative humidity as variables reflected the measured concentrations with a strong coefficient of determination of 0.917 and 0.946 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. However, the models generated to predict ClPAH concentrations in PM did not yield satisfactory results, which suggested the differences in physical-chemical properties and formation processes between ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs. 7-ClBaA and 6-ClBaP collectively accounted for the preponderance of the total dioxin-like TEQ concentrations of ClPAHs (TEQClPAH) in PM samples. Exposure to toxic compounds such as ClPAHs and PAHs present in PM2.5 can be related to adverse health outcomes in people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly being used in electronics products. CNTs have unique chemical and nanotoxicological properties, which are potentially dangerous to public health and the environment. This report presents the most recent findings of CNTs' toxicity and discusses aspects related to incineration, recycling and potential remediation strategies including chemical and biological remediation possibilities. Our analysis shows that recycling CNTs may be challenging given their physiochemical properties and that available strategies such as power-gasification methods, biological degradation and chemical degradation may need to be combined with pre-handling routines for hazardous materials. The discussion provides the background knowledge for legislative measures concerning specialized waste handling and recycling procedures/facilities for electronics products containing CNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposal of some nanomaterial-laden waste through incineration is inevitable, and nanomaterials' influence on combustion byproduct formation under high-temperature, oxidative conditions is not well understood This work reports the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated-dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/ Fs) from incineration of paper and plastic waste containing various nanomaterials, including titania, nickel oxide, silver, ceria, iron oxide, quantum dots, and CgQ-fullerene, in a laboratory-scale furnace. The presence of nanomaterials in the waste stream resulted in higher emissions of some PAH species and lower emissions of others, depending on the type of waste. The major PAH species formed were phenanthrene and anthracene, and emissions were sensitive to the amount or nanomaterials in the waste, tienerally, there were no significant duterences in emission factors for the larger PAH species when nanomaterials were added to the waste. The total PAH emission factors were on average ∼6 times higher for waste spiked widi nanomaterials v. uSeir bulk counterparts. Emissions of chlorinated dioxins from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) waste were not detected; however, chlorinated furans were formed at elevated concentrations with wastes containing silver and titania nanomaterials, and toxicity was attributable mainly to 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran. The combination of high specific surface area and catalytic, including electrocatalytic, properties of nanomaterials might be responsible for affecting die formation of toxic pollutants during incineration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chlorination patterns of unsubstituted naphthalene were studied using a laminar flow reactor with a 1 cm particle bed of 0.5% (mass) copper(II) chloride (CuCl2) mixed with silicon dioxide (SiO2), operated over a temperature range of 100 to 400 °C and at gas velocities of 2.7 and 0.32 cm/s. The polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) yield increased until a temperature reached at 250 °C, where a peak yield of 3.07% (percent of naphthalene input, carbon basis) was observed. All PCN homologue groups, mono- through octa-chlorinated naphthalenes, were observed. To test the hypothesis that PCNs in combustion processes are formed via chlorination pathways, the PCN homologue and isomer patterns from the experiments were compared with those observed in municipal solid waste combustion (MSW) incinerators. PCN congeners with 1,4-substituents dominated formation in the naphthalene chlorination experiments, whereas 2,3-substituents were major congeners in both MSW combustion flue gas and fly ash samples. These results suggest that contrary to the hypothesis, chlorination is not a primary PCN formation route in either the flue gas or fly ash from MSW combustion. Even so, naphthalene chlorination pathways presented in this paper provide an improved means for evaluating PCN formation mechanisms in combustion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the influence of the chemical composition (SiO2, CaO, Fe2O3, and Al2O3) of incinerator bottom ash on its friction angle. Direct shear tests were performed to measure the strength of bottom ash with two distinctly different compositions. Then, an empirical equation was regressed to determine the correlation between each composition and the friction angle. The experimental results showed that the main constituent material of the incinerator bottom ash from general municipal wastes is SiO2, and the friction angle is 48.04°–52.66°. The bottom ash from incineration plants treating both municipal wastes and general industrial wastes has a high content of iron–aluminum oxides, and its friction angle is 44.60°–52.52°. According to the multivariate regression analysis result, the friction angle of bottom ash of any composition is influenced mainly by the Fe2O3 and Al2O3 contents. This study used the friction angle of the bottom ash from four different incineration plants to validate the empirical equation, and found that the error between actual friction angles and the predicted values was −1.36% to 5.34%. Therefore, the regressed empirical equation in this study can be employed in engineering applications to preliminarily identify the backfill quality of incinerator bottom ash. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Due to the incomplete mineralisation of some organic compounds during the incineration of municipal solid waste, gaseous emissions are loaded with a large amount of particulate matter, undesirable elements and toxic molecules. Typically, an incinerator of urban solid waste produces large flows of hot gaseous emissions to be purified before being released into the atmosphere. In this paper, treatments of flue gas from a typical municipal waste incinerator are described. The first step is an energy recovery system through heat exchangers to make steam or hot water. Steam is used to produce electricity via a turbine. The economic balance of the total system is very often dependent on the heat recovery. The second step involves particle removal technologies. Different systems are available such as cyclones, scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators or baghouse filters. The third step is the removal of numerous molecule families such as acid compounds (SO, HCl, HF), nitrogen oxides (NO), metal species and many organic compounds. The latter include dioxins, furans and volatile organic compounds. Some treatment processes are described according to the pollutant family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions from open burning of simulated military waste from forward operating bases (FOBs) were extensively characterized as an initial step in assessing potential inhalation exposure of FOB personnel and future disposal alternatives. Emissions from two different burning scenarios, so-called "burn piles/pits" and an air curtain burner/"burn box", were compared using simulated FOB waste from municipal and commercial sources. A comprehensive array of emissions was quantified, including CO2, PM2.5, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and -furans (PCDDs/PCDFs), polybrominated dibenzodioxins and -furans (PBDDs/PBDFs), and metals. In general, smoldering conditions in the burn box and the burn pile led to similar emissions. However, when the burn box underwent periodic waste charging to maintain sustained combustion, PM2.5, VOCs, and PAH emissions dropped considerably compared to smoldering conditions and the overall burn pile results. The PCDD/PCDF and PBDD/PBDF emission factors for the burn piles were 50 times higher than those from the burn box likely due to the dominance of smoldering combustion in the burn piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. military forces have historically relied on open burning as an expedient method of volume reduction and treatment of solid waste during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. This study is the first effort to characterize a broad range of pollutants and their emission factors during the burning of military waste and the effects that recycling efforts, namely removing plastics, might have on emissions. Piles of simulated military waste were constructed, burned, and emissions sampled at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Open Burn Testing Facility (OBTF), Research Triangle Park, NC. Three tests contained polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1 or PET) plastic water bottles and four did not. Emission factors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), polychlorinated and polybrominated dioxins/furans (PCDD/F and PBDD/F), and criteria pollutants were determined and are contained within. The average PCDD/F emission factors were 270 ng-toxic equivalency (TEQ) per kg carbon burned (ng-TEQ/kg Cb), ranging from 35 to 780 ng-TEQ/kg Cb. Limited testing suggests that targeted removal of plastic water bottles has no apparent effect on reducing pollutants and may even promote increased emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]