Showing papers on "Waste disposal published in 1974"

A Study of the Dissolved and Particulate Trace Elements in the Bristol Channel

Abstract: A study of the dissolved inorganic salts of nitrogen, silicon, phosphorus and carbon and their particulate forms in the Bristol Channel (Abdullah, Dunlop & Gardner, 1973) has shown that the primary sources of these elements are run-off and waste disposal. Furthermore, the slow flushing rate of the Channel plays an important role in the accumulation of these materials in the eastern part. An important constituent of run-off is the heavy metal load especially in industrial waste. Some preliminary investigations (Abdullah, Royle & Morris, 1972; Butterworth, Lester & Nickless, 1972; Nickless, Atenner & Terille, 1972; Preston, 1973) have shown that certain trace metals such as Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn are added to the Channel in sufficiently large quantities to produce high concentrations not only in the waters of the Severn Estuary and Swansea Bay, but also in the local fauna.

Vacuum toilet system

Abstract: A vacuum flush waste disposal system for aircraft; wherein, the required vacuum is acquired at altitude through the differential pressure between the aircraft cabin pressure and the ambient pressure above approximately 15,000 feet. When the aircraft is below this altitude or on the ground, the vacuum is provided by a blower. For flushing the toilet bowl, a timing device is initially actuated and functions: to introduce a recirculated flush fluid into a flush ring in the upper portion of the toilet bowl; and to open a drain in the lower portion of the toilet bowl, leading to the vacuum waste line; whereby, the waste and flush water are rapidly propelled through the waste line towards a centrally located holding tank, by the differential pressure acting upon it. Once in the holding tank, the waste fluid is filtered out for further use as the recirculated flush fluid.

Agricultural Waste Management

Abstract: The management of agricultural waste is amenable to techniques traditionally available to civil engineers. The problems with agricultural wastes, however, are different from those commonly encountered in the management of municipal waste. Serious problems have resulted when municipal waste technology has been transferred to the management of agricultural wastes without due consideration for the differences of generation characteristics and chemical characteristics of the waste materials. The management of agricultural wastes is described, using the example of animal manures. The management of animal manures requires the utilization of a system that somehow resolves the problems of separation of the manure from the animal, transport, storage or treatment, or both, and disposal. Treatment is for the purpose of making manure more amenable to cropland application or for the purpose of changing its physical and chemical characteristics so as to avoid application difficulties or nuisances attributable to application.

Ecological effects of mineral exploitation in the United Kingdom and their significance to nature conservation

Abstract: Mineral exploitation directly affects organisms through both physical and chemical modification of their environment, and indirectly in a variety of ways. Excavation alters landform, drainage and soil conditions, while waste disposal has parallel effects and, along with processing, may cause pollution problems elsewhere. The effects on nature conservation interest vary according to the type and quality of habitat, vegetation and animal communities concerned, but mineral extraction can create new habitats of considerable value as well as causing damage. Adverse effects include direct habitat destruction, e.g. quarrying of important limestone areas and mining of ironstone; and production of chemical conditions unfavourable to both terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals, e.g. lead mining in Wales. Benefits are mainly the creation of new or more varied habitats, including lakes and marshes (flooded gravel pits and salt-mine subsidence); cliffs, screes and waste ground (quarries and mine tips); and old access routes, walls and buildings. Lead-mine spoil has greatly increased the populations of certain local plant species. In the past the gains to nature conservation interest have probably out-weighed the losses, but the future scale and methods of mineral extraction may pose more serious problems, as through opencast working for ball clay and copper, removal of important coastal shingle beaches, and final exhaustion of the Magnesian limestone. Conservation in the broadest sense requires that ecological knowledge be employed to restore all derelict land to productive use, but this should include nature conservation as well as other uses such as agriculture. Nature conservationists have the knowledge to advise where mineral extraction would cause serious damage, and to indicate how operations elsewhere might be conducted with advantage to their interests. It is, however, important that their information and views be made as early as possible in the planning process controlling future extraction.

Literature review on research study for the development of dredged material disposal criteria.

Abstract: : An extensive literature review was made as a part of an effort to establish relationships between the presence of various contaminants within sediments and the effects of sediment dredging and disposal on water quality and aquatic organisms. The review revealed that there is little or no evidence that a relation exists between bulk-sediment composition and pollution tendencies of dredged sediment. Use of criteria for dredged material disposal that are based on parameters normally used in evaluating environmental impact of domestic and industrial waste-waters is unrealistic because it is considered unlikely that there is a relation between environmental impact of a particular dredged sediment and a particular numerical value for any of these parameters in sediment. The use of a standard Elutriate Test to determine pollution potential of dredged material is superior to bulk analysis because the test recognizes that all chemicals in sediment are not equally available to aquatic organisms. It is concluded that dredged material disposal criteria should be based on a time-concentration-toxicity relationship for each chemical constituent, which could be developed from short-term bioassays with selected organisms. (Modified author abstract)

Alum recovery and waste disposal in water treatment

Abstract: In water treatment using alum and yielding a sludge containing aluminum hydroxide, alum is recovered by acidulating the sludge with sulphuric acid, conditioning the sludge with an inert additive for facilitating filtering, and supplying the conditioned sludge to a filter press. Alum in the filtrate is reused and make-up alum added as required. Periodically the cake in the filter press is neutralized with lime and disposed of. When the recovered alum becomes unsuitable for further use, the system is convertible to a sludge dewatering system in which acid is discontinued and lime added with the inert additive to condition the sludge for the filter press, the filtrate is returned to the water treatment system, and make-up alum is discontinued until all the stored recovered alum has been used up. New alum is then introduced and the sludge dewatering continued until the recovered alum has passed through the system and its coagulant product eliminated, the cake in the filter press being dumped as required. Then alum recovery may be resumed. Under unusual conditions where alum recovery might threaten the quality of the product water, the sludge dewatering mode of operation may be used until the conditions return to normal.

Sewerless disposal system

Abstract: A waste disposal system is disclosed which includes apparatus for treating water which has been used for cleaning, washing and for flushing toilets and for disposing of waste products by incineration. The total output of the system to the environment is then reclaimed wash water of tertiary treatment quality plus CO 2 and the ash resulting from the incineration of solid wastes. In alternative embodiments, systems designed for ships, multiple unit dwellings or small communities can operate on a substantially continuous duty cycle with full utilization being made, if desired, of the heat energy required for the incineration process, and for substantially reducing fresh water quantity requirements in all such installations through the use of recirculating toilets.

Solid Waste Management: Equity Trade-Off Models

Abstract: In a previous paper, location models for regional solid waste management facilities based on efficiency criteria alone were presented. This paper presents a methodology for explicitly considering tradeoffs between system cost and various equity issues such as esthetics, size and number of regional facilities, haul across local political boundaries, and other factors important in the negotiation process which precedes implementation of such regional systems. The model is presented and a case study based on the Boston metropolitan area is developed to show the type of information that can be developed in such a context.

Application of Municipal Refuse and Liquid Sewage Sludge to Agricultural Land: II. Lysimeter Study

Abstract: To determine if agricultural land could be used simultaneously for crop production and waste disposal-utilization, a lysimeter study was conducted using liquid sewage sludge and unsorted, pulverized municipal refuse. Refuse (R) at 188 metric tons/ha and a 2.3-cm depth of sewage sludge (S) were applied separately and in combination (RS). A double refuse-sludge rate [2(RS)] and a control treatment (C) receiving no additions were also used. Treatments were applied in the fall of 1971 and 1973. The cropping sequence was wintdr fallow—corn (Zea mays L.)—winter fallow—spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)—winter rye (Secale cereale L.)—corn. There was no effect of treatment on corn grain yields in 1972 but all treatments containing refuse increased grain yields in 1974. Treatments had little effect on levels of Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb in the corn grain and stover. Levels of Zn, Cu, and Cd were increased mainly by treatments containing refuse. The 2(RS) treatment resulted in stover Cd levels greater than the acceptable level for foodstuffs. Nitrate leaching losses were greater for S and RS than C. Although NO₃-N leached from 2(RS) was low, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations were high (> 1,000 ppm) and cumulative COD loss was 120 times that of the loss from C. The effect of treatment C/N was inconclusive, i.e., mixing sludge (C/N = 4.9) with refuse (C/N = 63) resulted in reduced NO₃-N leaching from RS (C/N = 41) as compared to that from S. However, refuse alone did not cause immobilization because NO₃-N losses from R were identical to those from C.

Correlation of coastal water turbidity and circulation with ERTS-1 and Skylab imagery

Abstract: The article reviews investigations of current circulation patterns, suspended sediment concentration, coastal frontal systems, and waste disposal plumes based on visual interpretation and digital analysis of ERTS-1 and Skylab/EREP imagery. Data on conditions in the Delaware Bay area were obtained from 10 ERTS-1 passes and one Skylab pass, with simultaneous surface and airborne sensing. The current patterns and sediments observed by ERTS-1 correlated well with ground-based observations. Methods are suggested which would make it possible to identify certain pollutants and sediment types from multispectral scanner data.

Construction Solid Waste

Abstract: This paper examines the classification and composition of construction solid waste and debris. The components of solid waste management systems are reviewed with emphasis on disposal procedures. Incineration, burial, and recycling options are evaluated for application to construction wastes. A strategy designed for the construction management engineer is presented.

Can treating system

Abstract: An improved system for washing and coating metal can bodies, such as seamless aluminum and tin plate can bodies, in a can processing line wherein various can washing, coating and curing stations are arranged in a unique fashion along the line so as to utilize generally fully compatible washing and coating materials, the residues of which are adapted to be either recycled or discharged into a common waste disposal system, as well as an improved coated can body.

The Economics of Resource Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste

Abstract: A prototypical operating statement similar to that used by business firms has been shown to be a useful decision-making tool for a community choosing a solid waste management system. When applied to resource recovery, it highlights the economics of recovery and the values of the input parameters necessary to achieve economic viability, whether in the case of public or private ownership ( 23 ). In most communities, refuse processing to recover material resources must be based on more than one source of revenue. In addition to the revenues from the sale of by-products, there must be revenues from processing the incoming refuse and from a user, or dump, fee. In the first case discussed, that of materials recovery by a front end system, resource recovery is shown to be economically feasible for those communities in which the present cost of disposal is relatively high. The indifferent community was one having a current cost of $7.72 per ton; more accurately, this would be the cost for the near-term future. It is not necessary that current costs be used, since many communities are merely "dumping" their refuse. The indifference decision should be based on the cost of an environmentally sound alternative. Energy recovery from municipal solid waste can increase the number of communities in which resource recovery will be an economic adjunct to a solid waste management system. The analysis presented here was based on the assumption that the value of the fuel recovered exactly offset the additional capital and operating costs of the utility which burns it. There could be costs above and beyond this; similarly, there could be a saving by taking into account the economic value of the organic fraction as fuel. However, it is believed that the assumption under which the materials-plus-energy case was analyzed seems to be realistic at this time.

Some Practical Aspects of Electroless Gold Plating

Abstract: The electroless gold plating process using potassium borohydride as the reducing agent has been investigated for impur i ty effects, material compatibili ty, bath agitat ion effects, and thickness uni formi ty and line resolution in selective plating of pat terned substrates. Impuri t ies may cause a decrease in plat ing rate [Ni(II) ], bath instabi l i ty [Ni( I I ) , Co(II) , Fe ( I I ) ], thickness nonuni formi ty (polyethylene, organics in deionized water) , and nodule format ion (some surfactants) . Bath agitat ion is beneficial: it increases plat ing rate, minimizes porosity of thin deposits, and eliminates nodule formation. Edge bui ld-up general ly occurs in selective pat tern plating but, with proper selection of bath compositions and agitation conditions, it can be main ta ined below 10% in the thickness range of 1-12 ~m. The rate of lateral growth of electroless gold deposits is about 60% of that of perpendicular growth under opt imum plating conditions. Also considered in this paper are certain aspects of the scale-up and waste disposal problems associated with electroless gold plating. Electroless gold plat ing has been found to be useful in a variety of applications, especially for selective plat ing on pat terned substrates for electronics applications. Such applications general ly require pure soft gold with a thickness in the range of 1-15 ~m. A bath developed in this laboratory (1) has been found to be quite suitable for forming such deposits. Previous papers described the general bath characteristics (1), physical properties of deposits (2), bath operation with replenishment (3), reaction mechanism (4), and the nucleation and growth of deposits (5). The purpose of this paper is to describe several other aspects of the process which are important from the practical viewpoint and which have hitherto not been discussed. The topics covered include impur i ty effects, mater ial compatibility, bath agitation effects, deposit thickness uniformity, and line resolution in selective plat ing of fine line pat terned substrates. General recommendations are made as a guide for users of this process. Specific applications will be described in separate communications. Solution Preparation and Plating Procedure Compositions of three electroless gold plat ing baths used are listed in Table I. Bath A was used often in our earlier studies (1-3) including those of impur i ty effects and porosity described in this paper. More recently, baths B and C have been used exclusively. These two baths contain less KCN and KBH4 and, therefore, are more preferable than bath A for practical reasons. Bath B gives the highest deposition rate (5-7 ~m/hr at 70~176 with vigorous agitation), but deposits with acceptable physical properties can be obtained only when plated with agitation. Bath C is slower plat ing (2 ~m/hr at 70~ with agitation) but gives bet ter thickness uni formi ty on th in deposits in fine l ine plating. Details wil l be described in subsequent sections. It is convenient to prepare the baths by di lut ion of 5• concentrated stock solutions. These solutions can be stored at room temperature for at least three months without noticeable decrease in pla t ing rate. Since a very small amount of hydrogen gas " Electrochemical Society Life Member. "" Electrochemical Society Act ive Member.

Chute-Hydropulping Waste Disposal System: A Reservoir of Enteric Bacilli and Pseudomonas in a Modern Hospital

Abstract: This report details an investigation of a significant increase in nosocomial gramnegative bacteremia caused by enteric bacilli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The chute-hydropulping waste disposal system was identified as a bacteria-rich reservoir, with 108 enteric bacilli and P. aeruginosa per gram of pulp. The system was found to be a gross source of airborne fecal flora. Airborne dissemination of a virus by that system was documented, and other viruses and infective agents of human disease might have been introduced from the waste pulp through the 16-story chute into the patients' ecosystem. Closure of the waste disposal complex resulted in disappearance of enteric organisms and P. aeruginosa from the hospital air. Average colony counts declined from > 150 to 40 per cubic foot of air. The incidence of nosocomial septicemia caused by P. aeruginosa and other gramnegative organisms declined concomitantly and continued at a reduced rate throughout a 19-month follow-up. Even though the evidence is circumstantial, it is urged that hospital designers prevent the described sources of gross contamination and nosocomial hazards.

Food uses of barley

Abstract: This is a review of industrial and food uses of barley. Following a general description of the structure and the composition of the barley kernel and outline of present uses, recent and projected developments are discussed. Those developments include uses of malted barley in brewing and baking. Mechanically abraded barleys malted in the presence of exogenous gibberellic acid can be used in novel brewing systems and in the improvement of bread quality. By‐products of malting and brewing can be utilized in feed and nonfood products and at the same time reduce problems of waste disposal. The availability of barley cultivars with unique starch compositions (high in amylose or amylopectin) or high in protein and lysine expand the potential usefulness of barley in the production of modified starches and cereals of greatly improved nutritional value.

Heat treatment of waste sludges

Abstract: The present invention relates to the disposal of sewage sludges or the like, by thermally conditioning the sludges, dewatering the sludges and subsequently incinerating the organic content of the sludges. More particularly the present invention is directed to a waste disposal process which employs the heat from the incineration step to condition the sludges, followed by dewatering the conditioned sludge in order to form a supra-autogeneous feed to the incinerator.

Survey of the locations, disposal and prospective uses of the major industrial by-products and waste materials

Abstract: The locations, quantities and methods of disposal or use of the waste materials of major importance are surveyed in the context of their application in the building and construction industries. This survey which reviews outlets for waste materials not at present used, covers the field in England and Wales and includes some information on the situation in Scotland. The waste materials considered here includes colliery spoil, china clay waste, slate waste, waste from coal-burning power stations, by-product calcium sulphate, iron and steel making slags, residues from directly incinerated refuse, and miscellaneous wastes. On the basis of the investigation it is concluded that china clay is usable as aggregate without further processing. Other materials may be used in situations with undemanding performance requirements but further research is required to demonstrate this. All materials surveyed with the exception of calcium sulphate are potentially usable as fill. Lightweight aggregates from colliery spoil, pulverized fuel ash and blast furnace slag, and the use of pulverized fuel ash in the manufacture of cement are also covered.

Method of treating waste water

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel process for the treatment of waste water from municipal and industrial sources by contacting the waste water with an activated sludge at conditions at which biological oxidation takes place. In this process various water-insoluble inorganic oxides selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, and silica-alumina are combined with the sludge whereby increased rates of biological oxidation are obtained and the sludge shows increased settleability. In a most preferred embodiment of this method, the water-insoluble inorganic oxide is a spent cracking catalyst, that is, a zeolite which has been used in fluid cracking of hydrocarbon feeds and thus contains vanadium, iron, nickel, copper, and/or carbon. This catalyst may be recovered from aqueous scrubber solutions which are utilized to reduce stack losses in fluidized cracking processes and which, at present, present a solids waste disposal problem.

Household Waste Characterization

Abstract: In order to effectively study alternatives to the treatment and disposal of wastewaters from individual homes, a study was conducted to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of wastes generated by both rural and urban households. A survey of a number of households, in concert with the analysis of current information available in the literature, provided data to establish guidelines characterizing individual wastewater events within the home. A simulated wastewater was subsequently developed for further research on treatment and disposal alternatives.

Discussion of Regulatory Criteria for Ocean Disposal of Dredged Materials: Elutriate Test Rationale and Implementation Guidelines.

Abstract: : The report presents the rationale and guidelines for implementation of the 'Standard Elutriate Test' as authorized in Rules and Regulations, Transportation for Dumping of Material into Ocean Waters, Title 40, Chapter 1, Subchapter H, Part 227.61(c), Federal Register, Volume 38, No. 198, 15 October 1973. The immediate bioavailable fraction of a sediment is dissolved in the sediment interstitial water or in an ionic form that is bound to the ion exchange fraction of the sediment. The elutriate test indicates those constituents in the interstitial water and those ions loosely bound to the ion exchange fraction and, therefore, is a viable criterion for estimating the immediate impact on water quality.

Energy supply demand/need and the gaps between. Volume 1: An overview

Abstract: This paper is a summary, based on a critical review of selected literature pertaining to energy supply, demand, supply/ demand imbalances and the operational/technological developments needed to redress imbalances. Crises have been a recurrent feature of man's history. There was a crisis based on a shortage of wood fuel in the early 17th century. Whale oil was so short during the Civil War that the price doubled, yet it then dropped by a factor of six before the end of the century as kerosene became an alternate option. Energy demand growth soared in the U.S. over the last two decades not because of need but because real energy prices dropped. Energy was substituted for labor and material which were costing more. Now we have materials as well as energy shortages and massive unemployment. There is little agreement regarding our future supply of fossil fuels and no consensus on the best way to reduce demand. History tells us that the imbalance will be resolved. It is our task to make sure that the resolution occurs with the lowest possible social and environmental cost. Price can resolve the imbalance, but because price dbes not often reflect all costs this resolution can be very disruptive. Alternatives must be developed and options broadened. Opportunities for conservation should not be overlooked for the marginal barrel of oil saved is of greater value than the marginal barrel of new production. A series of working papers and monographs which discuss certain aspects of this review more broadly are included in Volume II of this report.

Artificial Recharge — State of the Arta

Abstract: The largest potential reservoir for the storage of potable water is in the unsaturated zone. Use of this space for the storage and retrieval of potable water is a multifaceted problem which requires application of the best talent from the scientific community. Artificial recharge has many similarities to liquidwaste disposal through deep wells. In both, the problem is to place liquid in a permeable lithologic unit at an economic rate, to predict movement and the chemical reactions and physical changes that take place while the liquid is in the reservoir. Differences between the two operations are principally in the type of fluid injected and the ultimate objective. In artificial recharge the objective is to store and retrieve water of good quality; in waste disposal the objective is to store permanently water of objectionable quality. In both artificial recharge and liquid-waste storage, the nature of the storage must be known, particularly that of the unsaturated zone. The techniques of investigation for recharge and waste disposal are generally the same. Water commonly is recharged by surface spreading through basins or by induced recharge from adjacent streams and lakes or through injection wells. Research in recharge through basins has been dominated by mathematical models based on idealized conditions and empirical relations, derived by experimental sequencing of recharge operations, and operational controls in the pretreatment of recharge water. Recharge by injection wells has been undertaken in a variety of hydrologic environments. In Israel efforts have been directed toward the analyses of diffusion and dispersion of the injected water. Much research in the United States has been directed toward the movement of bacteria and organic matter through an aquifer and toward the chemical modeling of changes in recharged water as it moves. Much more research is needed on the basic properties of aquifers, particularly in the unsaturated zone, and on all aspects of recharge-water quality. Research and the use of data produced are increasingly the responsibility of interdisciplinary teams which consider the geologic, hydraulic, and economic aspects of the system.

Recover Alum to Reduce Waste‐Disposal Costs

Abstract: A review of the types and volumes of wastewater discharged from water-treatment plants in the US would no oubt prove that alum-waste qua tities are the greatest. Moreover, alum wastes would also be considered to be among the most troublesome to condition for satisfactory disposal. The problem is with the hydroxide contained in the sludge, resulting from the use of alum in the coagulation process usually preceding filtration. Aluminum hydroxide is gelatinous in natu e and will remain in its se ifluid state indefinitely u less something is done to change its physical characteristics. Although the hyroxide slud e does settle readily, it is almost impossible to dewater without prior treatment. It has been proposed by so e that since alum does produce such a troublesome waste, its use should be abandoned in favor of other unusual coagulating methods that, it is suggested, provide recycling advantages. Such a shift would be unfortunate since alum has been a most valuable tool in water treatment for many years in the removal of suspended, colloidal, and color matter. It has provided a reliable, easy-to-use method of coagulation and also can be readily processed for

Effluent disposal system

Abstract: An effluent disposal system for use in conjunction with a high temperature heat source in which waste material is macerate and meterably discharged into the source of heat as a function of heat source operating conditions such as pressure or temperature, thus insuring the most efficient waste disposal throughout the complete heat source operating range. When utilized with an internal combustion engine, the overall system efficiency is increased by obtaining engine operating information from the intake manifold with a sensing means which measures the vacuum or pressure within a particular portion of the intake manifold and uses the intake manifold information as an input to the metering device. Thus, Applicant's device determines the heat source output of an internal combustion engine and relates the engine condition to a metering device for discharging the effluent, thus insuring that the amount of effluent metered into the engine exhaust stream is a function of the engine output. Additionally the effluent discharge line may be placed and housed within the exhaust manifold itself, with the effluent discharge line being constructed of a thermally conductive material to provide effluent discharge into the exhaust line at the maximum heat source, thus insuring the most thorough calcination and sterilization of the effluent.