Canadian Innovations in Siting Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

/ Siting hazardous waste facilities is an extremely complex and difficult endeavor. Public aversion to the construction of these facilities in or near their community often results in concerted opposition, referred to as the NIMBY syndrome. For the most part, siting processes do not fail because of inadequate environmental or technical considerations, but because of the adversarial decision-making strategies employed by the proponents. Innovative siting processes used in the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba offer tangible evidence of the successful application of an innovative siting approach based on the principles of decentralization of decision-making authority and full and meaningful public involvement. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate four Canadian siting processes from the perspective of public participation and access to decision-making authority. Examples of siting processes related to hazardous waste management facilities are provided from the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Ontario. Siting has evolved from approaches dominated by top-down decision making to increasing decentralized and pluralistic approaches. Focusing on social and political concerns of potentially affected communities and on the process of decision making itself are fundamental to achieving siting success. In Alberta initially, and later in Manitoba, this new "open approach" to siting has resulted in the construction of the first two comprehensive hazardous waste treatment facilities in Canada.KEY WORDS: Hazardous waste facilities; Siting methodologies; Public participation     

Dynamics and Causation of Environmental Equity, Locally Unwanted Land Uses, and Neighborhood Changes

/ Why are some environmental risks distributed disproportionately in the neighborhoods of the minorities and the poor? A hypothesis was proposed in a recent study that market dynamics contributed to the current environmental inequity. That is, locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) make the host communities home to more poor people and people of color. This hypothesis was allegedly supported by a Houston case study, whereby its author analyzed the postsiting changes of the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods surrounding solid waste facilities. I argue that such an analysis of postsiting changes alone is insufficient to test the causation hypothesis. Instead, I propose a conceptual framework for analysis of environmental equity dynamics and causation. I suggest that the presiting neighborhood dynamics and the characteristics of control neighborhoods be analyzed as the first test for the causation hypothesis. Furthermore, I present theories of neighborhood change and then examine alternative hypotheses that these theories offer for explaining neighborhood changes and for the roles of LULUs in neighborhood changes. These alternative hypotheses should be examined when analyzing the relationship between LULUs and neighborhood changes in a metropolitan area. Using this framework of analysis, I revisited the Houston case. First, I found no evidence that provided support for the hypothesis that the presence of LULUs made the neighborhoods home to more blacks and poor people, contrary to the conclusion made by the previous study. Second, I examined alternative hypotheses for explaining neighborhood changes-invasion-succession, other push forces, and neighborhood life-cycle; the former two might offer better explanation.KEY WORDS: Environmental equity and justice; Locally unwanted lane uses; Siting; Market dynamics; Invasion-succession; Neighborhood changes     

Environmental Management of Quarries as Waste Disposal Facilities

Problems associated with the disposal of municipal solid waste have become a source of public concern worldwide as awareness of potential adverse environmental impacts and health threats from solid waste has increased. Communities are concerned about the generation and management of solid waste to the extent of refusing to allow new disposal facilities near their homes, often after witnessing the legacy of existing facilities. Under these conditions, the development of national policies for the management of solid waste becomes highly political, all while requiring appropriate technical solutions that ensure environmental protection and proper management plans that support an acceptable solution for the disposal of municipal solid waste. In some locations, the conversion of old quarries into well-engineered and controlled landfills appears as a promising solution to a continuously increasing problem, at least for many decades to come. This paper describes the environmental impacts associated with solid waste disposal in a converted quarry site and the mitigation measures that can be adopted to alleviate potential adverse impacts. Environmental management and monitoring plans are also discussed in the context of ensuring adequate environmental protection during and after the conversion process.     

Siting America's geologic repository for high-level Nuclear Waste: Implications for environmental Policy

Siting a geologic repository for isolating highlevel nuclear waste up to 10,000 years is a controversial undertaking never before attempted in the United States. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 exempted repository siting from important requirements for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. In December 1987, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act identified Yucca Mountain as the first site to be characterized for a high-level nuclear waste repository. In light of the unproven nature of the technology being evaluated, the scientific uncertainties associated with Yucca Mountain, and the lack of proven methods for risk evaluation, the environmental policies for repository siting represent a significant departure from more traditional, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary environmental review for siting nuclear projects. The policies warrant further study by those interested in how present as well as future decisions about complex technologies may be made.     

Siting and Routing Assessment for Solid Waste Management Under Uncertainty Using the Grey Mini-Max Regret Criterion

Solid waste management (SWM) is at the forefront of environmental concerns in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), South Texas. The complexity in SWM drives area decision makers to look for innovative and forward-looking solutions to address various waste management options. In decision analysis, it is not uncommon for decision makers to go by an option that may minimize the maximum regret when some determinant factors are vague, ambiguous, or unclear. This article presents an innovative optimization model using the grey mini-max regret (GMMR) integer programming algorithm to outline an optimal regional coordination of solid waste routing and possible landfill/incinerator construction under an uncertain environment. The LRGV is an ideal location to apply the GMMR model for SWM planning because of its constant urban expansion, dwindling landfill space, and insufficient data availability signifying the planning uncertainty combined with vagueness in decision-making. The results give local decision makers hedged sets of options that consider various forms of systematic and event-based uncertainty. By extending the dimension of decision-making, this may lead to identifying a variety of beneficial solutions with efficient waste routing and facility siting for the time frame of 2005 through 2010 in LRGV. The results show the ability of the GMMR model to open insightful scenario planning that can handle situational and data-driven uncertainty in a way that was previously unavailable. Research findings also indicate that the large capital investment of incineration facilities makes such an option less competitive among municipal options for landfills. It is evident that the investment from a municipal standpoint is out of the question, but possible public–private partnerships may alleviate this obstacle.     

改造碳黑废水处理设施使废水循环使用

介绍碳黑废水处理工艺流程的技术改造及其技术要点。着重阐述了关键设备斜管沉淀池的运行原理、运行结果及其在整个流程改造过程中所起的作用。改造后的工艺流程特点是斜管沉淀效率高，出水水质好，副产品碳黑质优销路好，劳动强度低，废水可循环使用，设备占地少，运行费用低，总体效益好。改造后实现了全厂生产用水闭路循环，取得了可观的经济、环境、社会效益。废水循环利用在技术上是可行的，经济上有收益，实现了废水及固体废物的资源化。     

废氯仿提纯再利用的方法

用二乙氨基二硫代甲酸银光度法测砷会产生许多废氯仿,如果将这些废氯仿丢弃,势必对环境带来污染,将这些废氯仿进行收集、萃取,可回收再利用,减少对环境的污染,也节约了成本。     

世界中低水平放射性废物处置设施现状及启示

随着核科学的飞速发展和应用,产生了大量的放射性废物,合理、安全的处置各类放射性废物,已成为世界各国刻不容缓的研究课题。各国已建或在建了许多中低水平放射性废物处置设施,这些设施的信息分散在各国的官方报告中,研究分析这些信息将对我国放射性废物的处置具有重要意义。本文通过调研大量资料,总结了世界核反应堆的现状(数据截止到2013年);介绍了中低水平放射性废物处置发展概况;分析了世界各国中低水平放射性废物处置设施的现状(数据截止到2011年);并对我国的中低放废物处置提出建议。为我国全面和正确的认识放射性废物处置,有的放矢的制定发展规划和开展相关研究提供了科学依据。     

医疗废水治理设施监测中的问题及解决办法

医院污水来源及成分复杂,含有病原性微生物、有毒、有害的物理化学污染物和放射性污染等,需建设配套的废水治理设施.为检验治理效果,加强监管,需对治理设施进行验收监测和监督性监测.在排除废水治理过程一系列问题后即可做到,监测科学合理顺利开展,废水治理设施处理的废水稳定达标排放.     

Multiattribute Utility Analysis as a Framework for Public Participation in Siting a Hazardous Waste Management Facility

This paper describes a public participation exercise in which stakeholders used an approach based on multiattribute utility analysis to select a site for a hazardous waste management facility. The key to success was the ability to separate and address two types of judgments inherent in environmental decisions—technical judgments regarding the likely consequences of alternative choices and value judgments regarding the importance or seriousness of those consequences. The approach enabled technical specialists to communicate the essential technical considerations and allowed stakeholders to establish the value judgments for the decision. Although rarely used in public participation, the multiattribute utility approach appears to provide a useful framework for the collaborative resolution of complex environmental decision problems.     

Optimal Location and Management of Waste Disposal Facilities Affecting Ground Water Quality1

ABSTRACT: Numerical simulation of ground water solute transport is combined with linear programming to optimize waste disposal. A discretized form of the equation governing solute transport is included as a set of constraints in a linear program. Two problems are described. First, the management model is used to maximize ground water waste disposal. The model constrains disposal activities so that the quality of local ground water supplies is protected. Parametric programming is shown to be important in evaluating waste disposal tradeoffs at the various facilities. Changes in the velocity field induced by waste water injection cause a nonlinearity in the solute transport equation which is dealt with by employing an iterative procedure. The second problem is aimed at identifying all sites which are suitable for waste disposal in the subsurface. The management model is manipulated so that the optimal value of the dual variables are “unit source impact indicators.” This physical interpretation is valuable in identifying feasible disposal sites. The joint simulation and optimization approach permits the management of complex ground water systems where the aquifer is used simultaneously for waste disposal and water supply.     

生活(医院)污水处理设施运行情况分析

通过对江苏油田6套生活污水2套医院污水处理设施进行调查,针对其工艺流程、建设投资、处理能力、运行费用、运行状况及处理效果,分析了现有处理方法存在的问题,并提出了解决办法,对今后处理设施的管理、改进和处理技术有一定的参考价值。     

From Siting Principles to Siting Practices: A Case Study of Discord among Trust,Equity and Community Participation

This paper contributes to the noxious facilities siting literature by exploring some implications of adhering to some recommended principles and practices for competent siting. Through a qualitative case study of a landfill siting process in Peel (Ontario, Canada) three principles are critically assessed: trust; equity; and community participation. While laudable notions in principle, in practice they can impact each other in important ways which can (potentially) undermine the siting process. These impacts result mainly from the failure to achieve meaningful goals associated with one principle (e.g. community participation) which can exacerbate problems achieving goals associated with other principles (e.g. trust). The resulting discord can be further aggravated by the snowballing of adverse effects over time. In particular, practices for achieving trust and equity were adversely linked, as were the relationships between spatial equity and procedural equity and interregional and intraregional equity. These adverse synergisms were linked together with ineffective community participation which brought the process to a halt. Siting inertia (a process momentum difficult to redirect) and an inflexible siting context contributed to these conflicts. Implications for siting and further research are discussed.     

Failing to Site Hazardous Waste Facilities Voluntarily: Implications for the Production of Sustainable Goods

A current approach to the process of siting hazardous waste facilities is to seek 'willing host' communities that will not oppose but rather voluntarily accept risky facilities. Voluntary siting strategies have been put forward as the solution to hazardous waste location problems, and there have indeed been a small number of siting successes achieved voluntarily. This paper argues that, despite claims about voluntary processes, there are indications that few 'willing host' sites will be found in response to the many that are proposed. Instead, it suggests that the limited success of siting attempts, voluntary or otherwise, signals a new phase in hazardous waste management, a shift in focus from where to site a facility to whether a good is worth producing at all if its wastes are not siteable. A characteristic of this phase is the growing influence that the disposal potential of the generated waste can have on future management decisions to produce a good. In practice, siting failure may be one of the critical turning points on the road to sustainable production. It can accomplish what technology and environmental assessments have generally been unable to do: foresee the sustainability of a good. In this way, siteability can be seen as one indicator of sustainable production. A good can be considered sustainable if the wastes associated with its production are siteable.     

固定源废气中汞的检测方法探讨

针对目前我国固定源废气中汞的检测工作现状,以及国内外相关的汞检测标准,介绍了包括美国标准方法EPA Method 30B、Ontario Hydro Method(安大略法)和我国滤筒采样法、冲击瓶采样法等四种采样方法以及冷原子吸收分光光度法和原子荧光分光光度法两种分析方法,对比了各种方法的原理、适用范围及优缺点,以期为我国固定源废气汞检测提供参考。     

生活垃圾填埋场建设项目环保验收调查方法研究简

垃圾填埋场建设项目的主要环境问题包括：渗沥液排放、地下水环境污染、大气环境污染、噪声污染、景观变化和环境安全。根据工作经验,建立了包括建设项目基本情况、生态环境影响、社会环境影响、生态环境保护措施四大类调查监测指标为核心的环保验收调查指标体系,提出了文件资料核实、现场勘查、遥感调查、公众意见调查、环境监测和摄影法为主的建设项目竣工环保验收调查技术方法。     

基于LMDI模型的乌鲁木齐工业废气排放影响因素研究

本文运用对数平均的LMDI 分解模型,选取工业SO₂、工业烟(粉)尘排放量作为污染物指标,将2006—2013 年,乌鲁木齐工业废气排放量影响因素分解为规模效应、结构效应、技术效应,考虑到技术效应机制的复杂性,进一步将技术效应细化为污染治理效应和清洁技术效应。研究结果表明:规模效应和结构效应增加乌鲁木齐工业废气排放,其中规模效应对工业废气排放量贡献率由2007 年的119.10%增加到2013 年的263.03%,结构效应对工业废气排放量的增加也起到一定的促进作用,但影响效果远低于规模效应,年贡献率均低于10%,技术效应阻碍工业废气排放的增加,贡献率由2007 年的-19.86%增加到2013 年的-172.50%。制造业和电力、燃气及水的生产和供应业废气排放量占工业废气排放总量的70% 左右,是乌鲁木齐工业废气污染的主要行业。清洁技术效应对SO₂ 的减排起促进作用,是阻碍工业SO₂ 排放量增加的主要因素。污染治理效应是工业烟(粉)尘的减排主要因素,说明目前乌鲁木齐工业烟(粉)尘的减排依赖于排放后的治理。     

Waste Management in Guangdong Cities: The Waste Management Literacy and Waste Reduction Preferences of Domestic Waste Generators

A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2002 on 1365 households in two prefectural-level cities in the Pearl River Delta, Jiangmen and Zhongshan. Three groups of issues are covered in this paper: 1) waste management literacy, concerns, and public participation; 2) waste recycling practices and the potential for waste avoidance; and 3) public environmental literacy. This study confirms findings from previous surveys and provides new information on important issues such as imposing monetary charges on waste and environmental activities, littering, source separation programs (SSPs), and public participation and expectations in local waste management. Saving up recyclable materials for redemption in waste depots is commonly practiced in mainland China regardless of the level of development of a city, although at the household level, high-income families tend to place less value on the revenues to be gained from redemption than lower income groups do. Data from the previous and the present studies indicate that such voluntary but largely economically driven waste recovery behavior diverts at least 10% of the household waste from the waste stream. Although uncompensated SSP is less appealing in the two cities than compensated SSP, it was found that when the median per capita income of a city reaches RMB2000 per month, a high participation rate for uncompensated waste recovery is more likely to occur. Education and income levels are the chief factors affecting littering behavior and the potential for waste avoidance. Contrary to general belief, the local Chinese community is active in microwaste management. The concern, however, is over the inability of the grassroots bureaucracy to deal with rising expectations for waste collection services and neighborhood cleanliness.     

Innovation and Environmental Voluntary Approaches

Criteria have been developed in general terms for evaluating voluntary approaches. Nevertheless, there still remains limited assessment regarding the performance of environmental voluntary approaches as there is a general dearth of empirical information. In relation to innovation and voluntary approaches there are two main schools of thought, namely, the no innovation scenario and innovation through collective learning. This paper outlines the arguments regarding environmental voluntary approaches and innovation and reports on an empirical study of an Irish packaging voluntary agreement. Its findings would indicate that the no innovation scenario is applicable to the Irish packaging voluntary agreement.     

钻井废液-废水处理一体化设备的研究及应用

介绍了钻井清洁生产的核心设备——钻井废液-废水处理一体化设备的原理、流程和处理效果。实践证明,用这种一体化设备处理普通聚合物钻井液体系产生的钻井废液时,设备排水质量可达到GB8978-1996《污水综合排放标准》(一级标准或二级标准);当用于处理高温深井聚合物-磺酸盐复杂钻井液体系产生的钻井废液时,除了COD外, 排出水的主要水质指标可达到GB8978-1996《污水综合排放标准》(二级标准)。用该设备处理后的泥渣含水率低于55%,泥渣体积减少了88%。