Environmental policy and legal framework for controlling mercury emissions from stationary sources: a case study in Taiwan

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In recent years, the Taiwan government partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Global Mercury Partnership program to follow...     

Waste-to-energy: A review of the status and benefits in USA

The USA has significant experience in the field of municipal solid waste management. The hierarchy of methodologies for dealing with municipal solid wastes consists of recycling and composting, combustion with energy recovery (commonly called waste-to-energy) and landfilling. This paper focuses on waste-to-energy and especially its current status and benefits, with regard to GHG, dioxin and mercury emissions, energy production and land saving, on the basis of experience of operating facilities in USA.     

我国西部县域发展循环经济的形势分析——以泾川县为例

循环经济是一种全新的经济发展模式,发展循环经济可以从根本上解决资源短缺、环境恶化问题,达到人与自然和谐、健康、持续发展,建设生态文明社会。以泾川县为例,分析了对泾川县发展循环经济的必要性、发展机遇和面临挑战。     

Modelling a recovery network for WEEE: a case study in Portugal

The European Union directive for electric and electronic waste, published in 2003, enforced all European countries to meet some targets concerning the recycling and recovery of these products. This directive was transposed to the Portuguese legislation in 2004. Following this, a group of EEE producers set up an organization (Amb3e) whose mission was to design and manage a nationwide recovery network for WEEE, which will be the subject matter of this work. A generic MILP model is proposed to represent this network, which is applied to its design and planning, where the best locations for collection and sorting centres are chosen simultaneously with the definition of a tactical network planning. Several analyses are performed to provide further insights regarding the selection of these alternative locations. The results gave support to the company strategic expansion plans for a high number of centres to be opened and to their location near the major WEEE sources.     

A management system for end-of-life tyres: a Portuguese case study

The European Union introduced several policy instruments based in the extended producer responsibility (EPR) in order to improve the environmental performance of products and services through their life cycles. In this context, the Portuguese government decided to apply the EPR concept to tyres, and producers were obliged to constitute an end-of-life management system to promote the collection, recycling and reuse of end-of-life (EOL) tyres. This required producers, distributors, recyclers and retreaders to be identified and characterized, and local processing infrastructures to be analyzed. The information was used to design an economically optimised EOL tyre management system while promoting the activity of all EOL operators in order for the imposed collecting and recovery targets to be fulfilled. This paper discusses the interaction between the different governmental, private and academic institutions for the creation of the integrated management system for EOL tyres, the approach taken, the technical, political and legal aspects underneath them, as well as the environmental consequences induced by the creation of the management system. The results obtained during the first years of operation are reported and show an increase in the collection and recycling of EOL tyres and the consolidation of the collection and processing infrastructures.     

Prioritising objectives for waste reprocessing: a case study in secondary lead refining

Secondary lead refining produces a sulphidic slag that also contains varying quantities of lead. Initially, the objectives of this project were to treat the slag in order to recover the valuable lead as well as to render the slag environmentally benign. However, in keeping with the principles of clean technology and, specifically, the approach of clean production, the project was redefined with the following priorities: waste characterisation; waste minimisation through process improvement; waste modification; identification of slag treatment methods. Characterisation of the waste facilitated an overall process understanding and aided in identifying process deficiencies. Process improvement was aimed at reducing both the quantity of slag produced as well as the lead loss to the slag. Waste characterisation combined with local hazardous waste regulations enabled desirable waste modifications to be identified. These waste adaptations were implemented through process modification. Lastly, treatment methods for the slag were identified.     

Developing a master plan for hospital solid waste management: a case study

Disposal of about 1750tons of solid wastes per day is the result of a rapid population growth in the province of Khuzestan in the south west of Iran. Most of these wastes, especially hospital solid wastes which have contributed to the pollution of the environment in the study area, are not properly managed considering environmental standards and regulations. In this paper, the framework of a master plan for managing hospital solid wastes is proposed considering different criteria which are usually used for evaluating the pollution of hospital solid waste loads. The effectiveness of the management schemes is also evaluated. In order to rank the hospitals and determine the share of each hospital in the total hospital solid waste pollution load, a multiple criteria decision making technique, namely analytical hierarchy process (AHP), is used. A set of projects are proposed for solid waste pollution control and reduction in the proposed framework. It is partially applied for hospital solid waste management in the province of Khuzestan, Iran. The results have shown that the hospitals located near the capital city of the province, Ahvaz, produce more than 43% of the total hospital solid waste pollution load of the province. The results have also shown the importance of improving management techniques rather than building new facilities. The proposed methodology is used to formulate a master plan for hospital solid waste management.     

Energy recovery from municipal waste: a case study for a middle-sized Italian district

This paper reports the main outcome of research to compare and assess the merits of alternative strategies for energy recovery from municipal solid waste downstream of material recovery for an Italian province. Strategies analysed are based on well-established combustion technologies available at the commercial scale in the Italian market in comparison with an innovative but not yet proven option of refuse derived fuel gasification and subsequent co-combustion of syngas in a combined cycle power plant. The comparison is made using mass and energy balances, environmental assessment and economic analysis. From an energetic point of view, the best strategy is the one based on the refuse derived fuel gasification, which, on the contrary, does not show interesting environmental results. In this perspective, the best results are from strategies based on a dedicated plant, particularly when unsorted residual waste collected downstream of material recovery is used. Finally, from an economic point of view, the strategy with gasification allows the highest revenues from the sale of energy.     

Health-care waste management in Lao PDR: a case study.

This study investigated the health-care waste (HCW) management at each health-care facility level at two selected sites in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR): Vientiane Municipality; and Bolikhamxay province. It focused on the amount of HCW, its segregation and the factors influencing HCW management, particularly segregation procedures. A high proportion of incorrectly segregated medical waste was found at each level of health-care facility. Re-segregation revealed 39, 62, 57 and 37% at national hospital, provincial hospital, district hospital and health centre level, respectively, was poorly segregated. The mean of generated HCW was 0.62 kg/bed per day (Vientiane Municipality) and 0.38 kg/bed per day (Bolikhamxay) at two study sites. A higher proportion of medical waste (MW) from the inpatient department at the primary health-care level was found. Thus, HCW management at primary health-care facilities needs more attention and should be better understood.     

Source separation of household waste: a case study in China

A pilot program concerning source separation of household waste was launched in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, China. Detailed investigations on the composition and properties of household waste in the experimental communities revealed that high water content and high percentage of food waste are the main limiting factors in the recovery of recyclables, especially paper from household waste, and the main contributors to the high cost and low efficiency of waste disposal. On the basis of the investigation, a novel source separation method, according to which household waste was classified as food waste, dry waste and harmful waste, was proposed and performed in four selected communities. In addition, a corresponding household waste management system that involves all stakeholders, a recovery system and a mechanical dehydration system for food waste were constituted to promote source separation activity. Performances and the questionnaire survey results showed that the active support and investment of a real estate company and a community residential committee play important roles in enhancing public participation and awareness of the importance of waste source separation. In comparison with the conventional mixed collection and transportation system of household waste, the established source separation and management system is cost-effective. It could be extended to the entire city and used by other cities in China as a source of reference.     

Towards a cleaner production in developing countries: a case study in a Chilean tannery.

A Chilean leather tanning industry (tannery) was studied in terms of input/output (I/O) analysis of beamhouse, tanyard and retanning processes. The physical-chemical characterization of 19 streams were investigated. Streams from the beamhouse process and some streams from the retanning process were found to have high organic contents ranging from 2.5 to 18.1 g COD L(-1). The pH ranged between 3.45 and 12.28. Sulphur was found in most of the streams whereas chromium was detected in two wastewaters from the tanyard and in seven streams from the retanning process. Pollution prevention opportunities were evaluated and an appropriate treatment strategy was proposed. The main emphasis was on determining waste reduction measures that can be easily implemented and are not particularly expensive. Measures for reduction at source were proposed to reduce water and chemicals consumption and wastewater pollution. A so-called S(index) strategy was used to evaluate proposals on segregation and specific treatment of the main chromium- and sulphur-containing wastewaters. It was suggested that some streams may be re-used, but it is necessary to apply anaerobic or aerobic treatment first, depending on their organic load. Solid wastes were also evaluated and a proposal for their reduction and disposal was made.     

Regional medical waste management in China: a case study of Shenyang

Medical waste management is of great importance due to its potential environmental and public health risks, especially in developing countries where both financial and technological resources on medical waste management are still lacking. Although many studies have focused on country-scaled medical waste management, few have paid close attention to regional (city-scale) management, particularly in China. This paper fills such a gap by employing a case study approach. Due to its representative nature, Shenyang was selected as the case study. After a review of China’s medical waste management, an empirical study in Shenyang was conducted in order to analyze the current state as well as identify key challenges on regional medical waste management. Based upon the local realities and aiming to better manage medical wastes, an integrated medical waste management framework is developed. Such a platform encourages the establishment of a specific medical waste management authority, a city scaled capacity building program on improving the general public’s awareness, an information platform, application of state-of-the-art technologies, as well as creation of an effective financial system. The combination of such initiatives can significantly improve the overall eco-efficiency of medical waste management at the regional level and should be promoted to other developing cities.     

Biomedical solid waste management in an Indian hospital: a case study

The objectives of this study were: (i) to assess the waste handling and treatment system of hospital bio-medical solid waste and its mandatory compliance with Regulatory Notifications for Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, under the Environment (Protection Act 1986), Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Govt. of India, at the chosen KLE Society's J. N. Hospital and Medical Research Center, Belgaum, India and (ii) to quantitatively estimate the amount of non-infectious and infectious waste generated in different wards/sections. During the study, it was observed that: (i) the personnel working under the occupier (who has control over the institution to take all steps to ensure biomedical waste is handled without any adverse effects to human health and the environment) were trained to take adequate precautionary measures in handling these bio-hazardous waste materials, (ii) the process of segregation, collection, transport, storage and final disposal of infectious waste was done in compliance with the Standard Procedures, (iii) the final disposal was by incineration in accordance to EPA Rules 1998, (iv) the non-infectious waste was collected separately in different containers and treated as general waste, and (v) on an average about 520 kg of non-infectious and 101 kg of infectious waste is generated per day (about 2.31 kg per day per bed, gross weight comprising both infectious and non-infectious waste). This hospital also extends its facility to the neighboring clinics and hospitals by treating their produced waste for incineration.     

Characterization of food waste generators: a Hawaii case study

Information on food waste disposal and on recycling methods and recycled amounts is reported. Data were obtained from a mail and phone survey of all licensed food establishments in Hawaii conducted in 2004 and 2005. Of 8253 licensed food establishments, 5033 completed surveys. It was found that relationships exist between food establishment size (measured by the number of meals served per day or the number of employees) and the amount of food an establishment recycled; establishment type and recycling behavior; and establishment type and amount recycled. The amount of food waste recycled in the state of Hawaii was estimated to be 264,000 L/day and annual food waste generation was estimated to be 336,000 tonnes.     

Hospital waste management and toxicity evaluation: a case study

Hospital waste management is an imperative environmental and public safety issue, due to the waste's infectious and hazardous character. This paper examines the existing waste strategy of a typical hospital in Greece with a bed capacity of 400-600. The segregation, collection, packaging, storage, transportation and disposal of waste were monitored and the observed problematic areas documented. The concentrations of BOD, COD and heavy metals were measured in the wastewater the hospital generated. The wastewater's toxicity was also investigated. During the study, omissions and negligence were observed at every stage of the waste management system, particularly with regard to the treatment of infectious waste. Inappropriate collection and transportation procedures for infectious waste, which jeopardized the safety of staff and patients, were recorded. However, inappropriate segregation practices were the dominant problem, which led to increased quantities of generated infectious waste and hence higher costs for their disposal. Infectious waste production was estimated using two different methods: one by weighing the incinerated waste (880 kg day(-1)) and the other by estimating the number of waste bags produced each day (650 kg day(-1)). Furthermore, measurements of the EC(50) parameter in wastewater samples revealed an increased toxicity in all samples. In addition, hazardous organic compounds were detected in wastewater samples using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrograph. Proposals recommending the application of a comprehensive hospital waste management system are presented that will ensure that any potential risks hospital wastes pose to public health and to the environment are minimized.     

Stakeholder coordination analysis in hazardous waste management: a case study in China

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Hazardous waste management (HWM) in chemical industrial parks is an important issue related to sustainable development. Previous researches...     

Non-conforming fibre-reinforced green polypropylene composite panels: a case study

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Coal Bottom Ash (CBA) is one of the byproducts of the coal combustion process in power plants that accumulates in landfills due to its porous,...     

Towards zero-waste airports: a case study of Istanbul Airport

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this day and age, an important indicator of sustainable waste management is zero-waste index. Zero-waste approach is adopted by many...