Assessing potential bioavailability of metals in sediments: A proposed approach

Due to anthropogenic inputs, elevated concentrations of metals frequently occur in aquatic sediments. In order to make defensible estimates of the potential risk of metals in sediments and/or develop sediment quality criteria for metals, it is essential to identify that fraction of the total metal in the sediments that is bioavailable. Studies with a variety of benthic invertebrates indicate that interstitial (pore) water concentrations of metals correspond very well with the bioavailability of metals in test sediments. Many factors may influence pore water concentrations of metals; however, in anaerobic sediments a key phase controlling partitioning of several cationic metals (cadmium, nickel, lead, zinc, copper) into pore water is acid volatile sulfide (AVS). In this paper, we present an overview of the technical basis for predicting bioavailability of cationic metals to benthic organisms based on pore water metal concentrations and metal-AVS relationships. Included are discussions of the advantages and limitations of metal bioavailability predictions based on these parameters, relative both to site-specific assessments and the development of sediment quality criteria.     

Dissolution kinetics of heavy metals in Dutch carbonate- and sulfide-rich freshwater sediments

In two sulfide-rich freshwater sediments from the Biesbosch and Kromme Rijn River in the Netherlands differing in carbonate content and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) content, metal and sulfide dissolution kinetics were studied at different acid concentrations by varying both the procedure of acid addition and the extraction time. The establishment of equilibrium was monitored by measuring the pH in time, which reached a near constant value. The equilibrium pH was reached quickly when large amounts of acid were added and slowly when small amounts of acid were added. This observation was confirmed by the yield of extracted metals after either a 45-min or 24-h extraction over a pH range from 0 to 5. The pH factor seemed to be of more influence than time for the dissolution of metals. The amount of extracted metals was highly dependent on the metal itself due to its physico-chemical behavior. Although the sediments studied varied in carbonate content, acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and total metal content, the extracted fraction of metals compared with their total content in the sediment was similar for most metals. Finally, the AVS content as well as the ratio of simultaneously extracted metals (SEM; sum of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) to AVS decreased with increasing pH. Because the SEM to AVS ratio may be used to set environmental quality criteria for the sediment compartment, this observation is of significance.     

Binational management of hazardous waste: The maquiladora industry at the US-Mexico border

Foreign-owned industry in the form of assembly plants, termed maquiladora, has become very important in Mexico to the extent that it represents the second largest source of foreign exchange and is a valuable source for employment and regional development. The economic prosperity gained from the rapid growth of the maquiladora industry has been accompanied by increased environmental and human health risks associated with generation of hazardous waste. Diversification of industry has resulted in the predomination of those sectors that likely use hazardous substances. The Mexicali-Calexico border region was selected to demonstrate the potential for environmental and health risks associated with the generation of hazardous waste. Estimates for the generation of hazardous waste were obtained from 34 maquiladora plants in Mexicali, represented by the electronic and electrical equipment and parts, mechanical and transportation equipment, and toys and sporting equipment sectors. Repeated detection of volatile organic compounds in the New River at the US-Mexico border suggests that hazardous waste from the printed circuit board industry in Mexicali is not being disposed of in a proper manner. Potential adverse health effects, such as carcinogenic and mutagenic responses associated with the detected volatiles, are discussed. US and Mexico national legislation and the Binational Environmental Agreement were examined for their adequacy to ensure proper management of hazardous waste generated by the maquiladora industry. Environmental policy options are presented that focus on: (1) increased environmental accountability of US parent companies for their maquiladora assembly plants in Mexico; and (2) more integration between US Customs and border states with the US Environmental Protection Agency to improve the binational management of hazardous waste generated by the maquiladora industry.     

发达国家和地区危险废物名录管理实践

危险废物名录制度是危险废物环境管理的基础。2016年6月14日,环境保护部、国家发改委、公安部联合公布了《国家危险废物名录》(2016年版),对2008年版危险废物名录进行了调整。本文介绍了主要发达国家和地区危险废物名录制度的基本情况,对其优缺点进行了对比分析,以期为更好的理解新版危险废物名录提供参考。主要发达国家和地区的危险废物名录管理体系具有以下优点:一是完善的危险废物豁免排除制度加强了企业和管理部门的责任意识。二是危险废物和一般固体废物共享分类体系便于对废物的统筹管理,废物代码内容翔实,增加了名录的可操作性。三是基于不同处理责任主体进行分类,避免了名录方式或列举方式造成的"漏分"现象。四是根据环境风险实行分级管理,重点突出。同时存在几点不足:一是鉴别程序繁琐,降低了危险废物处置效率;二是存在部分行业产生的废物遗漏、同类危险废物分类过细等问题;三是部分国家危险废物分类过于笼统,不利于企业对危险废物种类及属性的识别。     

Animal Burrowing Attributes Affecting Hazardous Waste Management

/ Animal burrowing is critical to the formation of soils and contributes to the interface between geological materials and organic life. It also influences the management of hazardous materials at nuclear waste facilities and elsewhere. For example, residues and waste products from the production of nuclear weapons are released onto the ground surface and within engineered burial structures. Soil bioturbation has exposed radionuclides and other hazardous materials to wind and rain, thereby risking inhalation and injury to humans and wildlife on and off site. Soil bioturbation can expand soil depths and spatial distributions of the source term of hazardous waste, potentially increasing chronic exposures to wildlife and humans over the long term. Ample evidence indicates that some of the large quantities of hazardous materials around the world have been released from soil repositories, where they have also contaminated and harmed biota. Key burrowing parameters influencing these outcomes include the catalog of resident species, and their abundance, typical burrow volumes (void space created by soil displacement), burrow depth profiles, maximum depth of excavation, constituents and structural qualities of excavated soil mounds, and proportion of the ground covered by excavated soil. Other important parameters include rate of mound construction, depth of den chambers, and volume of burrow backfill. Soil bioturbation compromised the integrity of some hazardous waste management systems using soil, but the environmental impact remains largely unknown. Designers and operators of waste management facilities, as well as risk assessors, need to understand how burrowing animals influence hazardous waste storage.KEY WORDS: Burrowing; Environmental impact; Radioactivity; Risk; Soil bioturbation; Hazardous waste     

基于物联网的杭州市危险废物智能监管平台设计与应用

为满足危险废物监管各种业务管理工作的需求,开展物联网技术在危险废物产生、转移、处置等过程中应用的研究,设计基于物联网技术的危险废物智能监管平台,建成由管理部门门户、产废单位门户、运输单位门户、处置单位门户等四大门户统领,危废监督管理系统、电子联单系统、GIS监控管理系统、污泥刷卡转运管理系统、危废视频监控系统、固废超市管理系统等六大系统组建的统一管理平台,在传统管理模式的基础上,以业务需求结合先进的物联网、移动互联、二维码、NFC、GPS等技术,创新性地形成"移动端电子联单模式、GPRS监管预警模式、IC卡刷卡转运模式、固废超市微循环管理模式"四大管理模式,实现涉危单位内部微循环管理,转运过程多手段监控,让危险废物从最初产生到最终处置的全过程业务流程呈现精细化、实时化的全闭环管理,实现对危险废物从"摇篮"到"坟墓"的全过程跟踪,并以此为基础建立一支业务处理迅速、信息统计分析及时、办事高效、危废监管全面的信息化管理队伍,为环保部门真实、细致、及时、动态地掌握危险废物的转移情况提供技术手段,为领导决策提供辅助支持。     

Hazardous wastes transboundary movement management: a case study in Taiwan

More than 50,000 tons of hazardous waste are imported and exported worldwide each year. Over 50% of hazardous waste is exported to Southeast Asia, of which leather waste is the major component. The exportation quantities of hazardous waste to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries are decreasing while they are on the increase to non-OECD countries. Some of these wastes are intended for recycling purposes but the usage of some others is not stipulated. The hazardous waste importation quantity kept fairly steady from 1997 to 2000, of which ash or residues containing copper or copper compounds were the major component. Under existing regulations and measures, the transboundary movement of hazardous waste cannot be effectively controlled and monitored. In order to ensure environmentally sound hazardous waste management, EPA-Taiwan revised the Waste Disposal Act in 2001 and cooperated with the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) to promote industrial waste reduction and recycling projects. Strategies were proposed based on evaluation according to the 3Es Principles and the site investigation in this study.     

Creating successful partnerships with hazardous waste providers

Baxter Healthcare's Cardio Vascular Group (CVG) has formed a partnership with Advanced Environmental Technical Services (AETS, formerly called AETC), an 18-year-old environmental services company based in Flanders, New Jersey. With annual revenues of nearly $100 million, AETS is the largest privately owned environmental service company of its kind. Creating a partnership with providers of hazardous waste services has become necessary for many companies that find themselves downsizing and focusing their limited resources on their core businesses. More than merely waste haulers, hazardous waste management companies are being called on to train employees, develop environmental budgets, and even serve as on-site waste managers. AETS and Baxter Healthcare's CVG have created such a partnership and have successfully reduced Baxter's hazardous waste production by 56 percent since 1992. The lessons learned from this partnership are reported in this article.     

Hazardous waste sites,stress, and neighborhood quality in USA

Summary Seven neighborhoods adjacent to hazardous waste were surveyed. The authors found that respondents did not rate their neighborhoods as highly as Americans as a whole, but, like most Americans, they did rate their present neighborhood better, or the same as, their previous one. The adjacent hazardous waste site was mentioned as distressing more often than any other neighborhood characteristic. Yet in four of the seven neighborhoods, dilapidated buildings and streets, odors and smoke from sewage treatment plants and factories, noise from trains and traffic congestion, or another neighborhood characteristic was mentioned as more stressful than the hazardous waste site. It is argued that govemment needs to be more aggressive about understanding community viewpoints before proposing multi-million dollar hazardous waste remediation plans that could be resisted by a community.Professor Michael Greenberg and Dr Dona Schneider are regular contributors to this Journal. All three authors work in the Department of Urban Studies and Community Health, and support the New Jersey Graduate Program in Public Health at Rutgers University.     

浅析含油污泥处理中石油烃控制指标

石油烃含量是含油污泥处理中必不可少的重要控制指标。文章分析了含油污泥中石油烃组成及主要污染控制要求,介绍了国内外含油污泥处置对石油烃含量的控制现状;依据危险废物鉴别标准的相关规定,以及对原油中芳香族化合物及其多环芳烃含量的研究成果,对采用石油烃指标进行危险废物鉴别做了推论计算。结果认为:含油污泥等固体废物及其处理残余物的石油烃含量≤0.25%,不属于危险废物;石油烃含量介于0.25%～1.7%时,其是否属于危险废物,最终需要进行危险废物鉴别而确定;石油烃含量1.7%,则属于危险废物。     

中国危险废物名录研究

本文介绍了中国、美国及欧盟的危险废物名录框架体系,通过对三者的优缺点比较,分析了中国危险废物名录列表定义存在的问题,从名录纳入标准,操作方式和具体列表三方面提出了中国名录框架体系的修改建议。     

Comparative assessment of solar photovoltaic panels based on metal-derived hazardous waste,resource depletion,and toxicity potentials

Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are used to resolve energy security and climate change problems. Although PV panels have long physical lifetimes, they would be eventually replaced by new ones with higher energy efficiency and then changed to waste. Depending on the types of PV cells, waste PV panels have different environmental impact potentials due to different contents of substances. This study assesses and compares hazardous waste, resource depletion, and toxicity potentials from metals in three types of PV modules (i.e., polycrystalline silicon (Si), amorphous Si, and CIGS (copper/indium/gallium/di-selenite) PVs) on per-watt electricity generation basis. Hazardous waste potentials are examined by using metal leachability tests, and resource depletion and toxicity potentials are evaluated by using life cycle impact assessment methods. The polycrystalline Si and CIGS PVs have hazardous waste potentials due to lead (Pb) and cadmium/selenium, respectively, whereas the amorphous Si PV does not. The polycrystalline Si PV has the highest resource depletion potential due primarily to silver; the CIGS PV has the next highest due primarily to selenium; and the amorphous Si PV had the lowest, which is derived primarily from tin and copper. For toxicity potentials, overall the amorphous Si PV had lower potentials, derived primarily from barium/copper/nickel/zinc, than the polycrystalline Si and CIGS PVs of which the toxicity potentials were primarily form copper/lead/nickel/silver and copper/mercury/molybdenum/nickel/silver, respectively. Therefore, waste polycrystalline Si and CIGS PV panels should be recycled and managed with priority, and PV technology development needs to be directed to amorphous Si PV from the material perspective.     

基于GIS技术的重庆市危险废物管理信息系统研究

重庆市每年都会产生大量的危险废物，直接威胁到了重庆市的水环境及生态环境，因此，有效的管理重庆市的危险废物是处理和处置的重要保证。主要介绍了基于CIS危险废物管理信息系统的设计，将危险废物、计算机技术和GIS技术相结合，为危险废物的管理提供快捷、方便、科学的管理和决策支持。该系统包括六个子系统，分别是数据输入、数据查询、数据库管理和维护、模型库、决策支持、系统管理。该系统具有界面友好、操作方便、实用等特点，将在重庆市危险废物管理方面起到重要作用。     

Analysis of volatile and semivolatile hydrocarbons recovered from steam-classified municipal solid waste

Hazardous household wastes comprise a significant proportion of municipal solid waste (MSW), and therefore serve as the source of many toxic or carcinogenic organic chemicals that are released in the environment through landfill gases or leachates. In the present study, we demonstrate the utility of the steam classification process in removing hazardous semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from MSW. Steam classification is a patented technology that involves the treatment of MSW with steam under pressure to yield a cellulosic biomass product that can be used as a fuel or in building materials. The SVOCs and VOCs from the waste off-gases are collected in the steam condensate and in an effluent charcoal filter. The results of this study show that at least two SVOCs and at least 17 VOCs can be removed from the waste. The most commonly identified compounds were diethylphthalate, styrene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and toluene in the condensates, and styrene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and toluene in the charcoal filters. On a weight basis, aromatic hydrocarbons were primarily recovered in the condensates, while the chloroaliphatic hydrocarbons were recovered almost exclusively from the charcoal filters. 1,3-Dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and chloroform together comprised nearly 50% of the 4470 micrograms kg(-1) average mass of SVOCs and VOCs recovered from about 454 kg of MSW in these experiments. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) analyses showed that steam classification recovered at least 75 to 91% of tested analytes. Overall, these results suggest that steam classification represents an effective technology for a significant reduction or the removal of hazardous organics from the waste stream, and, consequently, in reducing the extent of environmental contamination associated with landfill leachates and gases.     

成都市危险废物现状调查及污染控制对策研究

本文在对成都市危险废物产生及污染控制状况进行调查分析的基础上,结合国内外危险废物管理经验,提出了成都市危险废物控制的对策及建议。     

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     

我国废铅酸蓄电池污染防治技术及政策探讨

废铅酸蓄电池回收环节产生的废渣、铅酸污泥等属于危险废物,必须按照危险废物进行管理;而废铅酸蓄电池铅回收过程也会产生二次污染,其生产过程和管理不当会产生严重的环境污染。本文在分析我国再生铅生产工艺技术现状、废铅酸蓄电池资源再生过程污染源的基础上,对废铅酸蓄电池资源再生过程污染源治理和污染预防措施以及目前废铅酸蓄电池铅回收相关政策和管理要求进行了较为系统的分析和总结。     

Critical review of industrial and medical waste practices in Dar es Salaam City

Industrial and medical wastes constitute a larger part on what is known as ‘hazardous wastes’. The production of these wastes is and will continue to be an on going phenomenon as long as human civilization persists. The health impacts of direct and indirect exposure to hazardous wastes include carcinogenic effects, reproductive system damage, respiratory effects, central nervous system effects, and many others. Today, many developed countries have legal provisions with regard to proper management of hazardous wastes. Tanzania, like many developing countries, has little emphasis on the proper handling and disposal of hazardous wastes. There is a serious inadequacy in handling industrial and medical solid wastes in the Dar es Salaam City. Improper waste deposition is increasingly becoming a potential public health risk and an environmental burden. Due to poor control of waste, industrialists and hospital owners are not well checked on how they handle and dispose of the wastes they produce with the result that many hazardous wastes reach the Vingunguti dumpsite without notice. Data on waste generation in Dar es Salaam is also inadequate, making it difficult to plan an efficient solid waste system. Promotion of public awareness, legislation and regulations enforcement and establishment of a proper sanitary landfill are considered to be principal remedial measures to ensure sound environmental maintenance. This paper summarizes the findings of the study on the practices of industrial and medical waste management in Dar es Salaam. The author aims to express the inadequacy in hazardous waste management and suggests possible measures to be applied in order to rectify the situation.     

我国危险废物处置收费政策的问题与建议

我国危险废物处置收费政策在十多年的发展历程中逐步建立健全,促进了危险废物处置行业的发展壮大。本文基于对我国各省份危险废物处置收费政策的定价主体、分档方式、收费标准、调整情况等制定和执行状况的梳理分析发现,各省份以不同形式出台了危险废物处置收费政策,然而,重要内容缺失、动态调整滞后、有效监管不足等问题较为普遍。针对这些问题,文章提出了因地制宜健全收费政策、科学开展处置价格核算、加快建立动态调整机制、实施部门联动管理监督等建议,可为完善我国危险废物处置收费政策提供参考。     

Liquid household hazardous wastes in the United States: Identification,disposal, and management plan

Present methods of disposal of today's hazardous household chemicals in the United States are frequently not acceptable because of pathways to groundwater, surface water, and the atmosphere. This report identifies potentially hazardous liquid waste in the household, notes current disposal practices, and recommends an improved management plan that utilizes consumer education, manufacturer cooperation, and governmental intervention. Laws requiring uniform disposal labeling on packaging are critical. Local, county, and state governments must be encouraged to coordinate the necessary infrastructure. Managing hazardous household wastes now will mitigate potential disposal problems.