Solid and Hazardous Waste

Question 1

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Answer 1

solid waste from residential, commercial, institutional, construction, demolition, and municipal services

Question 2

Field capacity

Answer 2

maximum amount of water that can be retained by waste placed in a landfill

Question 3

Oxygen bomb calorimeter

Answer 3

small sample of waste placed in container and submersed in water bath- sample is combusted, causing temperature of water to increase

Question 4

Heat of vaporization

Answer 4

energy required to transform a substance from its liquid to vapor form

Question 5

Heat of fusion

Answer 5

energy required to transform a substance from its solid to liquid form

Question 6

APC residue

Answer 6

particulate matter (usually flyash and scrubber byproducts like CaSO3) collected in air pollution control

Question 7

Bottom ash

Answer 7

partially-oxidized organic matter in combustion chamber that is quenched

Question 8

Pyrolysis

Answer 8

heating waste to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen (results in gases like hydrogen, methane, and CO2, tar/oil stream which can be used for fuel, and char)

Question 9

Gasification

Answer 9

Oxygen is used to partially combust waste, producing combustible fuel gas

Question 10

Microorganisms used in composting rely on adequate…

Answer 10

… carbon content, nutrients, moisture, oxygen, particle size distribution, and termperature

Question 11

Phase I of stabilization (lag phase)

Answer 11

moisture accumulates, oxygen is consumed

Question 12

Phase II of stabilization

Answer 12

field capacity is exceeded, microbial processes shift to anaerobic, VOAs and COD increase in leachate

Question 13

Phase III of stabilization

Answer 13

acidogenic bacteria convert VOAs, lowering pH and solubilizing metal species from waste into leachate

Question 14

Phase IV of stabilization

Answer 14

methanogenic bacteria convert acid compounds to methane and carbon dioxide gas

Question 15

Phase V of stabilization

Answer 15

biodegradable matter and nutrients become limiting, landfill gas production slows

Question 16

Composite liner

Answer 16

natural material on bottom (high clay content) and synthetic material on top (high density polyethylene or polypropylene)

Question 17

Leachate

Answer 17

liquid that has passed through liners containing dissolved, suspended, or immiscible materials removed from solid waste

Question 18

The rate of leakage of leachate is directly related to…

Answer 18

… the head of leachate over landfill liner

Question 19

Landfill gas is approximately…

Answer 19

… 50% methane, 50% carbon dioxide

Question 20

Landfill settlement

Answer 20

loss of mass from outgassing and compaction from overburden pressure results in settling of landfill

Question 21

A waste can be classified as hazardous if it meets one of the following characteristics

Answer 21

ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity

Question 22

Photolysis

Answer 22

the breaking of chemical bonds by UV light

Question 23

Extraction

Answer 23

separates hazardous constituents by means of settling, filtration, adsorption, absorption

Question 24

Neutralization

Answer 24

adding acids/bases to corrosive waste streams

Question 25

Air stripping

Answer 25

contaminant is transferred from liquid to gaseous phase`

Question 26

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

Answer 26

Superfund (1980) established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites, liability of persons responsible for release of hazardous waste at these sites, established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party is identified

Question 27

Superfund process

Answer 27

Site discovery, preliminary assessment/site inspection, HRS scoring, NPL site listing process, remedial investigation/feasibility study, record of decision, remedial design/action, construction completion, postconstruction completion

Question 28

Bioventing

Answer 28

low airflow rates supplied to sustain microbiological activity in the vadose zone

Question 29

Phytoremediation

Answer 29

process which uses plants to remove, transfer, stabilize and destroy contaminants in soil and sediment via plants

Question 30

Brownfields

Answer 30

property whose development/expansion/redevelopment is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances