Solid Waste Processing and Resource Recovery

The past few years have seen the emergence of a growing, widespread desire in this country, and indeed everywhere, that positive actions be taken to restore the quality of our environment, and to protect it from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution-air, noise, solid waste, and water. Since pollution is a direct or" indirect consequence of waste, if there is no waste, there can be no pollution, and the seemingly idealistic demand for" zero discharge" can be construed as a demand for zero waste. However, as long as there is waste, we can only attempt to abate the consequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. In those instances in which a particular type of pollution has been recognized, three major questions usually arise: 1, How serious is the pollution? 2, Is the technology to abate it available? and 3, Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? The principal intention of this series of books is to help the reader to formulate answers to the last two of the above three questions. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to specific pollution problems has been a major factor contributing to the success of environmental engineering, and in large measure has accounted for the establishing ofa "methodology of pollution control.

1 Introduction to Solid Waste Management.- I. Introduction.- II. Solid Waste Generation.- A. Quantities of Municipal Refuse.- B. Composition of Municipal Refuse.- C. Industrial Solid Waste.- D. Solid Waste from Air and Water Pollution Controls.- E. The Total Solid Waste Picture.- III. Solid Waste Collection and Transportation.- A. Collection Agencies.- B. Residential Collection.- C. Commercial Collection.- D. Recent Concepts in Collection.- E. Planning a Collection System.- IV. Solid Waste Disposal.- A. Direct Disposal.- B. Processing Prior to Disposal.- V. Recovery of Resources.- A. Reasons for Recovery and Recycling.- B. Methods of Obtaining Pure Materials from Mixed Solid Waste.- C. Recovery of Energy.- VI. Special Types of Solid Waste.- A. Nonradioactive Hazardous Waste.- B. Radioactive Solid Waste.- C. Hospital Waste.- D. Packaging Waste.- E. Litter.- F. Plastic Waste.- G. Junked Automobiles.- H. Scrap Tires.- VII. Legislative Aspects of Solid Waste.- VIII. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 2 Mechanical Volume Reduction.- I. Introduction.- II. Shredding.- A. Dry Processes.- B. Wet Processes.- III. Baling.- IV. Size Reduction Applications.- A. Transfer Stations.- B. Resource Recovery.- C. Disposal Operations.- V. Economics.- VI. Operation and Maintenance.- VII. Illustration of Shredder Selection.- References.- 3 Combustion and Incineration.- I. Introduction to Incineration.- II. Process Analysis of Incineration Systems.- A. Stoichiometry.- B. Thermal Decomposition (Pyrolysis).- C. Mass Burning.- D. Suspension Burning.- E. Air Pollution from Incineration.- F. Fluid Mechanics in Furnace Systems.- III. Incineration Systems for Municipal Solid Waste.- A. Receipt and Storage.- B. Charging.- C. Enclosures.- D. Grates and Hearths.- E. Combustion Air.- F. Flue Gas Conditioning.- G. Air Pollution Control.- H. Special Topics.- IV. Incineration Systems for Municipal and Commercial Wastes.- A. Los Angeles Type.- B. Modular Combustion Units.- V. Special Purpose Incinerators.- A. Bulky Waste Incinerator.- B. Pit-type Incinerators.- VI. Economics of Incineration.- VII. An Approach to Design.- Appendix Waste Thermochemical Data.- References.- 4 Sanitary Landfill.- I. Introduction.- A. Definition.- II. Site Selection.- A. Site Characteristics.- B. Land Volume (Area) Required.- C. Legal Requirements.- III. Engineering, Construction, and Operation of Sanitary Landfill Sites.- A. Sanitary Landfilling Methods.- B. Sanitary Landfill Equipment.- C. Seepage Prevention and Runoff Control.- D. Development and Operating Costs.- IV. Environmental Considerations.- A. General.- B. Leachate and Groundwater Monitoring.- C. Decomposition Gas Production.- D. Subsidence.- V. Termination of Operations.- A. Reuse of Site.- B. Maintenance and Surveillance.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 5 Composting Process.- I. Introduction.- A. General Description.- B. Historical Development.- II. Microbiology and Classification.- A. Microbiology.- B. Classification.- III. Design Approaches.- A. General Approach.- B. Pretreatment.- C. Digestion.- D. Curing.- E. Finishing or Upgrading.- F. Storage.- IV. Process Parameters.- A. Nutrients.- B. Moisture Content.- C. Temperature.- D. Hydrogen Ion (pH) Level.- E. Aeration and Mixing.- F. Genetic Traits and Seeding.- V. Process Control.- VI. Pathogen Survival.- VII. Cost Considerations.- VIII. End Products.- IX. Summary.- X. Practical Examples.- References.- 6 Materials and Energy Recovery.- I. Introduction.- II. Resource Recovery Objectives.- A. Options for Reducing Raw Material Consumption.- B. Options for Reducing Disposed Waste Quantities.- C. Feasible Alternatives for Reducing Raw Material Consumption and Solid Waste Generation.- III. Resource Recovery Operations.- A. Shredding.- B. Separation.- C. Incineration.- D. Pyrolysis.- E. Composting.- F. Chemical-Biochemical Conversion.- IV. Selected Case Studies.- A. New Orleans, Louisiana.- B. Franklin, Ohio.- C. Saugus, Massachusetts.- D. St. Louis, Missouri.- E. Ames, Iowa.- F. Baltimore, Maryland.- G. Summary.- V. The Economics of Resource Recovery.- A. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Resource Recovery.- B. Looking Ahead.- References.- 7 Solid waste Systems Planning.- I. Introduction.- II. Planning Methodology.- A. Questions and Decisions.- B. The Planning Process.- C. Long-Range Planning.- D. Short-Range Planning.- III. Evaluation Methodology.- A. Purposes and Objectives.- B. The Evaluation Process.- C. Application.- References.