Comparative Assessment of Control Mechanisms and Waste Management Technologies - Report Example

Comparative assessment Of control mechanisms and waste management technologies Customer inserts his/her surname College October 11, 2011 Introduction Due to the increased pollution in the environment which has been increased by technological innovations, there exists several pollution control mechanisms and waste management technologies. According to the Australian government, many harmful substances in the air may impair human, plants and animal’s health (NSW, 2011). Several mechanisms have been fronted to cushion against pollution. They include biofiltration, chemical scrubbing, thermal oxidation and chemical stabilization among others. These technologies for control system have assisted in controlling the overall impact of environment and atmosphere pollution. Environmental degradation through pollution is eminent in the world and this has prompted solutions to end this unbecoming behavior that has continued to threaten not only the environment but also the human and animal existence (Lelia C., and Maria S. 2010). This paper seeks to define, compare and demystify bio-filtration and chemical scrubbing mechanisms and their subsequent effects on odor control or air pollution control. In addition, it will also look into the comparison between thermal oxidation and chemical stabilization mechanisms as methods of waste management and pollution control. In light of this, this paper will concentrate on the four mentioned methods analyzing them in a chronological way and further comparing their effectiveness to pollution control and waste management to the human population and beyond. The paper will consolidate scholarly literature such as books and credible internet sources. Bio-filtration and chemical scrubbing Odor refers to a volatile substance or mixture that is perceived through a human being’s sense of smell. Odor triggers the effectively service delivery in the human body. Odor emission plays a significant role in the realization of environment related problems. For example, an increase in the number of industries in one concentrated area contributes immensely to air pollution that then becomes hazardous to the health of the environment. Bio-filtration and chemical scrubbing are the most commonly used mechanisms that deal with air or odor pollution control. Bio-filtration Biofiltration is a scientific terminology that refers to the removal and subsequent oxidation of organic gases from contaminated air (Odor) through beds of compost or soil. Being a relatively new concept in pollution control technology, biofiltration aims at reducing the concentration of gases in the air. Biofiltration is carried out through the use of tools known as biofilters as shown below, whose size varies from a one cubic yard to the size of a basketball court. The billions of microorganisms found in soil convert the organic compounds to carbon dioxide and water (Islandnet, n.d). Biofilters are responsible for the attraction of microorganisms in the air that eventually come into contact with pollutants. Additionally, biofilters provide a remarkable solution to municipal wastewater air streams due to its ability to reduce sulfur compounds inherent in such wastes. Amines and Ammonia are also treated through application of the biofiltration process. According to the composting association (2011:17) biofilters are organic substances that are able to filter odorous air in the atmosphere in a bid to punctuate good air circulation. In light of this, biofiltration is geared towards the reduction of odor in the general air composition to attain a reasonable humane environment simply put it encourages healthy human existence. BioClear 400 SC (BioSand & BioCarbon): For treatment of Dissolved Organic Carbon, Tannins, Pesticides, Iron Bacteria, Colour & Odours Figure 1.1: Biofilter: source http://www.islandnet.com/~tiger/Tiger/mainstream/mainstream.htm Chemical Scrubbing Chemical scrubbing refers to an odor control mechanism whereby contaminants are removed from gas through the use of a scrubbing liquid preferably a chemical. This odor control mechanism is largely used in industries such as fertilizer plants and large power plants in efforts to control odors and emission of potentially hazardous gases. Comparison between biofiltration and chemical scrubbing: Effectiveness Chemical scrubbing is documented as the widely used form of odor control in the United States of America for a long time. This is entirely because of their effectiveness as compared to biofiltration. Chemical scrubbing achieves 90 to 99 percent positive results in the event that it is articulated properly. However, biofiltration arguably achieves 75-90 percent of success in odor control. On the other hand, biofiltration is easy to implement vis-à-vis chemical scrubbing that requires high levels of expertise. Additionally, biofiltration is advantageous since it can be designed to physically fit into any industrial setting. A biofiltration unit can be designed in any shape, size or as an open field with the piping and delivery system underground. In addition, biofilters can be designed with stacked beds to minimize space requirements and multiple units can be run in parallel. Setting up a biofiltration plant is not constrained by space in any way. Moreover, biofiltration is versatile enough to treat odors, toxic compounds, and VOCs. The treatment efficiencies of these constituents are above 90% for low concentrations of contaminants. Risk exposure comparison Biofiltration as compared to chemical scrubbing provide a lower risk parameter since it largely depends on micro organisms that are not harmful to the general public. In light of this, it allows less room for risks. On the other hand, chemical scrubbing is hazardous and pose greater risks incase of erroneous spillages. The spillages pose a threat to human life and other living organisms such as domestic and wildlife. Moreover, chemical scrubbing punctuates risks on buildings thus odor reduction and risk exposure should remain proportionate. In this regard, it is fundamental to extend and put into consideration such measures in deciding the correct pollution control and waste management method. Operating expenses Biofiltration remains a considerate method of odor control in relation to the operating costs involved. In expediting biofiltration, natural resources are put into practice thus reducing unnecessary purchases of other resources. Biofiltration is an economic friendly approach to pollution control and waste management due to its ability not only to make use on natural resources but also to involve less chemical in its implementation process (Lawrence K. et al, 2009). For example, application of biofiltration reduces operational costs since it utilizes available equipments that are cost friendly and within reach. Biofiltration is a remarkable method of pollution control and waste management that is applied and practiced by municipal institutions since it utilizes the available resources and easy to maintain. Maintenance of a pollution control and waste management play a significant role in the actualization of the practice. This is because biofiltration can be taught to the society to embrace it in the simplest of manner for their own benefit. This makes the application of biofiltration as a method of odor control way above chemical scrubbing. Chemical scrubbing involves the use of chemicals that are highly expensive in the market making it a hard method to apply during odor control. According to Healy, Wise and Moo-Young (2011:118) biofiltration is investment friendly as a result of its low running and maintenance costs vis-à-vis other numerous methods of odor control. In light of this, biofiltration as compared to chemical scrubbing is ideal for environmental conservation. Operations Biofiltration concentrates on the control of micro organic in the air but chemical scrubbing is advantageous since it aims at treating virtually all water soluble contaminants. For example, biofiltration is not an effective when dealing with nitrogen based approach such as ammonia, a task chemical scrubbing puts into practice without many problems in execution. Skills Skills are paramount in any scientific undertaking, mostly when involving chemicals. Biofiltration is a rather simple method that can be easily taught to communities in a bid to respond to the high rates of pollution experienced in most parts of urban centers. However, chemical scrubbing is only practiced in industries whereby expertise is of the essence to reduce risks. Moreover, chemical scrubbing is an intellectual motivated activity and is not easily transferrable to the community. This therefore puts upfront the application of biofiltration as the ideal method to deal with pollution. Biofiltration limitation Biofiltration cannot successfully treat some organic compounds, which have low adsorption or degradation rates (Zarook and Ajay, 2005). This is especially true for chlorinated VOCs. Contaminant sources with high chemical emissions would require large biofilter units or open areas to install a biofiltration system. Sources with emissions that fluctuate severely or produce large spikes can be detrimental to the of a biofilter’s microbial population and overall performance. Acclimation periods for the microbial population may take weeks or even months, especially for VOC treatment. Additionally, biofiltration requires moisture and temperature management. Moisture is paramount due to the large volumes of air passing through the biofilters. Thermal Oxidation and Chemical stabilization Thermal oxidation and chemical stabilization are two methods used in the containment of hazardous waste. Thermal Oxidation Thermal oxidation is a method used in hazardous waste disposal. This is in variety of hazardous industrial waste where most organic compounds are thermally oxidized with an aim of destruction. Manufacturing plants produce various gases that are harmful not only to the environment but also to the living things. These gases include carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It’s thus paramount to make these compounds safer. However, the process of oxidation must meet requirements of regulatory authorities so as to meet emission requirements that are mandated. Thermal oxidation’s primary objective is to destroy contaminants in the exhaust through the use of thermal oxidizers. In a more simplistic definition, thermal oxidation refers to a process whereby pollutants within a polluted area are involved in a combustion process in the presence of oxygen within a temperature controlled environment. Thermal oxidation, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (1995:244) is largely practiced in food and paper industries in efforts to destroy odorous compounds that are emitted from heat treatment. Chemical stabilization Chemical stabilization is the process of injecting chemicals into soil with an aim of improving the soil strength and to decrease its permeability and it’s also a process of treating metals which are prone to contamination after they are used (BRAJA M. DAS, n.d). Chemical stabilization is the process of injecting chemicals into soil with an aim of improving the soil strength and to decrease its permeability. Chemical stabilizers are effective as they provide temporary soil stabilization. This process uses several materials such as Vinyl, and asphalt or rubber (NPDES, 2006). The material used stabilizes areas where the vegetation cannot be established and it’s suitable for offering immediate protection. The process of stabilizing involves spraying the surface of the soil and this facilitates holding of the soil together so as to avoid erosion. Chemical stabilization process should be carefully applied. Chemical stabilizers should be used alone especially in the areas where other methods of stabilization are not effective or use them in combination with vegetative or perimeter practices so as to enhance erosion and sediment control and also to prevent environmental constraints. On the other hand, chemical stabilization is also used to treat contaminated metals. According to James and Scott (n.d) heavy contaminated metals are found almost everywhere. However, the most popular areas where they are found are in brownfields redevelopment sites, battery acid recycling sites, military installations and most of the sites that are associated with mining activities (James and Scott, n.d). The treated soils where these metals are found contain stable metal phosphate compounds that eliminate the leaching of metals to the environment. Comparison between Thermal Oxidation and Chemical stabilization: Risks Thermal oxidation combustion based systems are known to be systems that are inherent of having high destruction effectiveness if not properly manned. Unlike other forms of pollution control and waste management, thermal oxidation calls for high levels of expertise in their operations since a slight mistake could lead to huge losses of not only property but also human lives. This is because such thermal oxidations systems usually consist of burners whose primary mission is to ignite the fuel and of course pollutants (American Society of Civil Engineers 1995:244). In this regard, the necessary protection measures such as use of gloves should be paramount in efforts to reduce fatalities that might result from poor handling or negligence in the thermal oxidation process. On the other hand, Chemical stabilization also has some risks associated with the process. In the cases where chemical stabilizers are improperly applied, they can create impervious surfaces. This does not allow water to infiltrate and could easily increase storm water runoff. cost Thermal oxidation is an expensive undertaking owing to the high costs of thermal oxidizers coupled with high fuel consumption. In light of this, implementation of thermal oxidation as a pollution control and waste management mechanism simply becomes a hard undertaking owing to budgetary constrains that rock most institutions (American Society of Civil Engineers 1995:244). However, all is not lost in thermal oxidation since through science other cheaper fuel reducing technologies are used, the most common being regenerative thermal oxidizer abbreviated as RTO. Regenerative thermal oxidation reduces the amount of fuel used through preheating incoming air before channeling it to the reaction chamber. On the other hand, the cost of chemical stabilization process is relatively low. This is because by the chemical being able to treat metals contamination to RCRA or UTS standards, stabilized waste can often be left on-site rather than transported off-site to a hazardous landfill (NPDES, 2006). This saves greatly on the disposal cost as this can run into million dollars if the chemical is not disposed. In addition, the fast stabilization results in less expensive remediation costs. suitability Thermal Oxidation system has a chamber that provides right time to commence the combustion process. Combustion is a scientific terminology that refers to a chemical process that arises from the fast combination with different elements or chemical compounds which results in the release of heat. In light of this, the terms oxidation and incineration are used interchangeably to mean the process of combustion. There are various forms of oxidation techniques explained herewith; Oxidation is used in wastewater odor control through the application of strong chemicals into the waste water for stabilization. In light of this, the oxidizing agent is primarily meant to initiate a chemical reaction with the sulfide converting it to sulfate or sulfur. In the process of the chemical reaction, other non-odorous compounds are also dealt with thus creating a positive response. On the other hand, chemical stabilization is also effective. According to (NPDES, 2006), chemical stabilization is used to treat metals. Its advantage is that it’s easy to apply. This process can be applied in wet or dry form and this makes it suitable for use at a wide range of metals contaminated sites. List of References American Society of Civil Engineers. (1995). Odor control in wastewater treatment plants, USA: Water Environment Federation BRAJA M. DAS, n.d. Chemical and Mechanical Stabilization, College of Engineering and Computer Science, California State University, Sacramento Healy, M, Wise, D and Moo-Young, M. (2001). Environmental monitoring and biodiagnostics of hazardous chemicals, Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Islandnet, n.d. Mainstream BioFiltration, available from, http://www.islandnet.com/~tiger/Tiger/mainstream/mainstream.htm James B. and Scott E. n.d. CHEMICAL STABILIZATION OF HEAVY METALS Metals Treatment Technologies (MT2), Lelia C., and Maria S., (2010). The cost of environmental degradation: case studies from the Middle East and North Africa. Washington: World Bank Publications. Lawrence K. Norman C. , Yung-Tse H , (2009). Advanced Biological Treatment Processes. NY: Springer Jacobs, J, Sauer, N and Gilbert, J. (2007). An Industry guide for the prevention and control of odours at biowaste processing facilities, Northamptonshire, UK: Environment Agency NSW (2011). Environmental issues, accessed October, 11 2011 from http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/air/ NPDES, 2006. Chemical Stabilization http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm?action=browse&Rbutton=detail&bmp=40 Zarook S. and Ajay S. (2005), Biotechnology for odor and air pollution control Canada: Springer Read More