Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Hazardous wastes
The Resource
Conservation
and Recovery
Act (RCRA)
Hazardous part
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
Mixed wastes
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC),
Department of Energy (DOE)
Atomic Energy
Act (AEA)
Radioactive part
Radioactive wastes
FIGURE 3.1
Regulations of hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes.
Many of the waste materials are classified as hazardous waste under RCRA,
among which a number of these wastes also exhibit radioactivity, making them
“mixed waste.” The hazardous components of mixed waste are subject to RCRA
regulations by EPA, while the radioactive component is subject to DOE or NRC
regulations under AEA of 1954. Relationships between legislations, administrators,
and corresponding wastes are shown in Figure 3.1.
3.2
CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF
HAZARDOUS WASTES
Before classification and characterization of hazardous wastes, the exact definition
of what is a hazardous waste is paramount. The RCRA briefly defines hazardous
waste as any toxic, corrosive, reactive, or ignitable material that could damage the
environment or negatively affect human health.
2
Some examples of hazardous waste
include oils, solvents, acids, metals, and pesticides. In another word, a hazardous
waste is any waste that has substantial dangers, now or in the future, to human,
plant, or animal life, and which therefore cannot be handled or disposed of without
special precautions. A more complete and specific definition has been published by
the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
3
In the EPA definition, a waste material
either presents on the EPA-developed lists or has evidence that the waste exhibits
ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic characteristics as defined to be hazardous
waste. Actually, the determination of a hazardous waste is a complex task because
the hazardous waste may either come from multiple sources or may exist in many
forms such as solids, liquids, and even gases.
3.2.1
H
AZARDOUS
W
ASTE
C
LASSIFICATION
There are two ways that EPA identifies hazardous waste: the waste is either listed,
called listed wastes, or the waste has a toxic or dangerous characteristic, called
characteristic wastes.
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