Module 5 - Pathways, Fates, and Disposition of Hazardous Waste Releases

TS3 • 2022
TRACK S. 3: HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
Module 5: Pathways,
fates, and disposition
of hazardous waste
releases
Group 5 01
Presentation
Overview
1. Releases of Chemicals to the Environment
a. Releases to the atmosphere
b. Releases to the surface waters
c. Releases to land
2. Behavior of Waste Constituents Released to the Atmosphere
3. Movement of Hazardous Waste Constituents in Surface Waters
4. Pathways of Hazardous Waste Constituents Reaching Groundwater
a. Flow of land disposed waste contaminants through the
environment
b. Hydrologic cycle
c. Legislation
d. Initial transport processes at waste disposal sites
5. Chemical Transfomations
02 TS3 • 2022
TRACK SPECIALIZATION 3
MODULE 5
RELEASES OF
CHEMICALS TO THE
ENVIRONMENT 03
MODULE 5
Releases to the Atmosphere

Open rubbish burning is no longer permitted, yet it
still happens on a legal and illegal basis in many
parts of the country.
The production, sale, and burning of "hazardous
waste fuel" as well as the disposal of hazardous
waste by authorized combustion facilities are all
subject to RCRA regulations.
The aim of these regulations is to ensure that all
hazardous waste is safely and effectively disposed
of, and that any leftover residues are caught and
handled properly.
VOCs are made available for evaporation by land
"farming" activities such as bulk dumping but
heavier components are permitted to seep into the
soil.
Around half (50%) were made into the atmosphere.
04
MODULE 5
Releases to Surface Waters

The TRI-reporting facilities delivered 266 million
pounds of toxic chemicals to publicly owned (sewage)
treatment works and released 218 million pounds of
hazardous chemicals into surface water.
The two release categories made up roughly 8.4 and
10% of all environmental transfers and releases of
hazardous substances in 1997.
Manufacturing wastes containing ammonia nitrate
compounds, phosphoric acid, methanol, and
ammonia had the biggest volume emissions to surface
waters in 1997.
Chemical manufacture (49), primary metals (21),
paper (9), and food processing (7) were the industries
with the highest numbers of chemical releases to
surface waterways and their proportions of all
releases to surface water in 1997. (U.S. EPA, 1999b).
05
MODULE 5
Releases to Land
According to the EPA study from
1977, 48.3% of hazardous waste
was dumped in non-secure
landfills and 30.3% in unlined
surface impoundments.
Hazardous wastes in significant
amounts are still being emitted
into the air, surface water
(directly and indirectly), land, and
subsoil.
06
MODULE 5
BEHAVIOR OF WASTE
CONSTITUENTS
RELEASED TO TE
ATMOSPHERE 07
MODULE 5
Earth's Atmosphere
The earth's atmosphere occupies hundreds of
miles above its surface, which consists of
95% of the total air mass that is concentrated
in a layer approximately 12 miles deep.
Due to the force of gravity and the

compressibility of gases, the troposphere
containsabout 75% of the total mass of the
atmosphere.
08
MODULE 5
Pollutants in the
Atmosphere
It is the behavior of the troposphere and the
forces acting upon it that govern behavior of
the pollutants released to the atmosphere.
The sun’s energy warms the tropospheri air by

radiation, conduction, and convection. All play
a role in the behaviorof air pollutants, but
convection heating and the rotation of the earth
are basically responsible for the pollution
dispersing winds that blow across continents.
09
MODULE 5
Mixture of Gases
Air is a mixture of gases of which nitrogen
(78%) and oxygen (21%) are themajor
components. Air, in the natural state, also
contains particulates and watervapor.
These constituents, together with heat energy

and photochemical activity, canand do bring
about an endless variety of chemical reactions
involving the hazardous wastes that are
released to the atmosphere.
10
MODULE 5
Release of gases in
the atmosphere
Releases to the unconstrained atmosphere are
more likely to be dispersed quickly than are
releases to the land or water.
Concentrations of atmospheric pollutants usually

diminish with time following their release.
Releases trapped under an inversion may

accumulate to dangerous levels inrelatively short
times, may persist through the period of
inversion, and may produce acute human health
impacts.
11
MODULE 5
Hazardous chemicals
that are present in the
atmosphere
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
TRI chemicals released, acetone, toluene, and
xylene
Methanol
1,1,1-trichloroethane
Ammonia
CFC
12
MODULE 5
Heavy metals and

Radioactive debris
Examples of heavy metals that are transported and
dispersed:
Vanadium
Manganese
Lead
Radioactive debris can be found in different

countries originating from the 1986 Chernobyl
Disaster in Ukraine
13
MODULE 5
MOVEMENT OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE
CONSTITUENTS IN
SURFACE WATERS 14
MODULE 5
Movement of released
chemical constituents in
surface streams
Movement of released chemical constituents in
surface streams is somewhat more constrained
than in the atmosphere, due to the confining effect
of the stream channels.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released at

the water-air boundary. Higher molecular weight
organics and soluble inorganics are available for
transfer to the groundwater from losing streams.
Downstream diversions may transfer pollutants to
the land surface
15
MODULE 5
Major classes of chemical

waste constituents
Two major classes of chemical waste constituents
in surface waters are major environmental
detriments. They are the heavy metals and their
compounds and nonbiodegradable synthetic
organics.
Even in minute concentrations, these chemicals

may be concentrated to pathological or lethal levels
as they ascend the food chain.
16
MODULE 5
Impounded surface waters
Releases to impounded surface waters may have even
greater concentratingeffects and may similarly
transfer hazardous constituents to the atmosphere or
to groundwater.
A survey by the EPA in the late 1970s counted 132,709

sites having waste impoundments, of which 75%
contained industrial wastes (U.S. EPA 1978, p. 32).
Many of these ponds were designed to dispose of

wastewater by evaporation or seepage or both (U.S.
EPA 1978, pp. 10–11).
The EPA, elsewhere, using standard leakage

coefficients, estimated that more than 100 billion
gallons of industrial wastewaters had entered the
groundwater system from these impoundments (U.S. 17
EPA 1977, p. 108).
MODULE 5
PATHWAYS OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE
CONSTITUENTS
REACHING
GROUNDWATER 18
The Hydrologic
Cycle
TS3 • 2022 19
20
TS3 • 2022
21
TS3 • 2022
Examples of
Sources of
Groundwater
Contamination
TS3 • 2022 22
23
TS3 • 2022
Hydrologic pathways
for contamination by
waste disposal sites
TS3 • 2022 24
25
TS3 • 2022
26
Initial transport processes at waste disposal sites (from US Environment Protection Agency)
TS3 • 2022
27
Legislations
HSWA LAND DISPOSAL
RESTRICTIONS
Prohibitions
RCRA SEC. 3005

Permit requirements
RCRA SEC. 3004

Standards in hazardous waste facilities
TS3 • 2022
28
HSWA Land Disposal Restrictions
Programs
DISPOSAL PROHIBITION
Waste-specific treatment standards
DILUTION PROHIBITION
Impermissible dilution
STORAGE PROHIBITION
Stored in tank, container, or containment building.
TS3 • 2022
29
RCRA
Sec. 3005. Permits for treatment, storage, or disposal of
hazardous waste
Permit requirements Permit issuance
Requirements for permit Permit revocation
application Interim status
Information on
hazardous waste
Site
TS3 • 2022
30
RCRA
Sec. 3004. Standards applicable to owners and operators of hazardous waste
treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
Performance standards
Records
Reporting, monitoring, and inspection
Operating methods, techniques, and practices
Location, design, and construction of facilities
Contingency plan
Maintenance of operation
TS3 • 2022
31
RCRA
Sec. 3004. Standards applicable to owners and operators of
hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
Land Disposal Units
landfill salt dome formation
surface impoundment salt bed formation
waste pile underground mine
injection well underground cave
land treatment facility.
TS3 • 2022
32 Surface impoundment and its Minimum Technological
Requirements (MTR)
TS3 • 2022
33 Surface impoundment
Design
double liner, LCR, and leachate detection system
Inspection
design and structural integrity
leak detection sump
Response Action
action leakage rate has been exceeded
failure of containment system
Closure
clean closure or closing as a landfill
TS3 • 2022
34
Changes in Waste Quantities
HSWA land disposal restrictions
31 million gallons of liquid hazardous wastes
RCRA biennial reports
276 thousand tons in 1993
575 thousand tons in 1995
1 million tons in 1997
TS3 • 2022
MODULE 5
CHEMICAL
TRANSFORMATIONS 35
TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE) AND
36 TETRACHLOROETHYLENE (PCE) ARE
TWO OF THE MOST COMMON
HAZARDOUS WASTES THAT ARE
DISCHARGED TO THE GROUND
SURFACE, LANDFILLS, AND SURFACE
IMPOUNDMENTS.
Both were widely used as cleaning solvents and

degreasers and were disposed of in the most
efficient manner prior to the advent of stringent
rules.
Both are hazardous wastes; both are harmful to
the liver, kidneys, reproductive system, and central
nervous system.
TCE is a suspected carcinogen, while PCE is a
verified carcinogen.
TS3 • 2022
EPA investigators discovered that if
TCE, PCE, and other chlorinated
chemicals were detected in soils, vinyl
chloride (VC) could usually be
detected in the presence of bacteria
from sewage or septic tank leachate. It
was quickly recognized that in
anaerobic conditions, TCE and PCE
dechlorination can be predicted to
advance to VC.
VC is a well-known synthetic
carcinogen (Carcinogen agent in
causing cancer) with a drinking
water danger level almost two
orders of magnitude higher than
trichloroethylene.
37
21
38
End
MODULE 5

Module 5 - Pathways, Fates, and Disposition of Hazardous Waste Releases

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 5 - Pathways, Fates, and Disposition of Hazardous Waste Releases

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 5 - Pathways, Fates, and Disposition of Hazardous Waste Releases

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TS3 • 2022

TRACK S. 3: HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT

Releases to the Atmosphere

Releases to Surface Waters

Due to the force of gravity and the

The sun’s energy warms the tropospheri air by

These constituents, together with heat energy

Concentrations of atmospheric pollutants usually

Releases trapped under an inversion may

Heavy metals and

Radioactive debris can be found in different

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released at

Major classes of chemical

Even in minute concentrations, these chemicals

A survey by the EPA in the late 1970s counted 132,709

Many of these ponds were designed to dispose of

The EPA, elsewhere, using standard leakage

RCRA SEC. 3005

RCRA SEC. 3004

Both were widely used as cleaning solvents and

You might also like