All Flashcards
What is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)?
Waste from homes, businesses, and city buildings.
What is Non-Municipal Solid Waste?
Waste from industry, agriculture, mining, and oil/gas.
Define Hazardous Waste.
Waste that is toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, flammable, corrosive, or explosive.
What is a Sanitary Landfill?
A landfill with layers of clay, sand, and plastic to prevent contamination.
What is a Secure Landfill?
A landfill designed for hazardous waste, with thicker liners.
Define Incineration.
Burning waste at high temperatures to reduce volume.
What is composting?
Biological decomposition of organic solid waste.
What is waste-to-energy conversion?
Using waste as fuel to generate energy.
What is source reduction?
Reducing waste at its source, before it is generated.
What is recycling?
Converting waste materials into new products.
What are the steps in sanitary landfill operation?
Waste is spread in thin layers, compacted, and covered with soil daily to minimize odor, pests, and blowing litter.
What is the recycling process?
Collection, sorting, processing, and manufacturing new products from recycled materials.
What is the composting process?
Organic waste decomposes under controlled conditions, producing a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Describe the incineration process.
Waste is burned at high temperatures, reducing volume and sometimes generating electricity.
What are the steps in leachate treatment?
Collection, pre-treatment (sedimentation, filtration), biological treatment, and discharge or reuse.
What is the process of methane capture in landfills?
Wells are drilled into the landfill to collect methane gas, which can then be used for energy production.
Describe the process of waste-to-energy conversion.
Waste is processed through combustion, gasification, or anaerobic digestion to produce heat, electricity, or fuels.
What are the steps in a materials recovery facility (MRF)?
Waste is sorted by type (paper, plastic, metal), cleaned, and prepared for recycling.
What is the process of anaerobic digestion of organic waste?
Organic waste is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas and digestate.
What is the process of plasma gasification?
Waste is heated to extremely high temperatures using plasma torches, converting it into syngas and solid slag.
Define solid waste.
Discarded materials from human and animal activities that are solid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous materials.
What is hazardous waste?
Waste that is toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, flammable, corrosive, or explosive.
Define MSW.
Municipal Solid Waste: Waste from homes, businesses, and city buildings.
What is a sanitary landfill?
A landfill with layers of clay, sand, and plastic to prevent contamination, often including methane collection systems.
What is a secure landfill?
Landfill designed for hazardous waste, featuring thicker liners to prevent leaks.
What is incineration?
Burning waste at high temperatures to reduce its volume.
Define composting.
Biological decomposition of organic solid waste.
What is waste-to-energy conversion?
Converting non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes.
What is non-municipal solid waste?
Waste from industry, agriculture, mining, and oil/gas extraction.
Define teratogenic.
A substance that can cause birth defects.