dealing with waste
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Dealing with wastePart II - Incinerators
D18
Explain the short- and long-term impacts of landfills and incineration of waste materials on the quality of the environment.
Another option
While much waste is deposited in landfills, there is another option
Waste incineration
What is waste incineration? Waste incineration is the destruction
of waste in a furnace by controlled burning at high temperatures.
In the United States, 33.1 million tons of municipal solid waste are incinerated each year, with the highest combustion percentage being on the east coast (EPA, 2003).
How does this process work? Modern waste to energy plants tend
to be moving toward using grate incinerators
The waste is slowly propelled through the furnace by a moving mechanical grate, waste continuously enters at one end and the ash is discharged at the other.
Moving Grate Incinerators
What does incineration do? Incineration removes water from
hazardous sludge Reduces the waste’s mass and/or
volume Converts waste to a non-burnable
ash.– The ash can be disposed of on land, in
some waters, or in underground pits.
Benefits of this process It generates energy from waste that
would otherwise take up space in a landfill.
It reduces the amount of space taken up by the waste by reducing it to ash
What are short-term problems? Incineration can produce carbon
monoxide gas, gaseous dioxins, and/or other harmful substances.
This process is also noisy This process generates fumes, which
smell bad.
Long term problems with incineration Pollutants from combustion are
released into the atmosphere that would otherwise be contained.
Hazardous waste (ash) needs disposal.
Reading Assignment Read the article, “Europe Finds Clean
Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags”
Respond to questions on worksheet.
Be prepared to discuss your responses in class
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