1. Hazardous Waste/ Bioremediation
AP Environmental Science

2. Hazardous Waste Defined
Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment.

3. Forms of Hazardous Waste
Liquids
Solids
Contained gases
Sludges.
The EPA has a list of more than 500 specific hazardous wastes

4. Characteristics of Hazardous
Contains one or more of 39 carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic compounds at levels that exceed established limits
Ignitability – Create fires under certain conditions, are spontaneously combustible, or have a flash point less than 60 °C (140 °F). waste oils and used solvents.
Corrosivity – Acids or bases (pH less than or equal to 2, or greater than or equal to 12.5) capable of corroding metal containers. Battery acid is an example.

5. Continued
Reactivity – Unstable under "normal" conditions, can cause explosions, toxic fumes, gases, or vapors when heated, compressed, or mixed with water. lithium-sulfur batteries and explosives.
Toxicity – Harmful or fatal when ingested or absorbed, this is the issue with leachate

7. Hazardous Landfill Construction

8. Hazardous Waste is Listed
The F-list (non-specific source wastes). This list identifies wastes from common manufacturing and industrial processes, such as solvents that have been used in cleaning or degreasing operations. F-listed wastes are known as wastes from non-specific sources.
The K-list (source-specific wastes). This list includes certain wastes from specific industries, such as petroleum refining or pesticide manufacturing. Certain sludges and wastewaters from treatment and production processes in these industries are examples of source-specific wastes.

9. Listed
The P-list and the U-list (discarded commercial chemical products). These lists include specific commercial chemical products in an unused form. Some pesticides and some pharmaceutical products become hazardous waste when discarded.

10. When we have to pull in the little guys to help 2011
Bioremediation
When we have to pull in the little guys to help
2011

11. Bioremediation
the use of microbes to enhance the elimination of toxic compounds in the environment.

12. Strategies for bioremediation
Using native (indigenous) microbes
Improving microbes living conditions
Adding selected microbes

13. Indigenous Microbes
There are many naturally occurring microbes that occur in the environment that will decompose (eat) small amounts of toxin over long periods of time.
This works at a very, very slow rate

14. Improving living condition
People can add water and oxygen to the environment to speed up the growth rate of the microbes. Also by adding additional chemical such as fertilizers.

17. Adding more and different microbes
Adding additional non-native microbes can help degrade the toxins
Oil Spills

18. What microbes to use Toxins come in 2 categories
Organic
Inorganic
The type of toxin determines how and what microbes can be used

19. Top 10 contaminants Lead Trichloroethylene Toulene Benzene PCB’s
Chloroform
Phenol
Arsenic
Cadmium
Chromium

20. Anarerobic tolulene degrader
Azoarcus tolulyticus
(dividing in photo)
Found in a gasoline contaminated aquifer
Tolulene is one of the most toxic components of gasoline
Important find because it is anaerobic and can work in an underground environment.

21. Using living organisms to breakdown organic compounds
Biodegradation
2,4-D=Weed B Gone--Herbicides
Oil
PCB”s—insulator coolants in electric power plant transformers
DDT—pesticide
Plastic
Detergents

22. 2,4-D RoundUp,glyphosphate
Three main microbes
Alclegenes eutrohus
Burkholderia cepia
Halomonas
2,4-D RoundUp,glyphosphate
Most widely used herbicide in the US. Between million pounds annually
Can be degraded in 2 weeks in agricultural soils

23. Inorganic wastes contain no Carbon, include heave metals
Although found in nature humans are responsible for accumulating them into abnormally found amounts
Mercury—in batteries
Nitrite—fertilizer runoff
Selenium, Arsenic
Uranium
Acid mine drainage

24. Bacterial communities
Communities of bacteria can handle even nuclear waste
Highly contaminated waste sites have found bacteria eating the uranium and breaking it down to less water soluble compounds

25. Acid mine drainage
Using microbial communities to clean the heavy metals

26. Hazardous waste are creating new fields of study
Microbial technology
Limiting factors for critical processes & significant organisms
Identification of key biotic interaction
Structure and function of food webs
Environmental biotechnology
Cleaning effluents of treatment waste
Alternative and ecofriendly processes
Alternative and ecofriendly products