UNIT – V

WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE RECOVERY

PART – A

1. Disposal of waste tires is a challenging task because tires have a ---------and are
--------------

a, Long life and Non- bio degradable

b, Short life and non- biodegradable
c, Long life and biodegradable
d, Short life and biodegradable

2. ------------ of used tires is the most preferable way of making use of old tires.

a, Retreating
b, Cracking
c, Post cracking
d, Refining

3. ------------- refers to the grinding of scrap tires at temperatures near minus 80oC
using liquid nitrogen or commercial refrigerants

a, Cryogenic grinding
b, Wet grinding
c, Cracking
d, Shredding

4. ----------refers to the thermal decomposition of scrap tires either in the absence

or lack of oxygen.

a, Combustion
b, Post combustion
c, Pyrolysis
d, melting

5. Cracking and post-cracking take place progressively as the material is heated to

--------------and above.

a, 450-500 °C
b, 4000- 4250C
c, 3000 – 3500C
d, 3500 – 3750 C
6. A tyre burns completely at 650 Celsius, producing principally -------------and
-----------

a, Carbon dioxide and water

b, Water and methane
c, carbon dioxide and methane
d, Methane and Nitrogen dioxide

7. Nickel is prevalent in e-waste in batteries, computer casings, cathode ray tubes

and printed circuit boards can cause a skin disorder known as--------------------

a, Nickel- eczema
b, Nickel poisoning
c, psoriasis
d, lead Poisining

8. ----------is found in e-waste as solder, lead-acid batteries, cathode ray tubes,

cabling, printed circuit boards and fluorescent tubes.

a, Lead
b, Mercury
c, Tin
d, magnesium

9. ---------------processing consists of melting electronic waste in a high

temperature furnace and is the most common process used for metal recovery
from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

a, Pyro metallurgy
b, hydrometallurgy
c, Biometallurgy
d, Cracking

10. Bioleaching has traditionally been used in industrial applications in order to

leach metal concentrate from ores, most notably -------and-------.

a, Copper and Gold

b, Silver and magnesium
c, silver and Platinum
d, Zinc and Brass

11. Biosorption uses algae, bacteria, yeasts and fungi to remove heavy metals and
precious metals by bioaccumulation.

12. The loss of fertility followed by erosion also leads to the conversion of
marginal forest lands into wastelands.
13. Shredders tear up the plastic into small pellets, preparing them for recycling
into other products.

14. Extruding involves melting the shredded plastic so that it can be extruded into
pellets for making different types of plastic products.

15. Hydrogen peroxide may also be used to further bleach the pulp.

16. Glass bottles and jars are 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly

without any loss in purity or quality.

17. Sorting is necessary that every plastic item is separated according to its make
and type so that it can be processed accordingly in the shredding machine.

18. Aeration is a long, but effective process that entails mixing wastewater with a
solution of microorganisms.

19. Landfill structure is built either into the ground or on the ground into which
the waste is dumped.

20. The compost contains lot of nitrogen essential for plant growth apart from
phosphate and other minerals

21. Which of the following strategies should be given first preference as far as the
management of plastic waste is concerned

a,Recycle
b, Reuse
c, Reduce the usage
d, None of these

22. Biomedical waste may be disposed of by

a, Incineration
b, Autoclaving and land filling
c, Both a & b
d, None of these

23. One of the major reasons for the accumulation of e-waste in recent years is--------

a, Lack of technologies for recycling

b, Rapid technology obsolescence
 c, lack of Strict Regulations
d, All of these

24. Wasteland is a land which is currently unutilized/Underutilized and is deteriorating due

to anthropogenic or natural causes.

25. Wasteland reclamation is the process of conversion of barren wasteland into

productive agricultural land.

26. Copper is the main conductive element present in PCBs.

27. Tires can trap methane gases, which causes bubbling effect.

28. What is RDF?

a, Reduced dimensional figure

b,Reduced Derived figure
c, Refuse derived fuel
d, Recyle derived Fuel

29. Mulching is providing protective cover to the soil, to retain soil moisture and
reduce soil erosion.

30. Social Forestry Programme involve strip plantation on road, canal-sides,

degrarded forest land
31. Sodicitiy of the soil can be reduced by application of -----------

a, Gypsum
b, limestone
c, Mica
d, dolomite

32. The use of TDF(Tire derived fuel) in cement kilns, paper mills or power plants is one
of the best uses of scrap tires.

33. In Pyrolysis of waste tires, the char can be used in low value production processes as
a colorant or filler.

34. Open-tire fires produce many unhealthful products of incomplete combustion that are
released directly into the atmosphere.

35. Hydrometallurgy is a low temperature method that uses aqueous chemistry for the
recovery of metals.
36. Land fills are not desired for scrap tires, due to their large volumes and 75% void space
that quickly consume valuable space.

37. An incinerator plant of 300 tonnes per day capacity can generate ---------- of power

a, 3 Megawatt
b, 1 Megawatt
c, 30 Megawatt
d, 300 Megawatt

38. The municipal solid waste are burnt in a furnace called ------------

a, Incinerator
b, Muffle furnace
c, Hot air oven
d, high temperature furnace

39. Biodegradable wastes become part of bio-geochemical cycles and give back rapid
turnover.

40. Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as
new outputs

41. Corrosive waste destroys materials and living tissues by chemical reactions.

42. Leaching is the process of removal of salt from the salt affected soil by applying amount
of water

43. Reactive waste react vigorously with air, water, heat and generate toxic gases

44. In continuous leaching 0.5 to 1.0 cm water is required to remove -------- of soluble salts

a, 80%
b, 90%
c, 50%
d, 20%

45. Activated sludge is biologically active sewage and it has a large number of anaerobic
bacterias, which can easily oxidize the organic oxidize the organic impurities
 PART – B

1. Define E-waste
E-waste is a popular name given to waste electronic products. E-wastes are
considered dangerous because they contain hazardous chemicals. The
hazardous content of E-Waste pose a threat to human health and environment.
2. What are the sources of E-waste
The growing demand for electrical and electronic equipments in day-to-day life
has significantly contributed to the growth of electronic industry. Main source
of E- waste are Printed circuit boards (PC boards), Batteries, Various Hg
containing Components, Cathode ray tubes (CRTs), Liquid crystal displays
(LCDs), Plastics and polymers, PCB-containing capacitors, Refrigerating
circuits , Toner cartridges.
3. Explain various health effects of E- waste
It causes severe health effects even at relatively low levels in the body. Typical
health issues are poisoning, abdominal pain, anemia, headaches and
convulsions, chronic nephritis of kidney, brain damage, central nervous system
disorders, stomach irritation and neurodevelopmental (nervous system) and can
harm the immune and reproductive systems, and some of which are known to
cause cancer.
4. Mention carcinogenic heavy metals occur in E-Waste
Heavy metals, includes lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc
and chromium are important water pollutants, but their extensive use and
increasing levels in the environment are of concern. All these metals are
discharged from various industrial sources including electroplating, electronic
industries etc.
5. List out the E- waste recovery methods
1. Pyrometallurgical Method
2. Hydrometallurgical Method
3.Biometallurgical Method

6. Define scrap tires

Scrap tires are waste tires that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to
wear (or) irreparable damage. Scrap tires are composed of natural and
manufactured synthetic rubbers, along with various additives.
 8. What is Retreating?

Retreating of used tires is the most preferable way of making use of old tires.
On average, only 15 % of crude oil is needed to produce a retread instead of a
new tire. Thus, the price of a tire is reduced up to 45 % without any loss in
quality. However, tire for passenger cars normally are retread once, tires for
Lorries are twice retread, while airplane tires even up to seven times and 90 %
of the world’s airlines use retread tires.

10. What are the two types of Wasteland?

 Barren and uncultivable wastelands

 Cultivable wastelands

11. Explain Shredding in plastic recycling

After washing, the plastic waste is loaded into different conveyer belts that
run the waste through the different shredders. These shredders tear up the
plastic into small pellets, preparing them for recycling into other products.

12. Write about Biofiltration

This method of secondary treatment of wastewater employs sand filters,

contact filters, or trickling filters to ensure that additional sediment is removed
from wastewater. Of the three filters, trickling filters are typically the most
effective for small-batch wastewater treatment.

13. What are the types of glass that can’t be recycled?

1. Window panes.
2. Mirrors.
3. Automotive glass.
4. Crystal.
5. Ceramics, including cookware and decorative pieces.
6. Glass that is heat resistant, like Pyrex.
7. Lightbulbs, unless specifically accepted by your recycler.

14. Define the term De-inking

De-inking, involves putting the pulp in a floatation device made up of
chemicals and air bubbles that takes away any form of dyes or ink to enhance
purity and whiteness. Hydrogen peroxide may also be used to further bleach
the pulp.

15. List out the stages of paper recycling

 Sorting
 Washing
  Shredding
 Identification and Classification of Plastic
 Extruding

16. What are the types of solid wastes?

 Municipal wastes.
 Industrial wastes.
 Hazardous wastes.

17. List out the sources of municipal waste

 Domestic waste
 Commercial waste
 Construction waste
 Biomedical waste
18. Define ‘Bio-degradable’ and ‘non-biodegradable wastes’.

If the pollutants are rapidly decomposed, then they are said to be “bio-
degradable pollutants” like sewage and effluents. Instead, if the pollutants
don’t degrade or degrade very slowly then they are said to be “non-degradable
pollutants” like mercury and plastics.

Part – C

1. Describe E-Waste management techniques and recovery method.

E-waste management has become one of the emerging problem to the

developed and developing countries and it is generated more in developed
countries than developing countries. The recycling and recovery of materials
from e-waste have become essential as they release burden on natural
resources. Prior to incineration and land-filing the e- waste undergoes
recycling, reuse and recovery options.

 The developed countries either dump the e-waste by land filling or dispatched it
to the developing countries like china and India.
 The environmental laws for the recovery and recycling from e-waste are very
stringent and money intensive in the developed countries.
 In spite of Basel convention, they dispatch the e-waste to the developing
countries in the name of charity, recycling.
 The developing countries are facing problems as they do not have know how to
handle this waste.
 They are treating it to recover and recycle the material in the equipment with
bare hands with rudimentary and primitive methods like open burning, acid
leaching and recover in minimum the targeted material like copper, steel and
aluminium from e-waste generating a huge quantity of waste.
 In view of that it is desirable to dispose the e-waste only through registered
 recyclers and say no to informal recyclers for the e-waste treatment.
 The formal/registered recyclers not only recover valuable resources but reduce
the e-waste manifolds also by treating the e-waste by environmentally
sustainable treatment processes and reduce the burden of natural resources to
recover this amount of material through mining and reduce the cancer patients
and improve the health condition in the ambience.
 The new law enacted, facilitated a compatible e-waste management system in
India. It encompasses collection, storage, reuse, recycling, recovery from e-
waste and incineration and land-filling.

E-WASTE MANAGEMENT - RECOVERY OF METALS FROM E-WASTE

There are two main processes to recycle e-waste, pyrometallurgy and

hydrometallurgy, the former serving as the primary method. Pyrometallurgy
uses high temperatures for melting e-waste. Hydrometallurgy is a low
temperature method that uses aqueous chemistry for the recovery of metals.
The use of biometallurgy as an alternative to the above is still being
experimented.

Pyrometallurgical Method

Pyrometallurgical processing consists of melting electronic waste in a high

temperature furnace and is the most common process used for metal recovery
from waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE). This process is called
“smelting” and is used to recover the copper content of electronic scrap. Iron
and aluminum recovery is not easy because they end up in the slag phase as
oxides. Although pyrometallurgical treatment is the most common method for
recovering metals from e-waste, there are some disadvantages, which include:
smelting flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) present in e-waste
leads to the formation of dioxins, requiring special emission controls
pyrometallurgical processing cannot fully separate all metals, and therefore
hydrometallurgical processing methods must be used subsequently.

Hydrometallurgical Method

Hydrometallurgical processing of e-waste has become more popular, due to the

fact that hydrometallurgical methods are more exact, predictable and more
easily controlled than pyrometallurgical methods. Hydrometallurgy can be
broken down into three general areas; leaching, solution concentration and
purification, and metal recovery. The general process is as follows:

1. Mechanical Treatment: Prior to chemical treatment, mechanical processing

is often necessary in order to convert waste material into a granular form.

2. Leaching: E-waste goes through a series of acid or caustic leaches, which is a

process whereby a soluble component is extracted from a solid by means of a
solvent. The most efficient leaching agents are acids, due to their ability to
leach both base and precious metals.

3. Separation and Purification: The leachate is then subjected to separation and

purification processes in order to concentrate the valuable metals and separate
 impurities.

4. Precious Metals Recovery: Recovering precious metals from leachate can be

done via electrorefining processes, chemical reduction or crystallization.

Biometallurgical Method

Biometallurgy is built on the concept that microbes interact and depend on

metals to carry out their cellular functions. Interactions between bacteria and
metals include sorption, reduction, oxidation, and sulfide precipitation. There
are two main methods of biometallurgy to remove metals: bioleaching and
biosorption. Bioleaching has traditionally been used in industrial applications in
order to leach metal concentrate from ores, most notably gold and copper.
Biosorption uses algae, bacteria, yeasts and fungi to remove heavy metals and
precious metals by bioaccumulation. These microbes act as adsorbents through
a complex process, involving a physical or chemical adsorption of metals onto
the cell walls or cell associated materials. The main limitations of biological
methods include prolonged duration and the inability of the microorganisms to
acclimatize and withstand shock load.

2. Explain the specific sources and health impacts caused by E-waste.

Metals are often divided into light metals and heavy metals. Sodium, potassium,
calcium and magnesium are important light metals and these metals are not hazardous.
The threat of heavy metals is aggravated by their almost indefinite persistence in the
environment. Although some heavy metals are essential to life at very low levels (i.e
they provide essential cofactors for metallo proteins and enzymes), at high
concentrations heavy metals directly affect various physiological and biochemical
processes causing reduction in growth, inhibition of photosynthesis and respiration,
and degeneration of main cell organelles in plants.

Lead: Lead is found in e-waste as solder, lead-acid batteries, cathode ray tubes,
cabling, printed circuit boards and fluorescent tubes. It causes severe health effects
even at relatively low levels in the body. Typical symptoms of lead poisoning are
abdominal pain, anemia, headaches and convulsions, chronic nephritis of kidney, brain
damage and central nervous system disorders.

Copper: Copper is the main conductive element present in PCBs. It is an essential

element to human life, but in high doses it can cause anemia, liver and kidney damage,
and stomach irritation.

Nickel: Nickel is prevalent in e-waste in batteries, computer casings, cathode ray tubes
and printed circuit boards. When compared to other transition metals, nickel is a
moderately toxic element. However, it is generally well known that inhalation of
nickel and its compounds can lead to serious problems including cancer of respiratory
systems. Moreover nickel can cause a skin disorder known as nickel-eczema.

Mercury: Mercury is toxic in very low doses, and causes brain and kidney damage. It
can be passed on through breast milk. In a 2000 report, the National Academy of
 Sciences estimated that over 60,000 babies are born each year at risk for
neurodevelopmental (nervous system) defects associated with high exposure to methyl
mercury in the womb.
Cadmium: Cadmium is a known cancer-causing substance. It accumulates in the body
and can cause kidney damage.
BFRs: Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) may seriously affect hormonal functions
critical for normal development. Incineration of plastics containing BFRs generates
toxic brominated dioxins and furans.
Plastics: Plastics are used in printed circuit boards, in connectors, plastic covers &
cables. Hazardous chemical additives (like phthalates) can leach when PVC
components of electronic products are landfilled, and burning PVC produces dioxins, a
group of the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can harm the immune
and reproductive systems, and some of which are known to cause cancer.
Beryllium: It is commonly found on motherboards and connectors. Beryllium is a
human carcinogen.

3. Discuss on recycling of scarp tires

RECYCLING OF SCRAP TIRES
There are three major technologies for recycling of waste tires – ambient mechanical
grinding, cryogenic grinding and pyrolysis.

a. Ambient mechanical grinding

In ambient mechanical grinding process, the breaking up of a scrap tire happens at

ambient temperature. Tires are passed through a shredder, which breaks the tires into
chips. The chips are fed into a granulator that breaks them into small pieces while
removing steel and fiber in the process. Any remaining steel is removed magnetically
and fiber through a combination of shaking screens and wind sifters. Finer rubber
particles can be obtained through further grinding in secondary granulators and high-
speed rotary mills.

b. Cryogenic grinding

Cryogenic grinding refers to the grinding of scrap tires at temperatures near minus
80oC using liquid nitrogen or commercial refrigerants. Cryogenic processing generally
uses pre-treated car or truck tires as feedstock, most often in the form of chips or
ambiently produced granulate.
When the tires are exposed to such low temperatures, they become brittle and can be
easily crushed and broken. It can be a four-phase system which includes initial size
reduction, cooling, separation, and milling. This process requires less energy than
others and produces rubber crumb of much finer quality.

C. Pyrolysis of waste tires

Pyrolysis refers to the thermal decomposition of scrap tires either in the absence or

lack of oxygen. Pyrolysis uses pre-treated car or truck tire chips as the principal
feedstock. It is a two-phase treatment which uses thermal decomposition to heat the
 rubber in the absence of oxygen to break it into its constituent parts, e.g., tire-derived
fuel (TDF), synthetic gas and char. Cracking and post-cracking take place
progressively as the material is heated to 450-500 °C and above. The use of TDF in
cement kilns, paper mills or power plants is one of the best uses of scrap tires. The
char can be used in low value production processes as a colorant or filler.

4. List out the uses of scrap tires

1. General application
The properties of used tires (such as elasticity, stability in air atmosphere and
high level of humidity) have led to a number of alternative applications like
1. In agriculture: as weights for silage cover sheets.
2. In landscaping: as erosion protection for dam walls and slopes.
3 In shore protection: as breakwaters.
4. In harbors and docks: as dock bumpers and ship fenders.
5. In the fishing industry: as artificial reefs for fish breeding.
6. In household and communities: as bumpers in garages, playground equipment i.e.,
playground surface cover, running tracks, and athletic field turfs.
7. Shoemaking: soles, heels and straps of sandals can be made from tire
materials.
8. Road construction: tires are mixed with asphalt cement forming asphalt
rubber, asphalt rubber filler costs 40 % more than conventional material.
9. The crushing of used tires (powder), which can be used properly used as one
of the raw material in the street furniture field or building materials containing
rubber.

5. Elaborate the methods involved in managing the environmental hazards of

waste tires.
Methods of Disposal of Scrap tires

Tires present unique and challenging disposal problems because of their size, shape,
long life and are non-biodegradable. The traditional methods of disposal of waste tires
have been stockpiling or illegally dumping or landfilling, all of which are short-term
solution.

1. Stockpile

Disposing of waste tires in stockpiles poses a number of environmental and public

health and safety hazards. Rainwater can accumulate in tires within a stockpile, thus
Stockpiled tires provide perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, vermin and snakes.
Accidental fires caused in tire dumps can burning for months releasing toxic fumes.
For example, a massive fire broke out at Jahra dumpsite in Kuwait in April 2012
where more than 5 million waste tires were stored.
Open-tire fires produce many unhealthful products of incomplete combustion that are
released directly into the atmosphere. The airborne emissions of tire fires have been
shown to be more toxic which include poly nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
dioxins, furans, hydrogen Chloride, benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
 Metals present can include arsenic, cadmium, nickel, zinc, mercury, chromium ad
vanadium.

2. Landfilling

Land fills are not desired for scrap tires, due to their large volumes and 75% void space
that quickly consume valuable space. Tires can trap methane gases, which causes
“bubbling” effect. This bubbling effect,tires can come up to the top of landfill and can
damage caps and liners. Landfilling of tires is a major problem as tires come up to the
top of landfill and can damage caps and liners. Many countries in North America and
Europe have banned landfilling of whole tires and made recycling mandatory.
7. Elaborate process of plastic recycling

Plastic Recycling: Plastic Recycling is the process of recovering different types

of plastic material in order to reprocess them into varied other products, unlike
their original form. An item made out of plastic is recycled into a different
product, which usually cannot be recycled again.

Stages in Plastic Recycling

Before any plastic waste is recycled, it needs to go through five different stages
so that it can be further used for making various types of products.

Sorting: It is necessary that every plastic item is separated according to its

make and type so that it can be processed accordingly in the shredding
machine.

Washing: Once the sorting has been done, the plastic waste needs to be washed
properly to remove impurities such as labels and adhesives. This enhances the
quality of the finished product.

Shredding: After washing, the plastic waste is loaded into different conveyer

belts that run the waste through the different shredders. These shredders tear up
the plastic into small pellets, preparing them for recycling into other products.

Identification and Classification of Plastic: After shredding, a proper testing

of the plastic pellets is conducted in order to ascertain their quality and class.

Extruding: This involves melting the shredded plastic so that it can be

extruded into pellets, which are then used for making different types of plastic
products.

Processes of Plastic Recycling

Among the many processes of recycling plastic waste, the following two are the
most popular in the industry.
 Heat Compression: This type of plastic recycling is gaining special demand in
the United States, Australia, and Japan because of its ability to recycle all types
of plastic at once. It takes unsorted and cleaned plastic waste and mixes it in
huge tumblers that churn the entire mixture. The major advantage of this
process is that it does not require matching forms of plastic to be recycled
together.

Monomer: Through the elaborate and accurate monomer recycling process,

major challenges of plastic recycling can be overcome. This process actually
reverses the polymerization reaction in order to recycle the same type of
condensed polymer. This process not only purifies but also cleans the plastic
waste to create a new polymer.

8. Bring out the importance of glass recycling process and give out the
products derived from recycled glass.
Glass that is crushed and ready to be remelted is called cullet. Glass bottles and
jars are 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in
purity or quality.
Glass used in food packaging, such as iced tea bottles and salsa jars, is
recyclable and should not be tossed in the garbage.
Glass cookware and storage containers are not recyclable, however. Neither are
most types of light bulbs, unless otherwise stated by your recycling provider.
Glass recyclers consider these items contaminants and they should be kept out
of your recycling bin.
Types of glass that can’t be recycled:
 Window panes.
 Mirrors.
 Automotive glass.
 Crystal.
 Ceramics, including cookware and decorative pieces.
 Glass that is heat resistant, like Pyrex.
 Lightbulbs, unless specifically accepted by your recycler.

Products made from recycled glass:

Glass containers, Fiberglass, Recycled glass countertops, Foam aggregate,

Ground cover

Types of cullet

Internal cullet: It is composed of defective products detected and rejected

by a quality control process during the industrial process of glass
manufacturing, ytransition phase of product changes and production off
cuts.
 External Cullet: It is waste glass that has been collected (or) reprocessed
with the purpose of recycling.

9. Explain the control and prevention measures of municipal solid wastes or

Steps involved in solid waste management
The combined effects of population explosion and changing modern living
standards have had a cumulative effect in the generation of a large amount of
various types of wastes. Any material that is thrown away or discarded as
unwanted is considered as solid waste. These wastes are disposed in open
dumps creating considerable potential risks to health and to the environment
from improper management of solid wastes. Thus the management of solid
waste is very important in order to minimize the adverse effects of solid wastes.
Types of solid waste in existence
1. Urban (or) municipal waste
 Garbage
 food waste
2. Agricultural waste
3. Industrial waste
4. Hazardous waste
Causes for the generation solid waste
 Over population
 Affluence
 Technology
Effects of solid waste

1. Due to improper disposal of municipal solid wastes on the road side and their
immediate surroundings, biodegradable materials undergo decomposition.
This produces foul smell and breeds various types of insects, which spoil the
land value.
2. Industrial solid wastes are the sources of toxic metals and hazardous wastes,
which affect the productivity of soils when they are dumped on the soil.
3. Toxic substance may percolate into the ground and contaminate the ground
water.
4. Burning of some of the industrial wastes (or) domestic wastes (like cans,
pesticides, plastics, radioactive materials, batteries) produce furans, dioxins
and polychlorinated biphenyls, which are harmful to human beings.
Process and disposal of Solid waste management (or) waste shed
management

Solid waste management incudes the various steps

 Waste generation
 Mode of collection - collection of waste from various sources
 Transportation – to transfer the collected wastes to the destination point
 Segregation of wastes- house level separation for recycling
 Disposal techniques.
I. Reduce , Reuse and recycle (3R)

a. Reduce the usage of raw materials – thus the generation of waste also get reduced.

b. Reuse of waste materials – refillable mataerials and rubber rings can be reused

c. Recycling of materials – old Al cans and glass bottles are melted and can be used,
preparation of cellulose insulation from paper, preparation of fuel pellets from
kitchen waste.

II. Disposal of solid waste

a. Land fill - Disposal of municipal waste in the upper layers of the earth’s mantle.
After two or three years, solid waste volume shrinks by 25-30% and the land is used
for parks, roads and small buildings.

b. Incineration - In this method the municipal solid wastes are burnt in a furnace
called incinerator. The heat produced in the incinerator during the burning of refuse is
used in the form of steam power for generation of electricity throughout turbines. It is
a hygienic way of disposing solid waste.it is more suitable if the waste contains more
hazardous material and organic content.the temperature normally maintained in a
combustion chamber is about 7000C and may be increased to about 10000C when
electricity is to be generated.

c. Composting or Bio degradation – in this method, bulk organic waste is converted

into fertilizing manure by biological action. The compost (Humus) contains lot of
nitrogen essential for plant growth apart from phosphates and other minerals.

The above process saves money, energy, raw materials and reducespollution.
Significance of solid waste management
In communities where appropriate sites are available, sanitary landfill usually
provide the most economical option for disposal of non recyclable refuse. However,
it is becoming increasingly difficult to find sites that offer adequate capacity,
accessibility, and environmental conditions. Landfills will always play a key role
in solid-waste management. It is not possible to recycleall components of solid
waste, and there will always be residues from incineration and other treatment
processes that will eventually require disposal underground. Landfills can actually
improve poor-quality land. In some communities properly completed landfills are
converted into recreational parks, playgrounds, or golf courses. An incinerator plant
of 300 tonnes per day capacity can generate 3MW of power. In composting when
the manure is added to soil, it increases the water retention and ion exchange
capacity of soil.

10. Explain different methods involved in Wasteland Reclamation

Waste Land Reclamation
The land which is not in use is called waste land. Wastelands are lands which are
unproductive, unfit for cultivation, grazing and other economic uses due to rough
terrain and eroded soils. The lands which are water logged and saline are also
termed as wastelands. The loss of fertility followed by erosion also leads to the
conversion of marginal forest lands into wastelands.
Classification of Wastelands:
The wastelands are broadly classified into two categories:
1.Barren and uncultivable wastelands:
These lands cannot be brought under cultivation or economic use except at a very
high cost, whether they exist as isolated pockets or within cultivated holdings. Such
lands are sandy deserts, gully land, stony or leached land, lands on hilly slopes,
rocky exposures etc
2. Cultivable wastelands:
These lands are not cultivated for five years or more. It consists of lands available for
cultivation, but not used for cultivation. Next to fallow lands, cultivable wastelands are
important for agricultural purposes, because they can be reclaimed through conservational
methods for cultivation, grazing or Agroforestry.
Maximum wasteland areas in our country lie in Rajasthan anthropogenic activities leading
to wasteland formation are deforestation, overgrazing, mining and intensive agricultural
practices.

Wasteland Reclamation: Different methods of Wasteland Reclamation

Reclamation of waste land means re-claiming it or to use it for productive purposes.
1. Afforestation:It means growing the forest over cultivable wasteland.

2. Reforestation: Growing the forest again over the lands where they were
existing and was destroyed due to fires, overgrazing, and excessive cutting.
Reforestation checks water logging, floods, soil erosion and increase productivity
of land.

3.Providing surface cover: The easiest way to protect the land surface from soil
erosion is of leave crop residue on the land after harvesting.

4. Mulching: Here also protective cover of organic matter and plants like stalks,
cotton stalks, tobacco stalks etc. are used which reduce evaporation, help in
retaining soil moisture and reduce soil erosion.

5.Changing Ground Topography on Downhill’s:

Running water erodes the hill soil and carries the soil along with it. This can
be minimized by following alternation in ground topography:
Strip farming: Different kinds of crops are planted in alternate strip along the
contour.

Terracing: In this arrangement, the earth is shaped in the form of leveled

terraces to hold soil and water. The terrace edges are planted with such plant
species, which anchor the soil.

Contour ploughing: In this arrangement, the ploughing of land is done

across the hill and not in up and down style.
7. Leaching: In salt affected land, the salinity can be minimized by leaching
them with more water.

8. Changing agricultural practices:Like mixed cropping, crop rotation and

cropping of plants are adopted to improve soil fertility.
9. Ecological Succession: This refers to the natural development or
redevelopment of an ecosystem which help in reclaiming the minerally
deficient soil of wasteland.

11. Write short notes on Shredding and Pulping in paper recycling

The recycling of paper is the process by which waste paper is turned into new
paper products.it has a number of benefits. It saves waste paper from
oocupying homes of people and producing methane as it breaks down.

Process of Paper Recycling

1. Collection

Recyclers and paper merchants collect the paper materials from collection
points such as trash bins, paper stores, paper scrap yards, and commercial
outlets that generate paper waste. After collection, they are then measured,
graded for quality, and hauled to recycling paper mill facilities.

2. Sorting

Once accepted at the recycling facility, the papers are further sorted based on
quantity and paper value by assessing the materials that were used to make the
paper. In most cases, the papers are classified according to their surface
treatment and structure. For instance, the very thin lightweight paper materials
like newspapers are put separately from the thick paper materials like the ones
used as paper folders. Sorting is important since paper mills produce different
grades of paper materials based on the materials being recovered.

3. Shredding and Pulping

 Once sorting is finished, the next step involves shredding followed with
pulping. Shredding is done to break down the paper materials into small bits.
After the material is finely shredded to bits, it is mixed with water and chemicals
to breakdown the paper fiber materials. It turns the paper materials into a slurry
substance, a process termed as pulping. During the process of pulping, a large
amount of water is added to the waste paper to produce pulp.

4. Filtering, conterminal removal and De-Inking

The slurry substance is then taken through a comprehensive filtering

process to get rid of all the non-fibrous foreign materials present or any
impurities such as strings, tape or glue. The pulp further goes into a chamber
where contaminants like plastics and metals staples are removed by use of a
centrifuge-like process. Light materials such as plastics float on top while the
heavy materials like metals fall to the bottom for elimination.

The next process, de-inking, involves putting the pulp in a floatation device
made up of chemicals and air bubbles that takes away any form of dyes or ink to
enhance purity and whiteness. Hydrogen peroxide may also be used to further
bleach the pulp. This entire step is also called the cleaning process as it cleans the
pulp over and over to ensure it is ready for the final processing stage.

5. Finishing for reuse

This is the final stage of paper recycling. The cleaned pulp is blended with
new production materials after which, it is put to dry on a flat conveyor belt and
heated cylindrical surfaces. As the pulp dries, it is passed through an automated
machine that presses out excess water. By the time the pulp is solid, it is passed
through steam heated cylinders that facilitates the formation of flattened long
rolls of continuous sheets of paper.

The resultant paper sheets are then trimmed, rolled, and sent to various
business outlets or manufactures that use paper to make their products.
Newspaper printing, wrapping papers, printing papers, and blown-in cellulose
insulators are a few examples of areas where recycled papers are used.

12. Brief a note on steps involved in Sewage treatment

The main objective of wastewater treatment are

 To convert harmful compounds into harmless compounds
 To eliminate the offensive smell
 To remove the solid content of the sewage
In fact, there are three distinct steps involved in traditional wastewater
treatment methods. .
 Primary treatment
Primary treatment of wastewater involves sedimentation of solid waste
within the water. This is done after filtering out larger contaminants within the
water. Wastewater is passed through several tanks and filters that separate
water from contaminants. The resulting “sludge” is then fed into a digester, in
which further processing takes place. This primary batch of sludge contains
nearly 50% of suspended solids within wastewater.

Secondary treatment
Secondary treatment of wastewater makes use of oxidation to further purify
waste water. This can be done in one of three ways:

Biofiltration
This method of secondary treatment of wastewater employs sand filters, contact
filters, or trickling filters to ensure that additional sediment is removed from
wastewater. Of the three filters, trickling filters are typically the most effective
for small-batch wastewater treatment.

Activated sludge process

Aeration is a long, but effective process that entails mixing wastewater with a
solution of microorganisms. The resulting mixture is then aerated for up to 30
hours at a time to ensure results.

Tertiary treatment

Tertiary treatment aims at further purification of waste water and also for its
recycling

The number of methods used for tertiary treatment is:

(i) Chemical coagulation and filtration,

(ii) Adsorption,
(iii) Chemical oxidation.
(iv) Desalination
(v) Oxidation ponds.

However, there is a growing need for advanced procedures that will provide a
product capable of being reused for various purposes. The recycled wastewater can
be used for irrigation, mainly for non-food crops such as grasslands, lawns, play
grounds, etc. The renovation of wastewater to a quality that would permit its reuse for
a variety of purposes is a major objective of current research in this field.