Know About Some Major Waste Management Technologies

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Advance Technologies and Methods of Waste Management

Waste Management is one of the most necessary and major concern for human civilization. With its increasing population and continuous advancement in the field of science and technology, the formation of waste products have abruptly increases. Billions of tons of different kinds of waste products are generated daily some of which easily decomposes while some not. The gradual rise in waste product generation and its improper management causing dumping of them here and there is in turn greatly affecting the environment and ecosystem. Different living organisms may it be on land or on sea are adversely affected by different human-generated waste products. Now it is a reason of major concern and thus proper waste management is extremely necessary by the application of advance scientific and technological methods. Here we discuss some of the important methods for waste management.

Bioremediation

The discharge made by human and process waste from production industries that are major source of waste water. As per waste management board, the total volume of the wastewater from industries is much greater than that of the domestic sewage. This in turn requires effective waste management.  Microbial remotion of xenobiotics is proved to be effective and then price efficient technology, but it still has lots of constraints. Therefore, the patrimonial engineering approaches are used to produce the new anxiety of microbes (Genetically Engineered Microorganisms, GEMS) which have advantageous catabolic budding than the wild type species for bioremediation. There are four major paths to GEM production for the bioremediation application which include the adaptation of enzyme specificity and affinity, pathway development and regulation, bioprocess construction, monitoring and control and lastly, bio-affinity bio-receptor sensor application for chemical sensing, toxicity reduction and end point analysis. These permit the pervasive use of genetically engineered microorganism. In the distance future, the genetically engineered microorganisms could possibly be used to control the green house gases, convert the waste to the value-added product as well as to decrease and capture the carbon dioxide gases from the atmosphere (carbon sequestration),but huge research still required in order to make these potential successful. There is a issues regarding the extensive use of genetically engineered microbes for the remotion of pollutants. Once the genetically microorganisms has been combined, it may besprinkle uncontrollably and hard to be removed. However, the serious major concern that leads to the constraints of GEMs development and seems to be the absence of information on gene as well as the daily impulsion.  

Composting

Composting is a waste management that involves break down of waste material in presence of air. It can therefore be used to reprocess biological material. The process involves decay of organic material into a humus-like material, known as compost, which is a good fertilizer for plants. Composting requires the following three components: human management, aerobic conditions, development of internal biological heat. Nearly every plant and animal materials have one and the other that is carbon and nitrogen, but amounts varies in a range, with characteristics noted above (dry/wet, brown/green).Fresh grass clippings have an average ratio of about 15:1 and dry autumn leaves about 50:1 depending on species. Mixing equal parts by volume approximates the ideal C:N range. The most efficient composting occurs with an optimal carbon:nitrogen ratio of about 25:1. The air/water balance is critical to maintaining high temperatures (135°-160° Fahrenheit / 50° - 70° Celsius) until the materials are broken down. The organisms that do the composting are equally important things to work efficiently.

i) Carbon: The biological oxidation of carbon produces the heat, if included at the desired levels.  High carbon materials contribute to be brown and dry. This is done for energy.

ii) Nitrogen: to mature and clone more organisms to oxidize the carbon. High nitrogen materials contribute to be green (or colorful, such as fruits and vegetables) and wet.

iii) Oxygen: for oxidizing the carbon, the decaying process.

iv) Water: in the optimum amounts to continue activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

Phases of composting:

Under ideal conditions, composting proceeds through three major phases: 

• A beginning, mesophilic phase, in which the decomposition is carried out under moderate temperatures by mesophilic microorganisms.
• As the temperature increases, second, thermophilic aspects commenced, in which the decomposition is carried out by various thermophilic bacteria under high temperatures.
• As the amount of high-energy compounds dwindles, the temperature starts to decrease, and the mesophiles once again hold sway in the maturation phase.

Incineration

The leverage of the incineration are decreasing of volume and mass by burning, deduction to a percentage of sterile ash, source of energy, rise of income by selling bottom ash, and is also environmentally acceptable. The disadvantages of incineration are the following: 

• Greater cost and longer payback course due to high capital investment
• Since incineration is design on the basis of a certain calorific value removing paper and plastics for recycling lowers the overall calorific value that may affect the incinerator performance.
• The process still produces a solid waste residue at the end which still requires treatment and management
• Emissions from incinerators composed of particulates, heavy metals, pollutant gases, odor dust and litter. Due to deficient combustion, products such as dioxins and furans are formed.