Waste and Energy, Research Paper Example

Introduction

This paper examines the method for waste disposal of a number of identified substances. The substances in question being that of  coal waste, oil waste, nuclear waste and tires.  Each represents its’ own unique challenge in terms of disposal and safety to the environment.  The paper analyses the sources of these waste materials, how they impact biodiversity and impact environmental considerations.

Impact of Waste disposal

Coal Waste : Coal is the largest source of consumption for domestic energy in the United States.  Some 90% of all coal being used in power plants.  The residue of burnt coal is mostly slurried into an impoundment allowed to settle and then receive other chemical additives in order to break the residue up.  This is often then buried in landfill sites.  It is stated that fly ash accounts for some 58% of the waste product from power stations.  This substance is reused in the making of cement and therefore has an important secondary use.  Some 100 million tons of ash and sludge are dumped annually in the United States and these contain some lethal substances ” Lethal substances contained in the ash and sludge include arsenic, selenium, lead, boron, cadmium, and cobalt..”  (Sweet, 2009). The impact on human health and the environment can last for over 100 years.

Oil Waste : Oil is one of the most dangerous pollutants to our environment.  Not disposed of correctly it can have lasting impacts on both our health and environment ” Illegally disposed of oil can pollute the groundwater with contaminants such as lead, magnesium, copper, zinc, chromium, arsenic, chlorides, cadmium and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). ”   (Synlube, 2010).  Where possible oil should always be recycled and the waste product placed in a secure container and delivered to one of the many waste oil recycling centres.

Nuclear Waste : Perhaps the most dangerous, toxic and lethal of all waste disposal products. In the USA most of the nuclear power plants are nearing the end of their useful life and this will leave a great deal of nuclear material to dispose of. ” Nuclear waste can be generally classified a either “low level” radioactive waste or “high level” radioactive waste.” (Gold, 2010). The type of waste often terms as ‘low level’ is that found in parts of nuclear reactors and that of spent or waste material  from medical equipment such as isotopes, x-ray machinery or procedures where radiation treatment is involved.  The secret is to find suitable repositories where the waste material can be stored and left to  decay to a level that is considered safe, normally this can take between 50-100 years. This method of waste disposal and reprocessing of nuclear waste is often placed in the hands of specialist subcontractors under government supervision.

Tire Disposal : Around 1 billion tires are disposed of in the world each day. The method of disposal ranging from: 50% to landfill sites, 40% incinerated and 10% recycled. From these figures it is obvious that we need to increase the number of recycled products in order to stop widespread pollution and contamination of our environment.  There are generally three accepted methods of recycling: Mechanical ambient grinding, Cryogenically freezing and crushing, pyrolysis microwave to melt rubber.

New York State carried out a survey in July 2004 and discovered that ” In New York State, an estimated 18-20 million waste tires are generated each year (approximately one tire-per-person-per-year).”  (Department of Economic Conservation, 2010).

Works Cited

Department of Economic Conservation. (2010). Waste Tires. Retrieved 7 17, 2010, from Department of Economic Conservation: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8792.html

Gold, E. (2010). Nuclear Waste Disposal. Retrieved 7 17, 2010, from Rochester.edu: http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/EZRA/

Sweet, B. (2009, 5 7). The Unsolved Problems of Long-Term Coal Waste Disposal . Retrieved 7 17, 2010, from Energy Wise: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/the_unsolved_problems_of_longt

Synlube. (2010). Used Oil. Retrieved 7 17, 2010, from Synlube.com: http://www.synlube.com/usedoil.htm