Landfarm Operator Certification

Chapter 2: Waste Characterization

Waste Characterization

General Objective

• Explain the differences between special and solid wastes

Specific Objectives

• Identify types of special wastes and their properties

• Identify types of solid wastes and their benefits or concerns in land application

Special Waste

High volume, low hazard waste remaining after processing of materials

Waste from individuals, businesses, industries or municipalities

Special Wastes

1. Mining wastes

2. Utility wastes (fly ash, bottom ash, scrubber sludge)

3. Wastes from coal gasification (vitrified coarse solids residue, prilled or blocked sulfur)

Special Wastes

4. Sludge from water treatment facilities

5. Sludge from wastewater treatment facilities

6. Cement kiln dust

7. Gas and oil drilling muds

8. Oil production brines

Domestic Septage is not Special Waste

• Liquids or solids from

1. Septic tank2. Cesspool3. Portable toilet4. Type III marine sanitation device5. Anything similar that only receives sewer waste

Water Treatment SludgeSolids and liquids removed during the processing of potable water

1. Suspended and dissolved solids 2. Coagulants (aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride,

ferric sulfate3. Polymers4. Lime5. Metal oxides

Water Treatment Sludge

Organic matter, soli particles, etc are filtered out during treatment

Low in organics

Low in nutrients beneficial to crops

Only Calcium would be beneficial for pH control if land applied

Water Treatment SludgeMay contain micronutrients that are beneficial

Could also contain heavy metals which have to be tested for and could be detrimental 1. Cadmium2. Lead3. Copper4. Nickel5. Lead6. Zinc

Wastewater Treatment SludgeSolids generated during wastewater treatment

process

Contains biological, chemical, and physical contaminants

93-99% liquid when initially removed form the process

Wastewater Treatment SludgeSolids generated during wastewater treatment

process

Contains biological, chemical, and physical contaminants

93-99% liquid when initially removed form the process

Wastewater Treatment SludgePrimary Sludge - raw sludge unstable and not

suitable for land application

Secondary Sludge – solids content is 0.5-2.0% after biological treatment and stabilization

Activated Sludge – secondary sludge collected from settling tanks…contains bacteria cells stabilized organic matter and inorganic compounds

Wastewater Treatment SludgeStabilized Sludge – secondary sludge after

microbial processing or chemical addition

Aerobic Sludge – activated sludge produced by injecting air

Anaerobic Sludge – activated sludge produced by excluding air, heat may be added to speed reactions

Wastewater Treatment SludgeChemically Stabilized Sludge – results form the

addition of chemicals during secondary treatment• Decrease biological activity• Reduce pathogens• Reduce odor• Increase % solids• Common in domestic waste treatment

Wastewater Treatment Sludge

Dewatered Sludge – mechanically stabilized sludge with water removed

15-20% solids

Belt, frame, and centrifuge presses are used to separate the solids

Wastewater Treatment Sludge

50% of wastewater sludge is organic dead microbe cells

Contain nutrients for plant growth as well as heavy metals

Some pathogens may remain, reduce pathogens before land applying

Wastewater Treatment SludgeContains synthetic organic chemicals

generated by households and industries

E.P.A. reviews sewage sludge regulations every 2 years

Contaminants of Emerging Concern are evaluated for possible land application1. Pharmaceuticals2. Personal Care Products

Fly Ash

Fine mineral emitted into the smoke stack of coal fire boilers that contains

1. Phosphorus 2. Potassium3. Calcium4. Magnesium5. Sulfur 6. Boron7. Molybdenum

Fly Ash

Can help neutralize soil pH

Improve moisture holding capacity

Fresh fly ash is toxic to plants

Exposure to atmosphere prior to land application reduces salinity and toxicity to plants

Lime Scrubber Sludge

Result of scrubbing sulfur dioxide from stack gases of coal fired power plants that use a liquid suspension of finely ground limestone

Solids content 50% after holding ponds remove water

Must be stabilized before land applying

Lime Scrubber Sludge

Stabilize by adding

1. Lime2. Fixing agents3. Sodium silicate4. Cement

May contain fly ash

Lime Scrubber Sludge

Mixing of the dried limestone scrubber sludge and fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can help support vegetative growth

Fresh sludge may be toxic and unstable and contain heavy metals

Fluidized Bed Combustion Waste

Fine coal dust that burns in a bed of inert ash and ground limestone

Air injected where the ground limestone reacts during coal combustion suspends the bed

Fluidized Bed Combustion Waste is a fine, solid, granular material

Fluidized Bed Combustion Waste

Contains calcium sulfite, unreacted lime, and metal oxides with high pH levels

Moisture and heat convert the metal to metal hydroxides

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stabilizes the material by forming carbonates

Fluidized Bed Combustion Waste

Unstabilized FBCW should not be land applied

Stabilized FBCW provides sulfur, calcium, and lime for pH adjustment which helps plant growth

10-40% lime value

Transportation costs will limit BFCW as a liming agent

Gas and Oil Drilling Mud

Fluids pumped into the borehole to lubricate and cool the drilling bit, float loose material, seal porous strata, and prevent the borehole from filling with water

Most muds contain trace elements, petroleum residue, salt water components, and sources of alkalinity (barium sulfate, bentonite, chrome lignosulltonate, lignite, and sodium hydroxide)

Gas and Oil Drilling Mud

Most is dewatered to >20% solids

Soluble components are leached out and insoluble components remain in the cell with the drilling mud

Mud is removed once it is deemed to pose little or no environmental hazard

Gas and Oil Drilling Mud

Stabilized drilling mud is used as industry fill material

Analysis for heavy metals as well as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons should be performed prior to land application

Oil Production Brines

Result of water and oil separation in oil well

When an injection well is not available for handling brines, it is considered a special waste by regulation

High salt content and toxic to plants

Analyze for sodium, chlorine, alkalinity and heavy metals before land applying

Solid Waste

Discarded material that is not hazardous waste, special waste, coalmining waste, or agricultural waste

Soil, sand, rock, and gravel are solid wastes

“Agriculture waste exemption” applies to manure, crop, and crop residue

Solid Waste

Solid or dissolved material in domestic or industrial water or wastewater while in process is regulated by Kentucky Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

Cement Kiln Dust

Fine granular solid material obtained from mixing several waste sources during cement manufacture

Dust from stack scrubbers, grinding rock and shale, impurities before the raw product passes through the rotary kiln

Cement Kiln Dust

Cement Kiln dust should be analyzed for hazardous waste content

Has a high pH

Can be mixed with biosolids to help with pathogen reduction

The high pH decreases nitrogen content

Cement Kiln Dust

After time the pH gets back to levels suitable for land application

Analysis should be the same as biosolids with the addition of the alkalinity being checked

Food Wastes

Results of food production, processing, and food supplement processing

These include liquid and solid wastes

Contain high Biological Oxygen Demand

Some materials represent crop residues that are easily land applied

Food Wastes1. Whey from cheese making and rejected milk2. Starch, peels, and rejects from potato chips3. Trimmings and rejects of vegetables and fruits from

restaurants and grocery stores4. Pomace from fruit processing5. Tomato pulp from catsup6. Hulls and skins from peanut processing7. Dust and hulls from coffee grinding and oil seed

extraction 8. Spent media from drug and food supplement

manufacturing

Food Wastes Analyze for BOD concentrations and presence

of chemicals used in processing

Application to prevent decomposition resulting storage that leads to odors

Other Solid Wastes

Sawdust, wood chips, and leaves

Permit by Rule due to low potential for environmental harm

No written application or authorization is required to land apply

Permit by rule activities must comply with Environmental Performance Standards

Other Solid Wastes

Setbacks from streams or other Waters of the Commonwealth should be observed

Wood wastes can benefit soil conditions long term because they are very high in carbon compared to nitrogen content

Nutrient magement should be intensified when wood wastes are applied

General Objective

• Explain the differences between special and solid wastes

Specific Objectives

• Identify types of special wastes and their properties

• Identify types of solid wastes and their benefits or concerns in land application

Landfarm Study Guide

Chapter 1

1. Special Wastes are those materials of high volume and low hazard.

A. TrueB. False

10

2. Sludge can be applied to the land in the form of:

A. LiquidB. Semi-solidC. Solid dryD. All of the above

10

3. Which of the following is not a special waste?

A. Utility wasteB. Water treatment

sludgeC. Wood chipsD. Cement kiln dust

4. Cement kiln dust can be combined with wastewater sludge to meet pathogen reduction requirements by decreasing pH.

A. TrueB. False

10

5. Some of the microorganisms entering the treatment plant are regarded as

.

A. PathogensB. UnreactedC. CoagulantsD. Alkaline

10

6. A concern of relatively unprocessed food waste is the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) level of these wastes.

A. TrueB. False

10