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A NATIONAL APPROACH TO CLINICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
Debbie Siru
M.S. Pillay
Kazal Sinha ABSTRACT
Before 1990 clinical waste in Malaysia was handled in a similar manner as any other solid waste
within the hospital. This practice together with the lack of adequate disposal sites resulted in various unfortunate incidents, such as abuse of
needles by drug addicts and scavenging of body parts by stray dogs. Such incidents and increasing concerns about HIV spurred the Malaysian Ministry
of Health and Department of Environment to have clinical waste regulated under the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 1989. The
Ministry of Health also developed Guidelines on the Management of Clinical Waste and Other Related Wastes.
THE IMPACT OF LOCAL MANDATORY RECYCLING POLICY ON CITIZEN RECYCLING BEHAVIOR — A TEST OF AN INTEGRATED MODEL
Pin-Yu Chu ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine how the mandatory household recycling policy that was changed
from the previous voluntary one, affects the household recycling behavior of citizens, as well as possible solutions for waste management. An
integrated household waste management model, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, was employed for exploring determinants of recycling behavior.
The findings indicate that the mandatory program has met with some success. The policy implications are presented as well.
STUDIES UTILIZING HIGH TEMPERATURE FEEDING RECYCLE RESOURCES ULTRA-LIGHT AGGREGATE
Su-Chen Huang, Chu-Fang Wang
Ming-Yu Lee, Jeng-Ching Lee, Jyh-Dong Lin
Fang-Chih Chang, Shang-Lien Lo ABSTRACT
Artificial ultra-lightweight aggregate (ULWA) manufactured from recycled resources was investigated.
Residues from mining, fly ash from incinerator and heavy metal sludge from electronic waste were mixed into raw aggregate pellets and fed into a
plow-type tunnel kiln to be sintered and finally cooled rapidly. Various feeding and sintering temperatures were employed to examine their impact
on the extent of vitrification on the aggregate surface. Microstructural analysis and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) were also
performed. Our results show that the optimum condition of ULWA fabrication is sintering at 1150°C for 15 min with raw aggregate pellets fed at
750°C. The rapidly vitrified surface envelops the gas produced with the increase in internal temperature and cooling by spraying water to prevent
the aggregates from binding together, thus forming ULWA with specific gravity below 0.5. ULWA produced by sintering shows good vitrified surface,
water absorption below 10% and high cylindrical compressive strength. In addition, only trace amounts of heavy metals were detected, making the
ULWA non-hazardous for construction use. With sintering time reduced to within 20 min, ULWA can be manufactured in larger quantity and shorter time,
promising an alternative for profitable resource recycling and efficient waste management.
RECOVERY AND RECYCLING OF POLYMERS FROM SHREDDER RESIDUE
Bassam J. Jody, Joseph A. Pomykala, Jr., Jeffrey S. Spangenberger, Edward J. Daniels ABSTRACT
Metals recovery from end-of-life automobiles, home appliances and other metals containing scrap
involves shredding these items and then recovering the metals from the shredded material. The remaining non-metallic fraction, commonly called
shredder residue is presently landfilled. Over four and a half million metric tonnes of shredder residue is generated in the United States annually
and essentially all of it is landfilled. About 15 million tonnes are generated worldwide. Shredder residue contains, among other materials, polymers
that could be recovered and recycled. Argonne National Laboratory is developing technology for producing revenue streams, such as plastics, from
shredder residue. This paper describes a process developed by Argonne National Laboratory for the separation and recovery of plastics from shredder
residue. The process consists of two parts. First, the plastics are mechanically separated from the shredder residue as a mixed polymer concentrate
and then the individual plastics are separated from the polymer concentrate via a froth flotation process. The process has been demonstrated in a
mechanical separation pilot plant that has a design capacity of 1.8 tonnes/hour followed by a froth flotation pilot plant that has a capacity of 500
kg/hour. Preliminary process economic analyses indicate that the process is potentially economical.
ENHANCING THE WORKABILITY OF RECYCLED RUBBER-ASPHALT APPLICATIONS WITH THE ADDITION OF NEW POLYMERS
Magdy Abdelrahman, Ph.D. ABSTRACT
The use of recycled materials in asphalt applications is growing rapidly. Adding crumb rubber (CRM)
improves the performance of different asphalt applications. Modifications to asphalt properties using CRM are slightly different as compared to
those of virgin polymers. Certain asphalt properties are modified more effectively using virgin polymers. Enhancing the performance of
asphalt-rubber (CRM) applications through the addition of polymer modifiers has been successful. Modifiers can also improve the handling and
workability of CRM binders and mixes. This paper documents some of the key efforts using CRM modification with enhanced performance through the
addition of polymer modifiers. The paper provides some clear insights into the mechanisms by which the interaction, with and without the existence
of polymer modifiers, takes place. The effects of the interaction process variables, time and temperature and pre-processing, are explained. The
results of this research are based on monitoring the changes in the rheological parameters of the developed binder. The extent of using virgin
polymers, in addition to CRM, to achieve specific asphalt modification is discussed.
A RADICAL NEW, ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE APPROACH TO HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE UK —A CASE STUDY OF PLASMA ARC TECHNOLOGY
D.E. Deegan, C.D. Chapman, S.A. Ismail, M.L.H. Wise and H. Ly
P.S. Phillips ABSTRACT
Driven by European legislation the UK has commenced a new phase in waste management where it seeks to introduce new and cost effective technologies to manage a range of wastes – including hazardous. Key to all these developments is the demonstration to the public that the new technologies are `environmentally friendly` and do not in themselves create problems through excess production of say hazardous residues. The use of plasma arc technologies, especially in the treatment of hazardous wastes, is set to expand in the UK. The technology is intermediate within the waste management hierarchy and is characterised as an Advanced Conversion Technique (ACT) with Best Available Technique (BAT) attributes. Adoption is driven by the increasing stringency of environmental regulations, the requirement for efficient resource utilisation, the responsibility of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for product life cycle impact and the reducing capacity of traditional disposal mechanisms. Within this industrial climate, plasma technology is set to become an important component of sustainable waste management solutions. Tetronics’ technology is mature and has been successfully employed in a range of commercial-scale environmental applications. This paper reviews recent developments in plasma arc technology for the treatment of Asbestos Containing Material as well as general aspects of other future prospects.
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