Physicochemical

Treatment of Solid
and Hazardous Waste
FUNDAMENTALS
Common physical & chemical
treatment processes
•Soil vapour extraction •Precipitation
•Air sparging •Chemical oxidation and reduction
•Groundwater circulation wells •Stabilization/ solidification
•Multiphase extraction •Neutralization
•Soil heating •Chemical leaching
•Solvent extraction
Some other processes:
• Adsorption/ ion exchange •Soil flushing and washing
• Permeable reactive barrier
• Electrochemical reactions
Chemical treatment processes
Process Applications
Neutralization Acidic or basic properties are neutralized (to reduce
corrosive nature of contaminant)
Precipitation Dissolved contaminant removed from solution by
precipitation
Oxidation and Addition or removal of electrons (contaminant becomes
Reduction less toxic)
Sorption Adhesion of contaminant to surface of solid adsorbent
Stabilization Solidifying and stabilizing wastes by addition of other
chemicals
Source:
John Pichtel. Waste Management Practices: Municipal, Hazardous, and Industrial. Taylor & Francis Group. 2005.
Treatment by sorption
Treatment of contaminated
water using ion exchange resin

Source: Adapted from MIT Opencourseware Waste

Containment and Remediation Technology (Spring 2004)

Remediation through sorption carried

out by means of adsorption on the
surface of granular activated carbon Source: Technology Information
Sheet – Ion Exchange
www.mmr-iagwsp.org
 Treatment by volatilization
AIR STRIPPING SOIL VAPOUR EXTRACTION

A Citizen’s Guide to Soil Vapor Extraction and Air Sparging.

http://epa.gov/superfund/community/pdfs/toolkit/suppmaterials/treatmenttech/sve.pdf
USEPA. Accessed on August 12, 2014.
Source: A Citizen’s Guide to Air Stripping.
http://www.epa.gov/tio/download/citizens/a_citizens_guide_to_air_stripping.pdf
USEPA. Accessed on August 12, 2014.
Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB)

PRB is a wall built along the direction

of flow of groundwater by digging a
long trench.

Source: A Citizen’s Guide to Permeable Reactive Barriers.

http://www.epa.gov/tio/download/citizens/a_citizens_gui
de_to_permeable_reactive_barriers.pdf
UESPA. Accessed on August 13, 2014.
Incineration of hazardous waste
Factors determining completeness of Different types of incinerators:
combustion:
•Fluidized bed
•Temperature of combustion chamber
•Liquid injector
•Duration for which wastes are
•Rotary kiln
maintained at high temperature
•Turbulence (degree of mixing) •Moving grate
•Fixed hearth
Thank you!
ONLINE RESOURCES:

U S E PA A C I T I Z E N ’ S G U I D E TO A I R S T R I P P I N G ; S O I L VA P O R E X T R A C T I O N A N D A I R S PA R G I N G ;
PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIERS.

M I T O P E N C O U R S E WA R E : WA S T E C O N TA I N M E N T A N D R E M E D I AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S P R I N G 2 0 0 4
LEC TUR E N OTES