Hazardous waste spill

management

Suneel Pandey17th June 2021

What is hazardous waste

• “Hazardous waste” means any waste which because of its reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive or corrosive characteristics causes danger or is likely to cause danger to health or environment.

(Source: UNEP/WHO/World Bank)

Why is disposed hazardous waste different from parent chemicals?

• Most Hazardous wastes are complex, multi-phase mixtures with great variety of physical and chemical properties (viscosity, corrosivity, volatility, flammability and compatibility)

Major hazardous waste types

• Cyanide waste

• Heavy metals

• Organic wastes including solvents and tars

• Inorganic wastes including ETP sludge

• Asbestos waste

• Miscellaneous

Impact of land disposal

Pathways of human exposure

Unscientific disposal

Groundwater contamination

Relevant CPCB guidelines

• CPCB guidelines, 1991 Volume I - Guidelines for the Generator Regarding

Handling, Transportation, Storage, Treatment and Disposal Facility. Also

Covers Emergency Procedures in Case of Any Accident/Spillage While

Handling Hazardous Waste

• Volume II - Guidelines for Siting of Hazardous Waste Treatment and

Disposal Facility and Identification and Assessment of Abandoned

Hazardous Waste Disposal Facilities

• Guidelines for hazardous waste transportation

• Guidelines for storage of incinerable waste, 2005-06

• Protocol for evaluation and monitoring of TSDFs including incinerators,

2010-11

Management of spill/

contamination

• To begin with site investigation (SI) is required to be

performed on land where a release or suspected

release of hazardous waste has occurred

• The SI is a comprehensive study of hazardous

material release with respect to relevant site

conditions

• Its purpose is to develop sufficient site characterization

information to provide recommendations for future

activities to rehabilitate the site

Site investigation

• One of the most critical steps in SI is to

identify sensitive receptors that are directly

affected or threatened by the release

• SI is required when there is:• Contaminant (s) is present in soil at concentration which may pose risk to receptors

• Directly affected or threatened sensitive receptors

• Suspected groundwater contamination

• Presence of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL)

• Suspected release of hazardous material or waste

Risk assessment with respect to

receptor

• Risk is a function of compound’s toxicity,

the exposure dosage and exposure

pathway• Toxicity data can be taken from standard literature (Merck, IRIS, etc)

• Exposure dosage can be estimated by conducting environmental monitoring

• Exposure pathways would be specific of compound and media in question

(drinking water ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation, etc)

Risk assessment – two

approaches

• Qualitative – sampling of contaminant concentration for each

pathway; results than compared with existing risk based

concentrations

• Quantitative – use of EPA’s risk assessment methodology with

modeling tool

• Priority for action

• Natural attenuation

• In-situ methods

• Ex-situ methods

Consideration for corrective

actions

• Recommendation of appropriate technology would depend on:

• Complexity/sensitivity of the site

• Number of contaminants involved

• Extent of contamination plume

• Persistence of contaminants

• Existence of single or multiple phase

• Local geological/hydrological conditions

Emergency preparedness

• An occupier generating hazardous waste should draw an emergency plan for on-

site storage and transportation of waste

• The emergency plan to minimise hazards to human health or the environment

from fires, explosions, or any unplanned sudden or non-sudden release of

hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents to air, soil or surface water

• Transporter to be informed about the emergency procedures to be followed in

case of accident.

• The kind of hazard that may occur

• Precautionary measures to be taken in case of emergency. A

Transport Emergency Card (TREM) giving the above details is to be

handed to the transporter

Hazardous material

compatibility

Use of PPEs

Hazardouswasteexperts.com

Handling hazardous wastes

Chemical resistant gloves

Material Generally suitable for

Butyl rubber

Aldehydes

Carboxylic acids

Glycols and ethers

Hydroxyl compounds and alcohols

Peroxides

Latex DO NOT USE

Neoprene Mineral acids

Oils

Plating solutions

Use of labels

Hazardouswasteexperts.com

Remediation technologies

USEPA

20

Case study on bioremediation of oily sludge pits

Composition of oily sludge

Constituents of oily sludge Composition (%)

Steam extractable total petroleum hydrocarbon in oily

sludge

Nil

Solvent extractable TPH in oily sludge 28.32

Water content in oily sludge 24

Organic carbon in oily sludge 19.8

Sediments (sand, silt, etc.) 27.88

Constituents of TPH

Saturated hydrocarbons fraction 56.0

Aromatic fraction 35.0

NSO fraction 4.0

Asphaltene fraction 5.0

Oil zapper consortium

Bioremediation of oil sludge pit

Thank you