1,721,182 research outputs found
Technical evolution of landfilling
No full textLandfills are reactors in which liquid, solid and gaseous materials interact giving rise to liquid (leachate) and gas (biogas) emissions together with a solid phase (the landfilled waste) representing a source of potential residual emissions.
In order to achieve environmental sustainability in landfilling
an important role is played not only by appropriate waste pretreatment but also by in situ treatment measures such as flushing and, when in presence of a residual biological activity, aeration. In situ aeration, applied after Mechanical Biological Pretreatment or after intense anaerobic gas production, has proved to be an important tool in achieving Final Storage Quality, particularly when impervious top covers had been adopted previousl
Driving forces in national waste management strategies
No full textBetween the 1970’s and the 1990’s disposal technologies took on an air of self-sufficiency often forcing operators to take sides, in much the same way as occurs with sport fans. Those in favour of incineration were contrary to landfilling and recovery, whilst individuals supporting landfilling defamed the other methods, and so on. At times the echo of the irrational discussions which took place can still be heard today, with people continuing to reason in extreme terms, either in favour or contrary to a given system, without any reference to the specific context.
Beyond metaphor, solid waste management today should meet numerous requirements stemming from an increased awareness and perception of environmental issues by the public and from scientific developments focusing on the increasing pressure worldwide of unavoidable ecological matters (limited resources, climate change, widespread pollution, demographic growth, depletion of non-renewable energy sources, etc.)
From triangles to cycles
No full textA modern waste management strategy is considered to be
based on a hierarchy of solutions, often graphically represented by a triangle. The integrated solid waste management established by the European Union, organized according to five distinct steps (waste prevention, reuse, recovery and recycling of materials, energy recovery and safe landfilling of residues).
A different vision of a virtuous waste management strategy is afforded by natural material cycles. These are biogeochemical cycles, by means of which an element (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulphur, etc.) is exchanged among the numerous components of the Earth (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, etc.).
In this vision the role of the landfill is strategically fundamental not only in closing the cycle of materials and waste, but also in the global carbon balance, totalling sequestration rates comparable with the ones of marine sediments, which are the most important natural carbon sink
Does the entity of scientific paper production render justice to a virtuous academic practice
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