Separations in Hazardous Waste Management

Abstract

The innovative use of separation techniques can simplify the management of liquid and solid wastes. Valuable applications can include traditional unit operations as well as hybrid designs that exploit chemical, physical, and biological properties to achieve practical goals. Increasingly stringent release guidelines may dictate the use of separation technologies to recycle waste streams, rather than to decontaminate and discharge them. Process synthesis and design can be especially useful whenever separations are used to convert wastes into usable by-products. The most effective waste management schemes prevent pollution, increase by-product utilization, reduce capital investment, and eliminate unnecessary operating expenses.