Process Waste Management
Tailored Strategies for Safe, Compliant, and Sustainable Industrial Waste Management
Industrial process wastes are an increasingly significant economic, social, and environmental concern. If your facility generates process waste, identifying and managing these streams is critical to preventing financial, logistical, and environmental risks to your business and community. Effective waste management requires tailored solutions that combine administrative processes and engineered systems designed to minimize handling and comply with state and federal regulations.
Wastes generated from industrial processes must first meet the definition of a “waste” and may include liquid or water borne waste from industrial or commercial processes – excluding sewer waste (blackwater). In some cases, process waste may be classified as a hazardous waste if they are “listed” wastes or demonstrate one or more hazardous characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity.
Identifying the characteristics of your waste streams is usually a requirement of state and federal environmental regulatory agencies. Beyond compliance, this knowledge of your waste will allow for clear and effective communication between your facility managers, employees, and local, state, and federal regulators, fostering a safer and more sustainable operation
Solvents
Solvents are used in various industrial processes, including but not limited to electronics (semiconductor) manufacturing, painting and coating operations, and boat building. Solvents are generally used for their ability to dissolve processing chemicals and for their cleaning properties. However, waste streams containing solvents must be carefully evaluated to determine if they are classified as hazardous waste. This includes checking if the waste is “listed” (F, P, or U) or if it exhibits characteristic of a hazardous waste, such as “ignitability”.
Managing wastes containing solvents may require special handling and special considerations when storing for recycling or disposal. These considerations may be based on the physical characteristics of the waste stream or may be required by the hazardous waste rules that govern the geographic areas in which the waste is generated.
Solvent Wastes may be:
- Collected and managed based on your waste characterization and applicable regulatory requirements prior transferring to a facility licensed to dispose of the waste.
- Collected, recycled through an onsite recovery system and reused on-site.
- Onsite solvent recovery units must be licensed.
- Small amounts – offsite disposal is economical.
- Larger amounts (continued use) – onsite recovery and recycling system may be cost effective alternative to disposal.
The flammable/combustible solvent wastes may require specialized mechanical equipment or specialized materials of construction that are resistant to the chemical degradation that may occur with solvents.
Corrosives
Corrosive wastes include both acidic and caustic liquids. Acidic liquids have a pH of less than 7, while caustics have a pH greater than 7. However, corrosive wastes are specifically defined as a hazardous waste if they exhibit a pH of less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5.
Depending on the limitations of the wastewater treatment facility receiving the waste, you may be able to dispose of corrosive waste streams into a wastewater system. This will typically require a pretreatment agreement with the facility receiving the waste. The pretreatment agreement will identify an acceptable pH range that you must achieve prior to disposal. If the waste is considered a hazardous waste, you cannot adjust the waste’s pH without obtaining a treatment license from the regulatory agency having jurisdiction. This assumes that the process waste streams does not contain other contaminants that are classified as toxic under the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure testing, or a listed waste.
An example of this arrangement is the use of Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) in the manufacturing of electronics wafers and quartz tubes. HF is used in the etching processes and results in a non-hazardous waste stream of diluted HF (weak acid), despite being highly corrosive in its pure form. Treatment of the waste stream involves adjusting the pH by adding sodium hydroxide. This process reduces the pH and creates a non-hazardous calcium hydroxide slurry. The calcium hydroxide can be filtered out forming a “cake” that may be disposed of as solid waste and a non-hazardous liquid process waste that can discharged.
Grey Water
Industrial facilities are increasingly being required to use alternatives to potable water as the source for plant make-up and non-potable system uses. Greywater refers to untreated wastewater which has not come into contact with toilet/urinal wastes (blackwater) – typically pure water backwash, cooling coil condensates, etc. Treatment for various grey water streams will vary and will require careful planning to ensure proper chemistry for each application for re-use – boiler and cooling tower make-up, toilet flushing, irrigation, etc.
Conclusion
Depending on the characteristics of the process waste being produced by your facility, you are likely going to need to design process specific systems and procedures for safe and legal handling your waste. Whether treated on-site or hauled away for off-site disposal, you must understand the rules and regulations that apply to your facility and design criteria necessary to handle the industrial process wastes that you generate.
Ready to optimize your process waste management and ensure full regulatory compliance? Contact Haley Ward’s MEP engineers today for expert guidance and customized solutions that keep your facility safe, efficient, and sustainable. Let our team help you navigate the complexities of industrial waste management—reach out now to get started!