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Environmental Conference

Environmental Conference 

The question to answer:

Will the use of adequate economics approach and framework help in converting wastes from being Liabilities into Assets with the help of available Technologies?

Types of wastes:

1-Waster Water(WW)

2-Municipal solid waste(MSW)

 A- Types of wastes and their relatives(Products):

  • Waste are consisting of solid waste I(sw) and wastewater(ww).
  • Solid waste can be classified into three categories, namely: biowate, recyclable waste and hazardous material, and some gasses: Methane and carbon dioxide make up 90 to 98% of landfill gas. The remaining 2 to 10% includes nitrogen, oxygen, ammonia, sulfides, hydrogen and various othe gases.
  • The methane content of raw (untreated) biogas may vary from 40%-60%, with CO2 masking up most of the remainder along with small amounts of water vapor and other gases.
  • Treated wastewater will have 3 products; Water: ready for reuse according to the treatment level; Sludge; and biogas.
  • Municipal Wastewater (MWW) is mainly comprised of water 
  • 999.9%) together with relatively small concentration of suspended and dissolved organic and inorganic solids.
  • Thus Watewater Reuse represents Giants Potential for mitigating water scarcity  that Countries in Mena region are facing.

B- The big question 

Is Waste a liability or an Asset?

TAHE ANSWER IS:

It depend on how we treat the waste and whether we can Recycle and/or reuse Part of vit even all of it .

C- The problem of waste in Brief

1- No Actions vs Action in waste Management

We have one of three possible scenarios for waste management 

a- No Action

  • Open dumping  forcwaste 
  • Environmental Degradation Costs ( direct and indirect costs)
  • Health Problem Costs (Direct and indirect costs)

b- Action but No Use:

  • Treat the waste but then dump it with NO USE.
  • Financial Burden on Municipalities and Local  and Central Government.
  • Resource depletions 
  • Losses of economic opportunities.

D- Conventional  Waste  Treatment(MSW)

  • Traditional solid waste management techniques, such as: Landfills and incineration usually increase the pressure on natural resources and raise concerns over human health, as well as increasing the financial burdens on local, regional and central governments
  • Landfill(LF) which is the least costly approach of disposal, but only if suitable land type and size are available.
  • LF suffers several drwbacks. These drawbacks include:

a- a continuous expansion of the required landfill areas that usually comes on the account of agricultural land base,

b- provide potential pollution sources of surface water as well as groundwater aquifers: and

c-reduce the property values of surrounding areas

E- Conventional Waste technique Treatments (MSW)

Resulting in :

  • The evolve of negative externalitty due to the presence of the landfill
  • Growing public concern over the potential hazards of land disposal
  • Consequently the imposition of strict federal regulations governing the design and opration of landfills.
  • These regulations have led to a continuous increase in the management costs of such disposal technique and thus increasing the financial burdens on local and central governments.

F- Conventional Waste Treatment (MSW)

         Incineration

  • Incineration of solid wastes will reduce the volume of polluants bu does not solve the pollutionss problems .
  • In addition to heat, incineration of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) releases several polluants into the atmosphere, including particulate matter and incomplete combustion products.
  • The emitted toxic gases usually cause pollution problems to air and soil and have hazardous effects on human health.
  • Further increase the health costs due costs due to the increase in the numbers od sick citizens.

 

 

The 10 commandments of efficient and Sustainable Waste Reuse System (SWRS):

1-Availibility of relatively sitable and continuous volume of wastewater supply and water reuse demand (economy of scole, especially ratios of effluent Volume to Copex).

2-The selection of adequate technologies of treatment that suits the socio economic condition of the area.

3-Positive environmental impact assesement (EIA)

4-Positive health impact assesment(HIA).

5-Economic feasibility.

6-Financial viability of the selected technics and systems.

7-Proper and effective finance system(sustainable financing plans:availibilty and sustainbility)

8-The presence of social and public accepltability

Environmental conference booklet(.pdf)