Processing waste. Industrial waste treatment

People daily generate a huge amount of garbage, so it's even strange that the problem of recycling has become relevant relatively recently. This industry has its own prospects, and some countries have so succeeded in this that they even import processing waste.

The global problem of pollution

Every day, humanity generates a huge amount of debris. Industrial and medical materials and remnants, a huge amount of plastic, glass, paper, and all that is thrown away in the process of simple life activity of the average person. Recycling and recycling of waste covers only a small part of the garbage. All the rest is on landfills and slowly poisons the environment, even if there is nothing toxic in this garbage. Nature can decompose paper, plastic, polyethylene far from immediately - this can take as little time as decades, or even centuries. Technological progress has given humanity a lot of new products, but it also contributed to the appearance of materials that are not subject to rotting and rapid organic processing, even if it is necessary. And only recently people seriously thought about it and began to think how to correct the situation that has developed in the last couple of centuries. Unfortunately, mankind expects a long and difficult path, which implies a rejection of the existing model of thoughtless consumption.

Solutions

At the moment, there are three most promising areas that can help in getting rid of the problem, especially in the case of an integrated approach. First, it is the development of biodegradable materials. A huge part of the garbage is packaging: plastic, bags, boxes, etc. Paper, cardboard and other new materials are a step towards a clean planet.

The second measure is social responsibility. Sorting rubbish is the simplest thing that an ordinary consumer can do for nature. After all, if the division is already familiar with the composition of the whole ejected, then it will save you time and energy. And sorted garbage will be much easier to process.

Finally, another measure directly related to the previous one is the stimulation of reuse. Packages, paper, plastic and glass containers - all this can be given a second life, and also delay the time when they are in the trash.

All these measures are good in their own way, although they can be both effective and show their uselessness - it depends on what kind of policy the state will implement and what methods will be used to reduce the amount of garbage.

Classification of waste

There are several criteria according to which it is possible to divide garbage into several categories. Among them are the following:

• By origin - household and industrial waste (processing, production, etc.);
• Status - solid, liquid, gaseous;
• By hazard class - in Russia 5 categories are used.

The garbage generated by the enterprises attracts attention first of all. First, what is not useful in one production can be a valuable resource in another. Secondly, the recycling or recycling of industrial wastes is necessary because they can contain substances that are dangerous to the environment and people. At the same time, domestic garbage practically does not attract attention, and in fact the average Russian family generates more than 400 kilograms a year. Of this mass, more than half - plastic and waste paper. At the same time, the separation and processing of domestic waste in the Russian Federation is completely unsettled.

Recycling

Different types of waste require different approaches. A large number of harmful substances appears as a result of processing of oil products and wood, the functioning of processing and chemical enterprises. The main problem is that the recycling of industrial wastes is not always possible, and then the only way to get rid of them is to bury them in a landfill or heat-treat them.

Separately it is necessary to say about plastic, which has found wide application in human life. Its disposal is difficult due to the fact that this substance is divided into many types, each of which requires a separate approach. In addition, thermal processing of plastics, that is, simply burning it, is often impossible, because in the course of this process a huge number of harmful elements are formed. At the same time, organic decomposition takes too much time.

Ways

For each group should use their own methods, so even before disposal, the trash must be sorted:

1. For organic waste, biological processing is suitable. Paper, cardboard, food debris can be composted and left for decay. In the future, they can be used in agriculture. Sometimes even natural fabrics are processed by this method.
2. The metal is perfectly smelted and reused. The main problem is only its allocation from, for example, electrical appliances thrown to the landfill.
3. Heat treatment of various types is suitable when it comes to wood waste. With the burning of raw materials, you can get some energy.
4. Plastic processing is done using mechanical (grinding) and chemical methods. As a rule, in the future, new polymers are obtained, which can be applied repeatedly.
5. Burial. The most dangerous waste products are subjected to a special procedure, which involves their maximum isolation from the environment for a fairly long time. After a while they are naturally decomposed or taken out for further disposal.

Efficiency

The processing of solid waste can become an additional source of both energy and raw materials. So, in the West only one third of all garbage is buried, the rest one way or another goes into work to be reused. In addition to the fact that it allows saving on the production of energy and materials, there is no accumulation of waste in the form of unaesthetic and dangerous landfills.

In Russia, unfortunately, everything is different. The garbage separation system is in its infancy, with almost no urns with several compartments. Only a small part is exposed to any actions, only processing of plastic is more or less developed, but even it accounts for only 5-7%. The rest of the volume falls under the burial place in landfills.

Prospects

Scientists offer many ways how to make waste processing less dangerous and more useful. The most viable technologies seem to be those that allow the debris to be decomposed into the original components with their subsequent reuse. These environmentally neutral methods are already being used in the test mode in Europe and so far they are not causing any complaints.

Rubbish and art

Recycling and recycling of waste is a problem that inspired many artists and sculptors to work that caused public outcry. Canadian fashion designers suggest sewing of worn out clothing materials. Paradoxically, it can even be worn, although it is quite extravagant. An architectural company from the Netherlands proposes to create from waste artificial islands, where refugees from hot spots could live . Finally, a fairly well-known American artist, Lisa Hawke uses trash in her paintings, ambiguous and fascinating. So there is no need to talk about the uniqueness of harmful household waste.