Abstract
ABSTRACT
Incineration has been adopted as a proven technology to dispose of: (1) hazardous waste regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); (2) toxic substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); (3) sludge waste under the Clean Water Act;(4) hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA); and (5) extremely hazardous substances under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA).
Although there are many potential treatment technologies, none is as universally applicable as incineration to the treatment of the types of solid waste governed by the different Federal laws in the United States. However, there is an increasing concern over the emission of trace amounts of unknown combustion by-products from incineration sources. This Paper is to address the issue of combustion by-products (CBPs) from the following major solid waste thermal treatment activities: (1) hazardous waste incineration; (2) municipal waste incineration; (3) medical waste incineration; (4) Superfund waste incineration; (5) toxic substances incineration; and (6) sludge waste incineration. To address the CBP issue from its roots, this Paper will discuss its regulatory framework that exists in the United States.
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