PURPOSE: To examine the problem of solid waste pollution by studying the physical and chemical composition of the wastes; also to examine the physical and chemical methods of utilizing this waste.

TEXT: None. The World Wide Web, as well as literature in periodicals, EPA publications, books, etc. will be used as resources for the class.

• To encourage the student to seek new solutions to solid waste problems through literature and laboratory study.
• To show the tremendous influence of economics on any solution to solid waste pollution.
• To define solid waste and enumerate its components.
• To examine the amount of energy in and in making the various components of solid wastes.
• To compare different methods of solid waste management in an urban area.
• To discuss in detail various methods of solid waste minimization and disposal, i.e., incineration, sanitary landfills, composting, etc.
• To discuss economics and problems of recycling.
• To discuss the making of, products from, and recovery and utilization of a) metal, b) glass and ceramics, c) paper, d) plastics, and e) tires.
• To compare ecologically the various materials used in consumer packaging.
• To discuss utilization of agricultural and mining wastes
• To discuss various methods now being used to obtain energy and products from organic wastes.
• To discuss and examine the special problem of hazardous wastes.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: Will be distributed as different topic areas are reached in the course.

CLASS: Will be lecture-discussion with students being encouraged to talk about any subjects in which they have an expertise either from previous experience or through reading and study.

GRADING: Grades will be assigned on the basis of the standard below (with possible slight variation from a class curve) of total points from all components listed below. The points will be determined by the first breakdown of percentages (unless the need for weekly quizzes becomes obvious = second breakdown).

Plus grades will be assigned to the higher portion of the standard percentage distributions and minus grades will be assigned to the lower portions.

Projects will include at least two and possibly three topics that a group of students will research and individually report to the class. The first project will involve the detailed study of a particular aspect of solid waste management and the second will involve the detailed study of the recycling of one particular material. If time permits, the third project will involve the detailed study of a particular hazardous waste problem.

The midterm and final exams will be comprehensive.

The notebook is to integrate your class notes with literature and internet materials. Source materials for your in oral in-class presentations should be included. Current newspaper and popular magazine articles are also appropriate. This in fact is your textbook for the course. The notebook will be graded on the basis of its completeness and organization. It is due at the time of the final exam.

To pass the course, you must pass both the lab and lecture parts of the course independently.

Copied work in either the laboratory or lecture will not be tolerated. When detected, all parties involved will receive zeros for the exam or report involved.

• Introduction
• Energy and Economics
• Strategies and Processing
• Disposal
• Recycling
• Recovery and Utilization –

• Metals
• Mining Wastes
• Glass and Ceramics
• Paper and Plastics
• Tires

• Organic Material
• Hazardous Wastes

Separation, recovery, and utilization of solid wastes are important aspects of solid waste management and chemistry. The emphasis of the laboratory will be on separation and utilization of materials rather than of analyses of environmental samples. This latter approach would have considerable overlap with the air and water chemistry laboratories or would likely involve analysis of hazardous samples and materials, which is outside the scope of this class. Even without a special emphasis on analysis techniques, the student will find it useful to apply a number of the methods that are covered in quantitative and instrumental analysis courses.

For the laboratory, you will keep an industrial-type notebook. (No separate reports will be required.) You must write in ink. Approximately the first two pages of a bound, consecutively numbered notebook should be reserved for an index to the rest of the lab book. Each day’s work should begin with the date, the title of the experiment and the purpose of the experiment (if not previously given in the notebook), the experimental procedures followed (a reference to a more detailed published work may be appropriate), the data in tabular form (if possible), the results, and any conclusions you can draw from your work. Since you are not writing separate reports, you should (may) want to suggest possible future experiments that should be done, possible uses of the material, etc. Literature or Internet references may be appropriate as well. You should sign and date all of your work and a line should be drawn diagonally through any unused portion of a page left at the end of an experiment. Ideally you should have a friend occasionally read through your work, sign and date it. Approximately half way through the course, the instructor intends to collect and grade the experiments completed by that time. The notebook will be due for final grading of all reports on the last day of class.

Note: Each year you must attend a University Safety Officer Lecture in order to work in the lab. You will need to make arrangements to attend one if you have not already done so during a previous quarter.

1. Follow the weekly weight loss of well-watered, planted aluminum and steel can lids. This experiment will run throughout the 10 week quarters. You will need to provide 2 "matching" aluminum can lids and 2 "matching" steel can lids or bottoms at the beginning of the second week of classes.
2. Collect the solid wastes generated in your household (or room) for a week and bring into lab the second week of class to weigh. You may find that you want to separate them as you go – garbage (food wastes), metals, plastics, glass, paper, etc. Because of the odors, etc., you will want to keep the garbage tightly enclosed in some type of container. For the same reason, carefully wash out and dry any food or beverage packaging wastes. Plastics should be saved for the next experiment.
3. Density separation of plastics in liquid media and comparison with codes on the plastics.
4. Permeability of plastics (liners) – another long-term experiment that will be monitored spectroscopically for at least several weeks, if not the rest of the quarter.
5. Cryogenic processing of metals, rubber, and insulated wire and screening or flotation.

Additional experiments may include

6. Mine tailings-iron pyrite experiment to test for acid-producing, etc. properties.
7. Qualitative analysis for metal ions which are extracted with weak acid solution in contact with sludge.
8. Ion Exchange column packed with sawdust or agricultural waste to test for possible removal of heavy metal ions from waste water streams.
9. Pyrolysis of plastics with GC-MS analysis.

The general write-up of the notebook (form, ink, erasures, etc.) will be worth one regular experiment.