1 / 153

WASTE : Linking the local and global crises

WASTE : Linking the local and global crises. Verona , May 25 2007 Dr Paul Connett Professor Emeritus of Chemistry St Lawrence University, Canton, NY Paul @ American Health Studies. org. My thanks to Rossano Ercolini (Ambiente Futuro) for organizing my 29th visit to Italy.

mave
Download Presentation

WASTE : Linking the local and global crises

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. WASTE :Linking the local and global crises Verona, May 25 2007 Dr Paul Connett Professor Emeritus of Chemistry St Lawrence University, Canton, NY Paul@AmericanHealthStudies.org

  2. My thanks to Rossano Ercolini (Ambiente Futuro) for organizing my 29th visit to Italy Rossano Ercolini Ambientefuturo@interfree.it 338-28-66-215

  3. Il contesto generale

  4. All’età di 16 anni i ragazzi di oggi hanno già guardato oltre 350.000 spot pubblicitari. Paul Hawken The Ecology of Commerce

  5. Viviamo su questo pianeta come se ne avessimo un altro su cui trasferirci… Non possiamo continuare a vivere in una società “usa e getta” su un pianeta finito This is colonialism in time! We are robbing our own children and grandchildren Con le discariche non facciamo altro che SOTTERRARE le prove Gli inceneritori non fanno che BRUCIARE le prove Dobbiamo affrontare il vero problema …

  6. Il problema non è: “come eliminare i rifiuti”, ma piuttostocome NON produrli

  7. Our task is to fight the throwaway ethic & over-consumption

  8. Not only is over-consumption giving us a waste crisis but also…

  9. Over-consumption is giving us a Global crisis

  10. A LINEAR SOCIETY We are imposing a linear society on a planet that functions in circles

  11. A LINEAR SOCIETY Extraction of Virgin Materials

  12. A LINEAR SOCIETY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items

  13. A LINEAR SOCIETY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption

  14. A LINEAR SOCIETY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials

  15. ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  16. ENERGY ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  17. INCINERATION & LANDFILLS ENERGY ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  18. RECYCLING OF MATERIALS ENERGY ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  19. REUSE OF OBJECTS ENERGY ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  20. COMPOSTING ENERGY ENERGY Extraction of Virgin Materials Production of Manufactured items Consumption Discarded Materials Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide Solid waste Air pollution Water pollution Carbon dioxide

  21. Global warming Composting Landfill Incineration

  22. Global warming Composting Landfill Incineration Methane SLOW

  23. Global warming Composting Landfill Incineration Carbon dioxide FAST Methane SLOW

  24. Global warming Composting Landfill Incineration Carbon dioxide & Some Methane SLOW Carbon dioxide FAST Methane SLOW

  25. Global warming Composting Landfill Incineration Carbon dioxide & Some Methane SLOW Carbon dioxide FAST Methane SLOW Sequestered Carbon

  26. Gli studi della EU sul confronto dei sistemi di trattamenti dei RU residui AEA executive report waste climate change (Nov. 2002) • Recycling • Composting • Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) • Anaerobic Digestion (AD) • Incineration • Landfill of untreated waste Extract from summary report

  27. Kg gas serra/tonnellata Rifiuti Urbani Waste Management Options and Climate Change. AEA 2002

  28. Arguments against incineration • Emissioni tossiche nell’atmosfera • Produzione di ceneri tossiche • Pubblica opposizione. Incineration is anti-democratic • Costi finanziari. Incineration is a poor investment • Produzione di energia (spreco di energia) • Ci sono migliori alternative – Zero Waste 2020

  29. 1.Gli inceneritori producono ceneri tossiche

  30. MODERN TRASH INCINERATOR ELECTRICITY TURBINE WET SCRUBBER SECONDARY CHAMBER DE-NOX STEAM FABRIC FILTER TEMP < 200oC CHUTE BOILER SEMI- DRY SCRUBBER Ca(OH) 2 SUSPENSION ACTIVATED CHARCOAL GRATES AMMONIA INJECTION TRASH FLY ASH BOTTOM ASH

  31. Politicians often approve incineration before they have any idea where the toxic ash is going to go!

  32. Ash disposal in other countries • Germany puts fly ash into nylon bags and buries them in salt mines (like nuclear waste) • Some Japanese incinerators vitrify the ash • Denmark has a wonderful solution … it • sends its ash to Norway! • The Netherlands puts the fly ash into asphalt and the bottom ash into road building!

  33. 2. Gli inceneritori emettono gas tossici

  34. AIR EMISSIONS CO2 + H2O ACID GASES: HCI, HF, SO2 NOx TOXIC METALS: Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr etc NEW COMPOUNDS: PCB’s PCDDs (DIOXINS) PCDFs (FURANS) ETC NANO PARTICLES

  35. Catalytic oxidizers Brominated/chlorinated dioxins and furans Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Chlorinated hydrocarbons

  36. The dangers of nanoparticles • Nanoparticles are not efficiently captured by air pollution control devices, • travel long distances, • penetrate deep into the lungs

  37. Nano Pathology • Nano particles are so small they can easily cross cell membranes • Including the blood brain barrier and the nuclear membrane • Ferry toxic metals into the brain • Stabilized free radicals cause oxidative stress - inflammation - many degenerative diseases

  38. Aggregati di Piombo, Bario, Cromo, Ferro e Silicio in Cervello. http://www.nanodiagnostics.it/Fotografia.aspx?ID=11

  39. Dioxins - major concerns • Dioxins accumulate in animal fat • One liter of cows’ milk gives the same dose of dioxin as breathing air next to the cows for EIGHT MONTHS (Connett and Webster, 1987). • Dioxins steadily accumulate in human body fat. The man cannot get rid of them BUT A woman can… • …by having a baby! • The highest dose of dioxin goes to the fetus and then to the new born infant via breastfeeding, and • dioxins interfere with hormones which control sexual and mental development

  40. WE WANT DIOXIN OUT OF OUR BABIES!

  41. Institute of Medicine, 2003 • Fetuses and breastfeeding infants may be at particular risk from exposure to dioxins due to their potential to cause adverse neurodevelopmental… and immune system effects…

  42. Institute of Medicine, 2003 • …The committee recommends: • 1) the government place a high public health priority on reducing dioxin intakes by girls and young women in the years well before pregnancy is likely to occur • 2) (By) substituting low-fat or skim milk, for whole milk…and other foods lower in animal fat

  43. Thermal treatment is dangerous • In citiesbecause the fine particles can get deep down into our lungs • In rural areas because the dioxins can get into our food

More Related