Author(s)

H Itoh, R Sasai, M Kamiya & T Kojima

Abstract

Environmental risk assessment for hazardous waste and the development of its appropriate treatment technology are very important issues for waste management in the 21 century. Here, we define a new concept \“Rescue Number” (RN), which is proposed by ResCWE, Nagoya University for a management of the waste difficult to process (DTP waste). RN consists of the following two assessment indices. Risks of the industrial and municipal wastes for both human life and the global environment are assessed by the \“Figure of Treatment Priority (FTP)”. Recycling technologies of such DTP wastes are assessed by using the \“Figure of Unprocessibility for Waste (FUW)”, the concept of which is also defined by ResCWE in combination with FTP. The two indices are related to RN by the equation, (RN) = (FTP) X (FUW). Qualitative case studies on the assessment of various ceramic wastes are performed using the above concepts RN, FTP and FUW. 1 Introduction A large amount of industrial and municipal wastes is discharged in the manufacturing process and after the public or household uses. Some of the wastes are hazardous when they are incorporated in human body as stable solids or dissoluble heavy metallic ions. Other wastes impose much environmental burden on ecology and the circulation system of air, water or soils of the earth. Precious or rare metals are also included in these wastes that ‘are hopefully recycled for saving natural resources. Risk assessment of industrial and municipal wastes influencing on both human life and the global environment was attempted in terms of the \“Figure of Treatment Priority (FTP)”, the new concept

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