Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Ch. 17
environmental geology
16
Geology
Undergraduate 2
12/02/2008

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Biopersistence
Definition
A measure of how long a particular material will remain in the biosphere
Term
Composting
Definition
A biochemical process in which organic materials are decomposed to a humus like material by aerobic organisms.
Term
Deep-Well Disposal
Definition
Method of waste disposal that involves pumping waste into subsurface disposal sites such as fractured or otherwise porous rocks.
Term
E-waste
Definition
Waste from electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, iPods, and the like.
Term
Hazardous Waste
Definition
Waste materials determined to be toxic or otherwise harmful to people and the environment.
Term
Incineration
Definition
Reduction of combustible waste to inert residue(ash) by burning at high temperatures.
Term
Industrial Ecology
Definition
Design of industrial systems to be similar to ecosystems where waste from one part of the system is a resource for another.
Term
Integrated Waste Management
Definition
A complex set of management alternatives for waste management, including source reduction, recycling, composting, landfill, and incineration.
Term
Land Application
Definition
Alternative for disposal of certain types of hazardous chemical waste in which the waste is applied to the soil and degraded by natural biological activity in the soil.
Term
Leachate
Definition
Noxious liquid material capable of carrying bacteria, produced when surface water or groundwater comes into contact with solid waste.
Term
Materials Management
Definition
Making better use of materials to reduce the waste we produce.
Term
Monitoring
Definition
With respect to waste management, refers to periodic or continuos gathering of samples of soil, vegetation, vadose zone water, and groundwaters in and near waste management facilities, such as landfills or hazardous waste disposals facilities.
Term
Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse
Definition
The Three R's of integrated waste management that describe the objective of reducing the amount of waste that must be disposed of in landfills or other facilities.
Term
Sanitary Landfill
Definition
Method of solid-waste disposal that does not produce a public health problem or nuisance; confines and compresses waste and covers it at the end of each day with a layer of compacted, relatively impermeable material, such as clay.
Term
Secure Landfill
Definition
Type of landfill designed to contain and dispose of hazardous chemical waste; many of these facilities have been shut down because containment of the hazardous waste has been impossible to maintain.
Term
Surface Impoundments
Definition
Excavated or natural topographic depressions used to hold hazardous liquid waste. Although impoundments are often lined, they have been criticized because they are especially prone to seepage and pollution of soil and groundwaters.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!