Interdisciplinary Modules to Teach Waste or Residue Management in the Food Chain

MODULE 2: IDENTIFICATION, QUANTIFICATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WASTES/RESIDUES

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IDENTIFICATION

Waste/Residue Terminology

       Some of the most frequently used terms in food processing and waste management literature are presented in this section.  Definitions have been derived from the following sources:  ^a Rhyner et al. (1995) Waste Management and Resource Recovery, ^b Carawan  et al. (1979h) Water and Wastewater Management in Food Processing, ^c Green & Kramer (1979) Food Processing Waste Management.  Complete citations for these sources are included in the reference list.  The superscript indicates the source of a definition.

·  Activated sludge: 1) the biological solids produced in an activated sludge basin (secondary wastewater treatment).^a  2) sludge floc produced by the growth of zoogleal bacteria and other organisms in the presence of oxygen and accumulated in sufficient concentration by returning floc previously formed.^b

·  Anaerobic digestion (sludges): the process by which sewage sludges are degraded by anaerobic bacteria to form digested (stabilized) sludge and methane gas. ^a

·  Bagasse: an agricultural waste material consisting of the dry pulp residue remaining from the processing of sugar cane after the juice has been extracted. ^a

·  BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand is a bioassay test that is a semi-quantitative measure of biological decomposition of organic matter in a water sample.  It is determined by measuring the oxygen required by microorganisms to oxidize the contaminants of water samples under standard laboratory conditions. ^b

·  Bulking sludge: a sludge that settles poorly because of a floc with excessive volume and low density. ^{b c}

·  CFCs: chlorofluorocarbon compounds, such as Freon-12, used chiefly as refrigerants and as propellants was prohibited in 1979 because of their depleting effect on ozone in the atmosphere. ^a

·  COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand. Its determination provides a measure of the oxygen demand equivalent of that portion of matter in a sample which is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant.  Obtained by reacting the organic matter in the sample with oxidizing chemicals under specific conditions.  COD does not necessarily correlate with BOD. ^b

·  Detritus: the coarse debris, such as sand and grit, carried by wastewater. ^{b c}

·  Digested sludge: the solids from either aerobic or anaerobic processes in which the volatile content has been reduced. ^{b c}

·  Floc: solids formed by chemical, biological, or physical agglomeration of fine materials into larger masses that are more readily separated from the liquid.  The process is called flocculation. ^{b c}

·  Fouling: 1) a gelatinous, slimy accumulation on the waterways of a conduit, resulting from the activity of organisms in the waters. Fouling is more easily removable than tuberculation. 2) Fouling may be found on concrete, masonary, and metal surfaces, but tuberculation is found only on metal surfaces. ^{b c}

·  Grease: a group of substances including fats, waxes, free fatty acids, calcium and magnesium soaps, mineral oils and certain other nonfatty materials.  The type of solvent and method used for extraction should be salted for quantitation. ^{b c}

·  Grit: the heavy suspended mineral matter present in water or wastewater, such as sand, gravel, and cinders. ^{b c} 

·  Lagoon: an all-inclusive term commonly given to a water impoundment in which organic wastes are stored or stabilized, or both. Lagoons may be described by the predominant biological characteristics (aerobic, anaerobic, or facultative), by location (indoor, outdoor), by position accepted (sewage, sludge, manure, or other). ^b

·  Leachate: the chemically and biologically contaminated liquid that has percolated or drained from wastes. ^a

·  Leaching: 1. the removal of soluble constituents from soils or other material by percolating water. 2. the removal of salts and alkali from soils by abundant irrigation combined with drainage. 3. the disposal of a liquid through a non watertight artificial structure, conduit, or porous material by downward or lateral drainage or both, into the surrounding permeable soil. 4. the loss of soluble constituents from fruits, vegetables, or other material into water or other liquid in which the material is immersed. 5. the escaping of free moisture from a solid waste land disposal site into the surrounding environment, frequently causing odors and other nuisance conditions of public health significance. ^{b c}

·  Lime: specifically calcium oxide, but more generally any of the chemical forms of quicklime, hydrated lime, and hydraulic lime. Lime is commonly used as a chemical precipitant in wastewater treatment. ^a

·  Manure: the fecal and urinary defecations of livestock and poultry. ^a

·  Primary sludge: the settled solids removed from a primary sedimentation tank or basin. ^a 

·  Residual Chlorine: chlorine remaining in water or wastewater at the end of a specified contact period as combined or free chlorine. ^b

·  Return sludge: sludge returned from process to the influent flow. Commonly return activated sludge from a secondary clarifier.  Also includes sludge from a clarifier after trickling filtration. ^b

·  Scum: 1) the layer or film of extraneous or foreign matter that rises to the surface of a liquid and is formed there. 2) a residue deposited on a container or channel at the water surface. 3) a mass of solid matter that floats on the surface. ^b

·  Sewage sludge: a semi liquid substance consisting of suspended sewage solids combined with water and dissolved material in varying amounts. ^a

·  Slimes: substances of viscous organic nature, usually formed from microbiological growth.

·  Sludge: 1) any solid, semi-solid, or liquid wastes generated from a municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant or air pollution control facility. ^a   2) the accumulated solids separated from liquids (such as water or wastewater) during processing, or deposits on bottoms of streams or other bodies of water. ^{b c}  3) the precipitate resulting from chemical treatment, coagulation, or sedimentation of water or wastewater. ^{b c} 

·  Sludge lagoon: a relatively shallow basin used for the storage or digestion of sludge. 

·  Slurry: 1) a fluid mixture of water and fine insoluble particles. ^a    2) a solids-water mixture with sufficient water content to impart fluid handling characteristics to the mixture. ^b

·  Stabilization lagoon: a shallow pond for storage of wastewater before discharge. Such lagoons may serve only to detain and equalize; they are used for biological oxidation. ^b

·  Stillage: the remains of grains and yeast cells after the brewing of beer. Referred to as distiller's dried grain after it is dewatered. ^a

·  Suspended Solids (SS): The inorganic and organic particles which exist in suspension in a liquid and which may be partially removed by gravity settling and completely removed by filtration. ^b

·  Tailings: low grade minerals or waste material separated from richer mineral ore during screening or processing. ^a Also, refers to the lower quality streams of a flour milling process.

·  Undigested sludge: settled sludge promptly removed from sedimentation tanks before decomposition has much advanced. Also called sludge. ^{b c}

·  Vector reduction (sludges): treatments such as anaerobic digestion and composting which make the waste unattractive for vectors. ^a

·  Waste activated sludge (WAS): the excess biological solids produced during the activated sludge process. it is sometimes referred to as secondary sludge. ^a

·  Wastewater lagoon: an impoundment into which wastewater is discharged at a rate low enough to permit oxidation to occur without substantial nuisance. ^b 

·  Waste stabilization ponds (lagoons): large earthern basins used in the treatment of wastewater. Mechanical aeration is often required to allow naturally occurring microbes to degrade organic matter (BOD) effectively. ^a

·  Whey: the watery part of milk separated from the coagulum of whole milk, cream, or skim milk. ^a  

·  Zooglea: a jelly like matrix developed by bacteria. A major part of activated sludge floc and of trickling filter slimes. ^{b c}

·  Zoogleal film: a jelly like mass or aggregate of bacteria formed in trickling filters or other treatment devices. ^b

·  Zoogleal matrix: the floc formed primarily by slime-producing bacteria in the activated sludge process or in biological beds. ^b

Waste/Residue Management Glossary Links

The Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/

The Global Development Research Center

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-glossary.html

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/bae/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/ebae144_90.html

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Introduction   |   General Characterization   |   Identification   |   Quantification   |   Characterization   |   References

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