Burning Hazardous Waste - Key Terms

Boilers are a type of equipment in which water, or other fluid, is heated in a closed container. The heated fluid or its vapor is released and used in various industrial processes.

Carcinogenic refers to a material which scientific studies have shown to cause cancer in humans.

Energy recovery refers to the process of generating electricity or heat through the treatment of hazardous waste. For example, the heat from a combustion unit that burns hazardous waste converts water to steam. The steam is then sent to a turbine generator to produce electrical energy.

Industrial furnaces are devices used to heat materials to high temperatures for various industrial processes.

Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards are developed by the EPA to ensure that certain combustion devices used to burn hazardous waste are using the most effective technology available. The objective of MACT standards is to reduce the level of hazardous air pollutants released.

Organic emissions refer to the vapors or gases released by volatile organic compounds.

Waste feed refers to the rate at which hazardous waste is fed into a combustion device.

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.