Key Terms

BIF refers to boilers and industrial furnaces.

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.

Bottom ash is the solid materials, or residue, in the combustion chamber left over from burning.

Carcinogenic refers to a material which scientific studies have shown to be cancer-causing in humans.

Combustion refers to the process of burning something. In the RCRA regulations, combustion is one of the means used to treat and dispose of hazardous wastes.

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 burning hazardous waste converts water to steam. This is then sent to a turbine generator to produce electrical energy.

Fly ash refers to the particles of burned waste that exit the stack of a combustion unit during combustion. Fly ash enters the atmosphere along with vapor and gas emissions. These particles are usually not toxic except when toxic metals or toxic organic compounds are attached to them.

Incinerators are devices that use controlled flames or other heat sources within a chamber. Hazardous waste incinerators are used specifically for the purpose of disposing of hazardous waste.

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 (VOCs).

Volatile organic compounds, referred to as VOCs, are a group of carbon-based chemicals that easily become vapors or gases. In addition to carbon, they may contain hazardous chemicals such as fluorine and chlorine. Examples of VOCs are gasoline, benzene, formaldehyde, perchloroethylene, and toluene.

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

To learn more about RCRA visit our RCRA Hazardous Waste Safety Online Training web page.