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A mini review of hazardous wastes generated by environmental analytical laboratories: a perspective from Sri Lanka as an economically developing country

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Abstract

Attention given to environmental pollution caused by environmental analytical (EA) laboratories is very poor in Sri Lanka (an economically developing country). This article discusses EA laboratory effluents and hazardous solid wastes, current environmental management practices, and the legislative requirements in Sri Lanka. Effluent quantities generated are low (29.99–63.09 L/week), but characterized with variable pH, high chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and heavy metals, and very high ecotoxicity. Quantities of chemical-contaminated solid wastes is 80–100 kg/year (excluding outdated and rejected chemicals). Most laboratories dispose chemical-contaminated solid wastes mixed with non-hazardous recyclables using the services of local authorities and some laboratories (particularly in areas where there is no municipal solid waste collection), practice backyard dumping or open burning, while a few laboratories employ private parties to dispose or burn these wastes elsewhere. Only one laboratory is disposing chemical-contaminated solid wastes through co-processing. Appropriate waste management strategies (including some cleaner production concepts) are discussed in this paper for selected streams of hazardous wastes.

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Notes

  1. See https://sdgs.un.org/goals for SDGs and their targets.

  2. Quantities are 29.99–63.09 L/week (Alves et al., 2005; EML Consultants, 2021), whereas Putra et al. (2017) reported a higher value of 519 L/week.

  3. Examples are NaN3 used in the azide alkaline iodide (NaN3 + NaOH + KI) solution required for dissolved oxygen (DO) analysis (Modified Winkler’s Method).

  4. Flash point < 65 °C. Best examples of UN Hazard Class 3.1 highly flammable liquids (flash point < 23 °C) used are (CH3)2CO (acetone), C6H6 (benzene), CH3OH (methanol), C3H8O (isopropanol/isopropyl alcohol), and C2H5OH (ethanol). CH3COOH (acetic acid) and C6H5Cl (chlorobenzene) are UN Hazard Class 3.2 material with flash points between 23 °C and 61 °C.

  5. Alkali metals are Class 4.3 goods, while metals like Al, Mg, and Zn in pure powder or dust form are pyrophoric material.

  6. Commonly used acids are H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3. Bases are largely NaOH.

  7. Common UN Hazard Class 5.1 material include H2O2, KNO3, NaOCl, and KMnO4 as well as chromates (CrO42-) and dichromates (Cr2O72-). Na2S2O3 is a commonly used reducing agent.

  8. Some examples are AgNO3, PbCO3, AgSO4, HgSO4, C6H6, phenols/carbolic acid (C6H5OH), and chloroform/trichloromethane (CHCl3).

  9. A Thai multinational cement manufacturing firm. It is the only organization in Sri Lanka with valid Environmental Licenses issued by the CEA and the Provincial Environmental Authority-North-western Province (PEA-NWP) to co-process hazardous chemical wastes.

  10. 8–10 GJ/t is the minimum. To achieve flame temperatures of 2000 °C required for the clinkerization reactions, the average net calorific value of the waste as the fuel material at the main firing needs to be 18–22 GJ/t) (LafargeHolcim and GIZ, 2019).

  11. Out of the 33 laboratories registered with the CEA, 31 laboratories are involved in sampling and analysis of water and/or effluents. Out of these 31 laboratories, only 4 laboratories, namely, the CEA, MEPA, INSEE Ecocycle, and Bureau Veritas, are totally engaged in SS of the wastes for co-processing. As a total, only 8 laboratories are disposing chemical liquid wastes through co-processing; this includes ITI (which is not registered with the CEA at present) and the teaching laboratories (which includes EA laboratories too) of the Universities of Colombo, Kelaniya, and Peradeniya. Earlier, the Bureau Veritas operated an ETP, prior to contracting INSEE Ecocycle for co-processing.

  12. Major concerns are strong allergic reactions caused by certain metals (e.g., Cr, Hg, and Tl), possible emissions of volatile metals (e.g., Hg) and semi-volatile metals (e.g., Cd, Pb, Tl, and As) to the ambient air through the flue gas (since dust control devices can only capture the particle-bound/adsorbed fraction of heavy metals), and leaching of Cr from cement (since cement rotary kilns provides an oxidizing environment during clinkerization and Cr is much more liable to be converted to Cr6+ into the clinker matrix; Cr6+ can become mobile in the hydration reactions that follow during cement application). For co-processing, heavy metals are categorized as follows: class I (most toxic), Cd, Hg, and Tl; class II, As, Co, Ni, Se, and Te; and class III (least toxic), Pb, Cr, Cu, Pt, V, Sn, Pd, Sb, Mn, and Rh. Waste generators are required by INSEE Ecocycle to separately collect waste containing class I category metals as well as Be.

  13. These details are gleaned from agreements between Insee Ecocycle and different EA laboratories.

  14. PEA-NWP implements the North Western Provincial Environmental Statute No. 12 of 1990. Its provisions relating to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and environmental licensing are very similar to that of the NEA.

  15. Both licenses are renewable each year and embody the Precautionary Principle (Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 1992). The “Polluter Pays Principle” (Principle 16 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 1992) is also embodied for violations.

  16. The most ideal one would be ANSI (American National Standards Institute /ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) A13.1.

  17. It has been documented that treated effluents may still be toxic to aquatic ecosystems, even considering the dilution rate inherent to discharge since most of the micropollutant organics are resistant to conventional treatments (Silva et al., 2009, 2017).

  18. Incinerators (minimum height of 20 m) fitted with air pollution controlling devices (APCDs) and 2 chambers wherein the secondary chamber of gases (by-products) from the primary chamber are treated at high temperatures by means of an ancillary burner. The secondary chamber has a minimum operating temperature of 1200 °C, a minimum residence time of 2 seconds and enough turbulence with sufficient quantities of O2 to achieve complete oxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbons in the flue gas (which could react with other chlorinated compounds in the gas stream), thereby avoiding the formation of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF).

  19. Utilization of chemicals that have an earlier expiration date can minimize the generation of expired chemicals. Performing regular inventory audits will determine the unused chemicals and chemicals that will have an earlier expiration date, etc. and hence what could be included in waste exchange programs too.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Mrs. B. L. Kularatne and officers from the various EA laboratories (NBRO, ITI, Insee Ecocycle, and Bureau Veritas) for their valuable information provided to me. Very special thanks are also given to the CEA (especially Mr. H.S. Premachandra, Ms. Wasanthi Wijesinghe, Ms. Himali Karunaweera, and Mr. Nuwan Buddhika). It is a pleasure to thank Prof. G. Bruce Wiersma (Editor-in-Chief of this journal) and the anonymous reviewers for reviewing this paper and for their useful comments.

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  1. School of Environment, Ecology and Biomedicine, La Trobe University, Campus, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia

    Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne

  2. Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne

  3. Kularatne Associates, No. 16, Samudra Sanna Road, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka

    Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne

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The author was totally responsible for the conceptualization, methodology (including data collection through private consultations had with various EA laboratories and the CEA and literature review), formal analysis (detailed analysis of the collected findings) and writing the original draft (finalization and presentation of the findings/paper) including editing where necessary.

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Correspondence to Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne.

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Kularatne, R.K.A. A mini review of hazardous wastes generated by environmental analytical laboratories: a perspective from Sri Lanka as an economically developing country. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1380 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11862-x

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