UGC NET Environmental Science Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Syllabus

Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management in UGC NET Environmental Science, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Solid Waste Management

   5 topics

   • Solid Waste Types and Sources
   • Solid Waste Characteristics
     • Generation Rates
     • Solid Waste Components
     • Proximate and Ultimate Analyses of Solid Wastes
   • Solid Waste Collection and Transportation
     • Container Systems - Hauled and Stationary
     • Layout of Collection Routes
     • Transfer Stations and Transportation
   • Solid Waste Processing and Recovery
     • Recycling
     • Recovery of Materials for Recycling and Direct Manufacture of Solid Waste Products
     • Electrical Energy Generation from Solid Waste (Fuel Pellets, Refuse Derived Fuels)
     • Composting and Vermicomposting
     • Biomethanation of Solid Waste
   • Disposal of Solid Wastes
     • Sanitary Land Filling and Its Management
     • Incineration of Solid Waste
2. 2

   Hazardous Waste Management

   2 topics

   • Hazardous Waste Types and Characteristics
     • Health Impacts
   • Hazardous Waste Treatment Methods
     • Neutralization
     • Oxidation Reduction
     • Precipitation
     • Solidification
     • Stabilization
     • Incineration
     • Final Disposal
3. 3

   E-Waste Management

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management — no further topic split in the official outline.

4. 4

   Fly Ash Management

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management — no further topic split in the official outline.

5. 5

   Plastic Waste Management

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management — no further topic split in the official outline.

Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management flashcards for UGC NET Environmental Science

21 of 51 cards from the Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is municipal solid waste (MSW)?

   The non-hazardous solid waste generated from households, commercial establishments, institutions, and street sweepings in a community — commonly called garbage, trash, or refuse.

2. Define 'refuse' in solid waste terminology.

   Refuse is a general term covering all putrescible (garbage) and non-putrescible (rubbish) solid wastes except body wastes.

3. Differentiate 'garbage' from 'rubbish'.

   Garbage is the putrescible (decomposable) food waste from handling and cooking of food; rubbish is non-putrescible waste, both combustible (paper, wood) and non-combustible (metals, glass).

4. What are the main sources of solid waste?

   Residential, commercial, institutional, construction & demolition, municipal services, industrial (process and non-process), and agricultural sources.

5. What is 'ashes and residues' as a solid waste type?

   Materials remaining from burning of wood, coal, and other combustibles for cooking, heating, and on-site incineration — mostly fine powdery, non-combustible material.

6. What is construction and demolition (C&D) waste?

   Wastes from construction, remodeling, and demolition of buildings and roads — including concrete, bricks, dirt, stone, lumber, plumbing, and electrical parts.

7. What are 'special wastes' in MSW?

   Bulky items, consumer electronics (e-waste), white goods (appliances), tyres, batteries, used oil, and household hazardous waste requiring separate handling.

8. What is biomedical (healthcare) waste?

   Waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of humans/animals or in research — including infectious, pathological, sharps, and pharmaceutical waste.

9. What are the four physical characteristics used to describe solid waste?

   Composition, density (specific weight), moisture content, and particle size distribution.

10. How is moisture content (wet-weight basis) of solid waste calculated?

    M = [(w − d)/w] × 100, where w = initial (wet) weight of sample and d = weight after drying at 105°C.

11. What is the typical moisture content of mixed municipal solid waste?

    Around 15–40%, with a representative value of about 20% (higher in developing countries due to high food/organic fraction).

12. Why is the density of solid waste an important characteristic?

    It determines the volume needed for storage, collection, transport, and disposal; densities change markedly with compaction and through the management chain.

13. What are the main chemical characteristics of solid waste?

    Proximate analysis (moisture, volatile combustible matter, fixed carbon, ash), ultimate analysis (C, H, O, N, S, ash), fusing point of ash, and energy (calorific) content.

14. What does 'proximate analysis' of solid waste determine?

    The percentages of moisture, volatile combustible matter, fixed carbon, and non-combustible ash — used to assess combustion behaviour.

15. What does 'ultimate analysis' of solid waste determine?

    The elemental percentages of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and ash — used to compute C/N ratio and energy content.

16. Why is the C/N ratio important in solid waste management?

    It controls biological decomposition; an optimum C/N ratio of about 25–30:1 is ideal for efficient composting of the organic fraction.

17. What is the modified Dulong formula used to estimate the energy content of solid waste?

    Energy (kJ/kg) = 337C + 1428(H − O/8) + 95S, where C, H, O, S are weight percentages from the ultimate analysis.

18. What is the typical calorific value of Indian municipal solid waste?

    Relatively low, roughly 800–1100 kcal/kg, owing to high moisture and inert (ash/soil) content and low combustible fraction.

19. What are the four functional elements of a solid waste management system?

    Generation; on-site handling/storage/processing; collection; transfer and transport; processing and recovery; and disposal.

20. What is the integrated solid waste management (ISWM) hierarchy in order of preference?

    Source reduction (prevention), reuse, recycling/composting, energy recovery, and finally disposal (landfilling) — least preferred.

21. What are the three main collection methods for municipal solid waste?

    Hauled-container system (HCS), stationary-container system (SCS), and kerbside/community-bin collection.

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