Hazardous wastes are generated as the result of treatment steps performed on industrial wastewaters prior to discharge, or contaminant-containing groundwaters.  In these cases, the treatment process (for example, by precipitation, evaporation, filtration, or ion exchange technology), produces a residual waste, including sludge and spent media, which must be analyzed, using the Toxic Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test. The results of the TCLP are used to determine whether a waste is hazardous or non-hazardous.  

RCRA is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, a set of regulations adopted by Congress and administered by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State and local regulatory agencies. RCRA defines what hazardous wastes are and how they must be legally stored, treated and disposed of. Many US states have been given authority by the EPA to enforce RCRA rules and also establish additional local and regional rules if necessary, however, State laws can never reduce the standards enacted by the EPA. There are significant legal liabilities to companies for not properly managing waste residuals according to RCRA regulations.

Waste may be classified as either Listed or Characteristic hazardous waste. RCRA regulations provide guidance to assist the waste generator in determining whether the waste falls into either classification.

With few exceptions, the EPA has classified the residuals from the following six manufacturing processes, also called Electroplating Processes, as Listed Hazardous Wastes which must be dealt with as such. The residuals from these processes are assigned the F006 hazardous waste code.

• Electroplating
• Coating (chromating, phosphating, coloring)
• Electroless Plating
• Chemical Etching and Milling
• Anodizing
• Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing

Other metal finishing processes performed in conjunction with the above 6 Listed electroplating processes are also considered F006 Listed Hazardous Wastes.

If any part of the resulting wastewater or waste residual which contains the following metals,  then the waste is a Characteristic Hazardous Waste:

• Arsenic - 5 ppm
• Chromium - 5 ppm
• Mercury - 0.2 ppm
• Barium - 100 ppm
• Cyanides - 250 ppm
• Selenium - 1 ppm
• Cadmium - 1 ppm
• Lead - 5 ppm
• Silver - 5 ppm

Hazardous waste treatment involves almost anything that can be done to a hazardous waste prior to disposal.  Any method, technique or, process designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of the hazardous waste, so as to neutralize the waste or to make the waste less hazardous and thereby safer for transport, increase potential for recovery, reuse or storage, or to reduce waste volume.

Waste dewatering is a efficient and effective treatment method used for waste volume reduction.  A variety of treatment systems are employed to dewater waste - including belt presses, centrifuges, and other devices.  Siemens offers a complete range of dewatering systems in a range of sizes and suitable for all forms of reuse applications - including land application, composting, and incineration.

Siemens Water Technologies owns and operates two, fully-permitted facilities with federal RCRA Part B and CERCLA authority and specializing in the treatment of inorganic wastes and wastewater. Wastes are sent to the facilities in drums (of all sizes), portable totes, cubic yard bags or boxes and tanker trucks. Virtually everything that we take into our facilities is in some way recycled. Recycling reduces liability, which is a significant incentive to many of our customers.

The heart of our hazardous waste treatment operations are in facilities located in Roseville, Minnesota and Los Angeles, California. These facilities serve as regional hubs for the treatment of hazardous waste and wastewater and the recovery of reusable by-products collected from the company’s hazardous waste customers. Siemens Water Technologies is the only company whose facilities handle and regenerate ion exchange resins and other media.

Our goal is to produce zero hazardous waste by extracting all reusable material, to eliminate pollutants from the environment and avoid disposal costs and liability. Most of the treatment residual wastes (F006, etc.) shipped to our facilities are inorganic or trace organicmaterials. Our advanced processing techniques have allowed us to increase beneficial reuse rate of these wastes to over 90% as reusable chemicals and metallic commodities.

Treatment Technologies for Hazardous Waste:

Sludge Dewatering
Waste Reduction & Recycle