Lithospere

• Lithosphere is a rigid outermost shell of earth.

• It has rigid mechanical properties.
• It is composed of crust & portion of upper mantle
layer, that constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of
earth.

Land pollution refers to the contamination or destruction of land

caused by the deposition of solid or liquid waste materials, which
can contaminate soil, groundwater and threaten public health.
The crust is composed of solid rocks. Due to various weathering
process, the rocks undergo erosion and reduced to gravel, then
sand. The broken rocks when mixed with decaying organic
materials, form soil.
 Rock
Rock is the hard substance of which the earth made of. Igneous
rock is primary rock.

Mineral: A mineral is a natural inorganic substance which has a

definite chemical composition & definite physical-chemical
properties. O2, Si, Al, Fe etc.
Soil: Soil is a loose material which form the upper layer of the
surface. It is formed from weathering & erosion of rocks, consist of
fine particles mainly silica, clay, chalk, humus & essential
elements.
 Municipal Solid Waste
Municipal Solid waste (MSW) is the waste collected by the municipalities
from households, business and other sources within their jurisdiction. It
consist of wide range of discarded materials, including food, scraps, papers,
plastics, textiles, glass, metals etc. and bulky items like furniture and
appliances.
 Biomedical waste
Any waste which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research
activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological.
Dumping: Disposing solid waste in an
uncovered, usually a low lying area results in
contamination of land and water, spreading
bad odour and disease.
 SANITARY LANDFILL

A sanitary landfill is a waste disposal method that involves

burying waste in layers of soil to protect the environment and
public health. A landfill is a large area of land or an Excavated site
that is a carefully designed structure built or on top of the ground.
How sanitary landfills work:
1. Waste is spread in layers: Waste is spread out in thin layers
and compacted to reduce its volume.
2. Waste is covered with soil: Waste is covered with compacted
soil at the end of each working day.
3. Waste is monitored: Landfills are monitored for the control of
liquid and gaseous effluent.
4. The garbage collected at the landfill is isolated from the
surrounding environment with a bottom liner and a daily covering
of soil.
 Disadvantages of Landfilling
❖ Possibilities of ground water pollution
❖ Poisonous CH4 gas is produced.
❖ Soil may be acidic due to presence of CO 2.
 Solid Waste Management
The quantity of solid waste generated in big cities is almost 500 to 800 gm / person and is increasing day by day. The proper
scientific, disciplined & effective method of collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of solid waste materials to
minimize environmental impact is called solid waste management.
The present day management follows:
1. Storage
2. Collection
3. Transportation
4. Recycling & Treatment
5. Disposal
If proper method does not follows, then
1. Decomposition of waste create bad odour & toxic gases.
2. Flies, mosquitos, insets etc. are grow n the garbage & create disease.
3. The open burning may lead to water & air pollution.
The treatment process are of 3 types
1. Physical process: The solid & liquid components are separated by gravity separation method followed by various
filtrating operations. Liquid wastes can be adsorbed in granular activated charcoal. Physical processes are
screening, sedimentation, centrifugation, flotation, adsorption etc.
2. Chemical process: Acidic waste can be neutralized by lime slurries. Alkaline waste can be neutralized by passing
CO2. Ion- exchange, UV-radiation etc. are other methods. Chemical methods are neutralization, precipitation,
oxidation and reduction.
3. Biological process: Some micro-organisms decomposes oil, refinery substances to CO 2. Some specific micro-
organisms consumes heavy metals.
 Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste is defined as any substance or material that
can have harmful effects on the health of people and the
environment.

There are 9 classifications with these wastes listed

below:
•Class 1: Explosives.
•Class 2: Gases.
•Class 3: Flammable Liquids.
•Class 4: Flammable Solids or Substances.
•Class 5: Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides.
•Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances.
•Class 7: Radioactive.
•Class 8: Corrosive Substances.
•Class 9: Miscellaneous Dangerous Substances and
Articles
 Hazardous Waste Disposal Method
❖ Secure Landfill

❖ Underground injection wells

❖ Surface impoundments

❖ Waste Piles.

❖ Other disposal process like

❖ Salt dome or salt bed formation

❖ Underground cave

❖ Concrete vault or bunkars.

 Secure landfills

Landfilling of hazardous solid waste is regulated more

stringently than landfilling of municipal solid waste. Hazardous
wastes must be deposited in so-called secure landfills, which
provide at least 3 meters (10 feet) of separation between the
bottom of the landfill and the underlying bedrock
or groundwater table. A secure hazardous-waste landfill must
have two impermeable liners and leachate collection systems.
The liner is made up of plastic or rubber. The double leachate
collection system consists of a network of perforated pipes
placed above each liner. Collected leachate is pumped to a
treatment plant. In order to reduce the amount of leachate in the
fill and minimize the potential for environmental damage, an
impermeable cap or cover is placed over a finished landfill.
After dumping the waste in the cell, they are covered with soil.
 Underground injection wells
An injection well is a device that places fluid deep underground into porous
rock formations, such as sandstone or limestone, or into or below the shallow soil layer.
The fluid may be water, wastewater, brine (salt water), or water mixed with chemicals.

The procedure involves pumping liquid waste through a steel casing into a porous layer
of limestone or sandstone. High pressures are applied to force the liquid into the pores
and fissures of the rock, where it is to be permanently stored. The injection zone must lie
below a layer of impervious rock or clay, and it may extend more than 0.8 km below the
surface. Deep-well injection is relatively inexpensive and requires little or no
pretreatment of the waste, but it poses a danger of leaking hazardous waste and
eventually polluting subsurface water supplies.
In waste water disposal, treated waste water is injected into the ground
between impermeable layers of rocks to avoid polluting fresh water supplies or adversely
affecting quality of receiving waters. Injection wells are usually constructed of solid
walled pipe to a deep elevation in order to prevent injectate from mixing with the
surrounding environment.
 A surface impoundment is a natural topographic
depression, man–made excavation, or diked area
formed primarily of earthen materials, which is
designed to hold an accumulation of liquid
wastes or wastes containing free liquids.
Examples of surface impoundments are storage,
settling, and elevation pits, ponds, and lagoons.
If the pit, pond, or lagoon is intended for storage
or holding without discharge, it is considered to
be a surface impoundment. This disposal
method is often considered as a release to land;
however, chemicals in the impoundment may be
released to air by volatilization, collected as
sludge and removed, or biodegraded. Any
releases from the impoundment should be
accounted for in release totals to air, water, land,
or offsite disposal.

Waste Piles
Waste piles are ground level mounds of hazardous waste. These are completely open & are lined underneath with impermeable
materials so that the waste does not contaminated with water. In waste piles, the materials that emits toxic fumes cannot be
stored. It is a temporary method. Once the plant treats the waste to make it less hazardous, it must be disposed off in a
protected landfill or underground injection well.