Is Abyssal Seafloor Isolation an Environmentally Sound Waste Management Option?
This paper discusses the waste disposal concept of environmentally isolating industrial wastes (i.e., sewage sludge, fly ash from municipal incinerators, and dredged material) on the abyssal seafloor. Environmental acceptability of this concept is compared with alternative oceanic waste
management concepts of containment and dispersion. Dredged material, containing contaminants with high particle affinities enabling potential toxins to be readily sorbed to sediment and be buried within the seabed, is ideally suited for abyssal seafloor isolation. Sewage sludge, with low bulk
densities, is better suited for disposal by dispersion. Fly ash, containing high levels of heavy metals which can be mobilised under certain redox conditions, is a poor candidate for ocean disposal.
Document Type: Miscellaneous
Publication date: 01 September 1997
- Underwater Technology is the peer-reviewed international journal of the Society for Underwater Technology. The objectives of the journal are to inform and acquaint the Society's members and other readers with current views and new developments in the broad areas of underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering.
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