Nicholas P. Cheremisinoff. Handbook of Solid Waste Management and Waste Minimization Technologies
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GLOSSARY OF
ENVIRONMENTAL AND
WASTE MANAGAMENT
TERMS
A
Abiotic Factors - Nonliving; moisture, soil, nutrients, fire, wind, temperature,
climate.
Abrasion-Resistant Material - Material that is hard and resistant to physical wear
caused by friction.
Absolute Filtration Rating (Largest Particle Passed) - The diameter of the largest
hard spherical particle that will pass through a filter under specified test conditions.
This is an indication of the largest opening in the filter cloth.
Absorption - Assimilation of molecules or other substances into the physical
structure of a liquid or solid without chemical reaction.
Absorption Capacity - A measure of the quantity of a soluble substance that can be
absorbed by a given quantity of a solid substance.
Absorption Field - A system of properly sized and constructed narrow trenches
partially filled with a bed of washed gravel or crushed stone into which perforated or
open joint pipe is placed. The discharge from the septic tank is distributed through
these pipes into trenches and surrounding soil. While seepage pits normally require
less land area to install, they should be used only where absorption fields are not
suitable and well-water supplies are not endangered.
Acclimation - (1) The dynamic response of a system to the addition or deletion of a
substance until equilibrium is reached. (2) Adjustment to a change in the
environment.
Accuracy - The degree of agreement between the quantity measured and the true
quantity.
Acetogenic Bacterium - Prokaryotic organism that uses carbonate as a terminal
electron acceptor and produces acetic acid as a waste product.
Acetylene-Block Assay - Estimates denitrification by determining release of nitrous
oxide (NO) from acetylene-treated soil.
Acetylene-reduction Assay - Estimates nitrogenase activity by measuring the rate of
acetylene reduced to ethylene.
Acid - A substance that dissolves in water with the formation of hydrogen ions,
contains hydrogen which may be replaced by metals to form salt, and/or is
corrosive.
Acid-Forming Bacteria - Microorganisms that can metabolize complex organic
compounds under anaerobic conditions. This metabolic activity is the first step in the
two-step anaerobic fermentation process leading to the production of methane.
Acid Rain - You first need to understand acid deposition: a complex chemical and
atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when emissions of sulfur and nitrogen
compounds and other substances are transformed by chemical processes in the
atmosphere, often far from the original sources, and then deposited on earth in
either wet or dry form. The wet forms (precipitation) are popularly called "acid
rain" and fall as rain, snow, or fog. The dry forms are acidic gases or particulates.
Acid Soil - Soil with a pH value <6.6.
Acidity - The capacity of water or waste water to neutralize bases. Acidity is
expressed in mol/1 of equivalent calcium carbonate. Acidity is not the same as pH.
Acidophile - Organism that grows best under acid conditions (down to a pH of 1).
Acre-foot (ac-ft) - A volume of water 0.3 m (1 ft) deep and 4047 m
2
(1 ac) in area,
or 1234 m
3
(43,560 cu ft).
Actinomycete - Nontaxonomic term applied to a group of high G + C base
composition, Gram-positive bacteria that have a superficial resemblance to fungi.
Includes many but not all organisms belonging to the order Actinomycetales.
Activated Carbon - Carbon that has undergone a process of activation that greatly
increases its surface area and therefore sites for adsorption. It is not unusual to have
over 3,000 square feet of surface per gram of carbon. Its uses in water treatment are
many, including the adsorption of taste, odor and color. A laboratory use is for the
concentration of organic matter for waste treatment analysis.
Activated Silica - Sodium silicate that has been systematically precipitated by
reducing the pH to below 9, usually by chlorine.
Activated Sludge - Sludge particles produced in raw or settled wastewater (primary
effluent) by the growth of organisms (including zoogleal bacteria) in aeration tanks
in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The term 'activated' comes from the fact that
the particles are teeming with fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Activated sludge is
different from primary sludge in that the sludge particles contain many living
organisms which can feed on the incoming wastewater.
Activated Sludge Loading - The unit mass of biological oxygen demand in the
applied liquid per unit volume of aeration capacity or per unit mass of activated
sludge per day.
Activated Sludge Process - A sewage treatment process by which bacteria that feed
on organic wastes are continuously circulated and put in contact with organic waste
in the presence of oxygen to increase the rate of decomposition.
Activation Energy - Amount of energy required to bring all molecules in one mole
of a substance to their reactive state at a given temperature.
Active Ingredient - In any pesticide product, the component that kills, or otherwise
controls, target pests. Pesticides are regulated primarily on the basis of active
ingredients.
Active Site - Region of an enzyme where substrates bind.
Acute Effect - An adverse effect on any living organism in which severe symptoms
develop rapidly and often subside after the exposure stops.
Acute Toxicity - Adverse effects that result from a single dose or single exposure of
a chemical; any poisonous effect produced within a short period of time, usually less
than 96 hours. This term normally is used to describe effects in experimental
animals.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - Common energy-donating molecule in
biochemical reactions. Also, an important compound in transfer of phosphate
groups.
Administrative Order on Consent - A legal agreement signed by EPA and an
individual, business, or other entity through which the violator agrees to pay for
correction of violations, take the required corrective or cleanup actions, or refrain
from an activity. The order describes the actions to be taken, may be subject to a
comment period, applies to civil actions, and can be enforced in court.
Administrative Record - All documents which EPA considered or relied on in
selecting the remedy at a Superfund site, culminating in the record of decision for
remedial action, or an action memorandum for removal actions.
ADP - Adenosine diphosphate.
Adsorption - Physical adhesion of molecules or colloids to the surface of solids
without chemical reaction.
Adsorption Water - Water held on the surface of solid particles by molecular forces
with the emission of heat (heat of wetting).
Advanced Waste water Treatment - Any physical, chemical, or biological
treatment process used to accomplish a degree of treatment greater than that
achieved by secondary treatment.
Aerate, Aeration - (1) The bringing about of intimate contact between air and a
liquid by (a) spraying the liquid in the air, (b) bubbling air through the liquid, or (c)
agitating the liquid to promote surface absorption of air. (2) The supplying of air to
confined spaces under nappes, downstream from gates in conduits, and so on, to
relieve low pressures and to replenish air entrained and removed from such confined
spaces by flowing water. (3) Relief of the effects of cavitation by admitting air to the
affected section.
Aeration - The act of mixing a liquid with air (oxygen).
Aeration Period - (1) The theoretical time, typically expressed in hours, during
which mixed liquor is subjected to aeration in a biological reactor while undergoing
activated sludge treatment. It is equal to the volume of the tank divided by the
volumetric rate of flow of the waste water and return sludge. (2) The theoretical time
during which water is subjected to aeration.
Aeration Tank - Serves as a chamber for injecting air into water.
Aerobe - An organism that requires free oxygen for growth.
Aerobic - (1) Having molecular oxygen as a part of the environment. (2) Growing
only in the presence of molecular oxygen, as in aerobic organisms. (3) Occurring
only in the presence of molecular oxygen, as in certain chemical or biochemical
processes such as aerobic respiration.
Aerobic Bacteria (Aerobes) - Bacteria that require free elemental oxygen to sustain
life.
Aerobic Organism - An organism, usually in reference to bacteria, that thrives in
the presence of oxygen.
Aerotolerant Anaerobes - Microbes that grow under both aerobic and anaerobic
conditions, but do not shift from one mode of metabolism to another as conditions
change. They obtain energy exclusively by fermentation.
Agar - Complex polysaccharide derived from certain marine algae that is a gelling
agent for solid or semisolid microbiological media. Agar consists of about 70%
agarose and 30% agaropectin. Agar can be melted at temperature above 100
0
C;
gelling temperature is 40 to 5O
0
C.
Agarose - Nonsulfated linear polymer consisting of alternating residues of d-
galactose and 3,6-anhydro-l-galactose. Agarose is extracted from seaweed, and
agarose gels are often used as the resolving medium in electrophoresis.
Agglomerate - To gather fine particulates together into a larger mass.
Agglomeration - Coalescence of dispersed suspended matter into larger floes or
particles.
Agitator - Mechanical apparatus for mixing or aerating. A device for creating
turbulence.
Agricultural Waste - Poultry and livestock manure, and residual materials in liquid
or solid form generated from the production and marketing of poultry, livestock,
furbearing animals, and their products. Also includes grain, vegetable, and fruit
harvest residue.
Air Bound - Obstructed, as to the free flow of water, because of air entrapped in a
high point. Used to describe a pipeline or pump in such condition.
Air Chamber - A closed pipe chamber installed on the discharge line of a
reciprocating pump to adjust for irregular hydraulic conditions and to reduce shocks
caused by pulsating flow.
Air Diffuser - Devices of varied design that transfer oxygen from air to a liquid.
Air Diffusion - The transfer of air to a liquid through an oxygen-transfer device.
See Diffusion.
Air Flow/Air Permeability - Measure of the amount of air that flows through a
filter - a variable of the degree of contamination, differential pressure, total porosity,
and filter area. Expressed in either cubic feet/minute/square foot or
liters/minute/square centimeter at a given pressure.
Air Injector - A component of an air-lift pump made up of an air supply line and
diffuser.
Air-Lift Pump - A vertical pipe with an air injector submerged in a well. Air
bubbles are introduced into the bottom of the well so that the denser water
surrounding it lifts or pushes the aerated water up through the discharge pipe. These
pumps can be used to pump smaller flows of untreated waste water or return sludge.
Air-Powered Diaphragm Pump - A type of reciprocating pump in which
compressed air flexes a membrane that is pushed or pulled to contract or enlarge an
enclosed cavity. The most common application is to pump sludge from primary
sedimentation tanks and gravity thickeners.
Air Quality Standards - The level of selected pollutants set by law that may not be
exceeded in outside air. Used to determine the amount of pollutants that may be
emitted by industry.
Air Stripping - Removal of volatile substances from a solution using the principles
of Henry's Law to transfer volatile pollutants from a solution of high concentration
into an air stream of lower concentration. The process ordinarily is designed so that
the solution containing the volatile pollutant contacts large volumes of air.
Air Supply Valve - A valve used to throttle or isolate an air supply line.
Akinete - Thick-walled resting cell of cyanobacteria and algae.
Alar - Trade name for daminozide, a pesticide that makes apples redder, firmer, and
less likely to drop off trees before growers are ready to pick them. Alar also is used
to a lesser extent on peanuts, tart cherries, concord grapes, and other fruits.
Alga (plural, Algae) - Phototrophic eukaryotic microorganism. Algae could be
unicellular or multicellular. Blue-green algae are not true algae; they belong to a
group of bacteria called cyanobacteria.
Algaecide - A chemical highly toxic to algae, such as copper sulfate, preferably
having selective toxicity in the proper concentration for algae with negligible toxicity
for other forms of life.
Algal Assay - An analytical procedure that uses specified nutrients and algal
inoculum to identify the limiting algal nutrient in water bodies.
Algal Bloom - Large masses of microscopic and macroscopic plant life, such as
green algae, occurring in bodies of water.
Aliphatic - Organic compound in which the main carbon structure is a straight
chain.
Alkali - Typically, any substance that has highly basic properties; used particularly
with reference to the soluble salts of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Alkaline - The condition of water, wastewater, or soil that contains a sufficient
amount of alkali substances to raise the pH above 7.0.
Alkaline Soil - Soil having a pH value >7.3.
Alkaline Substance - Chemical compounds in which the basic hydroxide (OH-) ion
is united with a metallic ion, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium
hydroxide (KOH). These substances impart alkalinity to water and are employed for
neutralization of acids. Lime is the most commonly used alkaline material in
wastewater treatment.
Alkalinity - The capacity of water to neutralize acids; a property imparted by
carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides, and occasionally borates, silicates, and
phosphates. It is expressed in milligrams of equivalent calcium carbonate per liter
(mg/1 CaCO
3
).
Alkalophile - Organism that grows best under alkaline conditions (up to a pH of
10.5).
Alkane - Straight-chain or branched organic structure that lacks double bonds.
Alkene - Straight-chain or branched organic structure that contains at least one
double bond.
Allochthonous Flora - Organisms that are not indigenous to the soil but that enter
soil by precipitation, diseased tissues, manure, and sewage. They may persist for
some time but do not contribute in a significant way to ecologically significant
transformations or interactions.
Allosteric Site - Site on the enzyme other than the active site to which a
nonsubstrate compound binds. This may result in a conformational change at the
active site so that the normal substrate cannot bind to it.
Alternating Current (AC) - An electric current that reverses its direction at
regularly recurring intervals.
Alum - Astringent crystalline double sulfate of an alkali. K
2
SO
4
AL
2
(SO
4
)
3
24H
2
O.
Used in the processing of pickles and as a flocking agent. Excess aluminum in the
environment can be hazardous.
Alum, Aluminum Sulfate - Used as a coagulant in filtration. Dissolved in water,
alum hydrolyzes into aluminum hydroxide and sulfuric acid. To precipitate the
hydroxide, as needed for coagulation, the water must be alkaline.
Ambient - Typically refers to the prevailing dynamic environmental conditions in a
given area.
Ambient Temperature - Temperature of the surroundings.
Amensalism (Antagonism) - Production of a substance by one organism that is
inhibitory to one or more other organisms. The terms antibiosis and allelopathy also
describe cases of chemical inhibition.
Amino Group - An -NH
2
group attached to a carbon skeleton, as in the amines and
amino acids.
Ammeter - An instrument for measuring electric current, either alternating or
direct, in units of amperes.
Ammonia (NH
3
), Ammonium (NH
4
+
) - Dissolved degradation products of urea and
proteins in raw wastewater. Typically, raw wastewater contains 30 to 50 mg/1 of
NH
3
. Reactions between chlorine and ammonia are important in disinfection.
Ammonia Nitrogen (NH
3
-N) - Ammonia, a nutrient, is also toxic to fish, so
maintaining low levels of ammonia is important. Naturally present in surface waters,
ammonia is not leached readily from soils, but is produced from organic nitrogen-
containing compounds and from urea.
Ammonia Oxidation - Test drawn during manufacturing process to evaluate the
ammonia oxidation rate for the nitrifiers.
Ammoniator - Apparatus used for applying ammonia or ammonium compounds to
water.
Ammonification - Liberation of ammonium (ammonia) from organic nitrogenous
compounds by the action of microorganisms.
Amoeba (plural, Amoebae) - Protozoa that can alter their cell shape, usually by the
extrusion of one or more pseudopodia.
Ampere - Standard unit of electric current measurement. One ampere represents the
flow of 1 coulomb of electricity per second. A flow of 1 ampere is produced in a
resistance of 1 ohm by a potential difference of 1 volt.
Amphoteric - Capable of reacting in water either as a weak acid or as a weak base.
For example, aluminum salts hydrolyze in water to produce a compound that may be
considered a weak base or a weak acid. A property of certain oxides makes them
reactive both with acids and bases.
Anabolism - Metabolic processes involved in the synthesis of cell constituents from
simpler molecules. An anabolic process usually requires energy.
Anaerobe - An organism that lives and reproduces in the absence of dissolved
oxygen, instead deriving oxygen from the breakdown of complex substances.
Anaerobic Bacteria (Anaerobes) - Microorganisms that grow only in the absence
of free and dissolved oxygen.
Anaerobic Respiration - Metabolic process whereby electrons are transferred from
organic or, in some cases, inorganic compounds to an inorganic acceptor molecule
other than oxygen. The most common acceptors are nitrate, sulfate, and carbonate.
Anamorph - Asexual stage of fungal reproduction in which cells are formed by the
process of mitosis.
Angular Misalignment - A type of shaft misalignment that results from a pump
shaft and a motor shaft coming together without having parallel axial alignment.
Anhydrous - Very dry. No water or dampness is present.
Anhydrous Ammonia (NH
3
) - Water-soluble colorless gas composed of molecules
containing one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms. Typically, ammonia is
detectable because of its characteristic pungent and irritating odor. Not to be
confused with aqueous ammonia, which is a 15 to 30% solution of ammonia in
water.
Anion - A negatively charged ion resulting from dissociation of salts, acids, or
alkalis in aqueous solution.
Anion Exchange Capacity - Sum total of exchangeable anions that a soil can
adsorb. Expressed as centimoles of negative charge per kilogram of soil.
Anionic - The condition of a polymer, colloid, or large particle having exchangeable
cations on its surface and an opposite, negative charge on the substrate.
Anionic Flocculant - A poly electrolyte with a net negative electrical charge.
Anode - In electrolysis or electrochemical corrosion, a site where metal goes into
solution as a cation leaving behind an equivalent number of electrons to be
transferred to an opposite electrode, called a cathode.
Anodizing - The treatment of a metal surface whereby the metal is made anodic.
Anoxic - Condition in which oxygen is available in the combined form only; there is
no free oxygen. Anoxic sections in an activated sludge plant may be used for
denitrification.
Anoxygenic Photosynthesis - Type of photosynthesis in green and purple bacteria in
which oxygen is not produced.
Antagonism - Detrimental interaction between two entities.
Antagonist - Biological agent that reduces the number or disease-producing
activities of a pathogen.
Antheridium - Male gametangium found in the phylum Oomycota (Kingdom
Stramenopila) and phylum Ascomycota (Kingdom Fungi).
Anthropogenic - Derived from human activities.
Antibiosis - Inhibition or lysis of an organism mediated by metabolic products of the
antagonist; these products include lytic agents, enzymes, volatile compounds, and
other toxic substances.
Antibiotic - Organic substance produced by one species of organism that in low
concentrations will kill or inhibit growth of certain other organisms.
Antibody - Protein that is produced by animals in response to the presence of an
antigen and that can combine specifically with that antigen.
Antichlors - Reagents, such as sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, and sodium
thiosulfate, that can be used to remove excess chlorine residuals from water by
conversion to an inert salt.
Antifoam Agent - A material having low compatibility with foam and a low surface
tension.
Antigen - Substance that can incite the production of a specific antibody and that can
combine with that antibody.
Antiseptic - Agent that kills or inhibits microbial growth but is not harmful to
human tissue.
Antisiphoning Spring - A spring added to discharge valves in systems where pumps
are located below the liquid level in the suction tank. The spring closes the discharge
valve when the pump is off to prevent fluid from moving through the system by
siphoning action.
Antistatic - Material that minimizes static charge generation, provides "controlled"
static charge dissipation, or both.
API Gravity - An index of specific gravity defined by the American Petroleum
Institute.
API Separator - A simple gravity separator meeting the design standards of the
American Petroleum Institute for separation of oil and solids from waste water.
Appurtenances - Machinery, appliances, or auxiliary structures attached to a main
structure enabling it to function, but not considered an integral part of it.
Aqueous Vapor - The gaseous form of water.
Aquifer - A porous, subsurface geological structure carrying or holding water, such
as a well.