ETL 1110-1-158
28 Feb 95
(2) Stabilization. Stabilization refers to those techniques
which reduce the hazard potential of a waste by converting the
contaminants into their least soluble, mobile or toxic form. The
physical nature and handling characteristics of the waste are not
necessarily changed by stabilization.
b. Application of Technology. Solidification/stabilization
is a proven technology for the treatment of liquids, soils, and
sludges contaminated with heavy metals. S/S of organic waste is
difficult and care needs to be taken to carefully evaluate the
effectiveness of such processes. Organics rarely react with
treatment reagents, often volatilize during the S/S process, and
often interfere with the reagent setting process. When
significant levels of organic contamination are present, they
should be removed by thermal treatment or biological processes
prior to performing S/S. Selection of S/S as a remediation
technology is also supported by recent developments in the
environmental regulations. The following paragraphs address the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act as they
pertain to the S/S of hazardous waste.
(1) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA was
signed into law in 1976. The goal of RCRA is to promote
protection of health and the environment from the careless
disposal of waste products. In 1984, the Hazardous and Solid
Waste Amendments (HSWA) to RCRA were signed into law. These
amendments significantly expanded both the scope and requirements
of RCRA. A key portion of the HSWA regulations is the
establishment of treatment standards for every waste or group of
similar wastes. Treatment standards are based on the performance
of the best demonstrated available technology (BDAT) to treat the
waste. Treatment standards can be established either as a
specific treatment technology or as a concentration level based
on a BDAT technology. The BDAT performance standard is based on
S/S for several types of waste. It is important to understand
the application of RCRA waste codes as they apply to wastes
treated by S/S. There are two groups to consider, "Listed
Wastes" and "Characteristic Wastes". Listed Wastes are wastes
with codes beginning with F,K,P, or U. Once treated, these
wastes retain their original waste code and must be managed as
hazardous wastes unless formally delisted. Characteristic wastes
are those hazardous wastes which are not specifically listed by
the EPA and are not assigned a hazardous waste number, but which
are found to be hazardous by one of the following
characteristics: corrosivity, reactivity, ignitability, or
toxicity. Characteristic wastes, once treated, are no longer
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