Solid waste is one of the newest fields to achieve recognition as a
sub-discipline in environmental engineering. As such, one is
hard-pressed to find thorough coverage of related topics in academic
curricula. Many graduate programs in environmental engineering have one
introductory course in waste control. A handful of texts, some
excellent, exist to serve this need. Recent purported crises in solid
waste management have forced the understanding that something beyond the
traditional control methods may be appropriate. Resource recovery is the
correct nomenclature for the longest- standing alternative approach
seeking to extract materials from the waste stream for eventual re-use
in one or another beneficial fashion. Several books have evolved,
covering various approaches. Design approaches therein have borrowed
heavily from other disciplines, ceasing where solid waste differs from
the feeds to be processed. These books were oriented towards
knowledgeable practitioners. This work attempts to present waste
processing as a study in unit operations appropriate to university study
at the graduate level. The study of unit operations is typical in
environmental engineering. These unit operations are different. A
variety of student backgrounds are suitable. However, a familiarity with
the basics of waste control, such as would be gained from one of the
introductory courses mentioned above, is assumed, as is a sound
quantitative background. It is hoped that this work fills an empty
niche. Contents 1 Waste as a Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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