Developing A Model To Handle Hazardous Wastes From The Petroleum Industry In Trinidad and Tobago
Authors: Jaggernauth Deonarine D.J. , Sookdeo Nigel 
Published: December 2007

The need for paying close attention to the environment has been of paramount important since the introduction of specific environmental legislation (for example the Environmental Management Act 3/2000) in Trinidad and Tobago. Out of the Environmental Management Act, several pieces of legislation have been drafted to better regulate the industry and include:Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Species RulesNoise Pollution RulesCertificate of environmental Clearance RulesAir Pollution Rules (Draft)Water Pollution Rules (Draft)

The only shortcoming is that there are presently no solid and hazardous waste management rules in Trinidad, and the Environmental Management Authority is currently in the process of planning for the development of the rules for the entire country and by extension, the petroleum industry as a whole. The approach to date has been the focus on a simple piece of legislation to govern all industrial sectors. While this may be an approach to the management of common types of wastes encountered in all industrial sectors, it may not be practical for the petroleum industry. Developing a model and testing it against practical data for the petroleum industry can only be the practical way the legislation would be meaningful to the industry.

Introduction

In Trinidad, the need for a more care and attention to the environment is urgently needed. Although the Environmental Management Act 3/2000 has become law with the need for a Certificate of Environmental Clearance before any new plant can be built, there is still no urgency to move the requirements forward. Attempts are being made to move the legislation forward.

The paper undertaken examines the development of a model and evaluating it against the generation of hazardous waste in an area serviced by several facilities and industries.

St Patrick County, located at the south-west peninsula (see Figure 1) of Trinidad was chosen to carry out a feasibility study in developing a landfill to handle hazardous waste. In this county there are several industries that co-exist and the amount of waste generated need to be disposed of properly. The information derived from the area would be used to test the model being proposed.

Hazardous wastes are substances intended for disposal, recycling, or recovery that can harm people, plants, animals, or the environment.

Properties of Hazardous Waste

Waste is hazardous and a recyclable is a hazardous recyclable waste if, when tested:it has a flash point of less than 61°C,it ignites and propagates combustion in a test sample,it contributes oxygen for combustion at a rate that is equal to or greater than that provided by ammonium persulphate, potassium perchlorate or potassium bromate,it is toxic because ithas an oral toxicity LD50 not greater than 5000 mg/kg,has a dermal toxicity LD50 not greater than 1000 mg/kg, orhas an inhalation toxicity LC50 not greater than 10,000 mg/m3 at normal atmospheric pressure,it has a pH value less than 2.0 or greater than 12.5,it contains polychlorinated biphenyls at a concentration equal to or greater than 50 mg/kg, orit is a toxic leachate because it is in a dispersible form andit contains any of the following substances in a concentration greater than 0.001 mg/L: hexachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins, pentachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins, tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins, hexachloro-dibenzofurans, pentachloro-dibenzofurans, tetrachloro-dibenzofura