Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48 (2006) 197207

A waste management school approach

towards sustainability
M.G.F. Sales , C. Delerue-Matos, I.B. Martins, I. Serra,
M.R. Silva, S. Morais
TRELAB/Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, R. Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida,
431, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Received 12 August 2005; received in revised form 6 January 2006; accepted 1 February 2006
Available online 23 March 2006

Abstract
Education towards sustainability in Chemical Engineering (CEng) gave birth to a waste management
program (WMP) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, in Portugal. It involves students,
teachers, and laboratory technicians. It aims to enhance the conscientiousness of the decision-maker
next generation for saving resources, managing wastes, and at same time to develop applied chemistry
understanding.
This program was implemented in 1999 and is responsible for management and fate of all inorganic
wastewater providing from training experimental activities of the CEng degree. An immediate reduction of wastes at their source was first defined. Wastes were collected separately and were reused,
recycled or chemically treated, and after analytically controlled as legally imposed. Solids formed
after this program were recycled, purified or followed suitable elimination.
Global results point out environmental, pedagogical, and social benefits. Active participants are
aware, in agreement, and publicly committed to the WMP.
2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sustainability; Waste management; Education; Chemistry; Laboratory; Inorganic waste

Corresponding author. Tel.: +351 228 340 500; fax: +351 228 321 159.
E-mail address: mgf@isep.ipp.pt (M.G.F. Sales).

0921-3449/$ see front matter 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.02.004

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1. Introduction
One of the most widely accepted definitions of sustainable development has been articulated by the World Commission on Environment and Development as that which . . . meets
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs (United Nations, 1987). Sustainable development requires the integration
of economic, environmental, and social considerations into all decision-making.
A detailed action plan for moving the world towards sustainable development has
emerged from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
otherwise known as the Rio Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. This
action plan is known as Agenda 21 and has been adopted by more than 178 governments.
Among other relevant issues, Agenda 21 points out the need for environmentally sound
management of hazardous wastes (United Nations, 1992). Effective control of the generation, storage, treatment, recycling and reuse, transport, recovery and disposal of hazardous
wastes is of paramount importance for proper health, environmental protection and natural resource management, and sustainable development. The present European approach
towards waste management is to prioritise waste prevention, followed by recycling, waste
recovery and incineration, and finally, only as a last resort, land filling (6EAP, 2001). Prevention of the generation of hazardous wastes is thus a key element, and requires knowledge,
experienced people, facilities, financial resources and technical and scientific capacities
(Philips et al., 2002).
Indeed, one of the main priorities in ensuring environmentally sound management of
hazardous wastes is to provide awareness, education and training programmes covering
all levels of society (United Nations, 1992). These issues are also addressed later, at the
Johannesburg summit (United Nations, 2002). Education, including formal education, public awareness and training should be recognized as a process by which human beings and
societies can reach their fullest potential. Education is critical for promoting sustainable
development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues. Therefore, educating institutions must play a key role in setting quality
standards in education for sustainable development. Higher education institutions have an
increased responsibility for tutoring future decision-makers of our society.
Educational approaches towards environmentally sound management of hazardous
wastes are, however, of small consistency in most countries. Our example concerns wastes
generated by students in chemistry laboratorial activities. If mismanaged, these hazardous
wastes may have the same potential for harm as does waste from larger sources. Depending
of the school policy, the fate of these wastes is often to be disposed of in municipal landfills, in sanitary sewers or in other ways not intended for hazardous waste disposal such
as municipal drains. In another frequent strategy students may deposit their wastes into
different containers that are to be transferred to an industry, eventually dedicated to treat
them by an unknown process. However, legal responsibility of generated wastes is usually
imputed to its producer until its safe elimination (DL 239, 1997). Globally, these practices
of disposal are inconsistent with an appropriate education of citizens developing chemical
engineering skills and environmental awareness.
A different and advantageous approach would be to collect and manage hazardous wastes
generated by the experimental activities of students inside the school facilities. The active

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199

participation of students would also address environmental education targets (Mason et al.,
2003; Vega et al., 2003). Also, this approach could turn out excellent teaching material for
chemistry education, because it involves typical chemical reactions such as precipitation,
neutralisation, oxidationreduction, etc. (Dhawale, 1993).
Practical implementation of this approach in the year of 1999 gave birth to TRELAB
(Tratamento de REsduos LABoratoriais, Laboratorial Waste Treatment), a new research
group responsible for a waste management program (WMP) that assists the majority of the
laboratorial activities of the Chemical Engineering (CEng) degree of Instituto Superior de
Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) (Serra et al., 2003). Students are encouraged to take an active
role and take practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of the school.

2. Scope of the waste management program

TRELAB was meant to manage specifically wastewaters of inorganic kind. Organic
solvents were excluded because they represented a small part of wastes providing from
chemistry training laboratories. Only 9% of collected wastewaters correspond to organic solvents. Also, some solvents may be recycled by distillation procedures (LaGrega et al., 1994).
All experimental classes taking place at chemistry laboratories of the CEng Department
were integrated in the WMP. These include the qualitative analytical chemistry, quantitative
analytical chemistry, electrochemistry and corrosion, instrumental methods of analysis,
and organic chemistry laboratories (Table 1). Subjects taught in these laboratories are of
the CEng and the Industrial Instrumentation and Quality Control Engineering (IIQCEng)
degrees. All these are listed in Table 1.

3. Background approach
TRELAB will only fulfil its purposes when as many members of ISEP as possible
identify with the aims of environmental protection and sustainable development, and actively
contribute to the implementation of such aims. Therefore, a background approach before
practical implementation of the WMP was fundamental.
3.1. Characterisation of wastes
Managing wastes required their qualitative and/or quantitative characterisation. All
experimental procedures performed by students were studied for this purpose, providing for
each hazardous waste a generation rate as well as physical and chemical profiles. The most
relevant information of each experiment was filed into a dossier that was created specifically
for TRELAB internal use.
3.2. Awareness campaigns
Critical components in any WMP are public awareness and participation (Hasan, 2004).
Considering that disposal of wastes was performed by students, their awareness for the

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Subject

Abbreviation

Course

Year/semester

No. exp. works

General Chemistry I
General chemistry II
Instrumental methods of analysis
Instrumental methods of analysis I
Instrumental methods of analysis II
Chemical analysis
Quantitative analysis
Electrochemistry and corrosion
Quality control laboratories
Residues effluents characterisation
Organic chemistry LABORATORIES
Qualitative analysis

GC I
GC II
IMA
IMA I
IMA II
CA
QnA
EC
QCL
REC
OCL
QlA

CEng
CEng
IIQEng
CEng
CEng
IIQEng
CEng
CEng
CEng
CEng
CEng
CEng

1/1
1/2
3/1
2/1
2/2
3/2
1/2
2/2
1/2
4/2
2/2
1/1

8
8
3
14
9
4
16
5
6
1
4
9

17
30
3
15
10
4
36
35
23
13
7
9

317
766
443
497
84
120
1583
271
41
163
133
41

87

202

4459

Total

No. collected wastes

Volume collected (L)

M.G.F. Sales et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48 (2006) 197207

Table 1
Subjects lectured at the Chemical Engineering department including experimental classes

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201

WMP was fundamental. Professors and technicians were also active participants in this
project for which they should also be aware and in agreement with the WMP.
Brief dissertations and seminars were organised for this purpose, and several publicity
campaigns were established inside ISEP to advertise the beginning of TRELAB and its
WMP. After the first year, 195 students, attending from 1st to 3rd year, out of 517 in the
CEng degree filled a questionnaire. Around 55% of these stated to have no idea about
the average volume of wastes they produced in a specific subject attended by all. This
questionnaire was thus able to stimulate their curiosity about their surrounding reality and
enhanced their commitment towards the WMP.
Presently, there is no need to establish awareness campaigns for students entering the
degree because older ones and teachers pass over the necessary information. Still, our
teachers invite students to follow and/or find the circuit of a certain waste inside the WMP.
Several students also joined TRELAB to develop research work capable of improving the
WMP.
3.3. Selective disposal/collection of wastes
A selective disposal/collection capable of an extensive separation of wastes generated
in each experiment was established. The more extensive separation the easier a practical
solution for each waste would be. From 87 experiments around 200 wastes were segregated
(Table 1).
Necessary storage containers were left in the laboratory where each experiment was
taking place. To differentiate waste storage containers from others placed in the same laboratory a new label was created. Relevant information concerning each waste was also filed
properly.
WMP staff was responsible for placing empty containers with capacities ranging 15 L
and replacing them when filled. Students could also perform this task because blank labels
and empty containers were left in each laboratory.

4. Results and discussion

The WMP presented as preferred approach waste minimisation. Source reduction, and
reuse or recycling by simple mass transfer operations are part of this approach. Waste
treatment was our last preferred option.
4.1. Waste minimisation
One of the first priorities in hazardous waste management is minimisation, as part of a
broader approach to changing industrial processes and consumer patterns through pollution
prevention and cleaner production strategies. Waste minimisation may be understood as
the reduction, to the extent feasible, of hazardous waste that is generated or subsequently
treated, stored or disposed of (LaGrega et al., 1994). It includes any source reduction or
recycling activity undertaken by a generator that results in either (1) the reduction in total
volume of quantity of hazardous waste (US EPA, 1986) or (2) the reduction of toxicity of

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hazardous waste, or both, so long as the reduction is consistent with the goal of minimising
present and future threats to human health and the environment.
4.1.1. Source reduction
A reduction of wastes production has been implemented as first procedure. Volumes
and concentrations of solutions were reduced in several school experiments. A significant
decrease, up to microscale, was many times unreachable. As an example, analytical experiments based in classical techniques require visual identification of the end point, for which a
significant volume for reactions to occur is always necessary. Another difficulty concerned
the already existing glass material, with high volume capacities. Significant reduction of
generated wastes would thus require a high capital investment. Yet, an average volume
of 1000 L of hazardous wastes collected per year has been reduced to about 800 L, thus
enabling a 20% reduction in generated wastes.
4.1.2. Waste avoidance
Certain experiments were replaced by others that present similar pedagogical content
and produce wastes of less toxicity. For example, in quantitative analysis students prepared a KMnO4 solution and its concentration was accurately established by subsequent
titration with As2 O3 . Due to the recognised toxicity of arsenic, and with the agreement
of the responsible professor, students are presently using sodium oxalate as standardising
reagent.
4.1.3. Reuse and recycling
If some wastes could be reused or recycled to some useful purpose, hazardous wastes
would be effectively eliminated. Thus, reuse or recycling wastes strategies were searched
for. This task was possible because of the extensive segregation at the collection of wastes.
As an example of reuse, food colorant solutions have been kept within time for repeating
the same experiment. These colorants are used to record absorption spectra in the UVvis
range. The main purpose of this work is to correlate absorption ranges and intensities with
inherent colours and chemical structures. The same colorant solutions have been used,
year after year. Until present, analytical results are as expected. Another similar example
regards leftovers from solutions that are prepared by students in training classes. After
segregation, these wastes are placed again in the laboratory for a similar application. For
instance, leftovers of a solution for titration may be used by other students to perform
the same titration procedure. Generally, the total volume of wastes in reuse is of small
significance.
Recycling wastes is a far more relevant approach. It is generally meant for processes of
collecting, processing, remanufacturing, and reusing materials instead of discarding them.
This strategy helps conserve raw materials and energy that manufacturers would otherwise
use in producing new products, lessens the pollution that may result from waste disposal,
and adds the conservation of our resources. As an example of this approach, a volume of
about 70 L providing from General Chemistry I has been transformed into about 10 kg of
CuSO4 and ZnSO4 solids. These solids have been recovered after evaporation of the solvent
and are used again for preparing the same solutions.

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203

4.2. Waste treatment

Hazardousness of wastes should be eliminated or reduced down to acceptable levels.
This may be achieved by efficient removal of toxic compounds from wastewaters. Chemical
and/or physical transformations may grant this purpose.
4.2.1. Chemical and/or physical transformations
Bearing in mind simple and quick procedures, and low cost reagents and instruments,
several simple unit operations were explored as possible treatment strategies. Evaporation,
filtration, centrifugation, decantation, distillation, and ionic exchange are examples of physical separations used. For chemical treatment of inorganic waste neutralisation, precipitation
and redox reactions were regarded. Also, for each collected and stored waste several treatments were investigated, and economical and environmental issues were regarded for the
selection of the most suitable.
Most often, several treatments consisted in the removal of toxic chemical species by
means of precipitation reactions. This resulted in two new sub-products, one is a new
wastewater that is expected to comply with Portuguese legal requirements, and the other one
is a solid. As an example, a diagram concerning required transformations for detoxification,
and combining the global strategy described, may be depicted in Fig. 1.
4.2.2. Waste exchange
Within several treatment alternatives, the one that consumes stored wastes is advantageous. This approach enables to detoxify two wastes simultaneously. Because of the high
diversity of wastes under storage this internal exchange occurred often.
Typical examples of these exchanges are solutions of acidic and basic species segregated
by the WMP. These may be used for ensuring suitable pH conditions for a specific purpose.
For example, barium is easily removed from solution after its precipitation as a sulphate
derivative. Thus, wastes of sulphuric acid solutions may be used to enhance the formation
of such solids. At least 350 L of collected wastewaters have been consumed throughout this
exchange principle.

Fig. 1. Steps for detoxification of a wastewater providing from a general chemistry experiment.

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M.G.F. Sales et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48 (2006) 197207

Table 2
Some limiting values for disposal of wastewaters into municipal waste collectors
Parameter

Units of result

Maximum limit of emission

Total chloride
Lead
Cyanide
Copper
Chromium

mg/L, Cl
mg/L, Pb
mg/L, CN
mg/L, Cu
mg/L, Cr(VI)
mg/L, Cr(III)
mg/L, Fe
mg/L, NO2

150
0.05
1.0
1.0
2.0
2.0
2.5
10

Iron
Nitrite

4.3. Disposal
All wastes disposed of must comply with Portuguese regulations, establishing limiting
legal values that guarantee their detoxification. In our school wastes were put in the drain,

reaching the municipal waste collectors. SMAS Servicos Municipalizados de Aguas

e
Saneamento is the Portuguese institution that regulates these collectors and establishes
limiting values for several hazardous chemicals (Table 2). These limits regard the normal
performance of municipal wastewater treatment plants.
Before disposal, several chemical parameters had to be quantified, depending of the waste
itself. As example, for a waste composed by Pb2+ and NO3 , only lead must be taken out
from solution with 0.05 mg/L as maximum acceptable level. According to SMAS, nitrate is
of no concern to the normal operation of treatment plants. Removal of lead was performed
after rendering an alkaline pH. Pb(OH)2 precipitated and was isolated from the wastewater
by filtration. The level of this heavy metal was controlled to ensure a safe discard of the
treated wastewater.
Involvement of students within the WMP was enhanced after introducing several wastes
awaiting disposal for analysis in Instrumental Methods of Analysis subjects. They have to
analyse the samples and give the results to the professor and comment these results with
regard to Portuguese legislation.
4.4. Solids
Removal of toxic chemicals from wastes produces frequently new solid compounds.
These solids must be purified, analysed, and stored in a proper container with a specific label
of the WMP. Rendering advantages both in economical and environmental perspectives, two
possibilities of utilisation of all stored solids are looked for: teaching experiments and/or
chemical treatments of other collected wastes.
After 6 years of existence, TRELABs activities produced a total amount of 43 kg of
solids (Table 3). About 30% of these are generated after recycling procedures and are
being consumed by the same experimental work. Around 26% are hydroxides of heavy
metals, formed after several waste chemical treatments. Their purity level is not as high
as required for their use in other experiments. Standard procedures for their purification
are therefore under research. This aims their application at the preparation of acidic metal
standard solutions for atomic absorption-based procedures.

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205

Table 3
Global data about collected wastes
Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Total

Collected wastewaters (L)

121
575
848
721
806
846
542a
4459

Solids

Weight (kg)
(kg)

(%)

Recycled
Under study
To avoid
To eliminate

13
5
12
13

30
12
28
30

Total

43

Not by the end of the year.

The majority of the solids are sulphate based. These were produced after an attempt to
eliminate sulphate from wastewaters before their discard. At this point, this procedure seems
unsuitable. Sulphate is of no concern to SMAS and the resulting solids have no application
found until today. Therefore, this approach has been eliminated and presently stored solids
will proceed to a specific treatment.
4.5. Economic, environmental and educational issues
Total costs of the normal activities of TRELAB must include the salary of two technicians.
Only filters, and calcium oxide, sodium hydroxide, and sodium bisulphite are bought for
the development of normal WMP activities. This is opposed by the introduction of recycled
solids in the laboratory, with an amount of about 2.5 kg of copper and zinc sulphate per
year. This procedure reduces the costs of the school with the acquisition of new reagents.
Consumption of electricity and water cannot, however, be quantified because all activities
of TRELAB occurred inside another research laboratory. Not being accurate, the cost of
TRELABs activities are estimated in 24,000 D per year.
Economic balance of the WMP requires comparison of TRELABs activities with those
provided by an external company capable of performing an environmentally sound disposal
of the same laboratorial hazardous wastes. Costs charged by the company for picking up
and treating an average of 800 L per year are of about 12,000 D . These wastes should,
however, be collected by ISEP as stated in normal contract; the salary of a technician to
place containers and collect them should be added. Strangely, the WMP represents the same
costs to the school as an external WMP would.

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M.G.F. Sales et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48 (2006) 197207

Environmental and educational advantages are also produced after the WMP. An uncontrolled disposal of 4500 L of hazardous wastes was avoided (Table 3), contributing both
to preserve the environment and to an improvement in the chemistry education of ISEP.
Resources preservation may be pointed out by means of a waste minimisation strategy and
the application of the resulting sub-products in other experiments. Besides, the theoretical
principals taught in a chemistry school of today are sustained by the practical experiments.
This program contributes to a transversal and integrated learning system, and thus to the
development of students skills promoting their self confidence solving actual problems of
our society, though in a small and then more manageable scale, stimulating them to public
participation in larger scale problems.
5. Conclusions
Along with the reduction of waste and increased pollution control, major problems of
toxic wastes in schools were solved using simple chemistry knowledge. The main advantages pointed out by the proposed WMP regard economical, environmental and educational
issues. WMP costs presently the school the same as an external WMP. However, it should
be improved within time, after detoxification procedures follow new researched strategies
and waste management approaches include all school activities, including other degrees
than Chemical Engineering. Environmental advantages outcome from eliminating from
our environment about 4500 L of hazardous wastewaters along 6 years of activity. Some
practical solutions for few wastes and generated solids are still under research.
If practical implementation of this program in another school is intended, a main difficulty may outcome from the constant changes that may be observed among typical school
activities. These institutions are in constant update, changing wastewater profiles each year
in terms of volumes per wastewater and/or qualitative composition. Thus, it would always
require previous background studies, and updating evaluations regarding any change in
laboratorial classes, and wastewaters collected.
This WMP incorporates key elements that schools may adopt as an approach to waste
management.
Acknowledgement
Authors thank Fundaca o para a Ciencia e Tecnologia for the financial support
(POCTI/MGS/38801/2001).

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