ABSTRACT
Since the enactment of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976, incineration technologies for the destruction of solid, liquid, and gaseous hazardous wastes have become increasingly effective. Aerobic thermal processes detoxify a wide range of organic compounds, such as chlorinated pesticides, munitions wastes, nerve gas, polymer residues, and many other petrochemical wastes. Incineration can be employed for the destruction of contaminated soil and water; thus, the technology is not limited strictly to the treatment of organic residuals from a single production process. Furthermore, hazardous waste destruction under RCRA is not limited solely to dedicated incineration facilities; for example, thermal destruction of hazardous wastes is permitted in industrial boilers and furnaces, with the resultant recovery of heat.
