ABSTRACT
Waste management refers to an organized system for waste handling in which chemicals pass through appropriate pathways leading to elimination or disposal in ways that protect the environment. The choice of an appropriate technology to treat a chemical waste is dictated by the nature of the waste, i.e., whether the waste is nonhazardous or hazardous. The migration of chemical waste is very much a part of waste management as well as treatment. The ultimate concern with the release of chemicals is related to the toxic nature of the chemical. Chemical treatment processes alter the chemical structure of the constituents of the waste to produce either an innocuous or a less hazardous by-product. Biodegradation of waste is the conversion of waste materials by biological processes to simple inorganic molecules and, to a certain extent, to biological materials. Biodegradation of chemical waste that can be metabolized takes place whenever the wastes are subjected to conditions conducive to biological processes.
