The WasteRush Glossary 1 – A-D
Words / Initials / Acronyms that you might want to know as we ALL learn to Value and Use our Waste to Clean our Climate.
*Have you ever wondered what is meant by “Anaerobic Digestion”?
…It is the “no oxygen” process by which Organic matter, like food waste, is turned into powerful and dangerous, but useful gas.
*What is a “MRF” ? (pronounced like ‘murf’)
…the acronym for “Materials Recovery Facility” or Recycling Center
WasteRush Glossary 1
If you do not find a word that you are looking for,
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The links for each term offer you more information about it.
ALL the WasteRush Glossary posts are now together in one post.
The WasteRush Glossary #1 – A-D :
Aerobic Digestion – the process of breaking down organic waste in the presence of oxygen by microorganisms, bacteria and fungi that produce carbon dioxide, water vapor, and a solid material (compost). This compost can be used as a soil amendment. Some of the carbon produced in this process ends up as soil humus. If you think of the carbon cycle, from air to plants and back to air, the process reduces the CO2 level in air and increases the carbon level in soil. This material is used to enrich soil. Making compost is one of the processes that uses aerobic digestion.
Agricultural Waste/By-products – The agricultural production process leads to the creation of food and different agricultural waste or crop residues known as agro-byproducts which are not used as human food. Most of the Waste produced from agricultural activity is solid organic waste. Organic waste (the by-products) include animal manure and different parts of plants that are not food.
Anaerobic Digestion – a process by which microorganisms break down organic waste, in the absence of oxygen, such as food scraps, manure and sewage sludge. The process releases Carbon Dioxide-CO2 and Methane gas (CH4) a dangerous Greenhouse Gas, that can be collected and used as fuel, and also an inert solid or liquid that can be used as a soil amendment or fertilizer.
Biochar – Biochar can improve the fertility of almost any soil and can reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions.
Biochar’s key function appears to be to help increase the building-process of soil mass together with plant roots and microorganism populations as they expand. Plants send carbon, as they absorb CO2, to their roots and the biochar holds on to it. Therefore, for the most carbon to be stored in the soil, combining biochar applications with suitable agricultural practices is important.
Biochar is a fine-grained, very porous type of charcoal that is made from biomass such as agriculture byproducts, forestry residues, and organic solid waste. Biochar is made using a low oxygen process such as pyrolysis.
Not only is Biochar a valuable material for agriculture, it is also used in the “built environment”, and can be a valuable feed additive for animal health to reduce their natural production of methane emissions.
Biodegradable – A material which will “break-down” in a reasonable length of time by microorganisms into natural elements.
Biogas – Biogas is a type of fuel made from organic waste. Biogas is a renewable energy source produced by the breakdown of organic matter such as food scraps and animal waste. Biogas is a sustainable energy source derived from organic matter. Biogas is often a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide gases, the same as the natural gas (NG that is pull out of the ground).
Biomass – Biomass is any renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals that can produce renewable energy.
- Agricultural crops and waste—the byproducts of crops, like the stalks of corn.
- Dirty Municipal solid waste—unrecyclable dirty: paper, cotton, Food Waste, etc.
- Animal manure and human sewage are biomasses that can also produce biogas.
Biomimicry – Biomimicry is the practice of learning from Nature by mimicking the strategies used by living organisms to solve challenges. After years of development, Nature presents us with many strategies far better at working harmoniously with the rest of planet Earth than strategies that are man-made. The goal then is to create products, processes, and systems that solve our greatest challenges in harmony with all life on planet Earth.
Biogenic – something produced by living organisms that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2)
Born-circular – the design of products for disassembly and reuse from the start. A Born-Circular product designer or company has a direct economic interest in the use of all their products’ recoverable value. Their design focuses on making value recovery easy and effective. Their business model ensures that users are encouraged to return the products for example contractually, through deposits or in the product-as-a-service model. “Born-circular” ensures resources are recovered so they maintain the highest possible quality.
Built Environment – another word for Buildings, Construction, Architecture
Carbon Dioxide – a Greenhouse Gas – CO2 occurs naturally in Earth’s atmosphere as a trace gas. As the source of carbon in the carbon cycle, atmospheric CO2 is the primary carbon source for life on Earth. The current concentration has risen from pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm to 2024 levels of at least 426 ppm. Natural sources include volcanoes, hot springs and geysers. Because carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it occurs in nature in groundwater, rivers, lakes, ice caps, glaciers, and seawater. Because it dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, carbon dioxide also causes ocean acidification. It is present in fossil fuels; oil and natural gas deposits. Since the Industrial Revolution(~1750), emissions from burning fossil fuels and deforestation, among other causes, have increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere and are the main cause of climate change.
Carbon footprint – The total amount of Greenhouse Gases emitted into the atmosphere by a person, an organization, project or product, a company or service, or an event that is caused by human actions are the main cause of climate change. They include such actions as transportation, household activities, producing clothing and food; any of these things and much more.
Carbon monoxide (CO) – an indirect Greenhouse Gas
Carbon monoxide is not considered a direct greenhouse gas, mostly because it does not absorb terrestrial thermal IR energy strongly enough. However, CO is able to modulate the production of methane and tropospheric ozone. The Northern Hemisphere contains about twice as much CO as the Southern Hemisphere because as much as half of the global burden of CO comes from human activity, which is predominantly located in the northern hemisphere. Due to the spatial variability of CO, it is difficult to ascertain global concentrations, however, it appears as though they were generally increasing until the late 1980s, and have since begun to decline somewhat. One possible explanation is the reduction in vehicle emissions of CO since greater use of catalytic converters is being used.
Carbon Neutral – something that does not add more greenhouse emissions to the air, not in its production / development and not in its use. It is neutral.
Carbon Negative – when a material or thing can absorb more Greenhouse Gas emissions than it may emit. Something that pulls greenhouse emissions from the air – pulls down / absorbs / subtracts greenhouse emissions. The entity’s carbon footprint to less than neutral.
While governments of major nations focus on becoming carbon neutral, in 2021, one country stood alone as the first “carbon negative” country: The Kingdom of Bhutan.
In Nov 23, 2021 – Bhutan was reported as producing 2.2 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide a year. Yet for the same period Bhutan absorbed 6 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide. That means that Bhutan was a ~4 million ton Carbon Sink. At the time, Bhutan was 72 % covered by forest. In their constitution their country must be covered by at least 60% of forest at all times.
CCS – Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage – is the process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere is captured or, from an industrial installation, is separated before it is released into the atmosphere, then transported to a long-term storage location. The carbon dioxide in the air is Waste It could be Captured and used.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – a Greenhouse Gas – also known by the DuPont brand name Freon, CFCs were used as refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), and solvents. The manufacture of CFC has been phased out under the Montreal Protocol, because they deplete ozone in the upper atmosphere. Other products such as Hydroflourocorbons (HFCs) are replacing them. CFC problems are not limited to its role as an ozone depletor. This human made compound is also a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO2. CFCs are inert. They concentrate in the ocean interior and are used to gauge oceanic time evolution, circulation and mixing.
Circular Economy –
The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. The circular economy tackles climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.
Circular Industry – Manufacturing businesses have great growth opportunities by re-using secondary materials and saving resources from being thrown away after use. Companies joining the Circular Industry can save money and get a slice of this new emerging market, globally worth USD 553 billion in 2023.
Close-the-Loop – ……simply means modeling your business so that every item (Product, packaging or otherwise) going out to the market has another life, at the end of the item’s first life, to be repaired, reused, or recycled as long as possible. “Closing the Loop” minimizes waste throughout the value chain. There are already online platforms that streamline the purchase and/or sale of second use materials also known as Post Consumer or Post Industrial recycled material. A great example of a closed-loop system is the recycling model. Close-the-Loop removes the need to extract new virgin finite materials still in planet Earth.
CO2e – Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) – is of major significance in providing a common measure to evaluate the impact of different greenhouse gases. Since various gases have different abilities to trap heat in our atmosphere, CO2e helps simplify reporting and comparisons to guide insight and policy.
Commercial or Industrial Scale Composting – Commercial or industrial composting uses the same biological processes as home composting food scraps and yard waste, but much larger in volume. This includes materials labeled as “commercially compostable” which require specific conditions found in industrial composting facilities to break down properly.
Commercial composting facilities maintain higher and more controlled temperatures, usually between 55-70°C (131-160°F). They also better manage moisture and provide good aeration, which helps speed up the breakdown of organic matter. The higher temperatures also help kill pathogens and break down tougher materials. In a commercial facility, these materials usually break down in a few weeks to a few months, depending on the type of material and the composting method used.
Commercial Waste – Waste generated by businesses, such as offices, shops, and production facilities including construction&demolition.
Compost – organic waste materials are broken-down by microorganisms in an aerobic atmosphere. The results is biomass, water and carbon dioxide. Because this is a natural part of organic decomposition any emissions are considered to be climate-neutral. Finished compost is a soil amendment, that contributes to the nutrition of plants, the same as fertilizer.
C&DD – Construction & demolition debris (C&DD) are those materials resulting from the alteration, construction, destruction, rehabilitation, or repair of any manmade physical structure including houses, buildings, industrial or commercial facilities, and roadways.
CORE (a used machine part) – a previously used, worn or non-functional product or part, intended for the remanufacturing process. During reverse logistics, a Core is protected, handled and identified for remanufacturing to avoid more damage and to preserve its value. A Core is not intended to be thrown away or used as scrap. A Core is intended to be remanufactured back to top quality performance and then sold again at a reduced price.
Your electronics are a treasure of Critical Minerals, Rare Elements and Metals
Critical Minerals & Rare Elements – Critical Minerals, Rare Elements and Metals are those basic materials&elements found in the Periodic Table that are used in present day and future Digital and Energy products. Rather than dig more of them out of the ground, they are captured in e-waste recycling by breaking down end-of-life equipment, collected in quantity, and then reused.
DAC – Direct Air Capture (DAC) is the use of chemical or physical processes to extract carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air.
Decarbonisation (Decarbonize) – policies that will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 & CO2e – equivalents) by substituting lower, neutral or negative carbon sources of energy.
Decomposition – the breakdown of end-of-life material by insects, fungi, bacteria, and decomposers changing the chemical makeup and physical make-up of organic materials. In the Circular Industry, decomposition is the break down of end-of-life products in order to use the components of the product for new uses in the same or other products.
WasteRush Glossary 1
All Four pages of the WasteRush Glossary:
A-D WasteRush Glossary 1
E-L WasteRush Glossary 2
M-R WasteRush Glossary 3
WasteRush Glossary 4 – S-Z
Posts about Waste; Our Assuranace of future Resources
Waste; Our Assurance of future Resources
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WasteRush is Now! Tools to Sell & Buy Waste Commodities!
Wasterush Tools! Right To The Point! like commodities
Waste Online Tools! There Are More Of Them!
Harvesting Waste Ideas. Waste Rushes? NOW!
Industrial Zone – Closed-Loop Networking
Cigarette Butts: Pick Them Up Off The Street!
e-waste recycling
Urban Mining ! – More Important Than Ever
Critical Minerals & Rare Elements! ….. COLOSSAL WASTE RUSH
Municiple Solid Waste (MSW)
“Renewable Energy Stations”- replace Landfills in the Future
Useful Green WASTE Business Ideas That Can Scale To Any Size You Can Use.
Anaerobic Digestion In Full Swing – #1 Waste To Energy?
CNG, LNG, RNG Fuelling Stations – #2 Waste To Energy
#3 Municipal Solid Waste – MSW To BioFuel? Yes!
How To Get More Electricity For Your Community – Worldwide
Landfill Gas Projects Worldwide – – – Clean Up The Air, Now!
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Why We Need To Capture Landfill Gas – – -Right Now!
Wipes – Human Behavior & False Advertising
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