When using activated carbon adsorption as a treatment technology, what does the facility do with the carbon once it is saturated? Must it be disposed of as a hazardous waste?
Spent activated carbon should be disposed of or regenerated. Manufacturers of activated carbon may take the carbon back for regeneration; however, the cost of regeneration typically depends on the amount of carbon to be regenerated, the distance to the regeneration facility, and other factors. Some facilities may wish to dispose of their spent activated carbon instead of having it regenerated. In this case, the activated carbon would need to be disposed of as hazardous waste if it meets the definition of hazardous waste in 40 CFR 261.4. Many pesticide active ingredients are not RCRA-listed hazardous wastes, and most PFPR wastewaters do not exhibit hazardous waste characteristics. Residue from treatment of PFPR wastewaters, such as spent activated carbon, would not be considered a hazardous waste if it did not contain a listed hazardous waste and/or did not exhibit a characteristic of a hazardous waste.
