To optimize the balance between resource use and a healthy society:
Assess the safety of disposing of liquid waste in deep wells. This method of disposal is commonly used today to dispose of treated wastewater, chemicals, and oil field brines, but it can potentially induce earthquakes or contaminate groundwater. Geoscience investigations can help make disposal safer.
Safe waste management is essential in a world with increasing amounts of waste – from plastic trash to industrial waste water. Without proper management, solid and water wastes can have a number of impacts on public health and ecosystems.
How does geoscience help?
Geoscientists help design systems to dispose of waste safely – whether in the air, on the surface, or beneath the ground. They also help to locate safe sites for waste management and study the impacts of waste underground and at the surface.
Extracting and processing raw resources (wood, oil, ore) to make usable materials (paper, plastic, metal) requires a lot of energy. Recycling often saves energy because the products being recycled usually require much less processing to turn them into usable materials.
Exactly how much energy is saved depends on the material in question. Let’s take two examples: glass and aluminum.
Underground injection wells, where water and/or other substances are injected into the Earth, are used for a wide variety of purposes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates around 850,000 underground injection wells through its Underground Injection Control program under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA defines six classes of wells based on their use[1]: