Burning solid waste, such as cans, batteries and plastic, generates which of…

Concept

Open burning or poorly controlled combustion of mixed solid waste can release particulate fragments as well as persistent halogenated pollutants. In this exam context, “generate” is used broadly for pollutants formed or released from the mixed waste stream, not only for compounds newly synthesized by combustion.

Application

Apply that distinction to the five listed substances:

• Microplastics can arise as small plastic fragments or residues when plastic waste is incompletely burned or mechanically fragmented around open-burning sites.

• CFCs can be released from discarded refrigerant- or aerosol-containing items present in mixed waste; they are released from the waste stream rather than created de novo by combustion.

• Dioxins can form during incomplete, low-temperature combustion of chlorine-containing materials.

• PCBs can be released from legacy electrical or industrial materials in mixed waste and are persistent chlorinated pollutants.

• Halons are brominated fire-suppression agents and are not treated as a characteristic pollutant generated by burning this mixed solid waste.

Cross-check

The NTA final answer key for UGC NET June 2024, English, 21 August 2024, Shift 2 identifies “A, B, C and D only” as the answer for Question ID 3421231721. This independently confirms the classification used here.

Result: A, B, C and D only.