Treatment is the process of removing pollutants from waste in order to substantially reduce or eliminate its potential for causing harm to human health and the environment. Depending on the nature of the waste, a number of treatment options are available, including the biological treatment of hazardous waste using bacteria and fungi; chemical oxidation to break down hazardous waste constituents; incineration to destroy the organic constituents in waste materials; separation techniques such as ion exchange, adsorption, reverse osmosis and distillation; and wastewater treatment facilities. EPA is also active in developing new technologies and methods of treating wastes.
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