Liquid Disposal Research Articles

The public’s perceptions and behaviours towards household disposal of medicines and its effect on the environment: a cross-sectional survey study

Abstract Introduction Over a billion National Health Service (NHS) prescription medicines are issued by pharmacists in England every year at a cost of over £9 billion; however, a substantial proportion of these are never taken, with an estimated wastage of approximately £300 million. [1] Unwanted medicines should be returned to pharmacies for their disposal via a suitable waste contractor. This prevents inappropriate disposal which can lead to surface water contamination, harm to aquatic life and antimicrobial resistance, with pharmaceuticals also being present in drinking water worldwide. [2] Due to the magnitude of medicines which are never used by patients and their potential to impact negatively on the environment, there is a need to better understand the public’s perceptions and behaviours towards medicines disposal. Aim This study aimed to identify the public’s perceptions and behaviours related to the disposal of unwanted household medicines. Methods Data was collected through an anonymous self-completion on-line questionnaire containing closed questions distributed via X (formally Twitter). This was open for answers from the 19th December 2018 to 6th March 2019 to participants over the age of 18. Responses were coded and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 447 respondents completed the questionnaire, of which 65.5% (n=293) were female and 34.5% (n=154) were male. The age of participants ranged from 37.6% (n=164) being 18 - 34, 68.2% (n=207) being 35 - 54 years, and 17 % (n=76) being 55 years old and over. Unwanted medicines were returned to pharmacies by 30.5% (n=136) of respondents with a further 34% (n=152) disposing of these alongside household waste. Of the latter, 43.4% (n=66) threw solid preparations in the rubbish bin, with the disposal of liquids down the sink or toilet being carried out by 30.2% (n=46). Only 37.1% (n=168) of respondents reported receiving information on safe disposal of medicines, with almost half of these (49.4%, n=83) having this from a pharmacist. However, while 64.4% (n=292) were aware that they could return medicines to pharmacies, only 48.6% (n=142) of these reported to do so. Most participants (61.7%, n=275) stated that they would be interested in learning more about the impact of medicines on the environment, with 19.9% (n=89) being somewhat interested, and 16.3% (n=72) having no interest. Conclusion This study identified that the public’s behaviour when disposing of unwanted medicines contributes to pollution caused by pharmaceuticals. Returning medicines to pharmacies avoids this and could be better promoted by raising awareness and educating those who want to learn more about medicines and the environment. Pharmacists are a source of information about disposal of medicines and providers of a service to enable the public to do so, and can contribute to managing the way that pharmaceuticals are disposed of and their environmental impact. A small sample size and geographical area were limitations of this study, which could be overcome by further researching issues identified in this survey.

Heat and Mass Transfer Characteristics of Oily Sludge Thermal Desorption

Oily sludge is a loose material containing solid and multiple liquid components. Thermal desorption is an efficient method of disposing of liquids from oily sludge. Most existing studies have mainly discussed the effect of some external process parameters on thermal desorption, with little discussion on the heat transfer characteristics and the variation in the wet component mass of oily sludge under heating. Small-scale experiments have been performed to measure the rise in temperature and liquid phase content change of the sludge during heating. The temperature rise rate increases with material density and increases faster during the initial heating stage, while it slows down as the liquid phase evaporates. The adhesive shear stress is determined by measuring the pulling force of the test rod, which decreases with decreasing water content and increases significantly with decreasing oil phase content. Heat transfer and energy distribution models have been developed to calculate the rise in the temperature of materials and the evaporation of contained liquids. The heat and mass transfer processes are obtained from simulation calculations by taking the initial material with a mass content of 25% water and 10% oil under a heating temperature of 500 °C. When the heating time reaches 135 min, the drying region reaches the boundary of the test container, at which the material temperature exceeds 350 °C. During the evaporation of different liquid-phase components, there are multiple segments in the corresponding temperature curves. The processing time and heat source temperature can be reasonably determined by analyzing the temperature rise of the material, and the effect of the disposal of liquids from oily sludge can be predicted by analyzing the changes in liquid content. The results may guide the formulation of process parameters for engineering project schemes for oily sludge disposal.

Convert waste to MOF: Nitro-MIL-53(Al) synthesized from waste acid leachate for highly efficient capture of p-nitrophenol

As inspired by the sustainable concept of “turning waste into materials”, a feasible "killing three birds with one stone" strategy was proposed to design and synthesize Al-based MOF material from Al-rich acid leachate of natural kaolinite for capture of p-nitrophenol (PNP). The acid leachate neutralized with aluminum compound, as Al sources and reaction medium, was directly reacted with nitroterephthalic acid (NTPA) to form Al-MOF (named Nitro-MIL-53(Al)), so that the harmless disposal of acidic wastewater, the recovery of valuable metal, and the synthesis of new materials were achieved simultaneously. The porous Nitro-MIL-53(Al) adsorbent has superb adsorption capacity (173.01 mg/g) and removal efficiency (95.76 %, at 400 mg/L) towards PNP, and can be regenerated and reused more than 4 times. It still maintains higher adsorption capability of 117.76–153.21 mg/g for PNP in the waters containing different amounts of co-existing ions, respectively. The comprehensive analyses on structures and adsorption behaviors revealed that PNP was adsorbed onto Nitro-MIL-53(Al) by a chemisorption process, and π-π interaction, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic attraction synergically contribute to the adsorption of PNP. This research provides a sustainable way to achieve simultaneously harmless disposal of waste liquid and development of new adsorption materials.

Decoding Anaerobic Digestion: A Holistic Analysis of Biomass Waste Technology, Process Kinetics, and Operational Variables

The continual generation and discharge of waste are currently considered two of the main environmental problems worldwide. There are several waste management options that can be applied, though anaerobic digestion (AD) process technology seems to be one of the best, most reliable, and feasible technological options that have attracted remarkable attention due to its benefits, including the generation of renewable energy in the form of biogas and biomethane. There is a large amount of literature available on AD; however, with the continuous, progressive, and innovative technological development and implementation, as well as the inclusion of increasingly complex systems, it is necessary to update current knowledge on AD process technologies, process variables and their role on AD performance, and the kinetic models that are most commonly used to describe the process-reaction kinetics. This paper, therefore, reviewed the AD process technologies for treating or processing organic biomass waste with regard to its classification, the mechanisms involved in the process, process variables that affect the performance, and the process kinetics. Gazing into the future, research studies on reduced MS-AD operational cost, integrated or hybrid AD-biorefinery technology, integrated or hybrid AD-thermochemical process, novel thermochemical reactor development, nutrient recovery from integrated AD-thermochemical process, and solid and liquid residual disposal techniques are more likely to receive increased attention for AD process technology of biomass wastes.

The Circular Economy Transformation of Airports: An Alternative Model for Retail Waste Management

Airport terminals worldwide generate approximately 6 million tons of passenger waste annually. Increased awareness of climate change and global interventions for environmental sustainability requires a reassessment of airports’ current methods of waste management. This paper proposes a new design concept solution called circular airport retail waste management (CAWM) for airport terminal retail waste processing, which aims to reduce and ideally eliminate airport waste ending up in landfill or incineration. Given the need for novelty and challenging the status-quo, the double diamond design process was adopted as the research method. The research began by collating the current practices of retail waste processing in airports via a literature review and field observations. Secondly, a critical analysis of the current processes was conducted to identify the intervention points. Thirdly, a concept solution was developed based on the circular economy (CE) 9R framework. Finally, the CAWM concept was delivered to airport waste management personnel for review. CAWM offers a structured way of airport retail waste management practices, including the segregation of nonrecyclable and recyclable waste (i.e., different bin designs, color coding, harmonization of waste colors, improved instructions and signage, various bin locations, training, and installing more liquid disposal and donation stations). Airports can leverage CAWM for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness regarding airport terminal waste processing, such that more waste can be diverted from incineration and landfill to recovery, which will subsequently help airports achieve net-zero targets. This research contributes to the extant CE literature, especially in the aviation industry context, where the academic discourse surrounding this subject and its peculiarities are limited.

Development of the Hands-free AI Speaker System Supporting Hands-on Science Laboratory Class

The recent progress of natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition, and speech generation envisions using hands-free artificial intelligence (AI) speakers in classrooms to support student learning. In science education, the conventional hands-on laboratory education has been considered crucial in fostering students’ manipulative experimentation skills. However, touching things with gloved hands other than experimental equipment and apparatuses is strictly restricted because of the safety issue, which calls for another channel to get timely support. Therefore, we ideated that adopting hands-free AI speakers in the hands-on science laboratory classroom would support student learning. Using the rapid prototyping method, we designed and developed an AI speaker-based system that answers student queries concerning solution-making, experimental process, and waste liquid disposal, which corresponds to the initial, middle, and final phases of a laboratory class. The system was internally validated by usability tests of 9 expert panels and 18 university students, and then revised. The revised system was externally validated in an analytical chemistry experiment class for 3 sessions with 13 university students. We present the result of the prototype development, internal and external validations with quantitative and qualitative data. The AI speaker system enabled students to use the auditory learning mode in the laboratory while concentrating on the experimentation with their hands in the external validation.

Co-digestion of food waste and hydrothermal liquid digestate: Promotion effect of self-generated hydrochars

Hydrothermal treatment (HTT) can efficiently valorize the digestate after anaerobic digestion. However, the disposal of the HTT liquid is challenging. This paper proposes a method to recover energy through the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and HTT liquid fraction. The effect of HTT liquid recirculation on anaerobic co-digestion performance was investigated. This study focused on the self-generated hydrochars that remained in the HTT supernatant after centrifugation. The effect of the self-generated hydrochars on the methane (CH4) yield and microbial communities were discussed. After adding HTT liquids treated at 140 and 180 °C, the maximum CH4 production increased to 309.36 and 331.61 mL per g COD, respectively. The HTT liquid exhibited a pH buffering effect and kept a favorable pH for the anaerobic co-digestion. In addition, the self-generated hydrochars with higher carbon content and large oxygen-containing functional groups remained in HTT liquid. They increased the electron transferring rate of the anaerobic co-digestion. The increased relative abundance of Methanosarcina, Syntrophomonadaceae, and Synergistota was observed with adding HTT liquid. The results of the principal component analysis indicate that the electron transferring rate constant had positive correlationships with the relative abundance of Methanosarcina, Syntrophomonadaceae, and Synergistota. This study can provide a good reference for the disposal of the HTT liquid and a novel insight regarding the mechanism for the anaerobic co-digestion.

Correlation Between Environmental Health and Stunting of Children Under Five Years Old in Puskesmas Balowerti Kediri City

Introduction: Stunting prevalence in Indonesia is very high. Puskesmas Balowerti has the highest stunting prevalence in Kediri City, one of the focus locations. A healthy environment is one of the key interventions to reduce stunting. Method: This study uses a cross-sectional study with 110 samples, mothers and their children under five years old, who live in the area of the Puskesmas Baloweti, which fulfills inclusion and exclusion criteria. The independent variables are environmental health, and the dependent variable is stunting. The data collection method was conducted by using a questionnaire and height/length measurement, then analyzed using the Spearman Rank Correlation test. Result: There are 89 normal children (80.9%), 15 stunted children (13.6%), and 4 severely stunted children (3.6%). There are 87 children with inappropriate defecation behaviour (79.1%), 82 children with appropriate water sources (74.5%), 93 children with appropriate waste disposal (84.5%), 108 children with appropriate liquid disposal (98.2%), and 93 children’s families with appropriate handwashing behaviour (84.5%). The Spearman Rank Correlation test showed no correlation (p>0,05) between environmental health and stunting of children under five years old in Puskesmas Balowerti, Kediri city (p=0,073). Conclusion: This research concludes that there is no correlation between environmental health and stunting because the data of this research are less varied. Further research needs to be done with a larger sample and more varied data.

Application of Eurocode 7 for the analysis and design of veneer cover soils in static and seismic load conditions

Veneer is intended as a relatively thin cover soil layer placed on a slope. Veneer cover soil systems in containment facilities such as landfills, liquid disposal and reservoirs involve geosynthetic-soil interfaces. The main design criterion for protective veneer covers is to ensure that no sliding occurs above the geosynthetic or the existing soil slope. The design of the protective veneer covers should include the stability of the lining system under the effect of the gravity forces, equipment loadings, seismic actions and pore water pressures. The limit equilibrium method used in the present paper for the evaluation of veneer stability has been derived from the method of Koerner and Soong (1988) and adapted to the limit state design offered by Eurocode 7 with reference to the Resistance Factor Approach (RFA). Serviceability limit state considerations are included in the design method for completeness.

Green and facile production of high-quality graphene from graphite by the intercalation and decomposition of oxalic acid

• A green and environmentally friendly chemical exfoliation method was developed. • Oxalic acid is used for the first time alone for chemical intercalation exfoliation of natural flake graphite. • No water-washing and effluent-treatment are involved during the whole chemical exfoliation process. • The 9-μm-thick-graphene film exhibits excellent electrical conductivity (5.05 × 10 5 S/m) and EMI shielding property (53.9 dB). The environmentally friendly preparation of graphene remains a great challenge. Herein, a novel and green preparation method for graphene has been developed. Graphene sheets were successfully exfoliated from graphite by intercalation and decomposition of oxalic acid for the first time. The whole chemical exfoliation process does not involve any waste liquid disposal, and, more importantly, the decomposed products by oxalic acid are CO 2 and H 2 O, respectively, demonstrating that the exfoliation method is environmentally friendly. The obtained graphene sheets exhibit high-quality and large-size with a yield of about ∼ 100%. The prepared graphene film exhibits excellent electrical conductivity (5.05 × 10 5 S/m) and EMI shielding property (53.9 dB with a thickness of 9.0 μm), suggesting a great prospect for miniaturized electronic devices and flexible wearable applications.

Sustainability-driven optimization of ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling process with ceramic matrix composite

The micro milling of ceramic matrix composites poses huge challenges in machining process as the anisotropic characteristic, strength-to-weight ratio and high cutting temperature. Apart from that, the emission and disposal of lubrication liquids have a negative impact on the environment conservation. In order to acquire better machinability of ceramic matrix composites, a new micro milling technique integrated with ultrasonic atomization based on water-based lubricating agent and coolant is presented in this work. Correspondingly, the novel sustainability-driven optimization framework of machining parameters is developed for the proposed ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling operation. The integration criteria of sustainability assessment with manufacturing process and machined product have been investigated in the technical, economic and environmental aspects, in which tool remaining useful life, stochastic machining process variables, surface quality of machine product, machining cost and carbon emission are included. The estimation accuracy of the related sustainability criteria are validated with a series of machining conditions. The proposed tool remaining useful life prediction method can significantly improve the ultimate life of micro cutting tool, the average prediction errors of cutting forces, energy consumption and surface roughness are 11.83%, 9.60% and 11.02%, meanwhile, the machining cost and carbon emission can also be reduced with ultrasonic atomization lubrication compared to those under flood fluids. Then, on the basis of the overall sustainability criteria, the multi-objective optimization framework is carried out to obtain the optimal machining parameters with the improved cuckoo search methodology, wherein the dimensionality of multiple variables is reduced by the principal component analysis. The comparison results about preferred and optimal machining parameters, and the related radial diagram of integral sustainability performance index validate that the sustainability performance of ultrasonic atomization-assisted micro milling operation could be enhanced by the proposed comprehensive optimization framework. The developed sustainability-driven optimization system offers a basis for the sustainable micro manufacturing technique of difficult-to-cut composite materials.

Functionalizing cotton fabric via covalently grafting polyaniline for solar-driven interfacial evaporation of brine

Herein, we report a novel method for batch functionalization of cotton fabric by co-irradiation grafting polymerization of 4-aminostyrene and in situ grafting polymerization of aniline in sequence for solar-driven interfacial evaporation. The functionalized cotton fabric displayed strong absorption of solar light and good photothermal conversion property. And it not merely exhibited a high evaporation rate of 1.47 kg m-2h−1 when treating 3.5 wt% NaCl solution with evaporation efficiency of 97% performed on a simple tilted platform (under 1 kW m−2 of power density), but also showed excellent stability for outdoor natural evaporation over 60 days. Besides that, the tilted solar evaporator unexpectedly exhibited a high evaporation rate (1.38 kg m-2h−1) in the saturated NaCl solution (ca.26 wt%), which is superior to those fabric-based photothermal materials in reported literature, suggesting a great potential to the application to solar-driven evaporative crystallization of inorganic salts from brine. The promising strategy adopted here could be employed to facilitate the scale-up preparation of photothermal cotton fabrics and address current challenges in high-efficiency and sustainable solar-driven seawater desalination, even zero liquid disposal of industrial waste brine.

INVESTIGATION OF THE CONVERSION PROCESS OF CALCIUM CHLORIDE OF SODA PRODUCTION DISTILLER LIQUID IN THE PRESENCE OF MIRABILITE AND THENARDITE

The production of soda in the world is accompanied by a large amount of hard-to-recycle liquid waste (distiller liquid) in the form of a solution of CaCl2 and NaCl salts. To solve the problems of the soda industry, some countries of the world approach in different ways, liquid waste is drained into the seas and rivers. In some cases, distiller liquid is partially processed into calcium chloride or liquid road mixtures, building materials, etc. However, the disposal of liquid and solid waste from the soda industry does not always solve environmental problems in this region. In this regard, studies of the conversion of calcium chloride of distiller liquid using sodium sulphate of a mirabilite:thenardite mixture in various ratios have been carried out. It was found that the excess sodium sulphate and its stoichiometry lead to the jointprecipitation of calcium and sodium sulphates. In the process of conversion of calcium chloride with sodium sulphate in the ratio of natural mirabilite:thenardite = 100:0 occurs intensively due to the rapid dissolution of Na2SO4·10H2O. Conversion of calcium chloride at a norm of 0.92-1.0 and a temperature of 50-60°C at various ratios of mirabilite:thenardite shows that in the process of conversion of calcium chloride, the degree of conversion is reached to a maximum of 97% and at an optimum temperature of 50 °C, the stoichiometric norm of sodium sulphate 1.0 and the duration of 60 minutes. A further increase in temperature does not affect the degree of conversion of calcium chloride

Optimising a liquid garbage disposal truck suspension

Optimising a liquid garbage disposal truck suspension

Optimising a liquid garbage disposal truck suspension

Optimising a liquid garbage disposal truck suspension

Analysis of zero liquid disposal plant using electrodialysis integrated with electrolyzer for hydrogen fuel production

Analysis of zero liquid disposal plant using electrodialysis integrated with electrolyzer for hydrogen fuel production

Experimental study on the utilization of residue from particleboard’s recycling activity

Both solid and liquid residues derived from activity of particleboard (PB)’srecycling were investigated. The solid was attempted to make recycle particleboard (rPB) while the liquid was tried to use as fertilizer to seedling of Acacia crassicarpa. Objective of this study was to compare quality between PB and rPB and to evaluate seedling growth of A.crassicarpa exposed to liquid disposal from PB’s recycling activity. Methods of this study were consisted of testing of physical and mechanicalproperties of industrial PB, manufacturing rPB, and comparing the properties between PB and rPB. Prior to manufacture rPB, liquid disposal from PB’s recycling activity was released through water immersion of industrial waste’s PB comprised of predominant trimming residues. The liquid disposal was measured its nitrogen (N) content and then it was kept in a gallon for further use as fertilizer. Observation on growth parameters (height, diameter, leaves number and seedling’s strength) of both treated and untreated seedlings was conducted weekly for 2 months. Results of this study showed: 1)rPB was feasible to be produced but their quality was slightly decreased. 2) Liquid disposal during cyclist test and water immersion of PB’s residues contained 0.69% N. 3) Growth parameters of A.crassicarpa seedling showed response positively and significant statistically between treated and untreated seedlings. These findings suggested that both residues originated from PB’s recycling can be utilized further; the solid can be used as raw material of rPB while the liquid can be utilized as fertilizer to seedlings.

Nitrate-rich wastewater discharged from a bio-trickling filter can be reused as a moisture conditioning agent for organic waste composting

Biotrickling filter (BF) is an effective ammonia-contain odour purification device for organic waste composting. However, proper disposal of nitrogen-rich trickling liquid (TL) discharged from the BF is consider ‘the last-mile problem’ for the application of this coupled system. Although our previous study demonstrated that reusing a TL as moisture conditioning agent for a composting system could promote compost maturity and nitrogen content, the exploration of the intrinsic promotion mechanism was obscured by the complexity (i.e., multiple forms of nitrogen contained) of the TL. Thus, a simulated TL (STL, pH =7.18) containing exclusively nitrate nitrogen was reused to condition the moisture of composting in this study. Effects of STL addition phase [adding STL in mesophilic (days 0–9),​ thermophilic (days 4–13), and cooling period (days 13–22)] on the performance of composting were explored. Results revealed that the organic degradation was partly promoted by adding STL in thermophilic or cooling period, but mightily inhibited in mesophilic period. Furthermore, adding STL in thermophilic period stimulates the denitrification of nitrate-N into dinitrogen at high temperature, whereas most of added nitrate-N was retained in compost product when adding STL in cooling period. Eventually, STL addition effectively increased total nitrogen (TN) by 2%–9%, especially the nitrate nitrogen by 10–11 times. Notably, adding STL rarely affected nitrous oxide and greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, STL can be reused to condition the moisture of compost in a proper composting phase (i.e., thermophilic period) as defined in term of the enhancement of TN and nitrate content of compost product.

Hospital liquid waste contaminated with multidrug-resistant bacteria raises a public health hazard alert in Brazil.

The spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) is a global concern because it poses a serious threat to public health. The inadequate handling of Health Services Waste (HSW) and, therefore, the incorrect disposal of infected liquids can cause contamination of the environment, the emergence of diseases caused by MDR bacteria, and the loss of the population's quality of life. The present study aimed to survey the bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance profiles, present in the liquid residues from infected surgeries performed in fiveyears, often discharged into the sewage network of a large tertiary hospital located in the city of Uberlândia, which is considered one of the main economic and demographic centers of Brazil. A systematic and retrospective survey of the medical records of patients who underwent infected surgeries from January 2015 to December 2019 was carried out at the referred hospital. The bacterial species were previously identified and characterized for the antimicrobial susceptibility profile by the VITEK 2 automated system (bioMérieux, Brazil). In the evaluated period, 1658 infected surgeries were performed and the results showed 661 bacterial strains distributed in 48 different species, being Staphylococcus aureus the most prevalent species. The vast majority (85.6%) showed some type of antimicrobial resistance among these strains, with more than half (54.6%) being MDR. The results of this work raise an alert and concern for the risks to the environment and public health by dumping these infected liquid wastes directly into the sewage system without proper prior decontamination.

Osmotic-Capillary Principles for Microfluidic Pumping and Fluid Management for Sweat Sensing Devices

Sweat is an essential biofluid for monitoring individuals’ health as it contains several key biomarkers. However, sampling sweat for analysis is still challenging as most of the commercially available sweat sensing devices are either invasive in nature or work only during active perspiration. These devices may not function under low-sweating conditions and may be incapable of sensing in sweat from sedentary subjects. We demonstrate a new principle for the design of flexible and wearable devices, which are capable of extracting sweat under both resting and actively perspiring conditions using osmotic pressure difference for pumping, and evaporation for liquid disposal (Biomicrofludics, 14, 034112, 2020). The device is composed of silicone, hosting polyacrylamide hydrogel patch, and paper microfluidic conduit with a site of evaporation at the end (evaporation pad). The hydrogel is equilibrated with glycerin, glucose, or NaCl solution to build up the desired osmotic strength to extract fluid from the skin. We investigate their operation using a model biomarker (dye) solution. In-vitro testing with gelatin-based model skin platform revealed that both glucose and glycerin-infused gels facilitate high analyte accumulation on the evaporation pad, with glucose as osmolyte having the highest driving pressure. The cumulative dye collection also depends on the dimensions of the paper channel, hydrogel area and paper porosity. Human trials show potential to extract sweat and analyze it for lactate under both resting and non-resting conditions within a period of two hours. This sweat sampling concept can be integrated in continuously operating wearable devices using enzymatic electrochemical sensors. We used lactate as a concept demonstrator, as sweat appears to be more informative medium for lactate quantification than blood. The ability to measure lactate enables monitoring metabolism and oxidative stress levels in athletes and military personnel.