Effluent Charges Research Articles

TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER PRODUCED BY DISTILLERIES USING APPROPRIATE METHOD

The use of catalytic thermolysis for treating wastewater and effluent from an alcohol distillery facility is discussed in this article (Som Distillery Pvt. Ltd., located on Raisen Road in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh). The effluents were thermally preheated in an atmospheric glass reactor with a vertical condenser at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 80 to 100 degrees Celsius (AGR). To achieve the desired temperature, the effluent charge and catalyst were subjected to continuous magnetic stirring while being heated. At predetermined time intervals, liquid samples were removed for examination. The liquid sample was filtered, centrifuged, and the COD content of the sample was determined using the traditional dichromate reflux technique. The effect of the starting pH as well as the length of treatment with each catalyst at a concentration of 3 kg m3 were investigated. At a concentration of 3 kg m3, the catalysts were used. Homogeneous CuSO4 and FeCl3 as well as heterogeneous (CuO, ZnO, MnO) composite oxides were used to determine how effective catalytic thermolysis is in improving COD reduction from both the DSW and biodigester effluent (BDE).

Martin Weitzman: A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Martin Weitzman: A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Effect of molasses on hydrogen production by a new strain Rhodoplanes piscinae 51ATA

The production of hydrogen using microorganisms is an environment-friendly and less energy-intensive way of producing hydrogen. Rhodoplanes piscinae is a photosynthetic bacterium with the ability of hydrogen production under photosynthetic conditions. In this study, a new strain 51ATA was isolated from Lake Akkaya, Nigde, Turkey that is exposed to some industrial effluent charges. The new strain was identified as R. piscinae by phylogenetic analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence. The quality of molasses as a substrate for hydrogen production was evaluated by comparing it with other substrates, such as glucose and acetate. Five different culture media of various concentrations (1.0 g/L, 2.0 g/L, 5.0 g/L, 10 g/L, and 20 g/L) for each substrate were used. Results have shown that molasses was the best substrate for the biohydrogen production. The highest amount of biohydrogen obtained from each (20 g/L) substrate was (1.27 L H 2 /L from molasses-containing culture), (0.72 L H 2 /L from glucose-containing culture), and acetate-containing culture (0.21 L H 2 /L) respectively. From these results, we could conclude that R.piscinae 51ATA strain is as good as the other bacterial species used for hydrogen production and may be considered as a high potential strain for hydrogen production when used in combination with molasses under phototrophic conditions. • A new photosynthetic bacterial strain 51ATA of Rhodoplanes piscinae was observed hydrogen production. • Molasses was determined the best co-substrate for R.piscinae compared to acetate and glucose in hydrogen production. • As a co substrate, acetate promoted biomass production not hydrogen production.

Effectiveness of Carbon Electrode Electrolysis Effluent Treatment System in Textile Dyeing

The electrolysis process is an easy alternative for the treatment of textile dyehouse wastewater. To study the effectiveness of the carbon electrode electrolysis method in dyehouse effluent treatment is the main objective of this research. In most cases, the metal electrode used in the electrolysis system becomes decayed and needs to be replaced after a certain time. In this study, an inert carbon electrode has been chosen to treat the cotton dyehouse wastewater that can function longer than a metal electrode. Hence, the process is named as Carbon Electrode Electrolysis (CEE) method. In this method, a combined effect of electro-coagulation and electro-reduction has occurred. Electro-coagulation happens by direct charge supplied from a carbon electrode and then neutralizing negative effluent charges using positive charge. The color chromophore becomes broken down by a reduction in the cathode. Through electrolysis of sodium chloride in the effluent, sodium hypochlorite is produced, which later oxidizes organic compounds and reduces BOD. The effects of different treatment parameters of the CEE method like salt concentration and operating time have been studied and found that higher salt concentration and around 65 minutes operating time is effective. The results are analyzed based on four criteria: Color change, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Results show that the CEE method minimizes effluents’ color and reduces BOD and COD within the acceptable limits of the Department of Environment (DoE), Bangladesh. Moreover, the CEE Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) needs less space than the other existing biological and chemical ETP. However, this method is failed to remove TDS from wastewater.

Towards Sustainable Waste Management through Cautious Design of Environmental Taxes: The Case of Ethiopia

This research examines the viability of the design of environmental taxes in the achievement of sustainable waste management in the Addis Ababa Administration (AAA) of Ethiopia. It has employed an empirical qualitative method. It first shows the mutual contribution of the achievement of waste management to the progress of sustainable sanitation and water resource management. Secondly, it displays the distributive and incentive roles of environmental taxes in the achievement of sustainable waste management. Thirdly, it indicates that a cautious design of the source, base, scope and rate of environmental taxes is a critical determinant for environmental taxes’ overall success in addressing the prevalent waste mismanagement in Ethiopia. Fourthly, it demonstrates that in the AAA: (1) The sources of solid waste collection, landfill, sewerage service and effluent charges are subject to the principle of legality; (2) the scope of solid waste collection, landfill, sewerage service and effluent charges is appropriate; (3) while the base of sewerage service and effluent charges is efficient, the base of solid waste and landfill charges is not at all efficient; and (4) while the rates of solid waste, landfill and sewerage service charges are slightly optimal, the rate of the effluent charge has not yet developed. Fifthly, it reveals that, having a somewhat viable design, solid waste, landfill and sewerage service charges are marginally reinforcing the aspiration of Ethiopia to achieve sustainable sanitation. Sixthly, it uncovers that because Ethiopia has not yet developed the rate of effluent charge, effluent charge is neither internalizing the cost of water resource degradation nor incentivizing sustainable water resource management. Finally, it implies that the aspiration of Ethiopia to achieve sustainable sanitation and water resource management by 2030 is contingent on the cautious design of its waste management taxes.

Theoretical and experimental researches on the operating costs of a wastewater treatment plant

Purpose of the work: The total cost of a sewage plants is often determined by the present value method. All of the annual operating costs for each process are converted to the value of today's correspondence and added to the costs of investment for each process, which leads to getting the current net value. The operating costs of the sewage plants are subdivided, in general, in the premises of the investment and operating costs. The latter can be stable (normal operation and maintenance, the establishment of power) or variables (chemical and power sludge treatment and disposal, of effluent charges). For the purpose of evaluating the preliminary costs so that an installation can choose between different alternatives in an incipient phase of a project, can be used cost functions. In this paper will be calculated the operational cost to make several scenarios in order to optimize its. Total operational cost (fixed and variable) is dependent global parameters of wastewater treatment plant. Research and methodology: The wastewater treatment plant costs are subdivided in investment and operating costs. We can use different cost functions to estimate fixed and variable operating costs. In this study we have used the statistical formulas for cost functions. The method which was applied to study the impact of the influent characteristics on the costs is economic analysis. Optimization of plant design consist in firstly, to assess the ability of the smallest design to treat the maximum loading rates to a given effluent quality and, secondly, to compare the cost of the two alternatives for average and maximum loading rates. Results: In this paper we obtained the statistical values for the investment cost functions, operational fixed costs and operational variable costs for wastewater treatment plant and its graphical representations. All costs were compared to the net values. Finally we observe that it is more economical to build a larger plant, especially if maximum loading rates are reached. The actual target of operational management is to directly implement the presented cost functions in a software tool, in which the design of a plant and the simulation of its behaviour are evaluated simultaneously.

A Predictive Analysis of Clean Energy Consumption, Economic Growth and Environmental Regulation in China Using an Optimized Grey Dynamic Model

To accurately predict the consumption of clean energy in China, a grey dynamic model is constructed by taking economic growth and environmental regulation as exogenous variables. The Nash equilibrium idea-based optimization method is proposed to solve the parameters of the model so as to obtain better modeling effects than that of the traditional model. The empirical results show that: (1) a spontaneous increasing mechanism of the clean energy consumption has not yet formed in China; (2) both GDP and effluent charge play a positive role in accelerating clean energy consumption in China, but effluent charge has a stronger effect than GDP; (3) clean energy consumption in China is expected to stably increase at an annual rate of 5.73 % averagely in 2012---2020. By 2020, clean energy consumption in China is expected to reach 454.55 million tons of standard coal. The study also provides some policy suggestions of promoting clean energy consumption based on the empirical analysis conclusions.

The effect of residual cationic polymers in swine wastewater on the fouling of reverse osmosis membranes

Solid–liquid separation with flocculation can be used as pre-treatment for reverse osmosis (RO) filtration as it produces a liquid fraction (LF) low in suspended solids (SS). However, residual polymers in the LF may foul the membrane. Membrane fouling during RO filtration of swine wastewater containing polymers was investigated with respect to polymer charge density (CD), effluent SS concentration and membrane surface charge. Effluents with 765 mg/L SS and without SS were spiked with low and medium CD polymers (0–40 mg/L effluent) then processed with RO membranes having low and high negative surface charges. Fouling intensity was evaluated by comparing permeate flux and water flux recovery of fouled and cleaned membranes. For effluents containing SS, the presence of polymer reduced permeate flux by 4–16% and water flux recovery of the fouled membrane by 0–18%, relative to effluents without polymer. The extent of the fouling was higher with the low than the medium CD polymer. The fouling was mostly reversible as cleaning allowed for over 95% flux recovery, but the membrane with high negative surface charge was more susceptible to irreversible fouling. Adding the low CD polymer to feed without SS had no effect on permeate flux or flux recovery. Membrane fouling thus appeared to be caused by the polymer changing SS–membrane interaction. If flocculation is applied to pre-treat manure, a medium CD polymer should be used to optimize SS removal and a membrane with low surface charge should be selected to minimize fouling.

Inverted-U curve for material consumption of China industrial system: a new implication from environmental regulation

We review the research literature on relationship between environmental regulation and industrial development in three aspects of environmental regulation and investment, environmental regulation and efficiency, environmental regulation and trade. Indeed, the linkage between environmental regulation and material consumption of industrial system is absent. Environmental regulation is measured as the expenditure share for industrial pollutants abatement, and effluent charge intensity. Using panel-level data from 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, we build correlation models between material consumption and environmental regulation, results show that: (1) there are significant quadratic function relationship between material consumption and environmental regulation. And there is the fact that inflection point exists. (2) On basis of inflection points, we make two remarkable reflections. Firstly, the inflection points are the most important scale to judge reasonability and performance of regulations. Secondly, a Pareto improvement may occur when the regulations achieve a certain target. (3) Both intensities of industrial pollutants abatement expenditure and effluent charge have not yet achieved the expected target in most regions of mainland China at present. And most of regions of material consumption decreasing are distributed in western China. Main reasons lie in the impacts of industrial features as well as the regulations.

Effluent charge reform for controlling water pollution in the Malaysian crude palm oil industry

AbstractThis study analyzes the costs borne by Malaysian palm oil mills (POMs) in order to reach standard levels. A number of studies have been conducted on Malaysian palm oil mills; however, none has obtained the marginal abatement cost (MAC) through an estimated total cost function. More particularly, as far as inflation is concerned, the effluent-related fee and effluent charge specified have not been revised within the past two decades. In addition, to our knowledge, there has not been any study comparing MAC to the mills of the two different methods of disposal, namely watercourse and on land. Our results show that, to force POMs to meet the standard, the effluent charge must be set higher, equaling the MAC. While the results show the existence of economies of scale in abatement activity, setting the effluent-related fee equal to the MAC may encourage mills to further abate their water pollution.

Zur regionalen Differenzierung von Wassernutzungsabgaben

Regulatory water use charges aim at restructuring water uses according to scarcity of regional water services. Hence, a spatial differentiation of the charge design appears to be an appropriate means of water pricing policy. Similarly, the European Water Framework Directive with its requirement of regional water resources management and its focus on river basins and water bodies could demand or indicate regional differentiations. However, in Germany two water use charges exist mainly unrelated to regional scarcity patterns: a nationwide effluent charge and different water extraction charges in 11 German States. Moreover, in 2006 the federal government has obtained the competence to implement a nationwide charge on water withdrawal without any regional differentiations. Against this background, the paper analyses the scope and limitations of regionally differentiated water use charges in Germany. First, the Water Framework Directive is examined as to whether the so-called combined approach of both emissions and immissions requirements makes a regional approach for charges mandatory. Second, the paper investigates the main conceptual elements and options of a regionalisation and their ecological, economic, legal and political aspects. The authors conclude that regionally differentiated water use charges are feasible as well as justifiable. However, with particular respect to the environmental objectives of protection of coastal water and marine ecosystems an effluent charge should still provide nationwide incentives according to the emissions principle. For water extraction charges the authors recommend a nationwide regulation framework yet completed by legal options for regional differentiations on e.g. water body level.

An Integrated Approach to the Theory of Externalities: An Expository Article

Traditional treatments of the theory of externalities deal separately with the output market and the “market” for effluents and have no simple geometric way to show the inter-relationships between them. This paper presents an integrated approach with a novel geometric presentation that shows these inter-relationships clearly, thereby allowing for a clearer exposition of the relationship between Pigouvian commodity taxes and effluent charges. For example, it becomes easy to show that optimal effluent charges function effectively as Pigouvian commodity taxes, but that the implicit tax rates are lower. The geometric treatment would be suitable for use in Intermediate level classes.

Understanding Water and Effluent Charges

The cost of incoming water and the cost to discharge effluent to the sewer vary significantly between municipalities. The basis for these charges is explained. Reducing the volume of incoming water leads to a reduction of the cost and is a strategy being employed by many breweries in North America. However, the impact on the effluent charges is less obvious because as the volume decreases, the concentration of materials sent to drain increases. The effect of reducing incoming volumes in increments of 5% on the effluent parameters, the resultant surcharges, and the overall cost of water and effluent are examined. Actions that can be taken by a brewery to reduce water consumption are discussed. In addition, strategies to reduce effluent loadings are explained. In many cases, the changes required do not involve major capital expenditure. Plant management need to fully understand the basis of the charges for water and effluent and the factors that influence them when making changes.

Standard Oriented Environmental Policy: Cost-Effectiveness and Incentives for ‘Green Technology’

Abstract In their seminal 1971 paper, W. J. Baumol and W. E. Oates analyzed effluent charges and ‘command and control’ regarding their ability to attain a given standard of environmental quality at minimum cost. In the subsequent literature, transferable discharge permits (TDPs) have been added to the portfolio of standard oriented environmental policy instruments. We place these instruments in a dynamic context. Here, cost minimization is defined in an intertemporal setting allowing for induced technical change. It turns out that the relative performance of alternative policy instruments regarding their ‘dynamic cost-effectiveness’ crucially depends on the information available to the involved agents. Under adverse informational conditions, only a TDP system with future markets is dynamically cost-effective.

Should public policy respond to positional externalities?

A nice suit is one that compares favorably with those worn by others in the same local environment. More generally, a positional good is one whose utility depends strongly on how it compares with others in the same category. 1 1 [ Hirsch, Fred. Social Limits to Growth, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1976.]. A positional externality occurs when new purchases alter the relevant context within which an existing positional good is evaluated. 2 2 [Frank, Robert H. Positional externalities, in Richard Zeckhauser, ed., Strategy and Choice: Essays in Honor of Thomas C. Schelling, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991: 25–47.]. For example, if some job candidates begin wearing expensive custom-tailored suits, a side effect of their action is that other candidates become less likely to make favorable impressions on interviewers. From any individual job seeker's point of view, the best response might be to match the higher expenditures of others, lest her chances of landing the job fall. But this outcome may be inefficient, since when all spend more, each candidate's probability of success remains unchanged. All may agree that some form of collective restraint on expenditure would be useful. In such cases, however, it is often impractical to negotiate private solutions. Do positional externalities then become legitimate objects of public policy concern? In attempting to answer this question, I employ the classical libertarian criterion put forth by John Stuart Mill 3 3 [Mill, John Stuart, 1982. On Liberty. Viking, New York.]. , who wrote the state may not legitimately constrain any citizen's freedom of action except to prevent harm to others. I argue that many positional externalities appear to meet Mill's test, causing not just negative feelings but also large and tangible economic costs to others who are ill-equipped to avoid them. I also discuss an unintrusive policy remedy for positional externalities, one modeled after the use of effluent charges to curb environmental pollution. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 notes the deep similarity between the conditions that give rise to positional arms races and those that give rise to conventional military arms races. Section 2 follows with a review of evidence concerning the strength of concerns about relative position. Section 3 describes some of the tangible economic costs that people experience as a result of positional externalities arising from such concerns. Section 4 takes up the question of whether collective action directed against positional externalities is consistent with respect for individual rights. Section 5 describes how a progressive consumption tax could neutralize many of the most costly effects of positional externalities.

Environmental voluntary behaviour and crowding-out effects: regulation or laissez-faire?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what the consequences are if environmental regulation in terms of a price mechanism (effluent charges) erodes moral motivation (crowding-out). The findings suggest that a regime relying on voluntarism can do better than a mandatory regime depending on the number of individuals being intrinsically motivated, degree of moral motivation, crowding effects, and whether or not ethical utilities are accounted for. The optimal tax scheme is a discriminatory one with rates that differ across moral and non-moral individuals. This tax-scheme induces the first-best solution when social costs are considered, while the same solution becomes unattainable for a social welfare function. The model provides a rationale for why governments sometimes rely on voluntary effort.

Influence of Organizational Learning on Water Pollution Control in Colombia's Cauca Valley

Colombia's Cauca Valley Corporation has a reputation for high-quality work in controlling water pollution. The corporation's regulatory programme, which includes both traditional regulation and a system of effluent charges, reflects both learning by doing and learning by exploration. The successful creation of the programme is explained in terms of the learning that led the corporation to emphasize cooperation with industry, to de-emphasize strict enforcement of regulations, and to experiment with effluent charges. Significantly, the charge scheme was effective because the effluent fees paid by firms were publicized in newspapers and the publicity influenced the reputations and decisions of company leaders.

Estimating Sectoral and Geographical Industrial Pollution Inventories in India: Implications for Using Effluent Charge Versus Regulation

Developing countries are increasingly concerned about the growing pollution levels in cities. Because of the lack of reliable information on the nature and magnitude of emissions/discharges from various industrial sources it is difficult for regulators to formulate cost-effective strategies for industrial pollution control. This article uses the Industrial Pollution Projection System database to estimate the industrial pollution load and the associated abatement cost, which can be used to design cost-effective strategies for pollution control. The article also illustrates the cost-effectiveness of market based instruments such as effluent charge vis-à-vis regulation.

Sustainable farm income in the presence of soil erosion: an agricultural Hartwick rule

Soil erosion is a physical and economic problem of natural capital degradation. Even along an intertemporally efficient trajectory, one can have in a loss of soil fertility and a continuous decline of agricultural net revenue. Moreover, soil erosion is a major source of surface water pollution in rural areas. Erosion control is thus a challenge for sustainable resource management and internalizing external effects. To sustain the level of farm income, an ‘agricultural Hartwick rule’ is proposed which addresses both on-farm and off-farm effects of soil erosion. First, it requires the investment of the soil rents into alternative capital. Second, additional measures are required to comply with an ambient quality target. A charge-subsidy scheme proves the most adequate from a perspective of cost-effectiveness and sustainability, if effluent charge revenues are earmarked to subsidize cropland retirement at the watershed scale. In combination with the investment of soil rents this enables to maintain the level of farm income constant over time while respecting the ambient quality target. Altogether, this fulfills the requirements of efficiency and sustainability.

Introducing “Cooperative Push”: How Inefficient Environmental Policy (Sometimes!) Protects the Global Commons Better

In this paper we argue that the incentive structures of the gamesnations play in international environmental negotiations dependupon the choice of environmental policy instruments. Bargainingon the use of some instrument (e.g. an effluent charge) mayput the players into a dilemma game (like Chicken). Negotiationsto apply a different instrument (say, an emission reductionquota) may lead to a cooperation game (like Stag Hunt). The higherthe incentive to cooperate in the type of game which is built upby a specific instrument, the higher is this instrument's``cooperative push''. Of course, comparing two instruments,the one with the higher cooperative push might well be the lessefficient one. In this Paper, we analyse a situation where thehigher cooperative push of an instrument overcompensates thisinstrument's lower efficiency: Aggregate welfare withbilateral cooperation (the equilibrium of Stag Hunt) is higher than withunilateral cooperation (the equilibrium of the Chicken game).The question remains whether sovereign countries decide to playStag Hunt ending up in the welfare superior equilibrium. It isshown below that they do not in an uncoordinated optimising setting.However, we develop a particular frame where the proposedsolution meets the criteria of individual rationality,stability and fairness. It thereby establishes the politically mostdesired result – international cooperation.