Environmental Disposal Research Articles

Environmental considerations for decommissioning

The acceleration of decommissioning activities in recent times has expedited the need to decommission responsibly and sustainably. Decommissioning activities are increasingly under public scrutiny, yet in many regions there remains a lack of legislation, regulatory guidance, and practical experience in implementing decommissioning activities. In general, the decommissioning process begins with the assessment stage, followed by planning and management, and lastly the actual decommissioning execution. The best practice approach for responsible decommissioning is to conduct a best practicable environmental option (BPEO) study, which is also known as a comparative assessment and/or decommissioning options assessment. The BPEO will identify the most beneficial or least damaging option to be selected for each decommissioning project by accounting for all relevant influencing aspects such as technical, environmental and social impacts, costs, stakeholder opinions, legal compliance as well as health and safety. Such documentation is important to demonstrate that potential impacts arising from decommissioning activities have either been removed or are reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). The best decommissioning option will vary depending on local aspects such as environmental baseline conditions, key stakeholders, waste management and disposal facilities, available technologies and the viability of all options considered including reuse (e.g. rigs to reef). This paper outlines recommended approaches for successful decommissioning planning, highlighting key environmental considerations and other important influencing factors. The aim is to demonstrate the importance of holistic thinking for the development of decommissioning strategies to establish a robust decommissioning plan and successful execution.

SLUDGE FROM RICE PARBOILING WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AS ALTERNATIVE SUBSTRATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF Araucaria angustifolia SEEDLINGS

ABSTRACT The sludge produced by rice parboiling wastewater treatment plants has substantial amounts of nutrients and organic matter, therefore requiring proper environmental disposal. One option is to use it as an alternative substrate for the production of forest species seedlings. This study aimed to assess the viability of using the sludge from rice parboiling wastewater as an alternative substrate for the production of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) O. Kuntze seedlings. A. angustifolia seeds were kept in vermiculite until sprouting, then transferred to polyethylene bags filled with five different substrates (treatments): 100% sand (T1); 75% sand and 25% sludge (T2); 50% sand and 50% sludge (T3); 25% sand and 75% sludge (T4); 100% sludge (T5). Each treatment had 10 replicates (bag with one seedling). Shoot system growth, hypocotyl diameter, root system growth and biomass were evaluated at 94, 180, and 300 days of growth. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey test with a significance level of 5%. Seedlings’ growth was similar on treatments containing 25%, 50%, and 75% sludge, while 100% sand and 100% sludge resulted in less growth at 300 days. In conclusion, the sludge from rice parboiling wastewater is suitable as an alternative substrate, and the ratio of 25% sand + 75% sludge could be recommended, for exploit larger amounts of the residue.

COVID-19 Precautions Imperils Ecosystems

Though coronavirus disease COVID alarm is handled meticulously this pandemic situation has escalated the consumption of various non-woven single-use plastic-based polymers in the form of personal protective equipment masks and gloves etc. When these healthcare wastes are disposed the major negative aspects of secondary environment catastrophes associated with biomedical waste management BMW are emerging as a new issue to tackle. Environmental performance index is globally jeopardized due to this hazardous waste management. This review highlights the consequences of unplanned environmental disposal of medical waste the threats posed to our ecosystem by this unprecedented situation and the various eco-friendly options available to handle the current scenario.

Melon Seedlings Phytomass under Poultry Litter Biochar Doses

The use of organic waste for the preparation of seedling substrates is an important environmental and economic option. In this perspective, substrates using biochar emerges as an alternative for seedling production due to their favorable physical and chemical characteristics. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of doses of poultry litter biochar as a substrate constituent for the production and quality of the seedlings. The work was conducted in a semi protected environment, belonging to the Federal University of Campina Grande—UFCG. The statistical design used was completely randomized in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme, consisting of 6 doses of biochar (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 t∙ha−1) and two varieties of melon (Yellow and Hales Best Jumbo) with 4 repetitions totaling 48 experimental units. The fresh and dry plant phytomass mass (aerial, roots and total), root length and the quality of seedlings were evaluated. It was concluded that the addition of poultry litter biochar to the substrate was beneficial, promoting an increase in the analyzed seedling variables, being the ideal dose for good development of melon seedlings 12 t∙ha−1. The Yellow variety presented a better response than the Hales Best Jumbo to the charcoal application. Considering the advantages of the use of poultry litter biochar on the substrate composition, found in the present study, its utilization constitutes a viable alternative for the development of melon seedlings and for the environmental disposal of the poultry litter.

Properties and Degradation of Novel Fully Biodegradable PLA/PHB Blends Filled with Keratin.

The utilization of keratin waste in new materials formulations can prevent its environmental disposal problem. Here, novel composites based on biodegradable blends consisting of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and filled with hydrolyzed keratin with loading from 1 to 20 wt % were prepared and their properties were investigated. Mechanical and viscoelastic properties were characterized by tensile test, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and rheology measurements. The addition of acetyltributyl citrate (ATBC) significantly affected the mechanical properties of the materials. It was found that the filled PLA/PHB/ATBC composite at the highest keratin loading exhibited similar shear moduli compared to the un-plasticized blend as a result of the much stronger interactions between the keratin and polymer matrix compared to composites with lower keratin content. The differences in dynamic moduli for PLA/PHB/ATBC blend filled with keratin depended extensively on the keratin content while loss the factor values progressively decreased with keratin loading. Softening interactions between the keratin and polymer matrix resulted in lower glass transitions temperature and reduced polymer chain mobility. The addition of keratin did not affect the extent of degradation of the PLA/PHB blend during melt blending. Fast hydrolysis at 60 °C was observed for composites with all keratin loadings. The developed keratin-based composites possess properties comparable to commonly used thermoplastics applicable for example as packaging materials.

Eine Genealogie sorgender Sicherheit: Sorgeregime von der Antike bis zum Anthropozän

This article proposes an alternative genealogy of security by exploring the nexus of security and care from antiquity to the present. In Greek and Roman antiquity, securitas – literally ‚carefree’ – designated a state of inner peace. With the rise of Christianity, pastoral power introduced a new regime of securing care. The pastoral care for the soul is supposed to secure salvation, whereas Christian Caritas established new forms of care for those in need (Fursorge). Modern biopolitical dispositives of security continued this tradition of care for others with the means of modern welfarism. Security dispositives organized new forms of social care (Sozialfursorge) and became increasingly concerned with the security of supply (Versorgungssicherheit) of vital infrastructural services. Since the second half of the twentieth century, a new form of care for the environment has emerged. The precautionary principle (Vorsorgeprinzip) seeks to prevent irreversible environmental change, whereas new environmental disposal and remediation practices (Entsorgung) cope with the residuals of industrial modernity. The genealogy shows the wide variety and historical flexibility of forms of security care. Conceptually the paper argues that, in contrast to sovereign and statist security technologies like the police and the military, securing care represents a positive, yet nevertheless problematic form of security. This provides new insights for a critique of security.

Phytotoxicity of hydrochars obtained by hydrothermal carbonization of manure-based digestate

The management of digestate, the main by-product of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process, is one of the most serious environmental issues. Although digestate is used on arable land as a fertilizer, it can have a negative impact on the environment due to nitrate leaching into the groundwater and ammonia volatilization into the atmosphere, with high economic and environmental disposal costs. Therefore, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), a thermochemical biomass conversion process, could represent a sustainable and efficient alternative for digestate management. Hydrochar, the solid product of the HTC process, has been recently proposed as a plant growing medium in soilless culture systems (SCS). Here, using cow manure digestate as feedstock, we investigated the influence of the HTC process reaction temperature (180, 220 and 250 °C) and residence time (1 and 3 h) on the physical-chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity, and mineral element concentrations) of the resulting hydrochars. Furthermore, in order to fully valorize hydrochar as a growing medium, their possible phytotoxic effects and those of their water extracts (prepared at two different concentrations and at different pHs) were tested in germination tests with cress seeds (Lepidium sativum L.). Concentrations of nutrients, heavy metals, organic acids, sugars and furan compounds were determined in the water extracts. Characterization analysis of these hydrochars revealed that they can be distinguished from each other by their physical-chemical properties, which were significantly affected by the two process parameters. Specifically, the HTC temperature had a greater effect on the composition of hydrochars than the residence time. Germination tests found hydrochar water extracts to show significantly lower phytotoxicity than the hydrochars themselves. Notably, the phytotoxic effect of the extracts decreased with increasing extraction ratio and decreasing pH. The chromatographic characterization of extracts identified the presence of potential phytotoxins, such as furan compounds (i.e., hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural). However, before using hydrochars as potential and innovative growing media for plants, their phytotoxicity should be limited, for example through their dilution with other substrates. Overall, AD-HTC coupling could represent a valuable eco-sustainable expedient in the field of biomasses, green economy and waste conversion and, therefore, further investigations in this direction are necessary.

Sustainable biogas production from waste in potential states in Nigeria – alternative source of energy

ABSTRACT Most states in Nigeria are faced with the challenge of ensuring a sustainable energy supply and safe waste management. Anaerobic digestion meets the requirements of sustainable alternative fuels and is also an environmental disposal method. Producing clean alternative biogas energy from waste is also one of the best ways to meet these challenges. This study uses a bottom-up resource-oriented approach to assess the biogas potential in Nigeria through the use of organic waste. The objective is to analyse the potential in utilising the available organic waste during anaerobic digestion. The analysis summarises several studies on this issue from 2001 to 2019, and their conclusions are highlighted and used to infer the importance of converting these organic wastes into biogas. The environmental impact of the process is so great that it must be taken into account. However, Nigeria does not have an appropriate and suitable source separation scheme and should invest in waste separation. Source separation or central separation, as the environmental impacts associated with waste management and biogas production, must be considered. The results show the considerable potential of biogas over the next three decades due to rising waste generation and proposed deployment of infrastructure for improving waste collection efficiency.

Antimicrobial resistance pattern in domestic animal - wildlife - environmental niche via the food chain to humans with a Bangladesh perspective; a systematic review

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern globally, but the impact is very deleterious in the context of Bangladesh. Recent review article on the AMR issue demonstrates the scenario in human medicine; unfortunately, no attempt was taken to address this as One Health issue. The antimicrobial resistance bacteria or genes are circulating in the fragile ecosystems and disseminate into human food chain through direct or indirect ways. In this systematic review we are exploring the mechanism or the process of development of resistance pathogen into human food chain via the domestic animal, wildlife and environmental sources in the context of One Health and future recommendation to mitigate this issue in Bangladesh.ResultsTetracycline resistance genes were presenting in almost all sample sources in higher concentrations against enteric pathogen Escherichia coli. The second most significant antibiotics are amino-penicillin that showed resistant pattern across different source of samples. It is a matter of concerns that cephalosporin tends to acquire resistance in wildlife species that might be an indication of this antibiotic resistance gene or the pathogen been circulating in our surrounding environment though the mechanism is still unclear.ConclusionsSteps to control antibiotic release and environmental disposal from all uses should be immediate and obligatory. There is a need for detailed system biology analysis of resistance development in-situ.

Russia — Germany: trends in economic relations

The article discusses current and prospective directions of development of Russian-German trade and economic relations. The article defines the specifics of interaction between Russia and Germany in the framework of environmental problems and safe waste disposal. The article reflects the peculiarities of the organization of investment partnership as a separate type of economic cooperation between countries. The prospects of relations between Russia and Germany in the field of training and retraining of personnel are revealed.

Solvent-free mixed micellar mobile phases: An advanced green chemistry approach for reversed-phase HPLC determination of some antihypertensive drugs.

Minimizing the amount of organic solvents without loss in chromatographic performance has been an important step toward greening analytical methodologies. Mobile-phase composition is the key for maintaining separation efficiency in liquid chromatography while decreasing the procedure hazardousness. If sodium dodecyl sulfate is mixed with Brij-35 in the mobile phase, they could be used as a green alternative for using organic modifiers. In this research, the effect of changing the relative amounts of both surfactants was studied on the chromatographic performance and separation efficiency of ten antihypertensive drugs belonging to different categories. The use of surfactants has many advantages including low cost and toxicity, safe environmental disposal, unique selectivity besides high solubilization capabilities. The optimum separation was maintained using a mobile phase (0.01M Brij-35, 0.08M sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.01M sodium dihydrogen phosphate/pH 5) on reversed-phase C18 core-shell column at flow rate 1.5mL/min and temperature 30°C. The method was successfully applied for the determination of the drugs in various marketed dosage forms. International Conference of Harmonization guidelines were followed to validate the developed method. Additionally, the method was verified on the Green Analytical Procedure Index in regards to the greenness and found to be an excellent green alternative method.

Effects of Tetraethyl Orthosilicate on Improving Adhesion Between Polyurethane Sponge/Hydrophobic Silica Gel Composite Materials for Oily Wastewater Treatment

The environmental disposal of oily wastewater is a challenge to household and food industries. Cost-effective oil absorbent materials for oily wastewater treatment have been developed by various methods, one of which, the modification with hydrophobic particles. However, the oil absorbents still suffer high cost and low reusability because of the insufficient adhesion between supported material and the hydrophobic particles. Herein, a low cost and simple method to fabricate oil absorbents were reported by immersing commercial polyurethane (PU) sponge in hydrophobic silica gel. The adhesion between hydrophobic silica gel to the 3D surface of PU was assisted with the use of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silane coupling agent. Only 0.5% TEOS was required for up to 73% improvement of adhered calculated from % silica loading. The use of TEOS showed adhesion enhancement between the surface of PU and the silica which in turn improve reusability. Reusability test mimics the real situation of squeezing the PU/silica sponge to demonstrate good mechanical properties and flexibility. Furthermore, the PU/silica sponge displayed good and rapid absorption capacity. Results from Water Contact Angle (WCA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were also used to confirm successful modification of PU with hydrophobic silica gel.

Abandonment Research and Environmental Impact Analysis for Retired Dong-Huang Pipelines

Nowadays, China is not experienced in the research and practice of the abandonment approaches to oil and gas pipelines retirement. Using the experience of the North America for reference in abandonment of onshore pipelines, including retired pipeline safety environmental disposal scheme choice, waste disposal technology and retired environmental impact assessment of the key problems were discussed. The comparatively complete construction technology was put forward to dismantle pipelines. Besides, the construction technology of filling the controlled low strength material to the decommissioning oil pipelines was put up. Based on the case of Dong-Huang pipeline abandonment, the selection disposal scheme was optimized, key construction practices such as the cleaning of pipeline residues and low strength controlled material filling pipeline were expounded, potential environmental influence of different disposal scheme was analyzed, besides, some measures were represented to prevent and relieve the pollution corresponding to the construction technology. Research results have guiding significance for perfecting safe abandonment research of domestic retired oil and gas pipelines.

Flocculation-dewatering prediction of fine mineral tailings using a hybrid machine learning approach.

Polymer-assisted flocculation-dewatering of mineral processing tailings (MPT) is crucial for its environmental disposal. To reduce the number of laboratory experiments, this study proposes a novel and hybrid machine learning (ML) method for the prediction of the flocculation-dewatering performance. The proposed ML method utilizes principle component analysis (PCA) for the dimension-reduction of the input space. Then, ML prediction is performed using the combination of particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Monte Carlo simulations are used for the converged results. An experimental dataset of 102 data instances is prepared. 17 variables are chosen as inputs and the initial settling rate (ISR) is chosen as the output. Along with the raw dataset, two new datasets are prepared based on the cumulative sum of variance, namely PCA99 with 9 variables and PCA95 with 7 variables. The results show that Monte Carlo simulations need to be performed for over 100 times to reach the converged results. Based on the statistic indicators, it is found that the ML prediction on PCA99 and PCA95 is better than that on the raw dataset (average correlation coefficient is 0.85 for the raw dataset, 0.89 for the PCA99 dataset and 0.88 for the PCA95 dataset). Overall speaking, ML prediction has good prediction performance and it can be employed by the mine site to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This study presents a benchmark study for the prediction of ISR, which, with better consolidation and development, can become important tools for analysing and modelling flocculate-settling experiments.

The impact of differentiated technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises on the local emissions of environmental pollutants in Anhui province, China, from 2012 to 2016.

The study was designed to evaluate the impact of differentiated technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises on the local emissions of environmental pollutants in Anhui province, China, during the period of 2012-2016. The econometric models of DEA and SEM-PLS and Malmquist index are used to explore the potential impacts of differentiated technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises on the local emissions of environmental pollutants in Anhui province. After an initial analysis of SEM-PLS model, the models of DEA and Malmquist index are used to evaluate the differentiated degrees and dynamic development levels of local technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises in different regions of Anhui province. With these analyses, the study presents three main results as follows. There is a positive correlation between the technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises and the technological performance levels of environmental disposal. Meanwhile, there is a large gap among the environmental disposing performances of industrial enterprises in different regions of Anhui province. There is also a large gap between the expected and actual technological performances of industrial enterprises' environmental disposal, according to the results of SEM-PLS analysis. Furthermore, there are several obvious characteristics of geographical distribution in the impact of differentiated technological innovation efficiencies of industrial enterprises on local environmental pollutant emissions observed from the results of the DEA and Malmquist index models. However, it is not consistent with the overall provincial development trend and regional distribution pattern of industrial economics in Anhui province over the period of 2012-2016. Under the rapid development of social economics and modern technological advance, there is a weak impact of differentiated technological innovation efficiency on the technological performance of industrial environmental disposal in different regions of Anhui province. Meanwhile, the environmental disposal capacity of enterprises' technological innovation become declining too. Finally, some countermeasures and policy suggestions are put forward based on the investigation and comprehensive analyses of the DEA and SEM-PLS and Malmquist index models.

Insights into the reactivity of zero-valent-copper-containing materials as reducing agents of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in a recirculating packed-column system: Degradation mechanism and toxicity evaluation

The presence of toxic chlorinated compounds in drinking water, generated during the disinfection step in water treatment plants is of great concern for public health. Therefore, special attention has been given to the development of effective organochlorine-removal techniques. The reductive degradation via zero-valent-metals is recognized as a promising alternative. In this study, the capacity of zero-valent-copper (ZVC) containing materials to degrade 2,4,6-thichlorophenol (TCP) was investigated, using a bench-scale recirculating packed column system. The results indicate that this metal is effective for TCP degradation and dechlorination, even when derived from scrap. The kinetic model that better suits the degradation profiles is a second-order model, with an average normalized surface area rate constant (kSA’) of (2.44±1.27)×10−3 L² min−1m−2 for ZVC-containing materials. The ZVC scrap-derived material was found attractive for field applications due to its reusability and low leachability, despite its performance being affected in the presence of water natural constituents. The degradation by-products elucidated confirm that dechlorination is the main degradation pathway, leading to the formation of totally dechlorinated by-products such as phenol-like compounds and cyclohexanone. However, these may still pose a threat to aquatic organisms as revealed by toxicity assays and activity-structure relationship model (ECOSAR USEPA) predictions. Further investigation is therefore required aiming at following by-products formation with degradation time in order to find the best residence time that generates innocuous and/or adequate effluents for environmental disposal.

Low temperature AOP studies for spent reverse osmosis module components

ABSTRACTMembrane-based separations are becoming popular and membrane technology using reverse osmosis (RO) is long established as a large-scale industrial membrane process for desalination. Membranes need to be managed after its life cycle. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for aqueous organic waste handling are known and are being practiced in industries. The effectiveness of various AOPs based on hydrothermal process techniques to liquefy and depolymerize the different components of the thin-film composite membranes has been discussed in this paper. This helps in conversion of bulky molecules into smaller ones and facilitates toward meeting environmental regulations. For economic and environmental reasons, other reuse, recycle, and disposal options must be considered and investigated. The effect of factors such as temperature, duration, radiation, and concentration of reaction media on liquefaction/depolymerization of different components of spent RO module has been presented.

Research of the Evaluation of Eco-Environment Benefit on Suichang Gold Mine’s Environmental Engineering Projects

Through the Field Research of the environmental engineering project of Suichang gold mine, this article take the opinion that the risks of geological disaster and the acidic Heavy metal pollution had been eliminated by the environmental disposal engineering. Also, the ecological environment had been improved, which set the stage for the Development of the mine’s circular economy. According to previous research results and the Characteristics of the Suichang gold mine, the text established the Evaluation Index System of environmental engineering project’s eco-environment benefit and determined the weight of each index through the expert scoring method. The system is composed of two sectors—ecological effects and environmental effects. The elements of ecological effects are vegetation coverage (forest coverage) and Land reclamation rate. The elements of environmental effects are control rate of acidic Heavy metal pollution, control rate of geological disaster and Rate of solid waste management. Refer to authority standard, the article put the survey data into the Evaluation Index System and evaluated it. The result is that Suichang gold mine acquired an excellent eco-environment benefit.

Optimization of process parameters for methylene blue removal by jute stick using response surface methodology

In this study, jute stick (JS), the underexplored by‐product of jute (Corchorus olitorius) cultivation system, has been used as a novel low‐cost adsorbent to remove methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye, from an aqueous medium. Box–Behnken design matrix and response surface methodology (RSM) have been used to evaluate the effect of four important process factors namely, solution pH (3–11), adsorbent dose (0.5–5 g L−1), initial dye concentration (50–200 mg L−1), and time (60–180 min). JS was characterized by physico‐chemical parameters, pHzpc (zero‐point charge), FTIR for the functional groups and SEM–EDX for surface morphology. The direct and interaction effects of adsorption parameters were studied. The optimum values of pH, dose, initial concentration, and time for maximum % dye removal were 10.27, 5 (g L−1), 200 (mg L−1), and 66.06 min. Regeneration and recycling studies were also carried out. The present study indicated that JS, a bio‐waste of jute cultivation system, can be effectively utilized as an adsorbent to treat MB contaminated aqueous medium/ wastewater before environmental disposal. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019

Cyanobacteria bloom prevention and control and salvage disposal integrated management system

Cyanobacteria are large single-cell prokaryotes that can undergo oxygen-producing photosynthesis. However, if the cyanobacteria are contaminated by nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements, cyanobacteria will cause the phenomenon of “water bloom” in the lake, which will seriously endanger the safety of humans, animals, fish and shrimps. To help lake management units to prevent and control the outbreak of cyanobacteria, this paper designed and developed a comprehensive management system for the prevention and control of cyanobacteria blooms and salvage treatment. The system consists of four subsystems: the operational reporting subsystem, the monitoring data management system, the algae environmental protection disposal process management system, and the real-time cyanobacteria monitoring system. The three-dimensional interaction between the WEB end and the mobile patrol handheld terminal makes the system more efficient and convenient. The neighborhood image is denoised by the neighborhood averaging method, and the K-means algorithm is used for clustering training, which makes the classification of the algae pictures taken. The realization of the system effectively prevented the large-scale outbreak of cyanobacteria, providing a new idea for monitoring and processing cyanobacteria blooms.