Evaluation Of Environmental Effects Research Articles

Evaluation of environmental effect of coal stockpile in Muara Telang, Banyuasin, Indonesia

Stockpile commonly serves as a temporary dump before the coal is transported through the waterways. This study investigated the effects of coal stockpiles on the surrounding environment: air, water, and soil. The location of the study is in the estuary of Telang, South-Sumatra, Indonesia, which is located at the edge of the river of Telang and close to the residential community. The monitoring of the environmental impact from the stockpile is intended to conduct an environmental assessment owing the existence and operations of coal accumulation. Enviromental impact analysis was conducted based on the value of the effluent, air pollution (dust), soil and water by determining the parameters of the coal wastewater pH, total suspended solid, ferrous dan ferrous metals contents. The results indicate that the total suspended particulate, total suspended solids, noise level, ferrous metal and manganese metal were 10-14 μg/Nm3 249-355 mg/L, 41.3 to 50.3 dBA, 6.074 to7.579 mg/L, and 1.987 to 2.678 mg/L, respectively. Meanwhile the pH of water and soil were 3 to 4 and 2.83 to 4.02 respectively. It is concluded that the pH value are beyond the threshold standard.

Suspended sediment concentrations estimate in highly turbid rivers: a field spectral survey

Construction projects such as dams on large international turbid rivers often attract wide attention due to their possible negative environmental impacts. However, accurate evaluation of environmental effects is often hindered by the lack of sediment measurements. This study aimed to investigate whether suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) could be estimated from spectral measurements and this may provide critical instructional assistance for estimating SSC directly from remote-sensing data. Although high SSC values are common in large Asian rivers, they have not been involved in any previous studies yet. Hence, this study investigated the spectral signature of highly turbid waters through a field spectral survey along two international rivers in Southeast Asia. Subsequently, SSC was correlated with measured spectral data, and optimal spectral SSC indicators that could provide relatively accurate SSC estimates in turbid waters were identified.

GIS-based Tools for Regional Assessments and Planning Processes Regarding Potential Environmental Effects of Poplar SRC

Based on regional stakeholder preferences and planning guidelines as allocation criteria for SRC, this study aims at providing a transparent approach to evaluate multiple environmental effects and the regional significance of SRC systems. Using the example of two poplar SRC-systems (4-year rotation, 9-year rotation) the potential effects on ground water supply, wind erosion, and biodiversity aspects are evaluated in comparison to arable land for two selected municipalities in the district of Uelzen, Germany. Building on fuzzy membership functions and simple fuzzy-logic rules, the qualitative multi-criteria assessment is transparent and easily to adapt. This approach is transferable to other regions and spatial levels, since it derives from commonly available data and scientific evidence. Results show that implementation of SRC could provide multiple beneficial environmental effects, especially in areas with low landscape heterogeneity. The tools provided allow for a multi-criteria evaluation of environmental effects, and reveal the sensitivity to distinct allocation patterns. Physiographical conditions of the study area implicate a preference for mini-SRC systems. This is supported by smaller decline of annual deep percolation water compared to maxi-SRC. On average, decline in groundwater recharge of mini-SRC (92mm a−1) is comparable to irrigated arable land (80mm a−1), which is common practice in the study area. Currently, the utilization of beneficial environmental SRC effects is quite limited, since only 3 % of arable land is suitable for SRC implementation regarding farmers’ preferences for SRC allocation. Allocation preferences could however change substantially with increasing incentives for SRC, e.g., due to regional bioenergy schemes or “Greening” initiatives within the European Common Agricultural Policy, which is to be reformed by 2013.

도시생태현황도의 활용효과 측정지표 개발 및 효과분석

This study aims at choosing indicators to measure the effect of utilizing biotop map, and analyzing its effect by an indicator from the perspective of performer. The Primary performance indicators are made through specialist survey using SMART. As a result, three indicators are chosen: Discussion of the period of an environmental effects evaluation(reduced Plan and execution of environment and ecology plan in an urban development Minimizing ecological damage in an urban development. The result in each indicator is as follows. The indicator of discussion of the period of an environmental effects evaluation(reduced effect), the average reduction rate in statistically meaningful level reduced 6.08% and 11.64% respectively in 2004-2005. In this period, environment information system was established and the reduction effect is shown in this period by reinforcing environment effect estimation using biotop map. As to the indicator of utilizing biotop map in an urban development site, the Seongnam P site case shows that biotop map was used when they set up an development plan. In case of minimizing ecological damage in an urban development, the Gwangjingu G-dong case shows that it was used to appoint preservation sit, and mediate development restrict area. Accordingly, the biotop map utilizing effect is confirmed through core performance indicators and verification of the indicators using SMART. The further research is encouraged to find evaluate indicators and verify the effect quantitatively to increase the use of biotop map.

A livingscape approach to characterize urban historical places

The quality of life concerned with open spaces has more and more become an essential part of urban culture. The evaluation of environmental effects as perceived by people is primarily a subjective issue, rather than being simply based on objective parameters. This paper presents an approach called livingscape, used to assess the quality of urban spaces. It consists of analyzing and correlating psychometric tools to measure the perception of environmental quality with different aspects related to the urban blight (both in architectural and environmental terms) and objective investigation of environmental quality through the measurement of acoustic, visual, thermal, and IAQ physical parameters. Livingscape data were collected in 13 key-spaces of St. Salvario, an historical district in Turin (Italy), during summer 2010 and winter 2011, selected based on an historical analysis to characterize the past and present district soundscape and subdivided in nodes, paths, and edges. The subjective environmental perceptions are delineated through the analysis of the questionnaires submitted to the users of the area, outdoor. Objective measures (acoustical, lighting, and thermal parameters) were combined to subjective responses, thus providing a more complete key-spaces characterization. The investigation aims to describe the changes in the key-spaces characterization from 19th century to nowadays.

Introduction to the preservation of cultural heritage

This special chapter focuses on the contribution of thermal analysis to the preservation of cultural heritage and its continuing vital role. Case studies outlining the use of these techniques have been reported in chapters in ‘‘Modern Analytical Methods in Art and Archaeology’’ [1] and in the ‘‘Handbook of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry’’, respectively [2]. In both, reports of collaborative projects with major museums, art galleries, and conservation centres were described, and included the application of the full range of thermoanalytical techniques, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), dielectric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and micro-thermal analysis (l-TA). The last decade has seen a steady increase in the contribution of advanced analytical techniques, including thermal analysis, as concern for the preservation of cultural heritage and its sustainability increases, in the face of effects of climate change and the potential threat it poses to the sustainability of Europe’s cultural heritage. In view of this, one of the main issues is assessment of levels of risk to the built environment and to the valuable collections of heritage objects in museums, art galleries, and libraries. This requires knowledge of the quality of the existing outdoor environment and for objects, the indoor environments in which they are displayed or stored. The level of corrosivity will be influenced by the ingress of pollutants from the external environment and any contributions from indoor sources. It is also necessary to have an understanding of how damage to cultural heritage occurs, and how these processes can be retarded to ensure that the objects are protected. Thermal analysis offers methods for problem solving in this area and evidence of this is in a recent article [3] and then the current collection of articles in this chapter which reflect areas of investigation performed in both outdoor and indoor environments, and include characterization of materials used in historic buildings, artefacts in outdoor cultural heritage, ceramics, wood used in cultural heritage, historical parchment in archival collections, and paint media analysis. In the introduction to this chapter examples of the application of thermal analysis to preventive conservation and risk assessment will be given. This will be followed by some examples of the use of thermal analysis for damage assessment of objects and evaluation of environmental effects and conservation treatment. Techniques such as controlled environment DMA and nanoscale techniques of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and l-TA have been used. The quality of environments and the effect of environmental factors such as light, relative humidity, and pollutants on objects both in outdoor and indoor environments M. Odlyha (&) Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St., London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom e-mail: m.odlyha@bbk.ac.uk

Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Coastal and Harbor Structures Using Concrete Armor Blocks

In recent years, consideration of the environmental influence of coastal structures is becoming more important, because of the huge consumption of materials and large amount of greenhouse gas resulting from construction. Technological innovation to reduce the environmental load to the earth and a method to estimate this load are required. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental effects of coastal structures using concrete armor blocks, especially focusing on the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gas resulting from the production and transportation of the materials and during the construction from manufacturing to placement of the blocks. It is concluded that the new armor block is very effective to reduce environmental load.

Water quality index using multivariate factorial analysis

The evaluation of environmental effects generated by agricultural production on water quality became essential in Brazil after the creation of policies for the use and conservation of water resources. For such, water quality indices have been considered with the purpose of showing the spatial and temporal variation of water quality in a watershed. The objective of this study was to develop a water quality index (WQI) applying the Multivariate Factorial Analysis (MFA) statistical technique, which could indicate the influence of agricultural activities in the quality of water resources. Water in a predominantly farm watershed was monitored from Sept. 2003 to Sept. 2004. Monthly water collections were carried out at six sample points, and eight parameters were analyzed: nitrate, ammoniacal nitrogen, ammonia, total phosphorus, electrical conductivity, pH, suspended solids and turbidity, which were considered important due to the agricultural management adopted in the region. Results indicated a contamination of agricultural origin along the basin. Factorial analysis showed that ammonia, ammoniacal nitrogen and nitrate parameters were the ones that most contributed in determining the WQI.

Evaluation of Environmental Effectiveness of Titanium Dioxide Photocatalyst Coating for Concrete Pavement

Self-cleaning, air-purifying concrete pavement is a rapidly emerging technology that can be constructed with air-cleaning agents with a super-hydrophilic photocatalyst such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). Although this technology has the potential to support an environmentally friendly road infrastructure, several design and operational parameters may affect its effectiveness and need to be evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental and mix design parameters that may affect the effectiveness of the environmental performance of TiO2 coating. An experimental program was conducted: the effects of relative humidity level, flow rate of pollutants, and mix design parameters, including contents of TiO2 and aggregate sizes, were investigated. The environmental efficiency of the samples to remove nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere was measured by using a newly developed laboratory setup. Results of the experimental program showed that the mix designs without fines achieved the highest photodegradation rates. In addition, the increase from 3% to 5% TiO2 resulted in little improvement in the nitrogen oxide removal efficiency, which decreased with the increase in the humidity level and the pollutant flow rate.

UNC-Chapel Hill DCRP Best Master’s Project of 2009: Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Songpa New Town in Seoul, Korea

UNC-Chapel Hill DCRP Best Master’s Project of 2009: Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Songpa New Town in Seoul, Korea

Evaluation of environmental effects on mechanical properties and characterization of creep behavior of PMMA

PMMA is an important polymer used for bio‐compatible related applications, usually in environments with body fluids at a temperature higher than room temperature for an extremely long period of operation. Knowledge of mechanical properties of PMMA is therefore needed for successful device longevity design. In this paper, effect on Young's modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and a creep constitutive law of PMMA specimens over a broad range of temperatures between room temperature and 95°C has been presented. In addition, the influence of DI water and saline on the strength and stiffness has also been investigated. Specimens were designed as dog bone shapes and fabricated using an excimer laser micromachining system. The test data indicate that both the modulus and the tensile strength decrease with temperature rise and the presence of DI water or saline can change the microstructure of PMMA and cause a transition from brittle to ductile at room temperature. Finally, a set of 36 creep tests was performed to fit a power law creep model by obtaining the associated creep parameters and the model has been subsequently verified by additional experimental data. The data obtained in this work should be important for design improvements to prolong the stability of PMMA for related applications.

Networking possibilities for waste recycling in Miyagi prefecture, Japan

Successful case studies for waste recycling in Japan have not been evaluated. The evaluation of economic efficiency and environmental effects were lacking at the time the actual network was established. A waste/resource input/output (I/O) coincidence retrieval system called ZENESYS was developed to examine the usefulness of a waste-exchange network in a nonmanufacturing district. We analyzed data from the Miyagi prefecture, a region without heavy industry. The data were collected from 77 companies using a questionnaire and interviews. A total of 33 possible waste exchange links arose after analysis using ZENESYS. However, these were frail networks that relied heavily on the construction industry. Two waste recycling technologies were selected from the ZENESYS database: reclaiming fuel from waste plastic and making construction materials from bottom ash. Evaluation of the environmental effects and economics of these two technologies showed they were both suitable for the environment, but no profit was made from reclaiming fuel from waste plastics. We concluded that in an area with no heavy industry, it may be difficult to adopt recycling technologies that have high environmental and economic performance. Materials are difficult to circulate among manufacturing industries even if a waste-exchange network exists, and resources are consumed during transportation and recycling.

Saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifer ??? comparison between the CIP and MOC simulation technique

Proper management and evaluation of environmental effects for coastal groundwater aquifers require accurate estimation of salt and fresh water movement. For this we compare two numerical methods to study saltwater intrusion. The two numerical methods are the CIP (constrained interpolation profile) and the MOC (method of characteristics). The two numerical methods are used to solve the salt transport equation. The two methods are applied and compared to saltwater intrusion experiments for confined and unconfined aquifer case studies. It is found that for both cases, the CIP-method is superior in terms of calculation time while keeping an acceptable numerical accuracy.

Evaluation of environmental effects on fatigue crack growth behaviour of a high strength steel in a saline solution with cathodic protection

Crack growth rates of small fatigue cracks in a high strength steel tested in 3.5% NaCl solution with cathodic protection are analysed in the Paris regime through the comparison with the corresponding results obtained in air or in high vacuum. Environmental effects in the saline solution are due to hydrogen produced by cathodic polarisation, which causes intergranular and transgranular brittle fracture surfaces. By comparison to fatigue crack growth rates obtained in air, it could be concluded that hydrogen effects are negligible at low Δ K and then increase with Δ K. But in fact, when compared to results obtained in a non-active media such as high vacuum, hydrogen effects in the saline solution are very high at low Δ K and decrease slightly when Δ K increases. In air, adsorption of the different gaseous species as well as hydrogen effects due to water vapour dissociation strongly enhance crack growth rate compared to vacuum especially for low Δ K. Consequently, a comparison with fatigue crack growth results obtained in air does not allow to quantify properly environmental effects due to another active environment such as the saline solution with cathodic protection considered in the present work.

Dynamics of Sodium‐22 and Cesium‐134 in Young Wheat Plants

The dynamics of the two alkali metals sodium and cesium in crop plants are relevant in an ecological context. Redistribution processes for these elements in young wheat plants were investigated in the work reported here. Two days old wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Arina) were fed for 24 h with sodium‐22 (22Na) and cesium‐134 (134Cs) via the main root and incubated afterwards in a culture room. Cesium‐134 accumulated in newly formed parts of the main root and in the expanding leaves during the first 20 days after labeling, while 22Na accumulated transiently in these plant parts, reached a peak and declined after a few days. A high percentage of 22Na was released from the roots to the medium. Total Na in leaves also accumulated transiently, but its highest accumulation appeared later than the peak of 22Na. Therefore, the distribution and retranslocation processes differ considerably for sodium and cesium in wheat plants. Such differences must be considered for the evaluation of environmental effects (e.g., release of pollutants into the environment) on the quality of harvested cereal products.

Environmental evaluation of different variants of the chromium compound production model using chromic waste

This work presents research results on the evaluation of environmental effects of utilizing chromic waste in chromium compound production processes. The comprehensive evaluation of three chromium compound production models takes into consideration the total cumulated hazard coefficients. The implementation of the new chromium compound production model into industrial practice in 1999 allows the hazard to the natural environment to decrease by 75% in relation to the hazard caused by the old production model used until 1995. The coefficient of the target chromium compound production model was 199%, much higher than 100%. This results from the negative values of the total cumulated hazard coefficients for those cases where the sodium chromate production unit could be a big “consumer” of chromic waste.

Evaluation of Environmental Effects on Metal Transport from Capped Contaminated Sediment under Conditions of Submarine Groundwater Discharge

Previous studies conducted in our laboratories have shown that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) can significantly increase metal fluxes from capped contaminated sediment to the overlying water. Five columns were set up in the laboratory to evaluate the effects of environmental factors such as groundwater pH, sediment depth, and groundwater flow rate on metal transport from capped contaminated sediment under conditions of SGD. Acidified groundwater discharge was shown to enhance the mobility of all tested metals except Mo. Although much of the released metal was adsorbed by the capping material, significant increases of initial or steady-state fluxes to the overlying water were observed for Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Mn. Additional sediment depth enhanced steady-state fluxes for all tested metals except Mo, Cd, and Pb. Increased SGD rates did not significantly change the average metal concentration in the outflow to the overlying water for most metals; however, all metal releases were higher due to the greater flow at increased SGD rates. The residence time and the redox conditions may be important in evaluating environmental effects on capping efficiency.

Evaluation of environmental effects on fatigue life of piping

Recent data indicate that the effects of light water reactor environments can significantly reduce the fatigue resistance of materials, and show that design fatigue curves may not be conservative for reactor coolant environments. Using revised fatigue curves developed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the work of this paper calculates the expected probabilities of fatigue failures and associated core damage frequencies at a 40-year and 60-year plant life for a sample of components from five PWR and two BWR plants. These calculations were made possible by the development of an enhanced version of the pc-PRAISE probabilistic fracture mechanics code that has the ability to simulate the initiation of fatigue cracks followed by the linking of these cracks. Results of interim calculations subject to review are presented. Components with the highest probabilities of failure can have predicted frequencies of through-wall cracks in the order of about 5×10 −2 per year. The corresponding maximum contributions to core damage frequencies are in the order of 10 −6 per year. Components with the very high failure rates show essentially no increase in calculated core damage frequency from 40 to 60 years.

Development of an Environmental Impact and Mitigation Assessment Program for a Tailings Storage Facility Stability Upgrade

This paper summarizes an environmental impact and mitigation assessment plan developed for a tailings storage facility stability upgrade project at a Canadian base-metal mine. The plan details environmental aspects relevant for channel modification involving the narrowing of a creek channel width. Planning for a tailings storage facility stability upgrade is site-specific, however, this paper details a number of aspects that may be taken into consideration when planning for a project of a similar nature. These aspects include: evaluation of environmental effects and their significance, analyses of cumulative effects, in-situ fish habitat characterization and enhancement program, regulatory requirements, provisions for accidents and malfunctions and fisheries compensation requirements. These considerations together with the proposed monitoring activities for the on-going construction activities are reviewed and discussed in this paper. These aspects can be applied to similar situations when considering factors such as topography, geology, climate, biophysical setting, availability of construction materials, mode of construction, reclamation options and applicable laws.

Irrigation management for optimizing crop production and nitrate leaching on grassland

Six supplementary irrigation management options for grazed grassland were defined and their effects on both agricultural production and nitrate leaching to the groundwater were studied. Data were available from the De Marke experimental farm for sustainable dairy farming. The calibrated and validated simulation models SWACROP and ANIMO were used to calculate the effects of the different irrigation management options on crop transpiration, and on water fluxes and nitrate concentrations for three fields of the farm. Comparisons with the common practice at the farm were made. A change in application volume from 25 to 15 mm per irrigation resulted in higher irrigation efficiencies and lower annual water use for supplementary irrigation with only small changes in the ratio of actual and potential transpiration ( T a/ T p). The advisory system ‘irrigation planner’ generally also resulted in high irrigation efficiencies combined with a reduction of water use and a small effect on the transpiration ratio. The different irrigation strategies had no significant effect on nitrate concentrations in the leachate from two dry fields studied. For the relatively wet field in this study an increase of irrigation water use would improve agricultural production conditions and reduce nitrate concentrations at 1 m depth. For the evaluation of environmental effects of irrigation management options it is advised to assess the actual nitrate concentrations and not only the water fluxes, which potentially cause solute leaching.