Hazardous Waste Generation Research Articles

Green Synthesis of 7,8-Difluoro-6, 11-Dihydrodibenz[B,E]Thiophene-11-One of Baloxavir Marboxil -- Reducing Environmental Pollution

Baloxavir marboxil is a novel anti-influenza drug with a unique mechanism of action that can effectively treat both type A and type B influenza. Key intermediate compound 7,8-difluoro-6,11-dihydrodibenz[b,e]thiophene-11-one is not only an important component of the chemical structure of baloxavir marboxil but also an essential intermediate in the synthetic route of the drug. However, conventional synthesis methods for key intermediate 7,8-difluoro-6,11-dihydrodibenz[b,e]thiophene-11-one usually utilize dangerous and harmful chemicals that can cause significant environmental pollution during large-scale production. This article proposes a new synthesis route for 7,8-difluoro-6,11-dihydrodibenz[b,e]thiophene-11-one to facilitate large-scale production while integrating the principles of green chemistry. This new route feature mild reaction conditions and simpler steps that result in an overall yield increase to 64.9%. More significantly, the new synthesis route reduces the use of hazardous chemicals, thus limiting the generation of hazardous waste during industrial production. This research offers significant potential for environmental pollution control.

Sampling Procedure, Characterization, and Quantitative Analyses of Industrial Aluminum White Dross

Up to 10% of all metallic aluminum (Al) produced is lost due to dross generation during production. It also causes an environmental problem due to hazardous waste generation following treatment, as well as toxic gas generation when in contact with water/humidity. As a result, it is desirable to identify the parameters contributing to the generation of the Al white dross mixture. In view of this, a sampling procedure for collecting representative dross samples directly from the casthouse holding furnace has been developed together with a methodology for analyzing and evaluating the results. XRD was used for phase/chemical composition analyses of sieved dross samples, and both ring milling and cryomilling were used during sample preparation. Cryomilling proved to be the superior method allowing dross fractions < 1.25 and 1.25–4.5 mm to be pulverized. The fractions were analyzed and revealed that the sampling location inside the furnace plays a vital role as the injection of primary-produced Al into the furnace influences the dross characteristics. From Location 1 (closest to the injection point) to Location 4 (furthest away from the injection point), the metallic Al content in the dross decreased simultaneously as the oxide content increased. The results also confirmed that the larger size fraction had a higher metallic Al concentration, which correlates well with literature findings. By adopting a methodical sampling procedure followed by consistent routines for sample preparation, characterization, and analyses, process operations can be studied and thereby potentially used to minimize the loss of Al due to dross formation.Graphical

Green effects of research and development on industrial waste reduction during the production phase: Evidence from China and policy implications.

Maintaining public health requires a clean environment; however, some industrial wastes can damage the water, atmosphere, and living environment seriously. To promote green development, policy makers in China have developed and implemented strict environmental regulations to limit the pollutant emissions and improve the environmental quality. Industrial producers implement research and development (R&D) activities to gain more profits in competitive markets. A comprehensive understanding of the green effects of R&D on different industrial wastes could provide important policy recommendations, especially regarding the coordination of innovative and green developments. In this study, the author empirically analyzed the influence of R&D input, including the intramural expenditure on R&D and full-time equivalent of R&D personnel, on industrial wastes, including the discharge of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen, emission of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, and generation of common industrial solid and hazardous wastes, based on the data from Chinese industrial sectors for 2016-2020. The main findings of empirical analyses were robust and indicated that R&D activities significantly reduced the emissions of all three industrial waste gases and decreased the discharge of COD; however, in the case of China, the partial effects on the discharge of ammonia nitrogen and the industrial solid wastes were not statistically significant. The green effects of R&D on different industrial wastes may vary and generally depend on environmental regulations, with various limitations. The most viable policy recommendations indicate that by expanding and initiating the green effect of R&D on different industrial wastes, innovative and green developments are more likely to be achieved in a coordinated manner. Additionally, this can also support special R&D activities, with the added benefit of actively developing cleaner technology to treat pollutant emissions. Development, while maintaining a clean environment to ensure public health, could be more sustainable if innovative activities reduce the production of industrial wastes. This study analyzes the green effects of R&D on industrial waste and can serve as a viable framework for future studies on sustainable development.

The US Environmental Protection Agency Focus on Compliant Pharmaceutical Waste Management Now Includes Long-term Care.

The article provides a summary of changes in the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals as they pertain to both long-term care-provider pharmacies and longterm care facilities. The article describes the EPA's Final Rule: Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine, which became effective in some states on August 22, 2019, and is slowly being adopted by states nationwide. The new rule applies to all health care settings, including provider pharmacies and, for the first time, specifically refers to long-term care facilities as regulated entities. A major benefit of the Final Rule is the removal of over-the-counter nicotine gums, lozenges, and patches from regulation as a P-listed hazardous waste, which previously has had a major negative impact on the hazardous waste generation status of health care facilities. Waste-generation parameters are provided to enable both provider pharmacies and consultant pharmacists to evaluate their specific practices to determine applicability. The biggest change is the removal of all hazardous waste pharmaceuticals from the future calculation of generator status, thereby enabling facilities to meet the requirements of Very Small Quantity Generators or Small Quantity Generators of hazardous waste. All Small Quantity and Large Quantity Generators of hazardous waste must notify their state of their generator status once the state adopts the Final Rule by completing Form 8700-12. This article provides a variety of references to provide The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists members with additional resources and information.

Reductive removal of As(V) and As(III) from aqueous solution by the UV/sulfite process: Recovery of elemental arsenic

The removal of arsenic (As(V) and As(III)) from contaminated water has attracted great attention. However, the generation of arsenic-containing hazardous waste by traditional methods has become an inevitable environmental problem. Herein, a UV/sulfite advanced reduction method was proposed to remove As(V) and As(III) from aqueous solution in the form of valuable elemental arsenic (As(0)), thus avoiding the generation of arsenic-containing hazardous waste. The results showed that greater than 99.9% of As(V) and As(III) were reduced to the high purity As(0) (> 99.5 wt%) with the residual arsenic concentration below 10 μg L−1. The hydrated electrons (eaq−), H• and SO3•− radicals are generated by the UV/sulfite process, of which eaq− and H• serve as reductants of As(V) and As(III) while the SO3•− radicals inhibit arsenic reduction by oxidizing arsenic. The effective quantum efficiency (Φ) for the formation of As(0) in the As(V) and As(III) removal process is approximately 0.0078 and 0.0055 mol/Einstein, respectively. The reduction of arsenic is favorable under alkaline conditions (pH > 9.0) due to the higher photolysis efficiency of SO32− than HSO3− (pKa = 7.2) and higher stability of eaq−/H• under alkaline conditions. The presence of dissolved oxygen (O2), NO2−, NO3−, CO32−, PO43− and humic acid (HA) inhibited arsenic reduction through light blocking or eaq−/H• scavenging effects while Cl−, SO42−, Ca2+ and Mg2+ had negligible effects on arsenic reduction. The proposed method can effectively remove and recover arsenic from contaminated water at a low cost, demonstrating feasibility for practical application. This study provides a novel technology for the reductive removal and recovery of arsenic from contaminated water.

Exploring a novel silicone surfactant-based deep eutectic solvent functionalized magnetic iron particles for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides in vegetable samples

The current study discussed the use of silicone surfactant-based deep eutectic solvent as a surface modifier for magnetic iron particles (Fe3O4) to produce a novel adsorbent and its application for the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in vegetable samples. A deep eutectic solvent (DES) was prepared using low toxic and inexpensive substances such as silicone surfactant (SS) and dodecanoic acid (DoAc). This new eco-friendly SS:DoAc based DES was explored as a substitution to traditional organic reagents for surface modification of Fe3O4 to increase the adsorption capacity and to reduce the matrix interferences, hazardous waste generation and environmental pollution. The newly synthesized SS:DoAc@Fe3O4 adsorbent was successfully characterized and applied in magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). Under optimized conditions, the proposed approach exhibited excellent linearity ranging from 0.1 to 200 µg/kg (R2 ≥ 0.9970), low detection limit (0.03–0.1 µg/kg) and acceptable relative recovery (80–119 %) for the studied OPPs.

Reductive Removal and Recovery of As(V) and As(III) from Strongly Acidic Wastewater by a UV/Formic Acid Process.

The removal of arsenic (As(V) and As(III)) from strongly acidic wastewater using traditional neutralization or sulfuration precipitation methods produces a large amount of arsenic-containing hazardous wastes, which poses a potential threat to the environment. In this study, an ultraviolet/formic acid (UV/HCOOH) process was proposed to reductively remove and recover arsenic from strongly acidic wastewater in the form of valuable elemental arsenic (As(0)) products to avoid the generation of hazardous wastes. We found that more than 99% of As(V) and As(III) in wastewater was reduced to highly pure solid As(0) (>99.5 wt %) by HCOOH under UV irradiation. As(V) can be efficiently reduced to As(IV) (H2AsO3 or H4AsO4) by hydrogen radicals (H•) generated from the photolysis of HCOOH through dehydroxylation or hydrogenation. Then, As(IV) is reduced to As(III) by H• or through its disproportionation. The reduction of As(V) to H4AsO4 by H• and the disproportionation of H4AsO4 are the main reaction processes. Subsequently, As(III) is reduced to As(0) not only by H• through stepwise dehydroxylation but also through the disproportionation of intermediate arsenic species As(II) and As(I). With additional density functional theory calculations, this study provides a theoretical foundation for the reductive removal of arsenic from acidic wastewater.

Green fast and simple UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS method for determination of trace water-soluble vitamins in honey: Greenness assessment using GAPI and analytical eco-scale

Honey is one of the most commonly used natural products for nutritional and therapeutic purposes. Besides sugars, honey is characterized by complex chemical composition of minerals, polyphenols, water soluble vitamins, carotenoids and organic acids. In the present study, nine water soluble vitamins; C (L-ascorbic acid), B1 (thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3H (nicotinic acid), B5 (D-pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (Biotin), B9 (Folic acid) and B12 (Cyanocobalamin) are determined simultaneously for the first time using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization multiple reaction monitoring/mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS) method coupled with a single simple sample preparation step. The simplicity and sensitivity of the proposed method permit the simultaneous determination of all nine water soluble vitamins including vitamins B7 and B12 that are present in trace amounts in various real honey samples. Complete chromatographic separation is achieved in 3 mins on a C18 column with a green mobile phase composed of a mixture of aqueous formic acid (0.1%, v/v) and methanol in gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 0.4 mLmin−1. The method is fully validated according to ICH guidelines. The greenness of our proposed method is assessed by comparing it to other proposed methods in terms of sample preparation, instrument energy consumption, consuming hazardous reagents and waste generation using Analytical Eco-scale and GAPI (Green Analytical Procedure Index). Results proved the superior greenness of our proposed method over the other reported ones. The proposed method is applied to twelve samples from six different monofloral honey types. Quantitation of the water-soluble vitamins content revealed concentrations ranging from 0.63 to 936.98 mgKg−1 in the analyzed honey samples with the successful determination of vitamins B7 and B12 in trace amounts. The highest vitamin content detected was for vitamin B3 in Jujube-tree honey while the lowest vitamin content was for vitamin B12 in Orange-tree honey. A marked relation was observed between the botanical origin and the vitamins’ concentrations of the studied honey samples. In addition, factors such as temperature, moisture, light and pH during storage greatly affect the vitamins content of honey. The developed method is intended to serve as a reliable, accurate, fast and green tool for the routine analysis of water-soluble vitamins in honey samples for quality control and research purposes.

Characterization of industrial hazardous waste generation in South Korea using input-output approach

The industrial hazardous waste (IHW) regulation has been highlighted by the Basel Convention, and the South Korean government has announced a plan for the great transition to resource circulation in 2020 to strengthen waste management. Accordingly, South Korea is faced with the challenge of efficiently managing IHW at the national level. For this, research to understand national IHW generation characteristics considering economic activities should be prioritized, but there have been few studies on this. As a first try, this paper aimed to compile the waste extended input-output table for IHW in South Korea for a systematic evaluation of waste generation from the supply and demand perspectives across all economic sectors. This study developed the waste extended input-output table using the 2018 monetary input-output table and industrial sectorial IHW generation. From a supply perspective, considering direct and indirect generation, ‘Electronic and electrical equipment’, ‘Chemical’, and ‘Basic metals’ industries were identified as the top three key sectors in direct IHW generation, with the contribution to more than half of the total amount. Meanwhile, from a demand perspective, considering domestic consumption, investment and exports, domestic consumption contributed more than 48% to the IHW generation. In comparison, net exports contributed about 15%, despite the total output from net exports being only about 6%, implying that scientific regulations and improvements in IHW management from the demand perspective are also required. The results provide insightful policy recommendations for establishing IHW management reflecting the characteristics of industrial waste generation in the national economic system.

Cleaner production applied at beauty salon: considerations and opportunities

Beauty salons generate hazardous waste from their services, being characterized as a potentially polluting activity, in which this waste does not receive its deserved attention from the current environmental legislation. Cleaner Production (CP) stands out as an efficient program capable of acting in the prevention of pollution generated by processes, products, and/or services. In this context, this paper sought to analyze possible CP actions in a beauty salon located in the city of Osório, in the north coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Therefore, the methodology used for the development of this study was based in the material of the Centro Nacional de Tecnologias Limpas[1] (CNTL), which presents the main five steps for the implementation of a Cleaner Production Program. This work consisted of defining the main services offered in a beauty salon that are responsible for generating significant environmental impacts and in carrying out a qualitative-quantitative environmental evaluation of these services, in order to list possible improvements for the enterprise, aiming, as a priority, to reduce the waste of raw material, water, and energy, the emission of effluents with a high chemical load, and waste disposal. From the data collected, the CP program offered eight possibilities of improvement in the services provided, highlighting the replacement of a product with carcinogenic potential for another that offers a lower health risk, as well as a lower cost to the enterprise. Additionally, environmental indicators were developed to stimulate and visualize the reduction in water and electricity consumption and the generation of hazardous waste and effluent, with the goal of reducing 10% of these indicators when compared to the values generated before the implementation of the Program. Given the above, it is possible to assert that Cleaner Production was efficient in finding alternatives that seek to avoid the generation of potentially polluting waste and effluent in the beauty salon.[1] Em tradução livre: Centro Nacional Brasileiro de Tecnologias Limpas.

Factors associated with the current state of biomedical waste management knowledge, attitude, and practices among the healthcare professionals at a tertiary level hospital in Cumilla, Bangladesh

Aside from saving lives and restoring health, healthcare operations can result in the generation of hazardous biomedical wastes (BMW) that are harmful to humans and to the environment. The generation and disposal of BMW has emerged as a global issue. BMW management success is highly reliant on the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of healthcare individuals, and there is a scarcity of such works in the Bangladesh setting. This study was conducted to assess the KAP as well as the associated factors influencing knowledge on BMW management among hospital health care professionals (HCPs) in Cumilla, Bangladesh. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 374 responses were collected for this study between January and April of 2019. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: socio-demographic data, BMW management knowledge and attitude, as well as an observational questionnaire evaluating HCPs' practice on BMW management. Among the 374 respondents, 168 HCPs used to have satisfactory knowledge with an overall mean score of 6.8±1.2. A high mean score (7.3 ± 1.4) was obtained by the doctors followed by the nurses (6.7 ± 1.6). The attitude was also positive, but the practice was found to be inadequate. A statistically significant (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;0.05&lt;/i&gt;) relationship was discovered between knowledge level and educational qualification, gender, work experience. The importance of educating and training all HCPs on proper BMW management should be emphasized.

Hazardous Waste Generation and Composition from Electric Train Activities

Transportation is one of the human needs in a big city like Jakarta. Currently, the implementation of public transportation is being scaled up to reduce vehicle emissions, especially those fueled by oil. One public transportation activity is electric trains that produce hazardous solid waste. This study aims to identify the generation and composition of hazardous waste from electric train transportation activities in Jakarta. This study uses quarterly secondary data from July 2019 to March 2020. The composition of hazardous waste is calculated based on the w/w weight ratio, then looks at the effect of time and phase of each time hazardous waste generation from electric train activities. The composition of the largest hazardous waste is contaminated packaging, scrap-contaminated, and contaminated waste is 28.14%; 23.34%; and 10.72%, respectively. The lowest hazardous waste generated is used lamps at 0.10%. Hazardous waste arises from activities that contaminate to produce hazardous or toxic properties. Based on the phase, solid hazardous waste is 96%, and liquid is 4%. The analysis of the variance test showed no significant difference in terms of time (sig. 0.679) and phase (sig. 0.534). Therefore, the data used show no difference in hazardous waste generated by time or phase.

The liquid phase of 4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine: a safe and greener dual-task agent for clean and facile synthesis of coumarin derivatives.

A practical and facile synthesis of various coumarin derivatives was conducted using a liquid phase of 4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine as a safe and greener dual-task reagent under catalyst-free and solvent-free conditions. This reagent is a commercially available solid and can be handled easily, having a liquid phase over a vast temperature range, high thermal stability, low toxicity, and good solubility in green solvents such as water and ethanol. It is worth mentioning that 4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine could be completely recovered and regenerated after a simple process. The current method has other merits, including (a) minimizing the use of high-risk and toxic reagents and solvents; (b) the use of a secure and recoverable medium-organocatalyst instead of metal-based catalysts, (c) avoid tedious processes, harsh conditions, and a multi-step process for the preparation of catalysts, (d) transform phenol and salicyladehyde derivatives into the corresponding coumarin derivatives in good to high yields, (e) minimize hazardous waste generation. TMDP could be easily recovered and reused several times with no change in its activity. Furthermore, the current work demonstrated that the liquid phase of 4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine can be a promising medium in organic reaction at higher temperatures due to its broad liquid range temperature, thermal stability, acceptor/donor hydrogen bond property, and other unique merits. New methodology for the synthesis of coumarines using liquid phase of TMDP under mild conditions.

Automotive Hazardous Waste Management in Automotive Shops of Indonesia’s Metropolitan City. Case Study: Bandung City, West Java Province

Abstract The number of vehicles in Bandung City continues to increase every year in line with the growth of motorized vehicle repair shops, thereby increasing the generation of hazardous waste from automotive shop activities. Based on Indonesia’s Governmental Decree 101 of 2014, vehicle maintenance and repair activities are one of the businesses that produce hazardous waste. This study focused on licensed and unlicensed automotive shops in Bandung City using stratified sampling methods by determining waste generation and composition, evaluating existing management systems, followed by developing management system alternatives. In determining the generation and composition of hazardous waste from automotive shop activities, a sampling of 42 unlicensed automotive shops and 11 unlicensed automotive shops in 3 areas of Bandung City was conducted. Sampling results of hazardous waste generation are 1.83 kg/vehicle/day for motorcycle automotive shops and 6.90 kg/vehicle/day for car automotive shops. The largest composition of hazardous waste produced in licensed shops is used oil with a proportion of 29.60 % and metal scrap component with a proportion of 35.83 % for unlicensed automotive shops. The projection results of hazardous waste generation in 2021 are around 774.26 tonnes/day. If the hazardous waste generated is not properly managed it can pose a risk to human health and the environment. An integrated management system for hazardous waste consists of packaging activity, storage activity, collection, transportation, and recycling activity.

Оцінка потоків небезпечних побутових відходів в Україні

Although hazardous components present a small share of household waste, they are the most problematic fraction requiring special management methods due to their toxicity, and pose a significant danger to the environment and human. The most common hazardous household waste includes batteries, fluorescent lamps, detergents, paints, waste electrical and electronic equipment. In Ukraine, data on this waste generation are incomplete. Companies and organizations submit information on the generation of all waste categories to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Statistical data on the content of hazardous components in household waste are not available, their volume is estimated at 0.5…3 thousand tons/year. The data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine were analyzed and the amount of waste generated in the commercial sector and classified as hazardous household waste was determined. There is a steady decrease in the amount of hazardous household waste generation — almost twice in last 4 years, with electrical appliances as most decreasing (6 times). At the same time, generation of some waste has increased: pesticides; edible oils and fats; contaminated packaging and filter materials and protective clothing; medical equipment and instruments; medical infectious waste. The largest share among hazardous components have used equipment and devices, batteries and accumulators, waste fertilizers, medical waste and edible oils and fats, fluorescent lamps and other mercury-containing waste. The share of hazardous household waste in Ukraine is estimated at 0.03…0.1&nbsp;% or 0.24 kg/year per 1 person, or 0.13…0.26&nbsp;% (up to 0.74 kg/year per 1 person) taking into account the commercial sector. This is an order of magnitude less than in other countries. This may indicate underestimated data due to the inefficiency of the waste accounting system and significantly higher real volume of hazardous household waste. The dynamics of hazardous household waste disposal is positive (an increase of 5 times in recent years), but it is achieved almost exclusively through the disposal of lead batteries, pharmaceuticals, medical infectious waste, medical devices and instruments.

Current Status of the Management of Plant Protection Product Containers in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province, Vietnam

Every year, thousands of tons of plant protection product (PPP) containers are indiscriminately discharged into the environment as toxic waste that has a negative impact on the land, water, and air environment as well as public health. This study surveyed the use of PPPs in rice cultivation, and the generation of hazardous waste (HW) when using pesticides, specifically pesticide packaging and containers in Long Kien and Long Dien B communes, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, Vietnam. Data collection was conducted through direct interviews, mainly collecting personal information of farmers in the surveyed area, the current situation with regard to pesticide use, container management, environmental awareness, and proposals for hazardous waste management from the farmers’ perspectives. The results show that local farmers are aware of the harmful effects of pesticide containers, but they are not able to make use of effective methods of collecting and treating the waste containers properly. Based on the survey results, several solutions are proposed for managing HW in order to reduce environmental pollution from the use of pesticides, minimize the impacts of HW on people's health, and contribute to local sustainable development.

Characteristics of industrial hazardous waste generation in South Korea from 2008 to 2018 based on decoupling and decomposition analysis.

The industrial hazardous waste (IHW) generation to meet consumption is steadily increasing, resulting in environmental, health, and social problems around the world. To address IHW at the source, it is critical to understand the generation characteristics and key drivers on industrial hazardous waste generation (IHWG). This study analysed the generation characteristics of IHW of South Korea from 2008 to 2018 by decoupling and index decomposition analysis using Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model. South Korea presented unstable decoupling of IHWG from economic growth, so more effective waste management regulations are needed to support a stable decoupling. One most critical finding was that the factors of industrial output and industrial characteristic of IHWG-to-energy were major driving factors influencing the increase of IHWG, whereas those of industrial structure and energy efficiency affect to the decrease of IHWG in most industries. In addition, the result clearly confirmed that the contribution of driving factors affecting the IHWG differs by industry. These results provide significant policy insights that the South Korean government needs institutional improvement and refinement of customised IHW management according to the characteristics of IHWG.

Medical waste generation of community health centers (puskesmas) in Magelang Regency, Indonesia

The majority of Magelang Regency’s society is registered as participants and actively uses the Indonesian National Health Insurance (JKN). This makes the active role of Community Health Centers as first level service that takes care of health problems. This has an impact on the amount of hazardous waste by the Community Health Centers activities and how to manage it. The study was carried out to identify and calculate hazardous waste generation in Community Health Centers. The study was conducted using a purposive sampling method by examining the Community Health Centers services (e.g., hospitalization and out-patient care) and analyzing medical waste generation based on SNI 19-3964-1994 standard. The study results indicate that the type of Community Health Centers has an impact on the daily generation and composition of hazardous waste. The composition of non-sharp infectious waste produced was as much as 82%, and that sharp infectious waste was 18% average from hospitalization and out-patient care. The potential for waste generated from Community Health Centers in Magelang Regency is as much as 33.66 kg per day. This needs to be reconciled with the increasing knowledge of health workers and sanitarians in handling this. The generation and composition of hazardous waste in Community Health Centers are influenced by several factors, including the type of Community Health Centers service, the number of patients and treatments provided, and the extent of laboratory services.

Sustainability and recent trends in micro- electric discharge machining (μ-EDM): A state-of-the-art review

In the era of miniature machining, micro Electrical -discharge machining (A thermal energy based materials removal process) is the most recognized non- conventional machining approaches which has the ability to generate complex 2D & 3D shapes on difficult to machine materials in a short time while maintaining high feature quality. Micro-EDM is a noncontact machining process that produces mould cavity and deep holes with less metallurgical losses, stress free and miniaturized features through careful regulation of the electrical and non-electrical process parameters. Input parameters such as current, voltage, and pulse on time, pulse off time and Duty factor play an imperative role to achieve good feature quality. This progressive review of micro–electrical discharge machining studies latest machinable composite materials (conductive), dielectric fluids, issues of surface integrity and various optimization techniques with the perspective of sustainability (i.e. high energy consumption, electrode wear, generation of hazardous dielectric waste, toxic emissions and fire hazard). A brief note on future research trends has been included in the last section. Moreover, recent applications and advantages of micro-EDM machining processes are also presented in this study.

Filtration technology for beer and beer yeast treatment

Solid-liquid filtration processes are crucial for the production of beer. Clarification of the green beer generates a clear and bright product with extended colloidal and microbiological shelf live. Conventionally, clear filtration is based on pre-coat filtration using filter aids, such as diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr). However, the application of Kieselguhr requires strict adherence to occupational safety and health protection, as it is classified as a hazardous substance by the World Health Organisation and can lead to lung diseases. Furthermore, significant amounts of waste filter aids are generated. An alternative to pre-coat filtration is microfiltration that avoids the generation of hazardous wastes. Microfiltration can also be applied in beer yeast treatment. This article highlights major concepts and restriction of the filtration processes.