Environmental Impact Issues Research Articles

Rural Educational Tourism's Potential

Growth trends in life-long learning, and rural tourism indicate potential for the rural educational tourism sector; however; there is very little empirical research on how this niche tourism, which may include activities such as, agricultural school excursions/exchange programmes, “farm-to-table” culinary courses, artisan craft programs, etc., might build local capacity, support sustainable rural economies, and mobilize place-based ways of learning that are required for global sustainability. This research project, which is at the conceptual/exploratory stage, aims to explore the economic, social and environmental impacts of rural educational tourism. There is no existing research that brings together rural development and place-based educational tourism in a Canadian context. Sub-questions with particular relevance to rural development policy and planning include: How was rural educational tourism integrated within a greater economic and learning development strategy? What new roles and competencies did stakeholders require and how were they developed? What changes from traditional forms of policy development were required? How were issues of sustainability, environmental impact, and conservation addressed? How did the quality and quantity of interconnections change? Since educational tourism has received very little research attention, comparative case studies with mixed methods are a suitable approach. I hope to include educational tourism activities in rural Aboriginal communities, pending consultation, and with an understanding of Aboriginal research as being research by and with Aboriginal Peoples. My approach emphasizes and values the existing strengths, assets and knowledge systems of rural communities.

Living with conflicts in Ghana's Prestea mining area: Is community engagement the answer?

Abstract Large scale mines acknowledge that their continuous existence in indigenous communities is threatened without the cooperation and support of local people. In recent times, large-scale mines have attempted to secure Social License to Operate (SLO) and ensure sustainable development (SD) by reconciling business interests with local needs and aspirations. Accomplishing local cooperation and support without threatening business interest remains a top priority for the large-scale mines. Community engagement forms part of the broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy initiatives which are often promoted as a way of enhancing sustainable development. This paper examines the local perceptions of the design and application of Golden Star Resources' (GSR) community engagement program. This paper contends that this community engagement model has a positive impact on conflict management regardless of age, sex, education, marital status and occupation of participants. However, presently the model remains symbolic and has not yet attain the status of a real functional strategy since many of local grievances that result in clashes are unresolved. Furthermore, it is believed that GSR's community engagement program is not adequately developed, systematic or moulded to achieve the exact or intended community relation. This paper further contends that the dominant sources and causes of conflict in Prestea is land use conflicts and environmental impact issues.

Sweet Potato Starch/ Clay Nanocomposite Film: New Material for Emerging Biodegradable Food packaging

Environmental pollution caused by excessive waste from packaging materials drived the researches to develop biodegradable food packaging systems. One possible solution may be the utilization of a range of naturally derived materials. Sweet potato starch (SPS) is a low cost and abundant biodegradable polymer that may be used for packaging. However, starch films are inherently brittle and lack the necessary mechanical integrity for conventional packaging.The incorporation of additives can potentially improve the mechanical properties and process ability of starch films. Biopolymer–clay nanocomposites are new classes of packaging systems with potentially improved mechanical properties. This review discusses the possible uses of natural materials such as clay nanofillers with SPS to develop biodegradable nanocomposite packaging films to address issues of environmental impact, and agricultural sustainability.

A survey of radar systems for medical applications

A survey of radar systems used in the medical field is presented. First, medical applications of radars are described, and some emerging research fields are highlighted. Then, medical radars are analyzed in terms of block diagrams and behavioral equations and some implementations are shown as examples. A section is dedicated to the radiating structures used in these radars. Finally, human safety and environmental impact issues are addressed. The most investigated medical applications of radars are breast tumor diagnostics and remote monitoring of cardiorespiratory activity. New fields of interest are physiological liquid detection, and the monitoring of artery walls and vocal cord movements. Among the various topologies, continuous wave (CW) radars have been proven to yield the highest range resolution that is limited only by the system noise while the resolution of ultra wideband (UWB) and frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars is also related to the used frequency bandwidth. Concerning the maximum range, UWB radars have the best performance due to their ability to operate in the presence of environmental clutter. As for the radiating structures, planar antennas are preferred for diagnostic applications, due to their small dimensions and good matching when placed in contact with the human body. Radar systems for remote monitoring, instead, are designed by using high gain antennas and taking into account the complex radar cross section (RCS) of the body.

Sustainability Assessment of Family House

Sustainable construction of buildings provides an ethical and practical response to issues of environmental impact and resource consumption. Sustainability assumptions include the entire life cycle of the building and its significant components, from resource extraction through disposal at the end of the materials’ useful life. Sustainable building design relies on renewable resources for energy systems, recycling and reuse of water and materials, minimal intervention for landscaping, passive heating, cooling, and ventilation; and other approaches that minimize environmental impact and resource consumption. At present, sustainable buildings are defined by the assessment systems, that rate and certify them. Building assessment systems simply score or rate the effects of a building's design, construction, and operation, among them environmental impacts, resource consumption, and occupant health. Health in building can be deduced by the presence or absence of chemical and biological substances within circulating air, as well as the relative health and wellbeing of the building occupants. Building assessment systems used in the world evaluates various types’ buildings (office, hotels, government buildings, educations, institutional, industrial facilities, facilities of health-care, residential buildings). Assessment systems evaluate new buildings, major renovations or existing buildings. The aim of this paper is to highlight the evaluation of the selected family houses in various categories aimed at location and site, building constructions, energy efficiency, water efficiency and waste.

Global Green Manufacturing Initiatives:A step forward in reducing pollution

Sustainable development is the need of the hour felt throughout the world and work in this direction is aggressively pursued. Energy demand is creating high impact on environment worldwide. Governments of all the nations have developed key policies and strategies to reduce issues of energy efficiency, environmental impact and security and to meet the rising energy demand. Manufacturing companies and technocrats are always trying to invent new materials and improved processes to manufacture better and environmental friendly products, and thus maintain their competitive edge and enhanced profit margin. In this paper various sectors like pharmaceutical, Solar Photovoltaic-Based power Solution for Green Manufacturing industry, Cement & Concrete, Steel construction, Carpet industry, Furniture & Wood product companies, Green Buildings etc have been studied with reference to environmental point of view. In general, most of the manufacturing sectors have initiated Green Manufacturing practices to control emissions affecting global warming and health issues of humanity.

Nanotechnology: legal and ethical issues

Abstract Nanotechnology is a very vast field which includes a range of technologies at the nano scale, such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, genomics, neuroscience, robotics and information technologies. Nanotechnology is the latest technological innovation in global debates on risk regulation and international cooperation. Regulatory bodies have started dealing with the potential risks posed by nanoparticles. Since 2004 the UE has been developing a regulatory policy to tighten control and to improve regulatory adequacy and knowledge of nanotechnology risks. Currently, specific provisions on nanomaterials have been introduced for biocides, cosmetics, food additives, food labelling and materials in contact with foodstuff. The statement that nanotechnologies do inevitably imply ethical questions. The main problems are public trust, potential risks, issues of environmental impact, transparency of information, responsible nanosciences and nanotechnologies research. The aim of this article is to analysis the main problems regulating nanotechnology and some aspects of ethics.

Location strategies and implementations from an eco-friendly viewpoint

This examination of location strategy implementation by Pittsburgh-based service firms, particularly eco-friendly initiatives, was pursued via a case-study approach. The factors selected for comparison were site size and cost; air, rail, highway, and waterway systems; zoning restrictions; proximity to markets/suppliers/competitors; and environmental impact issues. The study included five service-based firms, most of which made decisions concerning new locations within the last few years, and highlighted those factors most significant in the location strategies of local service firms. Findings evidence proximity to market/suppliers/competitors was the most heavily weighted factor in site selection among Pittsburgh-based service firms. The least considered factor in site selection was economic impact. Further, while each firm practiced various eco-friendly initiatives, those initiatives were largely intended to reduce firm costs rather than minimise environmental impact.

The Burden of Shading and Location on the Sustainability of South African Solar Home System Program

Abstract Most contributions on the issues of sustainability of rural electrification projects have focused on the technology and business models used to drive the projects. The issues of user education and environmental impact on the technology have received little attention. This has resulted in short lives of many rural electrification projects after commissioning. The usage pattern of solar home system (SHS) by most users that placed their solar panels close to obstructing objects, which results in shading of the panels, and location of households in the concession areas of South African SHS program is affecting the performances of SHS. The non-optimal use of SHS is as a result of lack of user education. Therefore this paper reports on the impact of location and shading of panels on the economics and technical performance of SHS. The study is achieved by investigating the performances of a 75 W P solar panel operated from two sites in South Africa (Upington in Northern Cape Province and Thlatlaganya in Limpopo Province), the performances of an optimized shaded SHS and a non-shaded one is also investigated. The results shows that both activities compromises the performance of the systems, the energy output of a solar panel located at Upington is increased by 10% and the state of charge of the battery (SOC) increased by 7%, compared to the panel situated at Thlatlaganya village. Also the life span of the battery is increased by about one year. The SOC of the partially shaded SHS is reduced by 22% and loss of power to the load increased by 20%. The geographical location of the SHS concession areas in South Africa and lack of adherence to the manufacturer's installation specification affects the economics of SHS and the energy output vis-a-vis the sustainability of the program due to reduction in life cycle of the batteries.

Life Cycle Assessment of multiyear peach production

Considering that peach is a significant fruit in the Mediterranean countries, and most publications on environmental impacts of fruit productions are based on one single productive year, this study attempts to perform an environmental analysis of peach production using Life Cycle Assessment, in order to provide new information on peaches, and also introduce a multiyear perspective analysis to identify the variability of the environmental impacts related to annual orchard yield and weather variations. The system studied is a peach orchard (Prunus persica L.) with integrated agricultural practices. The study analyses the cultivation period, as well as the impact of the initial orchard establishment tasks (soil preparation and planting). Data used have been collected directly from an orchard located in the North East of Spain, and covers 15 years of real production. The functional unit adopted was the cultivation of 1 kg of peach. Four scenarios have been considered according to the different yield periods of the peach fruit tree: Growth, Low, High and Multiyear. The results of the study reveals that, depending on production scenario considered, the results per kg of peach can vary between 7% and 69% depending on the environmental indicator. If the impact of initial orchard establishment tasks (soil preparation and planting) is not included in the quantification, then 5% of total emissions may be overlooked, but sometimes a lack of data makes it difficult to include these stages. Caution should be taken when the functional unit is related to mass and only when a single year of production is studied, because unproductive years increase impacts on value per functional unit, whereas over-productive years decrease them. According to variability of the results obtained, multiyear approach should be considered in crops with an average life time of twenty years or higher. The present study can be considered a useful methodological framework for providing a deeper understanding of the key environmental impact issues related to fruit production based on peach case study, and how to avoid multiple interpretation of results associated to reporting annual environmental impact variations.

Properties of Special Mortar Made with Raw Waste Material <sup></sup>

The paper deals with the properties of a special mortar using a Waste Paper Sludge Ash (WPSA) from Waste Paper Recycling Industry and Bottom Ash (BA) from Coal Electric Power Stations. Special mortar with some advantages is proposed to give a significant impact for replacing of normal cement mortar. The advantages are approached due to the problem that occurred from collecting raw material such as pollution problems and environmental impact issues. Besides, the raw material sources of cement and sand is limited and this issue engages with the ideas to produce new material in mortar and masonry engineering. A total 72 cubes mortar is cast and determined their properties of chemical and mechanical. The properties of special mortar are compared with other special mortar made of other waste material. The compression strength of special mortar is conducted at the age 3, 7, 28 and 40 days of curing. From the result of chemical properties, it showed that the special mortar created the high compression strength value for all mixes. The compression strength of special mortar is increased by increasing the percentage sand replacement by BA. But, the compression strength is decreased when WPSA is increased. Finally, the special mortar with 100 % BA and 10 % WPSA showed the appropriate proportion for producing special mortar.

Reactivity of Carbon Dioxide on Nickel: Role of CO in the Competing Interplay between Oxygen and Graphene.

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to synthetic fuels and other valuable chemicals is an issue of global environmental and economic impact. In this report we show by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the millibar range that, on a Ni surface, the reduction of carbon dioxide is indirectly governed by the CO chemistry. While the growth of graphene and the carbide-graphene conversion can be controlled by selecting the reaction temperature, oxygen is mainly removed by CO, since oxygen reduction by hydrogen is a slow process on Ni. Even though there is still a consistent pressure gap with respect to industrial reaction conditions, the observed phenomena provide a plausible interpretation of the behavior of Ni/Cu based catalysts for CO2 conversion and account for a possible role of CO in the methanol synthesis process.

Study on the “Roadside Village” Problems in New Rural Area

The construction of “roadway connecting every village” and township roads facilities have played a huge promoting role to the development of villages. However, at the same time of bringing prosperity to the villages, the “roadside economy” has also brought a series of traffic and environmental impact issues. The emergence of “roadside villages” has turned out to be the “cancer” of township development. This paper takes the rural areas of the central and western regions as the main object to study the roadside village phenomenon and its problems, and explores the soft conditions of the villages to search for a win-win mode to achieve both transportation advantages and village development.

Can sustainable cotton production systems be developed for tropical northern Australia?

This article reviews research coordinated by the Australian Cotton Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) that investigated production issues for irrigated cotton at five targeted sites in tropical northern Australia, north of 21°S from Broome in Western Australia to the Burdekin in Queensland. The biotic and abiotic issues for cotton production were investigated with the aim of defining the potential limitations and, where appropriate, building a sustainable technical foundation for a future industry if it were to follow. Key lessons from the Cotton CRC research effort were: (1) limitations thought to be associated with cotton production in northern Australia can be overcome by developing a deep understanding of biotic and environmental constraints, then tailoring and validating production practices; and (2) transplanting of southern farming practices without consideration of local pest, soil and climatic factors is unlikely to succeed. Two grower guides were published which synthesised the research for new growers into a rational blueprint for sustainable cotton production in each region. In addition to crop production and environmental impact issues, the project identified the following as key elements needed to establish new cropping regions in tropical Australia: rigorous quantification of suitable land and sustainable water yields; support from governments; a long-term funding model for locally based research; the inclusion of traditional owners; and development of human capacity.

The trans-national gold curse of Papua New Guinea

This paper reviews gold and copper mining in Papua New Guinea (PNG) along the “triad stakeholder model” (Ballard and Banks 2003) proposing a triad relationship between (1) trans-national mining corporations, (2) the nation-state of Papua New Guinea, and (3) indigenous local communities, their socio-ecological environment and claims. Gold mining could be a huge asset, but turns out to be a curse to the independent part of the world’s second largest island known as “a mountain of gold in a sea of oil.” Our paper is based on research that began during our year-long residency at the country’s only Technical University in Lae. We are discussing several issues related to the nation’s gold resources and their exploitation: varied mining technologies and locations, the environmental impact, economics, human cost and gender issues, indigenous culture versus international corporate culture, state interferences, and urban development. One example is the industrial port city of Lae, founded during the gold rush of the 1920s that inaugurated rapid urban development. Once gloriously known as the “Pearl of the Pacific,” the town experienced administrative expansion and suffered from the subsequent exhaustion of nearby gold mines entailing a reverse development.

Airframe Noise Sources and Reduction Technologies in Aircraft

The continuous increase of the air traffic linked to the operations around airports leads to increase the community noise problem. Aircraft noise is an issue of enormous environmental and technological impact. Projected growth in significant quieting of modern jet engine has brought renewed attention to the nonpropulsive component of aircraft noise. Airframe-generated noise can be the dominant component of the total noise radiated from commercial aircraft, particularly for large aircraft and especially during the landing approach. In this paper, a review of major components of airframe noise and technologies with the greatest potential to reduce airframe noise are presented.

An Overview of Algae Biofuel Production and Potential Environmental Impact

Algae are among the most potentially significant sources of sustainable biofuels in the future of renewable energy. A feedstock with virtually unlimited applicability, algae can metabolize various waste streams (e.g., municipal wastewater, carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas) and produce products with a wide variety of compositions and uses. These products include lipids, which can be processed into biodiesel; carbohydrates, which can be processed into ethanol; and proteins, which can be used for human and animal consumption. Algae are commonly genetically engineered to allow for advantageous process modification or optimization. However, issues remain regarding human exposure to algae-derived toxins, allergens, and carcinogens from both existing and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as well as the overall environmental impact of GMOs. A literature review was performed to highlight issues related to the growth and use of algal products for generating biofuels. Human exposure and environmental impact issues are identified and discussed, as well as current research and development activities of academic, commercial, and governmental groups. It is hoped that the ideas contained in this paper will increase environmental awareness of issues surrounding the production of algae and will help the algae industry develop to its full potential.

ChemInform Abstract: Synthesis of N‐Heterocyclic Compounds over Zeolite Molecular Sieve Catalysts: An Approach Towards Green Chemistry.

AbstractReview: 227 refs.

RO concentrate minimization by electrodialysis: Techno-economic analysis and environmental concerns

This paper presents a systematic techno-economical analysis and an environmental impact evaluation of a reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate treatment process using electrodialysis (ED) in view of environmental management of brine discharges. The concentrate originates from a secondary effluent treated by RO. Without any treatment, the concentrate would have to be discharged; this is compared in this study to the costs and benefits of an effective treatment method in a pilot scale ED plant. A technical analysis was done both on lab scale and pilot scale for the determination of operational and maintenance costs for the ED installation at the required conditions of process performance and safety. Subsequently, an economical analysis was done to calculate the cost of the different parts of the ED system. It was shown that an operational cost of 0.19 EUR m(-3) can be achieved, assuming that the ED concentrate is to decarbonated at pH 6.0 to prevent membrane scaling. Finally, environmental impact issues were calculated and discussed for the overall system. Results imply that if renewable energy is applied for the ED power source, CO(2) emission from membrane processes can be much less than from the conventional treatment methods.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of a CNG cylinder rack connection to a bus roof

From our perspective, a global technology development should be focused on resolving the issues of environmental impact and conservation of available natural energy resources. New technological solutions and alternative fuels, such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), have increasingly more application for modern engines and vehicles. If we take into account the situation in city transport, where primarily vehicles with diesel engines are used, a strategic proposal is to begin by retrofitting these into bi-fuel or dedicated Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs). This paper analyzes the retrofit of a diesel bus into dedicated NGV. To confirm the safety of the vehicle in city transport, we addressed the problem of mounting a gas rack with CNG cylinders on the roof of a retrofitted city bus, according to UN ECE Regulation No. 110. This assembly is the most critical part of the retrofitted bus because of the concentration of stress due to increased mass and the application of a specific installation for supply of CNG from the cylinders to the engine. These regulations must be met in all parts of the vehicle, but we only focused on those areas affected by the retrofit to NGV.