Location For Disposal Research Articles

An Assessment of Very High Earth Orbits

It is argued that the properties of the upper region of high Earth orbits (above half a million kilometres altitude) differ markedly from the lower region, and should be given a separate designation when considering the utilisation of its special properties. These Very High Earth Orbits (VHEOs) represents 96% of the space dominated by Earth’s gravity. They are slightly easier to reach than Geostationary orbit, and once achieved have orbit manoeuvring requirements an order of magnitude lower than in other Earth orbits. It has the ability to create constellations that could create giant interferometric telescope arrays, or interplanetary communications systems without interruptions from solar eclipses. It is also the most practical location for nuclear waste disposal. In the longer term, Very High Earth Orbits are the best location for space colonies providing permanent human settlement of space. Keywords: Very High Earth Orbits, Space Infrastructure, Radio Astronomy, Nuclear Waste Disposal, Space Colonisation

Selecting effluent outfall location in small rivers using proper water quality models based on effluent and local characteristics

ABSTRACT This study presents a methodology to determine the appropriate location for effluent disposal in a low-flow river using numerical modelling, via a case study of a river located in Southern Brazil, considering disposal of landfill leachate with known characteristics. There are four key steps: 1) a principal component analysis (PCA) for a set of representative parameters; 2) a decision flowchart for proper water quality models; 3) a modified Water Quality Index (WQI) using the resulting concentrations and 4) simulation on 1D and 2D models and WQI calculation and evaluation. The PCA highlights eight relevant parameters: ammonia (NH3), chloride (Cl−), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total phosp horus, nitrite (NO2 −), nitrate (NO3 −), dissolved oxygen (DO) and total dissolved solids. Two models were considered suitable: HEC-RAS (1D) and SisBaHiA (2DH). After simulating the parameters in both models, a WQI was calculated for each location. Both HEC-RAS and SisBaHiA lead to the same effluent outfall location, showing that spatial discretisation does not affect the results.

Selecting an Appropriate Location for Solid Waste Disposal in Tepi Town Using GIS and MCE Assessments, Tepi, Yeki, Southern Nation, Ethiopia

Selecting an Appropriate Location for Solid Waste Disposal in Tepi Town Using GIS and MCE Assessments, Tepi, Yeki, Southern Nation, Ethiopia

Pengelolaan Sampah Plastik Berbasis Ecobrick Sebagai Karya Pengrajin Masyarakat Desa Suka Karya Simeulue Tengah

Ecobricks are plastic bottles filled with non-biological waste that can be made into building blocks and crafts. Ecobrick is a collaboration-based technology that can be used as a solution to solve the plastic waste problem without incurring significant costs. This method is an innovative method to solve the problem of plastic waste that is difficult to decompose in nature. West Suka Karya Simuelue Village is a coastal area that serves as a central location for plastic waste disposal for the local community. The problem that arises is that the villagers of Suka Karya, Simeulue Tengah lack knowledge about plastic waste management. Community service activities in Suka Karya village, Simeulue Tengah are contributing to solving the problem of plastic waste management, including the production of eco-bricks with the community as a handicraft. At the end of this activity, it can be concluded that the residents of Suka Karya West Simeulue village were able to train artisans to make canvas flowers from plastic waste using the eco-bricks method.

Evaluation of site selections for solid waste landfill by using GIS in Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province, Vietnam.

Selecting the location for domestic waste disposal and waste treatment plant is a crucial issue as it directs impacts on health-related, social and environmental factors. One of the effective tools for solving this problem is Geographic Information System (GIS) which employs Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA). This research aims to identify the optimal locations to evaluate the existing solid waste landfill site and waste treatment plant for land use planning in Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province for reducing the plastic waste leaking into the ocean. The island is categorized as the urban at small scale with population of 100,000 to 500,000; construction of waste treatment facilities (middle scale) with the capacity of 500 tons per day is now planned. These contents of this study are the new contributions to the methodology for data processing and data collection. The main research methods were applied to geo-spatial data collection derived from maps, satellite imagery, and existing local land use planning information. The criteria for site selections for solid waste landfill were chosen under Vietnamese construction standards and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Construction, international regulation, and the provincial policy. Then Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS processes were based on 9 main factors such as (1) distance to an urban area, (2) distance to a rural village, (3) distance to the water surface, (4) distance to roads, (5) distance to electrical supply stations, (6) distance to industrial zones, (7) distance to waste disposal, (8) compliance with the local land use planning, and (9) agreement for approval for site locations for solid waste landfill from the local community. National standard requirements for waste landfill site selection are adjusted to meet the local context. The updated land use data source is applied, and the recommendation for the suitability of the waste landfill sites is formulated. Study results showed that there are four potential sites located in Cua Can, Bai Thom, and Ham Ninh communes with a total area of 84.5 hectares. These areas are identified to be very suitable for solid waste landfill locations and location of waste treatment plants; and corresponding to the land use planning of the local government. The results of the study also recommend policies and solutions for environmental management in the coastal area of Phu Quoc island.

A grey ordinal priority approach for healthcare waste disposal location selection

PurposeIncreasing public consciousness and demand for sustainable environment make selection of a safe location for effective disposal of healthcare waste (HCW) a challenging issue. This problem becomes more complicated due to involvement of multiple decision makers having varying knowledge and interest, conflicting quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria, and presence of several alternative locations.Design/methodology/approachTo efficiently resolve the problem, the past researchers have already coupled different multi-criteria decision-making tools with uncertainty models and criteria weight measurement techniques, which are time-consuming and highly computationally complex. Based on involvement of a group of experts expressing their opinions with respect to relative importance of criteria and performance of alternative locations against each criterion, this paper proposes application of ordinal priority approach (OPA) integrated with grey numbers to solve an HCW disposal location selection problem.FindingsThe grey OPA can simultaneously estimate weights of the experts, criteria and locations relieving the decision makers from complicated computational steps. The potentiality of grey OPA in solving an HCW disposal location selection problem is demonstrated here using an illustrative example consisting of three experts, six criteria and four alternative locations.Originality/valueThe derived results show that it can be employed to deal with real-time HCW disposal location selection problems in uncertain environment providing acceptable and robust decisions. It relieves the experts from pair-wise comparisons of criteria, normalization of data, identification of ideal and anti-ideal solutions, aggregation of information and so on, while arriving at the most consistent decision with minimum computational effort.

A system dynamics approach for large-scale water treatment plant sludge management: A case study in Brazil

A simulation model for water treatment plant sludge management was proposed, based on the system dynamics approach. This model can be extended to the sludge management of a sanitation system (WTP + WWTP). The model is useful for the selection of the best destination for the sludge generated in treatment plants based on the various changes that a decision can have throughout the operation of the sanitation system. The applicability of the proposed model was tested in a case study of WTPs 3 and 4 and the Anhumas Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Campinas, the main city of the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí river basin, an important area of water resource management in Brazil. The developed model can be used by treatment plants to: select the best final destination option according to treatment technologies; select the best location for final disposal, considering transport, disposal and storage costs; verify the influence on treatment costs to adapt to a pre-defined final destination for joint management; or compare beneficial disposal costs with landfill disposal costs. The model was developed to allow for gradual increase in acceptance of the residue over time. By establishing this variable, slightly lower final costs were observed in the scenario of sending the sludge with aluminum coagulant to ceramic industries, compared to sending it to landfill, in the case study used for model development. Despite the interesting results, these values should be considered only indicative. Therefore, it can be stated that the major challenge to using the SD model is the accurate and appropriate data collection for correct simulation, as well as its historical series, for accurate evaluation of the viability of the model. The proposed simulation methods showed greater sensitivity to treatment costs, highlighting the importance of beneficial use of the proposed sludge to the technologies employed for water and sludge treatment.

How Patients Dispose of Unused Prescription Opioids: A Survey of over 300 Postoperative Patients

IntroductionDiversion of unused prescription opioids is a common source of opioid sensitization in the community. Educating patients about safe opioid use has been shown to be effective in decreasing opioid use. However, decreasing diversion will also require educating patients on proper opioid disposal. A survey was administered to better understand patients’ habits with opioid disposal for opioids prescribed after orthopedic surgery.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study of 469 patients who had undergone orthopedic surgery was conducted to learn their preferences and habits regarding the disposal of unused prescription opioids received after orthopedic surgery.ResultsThe survey respondents consisted of 48.8% female and 51.2% male patients. Ninety-four point two percent (94.2%) of those receiving opioid prescriptions reported having leftover unused opioids. In terms of voluntary disposal, 68.8% claimed to dispose of their prescription opioids while 31.2% did not. Gender, but not age, had a significant effect on plans for opioid disposal and how seriously respondents viewed issues of opioid misuse. When asked their preferred location for prescription opioid disposal, the most common preference was a local pharmacy.DiscussionThis survey identified that most patients do not store their prescription opioids in a locked location, claim to dispose of their unused prescription opioids, and would prefer to dispose of them at a pharmacy if possible. This information points to the need for close prescriber-to-pharmacy collaboration to promote the safe disposal of prescription opioids and mitigate drug diversion.

MULTI-CRITERIA ASSESSMENT (MCA) AND SELECTION OF A SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITE WITHIN WA MUNICIPALITY, UPPER WEST REGION, GHANA

Municipal solid waste management is a problem in most developing countries of the world. This is because of its nature, quantity generated, cost of transportation and the selection of final storage sites, which together presents a huge challenge for most municipalities. Improper solid waste disposal has serious environmental consequences which ultimately affects human health. The most common problems associated with improper selection and management of final waste disposal sites for solid waste include disease transmission, fire hazards, odour nuisance, air and water pollution, aesthetic nuisance. Economic cost arising from transportation due to long distances of travel to deposit solid waste also discourage the use of waste disposal sites. Municipal solid waste management is considered one of the most serious environmental and social problems faced by municipal authorities in developing countries.. This work considered the selection of a suitable site for the disposal of municipal solid waste generated within the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region of Ghana, using Multi-Criteria Evaluation technique in G.I.S. To determine the most suitable waste disposal sites in the municipality, the study integrated environmental and socio-economic criteria including proximity to road networks, distance to residential and important built-up areas, water bodies to select the most optimal location for waste disposal. The results showed a total of three (3) proposed suitable sites, out of which a site with reasonably optimal distance as well as easily accessible to roads was preferred as the most suitable site for the municipal solid waste disposal (landfill) in the Wa Municipality.

Circle Economy in Mining Industry-Hydraulic Backfill Use in Velenje Coal Mine

Adverse impacts on human environment are growing daily. Possible new locations for mining activities in Slovenia and worldwide are becoming very scarce. Particularly sensitive issue usually is to find appropriate location for disposal of mining waste, generated by process of excavation and processing/transformation of metal/non-metal minerals and coal. By establishing of closed ecological and technological circle of winning, processing or energy transformation and returning mining waste materials into excavated open space it is possible to organize environment friendly, sustainable metal/non-metal/coal mining or circle economy in mining industry. By depositing mining waste into underground space, earth surface can be disburdened. Suitable location should take existing natural barriers into account otherwise technical measures have to be taken to protect surrounding formation against adverse impact. Essential conditions for underground mining and processing or transformation mining waste depositing is reliable and durable protection against spreading of adverse impact of deposited waste materials into surroundings, particularly in hydrosphere. For this, natural and/or technical barriers should be thoroughly used. The good results of this research should assure by selection of appropriate waste materials mixtures preparation, transport and deposition by proper technology, future mining to be ecologically sustainable/green and economically effective. A brief outline of backfilling by thick suspension mixtures performed in Velenje coal mine will be presented.

The spatial and planning aspect of solving the issue of radioactive waste disposal in the Republic of Serbia

In the Republic of Serbia, radioactive waste has been stored for many years at the Vinca location near Belgrade. However, the location is not suitable for this purpose. It is necessary to define a location for radioactive waste disposal in Serbia in accordance with international criteria, strict spatial conditions, and planning solutions of national interest. The need to conduct research that will define potential zones for radioactive waste disposal is the basic starting point in this paper. The framework of the research is the development of the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia from 2021 to 2035, on the basis of which it is possible to determine potential zones for the construction of a radioactive waste disposal. In this paper, the authors present the results of research on spatial constraints from the aspects of geological and hydrological conditions, spatial protection, and distribution of the population, settlements and buildings, etc. A special contribution it makes is the additional analysis of conditionality in relation to the planned purposes and activities of national and priority importance in Serbia. The collection, processing, and presentation of spatial data is the result of analyses conducted with the support of geographic information systems. The research contributes to a definition of potential zones, within the scope of which it is necessary to conduct further research and select the optimal location for a radioactive waste disposal. The paper provides methodological guidelines for further scientific research into the spatial aspects of radioactive waste disposal in Serbia, at the same time pointing out possible directions for further resolution of this issue in practice.

Failure analysis of the rainwater axial pumps installed in a wastewater pumping station

A strategy of urban sewage centralized management is implemented in the most cities (e.g. Timisoara). All wastewater is collected and conveyed to a central location for treatment or disposal. In the urban area, the rainwater is embedded in the wastewater management. Seven rainwater pumps are installed in a wastewater treatment plant to protect it against flooding. This type of pumps is vertically installed in Timisoara’s wastewater treatment plant in order to pump the additional rainwater protecting it. Several catastrophic events have been occurred at the rainwater pumps tacking them out of service after a limited operation time. The fastening bolts of the blades are brittle broken due to the clog of the impeller with waste rag balls. The cumulated operation time is examined for each rainwater pump together with the catastrophic events identified in service. The mechanical properties of the waste fibres are experimentally determined with respect to it area in order to assess the clog/rag conditions corresponding to the clearance between the impeller blades and housing. Next, the inertial torque associated to the rotating parts of the rainwater pump is estimated to check the level when sudden locking occurs due to the impeller clogging. The maximum stress level of the fastening bolts is exceeded when the impeller is partially clogged or ragged. As a result, the root cause of the problem is associated with the ragging level of the impeller. A solution is proposed to avoid these problems.

Municipal solid waste landfill siting by using GIS and analytical hierarchy process (AHP): a case study in Qom city, Iran

Qom is the eighth most populated city in center of Iran, and its population growth rate is among the highest in this country. Th presence of a Great Salt Lake, petroleum potential and tourism attractions in this city sheds light on the importance of how solid waste landfill locations should be disposed, located and managed as an environmental issue. Considering the key parameters in landfill site selection, in this study a series of location analysis have been conducted to locate optimum regions for municipal solid waste disposal, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS). The main factors in selecting the suitable location for waste disposal include geomorphology–hydrography, environmental–social factors and design criteria, each of which are subdivided into several categories. Criteria are selected according to the regional condition; therefore, important factors such as distance from sea and forested areas were not considered. In the next step, digital layers are weighted and classified according to the available standards and expert judgment. Then, analytical multi-criteria decision-making algorithms as AHP and weighted linear combination are applied upon existing layers in GIS. The results show that by implementing the AHP method in this region only 7% of the study area has a very good and appropriate condition for landfill location and the field observation confirms them. Finally, considering the environmental effects of landfill, appropriate locations are suggested.

Identifying Optimum Sites for Safe Dumping of Rural Waste by Combining the AHP and DRASTIC Methods in the GIS Environment (Case Study: Shavur District, Shoosh County)

Identifying Optimum Sites for Safe Dumping of Rural Waste by Combining the AHP and DRASTIC Methods in the GIS Environment (Case Study: Shavur District, Shoosh County)

Piloting a low-cost hardware intervention to reduce improper disposal of solid waste in communal toilets in low-income settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh

BackgroundBangladesh faces daunting challenges in addressing the sanitation needs of its urban poor. Maintaining the cleanliness and functionality of communal toilets is dependent upon periodic emptying of fecal sludge, and cooperation between users of communal toilets. Trash disposal into latrines can block the outflow pipes, rendering the toilets non-functional.MethodsPre-intervention: We conducted in-depth interviews with five operators of fecal sludge emptying equipment and five adult residents who were also caregivers of children. We identified factors contributing to improper disposal of trash into communal toilets, a barrier to operation of the equipment, in low-income communities of Dhaka, Bangladesh.Intervention design: We developed behavior change communication materials to discourage waste disposal in toilets, and promote use of waste bins. We conducted six focus group discussions with adult male, female, landlord and children to select the preferred design for waste bins to be placed inside toilets, and finalize communication materials.Post-intervention: We then pilot-tested an intervention package to promote appropriate trash disposal practices and thus facilitate periodic removal of fecal sludge when the latrine pits become full. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with community residents, landlords and cleaners of communal toilets.ResultsBarriers to appropriate waste disposal included lack of private location for disposal of menstrual hygiene products, limited options for formal trash collection and disposal, and the use of plastic bags for disposing children’s feces. A pilot intervention including behavior change communication and trash bins was implemented in two urban slum communities. Spot checks confirmed that the bins were in place and used. Respondents described positive improvements in the appearance of the toilet and surrounding environment.ConclusionThe current practice on the part of local residents of disposing of waste into toilets impedes the safe removal of fecal sludge and impairs toilet functionality. Residents reported positive changes in toilet cleanliness and usability resulting from this intervention, and this both improves the user experience with toilets, and also promotes the sustainability of the entrepreneurial model of Vacutug operators supported by WSUP.

Solving multi-objective facility location problem using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and goal programming: a case study on infectious waste disposal centers

The selection of a suitable location for infectious waste disposal is one of the major problems in waste management. Determining the location of infectious waste disposal centers is a difficult and complex process because it requires combining social and environmental factors that are hard to interpret, and cost factors that require the allocation of resources. Additionally, it depends on several regulations. Based on the actual conditions of a case study, forty hospitals and three candidate municipalities in the sub-Northeast region of Thailand, we considered multiple factors such as infrastructure, geological and social & environmental factors, calculating global priority weights using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). After that, a new multi-objective facility location problem model which combines FAHP and goal programming (GP), namely the FAHP-GP model, was tested. The proposed model can lead to selecting new suitable locations for infectious waste disposal by considering both total cost and final priority weight objectives. The novelty of the proposed model is the simultaneous combination of relevant factors that are difficult to interpret and cost factors, which require the allocation of resources.

Taking stock of medication wastage: Unused medications in US households.

Despite the potential deleterious impact on patient safety, environmental safety and health care expenditures, the extent of unused prescription medications in US households and reasons for nonuse remain unknown. To estimate the extent, type and cost of unused medications and the reasons for their nonuse among US households. A cross-sectional, observational two-phased study was conducted using a convenience sample in Southern California. A web-based survey (Phase I, n=238) at one health sciences institution and paper-based survey (Phase II, n=68) at planned drug take-back events at three community pharmacies were conducted. The extent, type, and cost of unused medications and the reasons for their nonuse were collected. Approximately 2 of 3 prescription medications were reported unused; disease/condition improved (42.4%), forgetfulness (5.8%) and side effects (6.5%) were reasons cited for their nonuse. "Throwing medications in the trash" was found being the common method of disposal (63%). In phase I, pain medications (23.3%) and antibiotics (18%) were most commonly reported as unused, whereas in Phase II, 17% of medications for chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease) and 8.3% for mental health problems were commonly reported as unused. Phase II participants indicated pharmacy as a preferred location for drug disposal. The total estimated cost for unused medications was approximately $59,264.20 (average retail Rx price) to $152,014.89 (AWP) from both phases, borne largely by private health insurance. When extrapolated to a national level, it was approximately $2.4B for elderly taking five prescription medications to $5.4B for the 52% of US adults who take one prescription medication daily. Two out of three dispensed medications were unused, with national projected costs ranging from $2.4B to $5.4B. This wastage raises concerns about adherence, cost and safety; additionally, it points to the need for public awareness and policy to reduce wastage. Pharmacists can play an important role by educating patients both on appropriate medication use and disposal.

Application of multicriterional analysis on the selection of the location for disposal of communal waste

This paper presents the application of the promethee methods and geometrical representation of multicriterional analysis ( gaia) on an actual example of the selection of the location for the disposal of communal waste in the region Gorenjska in Slovenia. In addition to the model presentation the paper deals with the application of the method in the function of decision making on investments which is necessary to make the actual existing locations environmentally acceptable.

Designing open water disposal for dredged muddy sediments

Open water disposal of muddy sediments in the estuarine environment is practiced to minimize dredging costs and to preserve contained disposal site capacity. Open water sites are usually either dispersive or retentive. Dispersive sites are used in the expectation that disposed sediments will not remain there, but will be transported out of the site, leaving room for additional disposal. Retentive sites are designed to ensure that disposed sediments mostly remain within the site. Choice of one of these approaches depends on the site character, sediment character, and disposal quantities. Design of disposal management plans for both site types is accomplished by use of field observations, laboratory tests, and numerical modeling. Three disposal site studies illustrate the methods used. At the Alcatraz site in San Francisco Bay, a dispersive condition is maintained by use of constraints on dredged mud characteristics that were developed from laboratory tests on erosion rates and from numerical modeling of the dump process. Field experiments were designed to evaluate the management procedure. In Corpus Christi Bay a numerical model was used to determine how much disposed sediment returns to the navigation channel, and to devise a location for disposal that will minimize that return. In Puget Sound a model has been used to ensure that most of the disposed material remains in the site. New techniques, including a piped disposal through 60 m of water, were investigated.