Perspective Of Environmental Protection Research Articles

Key Vulnerabilities and Limitations in the Management of Hazardous Waste and Its Disposal: A Checklist Assessment Tool

From an environmental protection perspective, the crucial issues pertaining to the policing of hazardous waste relate to both the vulnerabilities and limitations of current practices, and the potential issues that demand attention in the here and now, to alleviate future calamity. This paper describes the process involved in developing a vulnerabilities and limitations checklist that provides a relatively simple yet multi-pronged approach to assessing present and future environmental harms and crimes within the hazardous waste sector. Although it was not the intention of the authors to develop a generic checklist, this tool may prove useful to other industry sectors.

D01 3D-CFDによる家庭用スターリング冷凍機の往復流れ場解析(再生熱交換器(蓄熱器,蓄冷気,スタック)の基本特性並びに機器性能との関連)

This paper refers to experimental and analytical evaluation of the flow field in the workspace of a Stirling refrigerator. Recently, from the perspective of global environmental protection, Stirling cycle equipment that is high in efficiency and alleviates the burden on the global environment is increasingly gaining attention. To improve the efficiency of an actual Stirling refrigerator, it is necessary to understand fluid behavior under the oscillating flow condition in the regenerator and the heat exchanger. In particular, understanding the flow in the regenerator is required for the design of an active-type regenerator accompanied by change in the bulk density of heat storage material. The 3D-CFD approach is used to conduct a trial analysis of gas behavior in the workspace of a household Stirling refrigerator, and we have successfully ascertained the relevant basic gas flow characteristics, which are reported in this paper.

Twelve-year monitoring of the idle Etrez salt cavern

In 2001, a paper describing a salt-cavern abandonment test was published in this journal [1]. This test was motivated by concerns raised by the long-term behaviour of abandoned salt caverns, which are leached out from salt formations, having depths ranging from 200 to 2000 m and typical volumes from 10,000 to 1,000,000 m. Thousands of such caverns have been created, and are used for brine production and/or hydrocarbon storage. These caverns eventually will be abandoned: the cavern will be filled with brine, a special plug will be set at the casing seat, and cement will be poured in the well. A large ‘‘bubble’’ of saturated brine will be isolated. The long-term evolution of this brine is a serious concern. After cavern plugging, cavern brine pressure will increase, as has been proved by numerous ‘‘shut-in pressure tests’’ performed worldwide [2,3]. The final value of cavern brine pressure is of utmost importance from the perspective of environmental protection. In some circumstances, brine pressure may reach a figure larger than the geostatic pressure, leading to hydrofracturing: brine will flow upward through fractures to shallow water-bearing strata, leading to water pollution, ground subsidence and possible cavern collapse. Pressure evolution in a closed cavern results from four main factors: cavern creep closure, brine thermal expansion, brine permeation through the cavern walls and brine leaks.

A review on carbon nanotubes in an environmental protection and green engineering perspective

Recent developments in nanotechnologies have helped to benchmark carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as one of the most studied nanomaterials. By taking advantages of CNTs extraordinary physical, chemical and electronic properties, a wide variety of applications has been proposed in various engineering fields. In this short review, the contribution of CNTs is addressed in terms of sustainable environment and green technologies perspective, such as waste water treatment, air pollution monitoring, biotechnologies, renewable energy technologies, supercapacitors and green nanocomposites. Consideration of CNTs for large scale application from the aspect of cost and potential hazards are also discussed. Based on the literature studied, CNTs pose a great potential as a promising material for application in various environmental fields.

The Use of Helicopters for Leisure Purposes in the Alps

AbstractIn mountain areas helicopters are used for the transport of tourists, panoramic and gastronomic flights and several sports activities such as heliskiing. Their use for tourist activities is subject of considerable criticism from a perspective of environmental protection as well as sports ethics. The legal regime governing these activities has, however, received rather scarce attention. The article discusses the provisions of the protocols of the Alpine Convention on this matter and assesses the national civil aviation laws and the environmental regulations on the use of helicopters for tourist activities. The last part addresses the contribution of the European Union by means of harmonisation of the national laws of its Member States.

Environmental impact assessment for ionising radiation within the Arctic

The Arctic environment is unique in terms of many factors that may influence the behaviour and fate of contaminants including the presence of permafrost, low temperatures, slow breakdown of organic compounds, short food chains and long recovery times for some species. This study introduces the issues surrounding the development of a bespoke environmental impact assessment methodology specifically for the consideration of radiation impacts on Arctic ecosystems. The approach allows for the impact on plants and animals from exposure to radiation to be quantified in a robust manner through integration of our current knowledge concerning transfer in the environment, resultant dose-rates from the presence of radioactivity within biota and their media and information concerning radiobiological effects on endpoints of concern from an environmental protection perspective.

Preserving a Historic National Park Roadway

The Hermit Road is a historic roadway in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. It was first constructed in 1912 by the Santa Fe Railroad and improved from 1934 to 1935 by the Bureau of Public Roads and the National Park Service. An 8-mi scenic roadway along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, the Hermit Road offers several overlooks and parking areas that give the visitor breathtaking views of one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The original design of this roadway reflects many features of context-sensitive design. Historic features of the roadway include stone masonry walls at overlooks and pullouts, weep holes in masonry walls, and stone culvert headwalls. After seven decades, the Hermit Road was showing its age. The National Park Service faced the challenge of how to retain a high level of historic integrity while also rehabilitating and improving the Hermit Road. The pavement surface was in poor repair; some of the road and overlook historic features were endangered. The narrow road, 18 to 20 ft wide, presented a safety concern. Improvements constructed in 2008 included widening and resurfacing; the enhancement of existing overlooks, parking areas, and trails; and the addition of a pedestrian and bicycle trail on a separate alignment. These improvements were accomplished with minimal impact on historic and natural resources. This paper describes the environmental compliance process, roadway design issues, and how historic integrity was generally retained in the roadway design. The perspectives of historic preservation, environmental protection, resource conservation, and roadway design are presented.

Quantification and characterization of discarded batteries in Yaoundé, from the perspective of health, safety and environmental protection

Exhausted portable batteries collected from the uncontrolled dumping in Yaoundé (Cameroon) are mostly composed of non-rechargeable batteries of type D, type AA, type AAA with minor contribution of type C, type 123, type 9-volt and rechargeable batteries of type AAA. These batteries wastes belong to the carbon zinc, alkaline manganese, NiMH and Lithium chemical systems with 98.12%, 1.00%, 0.53% and 0.35%, respectively, based on the total of 2287 battery waste units collected. However, no battery shows any label about the sound disposal of these batteries at their end-of-life. Several countries forming 83 trademarks are labeled as countries of origin of these battery wastes with China making 66.33% alone. The sole domestic trademark makes 25.74% of these battery wastes and the remaining 7.93% for other countries. Fifty-two percentage of these battery waste units are labeled as containing 0.01–0.025% of mercury, and 3% marked as mercury-free; 45% have no labeling indicating the added mercury. For cadmium, 3% are marked cadmium-free, and 97% do not show any labeling on the added cadmium. These batteries wastes will mostly end up in fire by the uncontrolled burning process despite the cautionary notes warning against such practices. This study highlights the problem of a local mismanagement of portable battery wastes in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Then, these batteries will release hazardous substances such as mercury and cadmium into the local environment. These substances have hazardous properties on the health and environment with regional and even though global impacts beyond the local scale of releasing. Then, to reverse the situation in a developing country such as Cameroon, with most batteries from foreign countries, a better labeling of batteries is needed coupled with the implementation of an import fee system that will support a separate collection of waste batteries and shipped them back to the principal producer countries or companies for reprocessing or safe disposal. The domestic recycling seems to be difficult in this context since the quantity of battery wastes available may not sustain this process.

Nano-Immunodetection and Quantification of Mycobacteria in Metalworking Fluids

The accurate detection and enumeration of mycobacteria in metalworking fluids (MWFs) is imperative from an environmental protection and occupational health perspective. We report here on a comparis...

The mechanisms of reduction of hexavalent chromium by green rust sodium sulphate: Formation of Cr-goethite

The molecular-level processes that control green rust sodium sulphate ( GR Na , SO 4 ) reaction with chromate were studied using high-resolution techniques. Changes in solid morphology, structure and composition were observed with atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results suggest the following mechanisms: Chromate replaces sulphate in the GR interlayer and is reduced by Fe(II). Formation of sparingly soluble Cr(III)-solid blocks further chromate entry, but Cr(VI) reduction continues at the GR solid/solution interface. Electron transfer from the centre of the GR crystals to the surface facilitates rapid reaction. Less stable zones of the reacted GR Na , SO 4 dissolve and amorphous Cr(III),Fe(III)-solid forms. During equilibration, Cr-substituted goethite evolves in association with remaining GR Na , SO 4 , fed by material from the amorphous phase and dissolving oxidised GR. In contrast, previous Cr(VI) experiments with the carbonate form of GR, GR CO 3 , have suggested only reaction and deposition at the surface. From the perspective of environmental protection, these results have important implications. Goethite is sparingly soluble and the inclusion of Cr(III) as a solid-solution makes it even less soluble. Compared to Cr adsorbed at the surface of an Fe(III)-phase, Cr(III) incorporated in goethite is much less likely to be released back to groundwater.

Advances in materials for direct metal laser sintering : F. Petzold et al. (Fraunhofer Inst., IFAM., Bremen, Germany)

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely used in electronic products. However, disposal of these spent LIBs containing heavy metals will result in environmental pollution. Therefore, the recycling of spent LIBs has become highly desirable from the perspective of both resource conservation and environmental protection. Discharging is an essential pre-treatment to decrease the risk of following process, such as dismantling or crushing. Taking both discharge efficiency and environmental impact into account, this work analyzed the discharge process of both chemical and physical discharging systematically. Different solutions and conductive metal powder were evaluated according to their discharge efficiency and stability. The gaseous, liquid, and solid pollutants from discharge process were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. FeSO4 solution turned out to be the most environmentally friendly among NaCl solution and MnSO4 solution. Large-scale discharge models were designed based on the results. The quick discharge model using FeSO4 solution reduces the residual voltage to 1.0 V within 125 min; the full discharge model using both NaCl solution and FeSO4 solution reduces the residual voltage to 0.5 V or lower within 183 min.

Environmental Concerns in the Hong Kong Construction Industry: An Empirical Study

This research investigates the management concerns, or attitude of the Hong Kong construction industry towards the implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS), which provides a framework for the industry for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining environmental policies. The attitude is characterised in the dimensions of perspective of environmental protection, environmental audit system, employee awareness of responsibility, ISO14000 certification, practical participation in environmental control, and the understanding of the motivation in implementing the EMS. A questionnaire survey and field interviews were conducted and some key findings are summarized as the following. All companies understand that environmental management is another key factor in management. But operational cost is still a very important factor. Large companies would allocate resources in the implementation stage of EMS, while small/medium ones gave priority to the planning stage. The companies have adopted environmental management in their construction projects mainly at the request of legislation regulations and the client’s requirement. Business reputation and compliance of regulations are the most important when a company considers environmental management in its corporate strategy. Government legislation and regulations are found to be the most important motivation factors for EMS implementation. The companies have indicated that it is worthwhile to invest in the EMS, and expect these investments to be paid back in around 5 years. The direct operational areas, such as energy usage or waste management, obtained high degrees of participation. But some ‘soft’ areas, such as communication relations and nature conservation received lower degrees of participation. Finally, the result clearly confirmes the importance of the top management commitment.

Pesticide exports from U.S. ports, 1997-2000.

U.S. Customs records reveal that 3.2 billion pounds of pesticide products were exported in 1997-2000, an average rate of 45 tons per hour. Nearly 65 million pounds of the exported pesticides were either forbidden or severely restricted in the United States; however, no banned pesticide export was recorded for the year 2000. 2.2 million pounds of pesticides regulated under a treaty on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were exported between 1997 and 1999, with no such export in 2000. Exports of pesticides subject to the prior informed consent (PIC) treaty decreased 97% from the 1997 total of nearly 3 million pounds. Thus, international efforts to reduce the trade in hazardous pesticides may be bearing fruit. However, they are balanced by high rates of export of pesticides designated "extremely hazardous" by the WHO (89 million pounds), pesticides associated with cancer (170 million pounds), and pesticides associated with endocrine disrupting effects (368 million pounds), mostly to developing countries. These findings point in two directions: first, progress is possible, and second, the focus of international efforts should be expanded. From public health and environmental protection perspectives, exports of hazardous pesticides remain unacceptably high.

MAPS OF USE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE BURYAT REPUBLIC

A team of Russian geographers describes the development of a program for mapping land use/resource development and the condition of the environment in Russia's Buryat Republic. Three ecological maps recently compiled in the Republic, using a single cartographic base and employing standardized methods, are described. The last such map is a map of environmental use that reflects both a resource-development and an environmental-protection perspective. The article includes detailed examples of the legend of the latter map. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1998, No. 3, pp. 23-29.

Environmental management of tourist caves

In terms of the flow of energy or mass, caves may be nearly closed systems. From the perspective of environmental protection and tourist cave management there are three categories: (1) caves where the natural energy fluxes far exceed those created by visitors, with the consequence that their environmental parameters are not affected by development (e.g., caves subject to frequent flooding); (2) caves where natural and tourist energy fluxes are of similar magnitude, where environmental parameters respond to visitors but return to their natural equilibrium afterwards; and (3) caves where visitor fluxes far exceed the natural fluxes, so that natural environmental equilibrium may be destroyed. The aim of responsible management is to limit the introduced fluxes to those that will not destroy the natural equilibrium established in such parameters as temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, etc. A visitor capacity criterion is defined, and measured effects of visitors are demonstrated at Grotte di Castellana and Grotta Grande del Vento, category 2 caves that are the principal tourist caves of Italy.

Fly Ash Sulfur Concrete

Two “waste” products, fly ash and elemental sulfur, can be combined with a modifying agent to produce a potentially useful construction material, fly ash sulfur concrete (FASC). Production of the material in the laboratory is simple and direct. Strength characteristics of FASC are affected by the amounts of the ingredients present and the unit weight of the mixture. Compared with a conventional crushed stone aggregate, FASC is a viable highway pavement base course material with respect to predicted theoretical pavement performance. Definitive assessments of the utility of FASC await reliable cost and durability data and construction experience. From perspectives of both environmental protection and energy conservation, waste products (either singly or in combination with other wastes or stabilizing agents, or both) can and should be considered as candidate construction materials.