Solid Waste Samples Research Articles

Determination of Commonly Used Pharmaceuticals in Hospital Waste of Pakistan and Evaluation of Their Ecological Risk Assessment

In this study, six human pharmaceuticals in wastewater, sediments, and solid waste samples of five hospitals in Gujrat, Pakistan, were detected by a validated high performance liquid chromatography‐ultraviolet method and then their ecological risk assessment was conducted. The pharmaceuticals include paracetamol, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, amlodipine, and rosuvastatin and were chromatographed on a C‐18 column at 254 nm using liquid–liquid extraction. The highest concentration obtained was of paracetamol and it was also detected in all the five hospitals and all the sample matrices (max. 696 ng/mL) whereas, the concentration of other pharmaceuticals were also very high although they were not detected in all the sample matrices. Maximum concentrations of other pharmaceuticals detected were naproxen (220 ng/mL), diclofenac (186 ng/mL), ibuprofen (596 ng/mL), amlodipine (303 ng/mL), and rosuvastatin (104 ng/mL). Risk assessment in terms of risk quotient (RQ) was also calculated based on maximum measured concentration and the RQ values were very high for all pharmaceuticals. The maximum RQ values obtained from different pharmaceuticals were paracetamol (696 against daphnia), naproxen (84 against fish), diclofenac (9300 against Oncorhynchus mykiss), ibuprofen (16 000 against Oryzias latipes), and amlodipine (471 against green algae). The results from this study demand for comprehensive monitoring of pharmaceuticals from different points sources and treatment of all type of wastes including hospital waste.

Physicochemical Composition of the Household Solid Waste and Prospect for Biogas Production

Solid waste management is now one of the big challenging issues in Bangladesh. With increasing population, volume of solid waste is increasing enormously. Production of biogas from organic solid waste is an environment friendly energy source as well as great management strategy of solid waste. The purpose of this current study is to determine the physicochemical composition of solid waste to determine the prospect of biogas production. Results reveal that, temperature and pH of the solid waste should be controlled for the maximum production of biogas. On the other hand, collected solid waste samples contained sufficient amount of moisture for the production of biogas. Appropriate temperature controlling system and buffer for pH maintenance can play a great role to maximize biogas production.J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 9(2): 151-154 2016

Genetic Analysis of Norovirus Strains that Caused Gastroenteritis Outbreaks Among River Rafters in the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Toilet solid waste samples collected from five outbreaks among rafters in the Grand Canyon were subjected to sequencing analysis of norovirus partial capsid gene. The results revealed that a GI.3 strain was associated with one outbreak, whereas the other outbreaks were caused by GII.5 whose sequences shared>98.9% homology.

Effects of Industrial Solid Waste Toxicityon Different Harvesting Days of Solanum melongena L.

The Industrial solid waste samples were collected at the outlet of release channel of the “Oil and Gas Industry” at Kakinada, air-dried and was brought to the laboratory. The soil amendments were prepared for as Control, Amendment 1,2,3 and 4. The RGR values of Control plants recorded on 21-51, 51-81 and 81-95 day growth periods were 0.0921, 0.0460 and 0.0095 mg/g/d respectively. Both control and A1, A2, A3 and A4 soils showed an insignificant decreasing trend in RGR over the harvesting periods. The relative growth rate in A1, A2, A3 and A4 soils did not exhibit any definite pattern of variation. The high toxicity levels of the Copper, Zinc, Iron and Manganese heavy metals were accumulated in the industrial solid waste. The results of this study stress the need for environmental awareness, adequate regulations and proper management of waste sites by the local municipal authorities and Pollution control board take the necessary actions to control Industrial solid waste disposal site on the Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh and India.

Materials Gamma Radiation Hazards and Risks Associated with Industrial Wastes Materials

Solid wastes are generated from common manufacturing and industrial processes, and can also be caused by disposing commerce products. The natural radionuclide (238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K) concentrations in various solid waste samples were determined by using a high pure germanium detector. The obtained average concentration values of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in various solid wastes were: Iron (173.29, 141.99 and 32.68 Bq·kg-1), Copper (2.63, 0.60 and 30 Bq·kg-1), Aluminum (3.97, 4.89 and 41.67 Bq·kg-1) and in Wood (4.22, 3.11 and 30.20 Bq·kg-1), respectively. The total average values of radium equivalent and the absorbed dose rate were 95.87 Bq·kg-1 and 44.56 nGyh-1, respectively. The effective dose rates in outdoor and indoor average values were 0.05 and 0.20 mSvy-1, respectively. These health hazard parameters were considered to be below the safe limit of UNSCEAR 2000. The presented results show no significant radiological health risks for the workers in the industrial workshops and inhabitance health.

The Development of a Waste Management System in Kerbala during Major Pilgrimage Events: Determination of Solid Waste Composition

Several religious events take place annually in Kerbala, Iraq, attracting approximately 20 million pilgrims. Consequently, huge amounts of solid waste are generated which have a direct effect on both the environment and human health. The management of such waste poses a serious and complex problem for the city authorities. Therefore, establishing accurate and reliable information about this issue is valuable in terms of waste management planning and resource recovery application. The aim of this study is to analyze the composition of said solid waste during these religious events. To achieve this goal, a field investigation was conducted at three temporary transfer stations, over 10 days, during one event in Kerbala. Sampling and data analysis were carried out based on the ASTM D5231-92 (2003) standard method. Sixty samples of unprocessed solid waste were collected and manually sorted into six different categories: organics, plastics, paper, metals, glass and miscellaneous wastes. The results show that organic waste constituted the main waste category (57%) with paper, plastics and miscellaneous at 15%, 14.6% and 6.5%, respectively. These findings indicate that because of the high percentage of food waste, there exists a strong potential for energy generation or composting. In addition, plastics, papers, metals and glass have the potential to be separated and collected for recycling purposes. These results can be taken as a baseline for developing a successful waste management system in Kerbala city and other cities that have similar major pilgrimage events.

Ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in the receiving environment of pharmaceutical wastewater in Pakistan

The pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan is growing with an annual growth rate of 10%. Besides this growth, this industry is not complying with environmental standards, and discharging its effluent into domestic wastewater network. Only limited information is available about the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) in the environmental matrices of Pakistan that has motivated us to aim at the occurrence and ecological risk assessment of 11 PCs of different therapeutic classes in the wastewater of pharmaceutical industry and in its receiving environmental matrices such as sludge, solid waste and soil samples near the pharmaceutical formulation units along Shiekhupura road, Lahore, Pakistan. Target PCs (paracetamol, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, amlodipine, rosuvastatin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, sparfloxacin and gemifloxacin) were quantified using in-house developed HPLC-UV. Ibuprofen (1673µg/L, 6046µg/kg, 1229µg/kg and 610µg/kg), diclofenac (836µg/L, 4968µg/kg, 6632µg/kg and 257µg/kg) and naproxen (464µg/L, 7273µg/kg, 4819µg/kg and 199µg/kg) showed the highest concentrations among 11 target PCs in wastewater, sludge, solid waste and soil samples, respectively. Ecological risk assessment, in terms of risk quotient (RQ), was also carried out based on the maximum measured concentration of PCs in wastewater. The maximum RQ values obtained were with paracetamol (64 against daphnia), naproxen (177 against fish), diclofenac (12,600 against Oncorhynchus mykiss), ibuprofen (167,300 against Oryzias latipes), ofloxacin (81,000 against Pseudomonas putida) and ciprofloxacin (440 against Microcystis aeruginosa). These results show a high level of ecological risk due to the discharge of untreated wastewater from pharmaceutical units. This risk may further lead to food web contamination and drug resistance in pathogens. Thus, further studies are needed to detect the PCs in crops as well as the government should strictly enforce environmental legislation on these pharmaceutical units.

Municipal Solid Waste Characterization According to Different Income Levels: A Case Study

Solid waste generation and characterization are some of the most important parameters which affect environmental sustainability. Municipal solid waste (MSW) characterization depends on social structure and income levels. This study aims to determine the variations in waste components within MSW mass by income levels and seasonal conditions following the analysis conducted on the characterization of solid wastes produced in the Kartal district of the province of Istanbul, which is the research area of this study. To this end, 1.9 tons of solid waste samples were collected to represent four different lifestyles (high, medium, and low income levels, and downtown) in the winter and summer periods, and characterization was made on these samples. In order to support waste characterization, humidity content and calorific value analyses were also conducted and various suggestions were brought towards waste management in line with the obtained findings. According to the results obtained in the study, organic waste had the highest rate of waste mass by 57.69%. Additionally, significant differences were found in municipal solid waste components (MSWC) based on income level. Average moisture content (MC) of solid waste samples was 71.1% in moisture analyses. The average of calorific (heating) value (HHV) was calculated as 2518.5 kcal·kg−1.

Experimental Assessment of Biogas and Leachate Emissions from MSW Landfills for Energy Reclamation with the Aim of Sustainable Urban Development

This article discusses the organization and the results of the laboratory-scale experiments in bioreactors with samples of municipal solid waste (MSW) for assessment of biogas potential and leachate emissions for MSW landfills energy reclamation with the aim of sustainable urban development. The procedure of organization and carrying out laboratory experiments on MSW decomposition in bioreactors providing similarity to MSW landfill conditions was approved using equipment meeting the international requirements.

Combustible Gaseous Products from Pyrolysis of Combustible Fractions of Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sample was pyrolysed under inert atmosphere of nitrogen in a static bed pyrolysis reactor, heated at a controlled rate of 10°C min-1 to a final temperature of 700°C to recover combustible gaseous product. The yield of the combustible gaseous product was 23.01 wt%. Other pyrolysis products were 32.00 wt% char and 44.99 wt% oil. The combustible gaseous product evolved, analysed off line by gas chromatography to contain mainly CO2, CO, H2, CH4, C2H6 and C3H8 has relatively high calorific value of 18.0 MJ m-3, making the gas suitable for use as a fuel. The significance of this research is that the pyrolysis recovered combustible gas can now be stored conveniently and easily transported for various applications. This research, in addition to providing energy needs if implemented, has the capacity to stimulate regular collection of MSW to feed a pyrolysis plant thereby reducing accumulation of the waste in communities, especially in developing countries.

Sustainable Solid Waste Management for Rural Area

In this paper we have studied solid waste management in Gotkhindi village near Islampur. The predominance of open dumping and the absence of reliable data regarding generation and characterization of waste has created a difficult situation for rural local bodies responsible for managing solid waste generated in the village. In this study, solid waste samples collected from a dump site analyzed for physical characterization. The physical characterization of the city waste confirms its suitability for applying biological method of composting. The waste characterization highlights the importance of waste segregation before sending the waste fractions for different waste-treatment technologies including composting and landfilling. Most common practice of waste processing is uncontrolled dumping which causes pollution. If the wastes are disposed in an uncontrolled manner these may cause adverse impact on public health & environment. Therefore, the solid wastages are still a major problem in this rural area. To overcome these problems, we have proposed to implement Bangalore method of composting.

The Use of Simultaneous Thermal Analysis to Assess the Stability of Landfilled Municipal Solid Waste

There were presented results of study assessing the stability of the waste placed in the landfill-sites of municipal solid waste of the Perm Kray using thermal methods of analysis in air and argon. It was established that use of simultaneous thermal analysis method for samples of solid municipal waste, taken from landfills and dumps of solid municipal waste that are at different stages of the life cycle, allowing comprehensive determine the stability of place of landfilling. It was conducted testing methodology for assessing the degree of waste stability, based on the determination of the ratio of the specific enthalpy of dry matter waste (DM) and organic dry substance (ODS). It was justified by the possibility of using techniques to determine the degree of biochemical stability of waste at different stages of the landfill’s life cycle. It was established that at operated landfill-sites and dumps of solid waste DM and ODS were 0.45 or more, at reclaimed landfill-sites – 0.1 – 0.25, and at closed landfill-sites – less than 0.1. Developed a way to assess the stability of MSW samples allows to predict the potential emission of landfilled waste, which in turn can serve as a basis for the development of measures to reduce the negative impact of landfills on the environment, Technical and technological solutions for the remediation and safe decommissioning of solid waste dumping sites.

Leaching of selected metals from a landfill of the closed down Siersza coal mine in Trzebinia (S Poland)

Abstract Landfills of waste generated by coal mining could pose a serious environmental threat if not properly reclaimed. The study focuses on leaching select heavy metals from the waste disposed of by the closed down Siersza hard coal mine in Trzebinia (Silesian- Cracow area). The solid waste samples were analysed with the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method for Zn, Pb, Cd, Mn and Fe contents. The eluates were obtained by leaching the solid samples with distilled water at the ratio 1:10 and analysed with the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method. The most prone for leaching were Mn and Zn (78 and 73% of the total contents), the medium prone Pb and Cd (around 50% each), and the least prone Fe (30%). In the western part of the landfill, zinc occurs in unexpectedly high amounts (0.64-3.3 wt.%), which may be related to the presence of slag of unknown provenience. The concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd (averages in mg∙kg−1: 6727, 2.3 and 10.3, respectively) in the leachates exceed the limits of Polish environmental standards. The landfill should be properly monitored and fully reclaimed.

Arsenic from gold mining in marine and stream sediments in Baja California Sur, Mexico

The environmental impacts associated with arsenic (As) from historical mining areas may persist for many years. We evaluated the influence of As in smelter and tailing wastes from a historic gold mine near San Antonio in the south-east of the Baja California, Mexico, on fluvial and marine sediments in the San Juan de Los Planes Basin and La Ventana Bay, respectively. Arsenic levels in the smelter and in the surrounding tailing wastes ranged from 82,000 to 208,000 mg kg−1, and from 4220 to 92,000 mg kg−1, respectively. The As concentrations in fluvial sediments were much lower, as these derived from wastes that had been scattered and had been subject to weathering for some time. As concentrations in surface sediments in the San Antonio stream close to the smelter and further downstream ranged from 477 to 1100 mg kg−1, and from 64 to 613 mg kg−1, respectively. As concentrations were between 0.05 and 9 mg kg−1 in surface shelf sediments from the coast adjacent to La Ventana Bay; the concentration was highest in sediment collected close to the outlet of the main stream (La Bocana) of the Los Planes Basin. The As concentrations in all the solid waste samples from near San Antonio exceeded the Effect Range Medium (ERM) of the Sediment Quality Guidelines (70 mg kg−1). Overall, 71 and 43 % of the stream samples exceeded the Effect Range Low (ERL; 8.2 mg kg−1), and the ERM, respectively, indicating potential risks for biota and humans.

Leaching of nano-ZnO in municipal solid waste

Despite widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in commercial products and their potential disposal in landfills, the fate of ENMs in solid waste environments are still not well understood. In this study, the leaching behavior of nano ZnO -one of the most used ENMs- in fresh municipal solid waste (MSW) was investigated. Batch reactors containing municipal solid waste samples were spiked with three different types of nano ZnO having different surface stabilization. The leaching of ZnO was examined under acidic, basic and elevated ionic strength (IS) conditions. The results of the 3-day batch tests showed that the percent of the added nano-ZnO mass retained within the solid waste matrix ranged between 80% and 93% on average for the three types of nano-ZnO tested. The pH and IS conditions did not significantly influence the leaching behavior of ZnO. To further analyze the behavior of ZnO in the MSW matrix, a kinetic particle deposition/detachment model was developed. The model was able to reproduce the main trends of the batch experiments. Reaction rate constants for the batch tests ranged from 0.01 to 0.4 1/hr, reflecting the rapid deposition of nano-ZnO within the MSW matrix.

The study on biomass fraction estimate methodology of municipal solid waste incinerator in Korea

ABSTRACTIn Korea, the amount of greenhouse gases released due to waste materials was 14,800,000 t CO2eq in 2012, which increased from 5,000,000 t CO2eq in 2010. This included the amount released due to incineration, which has gradually increased since 2010. Incineration was found to be the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, with 7,400,000 t CO2eq released in 2012. Therefore, with regards to the trading of greenhouse gases emissions initiated in 2015 and the writing of the national inventory report, it is important to increase the reliability of the measurements related to the incineration of waste materials.This research explored methods for estimating the biomass fraction at Korean MSW incinerator facilities and compared the biomass fractions obtained with the different biomass fraction estimation methods. The biomass fraction was estimated by the method using default values of fossil carbon fraction suggested by IPCC, the method using the solid waste composition, and the method using incinerator flue gas.The highest biomass fractions in Korean municipal solid waste incinerator facilities were estimated by the IPCC Default method, followed by the MSW analysis method and the Flue gas analysis method. Therefore, the difference in the biomass fraction estimate was the greatest between the IPCC Default and the Flue gas analysis methods. The difference between the MSW analysis and the flue gas analysis methods was smaller than the difference with IPCC Default method. This suggested that the use of the IPCC default method cannot reflect the characteristics of Korean waste incinerator facilities and Korean MSW.Implications: Incineration is one of most effective methods for disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This paper investigates the applicability of using biomass content to estimate the amount of CO2 released, and compares the biomass contents determined by different methods in order to establish a method for estimating biomass in the MSW incinerator facilities of Korea. After analyzing the biomass contents of the collected solid waste samples and the flue gas samples, the results were compared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, and it seems that to calculate the biomass fraction it is better to use the flue gas analysis method than the IPCC method. It is valuable to design and operate a real new incineration power plant, especially for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Drying Kinetic Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Using Modified Page Model and Pattern Search Method

This work studied the drying kinetics of the organic fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW) samples with different initial moisture contents and presented a new method for determination of drying kinetic parameters. A series of drying experiments at different temperatures were performed by using a thermogravimetric technique. Based on the modified Page drying model and the general pattern search method, a new drying kinetic method was developed using multiple isothermal drying curves simultaneously. The new method fitted the experimental data more accurately than the traditional method. Drying kinetic behaviors under extrapolated conditions were also predicted and validated. The new method indicated that the drying activation energies for the samples with initial moisture contents of 31.1 and 17.2 % on wet basis were 25.97 and 24.73 kJ mol−1. These results are useful for drying process simulation and industrial dryer design. This new method can be also applied to determine the drying parameters of other materials with high reliability.

Parametric Evaluation of Digestability of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste for Biogas Production

Municipal solid waste was collected from Varanasi’s municipal solid waste dumpsite and sorted for organic fraction present in it. Current work showed the consequences of calcium hydroxide or lime digestion on organic fraction of municipal solid waste of Varanasi, India. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste sample was digested with desired amount of calcium hydroxide. The different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.5%) of calcium hydroxide was blended separately to substrates (10% total solid) at 30-35 °C in 3 different beakers denoted by A1, A2 and A3, respectively of 2 L capacity. Experiments of hydrolysis step were conducted on all three samples for evaluation of chemical oxygen demand, pH and volatile fatty acids content in sample. The parameters measured during experiments were chemical oxygen demand, biogas production, total solid, volatile solids, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and total organic carbon. Rate enhancement of anaerobic digestion and biogas production were occurred for calcium hydroxide digested samples. Therefore calcium hydroxide can be used as an effective alkali for the digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste.

Analysis of incinerator waste emissions containing toxic elements by sorption–continuum source electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Possibilities of the determination of toxic elements, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, and Te, in emissions from a waste incineration plant are studied by high-resolution electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry of with a continuum spectral source. A procedure is developed for the preparation of samples of solid domestic waste by the sorption of toxic elements on an S,N-containing sorbent. The analytical conditions of work on an atomic absorption spectrometer with a continuum spectral source are chosen. An improvement of performance characteristics in comparison to the known procedures is shown. A procedure of the determination of the chosen toxic elements in emissions from an incineration plant by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with improved performance characteristics is developed and passed through metrological certification.

Potential of Utilizing Solid Waste Generated in UNIMAS West Campus

The purpose of this study is to identify the solid waste generation and compositions that are generated from UNIMAS West Campus area and also to calculate potential energy and profit that can be harvested from the solid waste. This study was conducted at UNIMAS west campus where the samples of solid waste were collected from different types of source of generation namely residential colleges, faculties, Centre Teaching Facilities (CTF) and cafeteria. The solid wastes collected are weighed, mixed, quartered and the compositions of the samples are determined. From the analysis, the solid waste generation rate is 499 kg per day and the major composition of solid waste produced from this study area is food waste with the value of 54% followed by plastic bottle with 9%, mixed plastic with 8%, mixed paper with 7%, box and polystyrene are with 5% and the less percentage of solid waste composition is aluminium with 4%. For the total estimation potential energy that generated by UNIMAS West Campus is about 12819.9 kJ/kg per day and the profit can be achieved when the solid wastes are recycles is about RM 126.43 per day. The analysis shows that solid waste generated in UNIMAS West Campus has a good potential in recycling and give more benefit to UNIMAS. With the data of the solid waste generated in this study area, proper management strategies can be planned by top management of UNIMAS and put it into action in the future. In long term, it will make UNIMAS a green campus which eventually reduces the amount of solid waste generation.