Variety Of Wastes Research Articles

Eco-Affectionate Face of Microbial Fuel Cells

Human population growth has led to accumulation of large amount and variety of wastes, which take many decades to degrade and also release toxicity during degradation. A sustainable solution is required to treat these wastes to prevent our future population from environmental hazards. Recently, microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has emerged as a potentially promising future technology for the production of energy from organic material present in wastewaters, thus ensuring dual benefits: waste treatment and energy production. In the present review the authors discuss the wider aura of wastewater treatment capabilities of MFCs and their future challenges to overcome to explore the opportunities for future MFCs.

Measurement and management of hospital waste in southern Iran: a case study

One of the requirements for development of human societies is the establishment of new healthcare centers. A variety of wastes are generated in healthcare centers depending on the type of activities. This study was conducted to identify, measure and manage different types of hospital wastes as a case study in a hospital located in southern Iran. For this purpose, a questionnaire was initially designed and distributed among the relevant experts to survey the current trend of waste management in the hospital in terms of waste collection, storage and disposal. Afterwards, the hospital waste was sampled during two seasons of fall and winter. The samples were weighted for seven consecutive days in the middle of each season. Approximately, 10 % of the total waste bags per day collected round the clock were selected for further analysis. The obtained results indicated that infectious-hazardous and pseudo-household wastes were, respectively, about 3.79 kg/day/bed, 1.36 kg/day/bed and 2.43 kg/day/bed of the total generated waste in the hospital. As the research findings suggest, proper separation of infectious and pseudo-household wastes at the source would be an essential step towards mitigating environmental and health risks and minimizing the cost of the hospital waste management.

Nirex—the Complete Package

AbstractThrough continuous interaction with its customers, Nirex identified the need for a comprehensive range of waste containers, reflecting the variety of wastes and operational undertakings. The current range consists of five standard containers. Standardisation is introduced across all waste packages to enable the safe and efficient operation of future waste management facilities. The practical lessons learned during the development of standard containers are in turn reflected in the container design work that Nirex has undertaken. They are also fed into the advice given to customers during evaluation of waste packaging proposals.

Consultants’ Perspectives on Materials Waste Reduction in Ghana

The construction industry is responsible for producing a whole variety of waste, depending on factors such as the stage of construction, type of construction work and practices on site. This paper reports on a study to assess the level of contribution of some waste minimization measures to waste reduction, and the level of practice of such measures in the Ghanaian construction industry. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to elicit views of consultants on twenty six waste minimization measures. Data obtained from the study were analyzed using descriptive analysis, where minimization measures were grouped under high, medium and low levels of contribution and practice. The results showed that out of twenty six waste minimization measures, purchasing raw materials that are just sufficient, using materials before expiry dates and using more efficient construction equipment are perceived by consultants as those with high level of contribution to waste minimization, and also those which are highly practiced. The results further showed that encouraging re-use of waste materials, use of low waste technology and recycling of waste materials on site are considered as measures with low level of contribution to waste minimization and also low level of practice. The findings from the study present the Ghanaian construction industry with measures which significantly contribute to materials waste minimization on construction sites. The adoption of these waste minimization measures could yield great cost savings to the construction industry and prevent environmental degradation.

Comparison of low cost shielding-absorbing cement paste building materials in X-band frequency range using a variety of wastes

General concern for potential health effects of 24h electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure has increased over the last few years. This has led to the necessity of developing low cost electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and especially absorbing building materials. In the present study, the utilization of metallurgical slags and scrap tire wastes in cement paste for this purpose was investigated. Chemical and mineralogical analyses were performed to characterize all materials examined in this work. The results showed that cement paste specimens prepared by the addition of slags exhibited better shielding efficiency than similar ones based on tires waste, while absorption performance was increased and reached 80–85% for one admixture containing each waste respectively, all tested in the same X-band frequency range (8–12GHz). Finally, the technological and environmental requirements for these cement based building materials were also established.

REUSE OF PET WASTE AS THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES

Composite manufacturing from plastic wastes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) type, sand-blasting represents a material recovery of the wastes. This process can be achieved, with the purpose of reducing the material consumption which is in deficit, production costs, and the duration of the technological processes. Thermoplastics composites obtained by a melting process at 170-200 o C, wastes incorporation and solidification in forms replace successfully the thermo rigid composites obtained from resins after a complicated technological process. So, it could be recovered, with minimal efforts, under reduced toxicological environmental conditions and extremely reduced energy consumptions, a significant variety of wastes, with related economical and ecological advantages. The paper presents the obtaining of thermoplastic material from PET wastes, sand, structurally evaluated and measured after the physical and mechanical properties.

Gerenciamento de resíduos químicos em um laboratório de ensino e pesquisa: a experiência do Laboratório de Limnologia da UFRJ

This work describes the waste management system developed at the Laboratory of Limnology of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The initial challenge was to identify and treat a great variety of wastes generated in the analytical procedures performed in the laboratory. Since many of the students and researchers are not chemists, an intensive training was performed during the establishment of the management system. After three years, there was a deep change of attitude of the professionals involved. The present experience may be useful for other laboratories with a profile similar to the one under study.

A Study of Hospital Waste Generation and Management Practice in Akure, Nigeria

This study was carried out in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Nigeria to assess the current practice of hospital wastes management, the magnitude and variety of wastes and the awareness of the stakeholders on the implications of their activities. The composition of wastes found in the 20 healthcare facilities visited included garbage, syringes, swabs, gauze, pads, sharps, paper, glass materials, plastics and allied, clothing materials, wastewater with blood traces and the likes. The results revealed that there is no uniform practice of hospital waste management among the hospitals studied. The study recommended that there should be source segregation of waste within each hospital as all wastes are often mixed in the same waste basket. It further recommended that government and the relevant agents should be at alert to their responsibilities of regulating the waste management practices among the hospitals in the city. Keywords : Diagnosis, Hospital, Infectious wastes, Generation, Segregation, Management, Pathogenic organisms. African Research Review Vol. 2 (3) 2008: pp. 292-305

Laboratory waste management: evaluation of the disposal procedures routinely adopted by three Brazilian public institutions

Academic, analytical and research laboratories generate small amounts of a large variety of wastes which makes their management difficult. Proper disposal procedures must to be adopted to fulfill good laboratory practices and meet legal guidelines. A correct disposal procedure should include knowledge of the waste management steps and toxicological data for each of the substances handled, as well as adequate waste management training. Therefore, waste management should be mandatory in routine institutional criteria and be based on administrative decisions, budget compatibility and a consistent educational program.

家庭ごみ収集分別化による市民の意識変化，行動変化に関する研究

A variety of wastes becomes wide and the amount ofwastes have increased, as a result of convenient, satisfied and non-recycling society. Subdivisionof the categories of collecting household waste is carried out to reduce the amount of wastes and to establish recycling society in many cities. The subdivision can introduce an improvement in citizen's valuation and consciousness for the household waste and environmental problems, and cause a change of their criteria for purchasing daily necessities. But many citizen have a little information about significance and aim of the subdivision. If we can provide enough information about the subdivision and waste recycling for the citizen, the amount of wastes can be decrease significantly and we can move a step nearer to establishment of recycling society.

EXPERIENCE IN THERMAL TREATMENT OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES

ABSTRACT Thermal treatment of low-level radioactive wastes. LLRW, can be effective in managing a wide variety of wastes. However, the detailed information describing current operating and performance characteristics of modern equipment, e.g. incinerators, has not been widely disseminated. The treatment techniques including incineration (combustion), calcination and other methods like pyrolysis, and acid digestion are reviewed. Latest reports on the experience with such equipment are presented.

Behavior of Toluene Added to Sludge‐Amended Soils

AbstractToluene is a priority pollutant that can be introduced to soils in a variety of wastes, including some municipal sludges. Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the behavior of toluene in two soils in the presence and absence of municipal sludge. Sludge additions increased toluene adsorption in two soils because of increased organic C content. The source of organic C (soil or sludge) and soil clay content also influenced toluene adsorption. Toluene adsorption‐desorption was reversible in one soil, but slightly hysteretic in the other soil. An air‐flow incubation system was used to evaluate toluene volatilization and degradation. The primary fate of surface‐applied toluene in both soils was volatilization. Toluene volatilization rates were independent of sludge treatments. Toluene degradation was negligible in all treatments because of rapid volatilization losses. Despite increased toluene adsorption in the presence of sludge and reduced volatilization in saturated soils, gaseous transfer dominated all soils and treatments so that no toluene remained after 10 d.

Treatment of fish processing waste using the downflow stationary fixed film (DSFF) reactor

The DSFF reactor has been shown to be capable of treating a wide variety of wastes. In this study, a high protein fish processing waste was treated at several influent concentrations. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of up to 90% were achieved at loading rates in excess of 10 kg COD/m3/day.

Erratum: The Use of Metal Tolerant Plant Populations for the Reclamation of Metalliferous Wastes

SUMMARY (1) A survey was made of metalliferous mine wastes in Great Britain. The results suggest that high concentrations of toxic metals are the major cause of sparse vegetation cover, but comparisons of bare and adjacent vegetated areas suggests that phosphorus concentrations are the immediate determinant. (2) Field experiments, using a range of grass species at a large number of mine sites, showed that naturally occurring tolerant populations grew faster and persisted longer than normal commercial varieties. They provide an excellent stabilizing cover, provided adequate fertilizer was given, and have persisted for 9 years with little loss of vigour, even with minimal fertilizer treatment. (3) The most successful populations at each site were those with the highest tolerance to the metals occurring in that waste, provided that the species was appropriately adapted to the other soil conditions occurring there. (4) Three cultivars are now commercially available which are tolerant to: acid lead/zinc wastes (Agrostis tennis, cv. Goginan), calcareous lead/zinc wastes (Festuca rubra, cv Merlin) and copper wastes (Agrostis tennis, cv Parys). These enable stabilization of a wide variety of wastes.