Using biomass residues from oil palm industry as a raw material for pulp and paper industry: potential benefits and threat to the environment

Oil palm industries produce an enormous quantity of lignocellulosic biomass; in the form of large leaves of palm tree, pruned fronds (OPF) and oil palm trunks (OPT) at the plantations site. Besides this, the processing of fresh fruit bunches in the oil mills generates empty fruit bunches (EFB), shells, kernel cake and mesocarp fibers. The proper management of this burgeoning waste and its disposal is an ardent task and creates environmental hazards. In order to deal with the biomass residues, the urgent need is that it should be transformed into resources with industrial utility. As the economic development has resulted in the significant increased demand for paper, the industry is looking for eccentric sources to fulfill the requirement. The pulp and paper industry preferred use of coniferous and deciduous trees for papermaking because their cellulose fibers in the pulp make durable paper. With improvements in pulp processing technology, fibers of almost any non-wood of plants species like bamboo, cereal straw, sugarcane, flax, hemp and jute can be used for paper pulp. Substituting this lignocellulosic material can reduce the burden on forest while supporting the natural biodiversity. The present review deals with the possibilities of using oil palm biomass as a raw material for pulp and papermaking, as this would ameliorate its waste management problem. The potential of oil palm biomass and the challenges regarding its use in papermaking are discussed. The use of oil palm biomass will apparently prove that the oil palm industry is ecofriendly in every aspect of its activities and aid in sustainability of forest ecosystem.     

武汉市工业“三废”污染状况计量模型研究

根据武汉市1987~2003年经济状况（以人均GDP表示）与工业“三废”污染物排放量的统计数据，借助SPSS和EXCEL软件系统，分析了人均GDP与工业“三废”污染物排放量之间的相关关系,并建立了两者之间的计量模型。通过研究发现：武汉市工业“三废”污染物（如工业废水、工业废水中的Cr+6、工业废气中SO2、工业粉尘和工业固废等排放量，工业固体废弃物产生量）除工业固体废弃物产生与排放量在EKC曲线的左边、还处于两难区间外，其余的曲线已过或正处于EKC转折点，说明武汉市工业“三废”污染状况开始向良性化方向发展。在武汉市环境没有遭到完全破坏、资源没有完全耗竭时，根据研究结果， 进行了“烫平”武汉市工业“三废” 排放量EKC曲线走势的可行性分析。     

Recovery and recycling of post-consumer waste materials. Part 1. Generalities and target wastes (paper,cardboard and aluminium cans)

Recycling of post-consumer waste materials is gaining increased interest due to public awareness, legislative promotion and imposition, economic benefits and appropriate technologies being available. The present paper does not deal with municipal solid waste as such, but only with the recyclable constituents. The paper does not aim at presenting recycling process details and/or fundamental research results, but reviews the major recyclables with their reuse potential, recycling technologies used, problems, solutions and potential areas of future research and development. These target recyclables include paper and cardboard, aluminium cans, glass beverage bottles, scrap metal and steel cans, scrap tyres, batteries and household hazardous waste. The present paper sets the overall picture and deals with paper, cardboard and aluminium cans only. A second part of the paper assesses the other target recyclables. The assessment of the waste availability, the existing and currently developed recovery and recycling technologies, and the economically rewarding markets while recycling, stress the technical, economic and environmental importance of this waste management sector. The activities associated with the recovery and recycling of post-consumer wastes require a strong sustainable engineering input at all phases of the treatment, from input quality control, to the selection of the most appropriate technology and the delivery of the recyclables as readily reusable feedstock.     

Oil palm plantation investments in Indonesia’s forest frontiers: limited economic multipliers and uncertain benefits for local communities

This paper examines the implications of oil palm estate development in Indonesia’s frontier province of Papua. Government planners believe that oil palm investment will develop the local economy, create jobs and reduce poverty. Using the input–output approach, we find that, in aggregate terms, oil palm investments boost the economic output in the province, generate jobs and increase worker salaries. However, the oil palm subsector operates in isolation and has limited economic multipliers. The number of jobs is potentially large, but those best positioned to benefit from them are mostly skilled migrants, not local poor. The government should reduce the size of plantation investments and plan their implementation as part of a broader development package to allow greater economic integration and skill acquisition by local communities. The priority areas for plantation development should be degraded, non-forest land.     

Hazardous waste, impact on health and environment for development of better waste management strategies in future in India

Industry has become an essential part of modern society, and waste production is an inevitable outcome of the developmental activities. A material becomes waste when it is discarded without expecting to be compensated for its inherent value. These wastes may pose a potential hazard to the human health or the environment (soil, air, water) when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed off or managed. Currently in India even though hazardous wastes, emanations and effluents are regulated, solid wastes often are disposed off indiscriminately posing health and environmental risk. In view of this, management of hazardous wastes including their disposal in environment friendly and economically viable way is very important and therefore suggestions are made for developing better strategies. Out of the various categories of the wastes, solid waste contributes a major share towards environmental degradation. The present paper outlines the nature of the wastes, waste generating industries, waste characterization, health and environmental implications of wastes management practices, steps towards planning, design and development of models for effective hazardous waste management, treatment, approaches and regulations for disposal of hazardous waste. Appraisal of the whole situation with reference to Indian scenario is attempted so that a better cost-effective strategies for waste management be evolved in future.     

Analysis of cost–benefit in life-cycle of plastic solid waste: combining waste flow analysis and life cycle cost as a decision support tool to the selection of optimum scenario

Millions of tons of plastic are consumed annually in the world due to its significant characteristics such as durability, flexibility, and low weight. High consumption has made plastic one of the most important municipal solid waste compounds, the quantity of which has increased in recent decades. Plastic solid wastes are known as a threat to the environment, and its efficient management in various aspects such as cost–benefit requires decision-making tools. This study was assessing the cost–benefit of plastic solid waste management by development of an economic model, and definition of different scenarios to change plastic solid waste management status. The results showed that 8971 tons of plastic solid waste were generated annually in the studied city. The plastic solid wastes were finally transferred to either recycling or landfilling site through 5 identified routes. 83 percent of the total recycled plastic solid waste was due to post-separation routes, and only 7.7 percent of the total plastic solid waste was recycled from the source separation route. The economic comparison of scenarios showed that with the aggregation of post-separation routes, the net revenue of plastic solid waste management increases by 334,000 euro per year while increasing the public participation and the ratio of source separation route raises net revenue by 875,000 euro per year, which was the best economic condition among the scenarios. Using life cycle cost method and it’s respected developed economic model truly satisfied the conditions of both, the current plastic solid waste management and the alternative scenarios, and hence can be adopted as a tool for decision-making.

     

The oil palm boom: socio-economic implications for Q’eqchi’ households in the Polochic valley,Guatemala

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) has become one of the most rapidly expanding crops in the world. Many countries have promoted its cultivation as part of a broader rural development strategy aimed at generating paid work and producing both export commodities and biofuels. However, oil palm expansion has often occurred at the expense of ecosystems and subsistence agriculture, and on lands riddled with tenure conflicts. In this article, we analyse the implications of the combined effect of labouring in oil palm plantations and land access on households, and we discuss how these implications affect human well-being in two indigenous communities of the Polochic valley, Guatemala. Combining participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and land-time budget analysis at household level, we reveal how oil palm cultivation increases incomes for plantation workers’ households, but decreases the productivity of maize cultivation, reduces the time that household members have available for other activities and, particularly, reduces women’s resting time. In contrast, households that focus more intensively on maize cultivation show higher degrees of food security and women can allocate more time to social activities. However, our results also show that maize consumption per capita has not decreased in households working in oil palm plantations since such crop is considered sacred by the Q’eqchi’ and plays a central role in their diet and culture. In conclusion, we argue that while working for an oil palm cultivation can increase specific elements of the basic material conditions for a good life, other aspects such as food security, health, freedom of choice, and social relationships can become deteriorated.     

我国原油流动的空间格局研究

运用平衡方程式分析了我国各省区的原油生产消费与输入输出状况,并根据自给率,将我国26个原油流动省区划分为基本自给型、半自给型、净输出型和净补给型4种原油产需平衡类型。根据流动比率,26个省区可划归为输出中心、输入中心和交流中心3种原油流动职能类型;在分布格局上,输出中心为直角三角形,输入中心为直角梯形区,交流中心则为钝角三角形。以主要源地为标准,我国原油流动可划分为北部、西北、华东和华南四大流场,其中北部、西北属于全国性流场。我国原油流动路径可分为五大密集区,各区路径的空间结构不同：东北区为树状网络结构,华北区为单枝二叉树状结构,西北区为"X"形结构,华东区为多中心"Ⅲ"形结构,华南区则为"Y"形结构。流动路径之间还广泛存在并联与串联,充分发挥多种通道的综合流动效益。研究原油流动空间格局为我国石油空间组织的优化奠定了基础。〖     

Characterization of monitor recycling in Seattle, Washington

With the rapid growth of electronic waste (e-waste), policies that aim to effectively manage this waste stream have been introduced globally in recent years. Seattle, Washington, has been on the forefront of introducing policies to divert e-waste from the landfills and maximize recycling. With the introduction of the Take-it-Back-Network, a solid recycling infrastructure has existed in the Greater Seattle region since 2003. In 2009, the E-Cycle Washington program took into effect and now allows recyclers to offer free recycling of certain e-waste to households and small entities. Although policies to divert e-waste from the landfill to reuse and recycling is effective, there is also a need to analyze the current regional recycling infrastructure’s capacity to handle changing equipment and material quantities. This study aims to characterize the Seattle regional e-waste management capacity, with a focus on retired monitors as an example of a changing e-waste technology. We investigated waste computer monitor recycling in the Greater Seattle region, which includes the counties of King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap. Interviews were conducted on 20 collectors, 1 handler, and 2 processors to collect information on their business models, computer monitor management processes, and collection/processing quantities. Using this information, we summarize the material flows of end-of-life (EOL) cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors in the region, both from the qualitative and quantitative perspective.     

Studies on process optimization of biodiesel production from waste cooking and palm oil

This work investigated the optimisation of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil (WCO) and palm oil using a two-step transesterification process for WCO and base catalysed transesterification for palm oil. Transesterification reactions were carried out to investigate the effects of prepared catalyst CaO, methanol/WCO and methanol/palm oil ratio and temperature on the yield of biodiesel. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the best conditions for biodiesel production, using methanol/oil ratio between 4:1 and 11:1 and contact time varying between 2 and 4 h. Biodiesel yield of around 90 and 70% was obtained for palm and waste cooking oil at the methanol/oil ratios of 6:1 and 8:1 at temperature of 60 °C for reaction time of 4 h using prepared CaO as catalyst. The physicochemical properties of palm and WCO biodiesel were carried out using standard methods, while the fatty acid profile was determined using gas chromatography. The investigation concludes that biodiesel obtained from palm and waste cooking oil was within the specified limit.     

三峡建坝断航期运输格局的计算机模拟

ＧＩＳ与运输经济统计结合可进行运量模拟、分析、预测和规划。实验表明三峡建坝断航对全国交通流格局影响是局域性的，但对川，鄂，苏，沪区际交流影响较大，华南三港因接受出川转运物资吞吐量将增加２％￣７％，襄渝货运量增加６００万ｔ，川黔－黔桂线运量将增加１００万ｔ。     

Review on industrial wastewater energy sources and carbon emission reduction: towards a clean production

This review provides an innovative approach of treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) from open pond and closed anaerobic sludge reactor for generation of green energy in the form of biogas containing methane. Improper techniques for the treatment and management of POME produce hazards to people and contribute to global warming. In all over the world, the total crude oil palm production in the countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Africa, Latin America, Asian countries, Solomons and other were around 51, 31, 7, 6, 3, 2 and 1% compared with soya 41.8% and coconut 3.48%, respectively. In the year 2014–15, Malaysia generated at least 87.8 million tonnes of palm effluent per year. Various studies reveal that about 80% of palm effluent is disposed off partially treated in open dumps. The generated certified emission reductions (CERs) estimated and favoured the treatment of POME in anaerobic reactor by replacing open lagoon of aerobic system for cleaner production. The clean development mechanism (CDM) encourages the utilisation of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors for POME treatment and methane capture to earn CER credits as a source of revenue.     

三峡库区危险工业废物的现状及清理处置分析

目前，三峡库区沿江堆存有大量的危险废物，这对蓄水在即的长江三峡水利枢纽工程极具威胁，对库区生态环境，水资源及人群的身心健康有潜在的危害性，必须进行全部清理处置。库区堆存的危险废物近1．5万t，种类多，成分复杂，毒性大，清理处置困难。分析了典型危险废物的危害性，同时根据三峡库区库底废物清库要求和规范，结合库区实际情况，提出库区库底堆存危险废物的清理处置方案：危险废物中约578t可进行化学中和稳定化处理，焚烧处理，综合利用等无害化处理，其余不能进行无害化处理的危险废物，在坝前177m水位以上选择合理的地点进行安全，可靠的临时贮存处置，待库区危险废物处理处置中心建成后再进行最终的处理处置。     

Optimal site selection for fluting paper mill from agricultural wastes in Golestan Province,Iran

Today, the issue of site selection for industrial units in developing countries which are poor in wood resources is considered as a vital matter and it is one of the key measures in the process of building industrial and giving service units. In every country there are some provinces and states which are more useful than other parts owing to primary infrastructures and facilities for industrialisation. As one of the suitable provinces of Iran, thanks to its lignocelluloses resources with 1,822,696 tons of exploitable waste, Golestan Province has a very good potential for building lignocelluloses products mills, such as fluting paper. For this end, in 2010, effective indices in fluting paper mill establishment were recognised in Golestan Province. Results showed that materials and products were the most important main indices and the preparation cost of raw materials was the most important sub-index. Finally, questionnaires were prepared for the best site selection and choices were evaluated according to the structure of interests and costs. The results of calculations performed through analytical hierarchy processes and in Expert Choice Software indicated that Gonbad City had the highest interest/cost ratio, and therefore, it is the best place for the establishment of floating paper mills from agricultural wastes in Golestan Province.     

北京市城市生活垃圾收运系统研究

对北京市城市生活垃圾收运系统现状进行了全面的分析,对北京城八区生活垃圾收集、分类收集、转运、生活垃圾处理设施和垃圾物流现状进行了分析,同时对北京市城市生活垃圾收运系统进行了分析,指出了北京市城市生活垃圾收运系统存在的主要问题和今后改进的建议及处理处置设施的规划,为北京城市生活垃圾收运系统的建设和完善起到了积极地推动作用。     

Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) from a former phosphoric acid processing plant

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the radiological impact of non-nuclear industries that extract and/or process ores and minerals containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). These industrial activities may result in significant radioactive contamination of (by-) products, wastes and plant installations. In this study, scale samples were collected from a decommissioned phosphoric acid processing plant. To determine the nature and concentration of NORM retained in pipe-work and associated process plant, four main areas of the site were investigated: (1) the 'Green Acid Plant', where crude acid was concentrated; (2) the green acid storage tanks; (3) the Purified White Acid (PWA) plant, where inorganic impurities were removed; and (4) the solid waste, disposed of on-site as landfill. The scale samples predominantly comprise the following: fluorides (e.g. ralstonite); calcium sulphate (e.g. gypsum); and an assemblage of mixed fluorides and phosphates (e.g. iron fluoride hydrate, calcium phosphate), respectively. The radioactive inventory is dominated by 238U and its decay chain products, and significant fractionation along the series occurs. Compared to the feedstock ore, elevated concentrations (< or =8.8 Bq/g) of 238U were found to be retained in installations where the process stream was rich in fluorides and phosphates. In addition, enriched levels (< or =11 Bq/g) of 226Ra were found in association with precipitates of calcium sulphate. Water extraction tests indicate that many of the scales and waste contain significantly soluble materials and readily release radioactivity into solution.     

循环经济园区发展的技术经济分析

建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会,必须大力发展循环经济。通过剖析江西星火工业园发展循环经济案例,对循环经济园区的发展进行了技术经济分析。循环经济园区是一种先进的生产组织形式,在园区内,上游企业的废弃物或副产品成为下游企业的原料,新的产业链得到延伸,逐步形成产业网,节省了自然资源,减少环境污染;基础设施、公共服务和知识信息得到共享,交易费用减少,提高了企业综合效益。园区以物质与能量循环利用为目标、以产业集群为载体,通过专业化分工和全面合作,经济、社会和生态环境效益显著。     

Status of MSW management system in northern India-an overview

Many Indian cities are facing serious problems in managing solid wastes with rise in population and urbanization. This article assesses the existing state of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in northern India with the aim of identifying the major obstacles to its efficiency and the prospects for improvisation of the solid waste management system in the region. The existing solid waste management system in the region is found to be highly inefficient. Primary and secondary collection, transportation and open dumping are the only activities practiced that too in a non-technical manner. Many cities in region face serious problems in managing solid wastes. The annual waste generation increases in proportion to the rises in population and urbanization. This paper systematically assesses the obstacles in the existing solid waste management system in the urban areas of region and also tries to assess the potentials for its improvisation.     

Problems of urban environment: A case study of Jodhpur,India

This paper attempts to analyze the environmental problems of Jodhpur city in terms of air quality, water supply, wastewater disposal, and solid waste management. Maps have been prepared to show the boundaries of municipal circles responsible for the disposal of solid wastes. Areas of comparatively higher degrees of air pollution have also been demarcated on the maps. The daily output of urban refuse and the intensity of urban refuse for wards within Jophpur's walled city versus for wards outside the walled city have been cartographically depicted.     

南京市经济增长与工业“三废”污染水平计量模型研究

根据环境库兹涅茨曲线原理，选取南京市1985～2004年的经济与环境数据，运用SPSS和EXCEL软件，分析了经济因子与环境因子的相关关系，并建立了模拟经济因子与环境因子之间动态回归模型。研究结果表明，南京市工业废水排放量和人均GDP具有一般相关性，并不呈现库兹涅茨曲线倒“U”模型，而是呈三次曲线的“N”型，两个拐点分别在9 000元和29 000元，这可能与产业结构转变较快有关。工业废气排放量和固体废物产量与人均GDP存在显著相关性， 符合环境库兹涅茨曲线的倒“U”模型，拐点分别在30 000元和38 000元,均提前实现拐点。此外环境政策与科技对工业废水排放量影响也较大。经济结构是影响工业废气排放量和固体废物产量的主要因素，同时，南京市有利的环保科技政策使这两个环境指标提前实现拐点。