Brief overview of dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) are based on molecular and nanometer-scale components. Record cell efficiencies of 12%, promising stability data and means of energy-efficient production methods have been accomplished. As selling points for the DSC technology the prospect of low-cost investments and fabrication are key features. DSCs offer the possibilities to design solar cells with a large flexibility in shape, color, and transparency. The basic principles of the operation of DSC, the state-of-the-art as well as the potentials for future development are described.     

Element contents and food safety of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) cultivated with wastewater in Hanoi, Vietnam

Extensive aquatic or semi-aquatic production of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) for human consumption takes place in Southeast Asia. The aim of this study was to assess the concentrations of 38 elements in soil and water spinach cultivated under different degrees of wastewater exposure in Hanoi, Vietnam. The results showed no effect of wastewater use on the overall element concentrations in soil and water spinach. Mean soil concentrations for selected potentially toxic elements at the studied field sites had the following ranges 9.11–18.7 As, 0.333–0.667 Cd, 10.8–14.5 Co, 68–122 Cr, 34.0–62.1 Cu, 29.9–52.8 Ni, 32.5–67.4 Pb, 0.578–0.765 Tl and 99–189 Zn mg kg⁻¹ dry weight (d.w.). In all samples Cd, Pb and Zn soil concentrations were below the Vietnamese Guideline Values (TCVN 7209-2002) for agricultural soils whereas As and Cu exceeded the guideline values. Maximum site element concentrations in water spinach were 0.139 As, 0.032 Cd, 0.135 Cr, 2.01 Cu, 39.1 Fe, 57.3 Mn, 0.16 Ni, 0.189 Pb and 6.01 Zn mg kg⁻¹ fresh weight (f.w.). The site and soil content of organic carbon were found to have high influence on the water spinach element concentrations whereas soil pH and the total soil element concentrations were of less importance. The estimated average daily intake of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn for adult Vietnamese consumers amounts to <11% of the maximum tolerable intake proposed by FAO/WHO for each element. It is assessed that the occurrence of the investigated elements in water spinach will pose low health risk for the consumers.     

Methods for household waste composition studies

The question is how to conduct household waste composition studies. The review is divided into three parts: overview of known methods, sampling theory, and the waste components. Twenty methods are listed and commented on. There is no adopted, working international standard. In accordance with Pierre Gy's Theory of Sampling, the seven types of sampling errors, when collecting and splitting solid samples, are described and commented on in relation to sampling of household solid waste. It is concluded that the most crucial choices in household waste composition studies are: to divide the investigation into relevant number and types of strata; to decide the required sample size and number of samples; to choose the sampling location, i.e., sampling at household level or sampling from loads of waste collection vehicles; and to choose the type and number of waste component categories to be investigated. Various classifications of household waste components used in composition studies are listed and discussed. Difficulties and weaknesses of the reviewed methods are discussed and concluded in suggested questions for further research.     

Avoiding parasitism by breeding indoors: cuckoo parasitism of hirundines and rejection of eggs

Brood parasitism is costly to hosts, and, therefore, a number of anti-parasite defenses have evolved. Surprisingly, several high-quality hosts such as martins and swallows are rarely parasitized, raising the question why that is the case. We hypothesize that martins and swallows may avoid parasitism by breeding in close association with humans, and by building nests that are inaccessible for common cuckoos Cuculus canorus and other brood parasites. Here we show using egg rejection experiments that red-rumped swallows Hirundo daurica, house martins Delichon urbica, and barn swallows Hirundo rustica in Europe do not reject foreign eggs placed in their nests, while barn swallows in China often reject foreign eggs. The frequency of parasitism of barn swallows in Europe was significantly higher than in house martins relative to the expectation based on the abundance of the two species. Barn swallows in Europe that were parasitized by cuckoos more often placed their nests outdoors than expected by chance, suggesting that avoidance of cuckoo parasitism can be achieved by breeding indoors. These findings suggest that barn swallows in China have gained egg rejection behavior because they cannot avoid parasitism when breeding outdoors.     

Factors influencing PM10 emissions from road pavement wear

Accelerated pavement wear is one of the major environmental disadvantages of studded tyres in northern regions and results in increased levels of PM₁₀. Measurements of PM₁₀ in a road simulator hall have been used to study the influence of pavement properties, tyre type and vehicle speed on pavement wear. The test set-up included three different pavements (one granite and two quartzite with different aggregate sizes), three different tyre types (studded, non-studded, and summer tyres) and different speeds (30–70 km h^?1). The results show that the granite pavement was more prone to PM₁₀ production compared to the quartzite pavements. Studded winter tyres yield tens of times higher PM₁₀ concentrations compared to non-studded winter tyres. Wear from summer tyres was negligible in comparison. It was also shown that wear is strongly dependent on speed; every 10 km h^?1 increase yielded an increase of the PM₁₀ concentration of 680 μg m^?3 in one of the simulator experiments.     

MSWI bottom ash used as basement at two pilot-scale roads: Comparison of leachate chemistry and reactive transport modeling

The recycling of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash as aggregates for road basement requires assessing the long-term evolution of leachate chemistry. The Dåva (Sweden) and Hérouville (France) pilot-scale roads were monitored during 6 and 10 years, respectively. Calculated saturation indices were combined to batch test modeling to set a simplified geochemical model of the bottom ash materials. A common reactive transport model was then applied to both sites. At Hérouville, pH and the concentration of most elements quickly drop during the first two years to reach a set of minimum values over 10 years. The decrease is less pronounced at Dåva. The evolutions of pH and major element concentrations are fairly well related to the following pH-buffering sequence: portlandite, C-S-H phases or pseudo-wollastonite and, finally, calcite in equilibrium with atmospheric CO₂. Al(OH)₃, barite, ettringite and monohydrocalcite may also control leachate chemistry. Cu release is correctly modeled by DOM complexation and tenorite equilibrium. Temperature has no significant effect on the modeling of leachate chemistry in the range 5-30 °C, except at high pH. Effects at road edges and roadside slopes are important for the release of the less reactive elements and, possibly, for carbonation processes.     

Toxicity of water and sediment in a small urban river (Store Vejleå, Denmark)

The urban stream Store Vejle? (Denmark), which receives discharges of urban runoff, was investigated using a combination of biological toxicity tests and chemical analysis. The urban stormwater and road runoff gave low, but statistically significant, effects on the reproduction of the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. In all pre-concentrated water samples toxic effects were found and differences in toxicity depending on time and location of sampling were identified. Undiluted pore water samples from sediments collected in the stream were all toxic towards the algae and dilutions from 4 to 14 times were needed compared to a pore water sample from an unpolluted stream where a dilution factor of only 1.6 was required. A qualitative correlation between the toxicity of the pore water and the degree of pollution as evidenced by the metal concentration was observed, but statistically significant correlations could not be established by ranking procedures of, e.g. metal content or PAH-concentrations versus the observed toxicity.     

Waste products from the steel industry with NiO as additive as oxygen carrier for chemical-looping combustion

Fe₂O₃-containing waste materials from the steel industry are proposed as oxygen carrier for chemical-looping combustion. Three such materials, red iron oxide, brown iron oxide and iron oxide scales, have been examined by oxidation and reduction experiments in a batch fluidized-bed reactor at temperatures between 800 and 950 °C. NiO-based particles have been used as additive, in order to examine if it is possible to utilize the catalytic properties of metallic Ni to facilitate decomposition of hydrocarbons into more reactive combustion intermediates such as CO and H₂. The experiments indicated modest reactivity between the waste materials and CH₄, which was used as reducing gas. Adding small amounts of NiO-based particles to the sample increased the yield of CO₂ in a standard experiment, typically by a factor of 1.5–3.5. The fraction of unconverted fuel typically was reduced by 70–90%. The conversion of CH₄ to CO₂ was 94% at best, corresponding to a combustion efficiency of 96%. This was achieved using a bed mass corresponding to 57 kg oxygen carrier per MW fuel, of which only 5 wt% was NiO-based synthetic particles. The different materials fared differently well during the experiments. Red iron oxide was fairly stable, while brown iron oxide was soft and subject to considerable erosion. Iron oxide scales experienced increased reactivity and porosity as function of the numbers of reduction cycles.