New advancements for in situ treatment using electrical resistance heating

Electrical resistance heating (ERH) is proving to be an effective technology to rapidly heat the subsurface and, in doing so, removing volatile organic compounds. Practitioners of this technology have observed that other processes (biodegradation, abiotic degradation, hydrolysis, and possibly others) occur to break down the chemicals of concern, and remediation is not solely accomplished through vaporization. Few sites treated using ERH have been monitored during and after treatment to identify and evaluate the processes occurring and assess the contribution of these other biological and chemical processes in the remediation effort so that they may be incorporated in the remediation design. At Fort Lewis, Washington, a landfill has been undergoing ERH treatment in three phases, where chlorinated volatile organic compounds represent the primary chemicals of concern in soil and groundwater. Other chemicals of concern include petroleum products, oils, and lubricants. The Fort Lewis remediation projects provided an opportunity to observe the reactions occurring in the subsurface during ERH and fine‐tune the study with each phase of operation. This study is still under way. However, the data gathered to date, which focuses on biodegradation, provides insights into the processes that have been observed. For the Fort Lewis site, biotic and abiotic degradation processes have been observed throughout the range of operating temperatures. At the lower temperature ranges (up to 70°C), biological processes appear to predominate. Above 70°C, abiotic processes become much more active. The goal of this work is to eventually optimize the use of these intrinsic processes in ERH remediation to reduce energy requirements and costs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Role of Headwater Streams in Downstream Water Quality1

Abstract: Knowledge of headwater influences on the water‐quality and flow conditions of downstream waters is essential to water‐resource management at all governmental levels; this includes recent court decisions on the jurisdiction of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) over upland areas that contribute to larger downstream water bodies. We review current watershed research and use a water‐quality model to investigate headwater influences on downstream receiving waters. Our evaluations demonstrate the intrinsic connections of headwaters to landscape processes and downstream waters through their influence on the supply, transport, and fate of water and solutes in watersheds. Hydrological processes in headwater catchments control the recharge of subsurface water stores, flow paths, and residence times of water throughout landscapes. The dynamic coupling of hydrological and biogeochemical processes in upland streams further controls the chemical form, timing, and longitudinal distances of solute transport to downstream waters. We apply the spatially explicit, mass‐balance watershed model SPARROW to consider transport and transformations of water and nutrients throughout stream networks in the northeastern United States. We simulate fluxes of nitrogen, a primary nutrient that is a water‐quality concern for acidification of streams and lakes and eutrophication of coastal waters, and refine the model structure to include literature observations of nitrogen removal in streams and lakes. We quantify nitrogen transport from headwaters to downstream navigable waters, where headwaters are defined within the model as first‐order, perennial streams that include flow and nitrogen contributions from smaller, intermittent and ephemeral streams. We find that first‐order headwaters contribute approximately 70% of the mean‐annual water volume and 65% of the nitrogen flux in second‐order streams. Their contributions to mean water volume and nitrogen flux decline only marginally to about 55% and 40% in fourth‐ and higher‐order rivers that include navigable waters and their tributaries. These results underscore the profound influence that headwater areas have on shaping downstream water quantity and water quality. The results have relevance to water‐resource management and regulatory decisions and potentially broaden understanding of the spatial extent of Federal CWA jurisdiction in U.S. waters.     

Positive Planning for Wind-Turbines in an Urban Context

An international concern with climate change has prompted a political commitment to the use of renewable energies. Yet, the operationalization and management of this political objective may be frustrated at the local level, where, it is suggested, an implementation impasse exists. This paper reports on a case study that examines the planning issues around the harvesting of wind at an urban brownfield site in Scotland. The paper discusses the nature of the state-market-civil relations involved in the development management of private wind-energy infrastructure, and the potential for a positive mediating role for the planning system.     

An Analysis of Spatial Clustering and Implications for Wildlife Management: A Burrowing Owl Example

Analysis tools that combine large spatial and temporal scales are necessary for efficient management of wildlife species, such as the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia). We assessed the ability of Ripley’s K-function analysis integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) to determine changes in burrowing owl nest clustering over two years at NASA Ames Research Center. Specifically, we used these tools to detect changes in spatial and temporal nest clustering before, during, and after conducting management by mowing to maintain low vegetation height at nest burrows. We found that the scale and timing of owl nest clustering matched the scale and timing of our conservation management actions over a short time frame. While this study could not determine a causal link between mowing and nest clustering, we did find that Ripley’s K and GIS were effective in detecting owl nest clustering and show promise for future conservation uses.     

The NICE-Whyco technologies partnership: saving energy, dollars, and the environment in the metal plating industry

In partnership with the US Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technology, Whyco Technologies, Inc., has developed an innovative perforated plating barrel used in the plating of metal parts. This new technology employs a thin-walled construction, differing from the traditional thick-wall design required to provide adequate structural integrity. The thicker walls lowered the efficiency of transferring plating solution into and out of the barrel and diminished the electrical current pushed through the holes and onto the parts being plated. By machining pockets out of the traditional thick-walled perforated structure, Whyco produced a ‘honeycomb’ of staggered cells, allowing for the greatest number of holes per open area while maintaining structural integrity. Hydrodynamic pumping occurs during barrel rotation to create greater solution transfer than in traditional barrels. The Whyco barrel has higher current density plating, which leads to faster plating cycles, reduced bath concentration, and better plating of difficult chemistries such as in alloys. This new technology has helped the company reduce energy use by 16%, eliminate more than 480 tons/year of solid waste, and reduce wastewater by more than 17 000 gallons/day. The resulting cost savings total more than $500 000 annually. The company has manufactured and sold more than 275 of these barrels to other electroplating companies that are reporting up to a 40% increase in plating productivity and similar energy and environmental impacts.     

MEAN AREAL PRECIPITATION FOR DAILY HYDROLOGIC MODELING IN MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS1

ABSTRACT: A procedure using detrended kriging has been developed to calculate daily values of mean areal precipitation (MAP) for input to hydrologic models. The important features of this procedure that overcome weaknesses in existing MAP procedures are: (1) specific precipitation-elevation relationships are determined for each time period as opposed to using relationships based on climatological averages, (2) spatial variability is incorporated by estimating precipitation for each grid cell over a watershed, (3) the spatial correlation structure of precipitation is explicitly modeled, and (4) station weights for precipitation estimates are determined objectively and optimally. Detailed cross-validation testing of the procedure was done for the Reynolds Creek research watershed in southwestern Idaho. The procedure is suitable for use in operational streamflow forecasting.     

Interpreting measures of economic loss: Evidence from contingent valuation and experimental studies

From the standpoint of conventional welfare theory, it is surprising that responses to contingent valuation studies of environmental goods have shown a consistent difference between willingness to pay and compensation demanded measures of economic loss. This paper examines these results in light of four reasons most often given as grounds for their dismissal. New experimental evidence supports an interpretation of the observed disparity in payment-and compensation-based measures as both real and psychologically meaningful. An alternative conceptual framework, suggested by prospect theory, is outlined and its relevance for economic assessments of potential environmental change is discussed briefly.     

Particulate emissions from construction activities

Although it has long been recognized that road and building construction activity constitutes an important source of particulate matter (PM) emissions throughout the United States, until recently only limited research has been directed to its characterization. This paper presents the results of PM10 and PM2.5 (particles < or = 10 microm and < or = 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter, respectively) emission factor development from the onsite testing of component operations at actual construction sites during the period 1998-2001. Much of the testing effort was directed at earthmoving operations with scrapers, because earthmoving is the most important contributor of PM emissions across the construction industry. Other sources tested were truck loading and dumping of crushed rock and mud and dirt carryout from construction site access points onto adjacent public paved roads. Also tested were the effects of watering for control of scraper travel routes and the use of paved and graveled aprons at construction site access points for reducing mud and dirt carryout. The PM10 emissions from earthmoving were found to be up to an order of magnitude greater than predicted by AP-42 emission factors drawn from other industries. As expected, the observed PM2.5:PM10 emission factor ratios reflected the relative importance of the vehicle exhaust and the resuspended dust components of each type of construction activity. An unexpected finding was that PM2.5 emissions from mud and dirt carryout were much less than anticipated. Finally, the control efficiency of watering of scraper travel routes was found to closely follow a bilinear moisture model.