Universities in capacity building in sustainable development: focus on solid waste management and technology.

This paper analyses some of the higher education and research capacity building experiences gained from 1998-2006 by Danish and Malaysian universities. The focus is on waste management, directly relating to both the environmental and socio-economic dimensions of sustainable development. Primary benefits, available as an educational legacy to universities, were obtained in terms of new and enhanced study curricula established on Problem-oriented Project-based Learning (POPBL) pedagogy, which strengthened academic environmental programmes at Malaysian and Danish universities. It involved more direct and mutually beneficial cooperation between academia and businesses in both countries. This kind of university reach-out is considered vital to development in all countries actively striving for global and sustainable development. Supplementary benefits were accrued for those involved directly in activities such as the 4 months of field studies, workshops, field courses and joint research projects. For students and academics, the gains have been new international dimensions in university curricula, enhanced career development and research collaboration based on realworld cases. It is suggested that the area of solid waste management offers opportunities for much needed capacity building in higher education and research, contributing to sustainable waste management on a global scale. Universities should be more actively involved in such educational, research and innovation programmes to make the necessary progress. ISWA can support capacity building activities by utilizing its resources--providing a lively platform for debate, securing dissemination of new knowledge, and furthering international networking beyond that which universities already do by themselves. A special challenge to ISWA may be to improve national and international professional networks between academia and business, thereby making education, research and innovation the key driving mechanisms in sustainable development in solid waste management.     

Untersuchung von Abfällen mit biologischen Testverfahren zur Bewertung der Wassergefährdung

Wastes from three different types of waste treatment facilities were examined with bioassays to determine their hazard potential to waters (→Part I). All examined wastes showed toxic effects and have to be classified as hazardous to waters according to section 19g of the German Federal Water Management Act. The toxicity is probably caused by heavy metals in the leachates, especially copper. An evaluation pattern to classify wastes in the German system of Water Hazard Classes is presented. According to this proposal, a classification of the examined wastes into Water Hazard Class 1 seems to be appropriate. This classification does not describe the hazards resulting from the regular disposal on a landfill or from the utilisation of the treated wastes.     

The Impact of Economics on Environmental Policy

Environmental economists have seen their ideas translated into the rough-and-tumble policy world for over two decades. They have witnessed the application of economic instruments to several environmental issues, including preserving wetlands, lowering lead levels, and curbing acid rain. This essay examines the impact of the rise of economics in the policy world on the making of environmental policy. I focus on two related, but distinct phenomena—the increasing interest in the use of incentive-based mechanisms, such as tradable permits, to achieve environmental goals; and the increasing interest in the use of analytical tools such as benefit–cost analysis in regulatory decision making.I argue that economists and economic instruments have had a modest impact on shaping environmental, health, and safety regulation, but that economists will play an increasingly important role in the future. Although the role of economics is becoming more prominent, it does not follow that environmental policy will become more efficient. This apparent inconsistency can be explained by the political economy of environmental policy.     

Availability of radium isotopes and heavy metals from scales and tailings of Polish hard coal mining

Radium and heavy metal contaminated tailings and scales resulting from Polish hard coal mining were investigated for their mobilisation potential by using leaching methods. The main focus is set on a three-step extraction procedure proposed by BCR (Bureau Communautaire de Référence, now Standards Measurements and Testing Programme) of the European Union, which was used for investigating the availability of radium isotopes. In addition, the results of a Polish extraction procedure for the heavy metals' water solubility are presented for rough comparison. After a special treatment, the BCR-reagents were measured by gamma-spectrometry to define their radium activity concentrations; the heavy metal content in the water soluble fractions was determined by ICP-AES. The samples were collected at two different sites influenced by the discharge of pit water from hard coal mining. The tailings were taken from a former tailing pond, which now is no longer in use, but the settled material is still present. At another abandoned and meanwhile flooded tailing pond, the scales were scraped from the inside of a discharge tube. The results obtained show that there is different leaching behaviour between the radium isotopes. The tailings being characterised by surface adsorbed radium provide up to 25% of the initial (226)Ra content, (228)Ra is altogether leached up to 15%. The scales comprise stable radiobaryte (Ba[Ra]SO(4)) and can be considered as being unable to provide radium isotopes, since no trace of radium dissolution was observed. The leaching behaviour of heavy metals is similar to that of radium. Mn, Ni and Zn are dissolved by water from the tailings; the scales do not provide any.     

Phosphorus speciation in sequentially extracted agro-industrial by-products: evidence from X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy

The phosphorus (P) in agro-industrial by-products--a potential source of freshwater eutrophication but also a valuable fertilizer--needs to be speciated to evaluate its fate in the environment. We investigated to what extent X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the P K- and L2.3-edges reflected differences in sequentially extracted filter cakes from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) (FIC) and niger seed (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.; NIC) processing industry in Ethiopia. The P fractionation removed more labile (54%) and H2SO4-P (28%) from FIC than from NIC (18% labile, 12% H2SO4-P). For the FIC residues after each extraction step, linear combination (LC) fitting of P K-edge spectra provided evidence for the enrichment of Ca-P after the NaOH-extraction and its almost complete removal after the H2SO4-treatment. The LC-fitting was unsuccessful for the NIC samples, likely because of the predominance of organic P compounds. The different proportions of Ca-P compounds between FIC (large) and NIC (small) were more distinctive in L2-than in the K-edge XANES spectra. In conclusion, the added value of complementary P K- and L2.3-edge XANES was clearly demonstrated, and the P fractionation and speciation results together justify using FIC and NIC as soil amendments in the tropics.     

Organic Farming and Soil Carbon Sequestration: What Do We Really Know About the Benefits?

Organic farming is believed to improve soil fertility by enhancing soil organic matter (SOM) contents. An important co-benefit would be the sequestration of carbon from atmospheric CO₂. Such a positive effect has been suggested based on data from field experiments though many studies were not designed to address the issue of carbon sequestration. The aim of our study was to examine published data in order to identify possible flaws such as missing a proper baseline, carbon mass measurements, or lack of a clear distinction between conventional and organic farming practices, thereby attributing effects of specific practices to organic farming, which are not uniquely organic. A total of 68 data sets were analyzed from 32 peer-reviewed publications aiming to compare conventional with organic farming. The analysis revealed that after conversion, soil C content (SOC) in organic systems increased annually by 2.2% on average, whereas in conventional systems SOC did not change significantly. The majority of publications reported SOC concentrations rather than amounts thus neglecting possible changes in soil bulk density. 34 out of 68 data sets missed a true control with well-defined starting conditions. In 37 out of 50 cases, the amount of organic fertilizer in the organic system exceeded that applied in the compared conventional system, and in half of the cases crop rotations differed between systems. In the few studies where crop rotation and organic fertilization were comparable in both systems no consistent difference in SOC was found. From this data analysis, we conclude that the claim for beneficial effects of organic farming on SOC is premature and that reported advantages of organic farming for SOC are largely determined by higher and often disproportionate application of organic fertilizer compared to conventional farming.     

SAFE—The Special Non-invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation Network: aims and achievements

In this short review, the objectives and work of SAFE—the Special Non-invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation Network, a European Union Framework VI network of excellence is described. We demonstrate how this network facilitates the implementation of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) for single gene disorders, fetal rhesus typing, aneuploidy and pregnancy complications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A short scale for measuring safety climate

A 6-item measure that assesses global work safety climate was validated using multiple samples each from a hospital and a nuclear energy population. Across all 14 samples the 6-item measure had acceptable internal consistency. The measure was associated with better adherence to safe work practices, reduced exposure to environmental stressors, the presence of more safety policies and procedures, a positive general organizational climate, and decreased accidents. As evidence for discriminant validity, safety climate was unrelated to most demographic measures and had relatively small relationships with sleeping problems and negative mood. Evidence suggests that this measure is a reliable and valid way to assess global safety climate.     

Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with smoke-free laws but not urban/rural status

The objective was to determine secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure with and without smoke-free laws in urban and rural communities. The research hypothesis was that SHS exposure in public places could be improved by smoke-free law regardless of urban and rural status. Indoor air quality in hospitality venues was assessed in 53 communities (16 urban and 37 rural) before smoke-free laws; 12 communities passed smoke-free laws during the study period. Real-time measurements of particulate matter with 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter or smaller (PM_2.5) were taken 657 times from 586 distinct venues; about 71 venues had both pre- and post-law measurements. Predictors of log-transformed PM_2.5 level were determined using multilevel modeling. With covariates of county-level percent minority population, percent with at least high school education, adult smoking rate, and venue-level smoker density, indoor air quality was associated with smoke-free policy status and venue type and their interaction. The geometric means for restaurants, bars, and other public places in communities without smoke-free policies were 22, 63, and 25 times higher than in those with smoke-free laws, respectively. Indoor air quality was not associated with urban status of venue, and none of the interactions involving urban status were significant. SHS exposure in public places did not differ by urban/rural status. Indoor air quality was associated with smoke-free law status and venue type.

Implications:?This study analyzed 657 measurements of indoor PM_2.5 level in 53 communities in Kentucky, USA. Although indoor air quality in public places was associated with smoke-free policy status and venue type, it did not differ by urban and rural status. The finding supports the idea that population in rural communities can be protected with smoke-free policy. Therefore, it is critical to implement smoke-free policy in rural communities as well as urban areas.