日本公司的环境报告

日本是亚洲太平洋地区进行法人报告的首创者.本文回顾了过去的十年中日本环境报告举措的发展.也描述了对日本公司进行的环境报告的调查反应.在日本正在开始注重确保环境报告可靠性的方法.环境上先进公司的环境报告正在朝可持续发展性报告的方向转移.     

Questionnaire and onsite survey on municipal solid waste composting in Sri Lanka

This study was conducted to evaluate the composting processes in Sri Lanka and to identify essential improvements. The study consisted of a questionnaire survey, field observations, and interviews. The main shortcomings identified by this study were: no source separation at origin, and no monitoring for temperature, moisture, stability, or maturity during processes of composting. These problems hinder the smooth operation of the composting processes and lead to low demand for compost. Based on the findings, the recommendations for increasing the demand for compost are performing source separation during waste collections, improvement of processes by monitoring the temperature and moisture, and marketing compost so as to improve the popularity of the compost among farmers.     

Comparison of energy recovery system from municipal solid waste in terms of energy balance and life cycle CO2 emission

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - We evaluated four systems for recovering energy from municipal solid waste in terms of life cycle energy and CO2 emissions. Two of these were a...     

Dry scrubbing of municipal solid waste incineration flue gas using porous sodium carbonate produced via vacuum thermal treatment of sodium bicarbonate

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Sodium bicarbonate is among the alkali chemicals used for dry scrubbing in incineration flue gas treatment. It is generally pulverized into fine...     

Recent survey and effects of cooking processes on levels of PCDDs,PCDFs and Co-PCBs in leafy vegetables in Japan

We report here the latest levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) in leafy vegetables in Japan as well as the effect of cooking processes on the reduction of these contaminants. Three kinds of leafy vegetables (“komatsuna”, lettuce and spinach) from seven districts in Japan in 1998 were analyzed for the 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted PCDD/Fs and three non-ortho-PCBs (#77, 126 and 169). The mean total TEQ levels (using the WHO-TEFs) in the komatsuna, lettuce and spinach were 0.094, 0.025 and 0.196 pg/g fresh weight, respectively. The TEQ levels are dominated by 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and 3,3^′,4,4^′,5-PeCB in many of the samples. For one of these isomers, the 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF TEQ levels showed good correlation with the total TEQ levels in the samples (r=0.957). This suggests that 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF may be an indicator for dioxin contamination in the analysis of the leafy vegetables. Also, the effects of two cooking processes (washing and washing followed by boiling) on the dioxin levels in two types of spinach samples were investigated. On average, in both samples, the total concentrations of the PCDDs, PCDFs and Co-PCB were reduced to about 38%, 73% and 88% of the initial concentrations by washing, and to 21%, 35% and 61% of the initial concentrations by washing followed by boiling. The total TEQ levels were reduced to about 30% of the initial TEQ levels by washing followed by boiling. Significant reductions in the TEQ levels were observed in the cooked samples. Thus, the cooking processes may reduce the risk of dioxin intake from the leafy vegetables.     

Batch separation of shredded bulky waste by gas-solid fluidized bed at laboratory scale

A gas-solid fluidized bed separator using various bed materials was used to separate shredded municipal bulky waste (SBW). Using 290 microm glass beads as the bed material, the apparent density of the fluidized bed was 1.5 g/cm(3) and the SBW could be separated into combustibles such as wood, paper and plastics and incombustibles such as metals and glass. The overall efficiency (Newton's efficiency) of the separation was calculated to be 0.93. In order to obtain high efficiency, the superficial velocity must be adjusted so that the fluidized bed is agitated moderately and at the same time there is no weak fluidized region. Using a mixture of particles of nylon shot and 68 microm glass beads, the apparent density of the fluidized mixture bed could be varied between 0.63 and 0.99 g/cm(3) by changing the mixing ratio of the two materials. In the case of a mixing ratio of 20% for glass beads, an apparent density of 0.65 g/cm(3) was produced, in which wood and paper components were recovered while plastics remained in the bed to give a final overall efficiency of 0.88.     

Oxygen intrusion into waste in old landfills of low organic content.

Oxygen invasion into old landfills was studied by assuming the installation of gas venting pipes to promote stabilization of waste. In an experiment using a column pack with old incombustible waste, oxygen intrusion was observed and the oxygen consumption rate was estimated. Oxygen diffused into the waste layer very quickly in the initial stage of the experiment, but oxygen concentration increased only gradually due to reduced gradient and decreasing oxygen consumption. The maximum oxygen consumption rate in packed waste was one-third of that in loosely deposited waste in a beaker measured in a respiration test. A mathematical model was created which fitted the experimental data well and a three-dimensional simulation of a full-scale landfill and a sensitivity analysis were performed.     

Air and landfill gas movement through passive gas vents installed in closed landfills

In a closed landfill, Japan, remedial actions have been undertaken to address the inadequate leachate collection and drainage systems. Part of this process included installing many passive gas vents in the landfill to promote stabilization of landfilled waste. This study focused on the gas velocity in vents by conducting tracer tests to elucidate the gas flow via passive gas vents. The gas composition and gas temperature in the vents was also measured.As the gas vents pass through the waste layer, both landfill gas and air flows through the vents. Therefore, passive gas vents can be used to aerate landfilled waste as well as to collect and release landfill gas. Aerobic biodegradation occurs when air migrates through the waste layer if organic matter is present; this increases the temperature of the waste layer. Inflow of air into the gas vents can occur at a wide range of depths, even 10–20 m below ground level. Air is induced not from the surface of the landfill, but horizontally along the waste layer. The driving force of air induction from outside is a buoyancy effect caused by the temperature rise due to aerobic biodegradation.     

Mass and element balance in food waste composting facilities

The mass and element balance in municipal solid waste composting facilities that handle food waste was studied. Material samples from the facilities were analyzed for moisture, ash, carbon, nitrogen, and the oxygen consumption of compost and bulking material was determined.Three different processes were used in the food waste composting facilities: standard in-vessel composting, drying, and stand-alone composting machine. Satisfactory results were obtained for the input/output ash balance despite several assumptions made concerning the quantities involved. The carbon/nitrogen ratio and oxygen consumption values for compost derived only from food waste were estimated by excluding the contribution of the bulking material remaining in the compost product. These estimates seemed to be suitable indices for the biological stability of compost because there was a good correlation between them, and because the values seemed logical given the operating conditions at the facilities.