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.     

滴灌沼液对茶园土壤-茶树氮磷含量影响研究

茶园滴灌沼液,不仅可以将沼液进行生态处理,避免其造成二次污染,而且可以充分利用沼液中营养成分,提高茶园效益。实验表明,适时滴灌沼液可以保持土壤中铵态氮含量,有利于提高茶叶产量;可以改善土壤结构,增强土壤微生物活性,使滴灌区土壤中有效磷含量升高,滴灌可以提高氮磷的利用率。与非滴灌区相比,滴灌系统水肥耦合较好,更利于茶树吸收利用养分。就产茶中氮磷含量作为茶树对氮磷的吸收量而言,与非滴灌区相比,滴灌区茶树对氮磷的吸收利用率分别提高了18.12%、8.33%。     

超声-Fenton法对沼液中3种四环素类和3种磺胺类抗生素氧化去除的研究

近年来,各类抗生素被广泛用于畜禽养殖,并经动物代谢后随粪便和尿液排出体外.代谢物通过沼气工程处理后,得到的沼液又多用于灌溉,使得抗生素进入环境被农作物吸收,进而通过食物链的传递对人体产生危害,因此,沼液中抗生素的去除就显得尤为重要.本文选择畜禽养殖中使用较多的6种抗生素作为目标物质,采用超声-Fenton氧化技术进行去除.通过设置单因素实验考察了超声能量密度、H_2O_2浓度、pH值、n(H_2O_2)/n(Fe~(2+))对抗生素去除的影响,并利用响应曲面法研究了各个因素的交互性影响,拟合出去除抗生素的最优条件.结果表明,通过单因素试验筛选出的最佳反应条件为:pH=4,H_2O_2浓度为0.04 mol·L~(-1),n(H_2O_2)/n(Fe~(2+))=10,超声能量密度为0.050 kW·L~(-1),在此条件下四环素、土霉素、金霉素、磺胺甲恶唑、磺胺甲基嘧啶、磺胺嘧啶的去除率分别为91.90%、93.65%、86.09%、87.30%、77.54%、88.21%;再经由响应曲面法进一步优化实验方案得出优化条件为:pH=3.80,H_2O_2浓度为0.04 mol·L~(-1),n(H_2O_2)/n(Fe~(2+))=10.9,超声能量密度为0.055 kW·L~(-1),在此条件下四环素、土霉素、金霉素的去除率分别为92.04%、94.23%、88.46%,磺胺甲恶唑、磺胺甲基嘧啶、磺胺嘧啶的去除率分别为87.98%、80.78%、89.58%,养分TN、TP、TK的保留率分别为99.1%、98.6%、100.2%.可见,超声-Fenton氧化法对沼液中抗生素的去除效果良好,同时又可保留其养分.响应曲面法对优化超声-Fenton氧化去除沼液中的抗生素具有实际应用价值,这为沼液中抗生素的去除提供了一条可能的途径.     

From waste hot-pot oil as carbon precursor to development of recyclable attapulgite/carbon composites for wastewater treatment

The utilization of waste products as valuable materials was a technical imperative for waste management. In this study, the cost-effective attapulgite/carbon(APT/C) composite was developed for wastewater treatment using waste hot-pot oil as a carbon precursor through a facile one-step calcination process. The APT/C composite prepared at 300°C exhibited the excellent adsorption capacity and rapid equilibrium rate over a broad p H range for the removal of various pollutants. More importantly, the removal ratios of the composites toward Methyl Violet and tetracycline still remained 77.6% and 60.2% of the initial adsorption capacity after ten adsorption–regeneration cycles via a facile thermal regeneration strategy, respectively.Beyond all doubt, this research provided a feasible and economical way for the sustainable utilization of waste hot-pot oil in wastewater treatment, achieving the concept of disposal waste with waste and recycling.     

Marketing issues related to waste-grown aquatic foods

Environmental Management - Are societal wastes all bad? Some of them, including heat from power plants and certain organic wastes, have been demonstrated to be potentially valuable for growing...     

The use of a sequential leaching procedure for assessing the heavy metal leachability in lime waste from the lime kiln at a caustizicing process of a pulp mill

A five-stage sequential leaching procedure was used to fractionate 13 heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr, Zn, Fe, Mn, Al, Ni, Co, As, V, Ba) and sulphur (S) in lime waste from the lime kiln at the causticizing plant of Stora Enso Oyj Veitsiluoto Pulp Mills at Kemi, Northern Finland, into the following fractions: (1) water-soluble fraction (H₂O), (2) exchangeable fraction (CH₃COOH), (3) easily reduced fraction (HONH₃Cl), (4) oxidizable fraction (H₂O₂ + CH₃COONH₄), and (5) residual fraction (HF + HNO₃ + HCl). Although metals were leachable in all fractions, the highest concentrations for most of the metals were observed in the residual fraction (stage 5). It was also notable that the total heavy metal concentrations in lime waste did not exceed the maximal allowable heavy metal concentrations for soil conditioner agents set by the ministry of the Agricultural and Forestry in Finland. The heavy metals concentrations in lime waste were also lower than the maximal allowable heavy metals concentrations of the European Union Directive 86/278/EEC on the protection of environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture. The Ca concentration (420 g kg⁻¹; d.w.) was about 262 times higher than the typical value of 1.6 g kg⁻¹ (d.w.) in arable land in Central Finland. However, the concentration Mg (0.2 g kg⁻¹; d.w.) in lime waste was equal to the Mg concentration in arable land in the Central Finland. The lime waste has strongly alkaline pH (12.8) and a neutralizing value (i.e. liming effect) of 47.9% expressed as Ca equivalents (d.w.). This indicates lime waste to be a potential soil conditioner and improvement as well as a pH buffer.     

Recent developments in the application of risk analysis to waste technologies

The European waste sector is undergoing a period of unprecedented change driven by business consolidation, new legislation and heightened public and government scrutiny. One feature is the transition of the sector towards a process industry with increased pre-treatment of wastes prior to the disposal of residues and the co-location of technologies at single sites, often also for resource recovery and residuals management. Waste technologies such as in-vessel composting, the thermal treatment of clinical waste, the stabilisation of hazardous wastes, biomass gasification, sludge combustion and the use of wastes as fuel, present operators and regulators with new challenges as to their safe and environmentally responsible operation. A second feature of recent change is an increased regulatory emphasis on public and ecosystem health and the need for assessments of risk to and from waste installations. Public confidence in waste management, secured in part through enforcement of the planning and permitting regimes and sound operational performance, is central to establishing the infrastructure of new waste technologies. Well-informed risk management plays a critical role. We discuss recent developments in risk analysis within the sector and the future needs of risk analysis that are required to respond to the new waste and resource management agenda.     

Investigation of biocatalytic potential of garbage enzyme and its influence on stabilization of industrial waste activated sludge

The decomposable waste thrown into the environment can be used to produce value added bio-product which in turn reduces the production of greenhouse gas. Garbage enzyme is one such value added product produced by fermentation of organic solid waste. In the present study enzyme activity and disinfectant potential of garbage enzyme was evaluated and its influence on reduction of total solids, suspended solids and pathogens in dairy waste activated sludge were studied. The result showed the garbage enzyme possesses protease, amylase and lipase activity and reduced 37.2% of total solids, 38.6% of suspended solids and 99% of pathogens in dairy waste activated sludge. This significant result may be helpful for researchers to compare the effectiveness of earth-friendly garbage enzyme treatment of industrial sludge with various physical and chemical pre-treatment methods to improve the biogas production from the sludge digestion unit.     

Long-term engineering properties of recycled plastic lumber used in pier construction

Plastic lumber manufactured using post consumer waste plastic has been proposed as an acceptable material for use in the construction of docks, piers and bulkheads and is touted to outlast conventional wood products due to its strength, durability and resistance to rot. This study examines the long-term engineering properties of plastic lumber manufactured using post consumer waste plastic (TRIMAX, Ronkonkoma, NY). Plastic lumber profiles were used in the decking of a pier built in West Meadow Creek, Old Field, NY during December 1995. Samples of plastic lumber were removed from the deck of the pier periodically over a two-year period and returned to the laboratory for testing. Results of engineering tests showed the in-plane compression modulus (260±30 MPa), dimensional stability and the Shore D surface hardness (60±2) of plastic lumber removed from the pier remained similar to or greater than their pre-placement values. In contrast, significant changes in the modulus of elasticity of plastic lumber were measured with prolonged weathering. The modulus of elasticity of plastic lumber initially decreased from 1370 Pa to 750 Pa following 12 months weathering, a decrease equal to 45% of its pre-placement value and then increased during the second year to close to its initial value. The high variability in the modulus of elasticity should restrict the use of plastic lumber profiles to non-load bearing structural applications.     

Environmental Management of Human Waste Disposal for Recreational Boating Activities

/ A methodology to estimate the number of pump-out facilities and dump stations required to service human waste disposal for recreational power boating activities in Pennsylvania during the 1994 boating season is described. Study results suggest that a total of 39 additional pump-out stations and 13 dump stations may be required on seven major waterbodies: The Three Rivers Area, Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay, Raystown Lake, the Susquehanna River, the Delaware River, Lake Wallenpaupack, and the Kinzua Reservoir. Suggestions for improving the methodology are provided. KEY WORDS: Human waste; Recreation; Power boating; Waste facilities; Waste disposal; Pennsylvania