Biomass fuel use,burning technique and reasons for the denial of improved cooking stoves by Forest User Groups of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary,Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the structural linkages of product quality, corporate image, store image, and price on customer satisfaction and loyalty towards green products usage in Malaysia. The research used structural equation modelling technique via AMOS 21.0 computer program for data analysis across a sample of 200 university students who applies a green lifestyle, such as purchasing green products which are referring to only retail goods, using recyclable products, and ozone-free products. Empirical analysis divulged that product quality followed by corporate image, store image, and product price jointly affected customer satisfaction in using green products. They are highly concerned that the green store provides a variety of good quality products with good value for money. Marketers should aggressively promote the identification of green products and overcome the problem of just noticeable difference between green product and non-green product among consumers for business sustainability. Empirical findings provide valuable insights to put forth in outlining effective marketing strategies that widen the marketers’ understanding of consumer behaviour in using green products with regard to their satisfaction and loyalty levels from the perspective of product quality, corporate image, store image, and product prices in Malaysia markets.     

Assessment of sewage sludge bioremediation at different hydraulic retention times using mixed fungal inoculation by liquid-state bioconversion

Sustainable, environmental friendly, and safe disposal of sewage treatment plant (STP) sludge is a global expectation. Bioremediation performance was examined at different hydraulic retention times (HRT) in 3–10 days and organic loading rates (OLR) at 0.66–7.81 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) per liter per day, with mixed filamentous fungal (Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum) inoculation by liquid-state bioconversion (LSB) technique as a continuous process in large-scale bioreactor. Encouraging results were monitored in treated sludge by LSB continuous process. The highest removal of total suspended solid (TSS), turbidity, and COD were achieved at 98, 99, and 93 %, respectively, at 10 days HRT compared to control. The minimum volatile suspended solid/suspended solid implies the quality of water, which was recorded 0.59 at 10 days and 0.72 at 3 days of HRT. In treated supernatant with 88 % protein removal at 10 days of HRT indicates a higher magnitude of purification of treated sludge. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) quantifies the performance of dewaterability; it was recorded minimum 0.049 × 10¹² m kg^?1 at 10 days of HRT, which was equivalent to 97 % decrease of SRF. The lower OLR and higher HRT directly influenced the bioremediation and dewaterability of STP sludge in LSB process. The obtained findings imply encouraging message in continuing treatment of STP sludge, i.e., bioremediation of wastewater for environmental friendly disposal in near future.     

Sustainable building technology: thermal control of solar energy to cool and heat the building naturally

Environment, Development and Sustainability - A sustainable building design technology is being proposed to heat and cool inside the building naturally by using exterior curtain wall to control the...     

Physicochemical factors and sources of particulate matter at residential urban environment in Kuala Lumpur

Long-term measurements (2004–2011) of PM₁₀ (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm) and trace gases (carbon monoxide [CO], ozone [O₃], nitrogen oxide [NO], oxides of nitrogen [NO_x], nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], sulfur dioxide [SO₂], methane [CH₄], nonmethane hydrocarbon [NMHC]) have been conducted to study the effect of physicochemical factors on the PM₁₀ concentration. In addition, this study includes source apportionment of PM₁₀ in Kuala Lumpur urban environment. An advanced principal component analysis (PCA) technique coupled with absolute principal component scores (APCS) and multiple linear regression (MLR) has been applied. The average annual concentration of PM₁₀ for 8 yr is 51.3 ± 25.8 μg m^?3, which exceeds the Recommended Malaysian Air Quality Guideline (RMAQG) and international guideline values. Detail analysis shows the dependency of PM₁₀ on the linear changes of the motor vehicles in use and the amount of biomass burning, particularly from Sumatra, Indonesia, during southwesterly monsoon. The main sources of PM₁₀ identified by PCA-APCS-MLR are traffic combustion (28%), ozone coupled with meteorological factors (20%), and windblown particles (1%). However, the apportionment procedure left 28.0 μg m^?3, that is, 51% of PM₁₀ undetermined.

Implications: Air quality is always a top concern around the globe. Especially in the South Asian regions, measures are not yet sufficient; as revealed in our studies, the concentrations of particulate matters exceed the tolerable limits. Long-term data analysis and characterization of particular matters and their sources will aid the policy makers and the concerned authority to adapt measures and policies according to the circumstances. Additionally, similar intensive studies will give insight about future implications of air quality management.     

Quantitative assessment of medical waste generation in the capital city of Bangladesh

There is a concern that mismanagement of medical waste in developing countries may be a significant risk factor for disease transmission. Quantitative estimation of medical waste generation is needed to estimate the potential risk and as a basis for any waste management plan. Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh, is an example of a major city in a developing country where there has been no rigorous estimation of medical waste generation based upon a thorough scientific study. These estimates were obtained by stringent weighing of waste in a carefully chosen, representative, sample of HCEs, including non-residential diagnostic centres. This study used a statistically designed sampling of waste generation in a broad range of Health Care Establishments (HCEs) to indicate that the amount of waste produced in Dhaka can be estimated to be 37 ± 5 ton per day. The proportion of this waste that would be classified as hazardous waste by World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines was found to be approximately 21%. The amount of waste, and the proportion of hazardous waste, was found to vary significantly with the size and type of HCE.     

Environmental Kuznets Curve: the case of Bangladesh for waste emission and suspended particulate matter

Economists have shown the empirical relationships between the economic growth of a nation and its environmental quality using the hypothesis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). To understand the EKC phenomena, a study of the literature was undertaken. As waste, waste emission, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) are the active agents of environmental degradation, the study focused on those agents for EKC consideration. Through understanding the different EKC trajectories, an attempt was made to relate the economic development of Bangladesh to the EKC. It is shown that the EKCs for waste, emissions from waste, and SPM follow the conventional EKC trajectory with a turning point related to higher income per capita in most cases. The type of economic policy that Bangladesh should follow to deal with the pollutants and their sources is also shown. The study recommends creating a tunnel in the EKC to lower the turning point in Bangladesh. The study is likely to help stimulate policy development in Bangladesh.     

Arsenic and heavy metal concentrations in surface soils and vegetables of Feni district in Bangladesh

An investigation of various heavy metals including the arsenic (As) poisoning in soils and vegetables in five upazillas under Feni district of Bangladesh was performed by neutron activation technique using the neutron irradiation facilities of TRIGA MARK II research reactor at Bangladesh Atomic Energy Research Establishment (BAERE), Savar, Dhaka. A total of 30 samples (15 surface soils and 15 foodstuffs) were studied in five Upazillas namely as, Sonagazi, Dagan Bhuiya, Feni Sadar, Fulgazi and Parsuram of Feni district taking three samples of each kind from each upazilla. Samples of each kind together with the standard reference material (SRM) were irradiated in the same neutron flux and the gamma-rays of nuclides from the irradiated samples were assessed and screened for As, Br, U, Th, Cr, Sc, Fe, Zn and Co in soils and As, Br, Na, K, Cr, Sc, Fe, Zn and Co in vegetables (i.e; eddoe, taro, green papaya, plantain, potato, callaloo, bottle ground and carambola). The measurement of gamma-rays was carried out by means of a calibrated high resolution HPGe detector. The concentration of product nuclides containing in the irradiated samples was determined from the peak count-rates of prominent gamma-lines for the corresponding nuclides. Among all contaminants, only As, Zn and Cr for both samples were focused because of their higher values compared with the local as well as the world typical values. The present results revealed that the mean levels of As in Parsuram, Feni Sadar and Pulgazi upazillas are higher than the world typical value of 2 mg/kg. The mean values of Zn and Cr for all upazillas are higher than the world typical values 32 and 27.9 mg/kg, respectively. For the case of vegetables, the mean concentration of As is found only in Eddoe (5.33 ppm) and Taro (1.46 ppm) collected from Sonagazi and Feni Sadar upazilla; which are higher than the values in Samta (0.1 ppm for eddoe and 0.44 ppm for taro) under Jessore district of Bangladesh. The mean concentrations of Zn and Cr in all kinds of vegetables are higher compared with the existing local values as well as the world typical values. The mean estimated daily dietary intake of As, Zn and Cr from vegetables are found to be 0.105, 12.47 and 3.53 mg respectively, which are higher than the recommended values of some countries. The consumption of toxic metals in vegetables is a risk for public health in the studied area.     

Deterioration of water quality of Surma river

Surma River is polluted day by day by human activities, poor structured sewerage and drainage system, discharging industrial and household wastes. The charas (natural channels) are responsible for surface runoff conveyance from its urban catchments to the receiving Surma River. Water samples have been collected from a part of Surma River along different points and analyzed for various water quality parameters during dry and monsoon periods. Effects of industrial wastes, municipal sewage, and agricultural runoff on river water quality have been investigated. The study was conducted within the Chattak to Sunamganj portion of Surma River, which is significant due to the presence of two major industries – a paper mill and a cement factory. The other significant feature is the conveyors that travel from India to Chattak. The river was found to be highly turbid in the monsoon season. But BOD and fecal coliform concentration was found higher in the dry season. The water was found slightly acidic. The mean values of parameters were Conductivity 84–805 μs; DO: dry-5.52 mg/l, monsoon-5.72 mg/l; BOD: dry-1mg/l, monsoon-0.878 mg/l; Total Solid: dry-149.4 mg/l, monsoon-145.7 mg/l. In this study, an effort has been taken to investigate the status of concentration of phosphate (PO⁻⁴) and ammonia–nitrogen (NH₄–N) at four entrance points of Malnichara to the city, Guali chara, Gaviar khal and Bolramer khal. Data has been collected from March–April and September–October of 2004. Concentrations have been measured using UV Spectrophotometer. Although the phosphate concentration has been found within the limit set by DOE for fishing, irrigation and recreational purposes, however ammonia–nitrogen has been found to exceed the limit.     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on production and nutrient properties of wastewater sludge biochar

The important challenge for effective management of wastewater sludge materials in an environmentally and economically acceptable way can be addressed through pyrolytic conversion of the sludge to biochar and agricultural applications of the biochar. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of pyrolysis temperature on production of wastewater sludge biochar and evaluate the properties required for agronomic applications. Wastewater sludge collected from an urban wastewater treatment plant was pyrolysed in a laboratory scale reactor. It was found that by increasing the pyrolysis temperature (over the range from 300 °C to 700 °C) the yield of biochar decreased. Biochar produced at low temperature was acidic whereas at high temperature it was alkaline in nature. The concentration of nitrogen was found to decrease while micronutrients increased with increasing temperature. Concentrations of trace metals present in wastewater sludge varied with temperature and were found to primarily enriched in the biochar.     

Disaster coordination preparedness of soft-target organisations

This paper introduces a network‐enabled model to examine the disaster coordination preparedness of soft‐target organisations (STOs). Little attention is devoted to this matter in recent research. This study places emphasis on such organisations and the proposed model tests hypotheses related to network relation and coordination preparedness. It analyses the data set entitled ‘Preparedness of large retail malls to prevent and respond to terrorist attack, 2004′, which contains 120 completed surveys of security directors of retail malls in the United States. ¹ 1 See http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/TPDRC/studies/21140 .
The following questions form the basis of this study: ‘What do STOs need to be better prepared to respond to a disaster?’; ‘How does network relationship between STOs and emergency agencies affect the coordination preparedness of STOs for disaster recovery?’; and ‘Which centrality measure needs to be followed to measure network variables in order to analyse coordination preparedness?’ The results show that STOs with a high level of connectedness and strong ties to other emergency agencies are better prepared for disaster response.