Greenhouse gas savings potential of sugar cane bio-energy systems

One of the major justifications for bio-energy systems is their low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil-energy ones. Transforming a sugar mill into a bio-energy plant would contribute to climate change mitigation via the extraction of renewable electricity and ethanol. This study takes the case of the sugar industry in Thailand and identifies scenario options that offer GHG reduction benefits. Improving efficiency in electricity generation from sugar cane residues e.g. excess bagasse and cane trash is such a beneficial option. Furthermore, extracting ethanol in a so-called bio-refinery, where the co-product stillage is utilized for energy, tends to magnify the potential benefit. The largest savings potential achieved with extracting ethanol from surplus sugar versus current practice in the sugar industry in Thailand amounts to 14 million tonnes CO₂e a year. This cannot be realized in practice until the carbon debt from land conversion is repaid, which takes 4.5–7 years, assuming that the land converted is grassland.     

Amine volatility in CO2 capture

Amine volatility is a key screening criterion for amines to be used in CO₂ capture. Excessive volatility may result in significant economic losses and environmental impact. It also dictates the capital cost of the water wash. This paper reports measured amine volatility in 7 m MEA (monoethanolamine), 8 m PZ (piperazine), 7 m MDEA (n-methyldiethanolamine)/2 m PZ (piperazine), 12 m EDA (ethylenediamine), and 5 m AMP (2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol) at 40–60 °C with lean and rich loadings giving CO₂ partial pressures of 0.5 and 5 kPa at 40 °C. The amine concentrations were chosen to maximize CO₂ capture capacity at acceptable viscosity. At the lean loading condition (where volatility is of greatest interest), the amines are ranked in order of increasing volatility: 7 m MDEA/2 m PZ (6/2 ppm), 8 m PZ (8 ppm), 12 m EDA (9 ppm), 7 m MEA (31 ppm), and 5 m AMP (112 ppm). The apparent amine partial molar excess enthalpies in these systems were estimated to range from ～10 to 87 kJ/mol of amine.     

A survey on municipal solid waste and residents’ awareness in Da Nang city, Vietnam

A survey on solid waste generation and residents’ awareness was conducted in Da Nang city, Vietnam in 2010. We took samples from residents, hotels, restaurants, and city markets. Data reveals that each resident generates on average 0.71 kg/capita/day (3 kg/household/day). Regarding the composition, organic waste (food, flowers, leaves, grass) accounts for about 70 % of residents’ waste followed by plastics. Likewise, about 14 % of residents’ waste can be recycled. Furthermore, we find that middle income households in the suburbs have the largest waste generation with 4.9 kg/household/day. We consider that this finding is explained by their dedication to agricultural activities, such as planting fruit trees and vegetables, and gardening. Finally, we find that only about 60 % of interviewees have knowledge of how to segregate waste, however more than 90 % of them are willing to cooperate with the introduction of a waste segregation program in the city.     

Steel slag quality control for road construction aggregates and its environmental impact: case study of Vietnamese steel industry—leaching of heavy metals from steel-making slag

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Steel slag is an industrial by product of steel manufacturing processes and has been widely utilized within civil and construction materials for road...     

Evaluation of zeolite for control of odorants emissions from simulated poultry manure storage

Poultry operations are associated with emissions of aerial ammonia (NH3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and odor, and the magnitude of emissions is influenced by manure management practices. As a manure treatment additive, zeolites have been shown to have the potential to control NH3. Because of their properties it is also expected that zeolites could effectively adsorb VOCs and odor. The effectiveness of zeolite in controlling odor and VOCs was qualitatively evaluated in this controlled laboratory study involving simulated poultry manure storage. In the first two trials, zeolite was topically applied on nearly fresh laying hen manure at the rates of 0, 2.5, 5, and 10% (by weight). In the third trial, zeolite was topically applied at 5% with each addition of fresh manure into the storage vessel. Headspace samples from the emission vessels were collected with solid phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed on a multidimensional-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (MDGC-MS-O) system for identification and prioritization of poultry manure odorants. Acetic acid, butanoic acid, isovaleric acid, indole, and skatole were consistently controlled in the headspace, with the reduction rate being proportional to the zeolite application rate. Dimethyl trisulfide and phenol were consistently generated, and with a few exceptions, the rate of generation was proportional to the application rate. Average reduction of the odor caused by all odorants evaluated with SPME-GC-O was 67% (+/-12%) and 51% (+/-26%) for the two topical applications, respectively, while no significant reduction of VOCs and odor was detected for the layered application.     

Environmental consequences of different beef production systems in the EU

The aim of this paper is to examine the environmental consequences of beef meat production in the EU, using a life cycle approach. Four beef production systems were studied – three from intensively reared dairy calves and one from suckler herds. According to the results of the analysis, the contributions from the production of 1 kg beef meat (slaughter weight) to global warming, acidification, eutrophication, land use and non-renewable energy use were lower for beef from dairy calves than from suckler herds (16.0–19.9 versus 27.3 kg CO₂e, 101–173 versus 210 g SO₂e, 622–1140 versus 1651 g NO₃e, 16.5–22.7 versus 42.9 m²year, and 41.3–48.2 versus 59.2 MJ, respectively). The breakdown analysis helped identify the key areas in the “cradle to farm gate” beef production system where sustainable management strategies are needed to improve environmental performance. The study also included a sensitivity analysis to preliminarily estimate GHG emissions from beef production systems if land opportunity cost and land use change related to grazing and feed crop production for beef were taken into account. If so, the contribution from the production of 1 kg beef to global warming would increase by a factor of 3.1–3.9, based on a depreciation period of 20 years. This highlights the importance of taking into account the impacts of land use in assessing the environmental impacts of livestock production.     

Effects of varying dilutions, pH, temperature and cations on spermatozoa motility in fish Larimichthys polyactis

The objectives of this present study were to assess the effects of varying dilutions, pH, temperature and cations on spermatozoa motile parameters (SMPs) in fish Larimichthys polyactis. Optimal SMPs were observed when emen was diluted in artificial seawater (ASW) at a ratio of 1 to 100, with temperature of 10 degreesC and pH 8.0. The spermatozoa of L. polyactis were immotile in distilled water and motile in solution containing different cations. Maximum SMPs were obtained in each solution containing 0.4 mol NaCI, 0.4 mol KCI, 0.2 mol CaCI2 and 0.2 mol MgCl2. This study provides baseline knowledge of L. polyactis spermatozoa sensitivity of pH, temperature and cationic effects.     

Software for Sustainability Assessment: a Case Study in Quang Tri Province,Vietnam

Sustainable development is a widespread concept. Indicator selection and sustainability assessment are basic methods to analyse the sustainable development process. This study aims to develop a software application to select indicators and to allocate weightings to the indicators and the sub-indexes, so that they can be listed in a sustainability assessment. The Visual Basic software is used to develop a software package based on Delphi, analytic hierarchy, normalization and combination processes. Software for sustainability assessment was developed. Thirty-five indicators are selected as a first step of which eight health indicators and eight environmental ones and their sub-indexes are given weightings. The indicators are normalized. Sub-indexes are combined into a composite sustainable development index. The model is validated showing the ‘main features’ of the sustainability situation on health and environmental aspects in the Quang Tri province during the period 2000–2005. The results support the decision-making process of the competent authorities.     

Antibiotic and antiparasitic residues in surface water of urban rivers in the Red River Delta (Hanoi,Vietnam): concentrations,profiles, source estimation,and risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance in surface water are issues of global concern, especially in developing countries. In this study, the...     

An assessment of potential responses of Melaleuca genus to global climate change

The genus Melaleuca consists of around 260 species covering over eight million hectares (including native and introduced species) and distributed mostly in Australia, but also occurring in South-East Asia, the Southern United States and the Caribbean. Melaleuca populations predominantly occur in wetland or/and coastal ecosystems where they have been significantly affected by climate change. This paper assesses the potential responses of the Melaleuca genus to climate change, based on the synthesis of worldwide published data. The main findings include: (i) that the Melaleuca genus has a rich species diversity, and significant phenotypic diversity in a variety of ecosystems; (ii) they demonstrate significant local adaptation to harsh conditions; and (iii) the fossil records and taxon biology indicate the evolution of the Melaleuca genus began around 38 million years ago and they have survived several significant climatic alterations, particularly a shift towards cooler and drier climates that has occurred over this period. These findings show that the Melaleuca genus is highly resilient and adaptable and based on this, this paper argues that Melaleuca can adapt to climate change through Wright’s ‘migrational adaptation’, and can be managed to achieve sustainable benefits.