Development of urban planning guidelines for improving emergency response capacities in seismic areas of Iran

This paper presents the results of research carried out to improve emergency response activities in earthquake-prone areas of Iran. The research concentrated on emergency response operations, emergency medical care, emergency transportation, and evacuation—the most important issues after an earthquake with regard to saving the lives of victims. For each topic, some guidelines and criteria are presented for enhancing emergency response activities, based on evaluations of experience of strong earthquakes that have occurred over the past two decades in Iran, notably Manjil (1990), Bam (2003), Firouz Abad-Kojour (2004), Zarand (2005) and Broujerd (2006). These guidelines and criteria are applicable to other national contexts, especially countries with similar seismic and social conditions as Iran. The results of this study should be incorporated into comprehensive plans to ensure sustainable development or reconstruction of cities as well as to augment the efficiency of emergency response after an earthquake.     

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of northern littoral zone of Lake Çıldır,Ardahan, Turkey

In this paper, the heavy metal levels (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, As, Cd, Cr, Hg), organic carbon, and chlorophyll degradation products were studied to prove their ecological effects in Lake Ç?ld?r, where fossil fuels are used as an energy source in the studied area for most of the year, and domestic waste from settlements is discharged directly into the lake. Sediment samples were collected from six sites on the northern shore of Ç?ld?r Lake, Turkey in November 2012. Enrichment (EF) and contamination factor (CF) values were determined, and Pollution Load (PLI) and Potential Ecological Risk (PER) indices were calculated. Average concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments were, in descending order, Fe?>?Mn?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cr?>?Cu?>?Pb?>?As?>?Cd?>?Hg, respectively. According to mean values, the source of these elements may be considered natural due to lack of enrichment in Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr in the sediment samples. Regarding enrichment of As, Cd, Mn, and Hg, the highest EF belongs to Hg. PLI and PER values indicate there are moderate ecological risk in the lake.     

Potential of ultrafiltration for organic matter removal in the polymer industry effluent based on particle size distribution analysis

The purpose of the study was the experimental evaluation of ultrafiltration as a potential innovative technology for the removal of organic matter of around 15,000 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) per liter in the polymer industry wastewater. Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis served as the major experimental instrument along with conventional chemical settling. Biodegradation characteristics of the remaining COD after ultrafiltration were determined by model interpretation of the corresponding oxygen uptake rate (OUR) profile. The study first involved a detailed characterization of the polymer wastewater including PSD analysis of the COD content. Chemical treatability was investigated using lime alone and with ferric chloride as coagulants followed with a PSD assessment of the chemically settled effluent. Modeling of the OUR profile generated by the ultrafiltration effluent defined related biodegradation kinetics and provided information on the overall COD removal potential. PSD analysis indicated that more than 70 % of the total COD accumulated in the 220- to 450-nm size range. It indicated that ultrafiltration was potentially capable of removing more than 90 % of the COD with an effluent lower than 1,500 mg COD/L. Chemical settling with 750 mg/L of FeCl₃ dosing at a pH of 7.0 provided a similar performance. The ultrafiltration effluent included mainly hydrolysable COD and proved to be biodegradable, with the process kinetics compatible with domestic sewage. PSD evaluation proved to be a valuable scientific instrument for underlining the merit of ultrafiltration as the appropriate innovative technology for polymer wastewater, removing the major portion of the COD in a way that is suitable for recovery and reuse and producing a totally biodegradable effluent.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of biofuels from biomass

A sustainable source of energy production can be provided using renewable resources. For instance, biomass is transformed into biofuels using several techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction, an effective thermochemical process. Here we review results on biofuels obtained from lignocellulosic and algal biomass using supercritical fluids. Biofuel yield and composition are controlled by operating conditions such as extraction temperature, pressure, biomass and solvent type, and the presence of catalysts. The extraction temperature is the major factor controlling biofuel yield. Biofuel yields can also be improved with the use of catalysts. Major compounds in biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass are phenols, catechols, guaiacols, syringols, syringaldehydes, syringyl acetone, acids, and esters. Most of these compounds are produced by lignin decomposition in lignocellulose. Furfural and derivatives are produced by the decomposition of cellulose and hemicellulose. Fatty acid alkyl esters are formed from lignin fragmentation by condensation of compounds bearing C–O or C=O. Prominent compounds in biofuels from algal biomass are saturated or unsaturated fatty acid alkyl esters.     

A comparative study of the removal of 3-indolebutyric acid using advanced oxidation processes

In this study, advanced oxidation technologies, namely Fenton Process (FP), Fenton-Like Process (FLP), ozonation (O3) and O3/H2O2 processes, were applied to synthetic wastewater containing 3-indolebutyric acid (IBA). The effectiveness of each process was investigated at different pH values, Fe(+2), Fe(+3), O3 and H2O2 concentrations with respect to the removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC). The best removal efficiencies were seen at pH 3 and 2 mM Fe concentration in both FP and FLP, in which the optimum H2O2 concentrations were 6 mM for FP and 10 mM for FLP. Optimum process conditions were pH 12 for the O3 process, pH 9 for the O3/H2O2 process and 1:1 O3/H2O2 molar ratio. The highest COD removal efficiency was 86 percent, obtained in the O3/H2O2 process and the highest TOC removal efficiency was obtained at 77 percent in the FP.     

Analysis of organic nitrogen removal in municipal wastewater by reverse osmosis

The results of a pilot study that was conducted to determine the total nitrogen removal by the reverse osmosis process are presented. The organic nitrogen removal rates are compared with removals observed from three full-scale reverse osmosis facilities and four pilot studies. The results of this analysis suggest that organic nitrogen removal is variable and that reverse osmosis may not consistently produce total nitrogen levels less than 1.0 mg/L without additional treatment. Three hypotheses to explain the variability in organic nitrogen removal in the different data sets are presented.     

Throughfall,stemflow, and interception characteristics of coniferous forest ecosystems in the western black sea region of Turkey (Daday example)

This study aims to identify precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, precipitation, and interception processes in pure black pine, pure Scots pine, and mixed black pine–Scots pine forest ecosystems and present the precipitation partitioning according to different stand types. Throughfall and stemflow measurements were performed using five standard precipitation gauges in a pilot area established to represent pure black pine, pure Scots pine, and mixed black pine–Scots pine stands in the Bezirgan Basin. The total precipitation was measured in an open field close to the study area. Throughfall values were calculated as the percentage of precipitation measured in an open field. According to the results of the study, the throughfall values were 69.8% in black pine, 73.9% in Scots pine, and 77.7% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; the stemflow values were 2.6% in black pine, 5.9% in Scots pine, and 3.1% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; the amounts of precipitation reaching the forest floor were 72.3% in black pine, 79.8% in Scots pine, and 80.7% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; and the interception values were found to be 27.7% in black pine, 20.2% in Scots pine, and 19.2% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands.     

A strategic management model for evaluation of health,safety and environmental performance

Strategic health, safety, and environmental management system (HSE-MS) involves systematic and cooperative planning in each phase of the lifecycle of a project to ensure that interaction among the industry group, client, contractor, stakeholder, and host community exists with the highest level of health, safety, and environmental standard performances. Therefore, it seems necessary to assess the HSE-MS performance of contractor(s) by a comparative strategic management model with the aim of continuous improvement. The present Strategic Management Model (SMM) has been illustrated by a case study and the results show that the model is a suitable management tool for decision making in a contract environment, especially in oil and gas fields and based on accepted international standards within the framework of management deming cycle. To develop this model, a data bank has been created, which includes the statistical data calculated by converting the HSE performance qualitative data into quantitative values. Based on this fact, the structure of the model has been formed by defining HSE performance indicators according to the HSE-MS model. Therefore, 178 indicators have been selected which have been grouped into four attributes. Model output provides quantitative measures of HSE-MS performance as a percentage of an ideal level with maximum possible score for each attribute. Defining the strengths and weaknesses of the contractor(s) is another capability of this model. On the other hand, this model provides a ranking that could be used as the basis for decision making at the contractors’ pre-qualification phase or during the execution of the project.