Vulnerability assessment of sea-level rise in Viti Levu, Fiji Islands

Fiji is expected to come under increasing pressure and risk from various threats resulting from climate change and sea-level rise (SLR). Fiji consists of 332 islands and thus has a predominant and large coastline. Viti Levu is the largest and most important of the islands, harboring Fiji’s capital city and most of the major towns concentrated around its coast. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the extent of possible sea-level rise using GIS, and to identify high-risk locations. Potential sea level rise was shown graphically as an output to determine where inundation or flooding would take place. This analysis allowed important areas facing risk to be highlighted for future action. Flooding/inundation can be classified into two kinds: ‘permanent inundation’, which is the result of sea-level rise with tide; and ‘temporary flooding’, also including occasional storm surge events. The inundated area was displayed under different projections and quantified. The results produced output maps showing the distribution of inundation/flooding around the island of Viti Levu as well as the extent of flooding. Six scenarios for sea-level rise were used (0.09, 0.18, 0.48, 0.50, 0.59, 0.88 m). Six scenarios for storm surge were used with return intervals of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 years. High risk and priority locations are identified as Fiji’s capital Suva, the major tourist center and arrival port of Nadi, and Fiji’s second city Lautoka. Future action, adaptation and response strategies in these identified locations must occur to reduce risk from climate change.     

Characterization of trace constituents in landfill gas and a comparison of sites in Asia

Because landfill gas (LFG) contains an abundance of methane, the utilization of LFG as a renewable energy source is becoming popular in many countries. LFG, however, contains various trace constituents, some of which may pose problems during utilization. For example, siloxanes and halogenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause difficulties when present in the fuel of gas engines. In addition, many VOCs and mercury have harmful effects on human health, especially on the health of workers at landfill sites and people living near the landfills. Energy recovery from LFG is expected to make great progress in the near future, particularly in Asia, but we found little information on the trace constituents of LFG in this region. Therefore, we sought to characterize the trace components in LFG generated in two landfill sites in China and one site in Japan, to determine the typical concentrations of these trace components in LFG, and to compare their concentrations among landfill sites in Asia. We concluded that the trace components in LFG at the sites studied were mainly siloxanes generated from sewage sludge and harmful benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compounds from petroleum products.     

Japan’s waste management policies for dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls

We summarize the measures taken by the Japanese government to prevent the emission of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the environment. Because incineration is the main method of waste management in Japan, reducing the amount of dioxins emitted from waste incinerators is an essential aspect of proper waste treatment. Intensive measures to prevent the formation of dioxins at the source have been implemented, with a focus on waste treatment methods and improving comprehensive management. The efforts have been very successful, with a 95% reduction in the amount of dioxins emitted between 1997 and 2003. The toxicity of PCBs has been monitored with keen interest since the Yusho incident. Unfortunately, treatment facilities for PCB wastes were not built until long after PCBs had been removed from use, and PCB wastes remained in storage in an untreated state. The Japanese government has promoted the construction of facilities for treating PCB wastes, and five such facilities have commenced operations. To more completely eradicate dioxins, a future challenge will be to reduce the amount of PCB-derived dioxins, which are persistent in the environment and have a long exposure pathway from the environment media to the organism and the human body.     

Detection of petroleum hydrocarbons at low ppb levels using quartz resonator sensors and instrumentation of a smart environmental monitoring system

Petroleum hydrocarbon vapors at low ppb levels can be detected using a thickness shear mode resonator (TSMR) coated with a chemical-sensing overlayer, prepared by radiofrequency sputtering of porous sintered-polyethylene (PS-PE). The sensing capabilities of PS-PE sensors were profoundly affected by the sputtering methods; they were enhanced by the photo-excitation effect, and were reduced by carbonization and water treatment. The photo-assisted PS-PE sensor was extremely sensitive and could detect linear hydrocarbon (> C12) vapors below the ppb level. The time constant of the sorption curve, however, was large, indicating a slow sensing speed. Toward creating instrumentation for a smart environmental monitoring system, the TSMR sensors were arrayed on a circuit board equipped with a serial interface and signal processing chips of the oscillation drive and frequency counter. Co-sorption with water vapor at a relative humidity of about 10% has almost no effect on the sensing ability of PS-PE sensors for 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. Conversely, it enhances the sensitivity of the TSMR sensor coated with a D-phenylalanine film. Upward shifts in the baseline are evident with elapsed time. However, a rigorous ten-cycle iteration test for 100 ppm toluene vapor demonstrated good reproducibility of the sensor's signals.     

Comparison of two types of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ashes with different alkaline reagents in washing experiments

In this study, we propose a "washing-calcination-conversion of washed fly ash into cement material with bottom ash" (WCCB) system to reduce the amount of fly ash that must be specially treated so it can be used as raw cement material. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is widely used in air-pollution control devices of incinerators while sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is not. We conducted single-, double-, and triple-washing experiments to compare the washing characteristics of two types of fly ash. Unlike NaHCO3 fly ash, Ca(OH)2 fly ash has almost twice as much washed residue and almost 2.5 times more chlorine after the same washing procedure. After washing once, the washing frequency is also important for NaHCO3 fly ash, while the mixing time and liquid/solid ratio are more critical for Ca(OH)2 fly ash. The use of NaHCO3 is more suitable for the WCCB system.     

A mapping of global warming research based on IPCC AR4

It is easy to get lost in the vast amount of knowledge that is currently produced. In this study, to get a comprehensive picture of current scientific knowledge about global warming issues, we developed a mapping framework for global warming research based on the relationships between nature and human society. The mapping includes seven phases: (1) socioeconomic activity and greenhouse gas emissions, (2) carbon cycle and carbon concentration, (3) climate change and global warming, (4) impacts on ecosystems and human society, (5) adaptation, (6) mitigation, and (7) social systems. We applied the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report to the mapping. The quantity of research results and their reliability were analyzed on the basis of expert judgment to better understand the extent to which current scientific knowledge provides answers to society’s major concerns. The quantity and reliability of answers have increased in phases 2 and 3 relative to research in the Third Assessment Report. Although a large quantity of results have been produced in phases 4 and 6, they are not always sufficient. More studies are required in phases 1, 5, and 7, and the reliability of existing knowledge needs to be improved in these phases. Mapping global warming issues enabled us to visually comprehend the numerous and varied parts of global warming research as a whole and to discern gaps in knowledge and other research shortfalls. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Kinetics on the decomposition of polychlorinated biphenyls with activated carbon-supported iron

The process of destroying polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) generates exhaust gases that contain low quantities of PCBs, which cannot be disposed of easily. Activated carbon (AC) can be used to adsorb residual PCBs after disposal of high-level PCBs. We examined the chemical reactivity of AC-supported iron as a catalyst to decompose PCB-153, and varied three decomposition parameters (temperature, time and iron concentration) under an atmosphere of either air or N(2). We measured the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume of AC to assess the adsorption capacity of AC before and after decomposition. At low temperatures the adsorption process was more important than the decomposition process. The decomposition process was completed within 30 and 60 min under air and N(2), respectively. The efficiency of PCB-153 decomposition at 350 degrees C for 120 min was approximately 100.0% and 97.1% under air and N(2), respectively. Analysis of inorganic chloride ions revealed that PCB-153 was effectively destroyed during decomposition. The differences between decomposition under air and N(2) reflected differences in BET surface and pore volume.     

Chlorobenzenes removal from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by surfactant-assisted column flotation

The organic contaminants in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash, including chlorinated aromatic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, have high toxicity and a potential negative impact on the environment. An effective and low energy consumption technique to remove the organic contaminants from MSWI fly ash is required urgently. Organic contaminants, such as chlorobenzenes (CBzs), in MSWI fly ash are known to become enriched in the unburnt carbon (UC) fraction. It is proposed that removal of UC from fly ash will result in the effective removal of most organic micropollutants. In this research, we use a technique of surfactant-assisted column flotation to decontaminate MSWI fly ash by removal of the CBzs-enriched UC from MSWI fly ash. We find that 39.8% of CBzs can be removed from fresh MSWI fly ash with 61.7% UC removal efficiency, whereas only 33.2% of CBzs can be removed from weathered MSWI fly ash with a low UC removal efficiency of 33.7%. By adding a mixture of two kinds of surfactants: sorbitan mono-oleate and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan mono-oleate to the weathered fly ash, 47.0% of CBzs were removed at the hydrophile lipophile balance value of 13.5, while the UC removal efficiency increased to 49.0%. The results show that surfactants can enhance CBzs and UC removal efficiencies during the column flotation process. Higher CBzs and UC removal efficiencies can be expected by further optimizing the conditions of surfactant-assisted column flotation.     

Damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami - A quick report

The Tohoku region, Northeast Japan, was hit by a gigantic earthquake which occurred in the Pacific close to Tohoku, and subsequently by a giant tsunami. These hazards have caused huge damage on the eastern coast Japan. The earthquake’s magnitude was 9.0, the strongest ever recorded in Japan. The tsunami was also historical as its run-up height reached over 39 m. As of early May, 2011, over 24 thousand people were reported as dead or missing. Moreover, serious accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants No.1 were caused by the effects of the tsunami. Therefore, the damage faced by Japanese people can be seen as a giant composite disaster. Although Japan, and the northeast of Japan in particular, has over a long time period increased its preparedness against earthquakes and tsunamis, huge damage still occurred. This paper considers why this tragedy occurred, and what unrecognized factors contributed to the high vulnerability of the area. To assist in answering such questions, this paper presents a timely report of the features of the earthquake and tsunami, the damage they caused, and the early efforts for recovery and reconstruction.