Simplified heating time calculation using the Schmidt graphical method for PCB-contaminated capacitors undergoing the vacuum thermal recycling process

We discuss the use of the Schmidt graphical method to calculate the time required to heat a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated capacitor in the vacuum thermal recycling process to the processing temperature of 400°C, and we evaluate the results of the heating time calculation by comparing the calculated values with the corresponding experimental values. The thermal conductivity and specific heat of the insulating paper and the carbonized paper in the capacitor were unknown, so we determined their values from experimental data obtained during the vacuum thermal recycling process. The capacitor element is a multilamination of aluminum foil and insulating paper, so we used an equation for a multilayer plane wall to calculate the value of the thermal conductivity. For the thermal conductivity and specific heat of the insulating paper impregnated with PCBs, we used values calculated from the mass ratios and thermal conductivities and specific heats of the individual materials. In addition, the physical properties vary according to the treatment because of the evaporation of PCBs and the carbonization of the insulating paper, so we modified the values of the thermal conductivity, specific heat, and density at the boiling point of the PCB and the carbonization point of the insulating paper before performing the calculations. Our calculated heating times were almost the same as, or were above, the experimental values, so we concluded that our method can be used as a simple calculation of the heating time.     

Comparative application of solid-phase microextraction fibre assemblies and semi-permeable membrane devices as passive air samplers for semi-volatile chlorinated organic compounds. A case study on the landfill "Grube Antonie" in Bitterfeld, Germany

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibres coated with Carbowax/divinylbenzene and semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) of standard configuration were used to obtain time-weighted average (TWA) field air concentrations of selected chlorinated semi-volatile compounds on a landfill, where large amounts of lindane by-products were deposited, together with other hazardous chemical residues in the past. Additionally, spot sampling with SPME fibres was performed to identify the emission hotspot and sampling rates were determined/predicted for the substances of interest. Both samplers yield comparable TWA air concentrations of lindane and its isomers and of DDT with its metabolites and gain in certainty about the landfill as remaining source of air pollution with these compounds in the region. Both SPME fibres and SPMDs (respective their modifications) can be recommended as sampling tools in process studies and larger air monitoring programmes. However, further calibration studies and field tests are necessary to obtain reliable sampling rates for a wider range of semi-volatile compounds.     

Climate change impacts in Central Asia and their implications for development

Regional Environmental Change - This paper synthesizes what is known about the physical and biophysical impacts of climate change and their consequences for societies and development under...     

Recycling in the USA : Vision and reality

In 1978 the US Environmental Protection Agency contracted Mathtech Incorporated to identify the impediments to recycling and evaluate their economic effects. The facilities studied represented a cross-section of recycling technologies, ownership types, geographical locations, and recovered products. It was discovered that none of the facilities was economical in the sense of providing the least-cost mode of disposal for municipal solid waste, and all of them suffered net losses in recent operations. Indications were that financial performance would improve slightly. A major deterrent to economical operations was the availability of lower-cost disposal by landfill.     

The Use of Marine Molluskan Shells for Roman Glass and Local Raw Glass Production in the Eifel Area (Western Germany)

 Relatively high strontium concentrations and their isotopic composition in Roman glass of the Imperial period indicate the general use of shells as carbonate raw material. Lead, iron, and barium concentrations and lead isotopes of glass of the late fourth century from Hambach and Gellep (western Germany) are conformable with the use of glass sand from Eifel rivers. Each of three pairs of six simultaneously operating Roman glasshouses in the Hambach area made its own raw glass from different quartz sands. Received: 2 July 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 13 December 1999