Recycle of bio-waste banana and sisal fiber filled harmlessness epoxy hybrid composite for automotive roof application

Insists of polymer matrix composite is prepared by using natural fiber facilitates high tensile, flexural, and impact toughness properties. The natural fiber utilization in the polymer matrix can overcome the synthetic fiber demerits of poor compatibility, high moisture absorption, and high cost. The present research investigates developing a low-cost, environmentally eco-friendly epoxy hybrid composite using different volume percentages of chopped natural waste banana (0Vol%, 5Vol%, 10Vol%, and 15Vol%) and sisal fiber (0Vol%, 15Vol%, 10Vol%, and 5Vol%) through hand mould hot compression technique. The presence of natural waste banana and sisal fiber on tensile strength, flexural strength, and thermal adsorption properties of the epoxy hybrid composite are evaluated by ASTM test standards. The ASTM standard measured test results of epoxy hybrid composite with and without natural waste banana and sisal fiber were compared and sample three was identified by good tensile strength, flexural strength, and better thermal adsorption properties compared to all others. The sample three epoxy hybrid sample is recommended for automotive roof application.     

Effects decomposition: separation of carbon emissions decoupling and decoupling effort in aggregated EU-15

The ecological burden of economic growth is a highly discussed issue. In this article, we focus on the set of European Union (EU) 15 countries in the period 1995–2014. We first decomposed emissions into six effects and afterward the decoupling-effort index was used to calculate the magnitude of impact that each factor has on it, considering the country group. For the group of the EU-15 in the pre-Kyoto period, CO₂ changes are only negative in 1998 and 1999 considering the initial view (with respect to the base year of 1995), being positive for all the other years. This positive effect means increased emissions, for which many contributed the positive and significant effects of income per capita and the population effects. The most significant reductions in CO₂ changes are verified in the years after the effective Kyoto commitment and observed mainly in the alternative view (year to year changes), for which many contributed the negative and significant effects of carbon intensity of petroleum products, energy intensity and conversion efficiency in the overall period. The effects elasticity decoupling and decoupling effort do not seem to be controlled by the internal drivers of CO₂ emissions. Policy makers should bet in policy instruments pointed in the sense of strengthening energy efficiency, in reducing petroleum products consumption and therefore dependency and on the structure of added value generated by the economy.     

Cointegration and causality: considering Iberian economic activity sectors to test the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis

Few studies have attempted to study the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis at the individual sector level using more than one sector at once. This paper investigates the existence of the EKC hypothesis in the Iberian countries (Portugal and Spain) using thirteen economic activity sectors for each, analyzing each individual sector’s cointegration and causality relationships considering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, sector gross value added and energy consumption. The findings of this paper using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach only validate cointegration in six Portuguese sectors and in five of the Spanish sectors. Results confirm both short- and long-run bi-directional and unidirectional causality between economic growth, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, using the error correction model (ECM) and Toda and Yamamoto’s causality approaches. Moreover, results for Portuguese and Spanish sectors indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship only for one sector each. In some sectors there was evidence of a U-shaped relationship and in others the EKC hypothesis could be verified but no statistical significance was obtained. The study has significant contributions for sector policy, including implications to curtail energy pollutants by implementing environmental friendly regulations to sustain economic development at the sector level in the Iberian market. It also allows inferences to be made about the existence of different behaviors in comparative terms for the same economic activity sectors of the individual countries.     

Spatial and temporal drivers of zoonotic pathogen contamination of an agricultural watershed

In regions where animal agriculture is prominent, such as southern Alberta, higher rates of gastrointestinal illness have been reported when compared with nonagricultural regions. This difference in the rate of illness is thought to be a result of increased zoonotic pathogen exposure through environmental sources such as water. In this study, temporal and spatial factors associated with bacterial pathogen contamination of the Oldman River, which transverses this region, were analyzed using classification and regression tree analysis. Significantly higher levels of fecal indicators; more frequent isolations of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica spp.; and higher rates of detection of pig-specific Bacteroides markers occurred at downstream sites than at upstream sites, suggesting additive stream inputs. Fecal indicator densities were also significantly higher when any one of these three bacterial pathogens was present and where there were higher total animal manure units; however, occasionally pathogens were present when fecal indicator levels were low or undetectable. Overall, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and E. coli O157:H7 presence was associated with season, animal manure units, and total rainfall on the day of sampling and 3 d in advance of sampling. Several of the environmental variables analyzed in this study appear to influence pathogen prevalence and therefore may be useful in predicting water quality and safety and in the improvement of watershed management practices in this and other agricultural regions.     

Evaluation of the effect of different treatment methods on sugarcane vinasse remediation

Abstract

Sugarcane vinasse is a by-product obtained during ethanol production in sugar-ethanol plants. For each 1?L of ethanol produced approximately 11?L of vinasse are generated. As this residue is obtained in high amounts, it is used as fertilizer in sugarcane crops. However, despite being rich in nutrients, sugarcane vinasse is approximately one hundred times more polluting than domestic sewage, making it an environmental problem. Thus, the aim of the present study was to propose a treatment sequence for sugarcane vinasse and evaluate the possibility of energetic use of the generated sludge in the coagulation/flocculation stage. pH, conductivity, turbidity and decreases in UV/Vis absorption spectra were determined for each treatment step. In addition, the upper calorific value of the generated sludge was also determined, while ash (adsorption treatment) and catalyst (heterogeneous photocatalysis) characterizations were also carried out. At the end of the treatment, initial vinasse turbidity was reduced by 100% and pH and conductivity values were stabilized. The sludge presented a higher calorific value of approximately 3,000?kcal kg^?1 and the ash and catalyst displayed favorable characteristics to be applied to the sugarcane vinasse treatment stages.     

Emissions of reduced sulphur compounds from the surface of primary and secondary wastewater clarifiers at a Kraft Mill

Emissions of reduced sulphur compounds (RSCs) from the primary and secondary clarifiers at a Kraft mill were measured for respectively 8 and 22 days using a floating flux chamber. In the primary clarifier, dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) had the highest mean flux (0.83 microg s(-1) m(-2)) among all RSCs, and the mean flux of total reduced sulphur (TRS) was 1.53 microg s(-1) m(-2). At the secondary clarifier, dimethyl sulphide (DMS) had the highest mean flux (0.024 microg s(-1) m(-2)), and the mean flux of total reduced sulphur (TRS) was 0.025 microg s(-1) m(-2). Large variations in fluxes as a function of sampling date were observed in both clarifiers. Emission fluxes of DMS from the secondary clarifier were correlated with temperature in the flux chamber and with the biological and chemical oxygen demands (BOD and COD) of the wastewater. Emission rates of RSCs from the clarifiers were found to be insignificant by comparison with other mill sources.     

Technical Information Resources in the Air Pollution Field

In common with other technical fields and disciplines, the air pollution area has “information explosion” problems, compounded by the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the current increased emphasis on air pollution and its control. The development of technical information programs to meet these needs is traced, with emphasis on the Air Pollution Technical Infor-mation Center established by the National Air Pollution Control Administration of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Center is based on a delegation of responsibility by the Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President, and now contains over 12,000 current references, with an acquisition rate of approximately 200 per month. In addition to the U. S. journal literature, particular emphasis is placed on the foreign literature and on U. S. Government research reports. Other programs discussed include the Air Pollution Control Association, Bay Area Air Pollution Control District, Center for Air Environment Studies at Penn State, and centers serving particular industries. Services available from each are described.     

Hazardous Waste Reduction Initiatives and the State Of Rhode Island

A comparative analysis of forest precipitation depositions was performed using pine tree barks as biomonitoring tools and throughfall collectors in pine stands at various test sites in eastern Germany. For the elements sulfate sulfur (SO₄-S), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N), calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe), regression equations with r² values between 0.81 and 0.96 were derived, enabling yearly conversion of bark loads to throughfall rates (TFRs) in pine stands (g*m^-2*year^-1).

Applying this method to a network of 53 measuring sites in Dübener Heide nature park, north of Leipzig, lead to discovering spatial patterns of TFRs for SO₄-S, NO₃-N, and NH₄-N in 1994. Differences between the TFRs of sulfur and nitrogen were traced back to different emission sources and the temporal trend related to major infrastructural changes in that region since 1990. Results suggest that the bark method will be particularly suited to identifying forest precipitation depositions of ecotoxicologically relevant airborne pollutants on regional scales.