Conversion of CCA-treated wood to ethanol: a method to reduce leaching of metals from disposed treated wood prior to disposal

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of producing ethanol from CCA-treated wood that is highly leachable. Following the initial tests, CCA-treated wood was hydrolysed and fermented and the results showed not only that ethanol was produced during the fermentation process but that metals were taken up by the yeast. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure tests of the hydrolysed wood leached less than 4 mg/L of As while minimal amounts of Cr and Cu remained in the hydrolysed wood which makes landfilling of hydrolysed wood acceptable and less hazardous. A slightly lower amount of ethanol from CCA-treated than untreated wood was produced (6 and 7 g/L, respectively). In general, it suggests that production of ethanol as a source of energy from a hazardous waste (CCA-treated wood) is feasible.     

Sustainable groundwater remediation and reuse case study

Sustainability is an important consideration when designing a remedy given the value that can be demonstrated to all stakeholders. A case study is presented that illustrates an example where sustainability was emphasized during the selection and implementation of a groundwater remedy. An extensive free and/or residual product investigation was completed to demonstrate that hydraulic control is a suitable remedy and active direct treatment was not required pursuant to the state regulations. A pump and treat system for onsite hydraulic containment was installed to control plume migration. The system allows for 100 percent reuse of treated groundwater in the manufacturing process. Both the groundwater reuse and investigation conclusions have resulted in significant cost savings and sustainability benefits, including the reduction in the annual load on the drinking water aquifer by up to 138 million gallons per year.     

Evaluation and application of biomagnetic monitoring of traffic-derived particulate pollution

Inhalation of particulate pollutants below 10 μm in size (PM₁₀) is associated with adverse health effects. Here we use magnetic remanence measurements of roadside tree leaves to examine levels of vehicle-derived PM around Lancaster, UK. Leaf saturation remanence (SIRM) values exhibit strong correlation with both the SIRM and particulate mass of co-located, pumped-air samples, indicating that these leaf magnetic values are an effective proxy for ambient PM₁₀ concentrations. Biomagnetic monitoring using tree leaves can thus provide high spatial resolution data sets for assessment of particulate pollution levels at pedestrian-relevant heights. Leaf SIRM values not only increase with proximity to roads with higher traffic volumes, but are also ～100% higher at 0.3 m than at ～1.5–2 m height. Magnetic and SEM data indicate that the particle populations are dominated by spherical, iron-rich particles ～0.1–1 μm in diameter, with fewer larger, more angular, silica-rich particles. Comparison of the roadside leaf-calculated PM₁₀ concentrations with PM₁₀ concentrations predicted by a widely-used atmospheric dispersion model indicates some agreement between them. However, the model under-predicts PM₁₀ concentrations at ‘urban hotspots’ such as major–minor road junctions and traffic lights. Conversely, the model over-predicts PM₁₀ concentrations with distance from the road wherever one tree is screened by another, indicating the filtering/protective effect of roadside trees in leaf.     

When unequals are treated equally: the 2002 commission of inquiry into Orica's Geomelt proposal

This paper deals with the Commission of Inquiry (COI) established by the NSW Department of Planning to examine Orica's proposal to build a Geomelt plant at its Botany site to destroy its stockpile of Hexachlorobenzene. The Inquiry is analysed in light of the literature on democracy/democratisation. The paper argues that the standard operating procedures of the Inquiry ensured that all stakeholders were treated equally. However, this equality was found to be purely formal, and drawing on the critique of formal equality dating back to Aristotle, it is argued that treating unequals equally results in the circumvention of deliberative democratic ideals by perpetuating entrenched structural inequalities while nonetheless giving the superficial appearance of fair play.     

Americium,plutonium and uranium contamination and speciation in well waters,streams and atomic lakes in the Sarzhal region of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site,Kazakhstan

New data are reported on the concentrations, isotopic composition and speciation of americium, plutonium and uranium in surface and ground waters in the Sarzhal region of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, and an adjacent area including the settlement of Sarzhal. The data relate to filtered water and suspended particulate from (a) streams originating in the Degelen Mountains, (b) the Tel′kem 1 and Tel′kem 2 atomic craters, and (c) wells on farms located within the study area and at Sarzhal. The measurements show that ²⁴¹Am, ^239,240Pu and ²³⁸U concentrations in well waters within the study area are in the range 0.04–87 mBq dm⁻³, 0.7–99 mBq dm⁻³, and 74–213 mBq dm⁻³, respectively, and for ²⁴¹Am and ^239,240Pu are elevated above the levels expected solely on the basis of global fallout. Concentrations in streams sourced in the Degelen Mountains are similar, while concentrations in the two water-filled atomic craters are somewhat higher. Suspended particulate concentrations in well waters vary considerably, though median values are very low, at 0.01 mBq dm⁻³, 0.08 mBq dm⁻³ and 0.32 mBq dm⁻³ for ²⁴¹Am, ^239,240Pu and ²³⁸U, respectively. The ²³⁵U/²³⁸U isotopic ratio in almost all well and stream waters is slightly elevated above the ‘best estimate’ value for natural uranium worldwide, suggesting that some of the uranium in these waters is of test-site provenance. Redox analysis shows that on average most of the plutonium present in the microfiltered fraction of these waters is in a chemically reduced form (mean 69%; 95% confidence interval 53–85%). In the case of the atomic craters, the proportion is even higher. As expected, all of the americium present appears to be in a reduced form. Calculations suggest that annual committed effective doses to individual adults arising from the daily ingestion of these well waters are in the range 11–42 μSv (mean 21 μSv). Presently, the ground water feeding these wells would not appear to be contaminated with radioactivity from past underground testing in the Degelen Mountains or from the Tel′kem explosions.     

Long-term land-cover/use change in a traditional farming landscape in Romania inferred from pollen data,historical maps and satellite images

Regional Environmental Change - Traditional farming landscapes in the temperate zone that have persisted for millennia can be exceptionally species-rich and are therefore key conservation targets....     

Moral reasoning in adaptation to climate change

Moral foundations theory argues that moral reasoning is widely observed and fundamental to the legitimacy of relevant governance and policy interventions. A new analytical framework to examine and test how moral reasoning underpins and legitimizes governance and practice on adaptation to climate change risks is proposed. It develops a typology of eight categories of vulnerability-based and system-based moral reasoning that pertain to the dilemmas around adaptation and examines the prevalence of these moral categories in public discourse about specific adaptation issues. The framework is tested using data on climate change impact, adaptation, and societal responsibility, drawn from 14 focus groups comprising 148 participants across the UK. Participants consistently use moral reasoning to explain their views on climate adaptation; these include both vulnerability-based and system-based framings. These findings explain public responses to adaptation options and governance, and have implications for the direction of adaptation policy, including understanding which types of reasoning support politically legitimate interventions.     

Interpreting the relationship between pheromone component emission from commercial lures and captures of Helicoverpa zea (boddie) in bucket and cone traps

Abstract

Male corn earworm moths, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), were captured in conical Texas pheromone traps (cone traps) and bucket traps baited with four different commercial lures manufactured by three different manufacturers. Because significant numbers were captured in bucket traps baited with some of the lures, and none with others, the volatile emissions from all of the lures were sampled and analyzed by gas Chromatographic methods. The numbers of males captured in two types of trap were compared with bait emissions in an endeavor to define a more effective lure for bucket traps. The lure from one manufacturer captured the same numbers of males in both trap types; one captured more in bucket traps than in cone traps, and another captured only a small number in bucket traps. The emission rate of all active compounds from each of the different lures was approximately linear for the duration of the assays. A gas‐liquid Chromatographic peak associated with a third compound, (Z)‐9‐tetradecenal, which reduces behavioral responses, was observed in the emissions from all lures evaluated. The effectiveness of the Hercon (Emmigsville, PA) lure in capturing males in both types of trap was associated with a lower emission of (Z)‐l 1‐hexadecenal, (Z)‐9‐hexadecenal and (Z)‐9‐tetradecenal than from the other lures.     

Validation of Three New Methods for Determination of Metal Emissions Using a Modified Environmental Protection Agency Method 301

Abstract

Three new methods applicable to the determination of hazardous metal concentrations in stationary source emissions were developed and evaluated for use in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance applications. Two of the three independent methods, a continuous emissions monitor-based method (Xact) and an X-ray-based filter method (XFM), are used to measure metal emissions. The third method involves a quantitative aerosol generator (QAG), which produces a reference aerosol used to evaluate the measurement methods. A modification of EPA Method 301 was used to validate the three methods for As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg, representing three hazardous waste combustor Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) metal categories (low volatile, semivolatile, and volatile). The modified procedure tested the methods using more stringent criteria than EPA Method 301; these criteria included accuracy, precision, and linearity. The aerosol generation method was evaluated in the laboratory by comparing actual with theoretical aerosol concentrations. The measurement methods were evaluated at a hazardous waste combustor (HWC) by comparing measured with reference aerosol concentrations. The QAG, Xact, and XFM met the modified Method 301 validation criteria. All three of the methods demonstrated precisions and accuracies on the order of 5%. In addition, correlation coefficients for each method were on the order of 0.99, confirming the methods’ linear response and high precision over a wide range of concentrations. The measurement methods should be applicable to emissions from a wide range of sources, and the reference aerosol generator should be applicable to additional analytes. EPA recently approved an alternative monitoring petition for an HWC at Eli Lilly’s Tippecanoe site in Lafayette, IN, in which the Xact is used for demonstrating compliance with the HWC MACT metal emissions (low volatile, semivolatile, and volatile). The QAG reference aerosol generator was approved as a method for providing a quantitative reference aerosol, which is required for certification and continuing quality assurance of the Xact.     

Bioaccessibility of trace elements as affected by soil parameters in smelter-contaminated agricultural soils: a statistical modeling approach

An investigation was undertaken to identify the most significant soil parameters that can be used to predict Cd, Pb, and Zn bioaccessibility in smelter-contaminated agricultural soils. A robust model was established from an extended database of soils by using: (i) a training set of 280 samples to select the main soil parameters, to define the best population to be taken into account for the model elaboration, and to construct multivariate regression models, and (ii) a test set of 110 samples to validate the ability of the regression models. Total carbonate, organic matter, sand, P(2)O(5), free Fe-Mn oxide, and pseudototal Al and trace element (TE) contents appeared as the main variables governing TE bioaccessibility. The statistical modeling approach was reasonably successful, indicating that the main soil factors influencing the bioaccessibility of TEs were taken into account and the predictions could be applicable for further risk evaluation in the studied area.