Chemical-mechanical characteristics of crushed oyster-shell

Enormous amount of oyster-shell waste has been illegally disposed at oyster farm sites along the southern coast of Korea. To seek for a possibility to recycle the waste as construction materials, chemical and mechanical characteristics of crushed oyster-shell were investigated. Chemical and microstructure analyses showed that oyster-shells are predominantly composed of calcium carbonate with rare impurities. Compressive strength tests for soil mortar specimens with varying blending ratio of cement, water, sand, and oyster-shell were compared with normal cement mortar. There was no significant reduction in the compressive strength up to 40% of dosages of oyster-shell instead of sand. The experimental results demonstrate that oyster-shells can be resources of pure calcareous materials and effective in replacement of sand, indicating promising reusable construction materials.     

High temperature dependence of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid degradation by Fe3+/H(2)O(2) system

This study demonstrates the importance of reaction temperature on the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). In addition, we provide a mechanistic explanation for the temperature dependence of 2,4-D degradation. Thermal enhancement of 2,4-D degradation and H(2)O(2) decomposition was measured in the absence and in the presence of the z.rad;OH scavenger (t-butanol). The half-life for 2,4-D degradation was reduced by more than 70-fold in the absence of t-butanol, and by more than 700-fold, in the presence of t-butanol, when the reaction temperature was increased from 10 to 50 degrees C. In addition, similar temperature relationships were found for H(2)O(2) decomposition. The major reason for the high temperature dependence of the Fe(3+)/H(2)O(2) system in the case of 2,4-D degradation is due to the dependence of the initiation reaction of the Fe(3+)/H(2)O(2) system (i.e., Fe(3+)+H(2)O(2)-->Fe(2+)+HO(2)(z.rad;)+H(+) upon temperature), which is entirely consistent with the kinetics of the activation energy. In the presence of a z.rad;OH scavenger, the initiation reaction of the Fe(3+)/H(2)O(2) system became a determining factor of this temperature dependence, whereas in the absence of z.rad;OH scavenger, several other radical reactions played a role and this result in an apparent decrease in the activation energy for 2,4-D degradation. Moreover, the enhanced 2,4-D removal at higher temperatures did not alter H(2)O(2) utilization. The practical implications of the thermal enhancement of the Fe(3+)/H(2)O(2) system are discussed.     

Estimation of mercury speciation in soil standard reference materials with different extraction methods by ion chromatography coupled with ICP-MS

Although numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain geophagy, the primary driver of this behaviour remains elusive. Supplementation of scarce nutrients is one commonly cited explanation. We examined the element concentration of three licks relative to adjacent topsoils to infer the possible reasons for geophagy at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve. Lick samples had greater concentrations of B, Co, Zn, Se, Mo and Mn (Loskop Main Lick); Cu (Klopperskloof Lick); and Na (Klopperskloof Lick and Rhenosterhoek Lick) than those of adjacent topsoil. We suggest that supplementation with all or some of these nutrients is a likely driver of geophagy in this fenced reserve, with different licks providing herbivores with different suites of nutrients.     

Employees' self‐efficacy and perception of individual learning in teams: The cross‐level moderating role of team‐learning behavior

Despite the importance of employee learning for organizational effectiveness, scholars have yet to identify the factors that influence employees' perception of individual learning. This paper identified employees' self‐efficacy as a potential antecedent to their perception of individual learning in the context of teamwork. We also hypothesized that team‐learning behavior had a moderating effect on the relationship between employees' self‐efficacy and their perception of individual learning. We conducted a study of 236 teams working in a retail firm, comprising 236 team supervisors and 1397 employees, and analyzed the data using hierarchical linear modeling. This study revealed that employees' individual‐level self‐efficacy was positively associated with their perception of individual learning in teams. Additionally, team‐learning behaviors moderated the positive relationship between employees' self‐efficacy and the perception of individual learning. This study has theoretical and practical implications for a more nuanced understanding of the perception of individual learning in the context of teamwork. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Service life of sewage culvert with bacteria coating from waste sludge and negative pressure method

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this study, a bacteria coating resistant to sulfate attack using materials with bacteria immobilization has been developed. For core coating...     

Hydration properties of mixed cement containing ground-granulated blast-furnace slag and expansive admixture

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The hydration characteristics of mixed cement containing fine powder of blast-furnace slag and expandable material were examined by X-ray...     

Monitoring of non-point source pollutants load from a mixed forest land use

The aim of this study was to determine the unit load of NPS (non-point source) pollutants including organic variables such as BOD (biochemical oxygen demand),COD (chemical oxygen demand) and DOC (dissolved organic carbon),nitrogen and phosphorus constituents,and suspended solids (SS) and their event mean concentration (EMC) of runoff flows from a water-shed of mixed forest land use by intensive field experiments.Field monitoring for continuous measurements of rainfall,flow,and water quality was conducted over 12 storm events during 2008–2009 using automated and manual sampling methods.The EMCs of individual runoff event were estimated for each water quality constituent based on the flow rate and concentration data of runoff discharge.The average EMCs of BOD,COD,DOC,SS,TN (total nitrogen),NH 4+ -N,NO 3- -N,TP (total phosphorus),PO 43- -P from the mixed forest land were 1.794,3.498,1.462,10.269,0.862,0.044,0.634,0.034,and 0.005 mg/L,respectively.The annual unit loads of BOD,COD,DOC,SS,TN,NH 4+ -N,NO 3- -N,TP and PO 43--P were estimated as 66.9,133.2,55.5,429.8,36.5,1.6,26.9,1.3 and 0.1 kg/(ha·yr),respectively.In addition,affecting parameters on the EMCs were investigated by statistic analysis of the field data.As a result,significant correlations with precipitation,rainfall intensity,and total runoff flows were found in most constituents.     

Kinetic modeling of fenton oxidation of phenol and monochlorophenols

A kinetic model, consisting of 28 reactions, was proposed to understand the key mechanism of the Fenton oxidation of phenol and o-, m-, and p-chlorophenols. Particular attention is paid to the interactions of the organic intermediates with the Fe species. The proposed model reasonably predicts the decomposition kinetics and by-product formation for the different phenols at widely varying levels of Fe2+, H2O2, and the phenols. For the phenols and intermediates, change in concentrations with time was predicted within 20-30% deviation from the measured data. The single model predicts the overall kinetics of Fenton oxidation of all the tested phenols by adjusting the rate constant of hydroxyl radical for each phenol. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the key reactions are those that directly govern the levels of OH radical and Fe2+. Both the model prediction and the experimental results show that the decomposition rate could be complicated particularly by the availability of Fe2+. Understanding the interactions of the organic intermediates with Fe2+ is thus of critical importance to improve the decomposition performance.     

Effect of water content on transient nonequilibrium NAPL-gas mass transfer during soil vapor extraction

The effect of water content on the volatilization of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in unsaturated soils was characterized by one-dimensional venting experiments conducted to evaluate the lumped mass transfer coefficient. An empirical correlation based upon the modified Sherwood number, Peclet number, and normalized mean grain size was used to estimate initial lumped mass transfer coefficients over a range of water content. The effects of water content on the soil vapor extraction SVE process have been investigated through experimentation and mathematical modeling. The experimental results indicated that a rate-limited NAPL-gas mass transfer occurred in water-wet soils. A severe mass transfer limitation was observed at 61.0% water saturation where the normalized effluent gas concentrations fell below 1.0 almost immediately, declined exponentially from the initiation of venting, and showed long tailing. This result was attributed to the reduction of interfacial area between the NAPL and mobile gas phases due to the increased water content. A transient mathematical model describing the change of the lumped mass transfer coefficient was used. Simulations showed that the nonequilibrium mass transfer process could be characterized by the exponent beta, a parameter which described the reduction of the specific area available for NAPL volatilization. The nonequilibrium mass transfer limitations were controlled by the soil mean grain size and pore gas velocity, were well described by beta values below 1.0 at low water saturation, and were well predicted with beta values greater than 1.0 at high water saturation.     

Quantification of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emitted from pig buildings in Korea

The aim of this field study was to determine the concentrations and emissions of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in different types of pig buildings in Korea to allow objective comparison between pig housing types in Korea and other countries. Concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the pig buildings averaged 7.5ppm and 286.5ppb and ranged from 0.8 to 21.4ppm and from 45.8 to 1235ppb, respectively. The mean emissions of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide per pig (normalized to 75kg liveweight) and area (m2) from pig buildings were 250.2 and 37.8mg/h/pig and 336.3 and 50.9mg/h/m2, respectively. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations and emissions were higher in the pig buildings managed with deep-pit manure systems with slats and mechanical ventilation than in other housing types.