Hydrothermal treatment for inactivating some hygienic microbial indicators from food waste–amended animal feed

To achieve the hygienic safety of food waste used as animal feed, a hydrothermal treatment process of 60–110 °C for 10–60 min was applied on the separated food waste from a university canteen. Based on the microbial analysis of raw waste, the inactivation of hygienic indicators of Staphylococcus aureus (SA), total coliform (TC), total aerobic plate counts (TPC), and molds and yeast (MY) were analyzed during the hydrothermal process. Results showed that indicators' concentrations were substantially reduced after hydrothermal treatment, with a greater reduction observed when the waste was treated with a higher temperature and pressure and a longer ramping time. The 110 °C hydrothermal treatment for 60 min was sufficient to disinfect food waste as animal feed from the viewpoint of hygienic safety. Results obtained so far indicate that hydrothermal treatment can significantly decrease microbial indicators' concentrations but does not lead to complete sterilization, because MY survived even after 60 min treatment at 110 °C. The information from the present study will contribute to the microbial risk control of food waste–amended animal feed, to cope with legislation on food or feed safety.

Implications: Reduction of microbial indicators at ramping time and holding time during the hydrothermal process showed that hydrothermal treatment is an effective method to achieve hygienic feed from food waste to a certain extent, but the conditions researched in this study were not enough for the complete sterilization of food waste, because of the different heat resistance of bacteria and spores.     

PM2.5 source apportionment with organic markers in the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH) study

Positive matrix factorization (PMF) and effective variance (EV) solutions to the chemical mass balance (CMB) were applied to PM_2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) mass and chemically speciated measurements for samples taken from 2008 to 2010 at the Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, sites. Commonly measured PM_2.5 mass, elemental, ionic, and thermal carbon fraction concentrations were supplemented with detailed nonpolar organic speciation by thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Source contribution estimates were calculated for motor vehicle exhaust, biomass burning, cooking, coal-fired power plants, road dust, vegetative detritus, and secondary sulfates and nitrates for Atlanta. Similar sources were found for Birmingham, with the addition of an industrial source and the separation of biomass burning into open burning and residential wood combustion. EV-CMB results based on conventional species were qualitatively similar to those estimated by PMF-CMB. Secondary ammonium sulfate was the largest contributor, accounting for 27–38% of PM_2.5, followed by biomass burning (21–24%) and motor vehicle exhaust (9–24%) at both sites, with 4–6% of PM_2.5 attributed to coal-fired power plants by EV-CMB. Including organic compounds in the EV-CMB reduced the motor vehicle exhaust and biomass burning contributions at both sites, with a 13–23% deficit for PM_2.5 mass. The PMF-CMB solution showed mixing of sources within the derived factors, both with and without the addition of speciated organics, as is often the case with complex source mixtures such as those at these urban-scale sites. The nonpolar TD-GC/MS compounds can be obtained from existing filter samples and are a useful complement to the elements, ions, and carbon fractions. However, they should be supplemented with other methods, such as TD-GC/MS on derivitized samples, to obtain a wider range of polar compounds such as sterols, sugars, and organic acids. The PMF and EV solutions to the CMB equations are complementary to, rather than replacements for, each other, as comparisons of their results reveal uncertainties that are not otherwise evident.

Implications:?Organic markers can be measured on currently acquired PM_2.5 filter samples by thermal methods. These markers can complement element, ion, and carbon fraction measurements from long-term speciation networks. Applying the positive matrix factorization and effective variance solutions for the chemical mass balance equations provides useful information on the accuracy of the source contribution estimates. Nonpolar compounds need to be complemented with polar compounds to better apportion cooking and secondary organic aerosol contributors.     

Performance measurement for incineration plants using multi-activity network data envelopment analysis: The case of Taiwan

This study proposes the use of multi-activity network data envelopment analysis to appraise how incineration plants in Taiwan perform. Sample data from 2006 is used to examine the trade-offs between efficiency enhancement and pollution abatement. The respective efficiencies of the waste treatment and electricity generation are also assessed in a unified framework. The empirical results indicate that it is more important to improve the efficiency of waste treatment activity than of electricity generation activity in order to enhance the overall performance of Taiwan's incinerators. Since ownership, location and length of operations do not in general affect their performance, any improvement has to come from the careful monitoring of each process of the waste treatment operations. Furthermore, given that the policy in Taiwan has moved away from incineration to recycling, the problem of an over-supply of incinerators may become apparent in the near future. Our results indicate that the availability of capacity size may be an important factor when policy-makers consider whether to close down some existing incinerators.     

四川省能源-社会经济-环境复合系统能流分析

能源是现代社会发展的重要基础,其在社会经济发展中占有不可替代的地位。以四川省统计年鉴及相关数据资料为基础,参考美国能流图绘制了四川省2010年的能流图,并对四川省2005~2010年间的能源输入、输出、消耗,以及相应的污染物排放进行了分析,分析发现:近年来能源消费总量增长迅速,年均增长率达10.8%,能源对外依存度较高,尤其是石油。能源消耗结构有待进一步优化,传统化石能源所占比重偏高,2010年达77.18%。同时构建了能源-社会经济-环境复合系统能流分析指标,分析了2005~2010年四川省能源、经济、环境两两子系统及三者系统之间的协调度,结果显示:四川省能源-经济-环境系统协调度不断上升,2010年三者综合协调度0.97238。最后根据能流分析、污染物排放水平、协调度分析等结果,提出了四川省能源发展战略、能流的优化管理、节能减排等对策建议。     

上海市青浦区PM10污染状况及其与气象要素的关系

利用2006-2010年上海市青浦区PM10和同期地面气象要素的监测资料,定量分析PM10的季节变化规律以及PM10与降雨量、大气湿度和风速之间的关系。分析结果表明:PM10浓度在夏季处于低值,冬季处于高值;5mm/d以上的降雨对PM10有显著的清除作用,且春夏季降雨的清除作用大于秋冬季节。PM10浓度与大气湿度基本呈负相关关系。风速在一定范围内有利于PM10的扩散但不至造成扬尘,春夏季节的适宜风速是1.5～3.5m/s,冬季的适宜风速是1.5～2.5m/s。     

作业机废气减排技术研究

柴油发动机尾气排放中含有比汽油发动机更多的颗粒污染物。文章叙述了尾气净化装置反应原理,触媒及化学稳定性,柴油氧化催化剂和颗粒催化过滤器优点。通过外部加装尾气净化装置,解决了尾气污染问题,具有较好的发展前景、较强的实用性和可操作性。     

Fenton试剂降解PAM催化剂的研究

采用Fenton试剂氧化降解含油废水中的聚丙烯酰胺,研究了H2O2用量、催化剂种类及用量对降解聚丙烯酰胺效果的影响。结果表明,H2O2用量为聚丙烯酰胺的20%为宜;CuCl2具有和FeSO4、Fe(NO3)3、FeCl3相近的催化效果,并且可以作为一种在较高pH值条件下应用的催化剂;在优选条件下该氧化体系可以使聚丙烯酰胺黏度大大降低。     

绿色油田建设中存在的问题及对策探讨

文章分析了石油开发对环境的影响,提出了绿色油田建设的必要性与重要性。通过对国内外绿色油田建设现状的调研与对比,总结出目前我国建设绿色油田的瓶颈,提出了建议与对策,并展望了建设绿色油田的前景。     

SO3烟气调质+电除尘在大型燃煤机组上的应用

大型燃煤机组由于耗煤量巨大,在设计时均考虑了多煤种的情况,但电除尘器对不同煤种燃烧后产生的煤灰的收尘性能差异很大。针对多煤种设计工况,以广东平海电厂为例,SO3烟气调质+电除尘器组合技术既能满足燃烧多煤种时的低排放要求,又具备了较低的一次性投资和较低的运行费,是一种最佳的除尘方案,该项目对同类工程除尘方案的选型推广具有积极的示范及借鉴意义。