Kriging and Bilinear Methods for Estimating Spatial Pattern of Atmospheric Pollutants

Two statistical methods to reconstruct the spatial pattern ofenvironmental data are compared: the Kriging and the Bilinear.The comparison is performed by evaluating two differentcharacteristics of the methods: the interpolation and the estimation. The Kriging method is demonstrated to be better thanthe Bilinear regarding all the statistics studied, although thedifferences are not very significant. Especially, the Kriging ismore efficient than the Bilinear in the reconstruction of peakvalues and it does not extrapolate local trends. The methods areapplied to a set of environmental data measured in an urban area.     

The relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age, and crash risk

PROBLEM: The role of age (youth and driving inexperience) and alcohol as major risk factors in traffic crash causation has been firmly established by numerous studies over the past 50 years. Less well established is how the two variables interrelate to influence crash risk. Some investigations have hypothesized an interactive or synergistic effect in which young drivers with less experience and a greater tendency to take risks are more adversely affected at lower blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) than are older drivers. The evidence for this hypothesis is mixed. Resolution of this issue has important implication for developing countermeasures directed at the young driver crash problem. METHOD: Case control data previously collected in Long Beach and Fort Lauderdale were reanalyzed using a more sensitive method for detecting interaction effects than used in the original analysis. A conditional logistic regression analyses found a highly significant agexBAC interaction (P<.0001) involving differences between drivers under 21 and those 21 and older. DISCUSSION: The results clearly indicate that positive BACs in drivers under 21 are associated with higher relative crash risks than would be predicted from the additive effect of BAC and age. It is likely that two mechanisms are operating to cause the interaction. First, it seems likely that the crash avoidance skill of young novice drivers would be more adversely affected by alcohol due to their driving inexperience, immaturity, and less experience with alcohol. Second, drivers under 21 who choose to drink and to drive after drinking probably have pre-existing characteristics that predisposed them to risk taking and crash involvement apart from any increased vulnerability to alcohol impairment. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The results support increased enforcement of zero-tolerance BAC laws for minors.     

The impact of retail beverage service training and social host laws on adolescents' DUI rates in San Diego County,California

Introduction: Driving under the influence (DUI) citations are still a serious concern among drivers aged 16–20 years and have been shown to be related to increased risk of fatal and nonfatal crashes. A battery of laws and policies has been enacted to address this concern. Though numerous studies have evaluated these policies, there is still a need for comprehensive policy evaluations that take into account a variety of contextual factors. Previous effort by this research team examined the impact of 20 minimum legal drinking age–21 laws in the state of California, as they impacted alcohol-related crash rates among drivers under 21 years of age while at the same time accounting for alcohol and gas taxes, unemployment rates, sex distribution among drivers, and sobriety checkpoints. The current research seeks to expand this evaluation to the county level (San Diego County). More specifically, we evaluate the impact of measures subject to county control such as retail beverage service (RBS) laws and social host (SH) laws, as well as media coverage, city employment, alcohol outlet density, number of sworn officers, alcohol consumption, and taxation policies, to determine the most effective point of intervention for communities seeking to reduce underage DUI citations.

Methods: Annual DUI citation data (2000 to 2013), RBS and SH policies, and city-wide demographic, economic, and environmental information were collected and applied to each of the 20 cities in San Diego County, California. A structural equation model was fit to estimate the relative contribution of the variables of interest to DUI citation rates.

Results: Alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet density both demonstrated a significant increase in DUI rates, whereas RBS laws, SH laws, alcohol tax rates, media clusters, gas tax rates, and unemployment rates demonstrated significant decreases in DUI rates.

Conclusions: At the county level, although RBS laws, SH laws, and media efforts were found to contribute to a significant reduction in DUI rates, the largest significant contributors to reducing DUI rates were alcohol and gas taxation rates. Policy makers interested in reducing DUI rates among teenagers should examine these variables within their specific communities and consider conducting community-specific research to determine the best way to do so. Future efforts should be made to develop models that represent specific communities who are interested in reducing DUI rates among drivers aged 16–20 years.     

Rotary drum soil blending for source zone remediation: Various application scenarios

Mechanical blending of contaminated soil with amendments has recently reemerged as an important treatment technology. From its original application using large‐diameter augers in the early 1990s to the current use of rotary drum blenders, soil blending is being used as an alternative to other remediation technologies like amendment injection and soil vapor and groundwater extraction. Shallow (approximately 10 m below ground surface [bgs] or less) soil blending also offers an alternative to excavation and disposal. Soil blending has been used to remediate a site with various contaminants including, but not limited to, chlorinated solvents, petroleum, and metals. The types of soils susceptible to soil blending vary from sands and gravels to silts and clays to fractured rock and combinations of all of these. The types of amendments blended include oxidants, reducing agents, biological enhancements, and stabilizing amendments. Soil blending systems deliver the power to the mixing head to adequately mix the soil and amendment to enhance remediation effectiveness. Since long‐term contamination is often a result of heterogeneously distributed residual contaminant in localized source zones that are difficult to access, the typical aim of soil blending is to homogenize the soil while effectively distributing amendment to these zones made accessible by blending. By effectively homogenizing the soil, however, soil blending will increase the void ratio and disrupt the shear strength and bearing capacity of the soil so an important component of a soil blending technology is proper recovery of these geotechnical parameters. This can be achieved by using well‐known soil improvement techniques such as amending all or a portion of the blended area with Portland cement or lime. Several case studies of soil blending treatments of different contaminants and amendments in various soil types are provided.     

Long-term coal gasification-based power plants with near-zero emissions. Part A: Zecomix cycle

These two part papers analyse three plant configurations for high efficiency, near-zero emissions power generation from coal, suitable for long-term installations. In the first part the Zecomix cycle, a novel power plant based on various innovative processes, is presented. Zecomix plant is based on a coal hydrogasification process, using recycled steam and hydrogen as gasifying agents, to produce a CH₄ rich syngas. Methane is then converted to an H₂/H₂O based syngas and CO₂ is captured, by reacting in two carbonator reactors with CaO-based solid sorbent. CaCO₃ produced in carbonators is thermally regenerated in a calciner. The synthetic fuel is burned with oxygen in a semi-closed high temperature steam cycle, with a supercritical heat recovery.The paper presents a detailed analysis of the thermodynamic aspects of the process, with the scope of assessing its potential performance in terms of efficiency and emissions. Main operating parameters of the chemical island (e.g. hydrogasifier and calciner pressure, steam flow rates to carbonators, syngas recycle fraction) and of the power island (e.g. pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature and reheat pressure) were varied in order to evaluate their effect on plant performance and to optimize the process. Critical issues are specifically discussed: the calcination process, the calcium oxide utilization in carbonators, the cooling requirement of the high temperature turbine, the presence of incondensable species in the steam cycle. An accurate performance estimation is therefore developed by considering advanced components, as an evolution of today's technology, excluding unproven devices whose feasibility cannot be anticipated.Depending on sorbent utilization, a net plant efficiency of 44–47% with a virtually complete carbon capture was obtained, a very interesting result with respect to other proposed coal-fired power plants with carbon capture. The high complexity of the chemical island and the importance of a good sorbent performance should be however taken into account for a fair comparison with other plant concepts. Further experimental investigations are mandatory to demonstrate the technical and economical feasibility of the Zecomix plant.     

Biologic impact on the coastal belt of the province of Venice (Italy,Northern Adriatic Sea): preliminary analysis for the characterization of the bathing water profile

Background, aim and scope  

This paper presents a preliminary study of the water profile with reference to microbiological parameters, required by Directive 2006/07/EC (European Community 2006) concerning the management of bathing water quality, in the coastal belt of the Province of Venice (Italy, Northern Adriatic Sea). A historical database has been implemented with monitoring data for the period 2000–2006 (data on rivers, bathing and marine coastal waters and on the characterization of Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) discharges) from the institutional activity of Veneto Regional Environmental Prevention and Protection Agency (ARPAV). An integrated areal analysis for the microbiological investigation of homogeneous stretches along the coast of the Province of Venice was performed for a preliminary characterization of the bathing water profile considering water quality status and existing pressure sources.     

Preparation and characterization of biochar from cement waste for removal of rhodamine B dye

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Cement waste (CW) is one of the main environmental problems in the cement industry due to the high amount that is used and its incorrect disposal....     

Ag recovery from waste printed circuit boards of cell phone for synthesis of Ag nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The increase in technology has increased the consumption and waste of electrical and electronic equipment, especially cell phones (smartphones)....