Monotonic aspects of the mechanical behaviour of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration and its potential use for road construction

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash is an atypical granular material because it may include industrial by-products that result from the incineration of domestic waste. The prospects for the beneficial use of this particular material mainly lie in the field of road construction, as a substitute for the traditional natural aggregates. However, its mechanical properties are still little known, particularly in term of stiffness and deformability, characteristics that are essential to the construction of a durable roadway. The purpose of this paper is to describe better the mechanical behaviour of this recycled material. In order to reach this objective, a large experimental campaign is presented. The first part of this paper presents and comments in detail on the results obtained from static monotonic tests. Oedometric and triaxial shear tests were performed on MSWI bottom ash both before and after treatment with a specific hydraulic binder. These tests allow specification of the mechanical characteristics of the MSWI bottom ash, such as the initial Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, the compressibility index, the friction angle, and the contracting or dilating behaviour of the material. The results reveal a mechanical behaviour similar to that of initially dense standard materials (sands, unbound granular materials) and a dependence on the applied average pressure, characteristic of the mechanical behaviour of granular media. More laboratory data on other samples of MSWI bottom ash are required to ensure that this comparison is statistically valid.     

Municipal solid waste management in Pudong New Area, China

The increase in population, the rapid economic growth and the rise in community living standards accelerate municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in developing cities. This problem is especially serious in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China. The daily amount of MSW generated in Pudong was about 1.11 kg per person in 2006. According to the current population growth trend, the solid waste quantity generated will continue to increase with the city's development. In this paper, we describe a waste generation and composition analysis and provide a comprehensive review of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in Pudong. Some of the important aspects of waste management, such as the current status of waste collection, transport and disposal in Pudong, will be illustrated. Also, the current situation will be evaluated, and its problems will be identified.     

Reducing acid leaching of manganiferous ore: effect of the iron removal operation on solid waste disposal

The process of reducing acid leaching of manganiferous ore is aimed at the extraction of manganese from low grade manganese ores. This work is focused on the iron removal operation. The following items have been considered in order to investigate the effect of the main operating conditions on solid waste disposal and on the process costs: (i) type and quantity of the base agent used for iron precipitation, (ii) effective need of leaching waste separation prior to the iron removal operation, (iii) presence of a second leaching stage with the roasted ore, which might also act as a preliminary iron removal step, and (iv) effect of tailings washing on the solid waste classification. Different base compounds have been tested, including CaO, CaCO3, NaOH, and Na2CO3. The latter gave the best results concerning both the precipitation process kinetics and the reagent consumption. The filtration of the liquor leach prior to iron removal was not necessary, implying significant savings in capital costs. A reduction of chemical consumption and an increase of manganese concentration in the solution were obtained by introducing secondary leaching tests with the previously roasted ore; this additional step was introduced without a significant decrease of global manganese extraction yield. Finally, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests carried out on the leaching solid waste showed: (i) a reduction of arsenic mobility in the presence of iron precipitates, and (ii) the need for a washing step in order to produce a waste that is classifiable as not dangerous, taking into consideration the existing Environmental National Laws.     

Effects of ozone on inter- and intra-species competition and photosynthesis in mesocosms of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens

Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne were exposed as both monocultures and two-species mixtures to an episodic rural ozone regime in large, well-watered containers within solardomes for 12 weeks. There were reductions in biomass for T. repens, but not L. perenne, and the proportion of T. repens decreased in ozone-exposed mixtures compared to the control. In addition, leaf biomass of T. repens was maintained at the expense of biomass partitioning to the stolons. The decreased growth corresponded with decreased photosynthetic capacity for T. repens, however, by the end of the exposure there was also decreased photosynthetic capacity of L. perenne, a species previously considered insensitive to ozone. The observed decreases in photosynthetic efficiency and capacity in elevated ozone indicate that the ability of such ubiquitous vegetation to act as a sink for atmospheric carbon may be reduced in future climates.     

Long-term effects of lead poisoning on bone mineralization in vultures exposed to ammunition sources

Long-lived species are particularly susceptible to bioaccumulation of lead in bone tissues. In this paper we gain insights into the sublethal effects of lead contamination on Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus). Our approach was done on the comparison of two populations (Canary Islands and Iberian Peninsula) differing in exposures to the ingestion of lead ammunition. Blood lead levels were higher in the island population (Canary Islands range: 5.10-1780 μg L⁻¹n = 137; Iberian Peninsula range: 5.60-217.30 μg L⁻¹n = 32) showing clear seasonal trends, peaking during the hunting season. Moreover, males were more susceptible to lead accumulation than females. Bone lead concentration increased with age, reflecting a bioaccumulation effect. The bone composition was significatively altered by this contaminant: the mineralization degree decreased as lead concentration levels increased. These results demonstrate the existence of long-term effects of lead poisoning, which may be of importance in the declines of threatened populations of long-lived species exposed to this contaminant.     

Plant cell death and cellular alterations induced by ozone: key studies in Mediterranean conditions

An account of histo-cytological and ultrastructural studies on ozone effect on crop and forest species in Italy is given, with emphasis on induced cell death and the underlying mechanisms. Cell death phenomena possibly due to ambient O₃ were recorded in crop and forest species. In contrast, visible O₃ effects on Mediterranean vegetation are often unclear. Microscopy is thus suggested as an effective tool to validate and evaluate O₃ injury to Mediterranean vegetation. A DAB-Evans blue staining was proposed to validate O₃ symptoms at the microscopic level and for a pre-visual diagnosis of O₃ injury. The method has been positively tested in some of the most important crop species, such as wheat, tomato, bean and onion and, with some restriction, in forest species, and it also allows one to gain some very useful insights into the mechanisms at the base of O₃ sensitivity or tolerance.     

Treatment of IGCC power station effluents by physico-chemical and advanced oxidation processes

The aim of this work was to improve the quality of aqueous effluents coming from the Gasification Unit in an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Thermoelectric Power Station, with the purpose of fulfilling the future more demanding normative. To this end, an integral wastewater treatment including coagulation, flocculation, neutralization, photocatalytic oxidation, and ion-exchange has been studied. A final scheme has been proposed to remove pollutants. All the parameters of the treated wastewater are below pouring specifications. In the first stage, the wastewater was treated with CaCl2 (optimal dose=11 g CaCl2/g F-) as coagulant and a commercial anionic polyelectrolyte (optimal dose=0.02 g/g F-) as flocculant to remove fluoride ions (99%) and suspended solids (92%). The water was then neutralized, improving the degree of transmission of ultraviolet light, allowing the faster photo-degradation of pollutants. The photochemical study included different systems (H2O2, UV/H2O2, Fenton, Fenton-like, UV/Fenton, UV/Fenton-like and UV/H2O2/O2). In the Fenton-like system, the influence of two parameters (initial concentration of H2O2 and amount of Cu(II)) on the degradation of cyanide and formate (taken as the reference of the process) was studied. Experimental results were fit using neural networks (NNs). Results showed that the photocatalytic process was effective for total cyanide destruction after 60 min, while 180 min was needed to remove 80% of formates. However, a more simple system with UV/H2O2/O2 yields similar results and is preferred for industrial application due to fewer complications. Finally, an ion-exchange process with Amberlite IRA-420 was proposed to remove the excess of chlorides added as a consequence of the initial coagulation process.     

Leaching from granular cement-based materials during infiltration/wetting coupled with freezing and thawing

Many secondary materials are being considered for use as substitutes for natural aggregates in highway applications due to their suitable engineering and economic properties. During the design life of the application, recycled materials are exposed to freeze/thaw cycles and other aging processes such as carbonation, coupled with intermittent infiltration/wetting by precipitation events. In such scenarios, leaching of material constituents is a primary pathway for environmental impact. This paper presents results of the effect of freezing and thawing on the leaching behavior of major and minor constituents from a laboratory formulated granular cement-based material. Scenarios considered included water percolating through the material (flow-through) and run-off (flow-around), both important leaching pathways in highway environments. The effect of moisture content at the time of freezing, number of freeze/thaw (F/T) cycles, and material size reduction were investigated. F/T exposure and subsequent infiltration/wetting resulted in consolidation and self-cementing of the granular cement-based material. For the flow-around scenario, F/T exposure resulted in a reduction in constituent release with time and increasing F/T cycles. For the flow-through scenario, moisture content at the time of freezing was an important parameter and an increase in the release was initially observed due to preferential flow/cracks and/or constituent redistribution prior to a decrease that resulted from self-cementing during further thawing and percolation.     

Participatory diagnosis in urban planning: proposal for a learning process based on geographical information

Urban planning involves compromise between the diverse and often contradictory issues supported by the different stakeholders. The literature generally agrees on the need to broaden the participation base to overcome this difficulty. However, participation should not be limited to problem solving, but should also take place in the problem setting phase. This paper proposes a participatory diagnosis process for structuring the problem setting phase. We describe an experiment in a participatory diagnosis conducted with the residents of a Geneva neighborhood. The experiment began by identifying the residents' concerns, which were then reformulated under broader issues. Some 20 spatial indicators were built using GIS tools, and were then applied in a second phase of resident consultations to assess the relative importance of each issue. The ensuing priority issues formed the core of the diagnosis. The approach emphasized comparison between the daily experiences of residents and so-called official information (i.e. census tract, traffic measurement, and so on). The residents were therefore involved in a learning process that allowed them to consolidate or modify their opinions. The process led to the emergence of a clearly defined collective awareness that supplanted individual aspirations.     

Traffic mortality and the role of minor roads

Roads have large impacts on wildlife, as they form one of the principal causes of mortality, and disturbance and fragmentation of habitat. These impacts are mainly studied and mitigated on major roads. It is, however, a widespread misconception that most animals are killed on major roads. In this paper, we argue that minor roads have a larger impact on wildlife with respect to habitat destruction, noise load and traffic mortality. We use data on traffic related deaths in badgers (Meles meles) in The Netherlands to illustrate that traffic mortality is higher on minor roads. We ask for a more extensive investigation of the environmental impacts of minor roads. Moreover, we argue that the success of mitigation on roads drastically increases when both major and minor roads are integrated in the planning of traffic flows. Therefore, we propose a strategy based on the concept of a "traffic-calmed area". Traffic-calmed areas create opportunities for wildlife by decreasing limitations for animal movement. We ask for further studies to estimate what size traffic-calmed areas should be to maintain minimum viable animal populations.