Corporations,Consumerism and Culpability: Sustainability in the British Press

Sustainability and sustainable development are prominent themes in international policy-making, corporate PR, news-media and academic scholarship. Its definitions are contested, however sustainability is associated with a three-pillar focus on economic development, environmental conservation and social justice, most recently espoused in the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. In spite of its common usage, there is little research about how sustainability is represented and refracted in public discourse in different national contexts. We examine British national press coverage of sustainability and sustainable development in 2015 in a cross-market sample of national newspapers. Our findings show that key international policy events and environmental and social justice frames are peripheral, while neoliberalism and neoliberal environmentalism vis-à-vis the promotion of technocratic solutions, corporate social responsibility and “sustainable” consumerism are the predominant frames through which the British news-media reports sustainability. This holds regardless of newspaper quality and ideological orientation.     

The contents and forms of solid-phase species of radioactive strontium and cesium in Taiwan soils

This study was to investigate the activities and contents of ¹³⁷Cs in the profiles of selected arable and forest soils in Taiwan and various solid-phase species of ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in selected arable soils in Taiwan. The gamma (γ) ray spectra of the collected soil samples and some of the soils amended with ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs were measured. The data indicate that the arable soils from Sanhsing series, Sanhsing Township and Chuangwei series, Chuangwei Township, Ilan County, and from Tunglochuan series, Pinglin Township, Taipei County shows significantly higher radioactivity of ¹³⁷Cs (ND − 11.0 ± 0.2 Bq kg⁻¹). Furthermore, the radioactivity of ¹³⁷Cs in the mountain soils (1.24 ± 0.07 − 42 ± 1 Bq kg⁻¹) from Yuanyang Lake Nature Preserve among Ilan, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu Counties is the highest among the investigated mountain forest soils. This may be mainly attributed to the fact that Ilan County is located in the northeastern part of Taiwan and faces the northeastern and northern seasonal winds with lots of precipitation annually from mid-autumn through mid-spring next year and is receiving greater amount of fallouts yearly. Due to longer reaction period (≥3 y) of ¹³⁷Cs with soil components, ¹³⁷Cs was mainly in the forms bound to oxides and to organic matter in the soil amended with ¹³⁷Cs and in the soil contaminated with ¹³⁷Cs. On the contrary, due to shorter reaction period (<60 d) of ⁸⁵Sr with soil components, ⁸⁵Sr was mainly in exchangeable form and partially in the forms bound to carbonates and oxides in the soils amended with ⁸⁵Sr.     

Geo-morphological changes of the Wanpingkou tidal system arising from the building of a sailing boat station in Rizhao of China

This paper examines a small tidal system in Wanpingkou, Rizhao of China. The tidal system was originally maintained by a balance of the natural interaction between tidal currents and waves. But this tidal system was diminishing by reclamation processes since the 1980s, especially in 2003 when a sailing boat station was built in the study area. To investigate the stability and development mechanism of the tidal system, its feasibility was evaluated before the sailing boat station was built. The erosion and deposition in and out of the tidal system was analyzed, forecasted and compared with the data from field monitoring. The results show that the tidal system would remain relatively stable, although its adjacent shoreline might change somewhat after the newly built sailing boat station. This change would also affect the coastal water and wetland environment in the study area. Further field monitoring in the area is still necessary.     

An Extended Self-Organizing Map Network for Modeling and Control of Pulse Jet Fabric Filters

ABSTRACT

Pulse jet fabric filters (PJFFs) have become an attractive option of particulate collection utilities, because they can meet stringent particulate emission limits regardless of variation in operating conditions. Despite their wide applications, the present control algorithm for PJFFs can best be described as rudimentary. In this paper, a modeling and control strategy based on the local model network (LMN) is proposed. An extended self-organizing map (ESOM) network is developed to construct the LMN model of the filtration process using the filter's input-output data. Subsequently, these ESOM local models are incorporated into the design of local generalized predictive controllers (GPC), and the proposed controller design is obtained as the weighted sum of these local controllers. Simulation results show that the proposed controller design yields a better performance than both conventional GPC and proportional plus integral (PI) controllers yield.     

Determination and Impact of Volatile Organics Emitted during Rush Hours in the Ambient Air around Gasoline Stations

Abstract

This study analyzes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air around gasoline stations during rush hours and assesses their impact on human health. Results from this study clearly indicate that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), toluene, and isobutane are the major VOCs emitted from gasoline stations. Moreover, the concentrations of MTBE and toluene in the ambient air near gasoline stations are remarkably higher than those sampled on surrounding roads, revealing that these compounds are mainly released from gasoline stations. The concentration of VOCs near the gasoline stations without vapor recovery systems are ～7.3 times higher than those around the gasoline stations having the recovery systems. An impact on individual health and air quality because of gasoline station emissions was done using Integrated Risk Information System and Industrial Source Complex Short Term model.     

On the use of a freeze-dried versus an air-dried soil humic acid as a surrogate of soil organic matter for contaminant sorption

The sorption of phenanthrene (PHN) to relatively pure soil humic acids (HAs) was investigated to assess the suitability of the soil HA as a surrogate sorbent for the soil organic matter (SOM). The HAs were prepared in both freeze-dried and air-dried forms. The two forms of HAs from the same source are similar in composition but the freeze-dried HAs exhibit a significantly higher initial surface area (SA) (3.86-4.59 m(2)/g); the SAs of air-dried HAs are below 0.1 m(2)/g. However, the SAs of freeze-dried HAs are not stable upon contact with water; the samples lose practically all the SA after 4 days of immersion in water. The PHN sorption to both forms of HAs is practically linear, whether a co-solute is present or not. The sorption linearity observed with the present freeze-dried HAs is in sharp contrast with the allegedly nonlinear PHN sorption on similar freeze-dried HAs as presented by others.     

Strategies for sustainable development of industrial park in Ulsan,South Korea—From spontaneous evolution to systematic expansion of industrial symbiosis

The Korea National Cleaner Production Center (KNCPC) affiliated to the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) has started a 15 year, 3-phase EIP master plan with the support of Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy (MOCIE). A total of 6 industrial parks, including industrial parks in Ulsan city, known as the industrial capital of South Korea, are planning projects to find the feasibility of shifting existing industrial parks to eco-industrial parks. The basic survey shows that Ulsan industrial complex has been continuously evolving from conventional industrial complexes to eco-industrial parks by spontaneous industrial symbiosis. This paper describes the Korean national policies and the developmental activities of this vision to drive the global trend of innovation for converting the existing industrial parks to eco-industrial parks through inter-industry waste, energy, and material exchange in Ulsan Industrial complexes. In addition, the primary and supportive components of the Ulsan EIP pilot project, which will be implemented for 5 years is elaborated with its schedules and economic benefits.     

A sensitive and robust method for the determination of alkylphenol polyethoxylates and their carboxylic acids and their transformation in a trickling filter wastewater treatment plant

This paper presents a method for the determination of alkylphenols, alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEO) and alkylphenol ethoxycarboxylates (APEC) in the aqueous and particulate phase of wastewater samples. Quantification was achieved by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The sensitivity of the method is demonstrated by low detection limits, in the dissolved phase 1.2-9.6ngl(-1) for alkylphenol, AP(1-3)EO and APEC and 0.1-4.1ngl(-1) for longer chain alkylphenol polyethoxylates. The method detection limit for particulate phase samples ranged from 6 to 60ngg(-1) for AP, AP(1-3)EO and APEC; with the longer chain APEO being from 0.5 to 20ngg(-1). Matrix effects were noted in complex matrix rich samples. There was a distinct change in the distribution of alkylphenol ethoxylates during biological treatment of the wastewater, with the major biotransformation products observed being carboxylated derivatives at concentrations of up to 1768ngl(-1). Shorter chain APEO were present in higher proportions in the suspended solids, due to their higher affinity to particulate matter compared to the long-chain oligomers.