Composition analysis of dental solid waste in Brazil

When developing proper waste management strategies, it is essential to characterize the volume and composition of solid waste. The aim of this work was to evaluate the composition of dental waste produced by three dental health services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Two universities, one public and one private, and one public dental health service were selected. Waste collection took place from March to November 2007. During this period, three samples were collected from each dental health service. The total amount of dental waste produced in one day of dental work was manually separated into three categories: infectious and potentially infectious waste, accounting for 24.3% of the total waste; non-infectious waste, accounting for 48.1%; and domestic-type waste, accounting for 27.6% (percentages are for mean weights of solid waste). Our results showed that most of the waste considered as biomedical may be misclassified, consequently making the infectious waste amount appear much larger. In addition, our results suggest that the best waste minimization method is recycling, and they help to define an appropriate waste management system in all three of the dental health services involved in this study.     

The impact of the board of directors on business climate change management: case of Brazilian companies

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - The corporate sector is one of the main emitters in the world due to the production process and therefore is identified as a major...     

Microbial fuel cell-induced production of fungal laccase to degrade the anthraquinone dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The anthraquinone dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R is largely used in the textile industry. However, its removal from wastewaters is costly and complex. Many methods...     

Effect of different tannery sludge compost amendment rates on growth,biomass accumulation and yield responses of Capsicum plants

Composting has been recognized as one of the most cost effective and environmentally sound alternatives for organic wastes recycling from long and composted wastes have a potential to substitute inorganic fertilizers. We investigated the potential of composted tannery sludge for ornamental purposes and to examine the effects of two different composts and concentrations on ornamental Capsicum growth. The two composts were produced with tannery sludge and the composition of each compost was: compost₁ of tannery sludge (C₁TS) – tannery sludge + sugarcane straw and cattle manure mixed in the ratio 1:3:1 (v:v:v); compost₂ of tannery sludge (C₂TS) – tannery sludge + “carnauba” straw and cattle manure in the ratio 1:3:1 (v:v:v). Each compost was amended with soil at rates (% v:v) of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (designation hereafter as T₁–T₅, respectively). The number of leaves and fruits were counted, and the stem length was also measured. Chlorophyll content was recorded on three leaves of each harvested plant prior to harvest. Number of leaves and fruits, stem length, dry weight of shoot and roots did not vary significantly between the plants grown in two tannery composts. All the treatments with composted tannery sludge application (T₂–T₅) significantly increased the number of leaves and fruits, stem length and chlorophyll content compared with the control (T₁). The chlorophyll content was higher in plants growing in the C₁TS compared to C₂TS. The results of the present study further suggest that Capsicum may be a good option to be grown on composted tannery amended soil.     

Baseline mercury and zinc concentrations in terrestrial and coastal organisms of Admiralty Bay, Antarctica

This paper provides the first quantitative information on mercury in soil, coastal sediment, and in characteristic organisms of terrestrial and shallow coastal marine ecosystems from Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica). As expected for a remote area, mercury content is low in abiotic components of the ecosystem, and probably similar to natural levels. Mercury also occurs in very low concentrations in the vegetation, invertebrates and fish. These low mercury levels may be due to sulphide formation in reducing sediments of this environment. Higher concentrations of mercury occurred in bird feathers and mammal hair, indicating biomagnification. This was not found for Zinc. These results may be useful as a reference background to detect future inputs of trace elements in this remote area of the earth. Terrestrial vegetation and bird feathers are suggested as target regional biomonitors.     

Risk Analysis and Occurrence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Domestic Swine in Northeast Brazil

Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in animals from abattoir and in farms from northeast Brazil. Our results suggest that HEV is highly disseminated in the swine population and might present a great risk to animal handlers and for consumption of raw or undercooked meat and meat products in northeast Brazil.     

Economic viability study of a separate household waste collection in a developing country

This article reports a study of the economic viability of a separate household waste collection project, and considers its social and environmental benefits. The study was developed from the database obtained through the pilot project on separate collections in João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba, in the northeast region of Brazil. The pilot project had been supported by the local municipal council since September 2000. The methodology applied to this study of economic viability is based on the economic quantification of the benefits and costs involved in the process of a separate collection of household waste. The benefits to the environment, owing to the reduction of the final disposal of household waste, were also evaluated. The results of this research are encouraging for the benefit cost relation (B/C) of both the quantified economic components and the environmental aspects. The values found for the relation B/C ranged from 1.27 to 1.77 depending on the economic quantification of the direct and indirect benefits to the components involved in the project, i.e., the waste collectors, the municipal council, the sellers of recycled material, and the recycling industry.     

Status and drivers of food insecurity and adaptation responses under a changing climate among smallholder farmers households in Bagmati Province,Nepal

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Like other low-income countries in Asia and Africa, Nepal still suffers from food insecurity with a large proportion of food-insecure households being...     

Sustainability assessment in the Brazilian Amazon: the municipalities of the state of Amapá

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Although sustainability assessment is widely discussed at Brazil, in Brazilian Amazon its use is still little applied, considering this territory is...