Production of activated carbons from waste tire--process design and economical analysis

The process design and economic analysis of process plants to produce activated carbons from waste tires and coal have been performed. The potential range of products from each process has been considered, namely for waste tire--pyro-gas, active carbon, carbon black and pyro-oil; for coal--pyro-gas and active carbons. Sensitivity analyses have been carried out on the main process factors; these are product price, production capacity, total production cost, capital investment and the tipping fee. Net present values for the two plants at various discount factors have been determined and the internal rates of return have been determined as 27.4% and 18.9% for the waste tire plant and the coal plant, respectively.     

The effect of extraction technique on the fat content, polychlorinated biphenyl level and tri- to octabiphenyl distribution in human milk

Six different extraction techniques for PCBs in human milk were studied. Although some variation in the PCB levels and fat content was observed, the greatest differences were found in the isomer composition.     

Removal of batteries from solid waste using trommel separation

This paper describes the design and testing of a trommel for separation of batteries from solid waste. A trommel is a cylindrical separation device that rotates and performs size separation. It has also been used in areas such as municipal solid waste (MSW) processing, classifying construction and demolition debris, screening mass-burn incinerator ash and compost processing. A trommel has been designed based on size separation to separate household batteries from solid waste, which can then be used as feedstock for alternative applications of solid waste combustion, particularly where the metal content of the product is also a critical parameter, such as the Co-Co process for integrated cement and power production. This trommel has been tested with batches of university office and restaurant wastes against various factors. The recovery efficiency of batteries increases with decreasing inclination angle of the trommel and decreasing rotational speed. A physical characterization of the university solid waste has been performed with a 20-kg sample of the tested waste. It was found that there is a trend of decreasing recovery of batteries with increasing paper composition, and a trend of increasing recovery of batteries with increasing organic materials composition.     

False non-paternity in a family for prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassaemia

Initial screening for the common β-thalassaemia mutations with allele-specific oligonucleo-tide probes in an at-risk family suggested non-paternity. Subsequent DNA fingerprinting of the members proved otherwise. The mother had a codon 41/42 frameshift mutation and the father's defect, determined by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified β gene, was a codon 43 nonsense mutation. In the affected children, the close proximity of these two defects resulted in the absence of a hybridization signal to the normal probe in that region and a wrong assumption of homozygosity for the codon 41/42 mutation. The non-reactivity of the father's amplified DNA to the codon 41/42 thalassaemic probe accounted for the initial wrong conclusion of non-paternity. Since prior screening for β-thalassaemia mutations is done in all prenatal diagnosis programmes and concomitant inheritance of these two defects is relatively common in the Chinese, this ‘artefact’ of false non-paternity is worth noting.     

GIS支持下的交通噪声预测与规划系统

以地理信息系统（ＧＩＳ）为技术支撑，结合交通噪声预测模型，建立了交通噪声预测与规划系统ＴＮＰＰＳ，该系统充分利用ＧＩＳ对空气数据与属性数据进行编辑，管理，显示，查询的能力与分析建模优势，并注重用户与系统的交互，用户与系统交互以ＷＨＡＴ ＩＦ提问／解释方式进行。ＧＩＳ与环境模型相结合，为环境噪声调查，道路工程设计，建筑设计等提供了有效的交通噪声预测与规划工具。     

高密度城市道路交通噪声的典型分布及其在战略环境评价(SEA)中的应用

分析了高密度城市道路交通噪声分布的特点，从噪声接受点评价的观点出发，以香港地区为例，研究不同建筑形态道路交通噪声的典型分布。基于方法是采用简化的DoT模型计算道路交通噪声，以基于GIS的道路交通噪声评价预测系统为工具计算不同建筑类型各单元的噪声级，再统计出各型建筑的噪声分布。通过Kolmogorov-Smirnov检验证实这些分布来自于不同总体，具有显著的差异。将上述计算结果运用于香港新界西北地区道路交通噪声的战略环境评价。     

香港河流及近海表层沉积物和孔隙水的毒性研究

采集并测定了香港重点监测河流河口及近海处的表层沉积物、孔隙水样品的理化特征及生物毒性；对比了沉积物与孔隙水、孔隙水与上覆水、经过不同处理的孔隙水以及加入重金属前后沉积物与孔隙水的毒性，并进行了浸提实验及其毒性测定，研究结果表明，当重金属的含量很低时，沉积物孔隙水中硫化物和非离子氨可能是引起孔隙毒性的最主要因素；在SEM／AVS小于1的情况下，沉积物的毒性与SEM／AVS的值无关，其毒性取决于沉积物中AVS及其他有机物的含量；浸提实验由于破坏了沉积物中的硫化物可能无法反映真实毒性。     

Dioxinbilanz für Hamburg

The sources and reservoirs of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in the city of Hamburg, Germany, in the year 1992 were identified and quantified combining analytical data of PCDD/PCDF with statistical data on annual fluxes of materials and products. Fluxes and amounts of PCDD/PCDF were estimated for the environmental compartments water, air, and soil. Dioxin emissions originating from industrial, commercial or private activities were also calculated. Together with the analysis of the specific regional nutrition data, the human exposurevia the various pathways could be determined. It could be shown that the total PCDD/PCDF intake of individuals in Hamburg was about the same as the national average. High annual fluxes of PCDD/PCDF connected with the trade of industrial products and the waste management and disposal: system in Hamburg obviously had no influence on the human intake of PCDD/PCDF.     

Characteristics of highway stormwater runoff.

Highway stormwater runoff was monitored at three highway sites in Los Angeles, California, during the 2000 to 2003 wet seasons. Event mean concentrations (EMCs), partial event mean concentrations (PEMCs), and mass first flush (MFF) factors were calculated for more than 20 water quality parameters for samples from 20 storm events from each site. The early runoff had higher concentrations, as indicated by the PEMCs at 30 and 60 minutes into the storm, which were 1.9 to 7.4 times higher than the EMCs. A strong first flush was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and other organic pollutants, with 40% of the pollutant mass being discharged in the first 20% of the runoff. A weak first flush was observed for ionic pollutants, such as nitrate and nitrite. Pearson correlation analyses of the EMCs, PEMCs, and MFFs showed strong correlations among dissolved organic carbon, COD, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, oil and grease, and ammonia-nitrogen. Contrary to generally held beliefs, poor correlation between total suspended solids and most other conventional pollutants was observed. In addition, poor correlation between most monitored pollutants and storm characteristics, except for antecedent dry days, was observed.     

Assessment of personal integrated exposure to fine particulate matter of urban residents in Hong Kong

Metropolitan residents are concerned about their exposure to airborne pollutants. But establishing these exposures is challenging. A compact personal exposure kit (PEK) was developed to evaluate personal integrated exposure (PIE) from time-resolved data to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) in five microenvironments, including office, home, commuting, other indoor activities (other than home and office), and outdoor activities experienced both on weekdays and weekends. The study was conducted in Hong Kong. The PEK measured PM_2.5, reported location and several other factors, stored collected data, as well as reported the data back to the investigators using global system for mobile communication (GSM) telemetry. Generally, PM_2.5 concentrations in office microenvironment were found to be the smallest (13.0 μg/m³), whereas the largest PM_2.5 concentration microenvironments were experienced during outdoor activities (54.4 μg/m³). Participants spent more than 85% of their time indoors, including in offices, homes, and other public indoor venues. On average, 42% and 81% of the time were spent in homes, which contributed 52% and 79% of PIE (during weekdays and weekends, respectively), suggesting that improvement of air quality in homes may reduce overall exposures and indicating the need for actions to mitigate possible public health burdens in Hong Kong. This study also found that various indoor/outdoor microenvironments experienced by urban office workers cannot be accurately represented by general urban air quality data reported from the regulatory monitoring. Such personalized air quality information, especially while in transit or in offices and homes, may provide improved information on population exposures to air pollution.

Implications: A newly developed personal exposure kit (PEK) was used to monitor PM_2.5 exposure of metropolitan citizens in their daily life. Different microenvironments and time durations caused various personal integrated exposure (PIE). The stationary monitoring method for PIE was also compared and evaluated with PEK. Positive protection actions can be taken after understanding the major contribution to PM_2.5 exposure.