Cure,Mechanical and Swelling Properties of Biocomposites from Chicken Feather Fibre and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber

Biocomposites of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) reinforced with chicken feather fibre (CF) were prepared using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as vulcanizing agent. Composites with three series of chicken feather fibres were studied i.e., raw (RCF), sterilized (SCF) and alkali treated (ACF). The cure characteristics of composites were studied. The mechanical properties of NBR were found to be improved by the incorporation of chicken feather fibre in all forms. Surface modification of the fibre was done by alkaline treatment to improve the interfacial adhesion and it characterised by FTIR. Better properties are shown by the composites with ACF. The swelling behaviour of the composites in N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide and water were analyzed for the swelling coefficient values. The biodegradable characteristics of CF reinforced NBR composites were studied by soil burial test which indicated that it is an eco-friendly and acceptable material. Scanning electron microscopy studies support the results of mechanical properties. The outcome obtained from this study is believed to assist the development of environmentally–friendly composites especially for specific product applications like oil seals, hoses and automobile bushes etc.     

Municipal solid waste management in Nepal: practices and challenges

Solid waste management in Kathmandu valley of Nepal, especially concerning the siting of landfills, has been a challenge for over a decade. The current practice of the illegal dumping of solid waste on the river banks has created a serious environmental and public health problem. The focus of this study was to carry out an evaluation of solid waste management in Nepal based on published information. The data showed that > or =70% of the solid wastes generated in Nepal are of organic origin. As such, composting of the solid waste and using it on the land is the best way of solid waste disposal. This will reduce the waste volume transported to the landfill and will increase its life.     

The Use of Oxygen Release Compound for the Accelerated Bioremediation of Aerobically Degradable Contaminants: The Advent of Time-Release Electron Acceptors

Oxygen Release Compound (ORC®) is a patented formulation of intercalated magnesium peroxide that releases oxygen slowly when hydrated. ORC treatment represents a “low intensity” approach to site remediation. It provides a simple, passive, low-cost and long-term acceleration of aerobic natural attenuation and has been shown to cost-effectively reduce time to site closure. ORC is now a proven technology as evidenced by its five years of use on over 5,000 sites in 50 states and 11 countries, and the existence of a full body of independent, peer reviewed literature on its performance. The first applications of ORC were for the treatment of benzene, toulene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) and other light petroleum hydrocarbon fractions. Use has now expanded to the treatment of heavier fractions such as heating oil and some of the Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). More recently. ORC has been used to bioremediate the highly mobile and problematic gasoline oxygenate methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and has been applied to sites impacted with nitroaromatics, chloroaromatics, and some of the lower-order chlorinated hydrocarbons that can be treated aerobically—most notably vinyl chloride. Since ORC is an insoluble powder, it can be packaged in material composed of a specially designed filter fabric. These “filter socks” are then contacted with contaminated groundwater via an array of wells or trenches. ORC can also be mixed directly with water to form a slurry for permanent injection applications in the saturated zone or dispersed in powdered form for the in-situ or ex-situ treatment of soil. A broad array of treatment points, in which ORC slurry is backfilled or injected, can be implemented with low-cost, small-bore push-point technologies to directly treat dissolved phase plumes and moderate levels of sorbed contaminants. Powder or slurry is traditionally used in the remediation of residual contamination at the bottom of contaminated soil excavations. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.