Measuring sustainable urbanization in China: a case study of the coastal Liaoning area

The global urbanization process poses a serious challenge to achieving sustainable development. The significance of sustainable urbanization has been increasingly appreciated, yet, very little empirical evidence has been provided for this prospect. In this paper, we use the Human Development Index and the ecological footprint to measure the sustainability of the coastal Liaoning area. We then use the quadrant map approach to determine the relationship between sustainability and urbanization. The results show that the coastal area has made progress in sustainable urbanization in the social dimension. Improvement in the environmental dimension has been dynamic. Our results indicate that sustainable urbanization is a dynamic, multi-dimensional progress that requires regular monitoring and reevaluation. This paper also highlights the importance of choosing more complete indicators for measuring the sustainability of urbanization, as no single model or measurement is sufficient for quantifying the different dimensions of sustainability.     

Microwave pretreatment for enhancement of phosphorus release from dairy manure

Both the advanced oxidation process (AOP) using a combination of hydrogen peroxide addition and microwave heating (H2O2/microwave), and the microwave heating process were used for solubilization of phosphorus from liquid dairy manure. About 80% of total phosphate was released into the solution at a microwave heating time of 5 min at 170 degrees C. With an addition of H2O2, more than 81% of total phosphate could be released over a reaction period of 49 h at ambient temperature. The AOP process could achieve up to 85% of total phosphate release at 120 degrees C. The results indicated that both the microwave, and the AOP processes could effectively release phosphate from liquid dairy manure. These processes could serve as pretreatments for phosphorus recovery from animal wastes, and could be combined with the struvite crystallization process to provide a new approach in treating animal wastes.     

Removal of natural organic matter by cationic hydrogel with magnetic properties

Magnetic cationic hydrogel (MCH) was synthesized, and its removal efficiency and mechanisms in regard to natural organic matter (NOM, represented by humic acid and fulvic acid) from the aqueous environment were studied. The effects of time, adsorbent dosage, initial pH, ionic strength, background ions, and NOM types were also investigated. MCH was characterized and found to have a strong magnetic character, yielding an extra advantage for recycling and reuse. Batch studies showed that the removal of Aldrich humic acid (AHA) by MCH was effective. The main mechanism for the removal of NOM is believed to be due to electrostatic interaction. NOM with larger molecular weight tended to be preferentially removed. Solutions with low pH, high ionic strength, and background electrolytes containing calcium, sulfate and bicarbonate were unfavorable for AHA removal. The adsorption-desorption of MCH was evaluated in three cycles, and demonstrated high regeneration rates.     

Catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane using copper nanoparticles under reduction conditions of sodium borohydride

1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is a raw material used for the manufacture of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and therefore has very often been detected in the groundwater nearby the VCM manufacturing plant. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is capable of degrading a wide array of highly chlorinated contaminants; however, the reactivity of ZVI towards 1,2-DCA is very low. In this study, zero-valent copper nanoparticles have been synthesized for effective dechlorination of 1,2-DCA under reduction conditions of sodium borohydride. Copper nanoparticles consisted of mainly metallic copper (Cu(0)) with small amounts of cuprous oxide (Cu(2)O). They have surface areas of about 19.0 m(2) g(-1) and an average diameter of 15 nm. Batch experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of copper nanoparticles for 1,2-DCA degradation using sodium borohydride as electron donors where the ORP was measured as -1100 mV. More than 80% of 1,2-DCA (30 mg L(-1)) was rapidly degraded within 2 h in the presence of both copper nanoparticles (2.5 g L(-1)) and borohydride (25 mM). No reduction of 1,2-DCA was observed when the system contained either copper nanoparticles alone or borohydride alone. The degradation intermediates included ethane and ethylene accounting for 79% and ～1.5% of the 1,2-DCA lost, respectively. Potential environmental applications can be achieved by immobilizing copper nanoparticles onto the surface of reducing metals to form a reactive bimetallic structure.     

Coastal Management of Failaka Island, Kuwait

Failaka Island is one of the most important islands belonging to the State of Kuwait. With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, most of the activies on Failaka Island were destroyed. After the liberation of Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government decided to reconstruct the island for touristic and recreational purposes. Thus, a coastal development plan was needed. The presented study is an attempt to address the coastal zone management of the island. Based on the overall geomorphological features of the island, the coast was classified into four coastal zones. The wave and tidal conditions were identified around the island. The major items controlling the coastal development were specified. Accordingly, a detailed coastal zone management map for future development was developed. The overall goal was to provide decision-makers with guidelines for the future development of the island.