Removal of insoluble chloride from bottom ash for recycling

In order to recycle bottom ash and use it as raw material for cement production, the removal of insoluble chloride was investigated by testing various washing techniques. The present work is also focused on investigating the properties of insoluble chlorides and determining the conditions for dissolving these compounds in order to reduce the chlorine content to the required level, i.e., less than 0.1 wt%. Within this framework, the effect of washing with water and CO2 bubbling was investigated, because the main insoluble chloride found in bottom ash, i.e., Friedel's salt, can be dissolved by CO2. Then, in order to better understand the removal of Cl, Friedel's salt was artificially synthesized by hydration and then the effect of CO2 bubbling was investigated. If all chlorides in the ash are converted into Friedel's salt by hydration, all chlorides can then be dissolved by CO2 bubbling. In addition, the effect of pH on removing the remaining insoluble chlorides was investigated by washing the ash with sulfuric acid solution. It was found that the most effective technique to reduce the Cl content to less than 1000 ppm was washing with sulfuric acid solution, while keeping the pH value at less than 4. By using this method, Friedel's salt and other insoluble chlorides were dissolved.     

The role of other orientation in organizational citizenship behavior

This article draws on social exchange theory and the theory of other orientation to examine how job satisfaction and individual differences are related to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Previous research specifying a direct effect for individual differences on OCB has yielded disappointing results. In contrast, this study examines the moderating role of individual differences in the relationship between job satisfaction and OCB. As hypothesized, results show a weaker relationship between job satisfaction and OCB for persons who are higher in other orientation. We discuss the theoretical implications of this finding and directions for future research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The contingent effect of constructive confrontation on the relationship between shared mental models and decision quality

Work teams are being utilized more frequently to give organizations access to the broader knowledge and skill base of employees, as well as to provide for adaptive, efficient decision‐making. In teams, we argue that constructive confrontation norms are an important contingency variable in the relationship between mental model similarity and decision quality. Mental model similarity helps team members understand one another's perspectives and reduces the likelihood of conflict. Accordingly, mental model similarity improves decision quality. When strong norms of constructive confrontation are in place, however, teams are in a better position to reap the benefits of conflict (greater diversity of inputs) without experiencing its negative consequences. Thus, when constructive confrontation norms are strong, less mental model similarity (i.e., more diversity of perspectives) is likely to improve decision quality. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of food waste generators: a Hawaii case study

Information on food waste disposal and on recycling methods and recycled amounts is reported. Data were obtained from a mail and phone survey of all licensed food establishments in Hawaii conducted in 2004 and 2005. Of 8253 licensed food establishments, 5033 completed surveys. It was found that relationships exist between food establishment size (measured by the number of meals served per day or the number of employees) and the amount of food an establishment recycled; establishment type and recycling behavior; and establishment type and amount recycled. The amount of food waste recycled in the state of Hawaii was estimated to be 264,000 L/day and annual food waste generation was estimated to be 336,000 tonnes.     

Plant and Soil System Responses to Ozone After 3 Years in a Lysimeter Study with Juvenile Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

A lysimeter study was performed to monitor effects of elevated ozone on juvenile trees of Fagus sylvatica L. as well as on the plant–soil system. During a fumigation period over almost three growing seasons, parameters related to plant growth, phenological development and physiology as well as soil functions were studied. The data analyses identified elevated ozone to delay leaf phenology at early and to accelerate it at late developmental stages, to reduce growth, some leaf nutrients (Ca, K) as well as some soluble phenolics (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, total flavonol glycosides). No or very weak ozone effects were found in mobile carbon pools of leaves (starch, sucrose), and other phenolic compounds (flavans). Altered gene expression related to stress and carbon cycling corresponded well with findings from leaf phenology and chemical composition analyses indicating earlier senescence and oxidative stress in leaves under elevated ozone. Conversely in the soil system, no effects of ozone were detected on soil enzyme activities, rates of litter degradation and lysimeter water balances. Despite the fact that the three reported years 2003–2005 were climatically very contrasting including a hot and dry as well as an extremely wet summer, and also mild as well as cold winters, the influence of ozone on a number of plant parameters is remarkably consistent, further underlining the phytotoxic potential of elevated tropospheric ozone levels.     

Disinfection By-Products in Water Produced by Ozonation and Chlorination

Water produced by advanced treatment of a groundwater was evaluated to determine the amount of DBPs (Disinfection By-Products) including trihalomethanes (THMs). Both Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GS/MS) were adopted for detection and identification of DBPs such as trihalomethanes (THMs), halo-acetic acids (HAAs) and aldehydes. Two disinfection modes (ozonation followed by chlorination and chlorination alone) were compared to determine the DBPs generation. The mutagenitic acivity of ozonated water, chlorinated water after ozonation and potable water was assessed using the Ames test. Chloroform, dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) were the main constituents of THMs and HAAs, respectively. THMs accounted for more than 85% of all DBPs measured, whereas haloacetic acids accounted for around 14%. Ozonation followed by chlorination proved to be better in terms of THMs and HAAs control. The combined system produced 28.3% less DBPs compared to chlorination alone. Ozonation was found capable of reducing mutagenic matter in the groundwater by 54.7%. The combined system also resulted in water with no mutagenicity.     

Monopolization in a resource queue: water striders competing for food and mates

The monopolization of resources plays an important theoretical role in the literature on competition for food and mates. We used 12 groups of male water striders (Aquariusremigis) to: (1) test the general prediction that monopolization of both food and mates decreases as the temporal clumping of resources increases, (2) compare the efficiency of two indices of resource monopolization, coefficient of variation and Q (Ruzzante et al. 1996), and (3) quantitatively assess the resource queue model of Blanckenhorn and Caraco (1992). Each group of six males competed for both food items and mates released from the upstream end of a laboratory stream. The mean inter-arrival time for resource units (food or females) was 10 min, with four levels of temporal clumping (variance in inter-arrival time: 0, 25, 50 or 320 min²). As predicted, the monopolization of both food and mates decreased as the temporal clumping of resource arrival increased, although monopolization was greater for food than for mates. Q detected the difference in monopolization of food and mates, whereas the coefficient of variation did not, because Q is independent of mean resource abundance. The resource queue model successfully predicted monopolization of both resource types, explaining 89% and 76% of variation in the proportion of food and mates acquired by the six males. The success of the model suggests that the scaling of handling time to the variance in resource inter-arrival time should play an important role in any general theory of resource monopolization. Received: 28 February 1997 / Accepted after revision: 26 September 1997     

Semi-parametric statistical approaches for space-time process prediction

The problem of estimation and prediction of a spatial-temporal stochastic process, observed at regular times and irregularly in space, is considered. A mixed formulation involving a non- parametric component, accounting for a deterministic trend and the effect of exogenous variables, and a parametric component representing the purely spatio-temporal random variation is proposed. Correspondingly, a two-step procedure, first addressing the estimation of the non- parametric component, and then the estimation of the parametric component is developed from the residual series obtained, with spatial-temporal prediction being performed in terms of suitable spatial interpolation of the temporal variation structure. The proposed model formula-tion, together with the estimation and prediction procedure, are applied using a Gaussian ARMA structure for temporal modelling to space-time forecasting from real data of air pollution concentration levels in the region surrounding a power station in northwest Spain.     

Lipid metabolism of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and its ecological implications

 Various developmental stages (early larvae to adults) of Euphausia superba have been collected in different seasons in the Weddell Sea, the Lazarev Sea and off the Antarctic Peninsula to investigate the role of lipids and fatty acids in the life cycle of the Antarctic krill. The total-lipid data for E. superba exhibited seasonal variations, with low lipid levels in late winter/early spring and the highest levels in autumn. Seasonal changes were most pronounced in the immature and adult specimens, increasing from about 10% lipid of dry mass to more than 40%. The fatty-acid compositions of the younger stages were dominated by 20:5(n-3), 22:6(n-3) and 16:0. These are typical phospholipid fatty acids, which are major biomembrane constituents. The phospholipid composition was similar in the older stages. With increasing storage of triacylglycerols in the lipid-rich immature and adult stages, the fatty acids 14:0, 16:0 and 18:1(n-9) prevailed, comprising about 70% of total triacylglycerol fatty acids. The trophic-marker fatty acids 16:1(n-7) and 18:4(n-3), indicating phytoplankton ingestion, were less abundant. They reflected, however, the dependence of the larvae on phytoplankton as well as the seasonal changes in algal composition. The generally close linear relationships between fatty acids and lipid suggest that the fatty-acid compositions of the collected specimens were largely independent of the respective developmental stage, season and region. The linear fit indicates that triacylglycerol accumulation started at a level of about 5% of total lipid. Considering the various overwintering scenarios under discussion, the life cycle and reproductive strategies of krill are discussed in the context of the lipid metabolism and fatty-acid composition of E. superba. Lipid production is effective enough to accumulate large energy reserves for the dark season, but E. superba does not exhibit the sophisticated biosynthetic pathways known from other Antarctic euphausiids and copepods. Although important, lipid utilisation appears to be just one of several strategies of E. superba to thrive under the extreme Antarctic conditions, and this pronounced versatility may explain the success of this species in the Southern Ocean. Received: 16 June 2000 / Accepted: 18 December 2000