Field Survey of Trans-boundary Air Pollution with High Time Resolution at Coastal Sites on the Sea of Japan during Winter in Japan}

An intensive field survey, with 6-h measurement intervals, of concentrations of chemical species in particulate matter and gaseous compounds was carried out at coastal sites on the Sea of Japan during winter. The concentration variation of SO₂(g) and HNO₃(g) were well correlated, whereas the NH₃(g) concentration variation had no correlation with those of SO₂(g) and HNO₃(g). The NH₄ ⁺ (p)/non-sea-salt- (nss-)SO₄ ^{2 −}(p) ratio in particulate matter was mainly affected by the location of the sampling site. One or more concentration peaks of nss-Ca^{2 +} for survey period were observed. Backward trajectories analyses for the highest nss-Ca^{2 +} concentration peaks showed some inconsistency in pathways. We consider that insufficient mixing of the atmosphere and/or insufficient time for the transported air pollutants to react with those discharged locally are the most likely explanations for the discrepancies between the measured products [HNO₃][NH₃] and the calculated values.     

Water-soluble characteristics of chlorine in char derived from municipal solid wastes

Chlorine in char derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) was characterized and quantified based on its water solubility: easily water-soluble, hardly water-soluble, and non-water-soluble chlorine. For that, a four-cycle process of water-washing, heating or carbonation were carried out. In order to confirm the characteristics of non-water-soluble chlorine, additional thermal treatment and an alkali-acid washing process were applied to washed char. It was found that a large particle size of char (0.5-1.0 mm) significantly contributed to the amount of non-water-soluble chlorine. Pulverization and HNO3-HF digestion were performed to identify a factor to interfere chlorine release from char with a large particle size. Pulverization was proven ineffective for release of non-water-soluble chlorine, whereas approximately 32% of non-water-soluble chlorine was extracted by HNO3-HF digestion. Therefore, the presence of non-water-soluble chlorine is likely to originate from its chemical property rather than simply from its physical one.     

Application of a gas-solid fluidized bed separator for shredded municipal bulky solid waste separation

A laboratory-scale gas-solid fluidized bed separator able to separate fractions of 5.6-50mm was used for separation of shredded municipal bulky waste (SBW) into combustibles and incombustibles. In batch-scale tests, it was found that accumulation of SBW in the bottom of the bed significantly reduced the separation efficiency. In this study, stirring was shown to be effective in preventing this accumulation. Flexible sheet materials such as paper and film plastics also significantly decreased the separation efficiency. In batch-scale tests, an overall efficiency of 90% was obtained when flexible materials such as film plastics and paper were excluded from the feed SBW. In continuous feeding tests, purities of the float and sink fractions attained 95% and 86% efficiencies, respectively, with an overall efficiency of 79%. The effect of feedstock shape on separation efficiency was also investigated. This study revealed that large particles can be properly separated on the basis of density, while the shape of the material significantly influenced behavior in the fluidizing bed.     

Flow analysis of metals in a municipal solid waste management system

This study aimed to identify the metal flow in a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. Outputs of a resource recovery facility, refuse derived fuel (RDF) production facility, carbonization facility, plastics liquefaction facility, composting facility, and bio-gasification facility were analyzed for metal content and leaching concentration. In terms of metal content, bulky and incombustible waste had the highest values. Char from a carbonization facility, which treats household waste, had a higher metal content than MSW incinerator bottom ash. A leaching test revealed that Cd and Pb in char and Pb in RDF production residue exceeded the Japanese regulatory criteria for landfilling, so special attention should be paid to final disposal of these substances. By multiplying metal content and the generation rate of outputs, the metal content of input waste to each facility was estimated. For most metals except Cr, the total contribution ratio of paper/textile/plastics, bulky waste, and incombustible waste was over 80%. Approximately 30% of Cr originated from plastic packaging. Finally, several MSW management scenarios showed that most metals are transferred to landfills and the leaching potential of metals to the environment is quite small.     

The arrival and discharge of conjugated estrogens from a range of different sewage treatment plants in the UK

The occurrence of free and conjugated estrogens was examined in a survey of eleven sewage treatment plants (STPs) and their discharge water in the United Kingdom using grab sampling. The STPs included trickling filter with and without tertiary treatment, and activated sludge with tertiary treatment. For three activated sludge plants both influent and effluent samples were compared. For a further 8 STPs only the effluent was examined. The estrone-3-sulphate, estradiol-3-sulphate and estriol-3-sulphate concentrations (up to 20 ng L⁻¹) were typically 5-fold that of the respective free estrogen concentration in the effluents. This represents a substantial additional ‘potential’ estrogen load arriving in the receiving waters. Estrone-3-glucuronide was found at 9 ng L⁻¹, estradiol-3-glucuronide at 7 ng L⁻¹, and estriol-3-glucuronide at 32 ng L⁻¹ in sewage influent. Except on one occasion, no glucuronide conjugates could be found in the effluent. The results suggest in most cases glucuronide conjugates will be completely transformed in sewage treatment whilst sulphate conjugates will only be partially removed.     

Novel enzymatic activity of cell free extract from thermophilic Geobacillus sp. UZO 3 catalyzes reductive cleavage of diaryl ether bonds of 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

We characterized the ability of the cell free extract from polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins degrading bacterium Geobacillus sp. UZO 3 to reduce even highly chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins such as octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins in incineration fly ash. The degradation of 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,7-DCDD) as a model dioxin catalyzed by the cell free extract from this strain implicates that the ether bonds of 2,7-DCDD molecule undergo reductive cleavage, since 4′,5-dichloro-2-hydroxydiphenyl ether and 4-chlorophenol were detected as intermediate products of 2,7-DCDD degradation.     

Developing joint educational programs in sustainability science across different universities: a case study from Japan

The challenge for sustainability educational programs lies in how to imbue students with the strong motivation necessary to move the world in a more sustainable direction. Five universities in Japan have mutually collaborated in the design and development of a unique curriculum and education system for sustainability science since 2008. Specifically, they have developed a common and remote lecture system called the “Frontier of sustainability science” (FSS). This paper discusses the concepts and challenges of FSS and how it was organized to teach students to actively learn how to work with people of various disciplines to realize interdisciplinarity.     

Reactivity between PbSO4 and CaCO3 particles relevant to the modification of mineral particles and chemical forms of Pb in particles sampled at two remote sites during an Asian dust event

During the transboundary transport of anthropogenic heavy metals by mineral particles providing reaction sites, the divalent metal salt PbSO₄ can be converted to PbCO₃ in the presence of water. We carried out laboratory experiments to study the transformation process under various conditions by incorporating test particles comprising CaCO₃ of a particulate mineral component, PbSO₄, and NaCl. After the immersion of PbSO₄ particles in contact with CaCO₃ particles in a water droplet, the conversion of PbSO₄ into PbCO₃ was confirmed by the change in morphology of the original particles to stick or needle form; the percentages of the chemical forms relative to the total Pb were determined by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis. Approximately 60–80% of PbSO₄ was converted to PbCO₃ after 24 h. A small amount of stick particles was detected when NaCl particles attached to PbSO₄/CaCO₃ particles were exposed to air with a relative humidity (RH) of 80–90% for 24 h. XANES measurements of the samples revealed that the molar percentage of PbCO₃ relative to the total Pb content was 4%.Field experiments were also conducted to determine the chemical forms of the Pb particles during the Kosa (Asian dust storm) event. Samples were collected from two remote sites in Japan and Korea. The mass size distribution of Pb aerosols collected in Japan was bimodal with two peaks in the coarse mode; the enrichment factor of Pb suggested that its source was anthropogenic. Pb L3 edge XANES measurements of both samples indicated that they had similar shapes. These measurements also indicated that the major Pb components for the samples collected in Japan were PbO, PbSO₄ PbCl₂, and PbCO₃, with molar percentages of 44%, 30%, 21%, and 5%, respectively. No significant differences were found between the component ratios of the samples collected in Japan and Korea, suggesting that definite transformation did not occur during the transport of the Kosa particles from Korea to Japan. On the basis of these observations, we postulate that the transformation process either occurred mainly before the particles arrived at Korea or did not take place after the particles left continental Asia.     

Dehydrochlorination behavior of polyvinyl chloride and utilization of carbon residue: effect of plasticizer and inorganic filler

The dehydrochlorination behavior of plasticizer (DOP) and inorganic filler (CaCO₃) contained in PVC samples and the properties of the activated carbons produced from those carbon residues have been investigated. In the dehydrochlorination process, both additives contributed not only to a decrease in HCl yield but also to the prolonged evolution of HCl. Part of the Cl species were observed to be stabilized as CaCl₂ by reaction with calcium ions when CaCO₃ was added. More than 80% of chlorine removal was achieved in all samples at 533 K. The use of potassium as an activation agent led to the production of activated carbon with a specific surface area greater than 1000 m²/g at the low temperature of 1023 K and assisted also in the elimination of residual Cl species by the formation of KCl during activation. Chemical Feedstock Recycling & Other Innovative Recycling Techniques 6     

Time trend of hexabromocyclododecane in the breast milk of Japanese women

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a type of brominated flame retardant. We investigated the time trend of the stereoisomer-specific concentrations of HBCD (alpha, beta, and gamma) in breast milk samples of Japanese women by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The pooled milk lipid samples collected in 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1999, and from 2000 to 2006 were analysed. The concentration was below the detection limit in the samples collected between 1973 and 1983 and increased in those collected since 1988. Between 1988 and 2006, alpha-HBCD was detected in all 11 breast milk samples collected from 25 to 29-year-old Japanese women; gamma-HBCD, in 7; and beta-HBCD, in none of the samples. Time trend of summation operatorHBCD appeared to be related to that of the industrial HBCD consumption level in Japan.