Application of mechanical processing operations for the recycling of nickel metal hydride batteries

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Rapid technological development in recent decades has led to very high generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment, including exhausted...     

Global mismatches in aboveground and belowground biodiversity

Human activities are accelerating global biodiversity change and have resulted in severely threatened ecosystem services. A large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity is harbored by soil, but soil biodiversity has been omitted from many global biodiversity assessments and conservation actions, and understanding of global patterns of soil biodiversity remains limited. In particular, the extent to which hotspots and coldspots of aboveground and soil biodiversity overlap is not clear. We examined global patterns of these overlaps by mapping indices of aboveground (mammals, birds, amphibians, vascular plants) and soil (bacteria, fungi, macrofauna) biodiversity that we created using previously published data on species richness. Areas of mismatch between aboveground and soil biodiversity covered 27% of Earth's terrestrial surface. The temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome had the highest proportion of grid cells with high aboveground biodiversity but low soil biodiversity, whereas the boreal and tundra biomes had intermediate soil biodiversity but low aboveground biodiversity. While more data on soil biodiversity are needed, both to cover geographic gaps and to include additional taxa, our results suggest that protecting aboveground biodiversity may not sufficiently reduce threats to soil biodiversity. Given the functional importance of soil biodiversity and the role of soils in human well-being, soil biodiversity should be considered further in policy agendas and conservation actions by adapting management practices to sustain soil biodiversity and considering soil biodiversity when designing protected areas.     

Distribution coefficients of potentially toxic elements in soils from the eastern Amazon

The solid-solution distribution or partition coefficient (Kd) is a measure of affinity of potentially toxic elements (PTE) for soil colloids. Kd plays a key role in several models for defining PTE guideline values in soils and for assessing environmental risks, and its value depends on edaphic and climatic conditions of the sites where the soils occur. This study quantified Kd values for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn from representative soil samples from Brazil’s eastern Amazon region, which measures 1.2 million km². The Kd values obtained were lower than those set by both international and Brazilian environmental agencies and were correlated with the pH, Fe and Mn oxide content, and cationic exchange capacity of the soils. The following order of decreasing affinity was observed: Pb?>?Cu?>?Hg?>?Cr?>?Cd?≈?Co?>?Ni?>?Zn.     

Catalytic combustion of soot over ceria-zinc mixed oxides catalysts supported onto cordierite

Modified substrates as outer heterogeneous catalysts was employed to reduce the soot generated from incomplete combustion of diesel or diesel/biodiesel blends, a process that harms the environment and public health. The unique storage properties of ceria(CeO2) makes it one of the most efficient catalysts available to date. Here, we proposed that ceria-based catalysts can lower the temperature at which soot combustion occurs; more specifically, from 610℃ to values included in the diesel exhausts operation range(300–450℃). The sol-gel method was used to synthesize mixed oxide-based catalysts(CeO2:ZnO); the resulting catalysts were deposited onto cordierite substrates. In addition, the morphological and structural properties of the material were evaluated by XRD, BET, TPR-H2, and SEM. Thermogravimetric(TG/DTA) analysis revealed that the presence of the catalyst decreased the soot combustion temperature by 200℃ on average, indicating that the oxygen species arise at low temperatures in this situation, promoting highly reactive oxidation reactions. Comparative analysis of soot emission by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(DRS) showed that catalyst-impregnated cordierite samples efficiently oxidized soot in a diesel/biodiesel stationary motor: soot emission decreased by more than 70%.     

Sources of phenolic compounds in two catchments of southern Portugal - effect of season, land use and soil type

Water quality monitoring in reservoirs used for human water consumption, carried out by the Alentejo Regional Authorities of the Environment (south Portugal), revealed seasonal peaks of phenolic compounds above the water-quality legislation. The main objectives of this work were to identify the main phenolic compounds present in water and soil leachates, and to determine the sources of the seasonal concentrations of phenolic compounds in two catchments with different land use patterns: Roxo and Santa Clara catchments. The main phenolic compound detected was 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP), both in stream water and soil leachates, with concentrations higher in Roxo catchment. Roxo catchment represents a larger agricultural area than Santa Clara, and it is likely that the origin of the 2,4-DNP is associated with the use of pesticides. A peak of 2,4-DNP concentrations was observed in stream water of both catchments during February, when farmers plough their fields and apply pesticides. The 2,4-DNP peak was probably caused by a precipitation event shortly after the application of pesticides, increasing their transfer from land surfaces to adjacent streams. The leaching behaviour of 2,4-DNP was strongly dependent on the type of soil and pH. In soils with high clay content and low pH, 2,4-DNP was easily adsorbed, and its runoff from the soil to adjacent streams was reduced. Ribeira de Santa Vitória, from Roxo catchment, was the only stream showing a high abundance of vegetation, and the lowest concentrations of 2,4-DNP in water. Plants may play a role in removing contaminants from stream water.     

Nosing thin-walled tubes into axisymmetric seamless reservoirs using recyclable mandrels

This paper is focused on novel utilizations of raw materials and technologies for manufacturing lightweight metallic reservoirs. The objective is to develop an environmental friendly technology for producing gas and liquid storage reservoirs that ensures a more efficient utilization of raw materials and a better end-of-life management of products than other technologies currently used to fabricate metallic reservoirs.The proposed technology utilizes previously engineered single-stage nosing of thin-walled tubes using sacrificial (expendable) mandrels to develop a multi-stage process that makes use of recyclable mandrels for producing lightweight, axisymmetric, seamless reservoirs. Recyclable mandrels are cast from low melting point alloys, possess the ability to continuously adapt its shape to that of the preforms and are easily removed by melting, while leaving the reservoir intact, at the end of the process.The prospects for eliminating the welding routes commonly used in the fabrication of reservoirs and for remelting and recycling the mandrels, results in significant economic and time savings and offers potential for opening new markets for the production of low-cost seamless reservoirs.The presentation is supported by experimentation and numerical modelling based on independently determined mechanical properties of the materials with the purpose of understanding the deformation mechanics and identifying the major operating parameters of the proposed technology.     

Quality design: a planning methodology for the integration of refugee and local health services,West Nile,Uganda

In an emergency, the international community responds to the immediate health needs of refugees through the establishment of action-oriented, life-saving services. Healthcare delivery is often managed with limited, if any, coordination with local health management structures. In situations where refugees remain in the host country for many years, sustainability issues inevitably arise. Refugee-hosting governments may ultimately be called upon to assume the management and funding of refugee services. Planning for service integration, while protecting against declines in service quality, is a challenge in the typically resource-poor host environments. This paper discusses these issues by presenting the experience of the West Nile districts in northern Uganda, and describes quality design as a relevant planning methodology. Quality design is a systematic planning approach that documents and directly incorporates the service users' self-defined expectations and needs.     

Assessment of aquatic plants in the reservoirs of AES-tietê and development of an integrated control model for the most important species

The general objective of this work was to develop a monitoring and management model for aquatic plants that could be used in reservoir cascades in Brazil, using the reservoirs of AES-Tietê as a study case. The investigations were carried out at the reservoirs of Barra-Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga, Promiss?o, and Nova-Avanhandava, located in the Tietê River Basin; Agua Vermelha, located in the Grande River Basin; Caconde, Limoeiro, and Euclides da Cunha, which are part of the Pardo River Basin; and the Mogi-Gua?u reservoir, which belongs to the Mogi-Gua?u River basin. The main products of this work were: development of techniques using satellite-generated images for monitoring and planning aquatic plant control; planning and construction of a boat to move coating plant masses and an airboat equipped with a DGPS navigation and application flow control system. Results allowed to conclude that the occurrence of all types of aquatic plants is directly associated with sedimentation process and, consequently, with nutrient and light availability. Reservoirs placed at the beginning of cascades are more subject to sedimentation and occurrence of marginal, floating and emerged plants, and are the priority when it comes to controlling these plants, since they provide a supply of weeds for the other reservoirs. Reservoirs placed downstream show smaller amounts of water-suspended solids, with greater transmission of light and occurrence of submerged plants.