Industrial applications of natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites – challenges and opportunities

The growing industrial demand for sustainable materials has led to a paradigm shift in the focus from synthetic polymers towards natural fibres. This paper deals with the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites in various industrial applications. Natural fibres being biodegradable, light in weight, cost-effective and environment friendly are good candidate materials for modern industrial applications. Use of natural fibres in various industries with a focus on automotive and furniture industry has been discussed. The commonly used natural fibres in polymer composites including jute, hemp, sisal, kenaf, bamboo, cotton, flax, abaca, coir etc. have been dealt with in this paper. The literature revealed that tensile strength and other mechanical properties of these fibres are comparable to synthetic fibres like glass or carbon fibres. However, the temperature stability of polymers limits their extensive use and remains an issue to be addressed.     

Psychosocial and ergonomic survey of office and field jobs in a utility company

Introduction. The effect of different kinds of work on the psychosocial assessment of workers under the same management and organizational environment is investigated. Methods. A voluntary assessment in a utility company was carried out using the short version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire (CoPsoQ) on two occasions, 1.5 years apart. Initially, 25 office workers (11 men and 14 women) participated, while 14 of those workers (8 women and 6 men) participated in the second assessment together with 32 field workers. The sewage, water treatment and maintenance workers, totaling 32 men, also participated in a field ergonomics assessment using the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries field work ergonomic checklist. Results. The longitudinal outlook was fairly stable, with sustained severe scores in many CoPsoQ subscales and intensification of severity of workers’ control over work and esteem for men. A significantly higher esteem score resulted for field rather than office workers. Workers subjected to foul odors showed similar severity of psychosocial factors. Discussion. For most psychosocial dimensions, the organizational design and management system in place, as well as the overall cultural environment in which it operates, create a much stronger and more decisive impact than job-specific factors.     

Ubiquitination and carbonylation of proteins in the clam Ruditapes decussatus, exposed to nonylphenol using redox proteomics

Ubiquitination and carbonylation of proteins were investigated in the gill and digestive gland of Ruditapes decussatus exposed to NP (nonylphenol) (100 μgL(-1)) using redox proteomics. After 21 d of exposure, clams were dissected and cytosolic proteins of both tissues separated by 2DE SDS-PAGE. Protein expression profiles were tissue-dependent and differently affected by NP exposure. Ubiquitination and carbonylation were also tissue-specific. NP exposure induced significantly more ubiquitinated proteins in gills than in digestive glands, compared to controls. Digestive gland showed a significant higher number of carbonylated proteins than gills after NP exposure. Protein ubiquitination and carbonylation are therefore independent processes. Results showed that NP exposure generated ROS in gill and digestive gland of R. decussatus that significantly altered the proteome. Results also highlighted the advantage of using redox proteomics in the assessment of protein ubiquitination and carbonylation, which may be markers of oxidative stress in R. decussatus.     

Characterization of the Leachate in an Urban Landfill by Physicochemical Analysis and Solid Phase Microextraction-GC/MS

The aim of this study is to evaluate extensively the characterization and identification of major pollutant parameters by paying attention to the organic chemical pollution for unregulated dumping site leachate in Eskişehir/Turkey. The study that is first and only one research has been very important data related with before new sanitary landfill site in Eskişehir city. For this purpose, in this study leachate samples were collected in-situ at monthly interval for a period of 8 months. Firstly, thirty three physicochemical parameters were monitored. Secondly, SPME technique was used for identification of organic pollutants. Meteorological data were also recorded for the same sampling period to correlate meteorological data and physicochemical parameters. Mean values are used in the correlation analysis. Correlation is shown only for the relationship between air temperature and NO₃ ⁻. No correlation has been found between rain and leachate quality parameters since the amount of rain was very low during the sampling period. However, analysis results were generally decreased in winter season when each parameter and each sampling point are examined separately. According to correlation between every parameter, especially solid content and dissolved oxygen concentration of leachate is affecting to other parameters. Also, sodium and potassium are changing proportionally with same parameters (suspended solids, fixed solids, dissolved oxygen) and high correlation between chloride and heavy metal concentration is showing. The results were statistically evaluated by use of SPSS 10.0 program. Second part of the study, the leachate was extracted by Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) technique and then analyzed. Of the methodologies tested in this study, the best one selected was based on 100 μ m polydimethylsiloxane coated fiber (PDMS), headspace with heating (Δ HS) sampling mode and an extraction time of 15 min. at a temperature of 50 ^o C. Thirty three organic compounds in leachate were identified by GC/MS.     

Metal Concentrations in Fish Species from the Northeast Mediterranean Sea

Samples of Mugil cephalus and Mullus barbatus were collected in the Northeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey the contents of cadmium, copper, iron, zinc and lead in the liver, gill and muscle tissues were determined by atomic absorption flame spectrophotometry.Except for lead, highest levels of each metal were found in the liver and this was followed by the gill and muscle in both species. Among the metals analyzed, Cu, Zn and Fe were the most abundant in the different tissues while Cd and Pb were the least abundant both in M. cephalus and M. barbatus. Seasonal changes in metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Fe and Zn) concentration were observed in the tissues of both species, but these seasonal variations may not influence consumption advisories. In general, the highest concentrations were detected for all metals in summer.     

Elaeis guineensis-activated carbon for methylene blue removal: adsorption capacity and optimization using CCD-RSM

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The activated biochar is a carbonaceous material obtained from thermal degradation of biomass with high adsorption potential. On the other hand, the...     

Biological activities of the essential oil from the leaves of Lantana montevidensis (Spreng) Briq. in mice

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This work aimed to analyze the chemical composition and evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties of the essential oil obtained...     

Web-based GIS for collaborative planning and public participation: an application to the strategic planning of wind farm sites

Spatial planning typically involves multiple stakeholders. To any specific planning problem, stakeholders often bring different levels of knowledge about the components of the problem and make assumptions, reflecting their individual experiences, that yield conflicting views about desirable planning outcomes. Consequently, stakeholders need to learn about the likely outcomes that result from their stated preferences; this learning can be supported through enhanced access to information, increased public participation in spatial decision-making and support for distributed collaboration amongst planners, stakeholders and the public. This paper presents a conceptual system framework for web-based GIS that supports public participation in collaborative planning. The framework combines an information area, a Multi-Criteria Spatial Decision Support System (MC-SDSS) and an argumentation map to support distributed and asynchronous collaboration in spatial planning. After analysing the novel aspects of this framework, the paper describes its implementation, as a proof of concept, in a system for Web-based Participatory Wind Energy Planning (WePWEP). Details are provided on the specific implementation of each of WePWEP's four tiers, including technical and structural aspects. Throughout the paper, particular emphasis is placed on the need to support user learning throughout the planning process.     

Microbiological characterization and specific methanogenic activity of anaerobe sludges used in urban solid waste treatment

This study presents the microbiological characterization of the anaerobic sludge used in a two-stage anaerobic reactor for the treatment of organic fraction of urban solid waste (OFUSW). This treatment is one alternative for reducing solid waste in landfills at the same time producing a biogas (CH(4) and CO(2)) and an effluent that can be used as biofertilizer. The system was inoculated with sludge from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) (Río Frío Plant in Bucaramanga-Colombia) and a methanogenic anaerobic digester for the treatment of pig manure (Mesa de los Santos in Santander). Bacterial populations were evaluated by counting groups related to oxygen sensitivity, while metabolic groups were determined by most probable number (MPN) technique. Specific methanogenic activity (SMA) for acetate, formate, methanol and ethanol substrates was also determined. In the acidogenic reactor (R1), volatile fatty acids (VFA) reached values of 25,000 mg L(-1) and a concentration of CO(2) of 90%. In this reactor, the fermentative population was predominant (10(5)-10(6)MPN mL(-1)). The acetogenic population was (10(5)MPN mL(-1)) and the sulphate-reducing population was (10(4)-10(5)MPN mL(-1)). In the methanogenic reactor (R2), levels of CH(4) (70%) were higher than CO(2) (25%), whereas the VFA values were lower than 4000 mg L(-1). Substrate competition between sulphate-reducing (10(4)-10(5)MPN mL(-1)) and methanogenic bacteria (10(5)MPN mL(-1)) was not detected. From the SMA results obtained, acetoclastic (2.39 g COD-CH(4)g(-1)VSS(-1)day(-1)) and hydrogenophilic (0.94 g COD-CH(4)g(-1)VSS(-1)day(-1)) transformations as possible metabolic pathways used by methanogenic bacteria is suggested from the SMA results obtained. Methanotrix sp., Methanosarcina sp., Methanoccocus sp. and Methanobacterium sp. were identified.     

Application of fluidization to separate packaging waste plastics

The objective of the experimental work described in this paper is the study of the separation of PS (polystyrene) from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) from drop-off points using a fluidized bed separator. This is a low-cost process commonly used in the hydro-classification of mineral ores. Firstly, experimental tests were carried out with artificial granulated samples with different grain sizes, types and sources of plastic ("separability tests"). The particle settling velocities were determined under different operating conditions. Then, based on the results, the laboratory tests continued with real mixtures of waste plastics ("separation tests") and the efficiency of the process was evaluated. From a PET-rich mixture, a concentrate of PS with a 75% grade in PS was produced while the underflow was quite clear from PS (grade less than 0.5% in PS).