Health impact assessment of air pollution in an area of the largest coal mine in Brazil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Coal exploration and burning activities are among the activities with the greatest potential to cause atmospheric pollution due to the combustion...     

Intertidal macroinvertebrate community structure in a subtropical channel is driven by sediment properties across different land-use types

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Macroinvertebrate community in the intertidal setup plays an important role in coastal ecosystem functions and biogeochemical cycle. However,...     

Detection of Y chromosome-specific DNA in the plasma and urine of pregnant women using nested polymerase chain reaction

The present study was undertaken to evaluate a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Y chromosome-specific fetal DNA in maternal plasma and urine of pregnant women during different gestational stages. DNA isolated from plasma and urine samples of 80 pregnant women (between 7 and 40 weeks' gestation) underwent amplification for Y chromosome-specific 198 bp DNA by nested PCR. The postpartum analysis of fetal gender showed that 55 women carried male and 25 female fetuses. Among the 55 women bearing male fetuses, Y chromosome-specific signals were detected in 53 (96%) plasma and 21 (38%) urine samples. Moreover, out of 25 women bearing female fetuses, 3 (12%) and 1 (4%) women had Y chromosome-specific signal in plasma and urine, respectively. Analysis of results with respect to gestational age revealed that there was no significant difference in the detection of Y chromosome-specific DNA between different trimesters in maternal plasma of women bearing male fetuses. These results showed that fetus-specific DNA was detected with high sensitivity (96%) and specificity (88%) in the maternal plasma by nested PCR, and therefore the method could be useful as a non-invasive procedure for fetal sex determination and prenatal diagnosis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergistic Effects of Multiple Metal Contaminants on Electrokinetic Remediation of Soils

This article presents a bench‐scale study performed to investigate the removal of heavy metals when they exist individually and in combination in soils. Electrokinetic experiments were conducted using two types of clayey soils, kaolin and glacial till. These soils were contaminated with Cr(VI) only, with Ni(II) only, and with Cr(VI), Ni(II), and Cd(II) combined. It was found that in kaolin, a significant pH variation occurred due to electric potential application, affecting the adsorption‐desorption and dissolution‐precipitation, as well as the extent of migration of the contaminants. In glacial till, however, pH changes were not affected significantly. In both kaolin and glacial till, the migration of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) was higher when they were present individually compared to when they existed together with Cd(II). Cr(VI) migration as single or combined contaminant was lower in kaolin as compared to that in glacial till. This result was due to the low pH conditions created near the anode region in kaolin that led to high Cr(VI) adsorption to the clay surfaces. In glacial till, however, nickel precipitated with or without the presence of co‐contaminants due to high pH conditions in the soil. Overall, this study demonstrates that adsorption, precipitation, and reduction are the significant hindering mechanisms for the removal of heavy metals using electrokinetic remediation. The direction of the contaminant migration and overall removal efficiency depend on the polarity of the contaminant, the presence of co‐contaminants, and the type of soil. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons.     

Perspectives for pilot scale study of RDF in Istanbul,Turkey

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the most important environmental problems arising from rapid urbanization and industrialization. The use of alternative fuels in rotary kilns of cement plants is very important for reducing cost, saving fossil fuels and also eliminating waste materials, accumulated during production or after using these materials. Cement industries has an important potential for supplying preferable solutions to the waste management. Energy recovery from waste is also important for the reduction of CO₂ emissions.This paper presents an investigation of the development of refuse derived fuel (RDF) materials from non-recycling wastes and the determination of its potential use as an alternative fuel in cement production in Istanbul, Turkey. RDF produced from MSW was analyzed and its effects on cement production process were examined. For this purpose, the produced RDF was mixed with the main fuel (LPG) in ratios of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Then chemical and mineralogical analyses of the produced clinker were carried out. It is believed that successful results of this study will be a good example for municipalities and cement industries in order to achieve both economic and environmental benefits.     

A multiobjective modeling approach to locate multi-compartment containers for urban-sorted waste

The location of multi-compartment sorted waste containers for recycling purposes in cities is an important problem in the context of urban waste management. The costs associated with those facilities and the impacts placed on populations are important concerns. This paper introduces a mixed-integer, multiobjective programming approach to identify the locations and capacities of such facilities. The approach incorporates an optimization model in a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based interactive decision support system that includes four objectives. The first objective minimizes the total investment cost; the second one minimizes the average distance from dwellings to the respective multi-compartment container; the last two objectives address the “pull” and “push” characteristics of the decision problem, one by minimizing the number of individuals too close to any container, and the other by minimizing the number of dwellings too far from the respective multi-compartment container. The model determines the number of facilities to be opened, the respective container capacities, their locations, their respective shares of the total waste of each type to be collected, and the dwellings assigned to each facility. The approach proposed was tested with a case study for the historical center of Coimbra city, Portugal, where a large urban renovation project, addressing about 800 buildings, is being undertaken. This paper demonstrates that the models and techniques incorporated in the interactive decision support system (IDSS) can be used to assist a decision maker (DM) in analyzing this complex problem in a realistically sized urban application. Ten solutions consisting of different combinations of underground containers for the disposal of four types of sorted waste in 12 candidate sites, were generated. These solutions and tradeoffs among the objectives are presented to the DM via tables, graphs, color-coded maps and other graphics. The DM can then use this information to “guide” the IDSS in identifying additional solutions of potential interest. Nevertheless, this research showed that a particular solution with a better objective balance can be identified. The actual sequence of additional solutions generated will depend upon the objectives and preferences of the DM in a specific application.