Greenhouse gas emission from small clinics solid waste management scenarios in an urban area of an underdeveloping country: A life cycle perspective

This study aimed to investigate the effects on the environment of small clinics solid waste management by applying a life cycle analysis approach. Samples were collected from 371 private clinics situated in densely populated areas of Hyderabad, Pakistan. The solid waste from surveyed clinics was categorically quantified on daily basis for 30 consecutive days. The functional unit for waste was defined as 1 tonne. System limitations were defined as landfilling, incineration, composting, material recovery, and transportation of solid waste. The treatment and disposal methods were assessed according to their greenhouse gas emission rate. For the evaluation, three different scenarios were designed. The second scenario resulted in the highest emission value of 1491.78 kg CO₂ eq/tonne of solid waste due to mixed waste incineration, whereas the first scenario could not offer any saving because of uncovered landfilling and 67.5% higher transport fuel consumption than the proposed network. The proposed third scenario was found to be a better solution for urban clinics solid waste management, as it resulted in savings of 951.38 kg CO₂ eq/tonne of solid waste. This integrated design is practicable by resource-constrained economy. This system consists of composting, material recovery, and incineration of hazardous waste. The proposed system also includes a feasible transportation method for urban area collection networks. The findings of the present study can play a vital role in documenting evidence and for policymakers to plan the solid waste management of clinics, as previously no studies have been conducted on this particular case.

Implications: This study aims to highlight the impact of small clinics solid waste management scenarios on the environment in a developing country’s urban area. Life cycle analysis is used for comparison of greenhouse gase emission from different scenarios, including the purposed integrated method. Small clinics play a very important role in health care, and their waste management is a very serious issue; however, there are no previous studies on this particular case to the best knowledge of the authors. This study can be considered as forerunner effort to quantify the environmental footprint of small clinics solid waste in urban areas of a developing country.     

Investigation of new indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of carbofuran in carbamate pesticides

A new spectrophotometric method has been investigated for the determination of Carbofuran pesticide. The method was based on the hydrolysis of the pesticides. The hydrolyzed products, methylamine on reaction with sodium nitroprusside solution in acetone medium gives a purple colored solution. The absorbance of the resulting solution was measured at 530 nm. Conditions for the complete hydrolysis of pesticides and quantitative determination of methylamine were optimized. From the standard calibration plot of methylamine, the amount of pesticides was calculated. The amount of active ingredients in commercial products was determined from the amount of methylamine found. It was observed that lower concentration of the active ingredients were present in the commercial products. The limit of detection and quantification was calculated and found to be 0.804 and 2.68 ppm respectively.     

A chemox treatment for urea‐ and ammonium‐contaminated groundwater

In a pilot project performed at a fertilizer manufacturing facility, a one‐step chemical oxidation technique successfully treated urea‐ and ammonium‐contaminated groundwater. The oxidation reaction occurred in an 1,100‐gallon batch reactor. The contaminated inflow was buffered by the metered addition of sodium bicarbonate solution and subsequently treated with sodium hypochlorite in an 8:1 weight ratio of Cl₂:N. In an instantaneous reaction, the urea and ammo‐nium‐N were completely oxidized to nitrogen gas that was vented to the atmosphere during mixing. The pH of the reactor discharge was ?6.5. Sodium sulfite was used to reduce residual hypochlorite in the reactor effluent to chloride to provide process water with characteristics suitable for discharge. Oxidation rates were similar with different strengths of hypochlorite; however, a 5 to 6 percent sodium hypochlorite (as Cl₂) solution was the most stable. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

I2SI: A comprehensive quantitative tool for inherent safety and cost evaluation

This paper presents details of an integrated inherent safety index (I2SI). The conceptual framework of this index was presented at the 37th Annual Loss Prevention Symposium of the AIChE (2003) and published in Process Safety Progress (volume 23(2), 136–148, 2004). In addition to the framework, the current paper discusses additional features of the index such as the cost model and system design model, which were not presented or discussed earlier. I2SI is called an integrated index because the procedure considers the life cycle of the process with economic evaluation and hazard potential identification for each option. I2SI is comprised of sub-indices which account for hazard potential, inherent safety potential, and add-on control requirements. In addition to evaluating these respective characteristics, there are also indices that measure the economic potential of the option. To demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of I2SI, an application of the index to three acrylic acid production options is also discussed in the paper.     

The importance of local context in the planning of environmental projects: examples from two biogas cases

The planning of facilities to improve the environment is often carried through in the form of locally based construction projects. These projects can be complex, involving a variety of issues and a number of different actors from both the public and private sectors. By drawing on previous research on project planning, an analytical model for analysing the issues connected with the planning and implementation of environmental projects is developed. The main argument of the paper is the importance of considering how context-specific factors affect project design and project management. The empirical material is taken from the planning of two biogas projects in Sweden and it is showed how differences in factors such as the actors involved, the organisational framework and the political setting lead to two markedly distinct planning approaches. The results of the paper, which also highlight the importance of a flexible planning approach, are relevant not only for biogas but also for other projects with similar characteristics.     

A criterion for developing credible accident scenarios for risk assessment

Maximum credible accident analysis is one of the most widely used concepts in risk assessment of chemical process industries. Central to this concept is the aspect of ‘credibility’ of envisaged accident scenarios. However, thus far the term credibility is mostly treated qualitatively, based on the subjective judgement of the concerned analysts. This causes wide variation in the results of the studies conducted on the same industrial unit by different analysts.

This paper presents an attempt to develop a criterion using which credible accident scenarios may be identified from among a large number of possibilities. The credible scenarios thus identified may then be processed for detailed consequence analysis. This would help in reducing the cost of the analysis and prevent undue emphasis on less credible scenarios at the expense of more credible ones.     

River Dolphins in Bangladesh: Conservation and the Effects of Water Development

Platanista gangetica ) are threatened in Bangladesh from the effects of dams, large embankment schemes, dredging, fisheries bycatch, directed hunting, and water pollution. Visual surveys of the section of the Jamuna River located between the divergence of the Old Brahmaputra River and the confluence of the Padma River and the section of the Kushiyara River located between the Bangladesh–India border and the confluence of the Korangi River recorded a sighting rate of 0.13 sightings/km (mean group size = 1.8 dolphins) and 0.08 sightings/km (mean group size = 3.8 dolphins), respectively. These sections of river were considered to be priority areas for investigation because several water development projects have already been constructed and more are planned for the areas. During the surveys we examined the remains of dolphins caught accidentally in plastic gillnets and observed fishermen catching the fish species Clupisoma garua using dolphin oil and body parts as a fish attractor. Additional studies are needed to assess the status of dolphins and effects of water development and fisheries bycatch. Feasibility studies should be conducted on designating dolphin/fish sanctuaries and creating artificial habitat or enhancing existing habitat in eddy countercurrent scour pools to mitigate deleterious impacts. The environmental requirements of river dolphins reflect the needs of productive and biotically diverse tropical rivers.     

A comparative study of effects of cigarette and bidi smoking on respiratory function tests

The effects of cigarette and bidi smoking on pulmonary function tests have been studied in 90 healthy males from North India Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV) were determined in 30 nonsmokers (as control group), 30 cigarette smokers and 30 bidi smokers. All the above pulmonary function parameters were found to be lower among smokers as compared to nonsmokers. Moreover, the decrease in the pulmonary function tests was greater in cigarette smokers as compared to bidi smokers.     

Effect of acetate on lead toxicity to microbial biomass in a red soil

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