Methane mass balance at three landfill sites: What is the efficiency of capture by gas collection systems?

Many developed countries have targeted landfill methane recovery among greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, since methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Major questions remain with respect to actual methane production rates in field settings and the relative mass of methane that is recovered, emitted, oxidized by methanotrophic bacteria, laterally migrated, or temporarily stored within the landfill volume. This paper presents the results of extensive field campaigns at three landfill sites to elucidate the total methane balance and provide field measurements to quantify these pathways. We assessed the overall methane mass balance in field cells with a variety of designs, cover materials, and gas management strategies. Sites included different cell configurations, including temporary clay cover, final clay cover, geosynthetic clay liners, and geomembrane composite covers, and cells with and without gas collection systems. Methane emission rates ranged from -2.2 to >10,000 mg CH(4) m(-2) d(-1). Total methane oxidation rates ranged from 4% to 50% of the methane flux through the cover at sites with positive emissions. Oxidation of atmospheric methane was occurring in vegetated soils above a geomembrane. The results of these studies were used as the basis for guidelines by the French environment agency (ADEME) for default values for percent recovery: 35% for an operating cell with an active landfill gas (LFG) recovery system, 65% for a temporary covered cell with an active LFG recovery system, 85% for a cell with clay final cover and active LFG recovery, and 90% for a cell with a geomembrane final cover and active LFG recovery.     

Distribution of uranium contamination in weathered fractured saprolite/shale and ground water

The objective of this study was to determine how structure, stratigraphy, and weathering influence fate and transport of contaminants (particularly U) in the ground water and geologic material at the Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Remediation Sciences Department (ERSD) Field Research Center (FRC). Several cores were collected near four former unlined adjoining waste disposal ponds. The cores were collected, described, analyzed for U, and compared with ground water geochemistry from surrounding multilevel wells. At some locations, acidic U-contaminated ground water was found to preferentially flow in small remnant fractures weathering the surrounding shale (nitric acid extractable U [U(NA)] usually < 50 mg kg(-1)) into thin (<25 cm) Fe oxide-rich clayey seams that retain U (U(NA) 239 to 375 mg kg(-1)). However, greatest contaminant transport occurs in a 2 to 3 m thick more permeable stratigraphic transition zone located between two less permeable, and generally less contaminated zones consisting of (i) overlying unconsolidated saprolite (U(NA) < 0.01 to 200 mg kg(-1)) and (ii) underlying less-weathered bedrock (U(NA) generally < 0.01 to 7 mg kg(-1)). In this transition zone, acidic (pH < 4) U-enriched ground water (U of 38 mg L(-1)) has weathered away calcite veins resulting in greater porosity, higher hydraulic conductivity, and higher U contamination (U(NA) 106 to 745 mg kg(-1)) of the weathered interbedded shale and sandstone. These characteristics of the transition zone produce an interval with a high flux of contaminants that could be targeted for remediation.     

Industrial water conservation by water footprint and sustainable development goals: a review

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Application of advanced techniques to ensure the environment sustainability and freshwater ecosystem conservation is a paramount importance. Industrial...     

Quaternary adsorption equilibria from aqueous systems onto decolourizing activated carbon

An experimental study has been conducted to obtain the adsorption isotherms of four typical pollutants from quaternary aqueous systems onto decolourizing activated carbon. The four materials investigated are: Phenol, 1,4-dihydroxybenzene, 4-amino-l-naphthalene sulfonic acid-sodium salt and Benzoic acid. The study has concentrated on the dilute region of concentrations which range from 10 to 165 ppm (mg/L) at an operating temperature of 30 °C.

The quaternary adsorption equilibria have been modeled using the extended Langmuir predictive model and the ideal adsorbed solution (IAS) theory. In employing these models for the prediction of multicomponent adsorption equilibria, the single-solute isotherms are needed. These isotherms have been fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin models and the resulting model parameters, which are needed for the prediction of multicomponent adsorption equilibria, are reported. Predictions obtained from the extended Langmuir predictive model and the ideal adsorbed solution (IAS) model are in agreement, however, they deviate to an appreciable extent from experimental observations.     

Magnetic nanoparticles coated with aminated polymer brush as a novel material for effective removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous environments

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, a poly (vinylbenzyl chloride) grafted Fe3O4 nanoparticle (Fe3O4@PVBC) was prepared by surface-initiated reversible addition...     

Decadal and Episodic Changes in Morphology and Migration of the Confluence Bar of Two Alluvial Rivers in Louisiana,USA

Past research on fluvial dynamics at the confluence of two alluvial rivers has mainly focused on downstream flow structure and bed scoring, often using laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. Little is investigated about yearly and episodic dynamics of confluence mouth bars that can affect downstream morphology using field measurements. In this study, we analyzed the migration of a confluence mouth bar of two free meandering alluvial rivers, the Amite and Comite Rivers in coastal Louisiana, USA from 2002 to 2017. Remote sensing images were utilized to investigate the decade‐long morphologic changes. To assess episodic dynamics, we employed terrestrial laser scanning measurements to acquire high‐accuracy digital elevation models at the confluence before and after three floods in 2017. Our study found that the Amite‐Comite confluence mouth bar migrated downstream 55 m in the past 15 years, and its angle reduced by 55° from 100° to 45°. The fast migration was a result of sediment deposition and channel deformation around the confluence mainly during the years when the tributary‐to‐main channel discharge was lower (<0.25). The study further reveals that a single moderate flood could strongly affect the mouth bar, as shown by an increase of the projected surface area by 114% and an increase of volume of the confluence mouth bar by 68%.     

Entrepreneurial motivation: A review of the literature and an agenda for future research

Given the substantial impact that new ventures have on the global economy, understanding what motivates entrepreneurs is of both practical and theoretical importance. Although research on the nature, causes, and consequences of entrepreneurial motivation has grown rapidly, it has evolved in distinct theoretical silos that tend to isolate motives based on the phase of business development (e.g., initiation, growth, and exit) rather than acknowledge that individuals often traverse all these phases and experience multiple types of motivation throughout their entrepreneurial journey. To advance the study of motivation in the fields of entrepreneurship and organizational behavior and provide a means through which these advancements can contribute to our understanding of how motivation drives the start-up, growth, and exiting of businesses, we organize and review the extant literature on entrepreneurial motives based on the phases of the new venture process. In doing so, this article develops a roadmap of the current state of entrepreneurial motivation research and its nomological network and provides suggestions to guide future research in extending our understanding of motivation in the entrepreneurship domain as well as in traditional organizational settings.     

The Nexus Between CO2 Emissions and Genetically Modified Crops: a Perspective from Order Theory

Genetically modified crops (GMCs) and climate change have been two ecological issues intensely debated over the years. The search for global solutions to the effects of climate change on agriculture has led to the proposal of GMCs as a tool to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices and to improve their efficiency of production. At least 27 countries, all over the world, have cultivated GMCs. The purpose of the present paper is to provide insights about the possible linkages between the cultivated areas and the CO₂ emissions in these countries. In addition, the study intends to establish meaningful relationships between attributes related to the particular socio-economic situations and the environmental impacts of GMCs. Some examples are the connection between acreages of GMCs and the status of each country with respect to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, as well as their classification according to the mean income per capita and their CO₂ emissions. In order to give the mathematical support to these links, the methodology known as Order Theory was employed. The results show that Paraguay, India, Burkina Faso, Brazil and Pakistan could be the best contributors to the mitigation of the climate change by the reduction of their CO₂ emission levels through GMCs.

     

Optimum cutting age for timber resources with carbon sequestration

Determining the optimum cutting age for timber resources has proved to be a very challenging problem for both economists and silviculturists. Based upon Samuelson's seminal work on this issue, the majority of economists have concluded that the optimum felling age occurs at a time when the net marginal benefits fall below the current rate of interest. Recently, concern about climate change has increased the importance of forestry projects, since trees act as natural biological scrubbers by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. By incorporating these carbon sequestration benefits, this paper re-determines the optimum cutting age using a multiple rotation model. The results of this reformulation show that, in afforestation projects, trees should remain in the ground longer than the period suggested by a timber-only model in order to absorb more CO₂.     

The importance of physico-chemical parameters on the speciation of natural radionuclides in riverine ecosystems

External gamma radiation levels were measured in the catchment areas of the Sharavathi River and the dose rates in air were found to be in the range 26.0-61.0 nGy h⁻¹. Soil and sediment samples of the riverine environment were analysed for natural radionuclides such as ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K using a NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer. The activity concentration of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in soil and sediment samples was determined by radiochemical separation techniques. Evaluation of the activity concentration of radionuclides with grain size revealed an increase in the activity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K towards fine grain size. The activity concentrations for all isotopes in all samples were not significantly correlated with pH. However, the activity of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in sediment showed a moderate positive correlation with organic matter content and a good correlation with clay content of sediment.