Combustion characteristics of Malaysian municipal solid waste and predictions of air flow in a rotary kiln incinerator

Malaysia is in dire need of alternatives to landfilling for solid waste management. Recently, landfills have faced the problems of overfilling, overflowing of leachates leading to pollution of water resources, and uncontrolled dust emissions adversely affecting the local environment. With the rising cost of urbanization coupled with the high rate of waste generation, one possible method of waste treatment that is receiving particular attention by the government is incineration. Incineration of solid waste is rather new in Malaysia, with limited usage in handling small sources of waste generation such as the municipal solid waste (MSW) of resort islands; however, its potential in ameliorating the problems associated with solid waste treatment may make it an attractive alternative to landfill. This article presents the results of test runs conducted to investigate the performance of a locally designed and manufactured rotary kiln incinerator (RKI). The test runs were conducted using MSW collected from the Shah Alam municipality. The combustion efficiency was analyzed by looking at the temperature profiles and chemical species concentrations. To complement the combustion characteristics measurements, predictions of the air flow in the incinerator during the process were also investigated. The overall performance of the RKI suggests that it is suitable for treating MSW.     

Mechanical Property Characterization of Plasticized Sugar Beet Pulp and Poly(Lactic Acid) Green Composites Using Acoustic Emission and Confocal Microscopy

Sorbitol and glycerol were used to plasticize sugar beet pulp-poly(lactic acid) green composites. The plasticizer was incorporated into sugar beet pulp (SBP) at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% w/w at low temperature and shear and then compounded with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) using twin-screw extrusion and injection molding. The SBP:PLA ratio was maintained at 30:70. As expected, tensile strength decreased by 25% and the elongation increased. Acoustic emission (AE) showed correlated debonding and fracture mechanisms for up to 20% w/w plasticizer and uncorrelated debonding and fracture for 30–40% sorbitol and 30% glycerol content in SBP–PLA composites. All samples had a well dispersed SBP phase with some aggregation in the PLA matrix. However, at 40% glycerol plasticized SBP–PLA composites exhibited unique AE behavior and confocal microscopy revealed the plasticized SBP and PLA formed a co-continuous two phase system.

Lysimeter Experiments to Investigate the Fate of Chemicals in Soils – Comparison of Five Different Lysimeter Systems

Several lysimeter scenarios and approaches exist to study the fate of agro-chemicals or contaminants from deposition in soil columns. In many systems just transport and leaching of the parent compound is followed, in some systems the leaching and transport of the metabolites is investigated as well. In more sophisticated lysimeter systems the volatilization and also the mineralization of the applied chemicals can be additionally monitored. Depending on the lysimeter system used and on the fact whether the applied chemicals are ¹⁴C-labeled or not, different results and various interpretations of the results might be achieved. Different lysimeter systems are described in this paper and a real dataset of a specific lysimeter experiment was transferred and evaluated in a virtual approach in the different lysimeter systems in order to show the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems.     

Therapeutic governance: psycho-social intervention and trauma risk management,.

This paper critically analyses the significance of psycho-social intervention as a new form of international therapeutic governance based on social risk management. First, the paper examines the international psycho-social model and its origins in an Anglo-American therapeutic ethos. Second, the paper argues that psycho-social approaches jeopardise local coping strategies. Third, the paper highlights the potential political, social and psychological consequences of the pathologisation of war-affected societies. Finally the paper concludes that therapeutic governance represents the reduction of politics to administration.     

Molecular response of the sponge Suberites domuncula to bacterial infection

The aim of this study was the documentation of the molecular immune response of Suberites domuncula upon bacterial infection. Additionally, the bacteria that are naturally present in the sponge after prolonged aquarium maintenance were characterized. After 6 months of maintenance of S. domuncula in seawater aquaria, only one bacterial 16S rDNA sequence could be recovered, which belongs to the genus Pseudomonas. Concomitantly, morphologically uniform bacteria were found encapsulated in bacteriocytes. These findings indicate that certain bacteria, possibly of the genus Pseudomonas, are able to persist for long periods in host bacteriocytes. Subsequent to performing a previously established infection assay with S. domuncula, a potentially pathogenic Vibrio sp. was isolated from the tissues. Furthermore, the host tissue disintegrated and asexual propagation bodies (gemmules) were formed. In order to gain insights into the molecular events occurring after bacterial infection, the stress-response kinases, p38 protein kinase and JNK protein kinase, were analyzed. It is demonstrated that these two kinases are activated (phosphorylated) upon incubation of the tissue with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Moreover, LPS strongly inhibits protein synthesis. It is concluded that there are many functionally different interactions between S. domuncula and bacteria and that the animal possesses mechanisms to differentiate between bacteria and to respond accordingly.     

High-frequency measurements reveal spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic matter in an urban water conveyance

Stormwater runoff in urban areas can contribute high concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to receiving waters, potentially causing impairment to the aquatic ecosystem of urban streams and downstream water bodies. Compositional changes in DOM due to storm events in forested, agricultural, and urban landscapes have been well studied, but in situ sensors have not been widely applied to monitor stormwater contributions in urbanized areas, leaving the spatial and temporal characteristics of DOM within these systems poorly understood. We deployed fluorescent DOM (FDOM) sensors at upstream and downstream locations within a study reach to characterize the spatial and temporal changes in DOM quantity and sources within an urban water conveyance that receives stormwater runoff. Baseflow FDOM decreased over the summer season as seasonal flows upstream transported less DOM. FDOM fluctuated diurnally, the amplitude of which also declined as the summer season progressed. During storms, FDOM concentrations were rapidly elevated to values orders of magnitude greater than baseflow measurements, with greater concentrations at the downstream monitoring site, revealing high contributions from stormwater outfalls between the two locations. Observations from custom, in situ fluorometers resembled results obtained using laboratory methods for identifying DOM source material and indicated that DOM transitioned to a more microbially derived composition as the summer season progressed, while stormwater contributions contributed DOM from terrestrial sources. Deployment of a mobile sensing platform during varying flow conditions captured spatial changes in DOM concentration and composition and revealed contributions of DOM from outfalls during stormflows that would have otherwise been unobserved.     

Changing environment and urban identity following open-cast mining and thermic power plant in Turkey: case of Soma

This paper is a summary of a project changed into a book named by “Changing Environment, City and Identity in Soma with the Geographical Evaluations” issued on May 2005. In this research, Soma, which is one of the most remarkable districts in Manisa in the West Anatolia from the point of economical figures, is assessed with its physical environment potential, improving economical activities and changing socio-economical structure. Owing to the open coal basins in the northeast and southwest of the district where lignite is produced and the impact of the thermic power plant near the city centre, Soma has changed on a large scale. This change has introduced some environmental problems into the district such as the devastation of the forestry land; the infertility of farming land; and soil, water and air pollution. Even though the change under discussion has led to many problems to deal with, it has also influenced its socio-economical structure to a large extent and revealed new type of inhabitants having different life expectations and aims. In conclusion, in this article, changing environment and city structure after lignite processing and thermic station establishment in Soma are discussed through the effective geographical factors. The new city profile formed by the local dynamics in question is evaluated according to the data obtained by the studies made in the neighbourhood.     

Household water insecurity and its cultural dimensions: preliminary results from Newtok,Alaska

Using a relational approach, I examine several cultural dimensions involved in household water access and use in Newtok, Alaska. I describe the patterns that emerge around domestic water access and use, as well as the subjective lived experiences of water insecurity including risk perceptions, and the daily work and hydro-social relationships involved in accessing water from various sources. I found that Newtok residents haul water in limited amounts from a multitude of sources, both treated and untreated, throughout the year. Household water access is tied to hydro-social relationships predicated on sharing and reciprocity, particularly when the primary treated water access point is unavailable. Older boys and young men are primarily responsible for hauling water, and this role appears to be important to male Yupik identity. Many interviewees described preferring to drink untreated water, a practice that appears related to cultural constructions of natural water sources as pure and self-purifying, as well as concerns about the safety of treated water. Concerns related to the health consequences of low water access appear to differ by gender and age, with women and elders expressing greater concern than men. These preliminary results point to the importance of understanding the cultural dimensions involved in household water access and use. I argue that institutional responses to water insecurity need to incorporate such cultural dimensions into solutions aimed at increasing household access to and use of water.     

Two sampling strategies for an overview of pesticide contamination in an agriculture-extensive headwater stream

Two headwaters located in southwest France were monitored for 3 and 2 years (Auvézère and Aixette watershed, respectively) with two sampling strategies: grab and passive sampling with polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS). These watersheds are rural and characterized by agricultural areas with similar breeding practices, except that the Auvézère watershed contains apple production for agricultural diversification and the downstream portion of the Aixette watershed is in a peri-urban area. The agricultural activities of both are extensive, i.e., with limited supply of fertilizer and pesticides. The sampling strategies used here give specific information: grab samples for higher pesticide content and POCIS for contamination background noise and number of compounds found. Agricultural catchments in small headwater streams are characterized by a background noise of pesticide contamination in the range of 20–70 ng/L, but there may also be transient and high-peak pesticide contamination (2000–3000 ng/L) caused by rain events, poor use of pesticides, and/or the small size of the water body. This study demonstrates that between two specific runoff events, contamination was low; hence the importance of passive sampler use. While the peak pesticide concentrations seen here are a toxicity risk for aquatic life, the pesticide background noise of single compounds do not pose obvious acute nor chronic risks; however, this study did not consider the risk from synergistic “cocktail” effects. Proper tools and sampling strategies may link watershed activities (agricultural, non-agricultural) to pesticides detected in the water, and data from both grab and passive samples can contribute to discussions on environmental effects in headwaters, an area of great importance for biodiversity.