Sustainability of metal recovery from E-waste

The issue of E-waste disposal is concerning all the stakeholders, from policymakers to the end users which have accelerated the research and development on environmentally sound disposal of E-waste. The recovery of metals (gold, tantalum, copper, iron etc.) from E-waste has become an important focus. The mechanical recycling, thermo-chemical processes like pyrolysis, pyro-, hydro- and biometallurgical processes can play important roles in the Metal Recovery from E-waste (MREW) technology. For the industrial application of the MREW technology, it is important to analyze the sustainability. In this paper, two case studies have been presented on E-waste recycling industries in India and China. Based on the literature data, an attempt has been made to assess qualitatively the overall sustainability of MREW technology considering the three pillars, i.e., environmental, economic and social. Two conceptual frameworks with (Option-2) and without (Option-1) pyrolysis for integrated MREW units have been developed and the generalized energy and environmental impact analysis has been made using the principles of LCA. The impacts of two options have been compared. Option 2 has been found to be more efficient and sustainable. It has been realized that climate change, fossil fuel depletion, water depletion, eutrophication, acidification, fresh and marine water ecotoxicity are possible impact categories. The recommendations based on the generalized assessment are in good agreement with the findings of previous researchers on individual steps of MREW unit. The findings of this paper are expected to be beneficial to researchers and stakeholders for research directions and decision making on MREW.

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Acidogenic sludge fermentation to recover soluble organics as the carbon source for denitrification in wastewater treatment: Comparison of sludge types

For biological nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater, a sufficient organic carbon source is requested for denitrification. However, the organic carbon/nitrogen ratio in municipal wastewater is becoming lower in recent years, which increases the demand for the addition of external organic carbon, e.g. methanol, in wastewater treatment. The volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced by acidogenic fermentation of sewage sludge can be an attractive alternative for methanol. Chemically enhanced primary sedimentation (CEPS) is an effective process that applies chemical coagulants to enhance the removal of organic pollutants and phosphorus from wastewater by sedimentation. In terms of the chemical and biological characteristics, the CEPS sludge is considerably different from the conventional primary and secondary sludge. In the present study, FeCl₃ and PACl (polyaluminum chloride) were used as the coagulants for CEPS treatment of raw sewage. The derived CEPS sludge (Fe-sludge and Al-sludge) was then processed with mesophilic acidogenic fermentation to hydrolyse the solid organics and produce VFAs for organic carbon recovery, and the sludge acidogenesis efficiency was compared with that of the conventional primary sludge and secondary sludge. The results showed that the Fe-sludge exhibited the highest hydrolysis and acidogenesis efficiency, while the Al-sludge and secondary sludge had lower hydrolysis efficiency than that of primary sludge. Utilizing the Fe-sludge fermentation liquid as the carbon source for denitrification, more than 99% of nitrate removal was achieved in the main-stream wastewater treatment without any external carbon addition, instead of 35% obtained from the conventional process of primary sedimentation followed by the oxic/anoxic (O/A) treatment.

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硫化砷渣一步水热成矿转化固砷与硫回收

含砷工业废水的处理通常会产生大量的含砷废渣,砷渣中的砷元素在各种环境因素的影响下容易重新释放到环境中.因此,本研究以模拟硫化砷渣作为典型含砷废渣,通过在水热条件下添加Al³⁺、SO₄^2-和Na⁺,将硫化砷渣一步直接转化成稳定的砷钠明矾石,同时回收单质硫.结果表明,最优的转化条件为：Al/As物质的量比为3：1,pH为2,水热温度和时间分别为200 ℃和2 h;EDS测试和红外谱图表明,部分砷酸根代替了钠明矾石中的硫酸根离子,从而生成了砷钠明矾石;砷钠明矾石的短期毒性浸出实验表明其在pH值为2~11的浸出液中砷的浸出浓度均小于0.05 mg·L^-1,参照《HJ/T 300-2007固体废物浸出毒性浸出方法醋酸缓冲溶液法》的标准,利用pH=4.93的醋酸缓冲溶液浸渍砷钠明矾石90 d后,砷的浸出浓度依然小于0.05 mg·L^-1,由此说明转化后的砷钠明矾石具有优越的稳定性.最后利用该方法处理河南和福建两地的某砷渣,结果表明,两种实际砷渣中的砷浸出浓度均由原来的大于400 mg·L^-1降低到处理后的小于0.1 mg·L^-1,远低于国家危险废物鉴别标准中的限值（5 mg·L^-1）;另外,该方法在稳定硫化砷渣的同时还可以回收单质硫,为砷渣的处理与资源化利用提供了一种新思路.     

Place satisfaction and perceived recovery after Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island’s East Shore

Individuals’ relationships to place play an important role in their interactions with their residential environments. Prior research has suggested that neighbourhood satisfaction is closely related to neighbourhood attachment, and that attachment is linked to disaster recovery. This study uses data from a survey of residents of the East Shore neighbourhoods of Staten Island, New York, an area that experienced severe storm surge flooding during Hurricane Sandy, to test the association between neighbourhood satisfaction and self-reported recovery from the storm. Perceived recovery from Sandy is treated as the dependent variable in several ordinal logistic regression models. The key independent variable measure tested is neighbourhood satisfaction rating. A statistically significant direct positive relationship is found between neighbourhood satisfaction and perceived recovery from Sandy. This finding is robust across multiple models with various controls and other covariates. These results suggest that place satisfaction may contribute to disaster recovery.     

The role of schools in helping communities copes with earthquake disasters: the case of the 2010–2011 New Zealand earthquakes

ABSTRACT

This article draws from the author’s four-year study of five school communities hit by the 2010–2011 earthquake sequence in the Canterbury region of New Zealand to highlight the roles that schools played in supporting their communities in the aftermath of the disaster. The article begins by synthesising the relevant literature on disasters, schools in earthquake disasters, and the importance of schools to their communities, pre- and post-disaster. The following themes from the data are discussed: (a) the role of schools in their communities prior to the earthquakes; (b) the role of schools in immediate rescue and response; (c) the role of schools in short-term relief; and (d) the role of schools in long-term recovery. The author then argues that as more evidence shows that schools play such crucial roles in post-disaster response and recovery, we need to better prepare and support them to undertake these functions. Further, we need to recognise the wider roles schools play supporting local communities to build and sustain resilience as part of on-going community cohesion and connectedness, so that society is better prepared when major disasters occur.     

Risk and the neoliberal state: why post-Mitch lessons didn't reduce El Salvador's earthquake losses

Although El Salvador suffered light losses from Hurricane Mitch in 1998, it benefited from the increased international aid and encouragement for advance planning, especially mitigation and prevention interventions. Thus, one would have supposed, El Salvador would have been in a very advantageous position, able more easily than its economically crippled neighbours, Honduras and Nicaragua, to implement the 'lessons of Mitch'. A review of the recovery plan tabled by the El Salvador government following the earthquakes of early 2001 shows that despite the rhetoric in favour of 'learning the lessons of Mitch', very little mitigation and prevention had actually been put in place between the hurricane (1998) and the earthquakes (2001). The recovery plan is analysed in terms of the degree to which it deals with root causes of disaster vulnerability, namely, the economic and political marginality of much of the population and environmental degradation. An explanation for the failure to implement mitigation and preventive actions is traced to the adherence by the government of El Salvador to an extreme form of neoliberal, free market ideology, and the deep fissures and mistrust in a country that follow a long and bloody civil war.     

Gasification and smelting system using oxygen blowing for plastic waste including polyvinyl chloride

A new type of waste gasification and smelting system using oxygen blowing based on high-temperature metallurgy, was developed by Sumitomo Metals, Japan. This system can steadily gasify and melt not only municipal waste, but also plastic waste and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste by using a top-blow oxygen lance together with sideways-blow oxygen lances. As a result of gasification in the high-temperature reducing atmosphere and rapid gas cooling, dioxin-free, high-calorie purified gas was produced. Ash components in the wastes were smelted in a high-temperature reducing atmosphere, and high-quality slag free of heavy metals was produced. Most of the chlorine in the wastes was converted into hydrogen chloride in the off gas. The hydrogen chloride can be recovered as hydrochloric acid or chlorine, which are recyclable to PVC manufacturing.     

除磷微生物和新型除磷工艺

本文总结了聚磷微生物的微生物学、分子生物学、生化动力学，生物除磷的影响因素，并进一步探讨了一些能够在不利的环境条件下实现除磷的新型生物除磷脱氮工艺，以及如何实现除磷的最佳化。对聚磷微生物的筛选和驯化以及遗传改良将有助于进一步开发高效的生物除磷工艺，磷的资源化回收利用和再循环将是今后研究的前沿。     

Refuse-derived fuel as a secondary energy in Taiwan—Using Hotelling space allocation model

Most Taiwanese farmers usually blend rice straws into the soil after harvest. However, rice straws possess great thermal energy, which can be used to produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF-5). As Taiwan faces energy shortage, the development benefits of the RDF-5 industry are tempting. This study employs the Hotelling model to design the locations and the optimal numbers of RDF-5 plants. From the technology and material supply point of view, turning waste rice straws into RDF-5 is feasible in Taiwan. Nevertheless, from the business operation perspective, even if the RDF-5 plant is willing to lower its profit rate, its selling price is still hard to compete with imported RDF-5. If the Taiwanese government decides to pursue RDF-5 as an alternative energy, they might need to take a step further to subsidize entrepreneurs or provide appropriate tax benefits. Otherwise, the RDF-5 industry is hard to survive in Taiwan.     

用液相克劳斯反应从烟气中回收硫磺

利用液相克劳斯反应直接从烟气脱硫过程回收硫磺。考察了吸收液pH、NaHSO3和NaHS的添加顺序、NaHS添加量对硫产率的影响。在反应前将Na2S酸化、NaHSO3溶液的初始pH为2．3左右、n（SO3^2-）/n（S^2-）为4.21的条件下，反应后得到的硫磺全部为斜方晶体（即α-硫），硫产率为58％。