Effect of collection system on mineral content of biowaste

The EU is committed to encourage biological treatments of organic waste as an alternative to landfill and also to enhance organic matter recycling. When these wastes are composted, the composition of the initial raw materials is very important in order to obtain a good quality product. In this article, the mineral composition of the organic fraction obtained from source-sorted collection (SC) and the organic fraction mechanically separated (MS) from mass-collected municipal solid waste was evaluated. Also, the compositions of these 2 raw materials that are used in the current Spanish municipal solid waste biological treatment facilities were compared. The mineral elements analyzed were the total content of the heavy metals Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb and Cd, and the plant nutrients P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn. The results obtained were expressed on dry matter basis and on mineral matter basis. Important differences were detected between SC and MS samples, on both dry and mineral matter basis. In general, nutrient contents are higher in SC than in MS, and heavy metal contents are significantly lower in SC. Our results also support the idea that the heavy metal migration from the non-compostable materials to the decomposable matrix takes place from the beginning of the process while both types of materials are in contact.     

Safety analysis and risk assessment of a Micro-GtL Plant

Laboratory hydrogen generators, medical oxygen, and micro-breweries are examples of modular and micro technologies that are commercial successes. Researchers, patients, and unskilled workers operate these facilities but more complex processes require highly qualified personnel to ensure they operate safely. Modular-micro processes in isolated locations meet economic objectives when operated remotely thereby minimizing labor costs. Mitigating the risk requires a comprehensive hazards analysis with advanced control systems particularly for explosive and toxic compounds. Here, we propose a method called Failure Mode Risk Decision (FMRD) to review the inherent hazards of a micro-refinery unit (MRU) that converts flared and wasted natural gas to long chain hydrocarbons. This approach combines the Process Flow Failure Mode (PFFM) methodology as a systematic and reliable technique with a novel numerical risk assessment to improve the analytical evaluation of hazardous conditions. The objective is to combine causes and consequences in a single metric, where scaled probability of evident causes and severity of consequences are used to derive a risk level measure. With the proposed metric, the magnitude of a potential hazard is directly correlated with the risk level. This mechanism identifies extra risk scenarios compared to the classical hazard analysis method and provides a straightforward comprehensive numerical assessment to represent the inherent and residual risks to facilitate justifying the hazardous scenarios. Accordingly, we design a safety loop and supply all the required facilities to remove the potential risks at the process plant. Not only the proposed methodology clarifies the risks of the MRU presented in this study, but can be extended to review the hazards of other chemical process plants.     

一种封闭式选煤车间的设计

近年来,随着国家对煤炭行业控制环境污染的条件越来越严格,为了更有效的治理煤场环境污染,改善煤场周边地区环境质量,根据国内已建成的大型封闭厂房的设计经验,提出一种封闭式煤炭风选车间,车间采用轻型门式钢架结构设计,常规经济柱距6m,抗风柱柱距7．5m,室内净高10m。工程长度90m,跨度35m,屋盖系统采用钢桁架结构体系,单层压型彩色钢板封闭。封闭车间同时配套通风除尘系统,有效降低煤尘量。     

Ractopamine up take by alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) from soil

Ractopamine is a beta adrenergic agonist used as a growth promoter in swine, cattle and turkeys. To test whether ractopamine has the potential to accumulate in plants grown in contaminated soil, a greenhouse study was conducted with alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown in two soils having different concentrations of organic matter (1.3% and 2.1%), amended with 0, 0.5, and 10 μg/g of ractopamine. Plant growth ranged from 2.7 to 8.8 g dry weight (dw) for alfalfa, and 8.7 to 40 g dw for wheat and was generally greater in the higher organic matter content soil. The uptake of ractopamine in plant tissues ranged from non-detectable to 897 ng/g and was strongly dependent on soil ractopamine concentration across soil and plant tissue. When adjusted to the total fortified quantities, the amount of ractopamine taken up by the plant tissue was low, < 0.01% for either soil.     

Using the useful: characteristics of used palms in south-eastern Ecuador

Plant families differ greatly with regard to their usefulness to humans. Within families there are also large differences in the usefulness between species; some are used for many different purposes, while most are used for few or no purposes. Which ones and to what extent species are used often varies between areas and cultural groups. To better understand variation in speciesȁ9 usefulness we studied the use of different palm species (Arecaceae) among two socio-cultural groups (one indigenous and one colonist group of mixed ethnic descent) living in the same area. We used regression and correlation analyses to determine to what degree use is related to ecological and morphological characteristics, to geographical differences in abundance, and to peopleȁ9s perceptions of speciesȁ9 availability. We found that abundance and height were the most important characteristics related to use, possibly due to the effect of height and abundance on salience, search time, and (for height) suitability for different purposes. Abundance was most important for palm heart extraction, probably due to the opportunistic nature of this activity. There was no difference between socio-cultural groups with regard to the relationship between palm abundance and use, but abundance seemed to be more decisive for people who used moderate amounts of palms. Finally, it was seen that peopleȁ9s estimates of palm abundance were not related to our measurements of abundance, which may be due to use of different spatial scales in evaluating abundance and to the subjective nature of terms such as “rare” and “abundant”.     

Effects of plant diversity on greenhouse gas emissions in microcosms simulating vertical constructed wetlands with high ammonium loading

Wastewater with relatively high nitrogen concentrations is a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) emissions and exerts multiple stresses on the environment. Studies have shown that plant diversity plays an important role in ecosystem functioning. However, the effects of plant species diversity on CH₄ and N₂O emissions under high ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) loading rates remain unclear. In this study, a microcosm experiment simulating vertical constructed wetlands supplied with high NH₄⁺-N water levels was established. The treatments included four species richness levels (1, 2, 3, 4) and 15 species compositions. There was no significant relationship between species richness and N₂O emissions. However, N₂O emissions were significantly reduced by specific plant species composition. Notably, the communities with the presence of Rumex japonicus L. reduced N₂O emissions by 62% compared to communities without this species. This reduction in N₂O emissions may have been a result of decreased N concentrations and increased plant biomass. CH₄ emissions did not respond to plant species richness or species identity. Overall, plant species identity surpassed species richness in lowering N₂O emissions from constructed wetlands with high NH₄⁺-N water. The results also suggest that communities with R. japonicus could achieve higher N removal and lower greenhouse gas emissions than other wetland species.     

草木灰对亚甲基蓝的吸附研究

本实验目的是研究草木灰对吸附亚甲基蓝的去除效果,探讨了亚甲基蓝初始量、吸附时间、pH值等对吸附效果的影响,并运用伪一级、伪二级反应动力学模型和Laugmuir、Freundlich等温线模型进行拟合。结果表明,草木灰对亚甲基蓝溶液的吸附在5 min~30 min速率比较快,约在65 min内达到吸附平衡,pH越大越有利于吸附,浓度在5mg/L时草木灰对亚甲基蓝的吸附最佳。与伪二级动力学曲线模型拟合效果较好,由Laugmuir等温线模型计算得出理论最大吸附容量Qm为2.275 mg/g,吸附性能优异。     

Plant morphological characteristics and resistance to simulated trampling

The relationship between responses of plants to trampling and their morphological characteristics was studied in a glasshouse experiment. Thirteen species with four different growth forms were used in this experiment. They were five tussock species.Chloris gayana, Eragrostis tenuifolia, Lolium perenne, Panicum maximum, andSporobolus elongatus; three prostate grasses,Axonopus compressus, Cynodon dactylon, andTrifolium repens, two herbaceous species,Daucus glochidiatus andHypochoeris radicata; and three woody species,Acacia macradenia, Acrotriche aggregata, andSida rhombifolia. These species were subjected to three levels of simulated trampling. For each species, measurements were taken of aboveground biomass, root biomass, leaf length, leaf width, leaf thickness, leaf number, broken leaf number and plant height. Overall, these measurements were greatest in the control plants, moderate in the level of light trampling, and the lowest in the level of heavy trampling. Biomass was used as a basis of the assessment of plant resistance to trampling. Three tussock species,Eragrostis tenuifolia, Lolium perenne, andSporobolus elongatus had a high resistance. Woody and erect herbaceous plants were more intolerant to trampling. There appear to be two processes involved in the reduction of the plant parameters: direct physical damage with portions of the plants detached, and physiological changes, which slow down vegetative growth rates. Plant height was found to be the most sensitive indicator of trampling damage.     

Export inherent safety NOT risk

The author presents a personal view that production of bulk chemicals and the attendant risks are being transferred from developed to developing nations. Some evidence is presented on the transfer of production. The transferred risk is increased because of the larger scale plants that are now built in locales that are less able to cope with the increased hazards. Bhopal was an example of an inherently unsafe plant, with major hazards that could have been avoided or drastically reduced by design. It behoves the industry to adopt the inherently safer philosophy and practice in the new plants that it builds, in order to minimise the opportunity for another accident like Bhopal and the threat to our industry that such an accident would pose.     

Phytoremediation of Soil Polluted by Nickel Using Agricultural Crops

Soil pollution due to heavy metals is widespread; on the world scale, it involves about 235 million hectares. The objectives of this research were to establish the uptake efficiency of nickel by some agricultural crops. In addition, we wanted to establish also in which part of plants the metal is stored for an eventual use of biomass or for recycling the metal. The experiments included seven herbaceous crops such as: barley (Hordeum vulgaris), cabbage (Brassica juncea), spinach (Spinacea oleracea), sorghum (Sorgum vulgare), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and ricinus (Ricinus communis). We used three levels of treatment (150, 300, and 600 ppm) and one control. At the end of the biological cycle of the crops, the different parts of plants, i.e., roots, stems, leaves, fruits, or seeds, were separately collected, oven dried, weighed, milled, and separately analysed. The leaves and stems of spinach showed a very good nickel storage capacity. The ricinus too proved to be a very good nickel storer. The ability of spinach and ricinus to store nickel was observed also in the leaves of cabbage, even if with a lower storage capacity. The bean, barley, and tomato, in decreasing order of uptake and storage capacity, showed a high concentration of nickel in leaves and stems, whereas the sorghum evidenced a lesser capacity to uptake and store nickel in leaves and stems. The bean was the most efficient in storing nickel in fruits or grains. Tomato, sorghum, and barley have shown a storage capacity notably less than bean. The bean appeared to be the most efficient in accumulating nickel in the roots, followed in decreasing order by sorghum, ricinus, and tomato. With regard to the removal of nickel, spinach was the most efficient as it contains the highest level of this metal per gram of dry matter. The ricinus, cabbage, bean, sorghum, barley, and tomato evidenced a progressively decreasing efficiency in the removal of nickel.