Wastewater treatment with multilayer media of waste and natural indigenous materials

Wastewater treatment using waste materials (refuse concrete, waste paper and charcoal) and natural indigenous rocks (andesite, limestone, granite and nitrolite) in the form of multilayer media was investigated. The removal of suspended solids (SS), phosphate ion, nitrate ion, ammonium ion, toxic metals and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were evaluated for the multilayer wastewater treatment system. Effective removal of heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead was demonstrated. SS and phosphate ion were removed with relatively high efficiency and the COD after treatment was lessened using certain combinations of media. The present wastewater treatment system is simple, convenient and low cost. Therefore, this method can be applied in small scale plants for wastewater treatment in local and nonexclusive areas.     

Investigation on the effect of sintering temperature on kaolin hollow fibre membrane for dye filtration

Despite its extraordinary price, ceramic membrane can still be able to surpass polymeric membrane in the applications that require high temperature and pressure conditions, as well as harsh chemical environment. In order to alleviate the high cost of ceramic material that still becomes one of the major factors that contributes to the high production cost of ceramic membrane, various attempts have been made to use low cost ceramic materials as alternatives to well-known expensive ceramic materials such as alumina, silica, and zirconia in the fabrication of ceramic membrane. Thus, local Malaysian kaolin has been chosen as the ceramic material in this study for the preparation of kaolin hollow fibre membrane since it is inexpensive and naturally abundant in Malaysia. Due to the fact that the sintering process plays a prominent role in obtaining the desired morphology, properties, and performances of prepared ceramic membrane, the aim of this work was to study the effect of different sintering temperatures applied (ranging from 1200 to 1500 °C) in the preparation of kaolin hollow fibre membrane via dry/wet phase inversion-based spinning technique and sintering process. The morphology and properties of membrane were then characterised by SEM, AFM, FTIR, XRD, and three-point bending test, while the performances of membrane were investigated by conducting water permeation and Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye rejection tests. From the experimental results obtained, the sintering temperature of 1400 °C could be selected as the optimum sintering temperature in preparing the kaolin hollow fibre membrane with the dense sponge-like structure of separation layer that resulted in the good mechanical strength of 70 MPa with the appreciable water permeation of 75 L/h m² bar and RB5 rejection of 68%.     

Characterization of titanium oxide optical band gap produced from leachate sludge treatment with titanium tetrachloride

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the coagulation performance of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) for leachate treatment and preparation of titanium oxide (TiO2)...     

Role of UPP pathway in amelioration of diabetes-associated complications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most widely spread metabolic disorder also called as “life style” disease. Due to the alarming number...     

Identification of structural breaks in the forest product markets: how sensitive are to changes in the Nordic region?

Forests play a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle and can be managed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and conserve or sequester carbon. Global policy and environmental changes can affect regional consumption of forest products, as well as inter-regional trade of forest goods and services. This study analyzes global and regional change impacts on the production, consumption and trade of forest products in two Nordic countries, Finland and Sweden. Annual data on removal and trade (1964–2012) for roundwood and sawnwood is used to identify structural breaks based on Chow tests. According to the analysis, the time period is divided into two periods: t1 (1964–1980) and t2 (1981–2012). In the first period, breaks occurred in 1975 and 1976 in the Finnish model and no break is found in the Swedish model. In the second period, we identify breaks in 1991 and 1992 for the Finnish model and in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for the Swedish model. Although our findings have broad empirical support, we do not identify any specific incident as a direct cause of the changes in the consumption and trade patterns of the two types of wood in these countries. The models and analysis presented here can serve as methodological tools for policymakers to better understand the effects of structural changes in the production of forest goods and services in the Nordic region and globally.     

海洋环境中光合色素分析方法研究与应用进展

根据国内外的文献,综述了海洋环境中光合色素分析方法的发展状况,指出了其分析方法在发展过程中创新的主要方面,并对光合色素分析在赤潮监测、藻类的化学分类及生物碳生物量和矿物质通量方面的应用进行了展望。     

Impact of climate change: an empirical investigation of Malaysian rice production

This paper examines the possible impact of climate change on Malaysian rice production. Using the Ricardian Method and farm household data, we have examined the effects on rice producers focusing on sharecropper adaptations and ecological causes. The principle goal of this research paper is to investigate the impact of climate variables such as temperature, rainfall and precipitation on rice production during main and off seasons, in Kedah, Malaysia. The main purpose of this paper is to examine how climate change affects the net income of paddy farmers in the study area. The statistically significant results show that temperature, rainfall, farm size, educational knowledge, land area and value of labour input have an impact on rice production per hectare revealing potential impacts of climate vulnerability on Malaysian agriculture. The results showed that net revenue increased by Ringgit Malaysia (RM 1= $0.3277) 4.78 per hectare throughout the main seasons as a result of minimal increase in the temperature while there is a decrease of RM 3.02 in the net revenue per hectare during off seasons. During the off season, rainfall increased revenue per hectare by RM 1.32 and during the main season it reduced revenue per hectare by RM 1.01. The evidence from this study may be useful for Malaysian policymakers to facilitate greater preventive measures during the main and off-seasons to counteract climate uncertainty and vulnerability.     

改性氢氧化镁制备及其去除地下水中Cr3+性能研究

氢氧化镁作为一种可缓慢释放OH-的碱,能使多数重金属离子转换为沉淀,而且不会引起太大的pH变化.但氢氧化镁难溶于水,在含水层中的迁移能力很差.若要用于地下水重金属污染修复,需要对氢氧化镁进行改性.因此,本文利用表面活性剂对氢氧化镁粉末进行改性,合成了氢氧化镁胶体,并对改性氢氧化镁的稳定性、粒度及其对Cr3+的稳定化效果进行了分析.结果表明,复配表面活性剂改性的氢氧化镁悬浮液稳定性好,粒径小,0.6~8.4μm的颗粒占82.41%.利用改性氢氧化镁对Cr3+污染地下水进行处理,其对Cr3+的去除机理主要为沉淀反应,氢氧化镁和Cr3+反应的质量比约为1.333∶1,氢氧化镁和初始Cr3+浓度对Cr3+的去除效果都有较大的影响.