Effects of equipment loadings on geosynthetic-lined slope behaviour.

When combined in the lining and covering of waste-containment facilities, soil and geosynthetic components protect the environment by acting as a hydraulic barrier. Equipment loading may significantly increase the tensile stress induced in geosynthetic components, leading to a potential stability problem. Large equipment loadings may also result in a localized circular slip surface during construction operations. New analytical method based on discrete element modelling is proposed for estimating the distribution of tensile force developed in the individual geosynthetic components of the lining system and for evaluating the safety factor of slope failure due to equipment loading. The analytical results of an example are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the analytical method for the lining system of a waste landfill. The analyses of the example show that equipment loading provide a substantial increase in the tensile forces of the geosynthetic components of a lining system and that the possibility of shallow failure due to equipment loading increases as the slope becomes steeper. This method is a useful tool for analysing the lining system of waste landfills with complex lining components.     

二手电器使用算好两笔账

因价格低廉且符合人们印象中的循环经济原理，二手电器市场异军突起，成为电器市场不可或缺的组成部分。然而，由于存在着市场管理的不够规范、市场管理方法过于粗疏以及管理缺位等问题，二手电器市场并不像人们所希望的那样，都能产生循环经济效益。     

家电市场优胜劣汰的节能法则

节能对于家电行业来说，应是一种必备性能。在目前的环境、资源、能源三重压力背景下，随着新节能政策和推荐或强制性的标准陆续出台，日益规范化的家电市场随时都有进行大洗牌的可能。     

日本企业的环境责任

上世纪90年代初期，日本的许多企业都未将环境管理、指标、社会责任等纳入企业成本、运营和规划中，他们认为这会给企业带来负担。也无必要，这种情形与现阶段的中国企业有着非常类似的“价值取向”，我们希望这篇文章能给中国的同行们带来一些思考和借鉴，从而使得我们的企业更绿，环境更清洁，社会更可持续。[编者按]     

Effect of soil solids concentration in batch tests on the partition coefficients of organic pollutants in landfill liner-soil materials

 The effect of the soil solids concentration in batch tests on the measured values of the partition coefficient (K _p) of organic pollutants in landfill liner-soil material was investigated. Since this study was based on the results of batch and column tests conducted independently, there were limitations to the conclusions derived. The organic compounds tested were benzene, methylene chloride, toluene, trichloroethylene, and p-xylene. The results of this study showed that as soil solids concentrations increased, the measured K _p values of these organic compounds strongly decreased. The observed values of K _p stabilized when the soil solids concentration was above a certain value. Typical K _p values obtained from batch tests conducted under high soil solids concentrations were close to those obtained from column tests. It was concluded that the K _p values of organic compounds measured under low soil solids concentrations, i.e., less than 100 g/l, may not correctly simulate the field situation. Consequently, the values of K _p obtained with low soil solids concentrations can result in an overestimation of the retardation factor of the landfill liner material. Received: March 14, 2002 / Accepted: August 25, 2002     

Analysis of Roadside Inhalable Particulate Matter (PM10) in Major Korean Cities

A data analysis of three major Korean cities was conducted to assess roadside inhalable particulate matter 10 μm or smaller in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), including temporal and meteorological variations, over a recent period of 4 to 6 years. The yearly roadside PM₁₀ concentrations presented a well-defined increasing trend or no trend depending on the roadside monitoring station. Most mean values exceeded or approximated the Korean standard of 70 μg/m³ per year for PM₁₀. A representative roadside diurnal trend was characterized by a distinct morning maximum. In most cases, the Sunday roadside concentrations were similar to or somewhat lower than the weekday concentrations, and the PM₁₀ concentrations presented a well-defined seasonal variation, with the maximum concentration in March. The monthly maximum concentrations observed in March were most likely attributable to Asian dust storms. In two metropolitan cities (Seoul and Busan), the frequency of days with roadside PM₁₀ concentrations exceeding the standard of 150μg/m³ per 24 h was much lower for the roadside monitoring stations than for the residential monitoring station, whereas in the third city (Daegu), this result was reversed. Interestingly, the average maximum concentrations observed for the roadside sites in Seoul and Busan during March were higher than those for the residential sites, suggesting that the roadside concentrations responded more to the dust storms than the residential areas. The relationship between the pollutant concentrations and five important meteorological parameters (solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation) showed that the number and type of meteorological variables included in the equations varied according to the monitoring station or season. Finally, the current results confirmed that attention should be given to the PM₁₀ exposure of residents living near roadways.     

Assessment of Soil Erodibility Indices for Conservation Reserve Program Lands in Southwestern Kansas Using Satellite Imagery and GIS Techniques

The soil erodibility index (EI) of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands, which was the major criterion for CRP enrollment, was assessed for six counties in southwestern Kansas using USGS seamless digital elevation model data and Geographical Informational System techniques. The proportion of land areas with EI values of 8 or lower was less than 1% of the entire study area and most of the land areas (72.5%) were concentrated on EI values between 8 and 24. Although land acreage with EI values of 24 or higher decreased dramatically, the proportion of CRP lands to the other land-use types did not change much from low to high EI levels. The soil EI and physical soil characteristics of the CRP lands were compared to those of other land-use types. In general, the mean EI values of the land-use types were strongly correlated with physical soil properties, including organic matter content, clay content, available water capacity, permeability, and texture. CRP lands were compared in detail with cropland in terms of their soil characteristics to infer the pivotal cause of the land transformation. Although there was no significant statistical difference in EI between cropland and CRP soils, soil texture, soil family, and permeability were statistically different between the two. Statistical analyses of these three variables showed that CRP soils had coarser texture and higher permeability on average than cropland soils, indicating that CRP lands in the study area are drier than cropland soils. Therefore, soil moisture characteristics, not necessarily soil erosion potential, might have been the key factor for CRP enrollment in the study area.     

Ultrasound pretreatment of filamentous algal biomass for enhanced biogas production

The filamentous alga Hydrodictyon reticulatum harvested from a bench-scale wastewater treatment pond was used to evaluate biogas production after ultrasound pretreatment. The effects of ultrasound pretreatment at a range of 10–5000 J/mL were tested with harvested H. reticulatum. Cell disruption by ultrasound was successful and showed a higher degree of disintegration at a higher applied energy. The range of 10–5000 J/mL ultrasound was able to disintegrated H. reticulatum and the soluble COD was increased from 250 mg/L to 1000 mg/L at 2500 J/mL. The disintegrated algal biomass was digested for biogas production in batch experiments. Both cumulative gas generation and volatile solids reduction data were obtained during the digestion. Cell disintegration due to ultrasound pretreatment increased the specific biogas production and degradation rates. Using the ultrasound approach, the specific methane production at a dose of 40 J/mL increased up to 384 mL/g-VS fed that was 2.3 times higher than the untreated sample. For disintegrated samples, the volatile solids reduction was greater with increased energy input, and the degradation increased slightly to 67% at a dose of 50 J/mL. The results also indicate that disintegration of the algal cells is the essential step for efficient anaerobic digestion of algal biomass.     

Effects of fly ash addition on physical properties of porous clay-fly ash composites via polymeric replica technique

The porous composites of clay and fly ash have the potential to be used in many fields, such as catalyst support and gas adsorbents. In this study, various ratios of fly ash (1–2) with different percentage of suspension (50–70 wt%) were applied to produce porous clay-fly ash composites via polymeric replica technique. Fabrication process starts by mixing clay and fly ash in distilled water to form slurry. The process is followed by fully immersing polymer sponge in slurry. The excess slurry is then removed through squeezing. Finally, the sponge coated with slurry is sintered at 500 and 1250 °C for 1 h. It is found that the compressive strength of porous composites improves significantly (0.178–1.28 MPa) when the amount of clay-fly ash suspension mixture (50–70 wt%) increases. The compressive strength of porous composites is mainly attributed to the mullite, quartz and amorphous phase formations. These results are supported by X-ray diffraction analysis. On the other hand, increase in the amount of suspension reduces the apparent density (from 2.44 to 2.32 g/cm³) and porosity (from 97 to 85 %). The reduction in apparent density is believed to be caused by the presence of high fly ash content in porous composites. The melted fly ash cenospheres have closed the internal pores and increased density of samples. Higher suspension level not only reduces porosity, but also increases close pores of the porous composites. The results are justified through the observation from the structures of porous clay-fly ash composites.