Fuelwood Use in the Cities of the Developing World: Two Case Studies from India

A number of studies of traditional fuel supply and demand in rural areas of developing countries have been undertaken, but little has been done to make comparable studies for urban populations. This paper reports on two studies undertaken on fuelwood supplies, their transporation and distribution and utilization in the Indian cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Substantial amounts of fuelwood—200 000 tonnes in Hyderabad and 450 000 tonnes in Bangalore—are consumed. Seventy-eight percent of the fuelwood is consumed by households where it is a major source of energy for cooking and heating for low income families. While the researchers did not visit the forest areas which are the source of fuelwood, the quantity consumed is so large as to indicate that deforestation is possibly severe. Recommendations are made to deal with the problem.     

Environmental Health and the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone

A brief post-disaster study was undertaken soon after the cyclone of 1991 in Bangladesh to make a preliminary assessment of existing environmental health conditions. Eighty affected people and 26 relief personnel from the affected areas were interviewed. Faecal coliform counts, salinity conductivity and pH values were determined for 43 water samples from tubewells and ponds. The quality of 32 samples of water purifying tablets was also tested.
Water scarcity was acute, especially water used for washing and personal hygiene. The situation was made worse by the fact that the surface water sources (ponds) which were commonly used for domestic purposes other than drinking were flooded, highly contaminated and regarded as unusable. The user load on existing tubewells doubled, indicating a significantly increased demand for the tubewell water which is commonly used for drinking purposes only. The majority (63 per cent) of the water purifying tablets were found to have lost potency. Sanitation was very poor in households as well as in field clinics and shelters. Most people, including relief personnel, lacked environmental health knowledge. Suggestions regarding immediate preparations for disaster relief include: restoring water systems (tubewells and ponds), training courses for relief personnel, standardizing of water purifying tablets, promoting appropriate water use and its treatment, maintaining sanitation in clinics and shelters and improving the skills and resources of local people to enable them to cope with the situation.     

Removal of phenol by activated carbons prepared from palm oil mill effluent sludge

The study was attempted to produce activated carbons from palm oil mill effluent （POME） sludge. The adsorption capacity of the activated carbons produced was evaluated in aqueous solution of phenol. Two types of activation were followed, namely, thermal activation at 300, 500 and 800%, and physical activation at 150% （boiling treatment）. A control （raw POME sludge） was used to compare the adsorption capacity of the activated carbons produced. The results indicated that the activation temperature of 800℃ showed maximum absorption capacity by the activated carbon （POME 800） in aqueous solution of phenol. Batch adsorption studies showed an equilibrium time of 6 h for the activated carbon of POME 800. It was observed that the adsorption capacity was higher at lower values ofpH （2--3） and higher value of initial concentration of phenol （200--300 mg/L）, The equilibrium data were fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The adsorption of phenol onto the activated carbon POME 800 was studied in terms of pseudo-first and second order kinetics to predict the rate constant and equilibrium capacity with the effect of initial phenol concentrations. The rate of adsorption was found to be better correlation for the pseudo-second order kinetics compared to the first order kinetics.     

Activated carbons derived from oil palm empty-fruit bunches： Application to environmental problems

Activated carbons derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches （EFB） were investigated to find the suitability of its application for removal of phenol in aqueous solution through adsorption process, Two types of activation namely; thermal activation at 300, 500 and 800℃and physical activation at 150℃ （boiling treatment） were used for the production of the activated carbons. A control （untreated EFB） was used to compare the adsorption capacity of the activated carbons produced from these processes. The results indicated that the activated carbon derived at the temperature of 800℃ showed maximum absorption capacity in the aqueous solution of phenol. Batch adsorption studies showed an equilibrium time of 6 h for the activated carbon at 800℃. It was observed that the adsorption capacity was higher at lower values of pH （2-3） and higher value of initial concentration of phenol （200-300 mg/L）. The equilibrium data fitted better with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm compared to the Langmuir. Kinetic studies of phenol adsorption onto activated carbons were also studied to evaluate the adsorption rate. The estimated cost for production of activated carbon from EFB was shown in lower price （USD 0.50/kg of activated carbon） compared the activated carbon from other sources and processes.     

Statistical optimization of adsorption processes for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol by activated carbon derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches

The adsorption capacity of activated carbon produced from oil palm empty fruit bunches through removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol from aqueous solution was carried out in the laboratory. The activated carbon was produced by thermal activation of activation time with 30 min at 800℃. The adsorption process conditions were determined with the statistical optimization followed by central composite design. A developed polynomial model for operating conditions of adsorption process indicated that the optimum conditions for maximum adsorption of phenolic compound were： agitation rate of 100 r/min, contact time of 8 h, initial adsorbate concentration of 250 mg/L and pH 4. Adsorption isotherms were conducted to evaluate biosorption process. Langmuir isotherm was more favorable （R^2=0.93） for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol by the activated carbon rather than Freundlich isotherm （R^2=0.88）.