Search results for: Water Sustainability Act

Authors: Adel Mohamed El-Baghdady, Walid Sayed Abdulgalil, Ahmad Asran, Ibrahim Nosier

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This paper studies the effectiveness of applying value engineering to actual concrete mixtures. The study was conducted in the State of Qatar on a number of strategic construction projects with international engineering specifications for the 2022 World Cup projects. The study examined the concrete mixtures of Doha Metro project and the development of KAHRAMAA’s (Qatar Electricity and Water Company) Abu Funtas Strategic Desalination Plant, in order to generally improve the quality and productivity of ready-mixed concrete used in construction and hydraulic projects. The application of value engineering to such concrete mixtures resulted in the following: i) improving the quality of concrete mixtures and increasing the durability of buildings in which they are used; ii) reducing the waste of excess materials of concrete mixture, optimizing the use of resources, and enhancing sustainability; iii) reducing the use of cement, thus reducing CO₂ emissions which ensures the protection of environment and public health; iv) reducing actual costs of concrete mixtures and, in turn, reducing the costs of construction projects; and v) increasing the market share and competitiveness of concrete producers. This research shows that applying the methodology of value engineering to ready-mixed concrete is an effective way to save around 5% of the total cost of concrete mixtures supplied to construction and hydraulic projects, improve the quality according to the technical requirements and as per the standards and specifications for ready-mixed concrete, improve the environmental impact, and promote sustainability.

Keywords: value management, cost of concrete, performance, optimization, sustainability, environmental impact

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Authors: A. O. Talabi, F. M. Taib, D. J. Jalaludin

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The influence of sustainability reporting on Deposit Money Banks (DMBs)' financial performance both before and after mandated environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure is examined in this article. Using a sample size of the top six strategically important listed banks in Nigeria, the study employed the paired sample t-test to assess the pre-mandatory ESG period (2009-2015) and the post-mandatory ESG period (2016-2022). According to the findings, there was no discernible difference between the performance of DMBs in Nigeria before and after the requirement for ESG disclosure. In the pre-mandatory requirement time, sustainability reporting is a major predictor of financial metrics, but in the post-mandatory requirement period, there was no discernible change in financial performance. Market authorities ought to have unrestricted authority to impose severe fines for noncompliance and bring legal action against corporations that fail to disclose ESG. This work contributes to the literature on ESG disclosure and financial performance by considering two different periods.

Keywords: financial, performance, sustainability, reporting

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Authors: N. Hedayat, E. Karamifar

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Sustainable food and fiber production is emerging as an irresistible option in agrarian planning. Although one should not underestimate the successes of the Green Revolution in enhancing crop production, its adverse environmental and ecosystem consequences have also been remarkable. The aim of this paper is to identify ways of improving crop production to ensure agricultural sustainability and environmental integrity. Systematic observations are used for data collection on intensive farming, deforestation and the environmental implications of industrial pollutants on agricultural sustainability at national and international levels. These were achieved within a comparative analytical model of data interpretation. Results show that while multiple factors enhance yield, they have a simultaneous effect in undermining the ecosystem and environmental integrity. Results show that application of excessive agrichemical have been one of the major cause of polluting the surface and underground water bodies as well as soil layers in affected croplands. Results consider rapid deforestation in the tropical regions has been the underlying cause of impairing the integrity of biodiversity and oxygen-generation regime. These, coupled with production of greenhouse gasses, have contributed to global warming and hydrological irregularities. Continuous production of pollutants and effluents has affected marine and land biodiversity arising from acid rains generated by modern farming and deforestation. Continuous production of greenhouse gases has also been instrumental in affecting climatic behavior manifested in recurring draughts and contraction of lakes and ponds as well as emergence of potential flooding of waterways and floodplains in the future.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability, environmental integrity, pollution, eco-system

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Authors: Paschalis Koutalakis, George N. Zaimes, Valasia Iakovoglou, Konstantinos Ioannou

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Mitigating soil erosion, especially in Mediterranean countries such as Greece, is essential in order to maintain environmental and agricultural sustainability. In this paper, scientific publications related to soil erosion studies in Greece were reviewed and categorized. To accomplish this, the online search engine of Scopus was used. The key words were “soil”, “erosion” and “Greece.” An analysis of the published articles was conducted at three levels: i) type of publication, ii) chronologic and iii) thematic. A hundred and ten publications published in scientific journals were reviewed. The results showed that the awareness regarding the soil erosion in Greece has increased only in the last decades. The publications covered a wide range of thematic categories such as the type of studied areas, the physical phenomena that trigger and influence the soil erosion, the negative anthropogenic impacts on them, the assessment tools that were used in order to examine the threat and the proper management. The analysis of these articles was significant and necessary in order to find the scientific gaps of soil erosion studies in Greece and help enhance the sustainability of soil management in the future.

Keywords: climate change, agricultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, soil management

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Authors: Chia-Ling Chang, Hao-Bo Chang

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Global climate change alters rainfall characteristics, while the variation of these characteristics further influences environmental conditions, such as hydrologic responses, landslide areas, and the amounts of diffuse pollution. The variations of environmental conditions may impact the stability of water resource systems. The objective of this study is to assess the present conditions of major water resource systems in Taiwan. The impact of climate change on each system is also discussed herein. Compared to the water resource systems in northern Taiwan, the ratio of the precipitation during the rainy season to that during the dry season has a larger increase in southern Taiwan. This variation of hydrologic condition impacts the stability of water resource systems and increases the risk of normal water supply. The findings in this work can be important references for water resource management.

Keywords: basin management, climate change, water resource system, water resource management

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Authors: Elvan Ender, Ozge Celik

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Transportation systems play a vital role in access and egress in our lives. Concerns about environmental quality, social equity, economic vitality, and the threat of climate change have converged to produce a growing interest in the concept of sustainability, sustainable development, and sustainable transportation. Cities should respect nature, consider the urban ecological environment as an asset, integrate environmental issues into urban planning and administration, and accelerate the transition to sustainable development. This paper reviews current pedestrian and bike transportation in Bursa and proves the effects of unbalanced distribution to neighbourhoods of this presence. In this way creating proposal map for walking and bicycling to constitute a preliminary base for the physical urban planning of Bursa, has been aimed.

Keywords: Bursa, proposal map, sustainability, transportation

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Authors: Petra F. A. Dilling, Sinan Caykoylu

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The aim of this study was to shed light on the understanding of the factors determining a company’s disclosure on climate change reporting. The underlying study examines the effect of gender diversity and the mediating effect of female representation in management and on the board of directors and the existence of a dedicated sustainability board committee. To test the study’s objectives, the authors use a global sample of the largest companies and their reporting for the year 2020. The results suggest that corporate female participation has a significant influence on the quality of climate change reporting. In addition, having a dedicated sustainability board committee also significantly impacts the non-financial disclosure of climate change information.

Keywords: climate change, non-financial reporting, governance, board diversity, sustainability, CSR

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Authors: Najmeh Malekpour Bahabadi

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Small fast-developing Iranian cities with a historical background have no defined criteria for their social sustainability. However, their traditional architecture is well-known as a socially and environmentally sustainable role model. In today's cities, citizens' participation has been considered an effective strategy to achieve social sustainability. By scrutinizing the extent and manner of public participation in traditional Iranian cities, taking Yazd's historical context as a case study, this study examines how these criteria can be applied to developing parts of the city. The paper first reviews the concepts, levels, and approaches of public participation to analyze different modes of citizen participation. Then, exploring social behavior and activities in Yazd, using the qualitative-analytical methodology, the paper compares diverse elements influencing participation with contemporary approaches. The findings of this study would lead to suggestions for the developing parts of the city to enhance their socially sustainable development.

Keywords: citizen participation, social behaviors, traditional city, built environment, social sustainability

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Authors: Taha Anjamrooz, Sareh Rajabi, Salwa Bheiry

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Procurement is a key process in construction project management. The present construction procurement practices have been extensively analyzed for disregarding sustainability in the project life cycle. Currently, there is a gap of information on status-quo of sustainable procurement in construction field. Thus, the aim of this study is to review sustainable procurement practices in the construction field. Disregard of three sustainability pillars is one of the major drawbacks of present construction procurement practices. Sustainable procurement is a developing idea that can enhance procurement practices and improve the sustainability performance of the construction projects. At present, sustainable procurement is still not entirely used in the construction projects. A comprehensive literature review indicated that the construction industry is still not entirely informed about the benefits and challenges of using sustainable procurement, and about important indicators that play major impacts on those benefits and challenges. This study assesses the major indicator, benefits and challenges encountered in applying sustainable procurement in the construction industry. In addition, this study investigates understanding of construction professionals on the benefits and challenges of utilizing sustainable procurement for construction projects through selected indicators that are categorized according to society and community needs.

Keywords: sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable procurement, procurement, construction industry

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Authors: Iranga Weerakkody, Palitha Sri Geegana Arachchige, Dasith Tilakaratna

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The aim of this research is to study how folk wisdom can be applied to assist in the process of purification of water. This is qualitative research, and by random sampling, it is focused on to the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The research limitation has been set to the use of Ingini seeds (Strychnos potatorum) to purify water. Here the research is based on connecting traditional knowledge regarding water purification using Ingini seeds to modern times and the advantages and disadvantages of using Ingini seeds to purify water sources. Ingini seeds have been used among villagers of the dry zone to purify water for a long time by methods such as planting Ingini plants around water sources and depositing seeds covered with a cotton cloth inside wells. Crushed Ingini seeds have been put into clay water pots to reduce the hardness of water, as well as the number of impurities present in the water. This shows that Ingini seeds have a property that is successful in precipitating dissolved impurities in water. Ingini seeds are also used to precipitate solid impurities in herbal wine. The advantages of using Ingini seeds are that it can be obtained naturally from the ecology without an additional cost and that it is completely organic forest produce. Another specialty is that in practices, it is used to treat kidney stones and other water-related diseases affecting the kidneys.

Keywords: folklife, Ingini seeds, Strychnos potatorum, organic forest produce, water purification

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Authors: Jessica Achebe, Susan Tighe

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The reduction of material consumption and greenhouse gas emission when maintain and rehabilitating road networks can achieve added benefits including improved life cycle performance of pavements, reduced climate change impacts and human health effect due to less air pollution, improved productivity due to an optimal allocation of resources and reduced road user cost. This is the essence of incorporating environmental sustainability into pavement management. The functionality of performance measurement approach has made it one of the most valuable tool to Pavement Management Systems (PMSs) to account for different criteria in the decision-making process. However measuring the environmental performance of road network is still a far-fetched practice in road network management, more so an ostensive agency-wide environmental sustainability or sustainable maintenance specifications is missing. To address this challenge, this present research focuses on the environmental sustainability performance of network-level pavement management. The ultimate goal is to develop a framework to incorporate environmental sustainability in pavement management systems for network-level maintenance programming. In order to achieve this goal, this paper present the first step, the intention is to review the previous studies that employed environmental performance measures, as well as the suitability of environmental performance indicators for the evaluation of the sustainability of network-level pavement maintenance strategies. Through an industry practice survey, this paper provides a brief forward regarding the pavement manager motivations and barriers to making more sustainable decisions, and data needed to support the network-level environmental sustainability. The trends in network-level sustainable pavement management are also presented, existing gaps are highlighted, and ideas are proposed for network-level sustainable maintenance and rehabilitation programming.

Keywords: pavement management, environment sustainability, network-level evaluation, performance measures

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Authors: Dalal Sadeqi

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Groundwater is an important component of Kuwait’s water resources. Although limited in quantity and often poor in quality, the significance of this natural source of water cannot be overemphasized. Recharge of groundwater in Kuwait occurs during periodical storm events, especially in open desert areas. Runoff water dissolves accumulated surficial meteoric salts and subsequently leaches them into the groundwater following a period of evaporative enrichment at or near the soil surface. Geochemical processes governing groundwater recharge vary in time and space. Stable isotope (18O and 2H) and geochemical signatures are commonly used to gain some insight into recharge processes and groundwater salinization mechanisms, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. This article addresses the mechanism used in identifying and characterizing the main water shed areas in Kuwait using stable isotopes in an attempt to determine favorable groundwater recharge sites in the country. Stable isotopes of both rainwater and groundwater were targeted in different hydrogeological settings. Additionally, data and information obtained from subsurface logs in the study area were collected and analyzed to develop a better understanding of the lateral and vertical extent of the groundwater aquifers. Geographic Information System (GIS) and RockWorks 3D modelling software were used to map out the hydrogeomorphology of the study area and the subsurface lithology of the investigated aquifers. The collected data and information, including major ion chemistry, isotopes, subsurface characteristics, and hydrogeomorphology, were integrated in a GIS platform to identify and map out suitable natural recharge areas as part of an integrated water resources management scheme that addresses the challenges of the sustainability of the groundwater reserves in the country.

Keywords: scarcity, integrated, recharge, isotope

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Authors: Sarwat Jahan, Asker Rajin Rahman

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Management of offtake of any fluvial river is very sensitive in terms of long-term sustainability where the variation of water flow and sediment transport range are wide enough throughout a hydrological year. The Gorai River is a major distributary of the Ganges River in Bangladesh and is termed as a primary source of fresh water for the South-West part of the country. Every year, significant siltation of the Gorai offtake disconnects it from the Ganges during the dry season. As a result, the socio-economic and environmental condition of the downstream areas has been deteriorating for a few decades. To improve the overall situation of the Gorai offtake and its dependent areas, a study has been conducted by the Institute of Water Modelling, Bangladesh, in 2022. Using the mathematical morphological modeling tool MIKE 21C of DHI Water & Environment, Denmark, simulated results revealed the need for dredging/river training structures for offtake management at the Gorai offtake to ensure significant dry season flow towards the downstream. The dry season flow is found to increase significantly with the proposed river interventions, which also improves the environmental conditions in terms of salinity of the South-West zone of the country. This paper summarizes the primary findings of the analyzed results of the developed mathematical model for improving the existing condition of the Gorai River.

Keywords: Gorai river, mathematical modelling, offtake, siltation, salinity

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Authors: K. Vrinda

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Coastal ecosystems across the world are facing a lot of challenges due to natural phenomena as well as from uncontrolled human interventions. Here, Alappad, a coastal island situated in Kerala, India is undergoing significant damage and is gradually losing its environmental and social sustainability. The area is blessed with very rare and precious black mineral sand deposits. Sand mining for these minerals started in 1911 and is still continuing. But, unfortunately all the problems that Alappad faces now, have its root on mining of this mineral sand. The land area is continuously diminishing due to sea erosion. The mining has also caused displacement of people and environmental degradation. Marine life also is getting affected by mining on beach and pollution. The inhabitants are fishermen who are largely dependent on the eco-system for a living. So loss of environmental sustainability subsequently affects social sustainability too. Now the damage has reached a point beyond which our actions may not be able to make any impact. This was one of the most affected areas of the 2004 tsunami and the environmental degradation has further increased the vulnerability. So this study focuses on understanding the concerns related to the resource utilization, environment and the indigenous community staying there, and on formulating suitable strategies to restore the sustainability of the area. An extensive study was conducted on site, to find out the physical, social, and economical characteristics of the area. A focus group discussion with the inhabitants shed light on different issues they face in their day-to-day life. The analysis of all these data, led to the formation of a new development vision for the area which focuses on environmental restoration and socio-economic development while allowing controlled exploitation of resources. A participatory approach is formulated which enables these three aspects through community based programs.

Keywords: Community development, Disaster resilience, Ecological restoration, Environmental sustainability, Social-environmental planning, Social Sustainability

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Authors: Mina Esmi Jahromi, Mehdi Khiadani

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Vertical water jets discharging into free surface turbulent cross flows result in the ingression of a large amount of air in the body of water and form a region of two-phase air-water flow with a considerable interfacial area. This research presents an experimental study of the two-phase bubbly flow using image processing technique. The air ingression and the trajectories of bubble swarms under different experimental conditions are evaluated. The rate of air entrainment and the bubble characteristics such as penetration depth, and dispersion pattern were found to be affected by the most influential parameters of water jet and cross flow including water jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio, water jet falling height, and cross flow depth. This research improves understanding of the underwater flow structure due to the water jet impingement in crossflow and advances the practical applications of water jets such as artificial aeration, circulation, and mixing where crossflow is present.

Keywords: air entrainment, image processing, jet in cross flow, two-phase flow

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Authors: Efe Gumuslu, Guclu Insel, Gülten Yuksek, Nilay Sayi Ucar, Emine Ubay Cokgor, Tuğba Olmez Hanci, Didem Okutman Tas, Fatoş Germirli Babuna, Derya Firat Ertem, Ökmen Yildirim, Özge Erturan, Betül Kirci

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Although water reclamation and reuse are inseparable parts of sustainable production concept all around the world, current levels of reuse constitute only a small fraction of the total volume of industrial effluents. Nowadays, within the perspective of serious climate change, wastewater reclamation and reuse practices should be considered as a requirement. Industrial sector is one of the largest users of water sources. The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 predicts that global water demand for manufacturing will increase by 400% from 2000 to 2050 which is much larger than any other sector. Metal finishing industry is one of the industries that requires high amount of water during the manufacturing. Therefore, actions regarding the improvement of wastewater treatment and reuse should be undertaken on both economic and environmental sustainability grounds. Process wastewater can be reused for more purposes if the appropriate treatment systems are installed to treat the wastewater to the required quality level. Recent studies showed that membrane separation techniques may help in solving the problem of attaining a suitable quality of water that allows being recycled back to the process. The metal finishing factory where this study is conducted is one of the biggest white-goods manufacturers in Turkey. The sheet metal parts used in the cookers production have to be exposed to surface pre-treatment processes composed of degreasing, rinsing, nanoceramics coating and deionization rinsing processes, consecutively. The wastewater generating processes in the factory are enamel coating, painting and styrofoam processes. In the factory, the main source of water is the well water. While some part of the well water is directly used in the processes after passing through resin treatment, some portion of it is directed to the reverse osmosis treatment to obtain required water quality for enamel coating and painting processes. In addition to these processes another important source of water that can be considered as a potential water source is rainwater (3660 tons/year). In this study, process profiles as well as pollution profiles were assessed by a detailed quantitative and qualitative characterization of the wastewater sources generated in the factory. Based on the preliminary results the main water sources that can be considered for reuse in the processes were determined as painting and styrofoam processes.

Keywords: enamel coating, painting, reuse, wastewater

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Authors: Wichan Lertlop

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This research is to study the solubility of oxygen in water taking the form of aeration pipes that have different shaped objectives of the research to compare the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, whice take the form of aeration pipes. Shaped differently When aeration 5 minutes on air for 10 minutes, and when air fills 30 minutes, as well as compare the durability of the oxygen is dissolved in the water of the inlet air refueling shaped differently when you fill the air 30 minutes and when. aeration and 60 minutes populations used in this study, the population of pond water from Rajabhat University in February 2014 used in this study consists of 1. Aerator 2. Hose using a hose to fill the air with 3 different shape, different shapes pyramid whose base is on the water tank. Shaped rectangular water tank onto the ground. And shapes in a vertical pipe. 3 meter, dissolved oxygen, dissolved in water to get the calibration standard. 4. The clock for timer 5. Three water tanks which are 39 cm wide, 51 cm long and 32 cm high.

Keywords: aeration, dissolve oxygen, different shapes

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Authors: Corinna Barraco, Ornella Salimbene

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This research involves the Ethiopian locality of Jeldi (North Africa), an area particularly affected by water shortage and in which the pumping and treatment of drinking water are extremely sensitive issues. The study aims to develop and apply low-cost tools for the design of solar water pumping and water purification systems in a not developed country. Consequently, two technical tools have been implemented in Excel i) Solar photovoltaic Pumping (Spv-P) ii) Water treatment (Wt). The Spv-P tool was applied to the existing well (depth 110 [m], dynamic water level 90 [m], static water level 53 [m], well yield 0.1728 [m³h⁻¹]) in the Jeldi area, where estimated water demand is about 50 [m3d-1]. Through the application of the tool, it was designed the water extraction system of the well, obtaining the number of pumps and solar panels necessary for water pumping from the well of Jeldi. Instead, the second tool Wt has been applied in the subsequent phase of extracted water treatment. According to the chemical-physical parameters of the water, Wt returns as output the type of purification treatment(s) necessary to potable the extracted water. In the case of the well of Jeldi, the tool identified a high criticality regarding the turbidity parameter (12 [NTU] vs 5 [NTU]), and a medium criticality regarding the exceeding limits of sodium concentration (234 [mg/L Na⁺] vs 200 [mg/L Na⁺]) and ammonia (0.64 [mg/L NH³-N] vs 0.5 [mg/L NH³-N]). To complete these tools, two specific manuals are provided for the users. The joint use of the two tools would help reduce problems related to access to water resources compared to the current situation and represents a simplified solution for the design of pumping systems and analysis of purification treatments to be performed in undeveloped countries.

Keywords: drinking water, Ethiopia, treatments, water pumping

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Authors: Raquel Pérez Estébanez

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This research proposal seeks to delve into the intricate relationship between performance indicators and sustainability metrics within the realm of corporate entities. As businesses grapple with the imperative of sustainable practices, understanding how traditional performance metrics intersect with sustainability indicators becomes paramount. This study endeavours to unravel the dynamics of this relationship, aiming to illuminate ways in which these two sets of metrics can be harmoniously integrated to offer a comprehensive evaluation of a company's success while considering its environmental and societal impact. The integration of performance measures and sustainability metrics has become a focal point in contemporary business literature as companies strive to balance economic success with environmental and social responsibility. Performance indicators traditionally focus on financial metrics such as return on assets, return on equity and profitability. Sustainability metrics, on the other hand, encompass environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. The challenge lies in aligning these diverse metrics for a comprehensive assessment. Researches indicates a growing trend among corporations to incorporate sustainability metrics into their performance evaluations. However, challenges persist, with companies often struggling to integrate non-financial indicators seamlessly. The works of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) propose frameworks for harmonizing financial and sustainability reporting. These frameworks emphasize the need for companies to disclose material sustainability information alongside traditional financial metrics. Several studies suggest that integrating sustainability metrics positively influences decision-making. Companies considering sustainability factors in decision-making exhibit improved long-term performance and risk management. Other researches highlights the increasing importance of sustainability metrics in shaping stakeholder perceptions. Investors, in particular, are placing greater emphasis on companies' environmental and social performance when making investment decisions. Industry-specific studies underscore the need for customized approaches to integration due to sector-specific challenges and opportunities. This suggests that a one-size-fits-all solution may not be applicable across diverse industries. While progress is evident, challenges persist, necessitating further research to refine integration frameworks, address industry-specific nuances, and assess the long-term impact on organizational performance and societal contributions.

Keywords: ESG, ROE, ROA, performance measures

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Authors: Rayleigh Dada Abu, Halilu Ahmad Shaba

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Siltation is a serious problem that affects public water supply infrastructures such as dams and reservoirs. It is a major problem which threatens the performance and sustainability of dams and reservoirs. It reduces the dam capacity for flood control, potable water supply, changes water stage, reduces water quality and recreational benefits. The focus of this study is the Lower Usuma reservoir. At completion the reservoir had a gross storage capacity of 100 × 106 m3 (100 million cubic metres), a maximum operational level of 587.440 m a.s.l., with a maximum depth of 49 m and a catchment area of 241 km2 at dam site with a daily designed production capacity of 10,000 cubic metres per hour. The reservoir is 1,300 m long and feeds the treatment plant mainly by gravity. The reservoir became operational in 1986 and no survey has been conducted to determine its current storage capacity and rate of siltation. Hydrographic survey of the reservoir by integrated acoustic echo-sounding technique was conducted in November 2012 to determine the level and rate of siltation. The result obtained shows that the reservoir has lost 12.0 meters depth to siltation in 26 years of its operation; indicating 24.5% loss in installed storage capacity. The present bathymetric survey provides baseline information for future work on siltation depth and annual rates of storage capacity loss for the Lower Usuma reservoir.

Keywords: sedimentation, lower Usuma reservoir, acoustic echo sounder, bathymetric survey

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Authors: Huda Aljabi

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The existence of heavy metals similar to cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury in the drinking water be able to be a threat to public health. The amount of the substances of these heavy metals in drinking water has expected importance. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations have set limits for the concentrations of these elements in drinking water because of their toxicity. Furthermore, bromate shaped during the disinfection of drinking water by Ozonation can also be a health hazard. The Paper proposed here will concentrate on the compilation of all available data and information on the presence of trace metals and bromate in the drinking water at residential houses distributed over different areas in Kuwait. New data will also be collected through a sampling of drinking water at some of the residential houses present in different areas of Kuwait and their analysis for the contents of trace metals and bromate. The collected data will be presented on maps showing the distribution of these metals and bromate in the drinking water of Kuwait. Correlation among different chemical parameters will also be investigated using the GRAPHER software. This will help both the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in taking corrective measures and also in planning the infrastructure activities for the future.

Keywords: bromate, ozonation, GIS, heavy metals

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Authors: Omer Faruk Sarioglu, Asli Celebioglu, Turgay Tekinay, Tamer Uyar

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Fibrous biocomposites were developed by immobilization of a Cr(VI) reducing bacterial strain, morganella morganii STB5, on electrospun polystyrene (PS) and polysulfone (PSU) webs. Cr(VI) removal characteristics of STB5/PS and STB5/PSU fibrous biocomposites were determined at 25 mg L-1 of initial Cr(VI) and 70.41% and 68.27% of removal were observed within 72 h, respectively. Reusability test results indicate that both biocomposites are potentially reusable and can be used for at least 5 cycles. After storage test results suggest that the biocomposites can be stored awhile without losing their Cr(VI) bioremoval capabilities. SEM images of STB5 immobilized PS and PSU webs after the reusability test exhibit strong attachment of bacterial biofilms onto fibrous surfaces. Our results are quite promising and suggesting that reusable bacteria immobilized electrospun fibrous biocomposites might be applicable for Cr(VI) remediation in water systems.

Keywords: electrospinning, polystyrene, polysulfone, Cr(VI) bioremoval, environmental sustainability

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Authors: Subhashini Chaturvedi

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The New World Order of the 21st century which is largely lead by Global Technological Leadership, and a workforce of United Nations coming together in the wake of our planet's future. The objective of this study is to understand the approach taken to implement sustainable use of resources and adequate architectural interventions. The framework of global policies in terms of sustainability has to be checked whether they commensurate and do justice to various nations with highly variable resource availability and development index. The method used to analyse the subject is a study of linkage between Age, Development, and exertion of the land, which attribute to the history of nations worldwide. The study also questions whether the use of term Sustainability is even ethical to be suggested in under developed or developing nations. Evolving through examples of American Imperialism to steady decline of Indian state of Punjab over last few decades, shows how sustainability has acted like scoop taken from a whole container in case of developed societies whereas it has acted like scratching the bottom of an empty container in case of embryonic societies where needs for sustenance are still far fed. The result comes out in favour of more innovative and rational implementation of architecture, sustainability and urban planning in context to indigenous space of a society and its statistics. The bridge to reduce the gap of fiscal deficit in resource premises can be consolidated by balancing on a global level majorly and this research paper is in the pursuance of the same idea.

Keywords: developing nations, economy, holistic development, innovation, logical approach, statistics, USA

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Authors: Mohamed Alzarug Aburugba, Rashid Mohamed Eltanashi

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Rainwater is considered an essential water resource, as it contributes to filling the deficit in water resources, especially in countries that suffer from a scarcity of natural water sources. One of the important issues facing the Water and Gas Services Department at the Libyan Iron and Steel Company is the large loss of quantities of industrial water, both direct and indirect cooling water (DCW, ICW), produced within the company due to leaks in the cooling systems of the factories of the Libyan Iron and Steel Company. These amounts of polluted industrial water leakage are mixed with rainwater collected by stormwater stations (6 stations) in LISCO, which is pumped to the sea through pumps with a very high flow rate, and thus, this will carry a lot of waste, heavy metals, and oils to the sea, which negatively affects marine environmental resources. This paper assesses the environmental impact of the quantities of rainwater and mixed industrial water in stormwater stations in the Libyan Iron and Steel Company and methods of mitigation, treating pollutants and reusing them as industrial water in the production processes of the steel industry.

Keywords: rainwater, mitigation, impact, sewage, heavy metals, assessment, pollution, environment, natural resources, industrial water.

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Authors: Zhiyuan Jia, Xiuxiu Sun, Yong Chen, Liu Hai, Shuangqing Li

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The engine cooling water and exhaust gas contain a large amount of available energy. In order to improve energy efficiency, a steam injection technology based on waste heat recovery is proposed. The models of cooling water waste heat utilization, exhaust gas waste heat utilization, and exhaust gas-cooling water waste heat utilization were constructed, and the effects of the three modes on the performance of steam injection were analyzed, and then the feasibility of in-cylinder water injection steam technology based on waste heat recovery was verified. The research results show that when the injection water flow rate is 0.10 kg/s and the temperature is 298 K, at a cooling water temperature of 363 K, the maximum temperature of the injection water heated by the cooling water can reach 314.5 K; at an exhaust gas temperature of 973 K and an exhaust gas flow rate of 0.12 kg/s, the maximum temperature of the injection water heated by the exhaust gas can reach 430 K; Under the condition of cooling water temperature of 363 K, exhaust gas temperature of 973 K and exhaust gas flow rate of 0.12 kg/s, after cooling water and exhaust gas heating, the maximum temperature of the injection water can reach 463 K. When the engine is 1200 rpm, the water injection volume is 30 mg, and the water injection time is 36°CA, the engine power increases by 2% and the fuel consumption is reduced by 2.6%.

Keywords: cooling water, exhaust gas, extended range engine, steam injection, waste heat recovery

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Authors: Fahad Alam

Abstract:

Work stress directly affects job performance, specifically in a worse environment. Consequently, a social provision plays a crucial part for enhancement. Therefore, the current research investigates the direct and moderating effect between religious activities, sustainability and peer support on job performance at hospitals in Khyber PakhtunKhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Both primary and secondary data are collected through 261 questionnaires of medical employees from four district hospitals in Khyber PakhtunKhwa, Pakistan, in 2018. The analysis was carried out by SPSS16 and SMART PLS3, to test the direct effect of religious activities, sustainability and social support on job performance and the effect of moderating variable 'work environment' on job performance. The finding confirmed that direct and moderating variables play a significant positive effect among religious activities, sustainability and peer support on job performance, the variables help to diminish the strain level or the stress level, consequently helps in the job completed. Affirmative social approaches produce desirable effects on job performance. The research revealed that social provisions are significant triggers for superior practices. Moreover, the results are stimulating because some of the past literature revealed an insignificant correlation between social provision and performance. This study found that there is a significant relationship which persuades health care organizations.

Keywords: job performance, peer’s support, religious activities, sustainability, work environment

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Authors: Camila Lima, Murilo Andrade Valle, Patrícia Teixeira Leite Asano

Abstract:

The growth in demand for electricity, caused by human development, depletion and environmental impacts caused by traditional sources of electricity generation have made new energy sources are increasingly encouraged and necessary for companies in the electricity sector. Based on this scenario, this paper assesses the negative environmental impacts associated with thermoelectric power plants in Brazil, pointing out the importance of using renewable energy sources, reducing environmental aggression. This article points out the existence of an energy alternative, wind energy, of the municipalities of São Paulo, represented by georeferenced maps with the help of GIS, using as a premise the indicators of sustainability and multicriteria analysis in the decision-making process.

Keywords: GIS (geographic information systems), multicriteria analysis, sustainability, wind energy

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Authors: Maryam Mehrabpour

Abstract:

The sports industry has recognized its impact on the natural environment and has taken steps to address relevant environmental issues. Two key initiatives have emerged: reducing the ecological footprint of sports activities and utilizing sports as a platform to raise environmental awareness. This article provides an overview of the scholarly research conducted on environmental sustainability in sports. It highlights various environmental programs implemented by sports organizations worldwide and examines the current state of environmental efforts in the field. The research utilized semi-structured interviews, website analysis, and published documents as data sources, and qualitative analysis methods were employed to identify themes representing the current status of environmental efforts in sports.

Keywords: environmental sustainability, sport industry, ecological footprint, environmental awareness, environmental programs

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Authors: W. Mughees, M. Alahmad

Abstract:

Water is the most significant entity that controls local and global development. For the Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia, with its limited potable water resources, the potential of the fresh water problem is highly considerable. In this research, the study involves the design and analysis of pinch-based water/wastewater networks. Multiple water/wastewater networks were developed using pinch analysis involving direct recycle/material recycle method. Property-integration technique was adopted to carry out direct recycle method. Particularly, a petroleum refinery was considered as a case study. In direct recycle methodology, minimum water discharge and minimum fresh water resource targets were estimated. Re-design (or retrofitting) of water allocation in the networks was undertaken. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and hardness properties were taken as pollutants. This research was based on single and double contaminant approach for COD and hardness and the amount of fresh water was reduced from 340.0 m3/h to 149.0 m3/h (43.8%), 208.0 m3/h (61.18%) respectively. While regarding double contaminant approach, reduction in fresh water demand was 132.0 m3/h (38.8%). The required analysis was also carried out using mathematical programming technique. Operating software such as LINGO was used for these studies which have verified the graphical method results in a valuable and accurate way. Among the multiple water networks, the one possible water allocation network was developed based on mass exchange.

Keywords: minimization, water pinch, water management, pollution prevention

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Authors: B. Sudhakara Reddy

Abstract:

This study provides a snapshot of the sustainability of selected Indian cities by employing 70 indicators in four dimensions to develop an overall city sustainability index. In recent years, the concept of ‘urban sustainability’ has become prominent due to its complexity. Urban areas propel growth and at the same time poses a lot of ecological, social and infrastructural problems and risks. In case of developing countries, the high population density of and the continuous in-migration run the highest risk in natural and man-made disasters. These issues combined with the inability of policy makers in providing basic services makes the cities unsustainable. To assess whether any given policy is moving towards or against urban sustainability it is necessary to consider the relationships among its various dimensions. Hence, in recent years, while preparing the sustainability index, an integral approach involving indicators of different dimensions such as ‘economic’, ‘environmental’ and 'social' is being used. It is also important for urban planners, social analysts and other related institutions to identify and understand the relationships in this complex system. The objective of the paper is to develop a city performance index (CPI) to measure and evaluate the urban regions in terms of sustainable performances. The objectives include: i) Objective assessment of a city’s performance, ii) setting achievable goals iii) prioritise relevant indicators for improvement, iv) learning from leaders, iv) assessment of the effectiveness of programmes that results in achieving high indicator values, v) Strengthening of stakeholder participation. Using the benchmark approach, a conceptual framework is developed for evaluating 25 Indian cities. We develop City Sustainability index (CSI) in order to rank cities according to their level of sustainability. The CSI is composed of four dimensions: Economic, Environment, Social, and Institutional. Each dimension is further composed of multiple indicators: (1) Economic that considers growth, access to electricity, and telephone availability; (2) environmental that includes waste water treatment, carbon emissions, (3) social that includes, equity, infant mortality, and 4) institutional that includes, voting share of population, urban regeneration policies. The CSI, consisting of four dimensions disaggregate into 12 categories and ultimately into 70 indicators. The data are obtained from public and non-governmental organizations, and also from city officials and experts. By ranking a sample of diverse cities on a set of specific dimensions the study can serve as a baseline of current conditions and a marker for referencing future results. The benchmarks and indices presented in the study provide a unique resource for the government and the city authorities to learn about the positive and negative attributes of a city and prepare plans for a sustainable urban development. As a result of our conceptual framework, the set of criteria we suggest is somewhat different to any already in the literature. The scope of our analysis is intended to be broad. Although illustrated with specific examples, it should be apparent that the principles identified are relevant to any monitoring that is used to inform decisions involving decision variables. These indicators are policy-relevant and, hence they are useful tool for decision-makers and researchers.

Keywords: benchmark, city, indicator, performance, sustainability

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