Search results for: concrete waste

Authors: Muna Al-Tarshi, Dobretsov Sergey, Wenresti Gallardo

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Marine litter pollution is a global concern that has wide-ranging ecological, societal, and economic implications, along with potential health risks for humans. In Oman, inadequate solid waste management has led to the accumulation of litter in mangrove ecosystems. However, there is a dearth of information on marine litter and microplastic pollution in Omani mangroves, impeding the formulation of effective mitigation strategies. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of marine litter and microplastics in mangrove sediments in the Sea of Oman. Our study measured the average abundance of marine litter, which ranged from 0.83±1.03 to 19.42±8.52 items/m2. Notably, plastics constituted the majority of litter, accounting for 73-96% of all items, with soft plastics being the most prevalent. Furthermore, we investigated microplastic concentrations in the sediments, finding levels ranging from 6 to 256 pieces /kg. Among the studied areas, afforested mangroves in Al-Sawadi exhibited the highest average abundance of microplastics (27.52±5.32 pieces/ kg), while the Marine Protected Area Al Qurum had the lowest average abundance (0.60±1.12 pieces /kg). These findings significantly contribute to our understanding of marine litter and microplastic pollution in Omani mangroves. They provide valuable baseline data for future monitoring initiatives and the development of targeted management strategies. Urgent action is needed to implement effective waste management practices and interventions to protect the ecological integrity of mangrove ecosystems in Oman and mitigate the risks associated with marine litter and microplastics.

Keywords: microplastics, anthropogenic marine litter, ftir, polymer, khawr, mangrove, sediment

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Authors: Massimo Zucchetti

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In the US, the SPARC-ARC projects of compact tokamaks are being developed: both are aimed at the technological demonstration of fusion power reactors with cutting-edge technology but following different design approaches. However, they show more similarities than differences in the fuel cycle, safety, radiation protection, environmental, waste and decommissioning aspects: all reactors, either experimental or demonstration ones, have to fulfill certain "essential" requirements to pass from virtual to real machines, to be built in the real world. The paper will discuss these "essential" requirements. Some of the relevant activities in these fields, carried out by our research group (ESSENTIAL group), will be briefly reported, with the aim of showing some methodology aspects that have been developed and might be of wider interest. Also, a non-competitive comparison between our results for different projects will be included when useful. The question of advanced D-He3 fuel cycles to be used for those machines will be addressed briefly. In the past, the IGNITOR project of a compact high-magnetic field D-T ignition experiment was found to be able to sustain limited D-He3 plasmas, while the Candor project was a more decisive step toward D-He3 fusion reactors. The following topics will be treated: Waste management and radioactive safety studies for advanced fusion power plants; development of compact high-field advanced fusion reactors; behavior of nuclear materials under irradiation: neutron-induced radioactivity due to side DT reactions, radiation damage; accident analysis; reactor siting.

Keywords: advanced fuel fusion reactors, deuterium-helium3, high-field tokamaks, fusion safety

Procedia PDF Downloads 81

Authors: Thomas D. Collin, Rachel Cunningham, Bruce Jefferson, Raffaella Villa

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Fats, oils and grease (FOG) are by-products of food preparation and cooking processes. FOG enters wastewater systems through a variety of sources such as households, food service establishments, and industrial food facilities. Over time, if no source control is in place, FOG builds up on pipe walls, leading to blockages, and potentially to sewer overflows which are a major risk to the Environment and Human Health. UK water utilities spend millions of pounds annually trying to control FOG. Despite UK legislation specifying that discharge of such material is against the law, it is often complicated for water companies to identify and prosecute offenders. Hence, it leads to uncertainties regarding the attitude to take in terms of FOG management. Research is needed to seize the full potential of implementing current practices. The aim of this research was to undertake a comprehensive study to document the extent of FOG problems in sewer lines and reinforce existing knowledge. Data were collected to develop a model estimating quantities of FOG available for recovery within Thames Water wastewater catchments. Geographical Information System (GIS) software was used in conjunction to integrate data with a geographical component. FOG was responsible for at least 1/3 of sewer blockages in Thames Water waste area. A waste-based approach was developed through an extensive review to estimate the potential for FOG collection and recovery. Three main sources were identified: residential, commercial and industrial. Commercial properties were identified as one of the major FOG producers. The total potential FOG generated was estimated for the 354 wastewater catchments. Additionally, raw and settled sewage were sampled and analysed for FOG (as hexane extractable material) monthly at 20 sewage treatment works (STW) for three years. A good correlation was found with the sampled FOG and population equivalent (PE). On average, a difference of 43.03% was found between the estimated FOG (waste-based approach) and sampled FOG (raw sewage sampling). It was suggested that the approach undertaken could overestimate the FOG available, the sampling could only capture a fraction of FOG arriving at STW, and/or the difference could account for FOG accumulating in sewer lines. Furthermore, it was estimated that on average FOG could contribute up to 12.99% of the primary sludge removed. The model was further used to investigate the relationship between estimated FOG and number of blockages. The higher the FOG potential, the higher the number of FOG-related blockages is. The GIS-based tool was used to identify critical areas (i.e. high FOG potential and high number of FOG blockages). As reported in the literature, FOG was one of the main causes of sewer blockages. By identifying critical areas (i.e. high FOG potential and high number of FOG blockages) the model further explored the potential for source-control in terms of ‘sewer relief’ and waste recovery. Hence, it helped targeting where benefits from implementation of management strategies could be the highest. However, FOG is still likely to persist throughout the networks, and further research is needed to assess downstream impacts (i.e. at STW).

Keywords: fat, FOG, GIS, grease, oil, sewer blockages, sewer networks

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Authors: Sayan Munshi, Subrajit Banerjee, Indrani Chakraborty

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Tourism is a prime sector in the economic development of many countries in particular the Indian sub-continent. Tourism is considered an integral pillar in the Make in India Program under the Government of India. The statistics of tourism in India had evolved from a past with the formation of History. The sector had shown dynamic changes in the statistics since 1980. With the evolving tourism along with destinations, this sector has been converted into the prime industry, as it not only impacts the destination but on the other hand supports the periphery of the destination. Tourism boost revenue and creates varied economic possibilities for the residents. Due to the influx of tourism in the cities, a load on the infrastructure and services can be observed, specifically in the Physical Infrastructure sectors. Due to the floating population in the designated tourism core of the Urban / Peri-Urban area, issues pertaining to Solid waste management and Transportation are highly observed. Thus, a need for capacity building arises for the infrastructure impacted by tourism, which may result in the upgradation of the lifestyle of the city and its permanent users. As tourism of a region has a dependency on the infrastructure, the paper here focuses on the relationship between tourism potential of a region and the infrastructural determinants of the city or region and hence to derive a structural equation supporting the relationship, further determine a coefficient and suggest the domain of in need of upgradation or retrofitting possibilities. The outcome of the paper is to suggest possible recommendations towards the formation of policies on an urban level to support the tourism potential of the region.

Keywords: urban planning, tourism planning, infrastructure, transportation, solid waste management

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Authors: Samih Ahmed, Guayente Minchot, Fritz King, Mikael Hallgren

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The stress ribbon system has numerous advantages that include but are not limited to increasing overall stiffness, control deflections, and reduction of materials consumption, which in turn, reduces the load and the cost. Nevertheless, its use is usually limited to bridges, in particular, pedestrian bridges; this can be attributed to the insufficient space that buildings' usually have for end supports, and/or back- stayed cables, that can accommodate the expected high pull-out forces occurring at the cables' ends. In this work, the roof of Västerås Travel Center, which will become one of the longest cable suspended roofs in the world, was chosen as a case study. The aim was to investigate the optimal technique to model the post-tensioned stress ribbon system for the roof structure using the FEM software SAP2000 and to assess any possible reduction in the pull-out forces, deflections, and concrete stresses. Subsequently, a conventional cable suspended roof was simulated using SAP2000, and compared to the post-tension stress ribbon system in order to examine the potential of the latter. Moreover, the effects of temperature loads and support movements on the final design loads were examined. Based on the study, a few practical recommendations concerning the construction method and the iterative design process, required to meet the architectural geometrical demands, are stated by the authors. The results showed that the post-tensioned stress ribbon system reduces the concrete stresses, overall deflections, and more importantly, reduces the pull-out forces and the vertical reactions at both ends by up to 16% and 11%, respectively, which substantially reduces the design forces for the support structures. The magnitude of these reductions was found to be highly correlated to the applied prestressing force, making the size of the prestressing force a key factor in the design.

Keywords: cable suspended, post-tension, roof structure, SAP2000, stress ribbon

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Authors: Karolina Porada

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Over the last 40 years, there has been a trend in landscape architecture which supporters do not perceive the role of pro-ecological or postmodern solutions in the design of public green spaces as an essential goal, shifting their attention to the 'sculptural' shaping of areas with the use of slopes, hills, embankments, and other forms of terrain. This group of designers can be considered avant-garde, which in its activities refers to land art. Initial research shows that such applications are particularly frequent in places of former post-industrial sites and landfills, utilizing materials such as debris and post-mining waste in their construction. Due to the high degradation of the environment surrounding modern man, the brownfields are a challenge and a field of interest for the representatives of landscape architecture avant-garde, who through their projects try to recover lost lands by means of transformations supported by engineering and ecological knowledge to create places where nature can develop again. The analysis of a dozen or so facilities made it possible to come up with an important conclusion: apart from the cultural aspects (including artistic activities), the green areas formally referring to the land are important in the process of remediation of post-industrial sites and waste recycling (e. g. from construction sites). In these processes, there is also a potential for applying the concept of Natural Based Solutions, i.e. solutions allowing for the natural development of the site in such a way as to use it to cope with environmental problems, such as e.g.  air pollution, soil phytoremediation and climate change. The paper presents examples of modern parks, whose compositions are based on shaping the surface of the terrain in a way referring to the land art, at the same time providing an example of brownfields reuse and application of waste recycling.  For the purposes of object analysis, research methods such as historical-interpretation studies, case studies, qualitative research or the method of logical argumentation were used. The obtained results provide information about the role that landscape architecture can have in the process of remediation of degraded areas, at the same time guaranteeing the benefits, such as the shaping of landscapes attractive in terms of visual appearance, low costs of implementation, and improvement of the natural environment quality.

Keywords: brownfields, contemporary parks, landscape architecture, remediation

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Authors: Jeffrey A. Humenik

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Environmental, Limited Liability Corporation (EMR) provided civil construction services to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, for the placement of a protective riprap blanket on the west bank of the Smoky Hill River, construction of 2 shore abutments and the construction of a 140 foot long sill wall spanning the Smoky Hill River in Salina, Kansas. The purpose of the project was to protect the riverbank from erosion and hold back water to a specified elevation, creating a pool to ensure adequate water intake for the municipal water supply. Geotextile matting and riprap were installed for streambank erosion protection. An inflatable bladder (AquaDam®) was designed to the specific river dimension and installed to divert the river and allow for dewatering during the construction of the sill walls and cofferdam. AquaDam® consists of water filled polyethylene tubes to create aqua barriers and divert water flow or prevent flooding. A challenge of the project was the fact that 100% of the sill wall was constructed within an active river channel. The threat of flooding of the work area, damage to the aqua dam by debris, and potential difficulty of water removal presented a unique set of challenges to the construction team. Upon completion of the West Sill Wall, floating debris punctured the AquaDam®. The manufacturing and delivery of a new AquaDam® would delay project completion by at least 6 weeks. To keep the project ahead of schedule, the decision was made to construct an earthen cofferdam reinforced with rip rap for the construction of the East Abutment and East Sill Wall section. During construction of the west sill wall section, a deep scour hole was encountered in the wall alignment that prevented EMR from using the natural rock formation as a concrete form for the lower section of the sill wall. A formwork system was constructed, that allowed the west sill wall section to be placed in two horizontal lifts of concrete poured on separate occasions. The first sectional lift was poured to fill in the scour hole and act as a footing for the second sectional lift. Concrete wall forms were set on the first lift and anchored to the surrounding riverbed in a manner that the second lift was poured in a similar fashion as a basement wall. EMR’s timely decision to keep the project moving toward completion in the face of changing conditions enabled project completion two (2) months ahead of schedule. The use of inflatable bladders is an effective and cost-efficient technology to divert river flow during construction. However, a secondary plan should be part of project design in the event debris transported by river punctures or damages the bladders.

Keywords: abutment, AquaDam®, riverbed, scour

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Authors: Friman Hen, Banner Ifaa, Shalom-Tuchin Bosmat, Einav Yulia

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The action learning course is an academic course which involves academic learning and social activities. The courses deal with processes and social challenges, reveal different ideologies, and develop critical thinking and pragmatic ideas. Students receive course credits and a grade for being part of such courses. Participating students enroll in courses that involve action and activities to engage in the experiential learning process, thereby creating a dialogue and cross-fertilization between being taught in the classroom and experiencing the reality in the real world. A learning experience includes meeting with social organizations, institutions, and state authorities and carrying out practical work with diverse populations. Through experience, students strengthen their academic skills, formulate ethical attitudes toward reality, develop professional and civilian perspectives, and realize how they can influence their surrounding in the present and the hereafter. Under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Hen Friman, H.I.T. has built an innovative course that combines action and activities to increase the awareness and accessibility of the community in an experiential way. The end goal is to create Green Ambassadors—children with a high level of environmental awareness. This course is divided into two parts. The first part, focused on frontal teaching, delivers knowledge from extensive environmental fields to students. These areas include introduction to ecology, the process of electricity generation, air pollution, renewable energy, water economy, waste and recycling, and energy efficiency (first stage). In addition to the professional content in the environment field, students learn the method of effective and experiential teaching to younger learners (4 to 8 years old). With the attainment of knowledge, students are divided into operating groups. The second part of the course shows how the theory becomes practical and concrete. At this stage, students are asked to introduce to the first- and second-graders of ‘Revivim’ School in Holon a lesson of 90 minutes focused on presenting the issues and their importance during the course (second stage). This course is the beginning of a paradigm shift regarding energy usage in the modern society in Israel. The objective of the course is to expand worldwide and train the first and second-graders, and even pre-schoolers, in a wide scope to increase population awareness rate, both in Israel and all over the world, for a green future.

Keywords: air pollution, green ambassador, recycling, renewable energy

Procedia PDF Downloads 242

Authors: Shahbaz Abbas, Lin Han Chiang Hsieh

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The significant population growth and climate change issues have contributed to the natural resources depletion and their sustainability in the future. Manufacturing industries have a substantial impact on every country’s economy, but the sustainability of the industrial resources is challenging, and the policymakers have been developing the possible solutions to manage the sustainability of industrial resources such as raw material, energy, water, and industrial supply chain. In order to address these challenges, nexus approach is one of the optimization and modelling techniques in the recent sustainable environmental research. The interactions between the nexus components acknowledge that all components are dependent upon each other, and they are interrelated; therefore, their sustainability is also associated with each other. In addition, the nexus concept does not only provide the resources sustainability but also environmental sustainability can be achieved through nexus approach by utilizing the industrial waste as a resource for the industrial processes. Based on energy-water nexus, this study has developed a resource-energy-water for the sugar industry to understand the interactions between sugarcane, energy, and water towards the sustainable sugar industry. In particular, the focus of the research is the Taiwanese sugar industry; however, the same approach can be adapted worldwide to optimize the sustainability of sugar industries. It has been concluded that there are significant interactions between sugarcane, energy consumption, and water consumption in the sugar industry to manage the scarcity of resources in the future. The interactions between sugarcane and energy also deliver a mechanism to reuse the sugar industrial waste as a source of energy, consequently validating industrial and environmental sustainability. The desired outcomes from the nexus can be achieved with the modifications in the policy and regulations of Taiwanese industrial sector.

Keywords: energy-water nexus, environmental sustainability, industrial sustainability, natural resource management

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Authors: M. L. Moyo

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Concerns about climate change, food productivity, and the ever-increasing cost of commercial fertilizer products is forcing have spurred interest in the production of alternatives or substitutes for commercial fertilizer products. In this study, the potential of pyrolytic tire char (PT-char) to improve soil productivity was investigated. The use of carbonized biomass, which is commonly termed biochar or biofertilizer and exhibits similar properties to PT-char in agriculture is not new, with historical evidence pointing to the use of charcoal for soil improvement by indigenous Amazon people for several centuries. Due to minimal market value or use of PT-char, huge quantities are currently stockpiled in South Africa. This successively reduces revenue and decreases investments in waste tire recycling efforts as PT-char constitutes 40 % weight of the total waste tire pyrolysis products. The physicochemical analysis results reported in this study showed that PT-char contains a low concentration of essential plant elements (P and K) and, therefore, cannot be used for increasing nutrient availability in soils. A low presence of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, and Cd), which may be harmful to the environment at high application rates was also observed. In addition, the results revealed that PT-char contains very high levels of Zn, a widely known phytotoxicity causing agents in plants. However, the study also illustrated that PT-char is made up of a highly aromatic and condensed carbon structure. PT-char is therefore highly stable, less prone to microbial degradation, and has a low chemical reactivity in soils. Considering these characteristics, PT-char meets the requirements for use as a carbon sequestration agent, which may be useful in mitigating climate change.

Keywords: agriculture, carbon sequestration, physicochemical analysis, pyrolytic tire char, soil amendment.

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Authors: Jun-Ki Choi

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The usage of valuable resources and the potential for waste generation at the end of the life cycle of photovoltaic (PV) technologies necessitate a proactive planning for a PV recycling infrastructure. To ensure the sustainability of PV in large scales of deployment, it is vital to develop and institute low-cost recycling technologies and infrastructure for the emerging PV industry in parallel with the rapid commercialization of these new technologies. There are various issues involved in the economics of PV recycling and this research examine those at macro and micro levels, developing a holistic interpretation of the economic viability of the PV recycling systems. This study developed mathematical models to analyze the profitability of recycling technologies and to guide tactical decisions for allocating optimal location of PV take-back centers (PVTBC), necessary for the collection of end of life products. The economic decision is usually based on the level of the marginal capital cost of each PVTBC, cost of reverse logistics, distance traveled, and the amount of PV waste collected from various locations. Results illustrated that the reverse logistics costs comprise a major portion of the cost of PVTBC; PV recycling centers can be constructed in the optimally selected locations to minimize the total reverse logistics cost for transporting the PV wastes from various collection facilities to the recycling center. In the micro- process level, automated recycling processes should be developed to handle the large amount of growing PV wastes economically. The market price of the reclaimed materials are important factors for deciding the profitability of the recycling process and this illustrates the importance of the recovering the glass and expensive metals from PV modules.

Keywords: photovoltaic, recycling, mathematical models, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: T. Patcharawit, C. Kansomket, N. Wongnaree, W. Kritsrikan, T. Yingnakorn, S. Khumkoa

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Recovery of pure copper and silver from end-of-life photovoltaic panels was investigated in this paper using an effective hybrid pyro-hydrometallurgical process. In the first step of waste treatment, solar panel waste was first dismantled to obtain a PV sheet to be cut and calcined at 500°C, to separate out PV ribbon from glass cullet, ash, and volatile while the silicon wafer containing silver finger was collected for recovery. In the second step of metal recovery, copper recovery from photovoltaic ribbon was via 1-3 M HCl leaching with SnCl₂ and H₂O₂ additions in order to remove the tin-lead coating on the ribbon. The leached copper band was cleaned and subsequently melted as an anode for the next step of electrorefining. Stainless steel was set as the cathode with CuSO₄ as an electrolyte, and at a potential of 0.2 V, high purity copper of 99.93% was obtained at 96.11% recovery after 24 hours. For silver recovery, the silicon wafer containing silver finger was leached using HNO₃ at 1-4 M in an ultrasonic bath. In the next step of precipitation, silver chloride was then obtained and subsequently reduced by sucrose and NaOH to give silver powder prior to oxy-acetylene melting to finally obtain pure silver metal. The integrated recycling process is considered to be economical, providing effective recovery of high purity metals such as copper and silver while other materials such as aluminum, copper wire, glass cullet can also be recovered to be reused commercially. Compounds such as PbCl₂ and SnO₂ obtained can also be recovered to enter the market.

Keywords: electrorefining, leaching, calcination, PV ribbon, silver finger, solar panel

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Authors: Josef Fládr, Jiří Němeček, Veronika Koudelková, Petr Bílý

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Mechanical parameters of cementitious composites differ quite significantly based on the composition of cement matrix. They are also influenced by mixing times and procedure. The research presented in this paper was aimed at identification of differences in microstructure of normal strength (NSC) and differently mixed high strength (HSC) cementitious composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation together with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) phase analysis of NSC and HSC samples was conducted. Evaluation of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the aggregate and cement matrix was performed. Volume share, thickness, porosity and composition of ITZ were studied. In case of HSC, samples obtained by several different mixing procedures were compared in order to find the most suitable procedure. In case of NSC, ITZ was identified around 40-50% of aggregate grains and its thickness typically ranged between 10 and 40 µm. Higher porosity and lower share of clinker was observed in this area as a result of increased water-to-cement ratio (w/c) and the lack of fine particles improving the grading curve of the aggregate. Typical ITZ with lower content of Ca was observed only in one HSC sample, where it was developed around less than 15% of aggregate grains. The typical thickness of ITZ in this sample was similar to ITZ in NSC (between 5 and 40 µm). In the remaining four HSC samples, no ITZ was observed. In general, the share of ITZ in HSC samples was found to be significantly smaller than in NSC samples. As ITZ is the weakest part of the material, this result explains to large extent the improved mechanical properties of HSC compared to NSC. Based on the comparison of characteristics of ITZ in HSC samples prepared by different mixing procedures, the most suitable mixing procedure from the point of view of properties of ITZ was identified.

Keywords: electron diffraction spectroscopy, high strength concrete, interfacial transition zone, normal strength concrete, scanning electron microscopy

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Authors: Ronita Singh, Yaman Pattanaik, Soham Lalwala

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In today’s highly competitive business environment, every organization is striving towards lean manufacturing systems to achieve lower Production Lead Times, lower costs, less inventory and overall improvement in supply chains efficiency. Based on the similar idea, this paper presents the practical application of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) tool and ECRS (Eliminate, Combine, Reduce, and Simplify) technique in the receipt section of the material management center of an oil refinery. A value stream is an assortment of all actions (value added as well as non-value added) that are required to bring a product through the essential flows, starting with raw material and ending with the customer. For drawing current state value stream mapping, all relevant data of the receipt cycle has been collected and analyzed. Then analysis of current state map has been done for determining the type and quantum of waste at every stage which helped in ascertaining as to how far the warehouse is from the concept of lean manufacturing. From the results achieved by current VSM, it was observed that the two processes- Preparation of GRN (Goods Receipt Number) and Preparation of UD (Usage Decision) are both bottle neck operations and have higher cycle time. This root cause analysis of various types of waste helped in designing a strategy for step-wise implementation of lean tools. The future state thus created a lean flow of materials at the warehouse center, reducing the lead time of the receipt cycle from 11 days to 7 days and increasing overall efficiency by 27.27%.

Keywords: current VSM, ECRS, future VSM, receipt cycle, supply chain, VSM

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Authors: Ricky Saputra, Rashmi Walvekar, Mohammad Khalid, Kaveh Shahbaz, Suganti Ramarad

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This particular study of interest aims to study the effect of coupling ultrasonic treatment with eutectic solvents in devulcanization process of waste rubber tyre. Specifically, three different types of Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) were utilized, namely ChCl:Urea (1:2), ChCl:ZnCl₂ (1:2) and ZnCl₂:urea (2:7) in which their physicochemical properties were analysed and proven to have permissible water content that is less than 3.0 wt%, degradation temperature below 200ᵒC and freezing point below 60ᵒC. The mass ratio of rubber to DES was varied from 1:20-1:40, sonicated for 1 hour at 37 kHz and heated at variable time of 5-30 min at 180ᵒC. Energy dispersive x-rays (EDX) results revealed that the first two DESs give the highest degree of sulphur removal at 74.44 and 76.69% respectively with optimum heating time at 15 minutes whereby if prolonged, reformation of crosslink network would be experienced. Such is supported by the evidence shown by both FTIR and FESEM results where di-sulfide peak reappears at 30 minutes and morphological structures from 15 to 30 minutes change from smooth with high voidage to rigid with low voidage respectively. Furthermore, TGA curve reveals similar phenomena whereby at 15 minutes thermal decomposition temperature is at the lowest due to the decrease of molecular weight as a result of sulphur removal but increases back at 30 minutes. Type of bond change was also analysed whereby it was found that only di-sulphide bond was cleaved and which indicates partial-devulcanization. Overall, the results show that DES has a great potential to be used as devulcanizing solvent.

Keywords: crosslink network, devulcanization, eutectic solvents, reformation, ultrasonic

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Authors: L. Marcos Domínguez, Nils Rage, Ongun B. Kazanci, Bjarne W. Olesen

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Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) have proven to be an energy-efficient solution to provide buildings with an optimal indoor thermal environment. This solution uses the structure of the building to store heat, reduce the peak loads, and decrease the primary energy demand. TABS require the heated or cooled surfaces to be as exposed as possible to the indoor space, but exposing the bare concrete surfaces has a diminishing effect on the acoustic qualities of the spaces in a building. Acoustic solutions capable of providing optimal acoustic comfort and allowing the heat exchange between the TABS and the room are desirable. In this study, the effects of free-hanging units on the cooling performance of TABS and the occupants’ thermal comfort was measured in a full-scale TABS laboratory. Investigations demonstrate that the use of free-hanging sound absorbers are compatible with the performance of TABS and the occupant’s thermal comfort, but an appropriate acoustic design is needed to find the most suitable solution for each case. The results show a reduction of 11% of the cooling performance of the TABS when 43% of the ceiling area is covered with free-hanging horizontal sound absorbers, of 23% for 60% ceiling coverage ratio and of 36% for 80% coverage. Measurements in actual buildings showed an increase of the room operative temperature of 0.3 K when 50% of the ceiling surface is covered with horizontal panels and of 0.8 to 1 K for a 70% coverage ratio. According to numerical simulations using a new TRNSYS Type, the use of comfort ventilation has a considerable influence on the thermal conditions in the room; if the ventilation is removed, then the operative temperature increases by 1.8 K for a 60%-covered ceiling.

Keywords: acoustic comfort, concrete core activation, full-scale measurements, thermally activated building systems, TRNSys

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Authors: Anna Rinaldi, Pierfrancesco Dellino

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COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy can be observed at different rates in different countries. In June 2021, 1,068 people were surveyed in France and Italy to inquire about individual potential acceptance, focusing on time preferences in a risk-return framework: having the vaccination today, in a month, and in 3 months; perceived risks of vaccination and COVID-19; and expected benefit of the vaccine. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to understand how everyday stimuli like fact-based news about vaccines impact an audience's acceptance of vaccination. The main experiment involved two groups of participants and two different articles about vaccine-related thrombosis taken from two Italian newspapers. One article used a more abstract description and language, and the other used a more anecdotal description and concrete language; each group read only one of these articles. Two other groups were assigned categorization tasks; one was asked to complete a concrete categorization task, and the other an abstract categorization task. Individual preferences for vaccination were found to be variable and unstable over time, and individual choices of accepting, refusing, or delaying could be affected by the way news is written. In order to understand these dynamic preferences, the present work proposes a new model based on seven categories of human behaviors that were validated by a neural network. A treatment effect was observed: participants who read the articles shifted to vaccine hesitancy categories more than participants assigned to other treatments and control. Furthermore, there was a significant gender effect, showing that the type of language leading to a lower hesitancy rate for men is correlated with a higher hesitancy rate for women and vice versa. This outcome should be taken into consideration for an appropriate gender-based communication campaign aimed at achieving herd immunity. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05582564 (17/10/2022).

Keywords: vaccine hesitancy, risk elicitation, neural network, covid19

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Authors: Mogens Saberi

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This paper presents different design approaches for the design of turbine foundations. In the design process, several unknown factors must be considered such as the soil stiffness at the site. The main static and dynamic loads are presented and the results of a dynamic simulation are presented for a turbine foundation that is currently being built. A turbine foundation is an important part of a power plant since a non-optimal behavior of the foundation can damage the turbine itself and thereby stop the power production with large consequences.

Keywords: dynamic turbine design, harmonic response analysis, practical turbine design experience, concrete foundation

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Authors: Pesaru Vigneshwar Reddy, Parvathaneni Pavan

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Green organic chemistry which is the latest and one of the most researched topics now-a- days has been in demand since 1990’s. Majority of the research in green organic chemistry chemicals are some of the important starting materials for greater number of major chemical industries. The production of organic chemicals has raw materials (or) reagents for other application is major sector of manufacturing polymers, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, paints, artificial fibers, food additives etc. organic synthesis on a large scale compound to the labratory scale, involves the use of energy, basic chemical ingredients from the petro chemical sectors, catalyst and after the end of the reaction, seperation, purification, storage, packing distribution etc. During these processes there are many problems of health and safety for workers in addition to the environmental problems caused there by use and deposition as waste. Green chemistry with its 12 principles would like to see changes in conventional way that were used for decades to make synthetic organic chemical and the use of less toxic starting materials. Green chemistry would like to increase the efficiency of synthetic methods, to use less toxic solvents, reduce the stage of synthetic routes and minimize waste as far as practically possible. In this way, organic synthesis will be part of the effort for sustainable development Green chemistry is also interested for research and alternatives innovations on many practical aspects of organic synthesis in the university and research labaratory of institutions. By changing the methodologies of organic synthesis, health and safety will be advanced in the small scale laboratory level but also will be extended to the industrial large scale production a process through new techniques. The three key developments in green chemistry include the use of super critical carbondioxide as green solvent, aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an oxidising agent and use of hydrogen in asymmetric synthesis. It also focuses on replacing traditional methods of heating with that of modern methods of heating like microwaves traditions, so that carbon foot print should reduces as far as possible. Another beneficiary of this green chemistry is that it will reduce environmental pollution through the use of less toxic reagents, minimizing of waste and more bio-degradable biproducts. In this present paper some of the basic principles, approaches, and early achievements of green chemistry has a branch of chemistry that studies the laws of passing of chemical reactions is also considered, with the summarization of green chemistry principles. A discussion about E-factor, old and new synthesis of ibuprofen, microwave techniques, and some of the recent advancements also considered.

Keywords: energy, e-factor, carbon foot print, micro-wave, sono-chemistry, advancement

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Authors: M. A. Elbagermia, A. I. Alajtala, M. Alkerzab

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This study compares the quality of different brands of Portland Cement (PC) available in Libyan market. The amounts of chemical constituents like SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, SO3, and Lime Saturation Factor (LSF) were determined in accordance with Libyan (L.S.S) and Amrican (A.S.S) Standard Specifications. All the cement studies were found to be good for concrete work especially where no special property is required. The chemical and mineralogical analyses for studied clinker samples show that the dominant phases composition are C3S and C2S while the C3A and C4AF are less abundant.

Keywords: Portland cement, chemical composition, Libyan market, X-Ray fluorescence

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Authors: Palash Kumar Mollick, Leire Olazar, Laura Santamaria, Pablo Comendador, Manomita Mollick, Gartzen Lopez, Martin Olazar

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The entire world is skeptical towards a silver line technology of converting plastic waste into valuable synthetic gas. At this junction, besides an adequately studied conventional catalytic process for steam reforming, a non-thermal plasma is being introduced. Organic volatiles are produced in the first step, pyrolysing the plastic materials. Resultant lightweight olefins and carbon monoxide are the major components that undergo a steam reforming process to achieve syngas. A non-thermal plasma consists of ionized gases and free electrons with an electronic temperature as high as 10³ K. Organic volatiles are, in general, endorganics inactive and thus demand huge bond-breaking energy. Conventional catalyst is incapable of providing the required activation energy, leading to poor thermodynamic equilibrium, whereas a non-thermal plasma can actively collide with reactants to produce a rich mix of reactive species, including vibrationally or electronically excited molecules, radicals, atoms, and ions. In addition, non-thermal plasma provides nonequilibrium conditions leading to electric discharge only in certain degrees of freedom without affecting the intrinsic chemical conditions of the participating reactants and products. In this work, we report thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the conversion of organic volatiles into syngas using a non-thermal plasma. Detailed characteristics of plasma and its effect on the overall yield of the process will be presented.

Keywords: non thermal plasma, plasma catalysis, steam reforming, syngas, plastic waste, green energy

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Authors: Peng Zhang, Cai Liang

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The non-biodegradable plastic wastes have posed severe environmental and ecological contaminations. Numerous technologies, such as pyrolysis, incineration, and landfilling, have already been employed for the treatment of plastic waste. Compared with conventional methods, microwave has displayed unique advantages in the rapid production of hydrogen from plastic wastes. Understanding the interaction between microwave radiation and materials would promote the optimization of several parameters for the microwave reaction system. In this work, various carbon materials have been investigated to reveal microwave heating performance and the ensuing catalytic activity. Results showed that the diversity in the heating characteristic was mainly due to the dielectric properties and the individual microstructures. Furthermore, the gaps and steps among the surface of carbon materials would lead to the distortion of the electromagnetic field, which correspondingly induced plasma discharging. The intensity and location of local plasma were also studied. For high-yield H₂ production, iron nanoparticles were selected as the active sites, and a series of iron/carbon bifunctional catalysts were synthesized. Apart from the high catalytic activity, the iron particles in nano-size close to the microwave skin depth would transfer microwave irradiation to the heat, intensifying the decomposition of plastics. Under microwave radiation, iron is supported on activated carbon material with 10wt.% loading exhibited the best catalytic activity for H₂ production. Specifically, the plastics were rapidly heated up and subsequently converted into H₂ with a hydrogen efficiency of 85%. This work demonstrated a deep understanding of microwave reaction systems and provided the optimization for plastic treatment.

Keywords: plastic waste, recycling, hydrogen, microwave

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Authors: Subhasree Majumdar, Sovan Dey, Sayari Mukherjee, Sourav Dutta, Dalia Dasgupta Mandal

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Bacterial isolates from Planococcus genus are known for the production of yellowish orange pigment that belongs to the carotenoid family. These pigments are of immense pharmacological importance as antioxidant, anticancer, eye and liver protective agent, etc. The production of this pigment in a cost effective manner is a challenging task. The present study explored paper mill sludge (PMS), a solid lignocellulosic waste generated in large quantities from pulp and paper mill industry as a substrate for carotenoid pigment production by Planococcus sp. TRC1. PMS was compared in terms of efficacy with sugarcane bagasse, which is a highly explored substrate for valuable product generation via solid state fermentation. The results showed that both the biomasses yielded the highest carotenoid during 48 hours of incubation, 31.6 mg/gm and 42.1 mg/gm for PMS and bagasse respectively. Compositional alterations of both the biomasses showed reduction in lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose content by 41%, 15%, 1% for PMS and 38%, 25% and 6% for sugarcane bagasse after 72 hours of incubation. Structural changes in the biomasses were examined by FT-IR, FESEM, and XRD which further confirmed modification of solid biomasses by bacterial isolate. This study revealed the potential of PMS to act as cheap substrate for carotenoid pigment production by Planococcus sp. TRC1, as it showed a significant production in comparison to sugarcane bagasse which gave only 1.3 fold higher production than PMS. Delignification of PMS by TRC1 during pigment production is another important finding for the reuse of this waste from the paper industry.

Keywords: carotenoid, lignocellulosic, paper mill sludge, Planococcus sp. TRC1, solid state fermentation, sugarcane bagasse

Procedia PDF Downloads 233

Authors: A. Zh. Aupova, A. Ulankyzy, A. Sarsenova, A. Kussayin, Sh. Turarbek, N. Moldagulova, A. Kurmanbayev

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One of the methods of organic waste bioconversion into environmentally-friendly fertilizer is composting. Microorganisms that produce hydrolytic enzymes play a significant role in accelerating the process of organic waste composting. We studied the enzymatic potential (amylase, protease, cellulase, lipase, urease activity) of bacteria isolated from the sewage sludge of Nur-Sultan, Rudny, and Fort-Shevchenko cities, the dacha soil of Nur-Sultan city, and freshly cut grass from the dacha for processing organic waste and identifying active strains. Microorganism isolation was carried out by the cultures enrichment method on liquid nutrient media, followed by inoculating on different solid media to isolate individual colonies. As a result, sixty-one microorganisms were isolated, three of which were thermophiles (DS1, DS2, and DS3). The highest number of isolates, twenty-one and eighteen, were isolated from sewage sludge of Nur-Sultan and Rudny cities, respectively. Ten isolates were isolated from the wastewater of the sewage treatment plant in Fort-Shevchenko. From the dacha soil of Nur-Sultan city and freshly cut grass - 9 and 5 isolates were revealed, respectively. The lipolytic, proteolytic, amylolytic, cellulolytic, ureolytic, and oil-oxidizing activities of isolates were studied. According to the results of experiments, starch hydrolysis (amylolytic activity) was found in 2 isolates - CB2/2, and CB2/1. Three isolates - CB2, CB2/1, and CB1/1 were selected for the highest ability to break down casein. Among isolated 61 bacterial cultures, three isolates could break down fats - CB3, CBG1/1, and IL3. Seven strains had cellulolytic activity - DS1, DS2, IL3, IL5, P2, P5, and P3. Six isolates rapidly decomposed urea. Isolate P1 could break down casein and cellulose. Isolate DS3 was a thermophile and had cellulolytic activity. Thus, based on the conducted studies, 15 isolates were selected as a potential for sewage sludge composting - CB2, CB3, CB1/1, CB2/2, CBG1/1, CB2/1, DS1, DS2, DS3, IL3, IL5, P1, P2, P5, P3. Selected strains were identified on a mass spectrometer (Maldi-TOF). The isolate - CB 3 was referred to the genus Rhodococcus rhodochrous; two isolates CB2 and CB1 / 1 - to Bacillus cereus, CB 2/2 - to Cryseobacterium arachidis, CBG 1/1 - to Pseudoxanthomonas sp., CB2/1 - to Bacillus megaterium, DS1 - to Pediococcus acidilactici, DS2 - to Paenibacillus residui, DS3 - to Brevibacillus invocatus, three strains IL3, P5, P3 - to Enterobacter cloacae, two strains IL5, P2 - to Ochrobactrum intermedium, and P1 - Bacillus lichenoformis. Hence, 60 isolates were isolated from the wastewater of the cities of Nur-Sultan, Rudny, Fort-Shevchenko, the dacha soil of Nur-Sultan city, and freshly cut grass from the dacha. Based on the highest enzymatic activity, 15 active isolates were selected and identified. These strains may become the candidates for bio preparation for sewage sludge processing.

Keywords: sewage sludge, composting, bacteria, enzymatic activity

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Authors: Huashan Tai, Chien-Hui Lung

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Nowadays people use massive fossil fuels which not only cause environmental impacts and global climate change, but also cause the depletion of non-renewable energy such as coal and oil. Bioenergy is currently the most widely used renewable energy, and agricultural waste is one of the main raw materials for bioenergy. In this study, we use orange peel residue, which is easier to collect from agricultural waste to produce bio-coal by torrefaction. The orange peel residue (with 25 to 30% moisture) was treated by torrefaction, and the experiments were conducted with initial temperature at room temperature (approximately at 25° C), with heating rates of 10, 30, and 50°C / min, with terminal temperatures at 150, 200, 250, 300, 350℃, and with residence time of 10, 20, and 30 minutes. The results revealed that the heating value, ash content and energy densification ratio of the solid products after torrefaction are in direct proportion to terminal temperatures and residence time, and are inversely proportional to heating rates. The moisture content, solid mass yield, energy yield, and volumetric energy density of the solid products after torrefaction are inversely proportional to terminal temperatures and residence time, and are in direct proportion to heating rates. In conclusion, we found that the heating values of the solid products were 1.3 times higher than those of the raw orange peels before torrefaction, and the volumetric energy densities were increased by 1.45 times under operating parameters with terminal temperature at 250°C, residence time of 10 minutes, and heating rate of 10°C / min of torrefaction. The results indicated that the residue of orange peel treated by torrefaction improved its energy density and fuel properties, and became more suitable for bio-fuel applications.

Keywords: biomass energy, orange, torrefaction

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Authors: Petri Kouvo, Aino Kainulainen, Kimmo Koivunen

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Separate collection system for recyclable wastes in the Helsinki region was ranked second best of European capitals. The collection system includes paper, cardboard, glass, metals and biowaste. Residual waste is collected and used in energy production. The collection system excluding paper is managed by the Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY, a public organization owned by four municipalities (Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa). Paper collection is handled by the producer responsibility scheme. The efficiency of the collection system in the Helsinki region relies on a good coverage of door-to-door-collection. All properties with 10 or more dwelling units are required to source separate biowaste and cardboard. This covers about 75% of the population of the area. The obligation is extended to glass and metal in properties with 20 or more dwelling units. Other success factors include public awareness campaigns and a fee system that encourages recycling. As a result of waste management regulations for source separation of recyclables and biowaste, nearly 50 percent of recycling rate of household waste has been reached. For households and small and medium size enterprises, there is a sorting station fleet of five stations available. More than 50 percent of wastes received at sorting stations is utilized as material. The separate collection of plastic packaging in Finland will begin in 2016 within the producer responsibility scheme. HSY started supplementing the national bring point system with door-to-door-collection and pilot operations will begin in spring 2016. The result of plastic packages pilot project has been encouraging. Until the end of 2016, over 3500 apartment buildings have been joined the piloting, and more than 1800 tons of plastic packages have been collected separately. In the summer 2015 a novel partial flow digestion process combining digestion and tunnel composting was adopted for source separated household and commercial biowaste management. The product gas form digestion process is converted in to heat and electricity in piston engine and organic Rankine cycle process with very high overall efficiency. This paper describes the efficient collection system and discusses key success factors as well as main obstacles and lessons learned as well as the partial flow process for biowaste management.

Keywords: biowaste, HSY, MSW, plastic packages, recycling, separate collection

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Authors: Eva Ujaczki, Rama Krishna Chinnam, Ronan Courtney, Syed A. M. Tofail, Lisa O'Donoghue

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Concrete is the second most widely used material in the world and is made of cement, sand, and aggregates. Cement is a hydraulic binder which reacts with water to form a solid material. In the cement manufacturing process, the right mix of minerals from mined natural rocks, e.g., limestone is melted in a kiln at 1450 °C to form a new compound, clinker. In the final stage, the clinker is milled into a fine cement powder. The principal cement types manufactured in Ireland are: 1) CEM I – Portland cement; 2) CEM II/A – Portland-fly ash cement; 3) CEM II/A – Portland-limestone cement and 4) CEM III/A – Portland-round granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). The production of eco-efficient, blended cement (CEM II, CEM III) reduces CO₂ emission and improves energy efficiency compared to traditional cements. Blended cements are produced locally in Ireland and more than 80% of produced cement is blended. These eco-efficient, blended cements are a relatively new class of construction materials and a kind of geopolymer binders. From a terminological point of view, geopolymer cement is a binding system that is able to harden at room temperature. Geopolymers do not require calcium-silicate-hydrate gel but utilize the polycondensation of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ precursors to achieve a superior strength level. Geopolymer materials are usually synthesized using an aluminosilicate raw material and an activating solution which is mainly composed of NaOH or KOH and Na₂SiO₃. Cement is the essential ingredient in concrete which is vital for economic growth of countries. The challenge for the global cement industry is to reach to increasing demand at the same time recognize the need for sustainable usage of resources. Therefore, in this research, we investigated the potential for Irish wastes to be used in geopolymer cement type applications through a national stakeholder workshop with the Irish construction sector and relevant stakeholders. This paper aims at summarizing Irish stakeholder’s perspective for introducing new secondary raw materials, e.g., bauxite residue or increasing the fly ash addition into cement for eco-efficient cement production.

Keywords: eco-efficient, cement, geopolymer, blending

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Authors: Hanan Fayez Hussein

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‘Due to increasing environmental challenges and security problems in the world such as global warming, storms, and terrorism’, humans have discovered new technologies and new materials in order to program daily life. As providing physical and psychological security is one of the primary functions of architecture, so in order to provide security, building must prevents unauthorized entry and harm to occupant and reduce the threat of attack by making building less attractive targets by new technologies such as; Nanotechnology, which has emerged as a major science and technology focus of the 21st century and will be the next industrial revolution. Nanotechnology is control of the properties of matter, and it deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller in at least one dimension and has wide application in various fields. The construction and architecture sectors were among the first to be identified as a promising application area for nanotechnology. The advantages of using nanomaterials in construction are enormous, and promises heighten building security by utilizing the strength of building materials to make our buildings more secure and get smart home. Access barriers such as wall and windows could incorporate stronger materials benefiting from nano-reinforcement utilizing nanotubes and nano composites to act as protective cover. Carbon nanotubes, as one of nanotechnology application, can be designed up to 250 times stronger than steel. Nano-enabled devices and materials offer both enhanced and, in some cases, completely new defence systems. In the addition, the small amount of carbon nanoparticles to the construction materials such as; cement, concrete, wood, glass, gypson, and steel can make these materials act as defence elements. This paper highlights the fact that nanotechnology can impact the future global security and how building’s envelop can act as a defensive cover for the building and can be resistance to any threats can attack it. Then focus on its effect on construction materials such as; Concrete can obtain by nanoadditives excellent mechanical, chemical, and physical properties with less material, which can acts as a precautionary shield to the building.

Keywords: nanomaterial, global warming, building security, smart homes

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Authors: Arturo Reyes Roman, Daniza Castillo Godoy, Francisca Balarezo Olivares, Francisco Arriagada Castro, Miguel Maulen Tapia

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Mining waste–based geopolymers are a sustainable alternative to conventional cement materials due to their contribution to the valorization of mining wastes as well as to the new construction materials with reduced fingerprints. The objective of this study was to determine the potential of leaching gravel (LG) from hydrometallurgical copper processing to be used as a raw material in the manufacture of geopolymer. NaOH, Na2SiO3 (modulus 1.5), and LG were mixed and then wetted with an appropriate amount of tap water, then stirred until a homogenous paste was obtained. A liquid/solid ratio of 0.3 was used for preparing mixtures. The paste was then cast in cubic moulds of 50 mm for the determination of compressive strengths. The samples were left to dry for 24h at room temperature, then unmoulded before analysis after 28 days of curing time. The compressive test was conducted in a compression machine (15/300 kN). According to the laser diffraction spectroscopy (LDS) analysis, 90% of LG particles were below 500 μm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis identified crystalline phases of albite (30 %), Quartz (16%), Anorthite (16 %), and Phillipsite (14%). The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) determinations showed mainly 55% of SiO2, 13 % of Al2O3, and 9% of CaO. ICP (OES) concentrations of Fe, Ca, Cu, Al, As, V, Zn, Mo, and Ni were 49.545; 24.735; 6.172; 14.152, 239,5; 129,6; 41,1;15,1, and 13,1 mg kg-1, respectively. The geopolymer samples showed resistance ranging between 2 and 10 MPa. In comparison with the raw material composition, the amorphous percentage of materials in the geopolymer was 35 %, whereas the crystalline percentage of main mineral phases decreased. Further studies are needed to find the optimal combinations of materials to produce a more resistant and environmentally safe geopolymer. Particularly are necessary compressive resistance higher than 15 MPa are necessary to be used as construction unit such as bricks.

Keywords: mining waste, geopolymer, construction material, alkaline activation

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Authors: Muhammad Faisal, Zai-Jin You, Muhammad Naeem

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Concerns about the environment, public health, and the economy are raised by the fact that the world produces around 6 trillion cigarettes annually. Arguably the most pervasive forms of environmental litter, this dangerous trash must be eliminated. The researchers wanted to get an idea of how much pollution is seeping out of cigarette butts in metropolitan areas by studying their distribution and concentration. In order to accomplish this goal, the cigarette butt pollution indicator was applied in 29 different areas. The locations were monitored monthly for a full calendar year. The conditions for conducting the investigation of the venues were the same on both weekends and during the weekdays. By averaging the metal leakage ratio in various climates and the average weight of cigarette butts, we were able to estimate the total amount of heavy metal leakage. The findings revealed that the annual average value of the index for the areas that were investigated ranged from 1.38 to 10.4. According to these numbers, just 27.5% of the areas had a low pollution rating, while 43.5% had a major pollution status or worse. Weekends witnessed the largest fall (31% on average) in all locations' indices, while spring and summer saw the largest increase (26% on average) compared to autumn and winter. It was calculated that the average amount of heavy metals such as Cr, Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb that seep into the environment from discarded cigarette butts in commercial, residential, and park areas, respectively, is 0.25 µg/m2, 0.078 µg/m2, and 0.18 µg/m2. Butt from cigarettes is one of the most prevalent forms of litter in the area that was examined. This litter is the origin of a wide variety of contaminants, including heavy metals. This toxic garbage poses a significant risk to the city.

Keywords: heavy metal, hazardous waste, waste management, litter

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