Search results for: environmental pOllution

Authors: Sharareh Hekmat, Michelle Lane

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Pregnancy during adolescence affects both the growth and development of mother and baby, particularly in low socioeconomic and food insecure areas. This mixed methods study is aimed at discovering a need for a community-based probiotic yogurt program to assist pregnant women in the Mukuru slum Nairobi, Kenya. Surveys were conducted with pregnant women (14-25 years old, n=43), which included questionnaires on dietary intake, food access, and health/quality of life perception. The frequency and means procedure was used to analyze maternal characteristics, Women’s Dietary Diversity Score (WDDS) and Household Hunger Scale. 24-hour recalls were analyzed via ESHA Food Processor, and median nutrient intakes were reported as a percent of recommendations. An environmental scan was conducted to assess food availability, accessibility, and quality. WDDS reflected a low-moderate diet variation (3.86 food groups out of 9, SD ± 1.3) among the women. The 24-hour recall suggested an inadequate intake of many nutrients, most significantly B12, potassium and calcium. 86% of women reported little to no household hunger. However, the environmental scan revealed low quality and poor sanitation of food. This study provides evidence that a probiotic program would be desirable, and contribute to the nutritional status of women in the Mukuru community.

Keywords: dietary diversity, pregnant women, probiotics, urban slum, Kenya

Procedia PDF Downloads 193

Authors: Mina Dabirinezhad, Mohsen Bayat Pour, Amin Dabirinejad

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This paper is intended to introduce the technology to solve some of the deficiencies of the direct digital radiology. Nowadays, digital radiology is the latest progression in dental imaging, which has become an essential part of dentistry. There are two main parts of the direct digital radiology comprised of an intraoral X-ray machine and a sensor (digital image receptor). The dentists and the dental nurses experience afflictions during the taking image process by the direct digital X-ray machine. For instance, sometimes they need to readjust the sensor in the mouth of the patient to take the X-ray image again due to the low quality of that. Another problem is, the position of the sensor may move in the mouth of the patient and it triggers off an inappropriate image for the dentists. It means that it is a time-consuming process for dentists or dental nurses. On the other hand, taking several the X-ray images brings some problems for the patient such as being harmful to their health and feeling pain in their mouth due to the pressure of the sensor to the jaw. The author provides a technology to solve the above-mentioned issues that is called “Self-Recognition Direct Digital Radiology” (SDDR). This technology is based on the principle that the intraoral X-ray machine is capable to diagnose the location of the sensor in the mouth of the patient automatically. In addition, to solve the aforementioned problems, SDDR technology brings out fewer environmental impacts in comparison to the previous version.

Keywords: Dental direct digital imaging, digital image receptor, digital x-ray machine, and environmental impacts

Procedia PDF Downloads 142

Authors: Farid Eltom A. E., Mustafa Abdul-Halim, Abdalla Markaz, Sami Atta, Mohamed Azhari, Ahmed Rashed

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Smart environment sensors integrated with ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) technology can provide a new concept in tracking, sensing, and monitoring objects in the environment. The aim of the study is to evaluate the farm environmental monitoring system based on (IoT) and to realize the automated management of agriculture and the implementation of precision production. Until now, irrigation monitoring operations in Sudan have been carried out using traditional methods, which is a very costly and unreliable mechanism. However, by utilizing soil moisture sensors, irrigation can be conducted only when needed without fear of plant water stress. The result showed that software application allows farmers to display current and historical data on soil moisture and nutrients in the form of line charts. Design measurements of the soil factors: moisture, electrical, humidity, conductivity, temperature, pH, phosphorus, and potassium; these factors, together with a timestamp, are sent to the data server using the Lora WAN interface. It is considered scientifically agreed upon in the modern era that artificial intelligence works to arrange the necessary procedures to take care of the terrain, predict the quality and quantity of production through deep analysis of the various operations in agricultural fields, and also support monitoring of weather conditions.

Keywords: smart environment, monitoring systems, IoT, LoRa Gateway, center pivot

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Authors: Amela Ajanovic, Reinhard Haas

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Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered as an important means to cope with current environmental problems in transport. However, their high capital costs and limited driving ranges state major barriers to a broader market penetration. The core objective of this paper is to investigate the future market prospects of various types of EVs from an economic and ecological point of view. Our method of approach is based on the calculation of total cost of ownership of EVs in comparison to conventional cars and a life-cycle approach to assess the environmental benignity. The most crucial parameters in this context are km driven per year, depreciation time of the car and interest rate. The analysis of future prospects it is based on technological learning regarding investment costs of batteries. The major results are the major disadvantages of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are the high capital costs, mainly due to the battery, and a low driving range in comparison to conventional vehicles. These problems could be reduced with plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and range extenders (REXs). However, these technologies have lower CO₂ emissions in the whole energy supply chain than conventional vehicles, but unlike BEV they are not zero-emission vehicles at the point of use. The number of km driven has a higher impact on total mobility costs than the learning rate. Hence, the use of EVs as taxis and in car-sharing leads to the best economic performance. The most popular EVs are currently full hybrid EVs. They have only slightly higher costs and similar operating ranges as conventional vehicles. But since they are dependent on fossil fuels, they can only be seen as energy efficiency measure. However, they can serve as a bridging technology, as long as BEVs and fuel cell vehicle do not gain high popularity, and together with PHEVs and REX contribute to faster technological learning and reduction in battery costs. Regarding the promotion of EVs, the best results could be reached with a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives, as in Norway for example. The major conclusion is that to harvest the full environmental benefits of EVs a very important aspect is the introduction of CO₂-based fuel taxes. This should ensure that the electricity for EVs is generated from renewable energy sources; otherwise, total CO₂ emissions are likely higher than those of conventional cars.

Keywords: costs, mobility, policy, sustainability,

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Authors: Mehtab Alam, Mudiarasan Kuppusamy, Puvaneswaran Kunaserkaran

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The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap and complete the relationship between tourism destinations and image branding as a choice of edifice foreign policy. Such options became a crucial component for individuals interested in leisure and travel activities. The destination management factors have been evaluated and analyzed using the primary and secondary data in a mixed-methods approach (quantitative sample of 384 and qualitative 8 semi-structured interviews at saturated point). The study chose the Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) and Image Restoration (IR) theories, along with a schematic diagram and an analytical framework supported by NVivo software 12, for two locations in Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan: Shimla Hill and Thandiani. This incorporates the use of PLS-SEM model for assessing validity of data while SPSS for data screening of descriptive statistics. The results show that destination management's promotion of tourism has significantly improved Pakistan's state image. The use of institutional setup, environmental drivers, immigration, security, and hospitality as well as recreational initiatives on destination management is encouraged. The practical ramifications direct the heads of tourism projects, diplomats, directors, and policymakers to complete destination projects before inviting people to Pakistan. The paper provides the extent of knowledge for academic tourism circles to use tourism destinations as brand ambassadors.

Keywords: tourism, management, state image, foreign policy, image branding

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Authors: Lauren Dawson, Sean Comber, Richard Sandford, Alan Tappin, Bruce Stockley

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The West Dart River is underperforming for Salmon (Salmo salar) survival rates due to acidified pH troughs under the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). These troughs have been identified as being caused by historic acid rain pollution which is being held in situ by peat bog presence at site and released during flushing events. Natural recovery has been deemed unlikely by the year 2020 using steady state water chemistry models and therefore a program of monitored calcium carbonate (CaCO3) introductions are being conducted to eliminate these troughs, which can drop to pH 2.93 (salmon survival – pH 5.5). The river should be naturally acidic (pH 5.5-6) due to the granite geology of Dartmoor and therefore the CaCO3 introductions are under new methodology (the encasing of the CaCO3 in permeable sacks) to ensure removal should the water pH rise above neutral levels. The water chemistry and ecology are undergoing comprehensive monitoring, including pH and turbidity levels, dissolved organic carbon and aluminum concentration and speciation, while the aquatic biota is being used to assess the potential water chemistry changes. While this project is ongoing, results from the preliminary field trial show only a temporary, localized increase in pH following CaCO3 introductions into the water column. However, changes to the water chemistry have only been identified in the West Dart after methodology adjustments to account for flow rates and spate-dissolution, though no long-term changes have so far been found in the ecology of the river. However, this is not necessarily a negative factor, as the aim of the study is to protect the current ecological communities and the natural pH of the river while remediating only the detrimental pH troughs.

Keywords: anthropogenic acidification recovery, calcium carbonate introductions, ecology monitoring, water chemistry monitoring

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Authors: Malini Nandi Majumdar, Avijan Dutta

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The West Police (WBP) is restructured under provisions of the Police Act 1861 during the period of British domination. It is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of west Bengal and is headed by an officer designated as Director General of Police (DG) who directly reports to the State Government. It covers a jurisdiction with eighteen revenue districts of the state and a District Superintendent of Police (SP) controls each district. The purpose of this empirical study is to explore the causes and factors of occupational stress in West Bengal Police officers so that the incumbents can perform their assigned tasks more diligently and the society could be free from evils and devils at a large. Using a self-developed close ended questionnaire that covers 20 critical job-related stressors, the study captures 310 respondents across the organizational hierarchy ranging from Sub Inspectors to the Superintendant of police and covers 5 districts and one commision rate under the jurisdiction of West Bengal Police. The present research has successfully indicated four major occupational stressors such as Organizational Stressors, Hierarchical Stressors, Situational Stressors and Environmental Stressors with 64% of the variance. Further we have employed CFA to determine the goodness of fit indices in terms of i) Absolute Fit Measures like CMIN, FMIN, RMSEA, ECVI ii) Incremental Fit Measures like TLI, NFI, AGFI, CFI(Byne, 2010) demonstrate that value of the measure has passed the requirement criteria and thus fit the model. The major stressors of West Bengal Police have been explored and the ways to deal with these inevitable stressors have been suggested.

Keywords: organizational stressors, hierarchical stressors, situational stressors, environmental stressors

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Authors: Solomon Neway Jida, Jean-Francois Hetet, Pascal Chesse

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Vehicular emission is the key source of air pollution in the urban environment. This includes both fine particles (PM_2.5) and coarse particulate matters (PM₁₀). However, particulate matter emissions from road traffic comprise emissions from exhaust tailpipe and emissions due to wear and tear of the vehicle part such as brake, tire and clutch and re-suspension of dust (non-exhaust emission). This study estimates the share of the two sources of pollutant particle emissions from on-roadside vehicles in the Addis Ababa municipality, Ethiopia. To calculate its share, two methods were applied; the exhaust-tailpipe emissions were calculated using the Europeans emission inventory Tier II method and Tier I for the non-exhaust emissions (like vehicle tire wear, brake, and road surface wear). The results show that of the total traffic-related particulate emissions in the city, 63% emitted from vehicle exhaust and the remaining 37% from non-exhaust sources. The annual roads transport exhaust emission shares around 2394 tons of particles from all vehicle categories. However, from the total yearly non-exhaust particulate matter emissions’ contribution, tire and brake wear shared around 65% and 35% emanated by road-surface wear. Furthermore, vehicle tire and brake wear were responsible for annual 584.8 tons of coarse particles (PM₁₀) and 314.4 tons of fine particle matter (PM_2.5) emissions in the city whereas surface wear emissions were responsible for around 313.7 tons of PM₁₀ and 169.9 tons of PM_2.5 pollutant emissions in the city. This suggests that non-exhaust sources might be as significant as exhaust sources and have a considerable contribution to the impact on air quality.

Keywords: Addis Ababa, automotive emission, emission estimation, particulate matters

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Authors: S. Dikmen Kucuk, A. Tozluoglu, Y. Guner

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In recent years, petroleum-based polymers began to be limited due to effects on human and environmental point of view in many countries. Thus, organic-based biodegradable materials have attracted much interest in the composite industry because of environmental concerns. As a result of this, it has been asked that inorganic and petroleum-based materials should be reduced and altered with biodegradable materials. In this point, in this study, it is aimed to investigate the potential of use of TEMPO (2,2,6,6- tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl)-mediated oxidation nano-fibrillated cellulose instead of EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) rubber, which is a petroleum-based material. Thus, the exchange of petroleum-based EPDM rubber with organic based cellulose nanofibers, which are environmentally friendly (green) and biodegradable, will be realized. The effect of tempo-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TCNF) instead of EPDM rubber was analyzed by rheological, mechanical, chemical, thermal and aging analyses. The aged surfaces were visually scrutinized and surface morphological changes were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained showed that TEMPO oxidation nano-fibrillated cellulose can be used at an amount of 1.0 and 2.2 phr resulting the values stay within tolerance according to customer standard and without any chemical degradation, crack, colour change or staining.

Keywords: EPDM, cellulose, green materials, nanofibrillated cellulose, TCNF, tempo-oxidized nanofiber

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Authors: H. M. B. N Jayasinghe

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The water is found almost everywhere on Earth. Water resources contain a lot of pollution. Some diseases can be spread through the water to the living beings. So to be clean water it should undergo a number of treatments necessary to make it drinkable. So it is must to have purification technology for the wastewater. So the waste water treatment plants act a major role in these issues. When considering the procedures taken after the water treatment process was always based on manual calculations and recordings. Water purification plants may interact with lots of manual processes. It means the process taking much time consuming. So the final evaluation and chemical, biological treatment process get delayed. So to prevent those types of drawbacks there are some computerized programmable calculation and analytical techniques going to be introduced to the laboratory staff. To solve this problem automated system will be a solution in which guarantees the rational selection. A decision support system is a way to model data and make quality decisions based upon it. It is widely used in the world for the various kind of process automation. Decision support systems that just collect data and organize it effectively are usually called passive models where they do not suggest a specific decision but only reveal information. This web base system is based on global positioning data adding facility with map location. Most worth feature is SMS and E-mail alert service to inform the appropriate person on a critical issue. The technological influence to the system is HTML, MySQL, PHP, and some other web developing technologies. Current issues in the computerized water chemistry analysis are not much deep in progress. For an example the swimming pool water quality calculator. The validity of the system has been verified by test running and comparison with an existing plant data. Automated system will make the life easier in productively and qualitatively.

Keywords: automated system, wastewater, purification technology, map location

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Authors: N. L. Divya Gayatri

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In India, over 377 million urban people generate 62 million tons of municipal solid waste per annum. Forty-three million tons are collected, 11.9 million are treated and 31 million tons is dumped in landfill sites. The study aims to have an overall understanding of the working and functioning of a sanitary landfill from the siting to the closure stage and identifying various landscape design techniques that can be implemented in a landfill site and come up with a set of guidelines by analyzing the existing policies and guidelines pertaining to landfills. Constituents of municipal solid waste, methods of landfilling, issues, impacts, Mitigation strategies, Landscape design strategies, design approaches towards a landfill, infrastructure requirements, end-use opportunities have been discussed. The objective is to study the ecological and environmental degradation prevention methods, compare various techniques in remediation, study issues in landfill sites in India, analyze scope and opportunities and explore various landscape design strategies. The understanding of the function of landfills with respect to Municipal solid waste and landscaping is conveyed through this study. The study is limited to Landscape design factors in landfill design guidelines and policies mentioned with regard to the issues and impacts specific to the Indian context.

Keywords: sanitary landfill landscaping, environmental impact, municipal solid waste, guidelines, landscape design strategies, landscape design approaches

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Authors: Shiliang Wu, Huanxin Zhang

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Mercury has been well-known for its negative effects on wildlife, public health as well as the ecosystem. Once emitted into atmosphere, mercury can be transformed into different forms or enter the ecosystem through dry deposition or wet deposition. Some fraction of the mercury will be reemitted back into the atmosphere and be subject to the same cycle. In addition, the relatively long lifetime of elemental mercury in the atmosphere enables it to be transported long distances from source regions to receptor regions. Global change such as climate change and land use/land cover change impose significant challenges for mercury pollution control besides the efforts to regulate mercury anthropogenic emissions. In this study, we use a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to examine the potential impacts from changes in climate and land use/land cover on the global budget of mercury as well as its atmospheric transport, chemical transformation, and deposition. We carry out a suite of sensitivity model simulations to separate the impacts on atmospheric mercury associated with changes in climate and land use/land cover. Both climate change and land use/land cover change are found to have significant impacts on global mercury budget but through different pathways. Land use/land cover change primarily increase mercury dry deposition in northern mid-latitudes over continental regions and central Africa. Climate change enhances the mobilization of mercury from soil and ocean reservoir to the atmosphere. Also, dry deposition is enhanced over most continental areas while a change in future precipitation dominates the change in mercury wet deposition. We find that 2000-2050 climate change could increase the global atmospheric burden of mercury by 5% and mercury deposition by up to 40% in some regions. Changes in land use and land cover also increase mercury deposition over some continental regions, by up to 40%. The change in the lifetime of atmospheric mercury has important implications for long-range transport of mercury. Our case study shows that changes in climate and land use and cover could significantly affect the source-receptor relationships for mercury.

Keywords: mercury, toxic pollutant, atmospheric transport, deposition, climate change

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Authors: Monu Verma, Hyunook Kim

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Heavy metals and organic dyes are the major sources of water pollution. Herein, a trifunctional β−cyclodextrin−ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid−chitosan (β−CD−EDTA−CS) polymer was synthesized using an easy and simple chemical route by the reaction of activated β−CD with CS through EDTA as a cross-linker (amidation reaction) for the removal of inorganic and organic pollutants from aqueous solution under different parameters such as pH, time effect, initial concentration, reusability, etc. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analyzer techniques to investigate their structural, functional, morphological, elemental compositions, surface area, and thermal properties, respectively. Two types of heavy metals, i.e., mercury (Hg²⁺) and cadmium (Cd²⁺), and three organic dyes, i.e., methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and safranin O (SO), were chosen as inorganic and organic pollutants, respectively, to study the adsorption capacity of β-CD-EDTA-CS in aqueous solution. The β-CD-EDTA-CS shows a monolayer adsorption capacity of 346.30 ± 14.0 and 202.90 ± 13.90 mg g−¹ for Hg²⁺ and Cd²⁺, respectively, and a heterogeneous adsorption capacity of 107.20 ± 5.70, 77.40 ± 5.30 and 55.30 ± 3.60 mg g−¹ for MB, CV and SO, respectively. Kinetics results followed pseudo-second order (PSO) kinetics behavior for both metal ions and dyes, and higher rate constants values (0.00161–0.00368 g mg−¹ min−¹) for dyes confirmed the cavitation of organic dyes (physisorption). In addition, we have also demonstrated the performance of β-CD-EDTA-CS for the four heavy metals, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺, and three dyes MB, CV, and SO in secondary treated wastewater. The findings of this study indicate that β-CD-EDTA-CS is simple and easy to synthesize and can be used in wastewater treatment.

Keywords: adsorption isotherms, adsorption mechanism, amino-β-cyclodextrin, heavy metal ions, organic dyes

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Authors: Amr Sadek, Abdelrahaman Al-Qahtany, Turkey Salem Al-Qahtany

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In this study, a backpropagation artificial neural network (ANN) model has been used to predict the cooling and heating capacities of air conditioners (AC) under different conditions. Sufficiently large measurement results were obtained from the national energy-efficiency laboratories in Saudi Arabia and were used for the learning process of the ANN model. The parameters affecting the performance of the AC, including temperature, humidity level, specific heat enthalpy indoors and outdoors, and the air volume flow rate of indoor units, have been considered. These parameters were used as inputs for the ANN model, while the cooling and heating capacity values were set as the targets. A backpropagation ANN model with two hidden layers and one output layer could successfully correlate the input parameters with the targets. The characteristics of the ANN model including the input-processing, transfer, neurons-distance, topology, and training functions have been discussed. The performance of the ANN model was monitored over the training epochs and assessed using the mean squared error function. The model was then used to predict the performance of the AC under conditions that were not included in the measurement results. The optimum performance of the AC was also predicted under the different environmental conditions in Saudi Arabia. The uncertainty of the ANN model predictions has been evaluated taking into account the randomness of the data and lack of learning.

Keywords: artificial neural network, uncertainty of model predictions, efficiency of air conditioners, cooling and heating capacities

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Authors: Saqib Warsi

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an essential component of modern communication networks, with IPv6 playing a pivotal role in addressing the challenges posed by the rapidly growing number of connected devices. IPv6 provides an expanded address space, offering a solution to the limitations of IPv4 while enhancing routing efficiency and security. This paper explores the impact of IPv6 in improving IoT communication, focusing on its operational benefits for businesses. Additionally, we examine the integration of green communication principles, which aim to reduce energy consumption and operational costs, thus promoting environmental sustainability and business efficiency. Through qualitative analysis and simulation-based modeling, this paper investigates the benefits of IPv6 in IoT environments and evaluates the role of green communication strategies in optimizing network performance. Traffic measurement tools and network performance simulators were employed to analyze the efficiency, sustainability, and scalability of IPv6 networks. By presenting a comprehensive framework for traffic analysis, modeling, and optimization, this research highlights the potential of combining IPv6 and green communication practices to drive business growth while promoting environmental sustainability. The findings provide valuable insights for businesses adopting more sustainable and efficient communication networks.

Keywords: IPv6, Internet of Things (IoT), green communications, traffic measurement and modeling, network virtualization

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Authors: Nicolas D. Norboge

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Purchasers of municipal bonds in primary and secondary markets are increasingly expecting issuers to disclose environmental, social, and governance factors (ESG) inissuance and continuing disclosure documents. U.S. tolling authorities are slowly catching up with other transportation sectors, such as public transit, in integrating ESG factors into their bond disclosure documents. A systematic mixed-methods evaluation of publicly available bond disclosure documents from 2010-2022 suggest that only a small number of U.S. tolling authorities disclosedall ESG factors; however, the pace has accelerated significantly from 2020-2022. Because many tolling authorities have a direct financial stake in the growth of passenger vehicle miles traveled on their toll facilities, and in turn the burning of more climate-warming fossil fuels, one crucial questionthat remains is how bond purchasers will view increasedESG transparency. Recent moves by large institutional investors, credit rating agencies, and regulators suggestan expectation of ESG disclosure is a trend likely to endure. This researchsuggests tolling authorities will need to proactively consider these emerging trends and carefully adapt their disclosure practiceswhere possible. Building on these findings, this research also provides a basic sketch framework for how issuers can responsibly position themselves within the changing global municipal debt marketplace.

Keywords: debt policy, ESG, municipal bonds, public-private partnerships, public tolling authorities, transportation finance, and policy

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Authors: Khamdan Cahyari, Pratikno Hidayat

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Indonesia has produced more than 1.8 million ton pineapple fruit in 2013 of which turned into waste due to industrial processing, deterioration and low qualities. It was estimated that this waste accounted for more than 40 percent of harvested fruits. In addition, pineapple leaves were one of biomass waste from pineapple farming land, which contributed even higher percentages. Most of the waste was only dumped into landfill area without proper pretreatment causing severe environmental problem. This research was meant to valorize the pineapple waste for producing renewable energy source of biogas through mesophilic (30℃) anaerobic digestion process. Especially, it was aimed to investigate effect of substrate concentration of pineapple fruit waste i.e. peel, core as well as effect of microwave pretreatment of pineapple leaves waste. The concentration of substrate was set at value 12, 24 and 36 g VS/liter culture whereas 800-Watt microwave pretreatment conducted at 2 and 5 minutes. It was noticed that optimum biogas production obtained at concentration 24 g VS/l with biogas yield 0.649 liter/g VS (45%v CH4) whereas microwave pretreatment at 2 minutes duration performed better compare to 5 minutes due to shorter exposure of microwave heat. This results suggested that valorization of pineapple waste could be carried out through biogas production at the aforementioned process condition. Application of this method is able to both reduce the environmental problem of the waste and produce renewable energy source of biogas to fulfill local energy demand of pineapple farming areas.

Keywords: pineapple waste, substrate concentration, microwave pretreatment, biogas, anaerobic digestion

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Authors: Hadach Mohamed

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Tourism becomes more and more a source of added value for developing countries. In Morocco, the sector contributes at 20% of national GDP, or the effects of this activity become increasingly harmful. The methodology we followed is qualitative, we analyzed the data according to a process-based approach in two longitudinal period from 2001 to 2009 and a period of real time from 2010 to 2014.Through a process-based longitudinal study we analyzed the effects of tourism on the three components of sustainability: economic, environmental and socio-cultural in Essaouira destination in the south west of Morocco. The objective of this paper is to identify among others, harmful effects of mass tourism on fragile destination in terms of load capacity, promotion of youth employment and respect for indigenous traditions. This study also aims to analyze the impact of tourism on the fragile destination, which depends heavily on this activity; it also seeks to test a series of indicators for sustainable development of sensitive areas. Within results, we found that tourism as an activity is very linked to the international situation, tested sustainable development indicators showed us that tourism is environmentally destructive, job creator and changer modes and lives of indigenous. Between the two periods analyzed, the situation becomes more and more vulnerable and the state intervention is becoming more indispensable. We also found that 70% of the population of the destination does not benefit from the income generated by the destination. This raises questions about the fate of the added value of this activity.

Keywords: economic, environmental and socio-cultural, fragile destination, tourism sustainability

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Authors: Abhishek Khupsare, Ajay Parmar, Ajay Agarwal, Swapnil Wanjari

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The extreme demand for aggregate leads to the exploitation of river-bed for fine aggregates, affecting the environment adversely. Therefore, a suitable alternative to natural river sand is essentially required. This study focuses on preventing environmental impact by developing polymer sand to replace natural river sand (NRS). Development of polymer sand by mixing high volume fly ash, bottom ash, cement, natural river sand, and locally purchased high solid content polycarboxylate ether-based superplasticizer (HS-PCE). All the physical and chemical properties of polymer sand (P-Sand) were observed and satisfied the requirement of the Indian Standard code. P-Sand yields good specific gravity of 2.31 and is classified as zone-I sand with a satisfactory friction angle (37˚) compared to natural river sand (NRS) and Geopolymer fly ash sand (GFS). Though the water absorption (6.83%) and pH (12.18) are slightly more than those of GFS and NRS, the alkali silica reaction and soundness are well within the permissible limit as per Indian Standards. The chemical analysis by X-Ray fluorescence showed the presence of high amounts of SiO2 and Al2O3 with magnitudes of 58.879% 325 and 26.77%, respectively. Finally, the compressive strength of M-25 grade concrete using P-sand and Geopolymer sand (GFS) was observed to be 87.51% and 83.82% with respect to natural river sand (NRS) after 28 days, respectively. The results of this study indicate that P-sand can be a good alternative to NRS for construction work as it not only reduces the environmental effect due to sand mining but also focuses on utilising fly ash and bottom ash.

Keywords: polymer sand, fly ash, bottom ash, HSPCE plasticizer, river sand mining

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Authors: Ajith J. Kings, L. R. Monisha Miriam, R. Edwin Raj, S. Julyes Jaisingh, S. Gavaskar

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Microalgae are a potential bio-source for rejuvenated solutions in various disciplines of science and technology, especially in medicine and energy. Biodiesel is being replaced for conventional fuels in automobile industries with reduced pollution and equivalent performance. Since it is a carbon neutral fuel by recycling CO2 in photosynthesis, global warming potential can be held in control using this fuel source. One of the ways to meet the rising demand of automotive fuel is to adopt with eco-friendly, green alternative fuels called sustainable microalgal biodiesel. In this work, a microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was cultivated and optimized in different media compositions developed from under-utilized waste materials in lab scale. Using the optimized process conditions, they are then mass propagated in out-door ponds, harvested, dried and oils extracted for optimization in ambient conditions. The microalgal oil was subjected to two step esterification processes using acid catalyst to reduce the acid value (0.52 mg kOH/g) in the initial stage, followed by transesterification to maximize the biodiesel yield. The optimized esterification process parameters are methanol/oil ratio 0.32 (v/v), sulphuric acid 10 vol.%, duration 45 min at 65 ºC. In the transesterification process, commercially available alkali catalyst (KOH) is used and optimized to obtain a maximum biodiesel yield of 95.4%. The optimized parameters are methanol/oil ratio 0.33(v/v), alkali catalyst 0.1 wt.%, duration 90 min at 65 ºC 90 with smooth stirring. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is employed as a tool for optimizing the process parameters. The biodiesel was then characterized with standard procedures and especially by GC-MS to confirm its compatibility for usage in internal combustion engine.

Keywords: microalgae, organic media, optimization, transesterification, characterization

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Authors: Abdeslam Hassani

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This study addresses the increasing environmental concerns faced by businesses due to regulatory and stakeholder pressures. It explores how big data analytics (BDA) and advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, combined with corporate social responsibility (CSR), can foster green innovation and sustainable practices. The research builds on existing literature, highlighting the critical role of technologies and CSR in achieving sustainability goals. This research adopts a multidimensional approach, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between technologies, governance, and environmental policies. A qualitative methodology was chosen, involving a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with executives from Canadian companies. NVivo software will be used to analyze interview data, ensuring a rigorous approach to identifying key contextual factors. The cross-analysis of literature findings and interview insights will help validate theoretical constructs and develop a conceptual framework. This study contributes by providing both theoretical insights and practical recommendations. It offers executives actionable guidance on integrating CSR into strategic decision-making and aligning technological capabilities with sustainability objectives. This approach aims to improve firms’ competitiveness, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance their role in promoting green innovation.

Keywords: big data analytics, corporate social responsibility, green innovation, advanced technology

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Authors: Lisha Tan, Yunbo Nie, Mohammad Rahnama

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This study investigates the feasibility of harnessing train-induced airflows in underground metro stations as a source of renewable energy. Field measurements were conducted at multiple SkyTrain stations to assess wind speed distributions caused by passing trains. The data revealed significant airflow velocities with multimodal characteristics driven by varying train operations. These airflow velocities represent substantial kinetic energy that can be converted into usable power. Calculations showed that wind power densities within the underground tunnels ranged from 0.97 W/m² to 3.46 W/m², based on average cubed wind speeds, indicating considerable energy content available for harvesting. A Bayesian method was utilized to model these wind speed distributions, effectively capturing the complex airflow patterns. Further analysis using RETScreen evaluated the cost-benefit and environmental impact of implementing energy harvesting systems. Preliminary results suggest that the proposed system could result in substantial energy savings, reduce CO₂ emissions, and provide a favorable payback period, highlighting the economic and environmental viability of integrating wind turbines into metro stations.

Keywords: train-induced airflows, renewable energy generation, wind power density, RETScreen

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Authors: Yuan Fang, Wang-Ming Li, Yi-Chen Ruan

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Rural healthy old-age care for urban elderly who go to surrounding villages on vacation is a new mode of old-age care in developed coastal areas of China. Such villages that receive urban elderly can be called old-caring villages. Due to the popularity of healthy old-age care in rural areas, more and more urban elderly people participate in the ranks of rural old-age care, resulting in excessive number of tourists in some old-caring villages, exceeding the carrying capacity of the village. Excessive passenger flow may damage the ecological environment, social environment, and facilities environment of the village, and even affect the development potential of the village pension industry. On the basis of on-site investigation and questionnaire survey, this paper summarizes the willingness and behavioral characteristics of the urban elderly population and finds that it will have a certain impact on the old-caring villages in the process of pension vacation in the aspects of ecology, construction, society, and economy. According to the influence of tourists, the paper constructs a system of capacity restriction factors of the old-caring villages, which includes four types: ecological environment capacity, policy environment capacity, perceived congestion capacity, and village service capacity, and fourteen specific indicators. It will provide a theoretical basis for reasonable control of the development scale of the old-caring villages.

Keywords: old-caring villages, restriction factors system, tourists' influence, environmental capacity

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Hameed Ullah, Shujaul Mulk Khan, Zahid Ullah, Zeeshan Ahmad Sadia Jahangir, Abdullah, Amin Ur Rahman, Muhammad Suliman, Dost Muhammad

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The interrelationship between vegetation and abiotic variables inside an ecosystem is one of the main jobs of plant scientists. This study was designed to investigate the vegetation structure and species diversity along with the environmental variables in the Yakhtangay hill district Shangla of the Himalayan Mountain series Pakistan by using multivariate statistical analysis. Quadrat’s method was used and a total of 171 Quadrats were laid down 57 for Tree, Shrubs and Herbs, respectively, to analyze the phytosociological attributes of the vegetation. The vegetation of the selected area was classified into different Life and leaf-forms according to Raunkiaer classification, while PCORD software version 5 was used to classify the vegetation into different plants communities by Two-way indicator species Analysis (TWINSPAN). The CANOCCO version 4.5 was used for DCA and CCA analysis to find out variation directories of vegetation with different environmental variables. A total of 114 plants species belonging to 45 different families was investigated inside the area. The Rosaceae (12 species) was the dominant family followed by Poaceae (10 species) and then Asteraceae (7 species). Monocots were more dominant than Dicots and Angiosperms were more dominant than Gymnosperms. Among the life forms the Hemicryptophytes and Nanophanerophytes were dominant, followed by Therophytes, while among the leaf forms Microphylls were dominant, followed by Leptophylls. It is concluded that among the edaphic factors such as soil pH, the concentration of soil organic matter, Calcium Carbonates concentration in soil, soil EC, soil TDS, and physiographic factors such as Altitude and slope are affecting the structure of vegetation, species composition and species diversity at the significant level with p-value ≤0.05. The Vegetation of the selected area was classified into four major plants communities and the indicator species for each community was recorded. Classification of plants into 4 different communities based upon edaphic gradients favors the individualistic hypothesis. Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) shows the indicators of the study area are mostly indicators to the Himalayan or moist temperate ecosystem, furthermore, these indicators could be considered for micro-habitat conservation and respective ecosystem management plans.

Keywords: species richness, edaphic gradients, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), TWCA

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Authors: Elif Tugce Aksun Tumerkan

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Fluorescent proteins (FPs) have become very popular since green fluorescent protein discovered from crystal jellyfish. It is known that Anthozoa species have a wide range of chromophore organisms, and the initial crystal structure for non-fluorescent chromophores obtained from the reef-building coral has been determined. There are also differently coloured pigments in non-bioluminescent Anthozoa zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate which are frequently members of the GFP-like protein family. The development of fluorescent proteins (FPs) and their applications is an outstanding example of basic science leading to practical biotechnological and medical applications. Fluorescent proteins have several applications in science and are used as important indicators in molecular biology and cell-based research. With rising interest in cell biology, FPs have used as biosensor indicators and probes in pharmacology and cell biology. Using fluorescent proteins in genetically encoded metabolite sensors has many advantages than chemical probes for metabolites such as easily introduced into any cell or organism in any sub-cellular localization and giving chance to fixing to fluoresce of different colours or characteristics. There are different factors effects to signalling mechanism when they used as a biosensor. While there are wide ranges of research have been done on the significance and applications of fluorescent proteins, the cell signalling response of FPs and target cell are less well understood. In this study, it was aimed to clarify the response of adaptive mechanisms of coral species such as pH, temperature and symbiotic relationship and target cells properties on the signalling capacity. Corals are a rich natural source of fluorescent proteins that change with environmental conditions such as light, heat stress and injury. Adaptation mechanism of coral species to these types of environmental variations is important factor due to FPs properties have affected by this mechanism. Since fluorescent proteins obtained from nature, their own ecological property like the symbiotic relationship is observed very commonly in coral species and living conditions have the impact on FPs efficiency. Target cell properties also have an effect on signalling and visualization. The dynamicity of detector that used for reading fluorescence and the level of background fluorescence are key parameters for the quality of the fluorescent signal. Among the factors, it can be concluded that coral species adaptive characteristics have the strongest effect on FPs signalling capacity.

Keywords: biosensor, cell biology, environmental conditions, fluorescent protein, sea anemone

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Authors: Mozhgan Bahadory, Gholam-Hossein Rostami

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Over the next quarter of a century, the US government and the private sector will spend billions of dollars annually to clean the contaminated sites from pollution such as petroleum products, heavy metals, and solvents organic compounds. During the past three decades, almost 750,000 sites that require remediation have been reported to the United States federal and state agencies. Out of these contamination sites, approximately 300,000 are still in need of remediation. In these sites, the most widespread forms of contamination are petroleum products and heavy metals. At least half of US Department of Defense, US Department of Energy, Superfund sites, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) sites have been reported to contain heavy metals. Heavy metals most often found in the contaminated water are lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and zinc. This investigation emphasizes the elimination of arsenic and cadmium from aqueous solution. During the past several years, we developed a novel material called Alkali-Activated fly ash Material Permeable Reactive Barrier (AAM-PRB), which includes fly ash, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates, activating chemicals, and water. AAM can be produced with high permeability, 10-1 cm/s, then crushed into pelletized form. Laboratory experiments showed that water containing 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 1000 ppm of arsenic and cadmium ion passing through AAM-PRB reduced to less than 0.1 ppm. However, water containing 10,000 ppm arsenic ion passing through AAM- PRB shows that the breakthrough was achieved. The removal of the mixture of arsenic and cadmium from aqueous solutions was also tested by using AAM-PRB. The results indicate that the efficiency of AAM-PRB for simultaneous removal of arsenic and cadmium from 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 1,000 ppm were marginally below that of arsenic alone. Still, it was significantly lower for cadmium from the aqueous solution. The basic science behind removing heavy metal and microstructural investigation AAM-PRB will be the focus of our future work.

Keywords: arsenic, cadmium, contaminated water, fly ash, permeability, reactive barrier

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: F. S. Kadhim, A. Samsuri, H. Alwan

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Well logging records can help to answer many questions from a wide range of special interested information and basic petrophysical properties to formation evaluation of oil and gas reservoirs. The accurate calculations of porosity in carbonate reservoirs are the most challenging aspects of well log analysis. Many equations have been developed over the years based on known physical principles or on empirically derived relationships, which are used to calculate porosity, estimate lithology and water saturation; however these parameters are calculated from well logs by using modern technique in a current study. Nasiriya (NS) oilfield is one of giant oilfields in the Middle East, and the formation under study is the Mishrif carbonate formation which is the shallowest hydrocarbon bearing zone in the NS oilfield. Neurolog software (V5, 2008) was used to digitize the scanned copies of the available logs. Environmental corrections had been made as per Schlumberger charts 2005, which supplied in the Interactive Petrophysics software (IP, V3.5, 2008). Three saturation models have been used to calculate water saturation of carbonate formations, which are simple Archie equation, Dual water model, and Indonesia model. Results indicate that the Mishrif formation consists mainly of limestone, some dolomite and shale. The porosity interpretation shows that the logging tools have a good quality after making the environmental corrections. The average formation water saturation for Mishrif formation is around 0.4-0.6.This study is provided accurate behavior of petrophysical properties with depth for this formation by using modern software.

Keywords: lithology, porosity, water saturation, carbonate formation, mishrif formation

Procedia PDF Downloads 378

Authors: Opeyemi Atiba-Oyewo, Maurice S. Onya, Christian Wolkersdorfer

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Nanostructure formation and characterization of eco-friendly banana peels nanosorbent are thoroughly described in this paper. The transformation of material during mechanical milling to enhance certain properties such as changes in microstructure and surface area to solve the current problems involving water pollution and water quality were studied. The mechanical milling was employed using planetary continuous milling machine and ethanol as process control agent, the sample were taken at time interval between 10 h to 30 h to examine the structural changes. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer Emmett and teller (BET). Results revealed that the three typical structures with different grain-size, lattice strain and shapes were observed, and the deformation mechanisms in these structures were found to be different, further particles fracturing results to surface area increment which was confirmed by Brunauer Emmett and teller (BET) analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows high densities of dislocations in large crystallites, implying that dislocation slip is the dominant deformation mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the morphological properties of the materials at different milling time, nanostructure of the particles and fibres were confirmed by Transmission electron microscopy and FT-IR identified the functional groups responsible for its capacity to coordinate and remove metal ions, such as the carboxylic and amine groups at absorption bands of 1730 and 889 cm-1, respectively. However, the choice of this sorbent material for the sorption of any contaminants will depend on the composition of the effluent to be treated.

Keywords: banana peels, eco-friendly, mechanical milling, nanosorbent, nanostructure water quality

Procedia PDF Downloads 261

Authors: Stig H. Jørgensen, Trond Nordfjærn, Øyvind Teige Hedenstrøm, Torbjørn Rundmo

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The aim of the paper is to estimate and forecast road traffic injuries in the coming 10-15 years given new targets in urban transport policy and shifts of mode of transport, including injury cross-effects of mode changes. The paper discusses possibilities and limitations in measuring and quantifying possible injury reductions. Injury data (killed and seriously injured road users) from six urban areas in Norway from 1998-2012 (N= 4709 casualties) form the basis for estimates of changing injury patterns. For the coming period calculation of number of injuries and injury rates by type of road user (categories of motorized versus non-motorized) by sex, age and type of road are made. A prognosticated population increase (25 %) in total population within 2025 in the six urban areas will curb the proceeded fall in injury figures. However, policy strategies and measures geared towards a stronger modal shift from use of private vehicles to safer public transport (bus, train) will modify this effect. On the other side will door to door transport (pedestrians on their way to/from public transport nodes) imply a higher exposure for pedestrians (bikers) converting from private vehicle use (including fall accidents not registered as traffic accidents). The overall effect is the sum of these modal shifts in the increasing urban population and in addition diminishing return to the majority of road safety countermeasures has also to be taken into account. The paper demonstrates how uncertainties in the various estimates (prediction factors) on increasing injuries as well as decreasing injury figures may partly offset each other. The paper discusses road safety policy and welfare consequences of transport mode shift, including reduced use of private vehicles, and further environmental impacts. In this regard, safety and environmental issues will as a rule concur. However pursuing environmental goals (e.g. improved air quality, reduced co2 emissions) encouraging more biking may generate more biking injuries. The study was given financial grants from the Norwegian Research Council’s Transport Safety Program.

Keywords: road injuries, forecasting, reduced private care use, urban, Norway

Procedia PDF Downloads 240

Authors: Ana Paula Esteves, Diego S. Caetano, Louise L. B. Lomardo

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This paper presents an approach on the advantages of using adequate coverage in the zenithal lighting typology in various areas of architectural production, while at the same time to encourage to the design concerns inherent in this choice of roofing in Brazil. Understanding that sustainability needs to cover several aspects, a roofing system such as zenithal lighting system can contribute to the provision of better quality natural light for the interior of the building, which is related to the good health and welfare; it will also be able to contribute for the sustainable aspects and environmental needs, when it allows the generation of energy in semitransparent or opacity photovoltaic solutions and economize the artificial lightning. When the energy balance in the building is positive, that is, when the building generates more energy than it consumes, it may fit into the Net Zero Energy Building concept. The zenithal lighting systems could be an important ally in Brazil, when solved the burden of heat gains, participate in the set of pro-efficiency actions in search of "zero energy buildings". The paper presents comparative three cases of buildings that have used this feature in search of better environmental performance, both in light comfort and sustainability as a whole. Two of these buildings are examples in Europe: the Notley Green School in the UK and the Isofóton factory in Spain. The third building with these principles of shed´s roof is located in Brazil: the Ipel´s factory in São Paulo.

Keywords: natural lighting, net zero energy building, sheds, semi-transparent photovoltaics

Procedia PDF Downloads 197