State of research: environmental pathways and food chain transfer.

PubMed Central

Vaughan, B E

1984-01-01

Data on the chemistry of biologically active components of petroleum, synthetic fuel oils, certain metal elements and pesticides provide valuable generic information needed for predicting the long-term fate of buried waste constituents and their likelihood of entering food chains. Components of such complex mixtures partition between solid and solution phases, influencing their mobility, volatility and susceptibility to microbial transformation. Estimating health hazards from indirect exposures to organic chemicals involves an ecosystem's approach to understanding the unique behavior of complex mixtures. Metabolism by microbial organisms fundamentally alters these complex mixtures as they move through food chains. Pathway modeling of organic chemicals must consider the nature and magnitude of food chain transfers to predict biological risk where metabolites may become more toxic than the parent compound. To obtain predictions, major areas are identified where data acquisition is essential to extend our radiological modeling experience to the field of organic chemical contamination. PMID:6428875

Method and compositions for the degradation of tributyl phosphate in chemical waste mixtures

DOEpatents

Stoner, D.L.; Tien, A.J.

1995-09-26

A method and process are disclosed for the degradation of tributyl phosphate in an organic waste mixture and a biologically pure, novel bacteria culture for accomplishing the same. A newly-discovered bacteria (a strain of Acinetobacter sp. ATCC 55587) is provided which is combined in a reactor vessel with a liquid waste mixture containing tributyl phosphate and one or more organic waste compounds capable of functioning as growth substrates for the bacteria. The bacteria is thereafter allowed to incubate within the waste mixture. As a result, the tributyl phosphate and organic compounds within the waste mixture are metabolized (degraded) by the bacteria, thereby eliminating such materials which are environmentally hazardous. In addition, the bacteria is capable of degrading waste mixtures containing high quantities of tributyl phosphate (e.g. up to about 1.0% by weight tributyl phosphate). 6 figs.

A Cleaner Process for Selective Recovery of Valuable Metals from Electronic Waste of Complex Mixtures of End-of-Life Electronic Products.

PubMed

Sun, Zhi; Xiao, Y; Sietsma, J; Agterhuis, H; Yang, Y

2015-07-07

In recent years, recovery of metals from electronic waste within the European Union has become increasingly important due to potential supply risk of strategic raw material and environmental concerns. Electronic waste, especially a mixture of end-of-life electronic products from a variety of sources, is of inherently high complexity in composition, phase, and physiochemical properties. In this research, a closed-loop hydrometallurgical process was developed to recover valuable metals, i.e., copper and precious metals, from an industrially processed information and communication technology waste. A two-stage leaching design of this process was adopted in order to selectively extract copper and enrich precious metals. It was found that the recovery efficiency and extraction selectivity of copper both reached more than 95% by using ammonia-based leaching solutions. A new electrodeposition process has been proven feasible with 90% current efficiency during copper recovery, and the copper purity can reach 99.8 wt %. The residue from the first-stage leaching was screened into coarse and fine fractions. The coarse fraction was returned to be releached for further copper recovery. The fine fraction was treated in the second-stage leaching using sulfuric acid to further concentrate precious metals, which could achieve a 100% increase in their concentrations in the residue with negligible loss into the leaching solution. By a combination of different leaching steps and proper physical separation of light materials, this process can achieve closed-loop recycling of the waste with significant efficiency.

Analysis of the improvement of selenite retention in smectite by adding alumina nanoparticles.

PubMed

Mayordomo, Natalia; Alonso, Ursula; Missana, Tiziana

2016-12-01

Smectite clay is used as barrier for hazardous waste retention and confinement. It is a powerful material to retain cations, but less effective for retaining anionic species like selenite. This study shows that the addition of a small percentage of γ-Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles to smectite significantly improves selenite sorption. γ-Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles provide high surface area and positively charged surface sites within a wide range of pH, since their point of zero charge is at pH8-9. An addition of 20wt% of γ-Al 2 O 3 to smectite is sufficient to approach the sorption capacity of pure alumina. To analyze the sorption behavior of the smectite/oxide mixtures, a nonelectrostatic surface complexation model was considered, accounting for the surface complexation of HSeO 3 - and SeO 3 2- , the anion competition, and the formation of surface ternary complexes with major cations present in the solution. Selenite sorption in mixtures was satisfactorily described with the surface parameters and complexation constants defined for the pure systems, accounting only for the mixture weight fractions. Sorption in mixtures was additive despite the particle heteroaggregation observed in previous stability studies carried out on smectite/γ-Al 2 O 3 mixtures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The application of computer modeling to health effect research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, R.S.H.

1996-12-31

In the United States, estimates show that more than 30,000 hazardous waste disposal sites exist, not including military installations, U.S. Department of Energy nuclear facilities, and hundreds and thousands of underground fuel storage tanks; these sites undoubtedly have their own respective hazardous waste chemical problems. When so many sites contain hazardous chemicals, how does one study the health effects of the chemicals at these sites? There could be many different answers, but none would be perfect. For an area as complex and difficult as the study of chemical mixtures associated with hazardous waste disposal sites, there are no perfect approachesmore » and protocols. Human exposure to chemicals, be it environmental or occupational, is rarely, if ever, limited to a single chemical. Therefore, it is essential that we consider multiple chemical effects and interactions in our risk assessment process. Systematic toxicity testing of chemical mixtures in the environment or workplace that uses conventional toxicology methodologies is highly impractical because of the immense numbers of mixtures involved. For example, about 600,000 chemicals are being used in our society. Just considering binary chemical mixtures, this means that there could be 600,000 x 599,999/2 = 359,999,400,000 pairs of chemicals. Assuming that only one in a million of these pairs of chemicals acts synergistically or has other toxicologic interactions, there would still be 359,999 binary chemical mixtures possessing toxicologic interactions. Moreover, toxicologic interactions undoubtedly exist among chemical mixtures with three or more component chemicals; the number of possible combinations for these latter mixtures is almost infinite. These are astronomically large numbers with respect to systematic toxicity testing. 22 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.« less

Organic waste as a sustainable feedstock for platform chemicals.

PubMed

Coma, M; Martinez-Hernandez, E; Abeln, F; Raikova, S; Donnelly, J; Arnot, T C; Allen, M J; Hong, D D; Chuck, C J

2017-09-21

Biorefineries have been established since the 1980s for biofuel production, and there has been a switch lately from first to second generation feedstocks in order to avoid the food versus fuel dilemma. To a lesser extent, many opportunities have been investigated for producing chemicals from biomass using by-products of the present biorefineries, simple waste streams. Current facilities apply intensive pre-treatments to deal with single substrate types such as carbohydrates. However, most organic streams such as municipal solid waste or algal blooms present a high complexity and variable mixture of molecules, which makes specific compound production and separation difficult. Here we focus on flexible anaerobic fermentation and hydrothermal processes that can treat complex biomass as a whole to obtain a range of products within an integrated biorefinery concept.

Organic waste as a sustainable feedstock for platform chemicals

PubMed Central

Martinez-Hernandez, E.; Abeln, F.; Raikova, S.; Donnelly, J.; Arnot, T. C.; Allen, M. J.; Hong, D. D.; Chuck, C. J.

2017-01-01

Biorefineries have been established since the 1980s for biofuel production, and there has been a switch lately from first to second generation feedstocks in order to avoid the food versus fuel dilemma. To a lesser extent, many opportunities have been investigated for producing chemicals from biomass using by-products of the present biorefineries, simple waste streams. Current facilities apply intensive pre-treatments to deal with single substrate types such as carbohydrates. However, most organic streams such as municipal solid waste or algal blooms present a high complexity and variable mixture of molecules, which makes specific compound production and separation difficult. Here we focus on flexible anaerobic fermentation and hydrothermal processes that can treat complex biomass as a whole to obtain a range of products within an integrated biorefinery concept. PMID:28654113

Simplex-centroid mixture formulation for optimised composting of kitchen waste.

PubMed

Abdullah, N; Chin, N L

2010-11-01

Composting is a good recycling method to fully utilise all the organic wastes present in kitchen waste due to its high nutritious matter within the waste. In this present study, the optimised mixture proportions of kitchen waste containing vegetable scraps (V), fish processing waste (F) and newspaper (N) or onion peels (O) were determined by applying the simplex-centroid mixture design method to achieve the desired initial moisture content and carbon-to-nitrogen (CN) ratio for effective composting process. The best mixture was at 48.5% V, 17.7% F and 33.7% N for blends with newspaper while for blends with onion peels, the mixture proportion was 44.0% V, 19.7% F and 36.2% O. The predicted responses from these mixture proportions fall in the acceptable limits of moisture content of 50% to 65% and CN ratio of 20-40 and were also validated experimentally. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaching behaviour and mechanical properties of copper flotation waste in stabilized/solidified products.

PubMed

Mesci, Başak; Coruh, Semra; Ergun, Osman Nuri

2009-02-01

This research describes the investigation of a cement-based solidification/stabilization process for the safe disposal of copper flotation waste and the effect on cement properties of the addition of copper flotation waste (CW) and clinoptilolite (C). In addition to the reference mixture, 17 different mixtures were prepared using different proportions of CW and C. Physical properties such as setting time, specific surface area and compressive strength were determined and compared to a reference mixture and Turkish standards (TS). Different mixtures with the copper flotation waste portion ranging from 2.5 to 12.5% by weight of the mixture were tested for copper leachability. The results show that as cement replacement materials especially clinoptilolite had clear effects on the mechanical properties. Substitution of 5% copper flotation waste for Portland cement gave a similar strength performance to the reference mixture. Higher copper flotation waste addition such as 12.5% replacement yielded lower strength values. As a result, copper flotation waste and clinoptilolite can be used as cementitious materials, and copper flotation waste also can be safely stabilized/solidified in a cement-based solidification/stabilization system.

Development studies of a novel wet oxidation process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, T.W.; Dhooge, P.M.

1995-10-01

Many DOE waste streams and remediates contain complex and variable mixtures of organic compounds, toxic metals, and radionuclides. These materials are often dispersed in organic or inorganic matrices, such as personal protective equipment, various sludges, soils, and water. Incineration and similar combustive processes do not appear to be viable options for treatment of these waste streams due to various considerations. The objective of this project is to develop a novel catalytic wet oxidation process for the treatment of multi-component wastes. The DETOX process uses a unique combination of metal catalysts to increase the rate of oxidation of organic materials.

Development of a novel wet oxidation process for hazardous and mixed wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dhooge, P.M.

1994-11-01

This article describes and evaluates the DETOX{sup sm} process for processing of mixed wastes. Many DOE waste streams and remediates contain complex and variable mixtures of organic compounds, toxic metals, and radionuclides, often dispersed in organic or inorganic matrices, such as personal protective equipment, various sludges, soils, and water. The DETOX{sup sm} process, patented by Delphi Research, uses a unique combination of metal catalysts to increase the rate of oxidation of organic materials. Included are the following subject areas: project description (phases I-IV); results of all phases; and future work. 5 figs., 1 tab.

Affordable Rankine Cycle Waste Heat Recovery for Heavy Duty Trucks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Subramanian, Swami Nathan

Nearly 30% of fuel energy is not utilized and wasted in the engine exhaust. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) based waste heat recovery (WHR) systems offer a promising approach on waste energy recovery and improving the efficiency of Heavy-Duty diesel engines. Major barriers in the ORC WHR system are the system cost and controversial waste heat recovery working fluids. More than 40% of the system cost is from the additional heat exchangers (recuperator, condenser and tail pipe boiler). The secondary working fluid loop designed in ORC system is either flammable or environmentally sensitive. The Eaton team investigated a novel approach tomore » reduce the cost of implementing ORC based WHR systems to Heavy-Duty (HD) Diesel engines while utilizing safest working fluids. Affordable Rankine Cycle (ARC) concept aimed to define the next generation of waste energy recuperation with a cost optimized WHR system. ARC project used engine coolant as the working fluid. This approach reduced the need for a secondary working fluid circuit and subsequent complexity. A portion of the liquid phase engine coolant has been pressurized through a set of working fluid pumps and used to recover waste heat from the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and exhaust tail pipe exhaust energy. While absorbing heat, the mixture is partially vaporized but remains a wet binary mixture. The pressurized mixed-phase engine coolant mixture is then expanded through a fixed-volume ratio expander that is compatible with two-phase conditions. Heat rejection is accomplished through the engine radiator, avoiding the need for a separate condenser. The ARC system has been investigated for PACCAR’s MX-13 HD diesel engine.« less

Bayesian kernel machine regression for estimating the health effects of multi-pollutant mixtures.

PubMed

Bobb, Jennifer F; Valeri, Linda; Claus Henn, Birgit; Christiani, David C; Wright, Robert O; Mazumdar, Maitreyi; Godleski, John J; Coull, Brent A

2015-07-01

Because humans are invariably exposed to complex chemical mixtures, estimating the health effects of multi-pollutant exposures is of critical concern in environmental epidemiology, and to regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, most health effects studies focus on single agents or consider simple two-way interaction models, in part because we lack the statistical methodology to more realistically capture the complexity of mixed exposures. We introduce Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) as a new approach to study mixtures, in which the health outcome is regressed on a flexible function of the mixture (e.g. air pollution or toxic waste) components that is specified using a kernel function. In high-dimensional settings, a novel hierarchical variable selection approach is incorporated to identify important mixture components and account for the correlated structure of the mixture. Simulation studies demonstrate the success of BKMR in estimating the exposure-response function and in identifying the individual components of the mixture responsible for health effects. We demonstrate the features of the method through epidemiology and toxicology applications. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Optimization of Eisenia fetida stocking density for the bioconversion of rock phosphate enriched cow dung-waste paper mixtures.

PubMed

Unuofin, F O; Mnkeni, P N S

2014-11-01

Vermitechnology is gaining recognition as an environmental friendly waste management strategy. Its successful implementation requires that the key operational parameters like earthworm stocking density be established for each target waste/waste mixture. One target waste mixture in South Africa is waste paper mixed with cow dung and rock phosphate (RP) for P enrichment. This study sought to establish optimal Eisenia fetida stocking density for maximum P release and rapid bioconversion of RP enriched cow dung-paper waste mixtures. E. fetida stocking densities of 0, 7.5, 12.5, 17.5 and 22.5 g-worms kg(-1) dry weight of cow dung-waste paper mixtures were evaluated. The stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg(-1) resulted in the highest earthworm growth rate and humification of the RP enriched waste mixture as reflected by a C:N ratio of <12 and a humic acid/fulvic acid ratio of >1.9 in final vermicomposts. A germination test revealed that the resultant vermicompost had no inhibitory effect on the germination of tomato, carrot, and radish. Extractable P increased with stocking density up to 22.5 g-worm kg(-1) feedstock suggesting that for maximum P release from RP enriched wastes a high stocking density should be considered. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Complex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schoenfuss, Heiko L.; Furlong, Edward T.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Scott, Tia-Marie; Kolpin, Dana W.; Cetkovic-Cvrlje, Marina; Lesteberg, Kelsey E.; Rearick, Daniel C.

2016-01-01

Pharmaceuticals are present in low concentrations (<100 ng/L) in most municipal wastewater effluents but may be elevated locally because of factors such as input from pharmaceutical formulation facilities. Using existing concentration data, the authors assessed pharmaceuticals in laboratory exposures of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and added environmental complexity through effluent exposures. In the laboratory, larval and mature minnows were exposed to a simple opioid mixture (hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone), an opioid agonist (tramadol), a muscle relaxant (methocarbamol), a simple antidepressant mixture (fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine), a sleep aid (temazepam), or a complex mixture of all compounds. Larval minnow response to effluent exposure was not consistent. The 2010 exposures resulted in shorter exposed minnow larvae, whereas the larvae exposed in 2012 exhibited altered escape behavior. Mature minnows exhibited altered hepatosomatic indices, with the strongest effects in females and in mixture exposures. In addition, laboratory-exposed, mature male minnows exposed to all pharmaceuticals (except the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor mixture) defended nest sites less rigorously than fish in the control group. Tramadol or antidepressant mixture exposure resulted in increased splenic T lymphocytes. Only male minnows exposed to whole effluent responded with increased plasma vitellogenin concentrations. Female minnows exposed to pharmaceuticals (except the opioid mixture) had larger livers, likely as a compensatory result of greater prominence of vacuoles in liver hepatocytes. The observed alteration of apical endpoints central to sustaining fish populations confirms that effluents containing waste streams from pharmaceutical formulation facilities can adversely impact fish populations but that the effects may not be temporally consistent. The present study highlights the importance of including diverse biological endpoints spanning levels of biological organization and life stages when assessing contaminant interactions.

Optimization of Eisenia fetida stocking density for the bioconversion of rock phosphate enriched cow dung–waste paper mixtures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Unuofin, F.O., E-mail: funmifrank2009@gmail.com; Mnkeni, P.N.S., E-mail: pmnkeni@ufh.ac.za

2014-11-15

Highlights: • Vermidegradation of RP-enriched waste mixtures is dependent on E. fetida stocking density. • A stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg{sup -1} resulted in highly humified vermicomposts. • P release from RP-enriched waste vermicomposts increases with E. fetida stocking density. • RP-enriched waste vermicomposts had no inhibitory effect on seed germination. - Abstract: Vermitechnology is gaining recognition as an environmental friendly waste management strategy. Its successful implementation requires that the key operational parameters like earthworm stocking density be established for each target waste/waste mixture. One target waste mixture in South Africa is waste paper mixed with cow dung andmore » rock phosphate (RP) for P enrichment. This study sought to establish optimal Eisenia fetida stocking density for maximum P release and rapid bioconversion of RP enriched cow dung–paper waste mixtures. E. fetida stocking densities of 0, 7.5, 12.5, 17.5 and 22.5 g-worms kg{sup −1} dry weight of cow dung–waste paper mixtures were evaluated. The stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg{sup −1} resulted in the highest earthworm growth rate and humification of the RP enriched waste mixture as reflected by a C:N ratio of <12 and a humic acid/fulvic acid ratio of >1.9 in final vermicomposts. A germination test revealed that the resultant vermicompost had no inhibitory effect on the germination of tomato, carrot, and radish. Extractable P increased with stocking density up to 22.5 g-worm kg{sup −1} feedstock suggesting that for maximum P release from RP enriched wastes a high stocking density should be considered.« less

Development studies of a novel wet oxidation process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, T.W.; Dhooge, P.M.

1995-12-01

Many DOE waste streams and remediates contain complex and variable mixtures of organic compounds, toxic metals, and radionuclides. These materials are often dispersed in organic or inorganic matrices, such as personal protective equipment, various sludges, soils, and water. Incineration and similar combustive processes do not appear to be viable options for treatment of these waste streams due to various considerations. There is a need for non-combustion processes with a wide application range to treat the large majority of these waste forms. The non-combustion process should also be safe, effective, cost-competitive, permit-able, and preferrably mobile. This paper describes the DETOX processmore » of organic waste oxidation.« less

Seasonal variations and source apportionment of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures in particulate matter in an electronic waste and urban area in South China.

PubMed

Chen, She-Jun; Wang, Jing; Wang, Tao; Wang, Ting; Mai, Bi-Xian; Simonich, Staci L Massey

2016-12-15

Complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures including parent PAHs, high molecular weight PAHs (MW 302 PAHs), and halogenated PAHs (HPAHs) were measured in particulate matter (PM) in an urban area and a rural electronic waste area in South China. The concentrations of MW < 302 PAHs at two sites were not significantly different with annual means of 23.2 ± 17.2 and 33.7 ± 29.0 ng/m 3 , respectively. However the concentrations of both MW 302 PAHs (5.35 ± 3.72 ng/m 3 ) and HPAH (49.9 pg/m 3 ) were significantly higher at the e-waste site than the urban site (2.81 ± 2.36 ng/m 3 and 28.2 ± 28.5 pg/m 3 ), suggesting e-waste recycling being a significant source of these PAHs. The majority of PAHs exhibited higher concentrations in winter and spring and lower concentrations in fall and summer. Meteorological conditions and increased emissions of PAHs in northern China due to domestic heating in colder seasons are important factors influencing the PAH seasonal variations. Source apportionment by the chemical mass balance (CMB) model indicated that residential stoves (coal combustion), industrial boilers (coal combustion), biomass burning, and vehicular emission accounted for 38 ± 14%, 30 ± 11%, 22 ± 22%, and 10 ± 7% of the PAHs in the urban PM, respectively. Comparable contributions from these sources were also observed for PM at the e-waste site. PAH emission factors are needed for primitive e-waste recycling to further understand the importance of this source to ambient air. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The High Teperature Influence on Geopolymer Fly Ash Mixture’s Compressisive Strength with Insudtrial Waste Material Substitution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayuaji, R.; Wibowo, B.; Subekti, S.; Santoso, S. E.; Hardiyanto, E.; Kaelani, Y.; Mallu, L. L.

2017-11-01

This research aimed to figure out the influence of fly ash mixture from the industrial waste at the temperatures of 150°C, 450°C, 750°C viewed from the strength and resistance of geopolymer paste. As a result, cement will be substituted by industrial waste like fly ash. This experimental research was conducted on the mix design of geopolymer concrete which was made by dimension with 2.5 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height from four mixture composition of fly ash and industrial waste i.e. 100% fly ash, 50% fly ash+50% bottom ash, 50% fly ash+50% sandblast, and 50% fly ash+50% carbide waste. Each mixture was tested in terms of porosity and compressive strength. In conclusion, in the mixture of 50% fly ash+50% Sandblast and 50% fly ash+50% bottom ash in 12 molars, 1.5 activator comparison can be used to substitute fly ash at high temperature. Meanwhile, the mixture of 50% fly ash+50% carbide waste in 8 molars, 0.5 activator comparison has very small strength remaining if it is compared to the mixture of fly ash and other industrial waste (Bottom ash and Sandblast). The performance of mixture paste of 50% fly ash+50% carbide waste was very vulnerable after being burnt. Consequently, it cannot be used as the main structure at high temperature.

FLASH Technology: Full-Scale Hospital Waste Water Treatments Adopted in Aceh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rame; Tridecima, Adeodata; Pranoto, Hadi; Moesliem; Miftahuddin

2018-02-01

A Hospital waste water contains a complex mixture of hazardous chemicals and harmful microbes, which can pose a threat to the environment and public health. Some efforts have been carried out in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (Aceh), Indonesia with the objective of treating hospital waste water effluents on-site before its discharge. Flash technology uses physical and biological pre-treatment, followed by advanced oxidation process based on catalytic ozonation and followed by GAC and PAC filtration. Flash Full-Scale Hospital waste water Treatments in Aceh from different district have been adopted and investigated. Referring to the removal efficiency of macro-pollutants, the collected data demonstrate good removal efficiency of macro-pollutants using Flash technologies. In general, Flash technologies could be considered a solution to the problem of managing hospital waste water.

Leaching Characteristics of Hanford Ferrocyanide Wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, Matthew K.; Fiskum, Sandra K.; Peterson, Reid A.

2009-12-21

A series of leach tests were performed on actual Hanford Site tank wastes in support of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The samples were targeted composite slurries of high-level tank waste materials representing major complex, radioactive, tank waste mixtures at the Hanford Site. Using a filtration/leaching apparatus, sample solids were concentrated, caustic leached, and washed under conditions representative of those planned for the Pretreatment Facility in the WTP. Caustic leaching was performed to assess the mobilization of aluminum (as gibbsite, Al[OH]3, and boehmite AlO[OH]), phosphates [PO43-], chromium [Cr3+] and, to a lesser extent, oxalates [C2O42-]). Ferrocyanidemore » waste released the solid phase 137Cs during caustic leaching; this was antithetical to the other Hanford waste types studied. Previous testing on ferrocyanide tank waste focused on the aging of the ferrocyanide salt complex and its thermal compatibilities with nitrites and nitrates. Few studies, however, examined cesium mobilization in the waste. Careful consideration should be given to the pretreatment of ferrocyanide wastes in light of this new observed behavior, given the fact that previous testing on simulants indicates a vastly different cesium mobility in this waste form. The discourse of this work will address the overall ferrocyanide leaching characteristics as well as the behavior of the 137Cs during leaching.« less

SEASONAL HEPATIC CYTOCHROME P-450 INDUCTION IN COTTON RATS (SIGMODON HISPIDUS) INHABITING PETROCHEMICAL WASTE SITES. (R826242)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

Wildlife species inhabiting contaminated sites are often exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals that have known effects on physiological and biochemical function. We evaluated the induction of major hepatic cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes through O-dealky...

Pesticide degradation in a 'biobed' composting substrate.

PubMed

Fogg, Paul; Boxall, Alistair B A; Walker, Allan; Jukes, Andrew A

2003-05-01

Pesticides play an important role in the success of modern farming and food production. However, the release of pesticides to the environment arising from non-approved use, poor practice, illegal operations or misuse is increasingly recognised as contributing to water contamination. Biobeds appear to offer a cost-effective method for treating pesticide-contaminated waste. This study was performed to determine whether biobeds can degrade relatively complex pesticide mixtures when applied repeatedly. A pesticide mixture containing isoproturon, pendimethalin, chlorpyrifos, chlorothalonil, epoxiconazole and dimethoate was incubated in biomix and topsoil at concentrations to simulate pesticide disposal. Although the data suggest that interactions between pesticides are possible, the effects were of less significance in biomix than in topsoil. The same mixture was applied on three occasions at 30-day intervals. Degradation was significantly quicker in biomix than in topsoil. The rate of degradation, however, decreased with each additional treatment, possibly due to the toxicity of the pesticide mixture to the microbial community. Incubations with chlorothalonil and pendimethalin carried out in sterile and non-sterile biomix indicated that degradation, rather than irreversible adsorption to the matrix, was the main mechanism responsible for the reduction in recovered residues. Results from these experiments suggest that biobeds offer a viable means of treating pesticide waste.

Pyrolysis of virgin and waste polypropylene and its mixtures with waste polyethylene and polystyrene.

PubMed

Kiran Ciliz, Nilgun; Ekinci, Ekrem; Snape, Colin E

2004-01-01

A comparison of waste and virgin polypropylene (PP) plastics under slow pyrolysis conditions is presented. Moreover, mixtures of waste PP with wastes of polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) were pyrolyzed under the same operating conditions. Not only the impact of waste on degradation products but also impacts of the variations in the mixing ratio were investigated. The thermogravimetric weight loss curves and their derivatives of virgin and waste PP showed differences due to the impurities which are dirt and food residues. The liquid yield distribution concerning the aliphatic, mono-aromatic and poly-aromatic compounds varies as the ratio of PP waste increases in the waste plastic mixtures. In addition to this, the alkene/alkane ratio of gas products shows variations depending on the mixing ratio of wastes.

Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes

DOEpatents

Forsberg, Charles W.

1999-01-01

A process for recovering fissile materials such as uranium, and plutonium, and rare earth elements, from complex waste feed material, and converting the remaining wastes into a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. The waste feed is mixed with a dissolution glass formed of lead oxide and boron oxide resulting in oxidation, dehalogenation, and dissolution of metal oxides. Carbon is added to remove lead oxide, and a boron oxide fusion melt is produced. The fusion melt is essentially devoid of organic materials and halogens, and is easily and rapidly dissolved in nitric acid. After dissolution, uranium, plutonium and rare earth elements are separated from the acid and recovered by processes such as PUREX or ion exchange. The remaining acid waste stream is vitrified to produce a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. Potential waste feed materials include plutonium scrap and residue, miscellaneous spent nuclear fuel, and uranium fissile wastes. The initial feed materials may contain mixtures of metals, ceramics, amorphous solids, halides, organic material and other carbon-containing material.

Treatment of mercury containing waste

DOEpatents

Kalb, Paul D.; Melamed, Dan; Patel, Bhavesh R; Fuhrmann, Mark

2002-01-01

A process is provided for the treatment of mercury containing waste in a single reaction vessel which includes a) stabilizing the waste with sulfur polymer cement under an inert atmosphere to form a resulting mixture and b) encapsulating the resulting mixture by heating the mixture to form a molten product and casting the molten product as a monolithic final waste form. Additional sulfur polymer cement can be added in the encapsulation step if needed, and a stabilizing additive can be added in the process to improve the leaching properties of the waste form.

Screening complex hazardous wastes for mutagenic activity using a modified version of the TLC/Salmonella assay.

PubMed

Houk, V S; Claxton, L D

1986-03-01

10 complex hazardous wastes were tested for mutagenic activity using a modified version of the TLC/Salmonella assay developed by Bjørseth et al. (1982). This fractionation/bioassay scheme couples thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome (Ames) assay for the detection of mutagenic constituents in complex mixtures. Crude (unadulterated) hazardous wastes and selected hazardous waste extracts were fractionated on commercially available cellulose TLC plates. Mutagenicity testing was performed in situ by applying a single overlay of minimal growth agar, tester strain TA98 or TA100, and the optional metabolic activation system directly onto the developed chromatogram. A mutagenic effect was indicated either by the appearance of localized clusters of revertant colonies or by an increase in total revertant growth vis-à-vis control plates. 7 of 10 hazardous wastes (including tars, emulsions, sludges, and spent acids and caustics) demonstrated mutagenic activity when tested by this method. To assess the sensitivity of the modified TLC/Salmonella assay, 14 Salmonella mutagens from a wide range of chemical classes and polarities were tested. Selected compounds included heterocyclics, aromatic amines, alkylating agents, antitumor agents, a nitrosamine and a nitroaromatic. 11 of the 14 mutagens were positive in this test system. The 3 compounds refractory to analysis included a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and two volatiles.

Experimental investigations on a diesel engine operated with fuel blends derived from a mixture of Pakistani waste tyre oil and waste soybean oil biodiesel.

PubMed

Qasim, Muhammad; Ansari, Tariq Mahmood; Hussain, Mazhar

2017-10-18

The waste tyre and waste cooking oils have a great potential to be used as alternative fuels for diesel engines. The aim of this study was to convert light fractions of pyrolysis oil derived from Pakistani waste vehicle tyres and waste soybean oil methyl esters into valuable fuel and to reduce waste disposal-associated environmental problems. In this study, the waste tyre pyrolysis liquid (light fraction) was collected from commercial tyre pyrolysis plant and biodiesel was prepared from waste soybean oil. The fuel blends (FMWO10, FMWO20, FMWO30, FMWO40 and FMWO50) were prepared from a 30:70 mixture of waste tyre pyrolysis liquid and waste soybean oil methyl esters with different proportions of mineral diesel. The mixture was named as the fuel mixture of waste oils (FMWO). FT-IR analysis of the fuel mixture was carried out using ALPHA FT-IR spectrometer. Experimental investigations on a diesel engine were carried out with various FMWO blends. It was observed that the engine fuel consumption was marginally increased and brake thermal efficiency was marginally decreased with FMWO fuel blends. FMWO10 has shown lowest NOx emissions among all the fuel blends tested. In addition, HC, CO and smoke emissions were noticeably decreased by 3.1-15.6%, 16.5-33.2%, and 1.8-4.5%, respectively, in comparison to diesel fuel, thereby qualifying the blends to be used as alternative fuel for diesel engines.

Enhancing rock phosphate integration rate for fast bio-transformation of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures to organic fertilizer.

PubMed

Unuofin, F O; Siswana, M; Cishe, E N

2016-01-01

Rock phosphate (RP) addition in cow-dung waste-paper mixtures at rates above 2% P has been reported to increase the rate of bio-transformation and humification of organic waste mixtures during vermicomposting to produce organic fertilizer for organic farming. However, the optimization of RP for vermicomposting was not established. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal amount of RP integration rates for effective bio-transformation of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. Arrays of RP integration degrees (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 4% P as RP) were thoroughly mixed with cow- dung waste-paper mixtures to achieve an optimized C:N ratio of 30 and allowed to vermidegrade following the introduction of earthworms at a stocking mass of 12.5 g-worms kg -1 . The bio-transformation of the waste mixtures was examined by measuring C:N ratios and humification index (HI) and per cent ash and volatile solids. Application of 1% P as RP resulted in fast bio-transformation and maturation of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphological properties of the different vermicomposts affected by rates of RP showing the degree of degradation of initial compacted aggregates of cellulose and protein fibres in the mixtures at maturity. A germination test was used to further determine phytotoxicity of the final composts and microbial biomass assessment. The final vermicompost (organic fertilizer) had a C:N ratio of 7, MBC of 900 mg kg -1 and HI of 27.1%. The RP incorporation rate of 1% P of RP investigated is therefore, recommended for efficient vermidegradation and humification of cow-dung waste-paper mixtures. However, higher rates of RP incorporation should be considered where greater P enrichment of the final vermicompost (organic fertilizer) is desired.

Pumpable/injectable phosphate-bonded ceramics

DOEpatents

Singh, Dileep; Wagh, Arun S.; Perry, Lamar; Jeong, Seung-Young

2001-01-01

A pumpable ceramic composition is provided comprising an inorganic oxide, potassium phosphate, and an oxide coating material. Also provided is a method for preparing pumpable ceramic-based waste forms comprising selecting inorganic oxides based on solubility, surface area and morphology criteria; mixing the selected oxides with phosphate solution and waste to form a first mixture; combining an additive to the first mixture to create a second mixture; adding water to the second mixture to create a reactive mixture; homogenizing the reactive mixture; and allowing the reactive mixture to cure.

Reuse of Boron Waste as an Additive in Road Base Material

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yutong; Guo, Qinglin; Li, Lili; Jiang, Ping; Jiao, Yubo; Cheng, Yongchun

2016-01-01

The amount of boron waste increases year by year. There is an urgent demand to manage it in order to reduce the environmental impact. In this paper, boron waste was reused as an additive in road base material. Lime and cement were employed to stabilize the waste mixture. Mechanical performances of stabilized mixture were evaluated by experimental methods. A compaction test, an unconfined compressive test, an indirect tensile test, a modulus test, a drying shrinkage test, and a frost resistance test were carried out. Results indicated that mechanical strengths of lime-stabilized boron waste mixture (LSB) satisfy the requirements of road base when lime content is greater than 8%. LSB can only be applied in non-frozen regions as a result of its poor frost resistance. The lime–cement-stabilized mixture can be used in frozen regions when lime and cement contents are 8% and 5%, respectively. Aggregate reduces the drying shrinkage coefficient effectively. Thus, aggregate is suggested for mixture stabilization properly. This work provides a proposal for the management of boron waste. PMID:28773539

Melter feed viscosity during conversion to glass: Comparison between low-activity waste and high-level waste feeds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, Tongan; Chun, Jaehun; Dixon, Derek R.

During nuclear waste vitrification, a melter feed (generally a slurry-like mixture of a nuclear waste and various glass forming and modifying additives) is charged into the melter where undissolved refractory constituents are suspended together with evolved gas bubbles from complex reactions. Knowledge of flow properties of various reacting melter feeds is necessary to understand their unique feed-to-glass conversion processes occurring within a floating layer of melter feed called a cold cap. The viscosity of two low-activity waste (LAW) melter feeds were studied during heating and correlated with volume fractions of undissolved solid phase and gas phase. In contrast to themore » high-level waste (HLW) melter feed, the effects of undissolved solid and gas phases play comparable roles and are required to represent the viscosity of LAW melter feeds. This study can help bring physical insights to feed viscosity of reacting melter feeds with different compositions and foaming behavior in nuclear waste vitrification.« less

Process for treating fission waste

DOEpatents

Rohrmann, Charles A.; Wick, Oswald J.

1983-01-01

A method is described for the treatment of fission waste. A glass forming agent, a metal oxide, and a reducing agent are mixed with the fission waste and the mixture is heated. After melting, the mixture separates into a glass phase and a metal phase. The glass phase may be used to safely store the fission waste, while the metal phase contains noble metals recovered from the fission waste.

Production of ethanol from a mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste via a process of successive liquefaction, presaccharification, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

PubMed

Nishimura, Hiroto; Tan, Li; Kira, Noriko; Tomiyama, Shigeo; Yamada, Kazuo; Sun, Zhao-Yong; Tang, Yue-Qin; Morimura, Shigeru; Kida, Kenji

2017-09-01

Efficient ethanol production from waste paper requires the addition of expensive nutrients. To reduce the production cost of ethanol from waste paper, a study on how to produce ethanol efficiently by adding kitchen waste (potentially as a carbon source, nutrient source, and acidity regulator) to waste paper was performed and a process of successive liquefaction, presaccharification, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (L+PSSF) was developed. The individual saccharification performances of waste paper and kitchen waste were not influenced by their mixture. Liquefaction of kitchen waste at 90°C prior to presaccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF) was essential for efficient ethanol fermentation. Ethanol at concentrations of 46.6 or 43.6g/l was obtained at the laboratory scale after fermentation for 96h, even without pH adjustment and/or the addition of extra nutrients. Similarly, ethanol at a concentration of 45.5g/l was obtained at the pilot scale after fermentation for 48h. The ethanol concentration of L+PSSF of the mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste was comparable to that of PSSF of waste paper with added nutrients (yeast extract and peptone) and pH adjustment using H 2 SO 4 , indicating that kitchen waste is not only a carbon source but also an excellent nutrient source and acidity regulator for fermentation of the mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Rare Earth Electrochemical Property Measurements and Phase Diagram Development in a Complex Molten Salt Mixture for Molten Salt Recycle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Jinsuo; Guo, Shaoqiang

Pyroprocessing is a promising alternative for the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel (UNF) that uses electrochemical methods. Compared to the hydrometallurgical reprocessing method, pyroprocessing has many advantages such as reduced volume of radioactive waste, simple waste processing, ability to treat refractory material, and compatibility with fast reactor fuel recycle. The key steps of the process are the electro-refining of the spent metallic fuel in the LiCl-KCl eutectic salt, which can be integrated with an electrolytic reduction step for the reprocessing of spent oxide fuels.

Process for treating fission waste. [Patent application

DOEpatents

Rohrmann, C.A.; Wick, O.J.

1981-11-17

A method is described for the treatment of fission waste. A glass forming agent, a metal oxide, and a reducing agent are mixed with the fission waste and the mixture is heated. After melting, the mixture separates into a glass phase and a metal phase. The glass phase may be used to safely store the fission waste, while the metal phase contains noble metals recovered from the fission waste.

Cyprodinil retention on mixtures of soil and solid wastes from wineries. Effects of waste dose and ageing.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Salgado, Isabel; Paradelo-Pérez, Marcos; Pérez-Rodríguez, Paula; Cutillas-Barreiro, Laura; Fernández-Calviño, David; Nóvoa-Muñoz, Juan Carlos; Arias-Estévez, Manuel

2014-01-01

In spite of its wide-world economic relevance, wine production generates a huge amount of waste that threatens the environment. A batch experiment was designed to assess the effect of the amendment of an agricultural soil with two winery wastes (perlite and bentonite wastes) in the immobilization of cyprodinil. Waste addition (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 Mg ha(-1)) and different times of incubation of soil-waste mixtures (1, 30, and 120 days) were tested. The addition of wastes improved the soil's ability to immobilize cyprodinil, which was significantly correlated to total C content in soil-waste mixtures. Longer incubation times decreased the cyprodinil sorption possibly due to the mineralization of organic matter but also as a consequence of the high pH values reached after bentonite waste addition (up to 10.0). Cyprodinil desorption increased as the amount of waste added to soil, and the incubation time increased. The use of these winery wastes contributes to a more sustainable agriculture preventing fungicide mobilization to groundwater.

Biodegradation pattern of hydrocarbons from a fuel oil-type complex residue by an emulsifier-producing microbial consortium.

PubMed

Nievas, M L; Commendatore, M G; Esteves, J L; Bucalá, V

2008-06-15

The biodegradation of a hazardous waste (bilge waste), a fuel oil-type complex residue from normal ship operations, was studied in a batch bioreactor using a microbial consortium in seawater medium. Experiments with initial concentrations of 0.18 and 0.53% (v/v) of bilge waste were carried out. In order to study the biodegradation kinetics, the mass of n-alkanes, resolved hydrocarbons and unresolved complex mixture (UCM) hydrocarbons were assessed by gas chromatography (GC). Emulsification was detected in both experiments, possibly linked to the n-alkanes depletion, with differences in emulsification start times and extents according to the initial hydrocarbon concentration. Both facts influenced the hydrocarbon biodegradation kinetics. A sequential biodegradation of n-alkanes and UMC was found for the higher hydrocarbon content. Being the former growth associated, while UCM biodegradation was a non-growing process showing enzymatic-type biodegradation kinetics. For the lower hydrocarbon concentration, simultaneous biodegradation of n-alkanes and UMC were found before emulsification. Nevertheless, certain UCM biodegradation was observed after the medium emulsification. According to the observed kinetics, three main types of hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, biodegradable UCM and recalcitrant UCM) were found adequate to represent the multicomponent substrate (bilge waste) for future modelling of the biodegradation process.

Method of preparing nuclear wastes for tansportation and interim storage

DOEpatents

Bandyopadhyay, Gautam; Galvin, Thomas M.

1984-01-01

Nuclear waste is formed into a substantially water-insoluble solid for temporary storage and transportation by mixing the calcined waste with at least 10 weight percent powdered anhydrous sodium silicate to form a mixture and subjecting the mixture to a high humidity environment for a period of time sufficient to form cementitious bonds by chemical reaction. The method is suitable for preparing an interim waste form from dried high level radioactive wastes.

Process for solidifying high-level nuclear waste

DOEpatents

Ross, Wayne A.

1978-01-01

The addition of a small amount of reducing agent to a mixture of a high-level radioactive waste calcine and glass frit before the mixture is melted will produce a more homogeneous glass which is leach-resistant and suitable for long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste products.

Hazardous properties of paint residues from the furniture industry.

PubMed

Vaajasaari, Kati; Kulovaara, Maaret; Joutti, Anneli; Schultz, Eija; Soljamo, Kari

2004-01-30

The objective of this study was to screen nine excess paint residues for environmental hazard and to evaluate their disposability in a non-hazardous or hazardous-waste landfill. These residues were produced in the process of spray-painting furniture. Residues were classified according to their leaching and ecotoxicological properties. Leaching properties were determined with the European standard SFS-EN 12457-2 leaching-test. The toxicity of the leaching-test eluates was measured with plant-, bacteria- and enzyme-inhibition bioassays. Total organic carbon, formaldehyde and solvent concentrations in the solid wastes and in the leaching-test eluates were analysed. It seemed likely that leached formaldehyde caused very high acute toxicity in leaching-test eluates of the dry-booth residues. This hypothesis was based on the fact that the formaldehyde concentrations in the leaching-test eluates of the dry-booth residues were 62-75 times higher than the EC50 value reported in the literature for formaldehyde. The results of the water-curtain booth residues showed that the samples with the highest TOC and aromatic solvent concentrations were also the most toxic. The studied excess paint residues were complex organic mixtures and contained large amounts of compounds not identifiable from chemical data. Therefore, the evaluation of the hazard based solely on available chemical data is unlikely to be sufficient, as evidenced by our study. Our results show that harmful compounds remain in the solid waste and the toxicity results of their leaching-test eluates show that toxicity may leach from residues in contact with water at landfill sites. They also confirm the benefit of combining chemical and ecotoxicological assays in assessing the potential environmental hazard of complex organic mixtures found in wastes. Copyright 2003 Elsevier B.V.

Development of a passive, in situ, integrative sampler for hydrophilic organic contaminants in aquatic environments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alvarez, D.A.; Petty, J.D.; Huckins, J.N.; Jones-Lepp, T. L.; Getting, D.T.; Goddard, J.P.; Manahan, S.E.

2004-01-01

Increasingly it is being realized that a holistic hazard assessment of complex environmental contaminant mixtures requires data on the concentrations of hydrophilic organic contaminants including new generation pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and many chemicals associated with household, industrial, and agricultural wastes. To address this issue, we developed a passive in situ sampling device (the polar organic chemical integrative sampler [POCIS]) that integratively concentrates trace levels of complex mixtures of hydrophilic environmental contaminants, enables the determination of their time-weighted average water concentrations, and provides a method of estimating the potential exposure of aquatic organisms to the complex mixture of waterborne contaminants. Using a prototype sampler, linear uptake of selected herbicides and pharmaceuticals with log KowS < 4.0 was observed for up to 56 d. Estimation of the ambient water concentrations of chemicals of interest is achieved by using appropriate uptake models and determination of POCIS sampling rates for appropriate exposure conditions. Use of POCIS in field validation studies targeting the herbicide diuron in the United Kingdom resulted in the detection of the chemical at estimated concentrations of 190 to 600 ng/L. These values are in agreement with reported levels found in traditional grab samples taken concurrently.

The Challenge of Peat Substitution in Organic Seedling Production: Optimization of Growing Media Formulation through Mixture Design and Response Surface Analysis

PubMed Central

Ceglie, Francesco Giovanni; Bustamante, Maria Angeles; Ben Amara, Mouna; Tittarelli, Fabio

2015-01-01

Peat replacement is an increasing demand in containerized and transplant production, due to the environmental constraints associated to peat use. However, despite the wide information concerning the use of alternative materials as substrates, it is very complex to establish the best materials and mixtures. This work evaluates the use of mixture design and surface response methodology in a peat substitution experiment using two alternative materials (green compost and palm fibre trunk waste) for transplant production of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.); melon, (Cucumis melo L.); and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in organic farming conditions. In general, the substrates showed suitable properties for their use in seedling production, showing the best plant response the mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fibre and 31% peat. The mixture design and applied response surface methodology has shown to be an useful approach to optimize substrate formulations in peat substitution experiments to standardize plant responses. PMID:26070163

Experimental evaluation of drying characteristics of sewage sludge and hazelnut shell mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pehlivan, Hüseyin; Ateş, Asude; Özdemir, Mustafa

2016-11-01

In this study the drying behavior of organic and agricultural waste mixtures has been experimentally investigated. The usability of sewage sludge as an organic waste and hazelnut shell as an agricultural waste was assessed in different mixture range. The paper discusses the applicability of these mixtures as a recovery energy source. Moisture content of mixtures has been calculated in laboratory and plant conditions. Indoor and outdoor solar sludge drying plants were constructed in pilot scale for experimental purposes. Dry solids and climatic conditions were constantly measured. A total more than 140 samples including for drying has been carried out to build up results. Indoor and outdoor weather conditions are taken into consideration in winter and summer. The most effective drying capacity is obtained in mixture of 20 % hazelnut shell and 80 % sewage sludge.

Gaseous emissions from the combustion of a waste mixture containing a high concentration of N2O.

PubMed

Dong, Changqing; Yang, Yongping; Zhang, Junjiao; Lu, Xuefeng

2009-01-01

This paper is focused on reducing the emissions from the combustion of a waste mixture containing a high concentration of N2O. A rate model and an equilibrium model were used to predict gaseous emissions from the combustion of the mixture. The influences of temperature and methane were considered, and the experimental research was carried out in a tabular reactor and a pilot combustion furnace. The results showed that for the waste mixture, the combustion temperature should be in the range of 950-1100 degrees C and the gas residence time should be 2s or higher to reduce emissions.

Method and apparatus for reducing mixed waste

DOEpatents

Elliott, Michael L.; Perez, Jr., Joseph M.; Chapman, Chris C.; Peters, Richard D.

1995-01-01

The present invention is a method and apparatus for in-can waste reduction. The method is mixing waste with combustible material prior to placing the waste into a waste reduction vessel. The combustible portion is ignited, thereby reducing combustible material to ash and non-combustible material to a slag. Further combustion or heating may be used to sinter or melt the ash. The apparatus is a waste reduction vessel having receiving canister connection means on a first end, and a waste/combustible mixture inlet on a second end. An oxygen supply is provided to support combustion of the combustible mixture.

Complex coacervation of collagen hydrolysate extracted from leather solid wastes and chitosan for controlled release of lavender oil.

PubMed

Ocak, Buğra

2012-06-15

In the world, approximately 600,000 metric tonnes of chromium-containing solid wastes are generated by the leather industry each year. Environmental concerns and escalating landfill costs are becoming increasingly serious problems to the leather industry and seeking solutions to these problems is a prime concern in much research today. In this study, solid collagen-based protein hydrolysate was isolated from chromium-tanned leather wastes and its chemical properties were determined. Microcapsules of collagen hydrolysate (CH) - chitosan (C) crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) containing Lavender oil (LO) were prepared by complex coacervation method. The effects of various processing parameters, including the CH to C ratio, LO content, and GA, on the oil load (%), oil content (%), encapsulation efficiency (%) and release rate of LO from microcapsules were investigated. As the ratio of C present in the CH/C mixture and crosslinking density increased, the release rate of LO from microcapsules slowed down. Optical and scanning electron microscopy images illustrated that the LO microcapsules were spherical in shape. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies confirmed that there was no significant interaction between CH/C complex and LO. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An alternative method for the treatment of waste produced at a dye and a metal-plating industry using natural and/or waste materials.

PubMed

Fatta, Despo; Papadopoulos, Achilleas; Stefanakis, Nikos; Loizidou, Maria; Savvides, Chrysanthos

2004-08-01

The aim of this study was to develop cost-effective, appropriate solidification technologies for treating hazardous industrial wastes that are currently disposed of in ways that may threaten the quality of local groundwater. One major objective was to use materials other than cement, and preferably materials that are themselves wastes, as the solidification additives, namely using wastes to treat wastes or locally available natural material. This research examines the cement-based and lime-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) techniques applied for waste generated at a metal-plating industry and a dye industry. For the lime-based S/S process the following binder mixtures were used: cement kiln dust/ lime, bentonite/lime and gypsum/lime. For the cement-based S/S process three binder mixtures were used: cement kiln dust/cement, bentonite/cement and gypsum/cement. The leachability of the wastes was evaluated using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure. The applicability and optimum weight ratio of the binder mixtures were estimated using the unconfined compressive strength test. The optimum ratio mixtures were mixed with waste samples in different ratios and cured for 28 days in order to find the S/S products with the highest strength and lowest leachability at the same time. The results of this work showed that the cement-and lime-based S/S process, using cement kiln dust and bentonite as additives can be effectively used in order to treat industrial waste.

Conversion of radioactive ferrocyanide compounds to immobile glasses

DOEpatents

Schulz, Wallace W.; Dressen, A. Louise

1977-04-26

Complex radioactive ferrocyanide compounds result from the scavenging of cesium from waste products produced in the chemical reprocessing of nuclear fuel. These ferrocyanides, in accordance with this process, are converted to an immobile glass, resistant to leaching by water, by fusion together with sodium carbonate and a mixture of (a) basalt and boron trioxide (B.sub.2 O.sub.3) or (b) silica (SiO.sub.2) and lime (CaO).

Effect of occupational safety measures on micronucleus frequency in semiconductor workers.

PubMed

Winker, Robert; Roos, Gerhard; Pilger, Alexander; Rüdiger, Hugo W

2008-02-01

To examine whether semiconductor workers exposed to complex mixtures of chemical waste show an increase in genotoxic effects, and, if so, whether occupational safety measures protect these workers. To assess chemical exposure in the workplace, air monitoring of boron trifluoride and boron trichloride was performed and urinary concentrations of fluoride were measured. The cytokinesis-block micronucleus test on isolated lymphocytes was used for the detection of genotoxic effects. Two series of monitoring have been performed in order to assess the effect of implemented protection measures. We found a significantly higher mean frequency of micronuclei in exposed workers than in controls, whereas air monitoring and measurement of urinary fluoride failed to detect chemical exposure of these workers. Twelve years after implementation of protective measures, the mean level of micronuclei in exposed individuals was found to be as low as those from controls. These findings indicate that exposed workers in the semiconductor industry may have an increased risk of genotoxic effects from complex mixtures of chemical waste products. The decline of the mean level of micronuclei in exposed workers down to the base level of controls after implementation of protective measures points to the significance of adequate safety standards to protect against chromosomal damage in semiconductor personnel.

Determination of reaction rates and activation energy in aerobic composting processes for yard waste.

PubMed

Uma, R N; Manjula, G; Meenambal, T

2007-04-01

The reaction rates and activation energy in aerobic composting processes for yard waste were determined using specifically designed reactors. Different mixture ratios were fixed before the commencement of the process. The C/N ratio was found to be optimum for a mixture ratio of 1:6 containing one part of coir pith to six parts of other waste which included yard waste, yeast sludge, poultry yard waste and decomposing culture (Pleurotosis). The path of stabilization of the wastes was continuously monitored by observing various parameters such as temperature, pH, Electrical Conductivity, C.O.D, VS at regular time intervals. Kinetic analysis was done to determine the reaction rates and activation energy for the optimum mixture ratio under forced aeration condition. The results of the analysis clearly indicated that the temperature dependence of the reaction rates followed the Arrhenius equation. The temperature coefficients were also determined. The degradation of the organic fraction of the yard waste could be predicted using first order reaction model.

An investigation of waste foundry sand in asphalt concrete mixtures.

PubMed

Bakis, Recep; Koyuncu, Hakan; Demirbas, Ayhan

2006-06-01

A laboratory study regarding the reuse of waste foundry sand in asphalt concrete production by replacing a certain portion of aggregate with WFS was undertaken. The results showed that replacement of 10% aggregates with waste foundry sand was found to be the most suitable for asphalt concrete mixtures. Furthermore, the chemical and physical properties of waste foundry sand were analysed in the laboratory to determine the potential effect on the environment. The results indicated that the investigated waste foundry sand did not significantly affect the environment around the deposition

Waste gas storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, Brian D. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

Method for storing a waste gas mixture comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and inert gases, the gas mixture containing corrosive contaminants including inorganic acids and bases and organic solvents, and derived from space station operations. The gas mixture is stored under pressure in a vessel formed of a filament wound composite overwrap on a metal liner, the metal liner being pre-stressed in compression by the overwrap, thereby avoiding any tensile stress in the liner, and preventing stress corrosion cracking of the liner during gas mixture storage.

Effect of the raw materials and mixing ratio of composted wastes on the dynamic of organic matter stabilization and nitrogen availability in composts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Kaboré, Théodore Wind-Tinbnoma; Houot, Sabine; Hien, Edmond; Zombré, Prosper; Hien, Victor; Masse, Dominique

2010-02-01

The effect of raw materials and their proportions in initial mixtures on organic matter (OM) stabilization and nitrogen (N) availability during pit composting in Sub-Saharan Africa was assessed using biochemical fractionation and laboratory incubations to characterize composts sampled throughout the composting process. Stabilization of OM occurred more rapidly in mixtures with slaughter-house wastes, it was progressive in mixture with household refuses while tree leaves compost remained unstable. Carbon mineralization from compost samples was positively correlated to water soluble and hemicellulose-like organic fractions. Mixtures containing large proportions of household refuses reached the highest stability and total N but available N remained weak. Slaughter-house wastes in the initial mixtures made possible to reach good OM stabilization and the largest N availability. The nature of initial mixing influenced composting parameters, OM stabilization and N availability. It is suggested mixing household refuses and slaughter-house wastes with tree leaves to reach better amending and fertilizer qualities of composts.

Dissolution of Simulated and Radioactive Savannah River Site High-Level Waste Sludges with Oxalic Acid & Citric Acid Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

STALLINGS, MARY

This report presents findings from tests investigating the dissolution of simulated and radioactive Savannah River Site sludges with 4 per cent oxalic acid and mixtures of oxalic and citric acid previously recommended by a Russian team from the Khlopin Radium Institute and the Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC). Testing also included characterization of the simulated and radioactive waste sludges. Testing results showed the following: Dissolution of simulated HM and PUREX sludges with oxalic and citric acid mixtures at SRTC confirmed general trends reported previously by Russian testing. Unlike the previous Russian testing six sequential contacts of a mixture of oxalicmore » acid citric acids at a 2:1 ratio (v/w) of acid to sludge did not produce complete dissolution of simulated HM and PUREX sludges. We observed that increased sludge dissolution occurred at a higher acid to sludge ratio, 50:1 (v/w), compared to the recommended ratio of 2:1 (v/w). We observed much lower dissolution of aluminum in a simulated HM sludge by sodium hydroxide leaching. We attribute the low aluminum dissolution in caustic to the high fraction of boehmite present in the simulated sludge. Dissolution of HLW sludges with 4 per cent oxalic acid and oxalic/citric acid followed general trends observed with simulated sludges. The limited testing suggests that a mixture of oxalic and citric acids is more efficient for dissolving HM and PUREX sludges and provides a more homogeneous dissolution of HM sludge than oxalic acid alone. Dissolution of HLW sludges in oxalic and oxalic/citric acid mixtures produced residual sludge solids that measured at higher neutron poison to equivalent 235U weight ratios than that in the untreated sludge solids. This finding suggests that residual solids do not present an increased nuclear criticality safety risk. Generally the neutron poison to equivalent 235U weight ratios of the acid solutions containing dissolved sludge components are lower than those in the untreated sludge solids. We recommend that these results be evaluated further to determine if these solutions contain sufficient neutron poisons. We observed low general corrosion rates in tests in which carbon steel coupons were contacted with solutions of oxalic acid, citric acid and mixtures of oxalic and citric acids. Wall thinning can be minimized by maintaining short contact times with these acid solutions. We recommend additional testing with oxalic and oxalic/citric acid mixtures to measure dissolution performance of sludges that have not been previously dried. This testing should include tests to clearly ascertain the effects of total acid strength and metal complexation on dissolution performance. Further work should also evaluate the downstream impacts of citric acid on the SRS High-Level Waste System (e.g., radiochemical separations in the Salt Waste Processing Facility and addition of organic carbon in the Saltstone and Defense Waste Processing facilities).« less

Performance Characteristics of Waste Glass Powder Substituting Portland Cement in Mortar Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kara, P.; Csetényi, L. J.; Borosnyói, A.

2016-04-01

In the present work, soda-lime glass cullet (flint, amber, green) and special glass cullet (soda-alkaline earth-silicate glass coming from low pressure mercury-discharge lamp cullet and incandescent light bulb borosilicate glass waste cullet) were ground into fine powders in a laboratory planetary ball mill for 30 minutes. CEM I 42.5N Portland cement was applied in mortar mixtures, substituted with waste glass powder at levels of 20% and 30%. Characterisation and testing of waste glass powders included fineness by laser diffraction particle size analysis, specific surface area by nitrogen adsorption technique, particle density by pycnometry and chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry. Compressive strength, early age shrinkage cracking and drying shrinkage tests, heat of hydration of mortars, temperature of hydration, X-ray diffraction analysis and volume stability tests were performed to observe the influence of waste glass powder substitution for Portland cement on physical and engineering properties of mortar mixtures.

Food waste composting: its use as a peat replacement.

PubMed

Farrell, M; Jones, D L

2010-01-01

We successfully co-composted catering waste with green waste and shredded paper to yield two high-nitrogen composts for use in horticulture. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) were grown in various mixtures of the compost and a commercially available peat-based compost to assess the efficacy of catering waste-based composts for peat replacement. Height, head diameter, seed mass and above-ground biomass were measured, with all mixtures giving a significant increase in yield or size over the commercially available peat-free control compost. We conclude that differences in physical structure governed sunflower growth over substrate chemistry, and none of the compost mixtures were nutrient deficient. We recommend that catering waste co-compost can be substituted to at least 75% within Sphagnum-based traditional growing media, providing a viable replacement for a large proportion of peat used as a growth medium in the horticulture industry. Our catering waste compost yielded similar seed head, seed mass and above-ground biomass values to 100% peat-based compost in all food waste compost blends tested in this study. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of feed to inoculum ratios on biogas yields of food and green wastes.

PubMed

Liu, Guangqing; Zhang, Ruihong; El-Mashad, Hamed M; Dong, Renjie

2009-11-01

Biogas and methane yields of food and green wastes and their mixture were determined using batch anaerobic digesters at mesophilic (35+/-2 degrees C) and thermophilic (50+/-2 degrees C) temperatures. The mixture was composed of 50% food waste and 50% green waste, based on the volatile solids (VS) initially added to the reactors. The thermophilic digestion tests were performed with four different feed to inoculum (F/I) ratios (i.e., 1.6, 3.1, 4.0 and 5.0) and the mesophilic digestion was conducted at one F/I (3.1). The results showed that the F/I significantly affected the biogas production rate. At four F/Is tested, after 25 days of thermophilic digestion, the biogas yield was determined to be 778, 742, 784 and 396 mL/g VS for food waste, respectively; 631, 529, 524 and 407 mL/g VS for green waste, respectively; and 716, 613, 671 and 555 mL/g VS for the mixture, respectively. About 80% of the biogas production was obtained during the first 10 days of digestion. At the F/I of 3.1, the biogas and methane yields from mesophilic digestion of food waste, green waste and their mixture were lower than the yields obtained at thermophilic temperature. The biogas yields were 430, 372 and 358 mL/g VS, respectively, and the methane yields were 245, 206, and 185 mL/g VS, respectively.

Use of Incineration Solid Waste Bottom Ash as Cement Mixture in Cement Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, N. H.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.; Jin, T. S.; Kadir, A. A.; Tugui, C. A.; Sandu, A. V.

2017-06-01

Incineration solid waste bottom ash was use to examine the suitability as a substitution in cement production. This study enveloped an innovative technology option for designing new equivalent cement that contains incineration solid waste bottom ash. The compressive strength of the samples was determined at 7, 14, 28 and 90 days. The result was compared to control cement with cement mixture containing incineration waste bottom ash where the result proved that bottom ash cement mixture able achieve its equivalent performance compared to control cement which meeting the requirement of the standards according to EN 196-1. The pozzolanic activity index of bottom ash cement mixture reached 0.92 at 28 days and 0.95 at 90 and this values can be concluded as a pozzolanic material with positive pozzolanic activity. Calcium hydroxide in Portland cement decreasing with the increasing replacement of bottom ash where the reaction occur between Ca(OH)2 and active SiO2.

Potential use of Plastic Waste as Construction Materials: Recent Progress and Future Prospect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamaruddin, M. A.; Abdullah, M. M. A.; Zawawi, M. H.; Zainol, M. R. R. A.

2017-11-01

Plastic associates products based have been considered as the world most consumer packaging solution. However, substantial quantities of plastic consumption have led to exponential increase of plastic derived waste. Recycling of plastic waste as valued added product such as concrete appears as one of promising solution for alternative use of plastic waste. This paper summarized recent progress on the development of concrete mixture which incorporates plastic wastes as partial aggregate replacement during concrete manufacturing. A collection of data from previous studies that have been researched which employed plastic waste in concrete mixtures were evaluated and conclusions are drawn based on the laboratory results of all the mentioned research papers studied.

Investigation of the possibility of using hydrogranulation in reprocessing radioactive wastes of radiochemical production facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Revyakin, V.; Borisov, L.M.

1996-05-01

Radio-chemical production facilities are constantly accumulating liquid radioactive wastes (still residues as the result of evaporation of extraction and adsorption solutions etc.) which are a complex multicomponent mixtures. The wastes are frequently stored for extended periods of time while awaiting disposition and in some cases, and this is much worse, they are released into the environment. In this report, I would like to draw your attention to some results we have obtained from investigations aimed at simplifying handing of such wastes by the precipitation of hard to dissolve metal hydroxides, the flocculation of the above into granules with the helpmore » of surface-active agents (in this case a polyacrylamide - PAA), quickly precipitated and easily filtered. The precipitate may be quickly dried and calcinated, if necessary, and transformed into a dense oxide sinter. In other words it may be transformed into a material convenient for storage or burial.« less

Fractal Theory and Field Cover Experiments: Implications for the Fractal Characteristics and Radon Diffusion Behavior of Soils and Rocks.

PubMed

Tan, Wanyu; Li, Yongmei; Tan, Kaixuan; Duan, Xianzhe; Liu, Dong; Liu, Zehua

2016-12-01

Radon diffusion and transport through different media is a complex process affected by many factors. In this study, the fractal theories and field covering experiments were used to study the fractal characteristics of particle size distribution (PSD) of six kinds of geotechnical materials (e.g., waste rock, sand, laterite, kaolin, mixture of sand and laterite, and mixture of waste rock and laterite) and their effects on radon diffusion. In addition, the radon diffusion coefficient and diffusion length were calculated. Moreover, new formulas for estimating diffusion coefficient and diffusion length functional of fractal dimension d of PSD were proposed. These results demonstrate the following points: (1) the fractal dimension d of the PSD can be used to characterize the property of soils and rocks in the studies of radon diffusion behavior; (2) the diffusion coefficient and diffusion length decrease with increasing fractal dimension of PSD; and (3) the effectiveness of final covers in reducing radon exhalation of uranium tailings impoundments can be evaluated on the basis of the fractal dimension of PSD of materials.

Co-processing of agricultural plastic waste and switchgrass via tail gas reactive pyrolysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mixtures of agricultural plastic waste in the form of polyethylene hay bale covers (PE) (4-37%) and switchgrass were investigated using the US Department of Agriculture’s tail gas reactive pyrolysis (TGRP) at different temperatures (400-570 deg C). TGRP of switchgrass and plastic mixtures significan...

Self-healing properties of recycled asphalt mixtures containing metal waste: An approach through microwave radiation heating.

PubMed

González, A; Norambuena-Contreras, J; Storey, L; Schlangen, E

2018-05-15

The concept of self-healing asphalt mixtures by bitumen temperature increase has been used by researchers to create an asphalt mixture with crack-healing properties by microwave or induction heating. Metals, normally steel wool fibers (SWF), are added to asphalt mixtures prepared with virgin materials to absorb and conduct thermal energy. Metal shavings, a waste material from the metal industry, could be used to replace SWF. In addition, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) could be added to these mixtures to make a more sustainable road material. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of adding metal shavings and RAP on the properties of asphalt mixtures with crack-healing capabilities by microwave heating. The research indicates that metal shavings have an irregular shape with widths larger than typical SWF used with asphalt self-healing purposes. The general effect of adding metal shavings was an improvement in the crack-healing of asphalt mixtures, while adding RAP to mixtures with metal shavings reduced the healing. The average surface temperature of the asphalt samples after microwave heating was higher than temperatures obtained by induction heating, indicating that shavings are more efficient when mixtures are heated by microwave radiation. CT scan analysis showed that shavings uniformly distribute in the mixture, and the addition of metal shavings increases the air voids. Overall, it is concluded that asphalt mixtures with RAP and waste metal shavings have the potential of being crack-healed by microwave heating. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 264.256 - Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., AND DISPOSAL FACILITIES Waste Piles § 264.256 Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste. Ignitable or reactive waste must not be placed in a waste pile unless the waste and waste pile satisfy all... immediately after placement in the pile so that: (1) The resulting waste, mixture, or dissolution of material...

Reuse of municipal solid wastes incineration fly ashes in concrete mixtures.

PubMed

Collivignarelli, Carlo; Sorlini, Sabrina

2002-01-01

This study is aimed at assessing the feasibility of concrete production using stabilized m.s.w. (municipal solid waste) incineration fly ashes in addition to natural aggregates. The tested fly ashes were washed and milled, then stabilized by a cement-lime process and finally were reused as a "recycled aggregate" for cement mixture production, in substitution of a natural aggregate (with dosage of 200-400 kg m(-3)). These mixtures, after curing, were characterized with conventional physical-mechanical tests (compression, traction, flexure, modulus of elasticity, shrinkage). In samples containing 200 kg(waste) m(-3)(concrete), a good compressive strength was achieved after 28 days of curing. Furthermore, concrete leaching behavior was evaluated by means of different leaching tests, both on milled and on monolithic samples. Experimental results showed a remarkable reduction of metal leaching in comparison with raw waste. In some cases, similar behavior was observed in "natural" concrete (produced with natural aggregates) and in "waste containing" concrete.

Bio-degradation of oily food waste employing thermophilic bacterial strains.

PubMed

Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar; Selvam, Ammaiyappan; Chan, Man Ting; Wong, Jonathan W C

2018-01-01

The objective of this work was to isolate a novel thermophilic bacterial strain and develop a bacterial consortium (BC) for efficient degradation oily food waste. Four treatments were designed: 1:1 mixture of pre-consumption food wastes (PrCFWs) and post-consumption food wastes (PCFWs) (T-1), 1:2 mixture of PrCFWs and PCFWs mixture (T-2), PrCFWs (T-3) and PCFWs (T-4). Equal quantity of BC was inoculated into each treatment to compare the oil degradation efficiency. Results showed that after 15days of incubation, a maximum oil reduction of 65.12±0.08% was observed in treatment T-4, followed by T-2 (55.44±0.12%), T-3 (54.79±0.04%) and T-1 (52.52±0.02%), while oil reduction was negligible in control. Results indicate that the development of oil utilizing thermophilic BC was more cost-effective in solving the degradation of oily food wastes and conversion into a stable end product. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environment Monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Viking landers touched down on Mars equipped with a variety of systems to conduct automated research, each carrying a compact but highly sophisticated instrument for analyzing Martian soil and atmosphere. Instrument called a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) had to be small, lightweight, shock resistant, highly automated and extremely sensitive, yet require minimal electrical power. Viking Instruments Corporation commercialized this technology and targeted their primary market as environmental monitoring, especially toxic and hazardous waste site monitoring. Waste sites often contain chemicals in complex mixtures, and the conventional method of site characterization, taking samples on-site and sending them to a laboratory for analysis is time consuming and expensive. Other terrestrial applications are explosive detection in airports, drug detection, industrial air monitoring, medical metabolic monitoring and for military, chemical warfare agents.

Precipitate hydrolysis process for the removal of organic compounds from nuclear waste slurries

DOEpatents

Doherty, Joseph P.; Marek, James C.

1989-01-01

A process for removing organic compounds from a nuclear waste slurry comprising reacting a mixture of radioactive waste precipitate slurry and an acid in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a copper (II) catalyst whereby the organic compounds in the precipitate slurry are hydrolyzed to form volatile organic compounds which are separated from the reacting mixture. The resulting waste slurry, containing less than 10 percent of the orginal organic compounds, is subsequently blended with high level radioactive sludge and transferred to a virtrification facility for processing into borosilicate glass for long-term storage.

Impact of Adding Biopreparations on the Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge with Grease Trap Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worwąg, Małgorzata

2016-09-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using biopreparations on efficiency of the co-fermentation process. Commercial bacterial biopreparations DBC Plus Type L, DBC Plus Type R5 and yeast biopreparations were used in the study. The process of cofermentation of sewage sludge with grease trap waste from a production plant that manufactured methyl esters of fatty acids was analysed in the laboratory environment under mesophilic conditions. The sludge in the reactor was replaced once a day, with hydraulic retention time of 10 days. Grease trap waste accounted for 35%wt. of the fermentation mixture. The stabilization process was monitored everyday based on the measurements of biogas volume. Addition of yeast biopreparation to methane fermentation of sewage sludge with grease trap waste caused an increase in mean daily biogas production from 6.9 dm3 (control mixture) to 9.21dm3 (mixture M3). No differences in biogas production were found for other cases (mixtures M1, M2). A similar relationship was observed for methane content in biogas.

Polysaccharide-derived mesoporous materials (Starbon®) for sustainable separation of complex mixtures.

PubMed

Zuin, Vânia G; Budarin, Vitaliy L; De Bruyn, Mario; Shuttleworth, Peter S; Hunt, Andrew J; Pluciennik, Camille; Borisova, Aleksandra; Dodson, Jennifer; Parker, Helen L; Clark, James H

2017-09-21

The recovery and separation of high value and low volume extractives are a considerable challenge for the commercial realisation of zero-waste biorefineries. Using solid-phase extractions (SPE) based on sustainable sorbents is a promising method to enable efficient, green and selective separation of these complex extractive mixtures. Mesoporous carbonaceous solids derived from renewable polysaccharides are ideal stationary phases due to their tuneable functionality and surface structure. In this study, the structure-separation relationships of thirteen polysaccharide-derived mesoporous materials and two modified types as sorbents for ten naturally-occurring bioactive phenolic compounds were investigated. For the first time, a comprehensive statistical analysis of the key molecular and surface properties influencing the recovery of these species was carried out. The obtained results show the possibility of developing tailored materials for purification, separation or extraction, depending on the molecular composition of the analyte. The wide versatility and application span of these polysaccharide-derived mesoporous materials offer new sustainable and inexpensive alternatives to traditional silica-based stationary phases.

Substituting energy crops with organic wastes and agro-industrial residues for biogas production.

PubMed

Schievano, Andrea; D'Imporzano, Giuliana; Adani, Fabrizio

2009-06-01

In this study, industrial and agro-industrial by-products and residues (BRs), animal manures (AMs), and various types of organic wastes (OWs) were analyzed to evaluate their suitability as substitutes for energy crops (ECs) in biogas production. A comparison between the costs of the volume of biogas that can be produced from each substrate was presented with respect to the prices of the substrates in the Italian market. Furthermore, four different feeding mixtures were compared with a mixture of EC and swine manure (Mixture A) used in a full-scale plant in Italy. Swine manure is always included as a basic substrate in the feeding mixtures, because many of the Italian biogas plants are connected to farms. When EC were partially substituted with BR (Mixture B), the cost (0.28 euro Nm(-3)) of the volume of biogas of Mixture A dropped to 0.18 euro Nm(-3). Furthermore, when the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and olive oil sludge (OS) were used as possible solutions (Mixtures C and D), the costs of the volume of biogas were -0.20 and 0.11euroNm(-3), respectively. The negative price signifies that operators earn money for treating the waste. For the fifth mix (Mixture E) of the OFMSW with a high solid substrate, such as glycerin from biodiesel production, the resulting cost of the volume of biogas produced was -0.09 euro Nm(-3). By comparing these figures, it is evident that the biogas plants at farm level are good candidates for treating organic residues of both municipalities and the agro-industrial sector in a cost-effective way, and in providing territorially diffused electric and thermal power. This may represent a potential development for agrarian economy.

Nitrification during extended co-composting of extreme mixtures of green waste and solid fraction of cattle slurry to obtain growing media.

PubMed

Cáceres, Rafaela; Coromina, Narcís; Malińska, Krystyna; Martínez-Farré, F Xavier; López, Marga; Soliva, Montserrat; Marfà, Oriol

2016-12-01

Next generation of waste management systems should apply product-oriented bioconversion processes that produce composts or biofertilisers of desired quality that can be sold in high priced markets such as horticulture. Natural acidification linked to nitrification can be promoted during composting. If nitrification is enhanced, suitable compost in terms of pH can be obtained for use in horticultural substrates. Green waste compost (GW) represents a potential suitable product for use in growing medium mixtures. However its low N provides very limited slow-release nitrogen fertilization for suitable plant growth; and GW should be composted with a complementary N-rich raw material such as the solid fraction of cattle slurry (SFCS). Therefore, it is important to determine how very different or extreme proportions of the two materials in the mixture can limit or otherwise affect the nitrification process. The objectives of this work were two-fold: (a) To assess the changes in chemical and physicochemical parameters during the prolonged composting of extreme mixtures of green waste (GW) and separated cattle slurry (SFCS) and the feasibility of using the composts as growing media. (b) To check for nitrification during composting in two different extreme mixtures of GW and SFCS and to describe the conditions under which this process can be maintained and its consequences. The physical and physicochemical properties of both composts obtained indicated that they were appropriate for use as ingredients in horticultural substrates. The nitrification process occurred in both mixtures in the medium-late thermophilic stage of the composting process. In particular, its feasibility has been demonstrated in the mixtures with a low N content. Nitrification led to the inversion of each mixture's initial pH. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supercritical extraction of lycopene from tomato industrial wastes with ethane.

PubMed

Nobre, Beatriz P; Gouveia, Luisa; Matos, Patricia G S; Cristino, Ana F; Palavra, António F; Mendes, Rui L

2012-07-11

Supercritical fluid extraction of all-E-lycopene from tomato industrial wastes (mixture of skins and seeds) was carried out in a semi-continuous flow apparatus using ethane as supercritical solvent. The effect of pressure, temperature, feed particle size, solvent superficial velocity and matrix initial composition was evaluated. Moreover, the yield of the extraction was compared with that obtained with other supercritical solvents (supercritical CO₂ and a near critical mixture of ethane and propane). The recovery of all-E-lycopene increased with pressure, decreased with the increase of the particle size in the initial stages of the extraction and was not practically affected by the solvent superficial velocity. The effect of the temperature was more complex. When the temperature increased from 40 to 60 °C the recovery of all-E-lycopene increased from 80 to 90%. However, for a further increase to 80 °C, the recovery remained almost the same, indicating that some E-Z isomerization could have occurred, as well as some degradation of lycopene. The recovery of all-E-lycopene was almost the same for feed samples with different all-E-lycopene content. Furthermore, when a batch with a higher all-E-lycopene content was used, supercritical ethane and a near critical mixture of ethane and propane showed to be better solvents than supercritical CO₂ leading to a faster extraction with a higher recovery of the carotenoid.

Improving oil classification quality from oil spill fingerprint beyond six sigma approach.

PubMed

Juahir, Hafizan; Ismail, Azimah; Mohamed, Saiful Bahri; Toriman, Mohd Ekhwan; Kassim, Azlina Md; Zain, Sharifuddin Md; Ahmad, Wan Kamaruzaman Wan; Wah, Wong Kok; Zali, Munirah Abdul; Retnam, Ananthy; Taib, Mohd Zaki Mohd; Mokhtar, Mazlin

2017-07-15

This study involves the use of quality engineering in oil spill classification based on oil spill fingerprinting from GC-FID and GC-MS employing the six-sigma approach. The oil spills are recovered from various water areas of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah (East Malaysia). The study approach used six sigma methodologies that effectively serve as the problem solving in oil classification extracted from the complex mixtures of oil spilled dataset. The analysis of six sigma link with the quality engineering improved the organizational performance to achieve its objectivity of the environmental forensics. The study reveals that oil spills are discriminated into four groups' viz. diesel, hydrocarbon fuel oil (HFO), mixture oil lubricant and fuel oil (MOLFO) and waste oil (WO) according to the similarity of the intrinsic chemical properties. Through the validation, it confirmed that four discriminant component, diesel, hydrocarbon fuel oil (HFO), mixture oil lubricant and fuel oil (MOLFO) and waste oil (WO) dominate the oil types with a total variance of 99.51% with ANOVA giving F stat >F critical at 95% confidence level and a Chi Square goodness test of 74.87. Results obtained from this study reveals that by employing six-sigma approach in a data-driven problem such as in the case of oil spill classification, good decision making can be expedited. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Method for stabilizing low-level mixed wastes at room temperature

DOEpatents

Wagh, A.S.; Singh, D.

1997-07-08

A method to stabilize solid and liquid waste at room temperature is provided comprising combining solid waste with a starter oxide to obtain a powder, contacting the powder with an acid solution to create a slurry, said acid solution containing the liquid waste, shaping the now-mixed slurry into a predetermined form, and allowing the now-formed slurry to set. The invention also provides for a method to encapsulate and stabilize waste containing cesium comprising combining the waste with Zr(OH){sub 4} to create a solid-phase mixture, mixing phosphoric acid with the solid-phase mixture to create a slurry, subjecting the slurry to pressure; and allowing the now pressurized slurry to set. Lastly, the invention provides for a method to stabilize liquid waste, comprising supplying a powder containing magnesium, sodium and phosphate in predetermined proportions, mixing said powder with the liquid waste, such as tritium, and allowing the resulting slurry to set. 4 figs.

Method for stabilizing low-level mixed wastes at room temperature

DOEpatents

Wagh, Arun S.; Singh, Dileep

1997-01-01

A method to stabilize solid and liquid waste at room temperature is provided comprising combining solid waste with a starter oxide to obtain a powder, contacting the powder with an acid solution to create a slurry, said acid solution containing the liquid waste, shaping the now-mixed slurry into a predetermined form, and allowing the now-formed slurry to set. The invention also provides for a method to encapsulate and stabilize waste containing cesium comprising combining the waste with Zr(OH).sub.4 to create a solid-phase mixture, mixing phosphoric acid with the solid-phase mixture to create a slurry, subjecting the slurry to pressure; and allowing the now pressurized slurry to set. Lastly, the invention provides for a method to stabilize liquid waste, comprising supplying a powder containing magnesium, sodium and phosphate in predetermined proportions, mixing said powder with the liquid waste, such as tritium, and allowing the resulting slurry to set.

Valorisation of different types of boron-containing wastes for the production of lightweight aggregates.

PubMed

Kavas, T; Christogerou, A; Pontikes, Y; Angelopoulos, G N

2011-01-30

Four boron-containing wastes (BW), named as Sieve (SBW), Dewatering (DBW), Thickener (TBW) and Mixture (MBW) waste, from Kirka Boron plant in west Turkey were investigated for the formation of artificial lightweight aggregates (LWA). The characterisation involved chemical, mineralogical and thermal analyses as well as testing of their bloating behaviour by means of heating microscopy. It was found that SBW and DBW present bloating behaviour whereas TBW and MBW do not. Following the above results two mixtures M1 and M2 were prepared with (in wt.%): 20 clay mixture, 40 SBW, 40 DBW and 20 clay mixture, 35 SBW, 35 DBW, 10 quartz sand, respectively. Two different firing modes were applied: (a) from room temperature till 760 °C and (b) abrupt heating at 760 °C. The obtained bulk density for M1 and M2 pellets is 1.2g/cm(3) and 0.9 g/cm(3), respectively. The analysis of microstructure with electron microscopy revealed a glassy phase matrix and an extended formation of both interconnected and isolated, closed pores. The results indicate that SBW and DBW boron-containing wastes combined with a clay mixture and quartz sand can be valorised for the manufacturing of lightweight aggregates. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling the anaerobic digestion of solid organic waste - Substrate characterisation method for ADM1 using a combined biochemical and kinetic parameter estimation approach.

PubMed

Poggio, D; Walker, M; Nimmo, W; Ma, L; Pourkashanian, M

2016-07-01

This work proposes a novel and rigorous substrate characterisation methodology to be used with ADM1 to simulate the anaerobic digestion of solid organic waste. The proposed method uses data from both direct substrate analysis and the methane production from laboratory scale anaerobic digestion experiments and involves assessment of four substrate fractionation models. The models partition the organic matter into a mixture of particulate and soluble fractions with the decision on the most suitable model being made on quality of fit between experimental and simulated data and the uncertainty of the calibrated parameters. The method was tested using samples of domestic green and food waste and using experimental data from both short batch tests and longer semi-continuous trials. The results showed that in general an increased fractionation model complexity led to better fit but with increased uncertainty. When using batch test data the most suitable model for green waste included one particulate and one soluble fraction, whereas for food waste two particulate fractions were needed. With richer semi-continuous datasets, the parameter estimation resulted in less uncertainty therefore allowing the description of the substrate with a more complex model. The resulting substrate characterisations and fractionation models obtained from batch test data, for both waste samples, were used to validate the method using semi-continuous experimental data and showed good prediction of methane production, biogas composition, total and volatile solids, ammonia and alkalinity. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Transesterification of Waste Frying Oil and Soybean Oil by Combi-lipases Under Ultrasound-Assisted Reactions.

PubMed

Poppe, Jakeline Kathiele; Matte, Carla Roberta; Fernandez-Lafuente, Roberto; Rodrigues, Rafael C; Ayub, Marco Antônio Záchia

2018-04-21

This work describes the use of an ultrasound system for the enzymatic transesterification of oils using combi-lipases as biocatalyst. The reactions were carried out evaluating the individual use of waste oil and fresh soybean oil, and the immobilized lipases CALB, TLL, and RML were used as biocatalysts. It was performed in a mixture design of three factors to obtain the ideal mixture of lipases according to the composition of fatty acids present in each oil, and the main reaction variables were optimized. After 18 h of reaction, ultrasound provided a biodiesel yield of about 90% when using soybean oil and 70% using the waste oil. The results showed that ultrasound technology, in combination with the application of enzyme mixtures, known as combi-lipases, and the use of waste oil, could be a promising route to reduce the overall process costs of enzymatic production of biodiesel.

Modeling the combustion behavior of hazardous waste in a rotary kiln incinerator.

PubMed

Yang, Yongxiang; Pijnenborg, Marc J A; Reuter, Markus A; Verwoerd, Joep

2005-01-01

Hazardous wastes have complex physical forms and chemical compositions and are normally incinerated in rotary kilns for safe disposal and energy recovery. In the rotary kiln, the multifeed stream and wide variation of thermal, physical, and chemical properties of the wastes cause the incineration system to be highly heterogeneous, with severe temperature fluctuations and unsteady combustion chemistry. Incomplete combustion is often the consequence, and the process is difficult to control. In this article, modeling of the waste combustion is described by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Through CFD simulation, gas flow and mixing, turbulent combustion, and heat transfer inside the incinerator were predicted and visualized. As the first step, the waste in various forms was modeled to a hydrocarbon-based virtual fuel mixture. The combustion of the simplified waste was then simulated with a seven-gas combustion model within a CFD framework. Comparison was made with previous global three-gas combustion model with which no chemical behavior can be derived. The distribution of temperature and chemical species has been investigated. The waste combustion model was validated with temperature measurements. Various operating conditions and the influence on the incineration performance were then simulated. Through this research, a better process understanding and potential optimization of the design were attained.

Catalytic Pyrolysis of Waste Plastic Mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sembiring, Ferdianta; Wahyu Purnomo, Chandra; Purwono, Suryo

2018-03-01

Inorganic waste especially plastics still become a major problem in many places. Low biodegradability of this materials causes the effort in recycling become very difficult. Most of the municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling facilities in developing country only use composting method to recover the organic fraction of the waste, while the inorganic fraction is still untreated. By pyrolysis, plastic waste can be treated to produce liquid fuels, flammable gas and chars. Reduction in volume and utilization of the liquid and gas as fuel are the major benefits of the process. By heat integration actually this process can become a self-sufficient system in terms of energy demand. However, the drawback of this process is usually due to the diverse type of plastic in the MSW creating low grade of liquid fuel and harmful gases. In this study, the mixture of plastics i.e. polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is treated using pyrolysis with catalyst in several operating temperature. PET is problematic to be treated using pyrolysis due to wax-like byproduct in liquid which may cause pipe clogging. The catalyst is the mixture of natural zeolite and bentonite which is able to handle PP and PET mixture feed to produce high grade liquid fuels in terms of calorific value and other fuel properties.

40 CFR 264.198 - Special requirements for ignitable or reactive wastes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... waste, mixture, or dissolved material no longer meets the definition of ignitable or reactive waste... comply with the requirements for the maintenance of protective distances between the waste management... reactive wastes. 264.198 Section 264.198 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

40 CFR 265.198 - Special requirements for ignitable or reactive wastes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) The resulting waste, mixture, or dissolved material no longer meets the definition of ignitable or... reactive wastes. 265.198 Section 265.198 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) INTERIM STATUS STANDARDS FOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE...

Spectral measurements of ocean-dumped wastes tested in the marine upwelled spectral signature laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witte, W. G.; Usry, J. W.; Whitlock, C. H.; Gurganus, E. A.

1979-01-01

Transmission and inherent upwelled radiance measurements were made of various mixtures of three ocean-dumped industrial plant wastes in artificial seawater. Laboratory analyses were made of the physical and chemical properties of the various mixtures. These results and the laboratory measurements of beam attenuation and inherent upwelled radiance indicate a variety of chemical and spectral responses when industrial wastes are added to artificial seawater. In particular, increased levels of turbidity did not always cause increased levels of inherent reflectance.

Variation and distribution of metals and metalloids in soil/ash mixtures from Agbogbloshie e-waste recycling site in Accra, Ghana.

PubMed

Itai, Takaaki; Otsuka, Masanari; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Muto, Mamoru; Opoku-Ankomah, Yaw; Ansa-Asare, Osmund Duodu; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2014-02-01

Illegal import and improper recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) are an environmental issue in developing countries around the world. African countries are no exception to this problem and the Agbogbloshie market in Accra, Ghana is a well-known e-waste recycling site. We have studied the levels of metal(loid)s in the mixtures of residual ash, formed by the burning of e-waste, and the cover soil, obtained using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (P-XRF) coupled with determination of the 1M HCl-extractable fraction by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The accuracy and precision of the P-XRF measurements were evaluated by measuring 18 standard reference materials; this indicated the acceptable but limited quality of this method as a screening tool. The HCl-extractable levels of Al, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, In, Sb, Ba, and Pb in 10 soil/ash mixtures varied by more than one order of magnitude. The levels of these metal(loid)s were found to be correlated with the color (i.e., soil/ash ratio), suggesting that they are being released from disposed e-waste via open burning. The source of rare elements could be constrained using correlation to the predominant metals. Human hazard quotient values based on ingestion of soil/ash mixtures exceeded unity for Pb, As, Sb, and Cu in a high-exposure scenario. This study showed that along with common metals, rare metal(loid)s are also enriched in the e-waste burning site. We suggest that risk assessment considering exposure to multiple metal(loid)s should be addressed in studies of e-waste recycling sites. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical compatibility screening test results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nigrey, P.J.; Dickens, T.G.

1997-12-01

A program for evaluating packaging components that may be used in transporting mixed-waste forms has been developed and the first phase has been completed. This effort involved the screening of ten plastic materials in four simulant mixed-waste types. These plastics were butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer rubber, cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), fluorocarbon (Viton or Kel-F), polytetrafluoroethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), isobutylene-isoprene copolymer rubber (butyl), polypropylene, and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). The selected simulant mixed wastes were (1) an aqueous alkaline mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite; (2) a chlorinated hydrocarbon mixture; (3) a simulant liquid scintillation fluid; and (4) amore » mixture of ketones. The testing protocol involved exposing the respective materials to 286,000 rads of gamma radiation followed by 14-day exposures to the waste types at 60{degrees}C. The seal materials were tested using vapor transport rate (VTR) measurements while the liner materials were tested using specific gravity as a metric. For these tests, a screening criterion of 0.9 g/hr/m{sup 2} for VTR and a specific gravity change of 10% was used. Based on this work, it was concluded that while all seal materials passed exposure to the aqueous simulant mixed waste, EPDM and SBR had the lowest VTRs. In the chlorinated hydrocarbon simulant mixed waste, only Viton passed the screening tests. In both the simulant scintillation fluid mixed waste and the ketone mixture simulant mixed waste, none of the seal materials met the screening criteria. For specific gravity testing of liner materials, the data showed that while all materials with the exception of polypropylene passed the screening criteria, Kel-F, HDPE, and XLPE offered the greatest resistance to the combination of radiation and chemicals.« less

Application of a set of complementary techniques to understand how varying the proportion of two wastes affects humic acids produced by vermicomposting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernández-Gómez, Manuel J., E-mail: manuelj.fernandez@eez.csic.es; Nogales, Rogelio; Plante, Alain

2015-01-15

Highlights: • A set of techniques was used to characterize humic acids content of vermicomposts. • The properties of the humic acids produced from different waste mixtures were similar. • This set of techniques allowed distinguishing the humic acids of each vermicomposts. • Increasing humic acid contents in initial mixtures would produce richer vermicomposts. - Abstract: A better understanding of how varying the proportion of different organic wastes affects humic acid (HA) formation during vermicomposting would be useful in producing vermicomposts enriched in HAs. With the aim of improving the knowledge about this issue, a variety of analytical techniques [UV–visiblemore » spectroscopic, Fourier transform infrared, fluorescence spectra, solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) {sup 13}C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, and thermal analysis] was used in the present study to characterize HAs isolated from two mixtures at two different ratios (2:1 and 1:1) of tomato-plant debris (TD) and paper-mill sludge (PS) before and after vermicomposting. The results suggest that vermicomposting increased the HA content in the TD/PS 2:1 and 1:1 mixtures (15.9% and 16.2%, respectively), but the vermicompost produced from the mixture with a higher amount of TD had a greater proportion (24%) of HAs. Both vermicomposting processes caused equal modifications in the humic precursors contained in the different mixtures of TD and PS, and consequently, the HAs in the vermicomposts produced from different waste mixtures exhibited analogous characteristics. Only the set of analytical techniques used in this research was able to detect differences between the HAs isolated from each type of vermicompost. In conclusion, varying the proportion of different wastes may have a stronger influence on the amount of HAs in vermicomposts than on the properties of HAs.« less

Injector nozzle for molten salt destruction of energetic waste materials

DOEpatents

Brummond, William A.; Upadhye, Ravindra S.

1996-01-01

An injector nozzle has been designed for safely injecting energetic waste materials, such as high explosives, propellants, and rocket fuels, into a molten salt reactor in a molten salt destruction process without premature detonation or back burn in the injection system. The energetic waste material is typically diluted to form a fluid fuel mixture that is injected rapidly into the reactor. A carrier gas used in the nozzle serves as a carrier for the fuel mixture, and further dilutes the energetic material and increases its injection velocity into the reactor. The injector nozzle is cooled to keep the fuel mixture below the decomposition temperature to prevent spontaneous detonation of the explosive materials before contact with the high-temperature molten salt bath.

Injector nozzle for molten salt destruction of energetic waste materials

DOEpatents

Brummond, W.A.; Upadhye, R.S.

1996-02-13

An injector nozzle has been designed for safely injecting energetic waste materials, such as high explosives, propellants, and rocket fuels, into a molten salt reactor in a molten salt destruction process without premature detonation or back burn in the injection system. The energetic waste material is typically diluted to form a fluid fuel mixture that is injected rapidly into the reactor. A carrier gas used in the nozzle serves as a carrier for the fuel mixture, and further dilutes the energetic material and increases its injection velocity into the reactor. The injector nozzle is cooled to keep the fuel mixture below the decomposition temperature to prevent spontaneous detonation of the explosive materials before contact with the high-temperature molten salt bath. 2 figs.

40 CFR 148.10 - Waste specific prohibitions-solvent wastes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waste specific prohibitions-solvent wastes. 148.10 Section 148.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER... injection unless the solvent waste is a solvent-water mixture or solvent-containing sludge containing less...

Trace element partitioning in ashes from boilers firing pure wood or mixtures of solid waste with respect to fuel composition, chlorine content and temperature.

PubMed

Saqib, Naeem; Bäckström, Mattias

2014-12-01

Trace element partitioning in solid waste (household waste, industrial waste, waste wood chips and waste mixtures) incineration residues was investigated. Samples of fly ash and bottom ash were collected from six incineration facilities across Sweden including two grate fired and four fluidized bed incinerators, to have a variation in the input fuel composition (from pure biofuel to mixture of waste) and different temperature boiler conditions. As trace element concentrations in the input waste at the same facilities have already been analyzed, the present study focuses on the concentration of trace elements in the waste fuel, their distribution in the incineration residues with respect to chlorine content of waste and combustion temperature. Results indicate that Zn, Cu and Pb are dominating trace elements in the waste fuel. Highly volatile elements mercury and cadmium are mainly found in fly ash in all cases; 2/3 of lead also end up in fly ash while Zn, As and Sb show a large variation in distribution with most of them residing in the fly ash. Lithophilic elements such as copper and chromium are mainly found in bottom ash from grate fired facilities while partition mostly into fly ash from fluidized bed incinerators, especially for plants fuelled by waste wood or ordinary wood chips. There is no specific correlation between input concentration of an element in the waste fuel and fraction partitioned to fly ash. Temperature and chlorine content have significant effects on partitioning characteristics by increasing the formation and vaporization of highly volatile metal chlorides. Zinc and cadmium concentrations in fly ash increase with the incineration temperature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced methane yield by co-digestion of sewage sludge with micro-algae and catering waste leachate.

PubMed

2018-04-04

The co-digestion of different wastes is a promising concept to improve methane generation during anaerobic process. However, the anaerobic co-digestion of catering waste leachate with algal biomass and sewage sludge has not been studied to date. This work investigated the methane generation by the anaerobic co-digestion of different mixtures of catering waste leachate, micro-algal biomass, and sewage sludge. Co-digestion of waste mixture containing equal ratios of three substrates had 39.31% higher methane yield than anaerobic digestion of raw sludge. This was possibly due to a proliferation of methanogens during the co-digestion period induced by multi-phase digestion of different wastes with different degrees of digestibility. Therefore, co-digestion of catering waste leachate, micro-algal biomass, and sewage sludge appears to be an efficient technology for energy conversion from waste resources. The scientific application of this co-digestion technology with these three substrates may play a role in solving important environmental issues of waste management.

Precipitate hydrolysis process for the removal of organic compounds from nuclear waste slurries

DOEpatents

Doherty, J.P.; Marek, J.C.

1987-02-25

A process for removing organic compounds from a nuclear waste slurry comprising reacting a mixture of radioactive waste precipitate slurry and an acid in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a copper(II) catalyst whereby the organic compounds in the precipitate slurry are hydrolyzed to form volatile organic compounds which are separated from the reacting mixture. The resulting waste slurry, containing less than 10 percent of the original organic compounds, is subsequently blended with high level radioactive sludge land transferred to a vitrification facility for processing into borosilicate glass for long-term storage. 2 figs., 3 tabs.

[Biodegradability of the components of natural hydrocarbon mixtures previously submitted to landfarming].

PubMed

Pucci, G N; Pucci, O H

2003-01-01

The complex composition of the crude oil and the hydrocarbons that integrate the waste of the different stages of the oil industry turn this product a mixture that presents different difficulties for its elimination by biological methods. The objective of this paper was to study the biodegradation potential of autochthonous bacterial communities on hydrocarbons obtained from four polluted places and subjected to landfarming biorremediation system during a decade. The results showed a marked difference in biodegradability of the three main fractions of crude oil, aliphatic, aromatic, and polar fractions, obtained by column chromatography. All fractions were used as carbon source and energy. There were variations in the production of biomass among the different fractions as well as in the kinetics of biodegradation, according to the composition of each fraction.

Stabilization and disposal of Argonne-West low-level mixed wastes in ceramicrete waste forms.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barber, D. B.; Singh, D.; Strain, R. V.

1998-02-17

The technology of room-temperature-setting phosphate ceramics or Ceramicrete{trademark} technology, developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)-East is being used to treat and dispose of low-level mixed wastes through the Department of Energy complex. During the past year, Ceramicrete{trademark} technology was implemented for field application at ANL-West. Debris wastes were treated and stabilized: (a) Hg-contaminated low-level radioactive crushed light bulbs and (b) low-level radioactive Pb-lined gloves (part of the MWIR {number_sign} AW-W002 waste stream). In addition to hazardous metals, these wastes are contaminated with low-level fission products. Initially, bench-scale waste forms with simulated and actual waste streams were fabricated by acid-base reactionsmore » between mixtures of magnesium oxide powders and an acid phosphate solution, and the wastes. Size reduction of Pb-lined plastic glove waste was accomplished by cryofractionation. The Ceramicrete{trademark} process produces dense, hard ceramic waste forms. Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results showed excellent stabilization of both Hg and Pb in the waste forms. The principal advantage of this technology is that immobilization of contaminants is the result of both chemical stabilization and subsequent microencapsulation of the reaction products. Based on bench-scale studies, Ceramicrete{trademark} technology has been implemented in the fabrication of 5-gal waste forms at ANL-West. Approximately 35 kg of real waste has been treated. The TCLP is being conducted on the samples from the 5-gal waste forms. It is expected that because the waste forms pass the limits set by the EPAs Universal Treatment Standard, they will be sent to a radioactive-waste disposal facility.« less

Gaseous emissions during concurrent combustion of biomass and non-recyclable municipal solid waste

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Biomass and municipal solid waste offer sustainable sources of energy; for example to meet heat and electricity demand in the form of combined cooling, heat and power. Combustion of biomass has a lesser impact than solid fossil fuels (e.g. coal) upon gas pollutant emissions, whilst energy recovery from municipal solid waste is a beneficial component of an integrated, sustainable waste management programme. Concurrent combustion of these fuels using a fluidised bed combustor may be a successful method of overcoming some of the disadvantages of biomass (high fuel supply and distribution costs, combustion characteristics) and characteristics of municipal solid waste (heterogeneous content, conflict with materials recycling). It should be considered that combustion of municipal solid waste may be a financially attractive disposal route if a 'gate fee' value exists for accepting waste for combustion, which will reduce the net cost of utilising relatively more expensive biomass fuels. Results Emissions of nitrogen monoxide and sulphur dioxide for combustion of biomass are suppressed after substitution of biomass for municipal solid waste materials as the input fuel mixture. Interactions between these and other pollutants such as hydrogen chloride, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide indicate complex, competing reactions occur between intermediates of these compounds to determine final resultant emissions. Conclusions Fluidised bed concurrent combustion is an appropriate technique to exploit biomass and municipal solid waste resources, without the use of fossil fuels. The addition of municipal solid waste to biomass combustion has the effect of reducing emissions of some gaseous pollutants. PMID:21284885

Method to synthesize dense crystallized sodalite pellet for immobilizing halide salt radioactive waste

DOEpatents

Koyama, Tadafumi

1994-01-01

A method for immobilizing waste chloride salts containing radionuclides such as cesium and strontium and hazardous materials such as barium. A sodalite intermediate is prepared by mixing appropriate amounts of silica, alumina and sodium hydroxide with respect to sodalite and heating the mixture to form the sodalite intermediate and water. Heating is continued to drive off the water to form a water-free intermediate. The water-free intermediate is mixed with either waste salt or waste salt which has been contacted with zeolite to concentrate the radionuclides and hazardous material. The waste salt-intermediate mixture is then compacted and heated under conditions of heat and pressure to form sodalite with the waste salt, radionuclides and hazardous material trapped within the sodalite cage structure. This provides a final product having excellent leach resistant capabilities.

Method to synthesize dense crystallized sodalite pellet for immobilizing halide salt radioactive waste

DOEpatents

Koyama, Tadafumi.

1994-08-23

A method is described for immobilizing waste chloride salts containing radionuclides such as cesium and strontium and hazardous materials such as barium. A sodalite intermediate is prepared by mixing appropriate amounts of silica, alumina and sodium hydroxide with respect to sodalite and heating the mixture to form the sodalite intermediate and water. Heating is continued to drive off the water to form a water-free intermediate. The water-free intermediate is mixed with either waste salt or waste salt which has been contacted with zeolite to concentrate the radionuclides and hazardous material. The waste salt-intermediate mixture is then compacted and heated under conditions of heat and pressure to form sodalite with the waste salt, radionuclides and hazardous material trapped within the sodalite cage structure. This provides a final product having excellent leach resistant capabilities.

Method to synthesize dense crystallized sodalite pellet for immobilizing halide salt radioactive waste

DOEpatents

Koyama, T.

1992-01-01

This report describes a method for immobilizing waste chloride salts containing radionuclides such as cesium and strontium and hazardous materials such as barium. A sodalite intermediate is prepared by mixing appropriate amounts of silica, alumina and sodium hydroxide with respect to sodalite and heating the mixture to form the sodalite intermediate and water. Heating is continued to drive off the water to form a water-free intermediate. The water-free intermediate is mixed with either waste salt or waste salt which has been contacted with zeolite to concentrate the radionuclides and hazardous material. The waste salt-intermediate mixture is then compacted and heated under conditions of heat and pressure to form sodalite with the waste salt, radionuclides and hazardous material trapped within the sodalite cage structure. This provides a final product having excellent leach resistant capabilities.

Possibility of forming artificial soil based on drilling waste and sewage sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujawska, J.; Pawłowska, M.; Wasag, H.

2018-05-01

Land redevelopment is necessary due to the amount of a degraded area. Depositing waste on the small area of landfills is harmful for the environment. New methods of managing and utilizing waste are being sought in order to minimize the deposition of waste. In small amounts, many types of waste can be treated as a substrate or material improving physicochemical properties of soils, and hence can be used in reclamation of degraded lands. The study analysed the effect of different doses of sewage sludge (35%, 17.5%) with addition (2.5% and 5%) of drilling waste on the properties of degraded soils. The results show that created mixtures improve the sorption properties of soil. The mixtures contain the optimal the ratio of nutrient elements for growth of plants is N:P:K.

Thermochemical nitrate destruction

DOEpatents

Cox, J.L.; Hallen, R.T.; Lilga, M.A.

1992-06-02

A method is disclosed for denitrification of nitrates and nitrites present in aqueous waste streams. The method comprises the steps of (1) identifying the concentration nitrates and nitrites present in a waste stream, (2) causing formate to be present in the waste stream, (3) heating the mixture to a predetermined reaction temperature from about 200 C to about 600 C, and (4) holding the mixture and accumulating products at heated and pressurized conditions for a residence time, thereby resulting in nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas, and hydroxides, and reducing the level of nitrates and nitrites to below drinking water standards.

Adaptation of aeronautical engines to high altitude flying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kutzbach, K

1923-01-01

Issues and techniques relative to the adaptation of aircraft engines to high altitude flight are discussed. Covered here are the limits of engine output, modifications and characteristics of high altitude engines, the influence of air density on the proportions of fuel mixtures, methods of varying the proportions of fuel mixtures, the automatic prevention of fuel waste, and the design and application of air pressure regulators to high altitude flying. Summary: 1. Limits of engine output. 2. High altitude engines. 3. Influence of air density on proportions of mixture. 4. Methods of varying proportions of mixture. 5. Automatic prevention of fuel waste. 6. Design and application of air pressure regulators to high altitude flying.

Performance of asphalt mixture incorporating recycled waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamid, Nor Baizura; Abdullah, Mohd Ezree; Sanik, Mohd Erwan; Mokhtar, Mardiha; Kaamin, Masiri; Raduan, Rasyidah; Ramli, Mohd Zakwan

2017-12-01

Nowadays, the amount of premix waste was increased every year, especially at the batching plants. Normally, the waste materials will be discarded without doing any innovative and effective research about those materials. This situation has become one of the global concerns due to the increasing number of premix waste produced every year. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) using premix waste on improving asphalt mixture fatigue behaviour. The method used in this study was Superpave mix design method. The sample conducted in this study were 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 100% of premix waste respectively. For a binder test, the laboratory test conducted were penetration test, softening test and thin film oven test while for the performance test were resilient modulus test and indirect tensile fatigue test. From the laboratory test, the resilient modulus test was conducted with two different temperature which was 25°C and 40°C. The result from that test was 20% of premix waste had higher resilient modulus at that two different temperatures compared to another samples. From that test also shown that the sample at the lower temperature which was 25°C has higher resilient modulus compared to the temperature of 40°C. Indirect tensile fatigue test showed that the 30% of premix waste sample was suitable for the modified asphalt mixture with referring to the maximum deformation and strain for comparison control, 10%,20%, and 100% of premix waste samples. So, it can be concluded that premix waste inhibits great potential as road construction material and suitable for repeated traffic loading.

Assessment of Options for the Treatment of Nitrate Salt Wastes at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, Bruce Alan; Funk, David John; Stevens, Patrice Ann

2016-03-17

This paper summarizes the methodology used to evaluate options for treatment of the remediated nitrate salt waste containers at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The method selected must enable treatment of the waste drums, which consist of a mixture of complex nitrate salts (oxidizer) improperly mixed with sWheat Scoop®1, an organic kitty litter and absorbent (fuel), in a manner that renders the waste safe, meets the specifications of waste acceptance criteria, and is suitable for transport and final disposal in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant located in Carlsbad, New Mexico. A Core Remediation Team was responsible for comprehensively reviewing the options,more » ensuring a robust, defensible treatment recommendation. The evaluation process consisted of two steps. First, a prescreening process was conducted to cull the list on the basis for a decision of feasibility of certain potential options with respect to the criteria. Then, the remaining potential options were evaluated and ranked against each of the criteria in a consistent methodology. Numerical scores were established by consensus of the review team. Finally, recommendations were developed based on current information and understanding of the scientific, technical, and regulatory situation. A discussion of the preferred options and documentation of the process used to reach the recommended treatment options are presented.« less

40 CFR 60.2994 - Are air curtain incinerators regulated under this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and Compliance Times for Other Solid Waste Incineration Units That Commenced Construction On or Before... percent wood waste. (2) 100 percent clean lumber. (3) 100 percent yard waste. (4) 100 percent mixture of only wood waste, clean lumber, and/or yard waste. Model Rule—Use of Model Rule ...

40 CFR 60.2888 - Are air curtain incinerators regulated under this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for Other Solid Waste Incineration Units for Which Construction is Commenced After December 9... other requirements of this subpart. (1) 100 percent wood waste. (2) 100 percent clean lumber. (3) 100 percent yard waste. (4) 100 percent mixture of only wood waste, clean lumber, and/or yard waste. ...

Self-Healing Capacity of Asphalt Mixtures Including By-Products Both as Aggregates and Heating Inductors.

PubMed

Vila-Cortavitarte, Marta; Jato-Espino, Daniel; Castro-Fresno, Daniel; Calzada-Pérez, Miguel Á

2018-05-15

Major advances have been achieved in the field of self-healing by magnetic induction in which the addition of metallic particles into asphalt mixtures enables repairing their own cracks. This technology has already been proven to increase the life expectancy of roads. Nevertheless, its higher costs in comparison with conventional maintenance caused by the price of virgin metallic particles still makes it unattractive for investment. This research aimed at making this process economically accessible as well as environmentally efficient. To this end, an intense search for suitable industrial by-products to substitute both the virgin metal particles and the natural aggregates forming asphalt mixtures was conducted. The set of by-products used included sand blasting wastes, stainless shot wastes, and polished wastes as metallic particles and other inert by-products as aggregates. The results demonstrated that the by-products were adequately heated, which leads to satisfactory healing ratios in comparison with the reference mixture.

Self-Healing Capacity of Asphalt Mixtures Including By-Products Both as Aggregates and Heating Inductors

PubMed Central

Castro-Fresno, Daniel; Calzada-Pérez, Miguel Á.

2018-01-01

Major advances have been achieved in the field of self-healing by magnetic induction in which the addition of metallic particles into asphalt mixtures enables repairing their own cracks. This technology has already been proven to increase the life expectancy of roads. Nevertheless, its higher costs in comparison with conventional maintenance caused by the price of virgin metallic particles still makes it unattractive for investment. This research aimed at making this process economically accessible as well as environmentally efficient. To this end, an intense search for suitable industrial by-products to substitute both the virgin metal particles and the natural aggregates forming asphalt mixtures was conducted. The set of by-products used included sand blasting wastes, stainless shot wastes, and polished wastes as metallic particles and other inert by-products as aggregates. The results demonstrated that the by-products were adequately heated, which leads to satisfactory healing ratios in comparison with the reference mixture. PMID:29762533

Theoretic model and computer simulation of separating mixture metal particles from waste printed circuit board by electrostatic separator.

PubMed

Li, Jia; Xu, Zhenming; Zhou, Yaohe

2008-05-30

Traditionally, the mixture metals from waste printed circuit board (PCB) were sent to the smelt factory to refine pure copper. Some valuable metals (aluminum, zinc and tin) with low content in PCB were lost during smelt. A new method which used roll-type electrostatic separator (RES) to recovery low content metals in waste PCB was presented in this study. The theoretic model which was established from computing electric field and the analysis of forces on the particles was used to write a program by MATLAB language. The program was design to simulate the process of separating mixture metal particles. Electrical, material and mechanical factors were analyzed to optimize the operating parameters of separator. The experiment results of separating copper and aluminum particles by RES had a good agreement with computer simulation results. The model could be used to simulate separating other metal (tin, zinc, etc.) particles during the process of recycling waste PCBs by RES.

Potential application of gasification to recycle food waste and rehabilitate acidic soil from secondary forests on degraded land in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Yang, Zhanyu; Koh, Shun Kai; Ng, Wei Cheng; Lim, Reuben C J; Tan, Hugh T W; Tong, Yen Wah; Dai, Yanjun; Chong, Clive; Wang, Chi-Hwa

2016-05-01

Gasification is recognized as a green technology as it can harness energy from biomass in the form of syngas without causing severe environmental impacts, yet producing valuable solid residues that can be utilized in other applications. In this study, the feasibility of co-gasification of woody biomass and food waste in different proportions was investigated using a fixed-bed downdraft gasifier. Subsequently, the capability of biochar derived from gasification of woody biomass in the rehabilitation of soil from tropical secondary forests on degraded land (adinandra belukar) was also explored through a water spinach cultivation study using soil-biochar mixtures of different ratios. Gasification of a 60:40 wood waste-food waste mixture (w/w) produced syngas with the highest lower heating value (LHV) 5.29 MJ/m(3)-approximately 0.4-4.0% higher than gasification of 70:30 or 80:20 mixtures, or pure wood waste. Meanwhile, water spinach cultivated in a 2:1 soil-biochar mixture exhibited the best growth performance in terms of height (a 4-fold increment), weight (a 10-fold increment) and leaf surface area (a 5-fold increment) after 8 weeks of cultivation, owing to the high porosity, surface area, nutrient content and alkalinity of biochar. It is concluded that gasification may be an alternative technology to food waste disposal through co-gasification with woody biomass, and that gasification derived biochar is suitable for use as an amendment for the nutrient-poor, acidic soil of adinandra belukar. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Particle size distribution of fly ash from co-incineration of bituminous coal with municipal solid waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cieślik, Ewelina; Konieczny, Tomasz; Bobik, Bartłomiej

2018-01-01

One of the source of air pollutants is emission from local coal-fired boiler-houses and domestic heating boilers. The consequence of incineration of municipal waste is the introduction of additional pollutants into the atmosphere, including fly ash. The aim of this work was to evaluate the particle size distribution of fly ash emitted by coal combustion and co-incineration of coal with municipal waste in a domestic 18 kW central heating boiler equipped with an automatic fuel feeder. Mixtures of bituminous coal with different types of solid waste (5, 10 and 15% of mass fraction) were used. Solid waste types consisted of: printed, colored PE caps, fragmented cable trunking, fragmented car gaskets and shredded tires from trucks. During the incineration of a given mixture of municipal waste with bituminous coal, the velocity of exhaust gas was specified, the concentration and mass flow of fly ash were determined together with the physico-chemical parameters of the exhaust gas, the samples of emitted fly ash were taken as the test material. Particle size analysis of fly ash was performed using laser particle sizer Fritch Analysette 22. The PM10 share from all fly ashes from incineration of mixtures was about 100%. Differences were noted between PM2.5 and PM1.

Method of preparing a high heating value fuel product

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Somerville, R.; Fan, L.T.

1989-10-24

This patent describes a method of preparing a high heating value fuel product. The method comprising the steps of: blending a high heating value waste material with a cellulosic material; mixing an organic reagent to the blended mixture of the waste material and the cellulosic material, the organic reagent being a mixture having a 4-15 weight percent of a chemical selected from the group consisting of: triethylene, glycol, diethylene glycol, and glycerin propylene glycol; introducing a pozzolanic agent to the blended mixture for controlling the rate of solidification; and forming the blended mixture into a form suitable for handling. Alsomore » described is the same method with the mixture of the organic reagent further comprising: a 20-32 weight percent calcium chloride solution. Another method of preparing a fuel product is also described.« less

Solvent recovery opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Barton, P I

2000-11-01

Opportunities for recovering and recycling waste solvent streams in the pharmaceutical industry are reviewed. A major obstacle to solvent recovery and recycling is the existence of azeotropic compositions, and thus separation barriers, in the mixtures in question. Advances in the understanding of these complex separation problems are discussed. Recent progress on novel designs for small-scale, flexible azeotropic separation processes is reviewed. Also considered is the alternative and complementary approach of integrating solvent use within a batch process so that the formation of hard-to-separate azeotropic compositions is prevented.

40 CFR 260.22 - Petitions to amend part 261 to exclude a waste produced at a particular facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Administrator must determine, where he has a reasonable basis to believe that factors (including additional..., that such factors do not warrant retaining the waste as a hazardous waste. A waste which is so excluded... for factors (including additional constituents) that could cause the waste mixture to be a hazardous...

Bio-optimization of the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio for efficient vermicomposting of chicken manure and waste paper using Eisenia fetida.

PubMed

Ravindran, B; Mnkeni, P N S

2016-09-01

The main objective of the present study was to determine the optimum C/N ratio for converting waste paper and chicken manure to nutrient-rich manure with minimum toxicity. Six treatments of C/N ratio 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6, respectively) achieved by mixing chicken manure with shredded paper were used. The study involved a composting stage for 20 days followed by vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida for 7 weeks. The results revealed that 20 days of composting considerably degraded the organic waste mixtures from all treatments and a further 7 weeks of vermiculture significantly improved the bioconversion and nutrient value of all treatments. The C/N ratio of 40 (T3) resulted in the best quality vermicompost compared to the other treatments. Earthworm biomass was highest at T3 and T4 possibly due to a greater reduction of toxic substances in these waste mixtures. The total N, total P, and total K concentrations increased with time while total carbon, C/N ratio, electrical conductivity (EC), and heavy metal content gradually decreased with time during the vermicomposting process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the intrastructural degradation of the chicken manure and shredded paper matrix which confirmed the extent of biodegradation of treatment mixtures as result of the composting and vermicomposting processes. Phytotoxicity evaluation of final vermicomposts using tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), radish (Raphanus sativus), carrot (Daucus carota), and onion (Allium cepa) as test crops showed the non-phytotoxicity of the vermicomposts to be in the order T3 > T4 > T2 > T1 > T5 > T6. Generally, the results indicated that the combination of composting and vermicomposting processes is a good strategy for the management of chicken manure/paper waste mixtures and that the ideal C/N ratio of the waste mixture is 40 (T3).

40 CFR 265.281 - Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste. 265.281 Section 265.281 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... waste is immediately incorporated into the soil so that: (1) The resulting waste, mixture, or...

Thermochemical nitrate destruction

DOEpatents

Cox, John L.; Hallen, Richard T.; Lilga, Michael A.

1992-01-01

A method is disclosed for denitrification of nitrates and nitrates present in aqueous waste streams. The method comprises the steps of (1) identifying the concentration nitrates and nitrites present in a waste stream, (2) causing formate to be present in the waste stream, (3) heating the mixture to a predetermined reaction temperature from about 200.degree. C. to about 600.degree. C., and (4) holding the mixture and accumulating products at heated and pressurized conditions for a residence time, thereby resulting in nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas, and hydroxides, and reducing the level of nitrates and nitrites to below drinking water standards.

Respirometric screening of several types of manure and mixtures intended for composting.

PubMed

Barrena, Raquel; Turet, Josep; Busquets, Anna; Farrés, Moisès; Font, Xavier; Sánchez, Antoni

2011-01-01

The viability of mixtures from manure and agricultural wastes as composting sources were systematically studied using a physicochemical and biological characterization. The combination of different parameters such as C:N ratio, free air space (FAS) and moisture content can help in the formulation of the mixtures. Nevertheless, the composting process may be challenging, particularly at industrial scales. The results of this study suggest that if the respirometric potential is known, it is possible to predict the behaviour of a full scale composting process. Respiration indices can be used as a tool for determining the suitability of composting as applied to manure and complementary wastes. Accordingly, manure and agricultural wastes with a high potential for composting and some proposed mixtures have been characterized in terms of respiration activity. Specifically, the potential of samples to be composted has been determined by means of the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and the dynamic respirometric index (DRI). During this study, four of these mixtures were composted at full scale in a system consisting of a confined pile with forced aeration. The biological activity was monitored by means of the oxygen uptake rate inside the material (OURinsitu). This new parameter represents the real activity of the process. The comparison between the potential respirometric activities at laboratory scale with the in situ respirometric activity observed at full scale may be a useful tool in the design and optimization of composting systems for manure and other organic agricultural wastes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MODEL OF ADDITIVE EFFECTS OF MIXTURES OF NARCOTIC CHEMICALS

EPA Science Inventory

Biological effects data with single chemicals are far more abundant than with mixtures. et, environmental exposures to chemical mixtures, for example near hazardous waste sites or nonpoint sources, are very common and using test data from single chemicals to approximate effects o...

Mathematical model of organic substrate degradation in solid waste windrow composting.

PubMed

Seng, Bunrith; Kristanti, Risky Ayu; Hadibarata, Tony; Hirayama, Kimiaki; Katayama-Hirayama, Keiko; Kaneko, Hidehiro

2016-01-01

Organic solid waste composting is a complex process that involves many coupled physical, chemical and biological mechanisms. To understand this complexity and to ease in planning, design and management of the composting plant, mathematical model for simulation is usually applied. The aim of this paper is to develop a mathematical model of organic substrate degradation and its performance evaluation in solid waste windrow composting system. The present model is a biomass-dependent model, considering biological growth processes under the limitation of moisture, oxygen and substrate contents, and temperature. The main output of this model is substrate content which was divided into two categories: slowly and rapidly degradable substrates. To validate the model, it was applied to a laboratory scale windrow composting of a mixture of wood chips and dog food. The wastes were filled into a cylindrical reactor of 6 cm diameter and 1 m height. The simulation program was run for 3 weeks with 1 s stepwise. The simulated results were in reasonably good agreement with the experimental results. The MC and temperature of model simulation were found to be matched with those of experiment, but limited for rapidly degradable substrates. Under anaerobic zone, the degradation of rapidly degradable substrate needs to be incorporated into the model to achieve full simulation of a long period static pile composting. This model is a useful tool to estimate the changes of substrate content during composting period, and acts as a basic model for further development of a sophisticated model.

Utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in asphalt pavement: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, A. F.; Razali, A. R.; Razelan, I. S. M.

2017-05-01

The quantity of plastics used throughout the world is increasing every year. Municipal solid wastes (MSW), manufacturing processes and service industries produce a lot of waste plastic materials. The increasing awareness among consumers about the environment has contributed to the concerns over disposal of generated wastes. The growing number of plastic materials every year and limited landfill conditions causes many alternatives exist for the disposal of plastic waste. This paper provides a summary of the study on the utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in road construction. Data from researcher show that PET can improve some properties of modified asphalt mixture. Having considered the economic and environmental prudent angles, utilization of PET as an additive to asphalt mixture is suitable to be used for road pavement.

Effect of intermediate soil cover on municipal solid waste decomposition.

PubMed

Márquez-Benavides, L; Watson-Craik, I

2003-01-01

A complex series of chemical and microbiological reactions is initiated with the burial of refuse in a sanitary landfill. At the end of each labour day, the municipal solid wastes (MSW) are covered with native soil (or an alternative material). To investigate interaction between the intermediate cover and the MSW, five sets of columns were set up, one packed with refuse only, and four with a soil-refuse mixture (a clay loam, an organic-rich peaty soil, a well limed sandy soil and a chalky soil). The anaerobic degradation over 6 months was followed in terms of leachate volatile fatty acids, chemical oxygen demand, pH and ammoniacal-N performance. Results suggest that the organic-rich peaty soil may accelerate the end of the acidogenic phase. Clay appeared not to have a significant effect on the anaerobic degradation process.

40 CFR 60.2810 - What is an air curtain incinerator?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units that Commenced Construction On or Before November 30... “Air Curtain Incinerators” (§§ 60.2810 through 60.2870). (1) 100 percent wood waste. (2) 100 percent clean lumber. (3) 100 percent mixture of only wood waste, clean lumber, and/or yard waste. ...

Transesterification of waste vegetable oil under pulse sonication using ethanol, methanol and ethanol-methanol mixtures.

PubMed

Martinez-Guerra, Edith; Gude, Veera Gnaneswar

2014-12-01

This study reports on the effects of direct pulse sonication and the type of alcohol (methanol and ethanol) on the transesterification reaction of waste vegetable oil without any external heating or mechanical mixing. Biodiesel yields and optimum process conditions for the transesterification reaction involving ethanol, methanol, and ethanol-methanol mixtures were evaluated. The effects of ultrasonic power densities (by varying sample volumes), power output rates (in W), and ultrasonic intensities (by varying the reactor size) were studied for transesterification reaction with ethanol, methanol and ethanol-methanol (50%-50%) mixtures. The optimum process conditions for ethanol or methanol based transesterification reaction of waste vegetable oil were determined as: 9:1 alcohol to oil ratio, 1% wt. catalyst amount, 1-2 min reaction time at a power output rate between 75 and 150 W. It was shown that the transesterification reactions using ethanol-methanol mixtures resulted in biodiesel yields as high as >99% at lower power density and ultrasound intensity when compared to ethanol or methanol based transesterification reactions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of mixed based membrane technology from component materials bintaro, zeolite and bentonite to reduction of songket waste liquid cloth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlan, Muhammad Hatta; Saleh, Abdullah; Asip, Faisol; Makmun, Akbar; Defi

2017-11-01

Application of membrane technology based on clay mixture, Activated Carbon from Bintaro, Zeolite and Bentonit to process the waste water of Songket cloth is Palembang traditionally cloth. The applied research is into the superior field of industrial and household waste processing with membrane ceramic technology. The objective of this research is to design the liquid waste separation tool of jumputan cloth using better and simpler ceramic membrane so that it can help the artisans of Palembang songket or songket in processing the waste in accordance with the standard of environmental quality standard (BML) and Pergub Sumsel no. 16 in 2005. The specific target to be achieved can decrease the waste of cloth jumputan in accordance with applicable environmental quality standards the method used in achieving the objectives of this study using 2 processes namely the adsorption process using activated carbon and the separation process using a ceramic membrane based on the composition of the mixture. The activated carbon from bintaro seeds is expected to decrease the concentration of liquid waste of Songket cloth. Bintaro seeds are non-edible fruits where the composition contains organic ingredients that can absorb because contains dyes and filler metals. The process of membranization in the processing is expected to decrease the concentration of waste better and clear water that can be used as recycled water for household use. With the composition of a mixture of clay-based materials: zeolite, bentonit, activated carbon from bintaro seeds are expected Find the solution and get the novelty value in the form of patent in this research

Rational preparation of waste coal mixture for production of bricks by the method of compression molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolboushkin, A. Yu; Ivanov, A. I.; Temlyantsev, M. V.; Fomina, O. A.

2016-10-01

Rational preparation of the mixture containing technogenic raw material - waste coal for the production of wall ceramics is developed. It was established that the technology of high-quality ceramic bricks requires: grinding of raw materials to class 0.3 + 0 mm, its aggregation in the intensive mixers into granules 1-3 mm, compression molding of adobe to plastic deformation of granules, drying and firing.

On the value of electrical resistivity tomography for monitoring leachate injection in solid state anaerobic digestion plants at farm scale.

PubMed

Degueurce, Axelle; Clément, Rémi; Moreau, Sylvain; Peu, Pascal

2016-10-01

Agricultural waste is a valuable resource for solid state anaerobic digestion (SSAD) thanks to its high solid content (>15%). Batch mode SSAD with leachate recirculation is particularly appropriate for such substrates. However, for successful degradation, the leachate must be evenly distributed through the substrate to improve its moisture content. To study the distribution of leachate in agricultural waste, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was performed. First, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to check the reliability of this method to monitor infiltration of the leachate throughout the solid. Two representative mixtures of agricultural wastes were prepared: a "winter" mixture, with cattle manure, and a "summer" mixture, with cattle manure, wheat straw and hay. The influence of density and water content on electrical resistivity variations was assessed in the two mixtures. An increase in density was found to lead to a decrease in electrical resistivity: at the initial water content, resistivity decreased from 109.7 to 19.5Ω·m in the summer mixture and from 9.8 to 2.7Ω·m in the "winter" mixture with a respective increased in density of 0.134-0.269, and 0.311-0.577. Similarly, resistivity decreased with an increase in water content: for low densities, resistivity dropped from 109.7 to 7.1Ω·m and 9.8 to 4.0Ω·m with an increase in water content from 64 to 90w% and 74 to 93w% for "summer" and "winter" mixtures respectively. Second, a time-lapse ERT was performed in a farm-scale SSAD plant to monitor leachate infiltration. Results revealed very heterogeneous distribution of the leachate in the waste, with two particularly moist areas around the leachate injection holes. However, ERT was successfully applied in the SSAD plant, and produced a reliable 3D map of leachate infiltration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Recycled Ceramic Aggregates for the Production of Mineral-Asphalt Mixtures.

PubMed

Andrzejuk, Wojciech; Barnat-Hunek, Danuta; Siddique, Rafat; Zegardło, Bartosz; Łagód, Grzegorz

2018-04-24

This paper describes a method of designing and producing innovative mineral⁻asphalt mixtures, which utilize waste aggregate from the recycling of sanitary ceramics. The work presents the basic properties of the ceramic material, the investigation concerning the microstructure of the aggregate obtained from the grinding of waste, and a comparison with the images obtained for the aggregates usually employed in mineral⁻asphalt mixtures. The mixtures were designed for the application in the wearing course. Four series of mixtures were prepared. In the first and second, the ceramic aggregate constituted a partial substitute for dolomite, whereas in the third, we substituted granodiorite, and the fourth series contained only dolomite. The mixtures were examined for the content of soluble binder, the bulk density of samples, the presence of voids, the space filled with binder, and the susceptibility to water and frost corrosion. The obtained results were compared with the standard requirements. The microstructure as well as the contact zone in the considered mineral⁻asphalt mixtures are presented based on research conducted by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Application of Recycled Ceramic Aggregates for the Production of Mineral-Asphalt Mixtures

PubMed Central

Andrzejuk, Wojciech; Barnat-Hunek, Danuta; Siddique, Rafat; Zegardło, Bartosz; Łagód, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

This paper describes a method of designing and producing innovative mineral–asphalt mixtures, which utilize waste aggregate from the recycling of sanitary ceramics. The work presents the basic properties of the ceramic material, the investigation concerning the microstructure of the aggregate obtained from the grinding of waste, and a comparison with the images obtained for the aggregates usually employed in mineral–asphalt mixtures. The mixtures were designed for the application in the wearing course. Four series of mixtures were prepared. In the first and second, the ceramic aggregate constituted a partial substitute for dolomite, whereas in the third, we substituted granodiorite, and the fourth series contained only dolomite. The mixtures were examined for the content of soluble binder, the bulk density of samples, the presence of voids, the space filled with binder, and the susceptibility to water and frost corrosion. The obtained results were compared with the standard requirements. The microstructure as well as the contact zone in the considered mineral–asphalt mixtures are presented based on research conducted by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). PMID:29695115

RCRA, superfund and EPCRA hotline training module. Introduction to: Hazardous waste identification (40 cfr part 261) updated July 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-07-01

The module introduces a specific hazardous waste identification process, which involves asking and analyzing a series of questions about any waste being evaluated. It analyzes in detail the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) definition of `hazardous waste.` It explains concepts that are essential to identifying a RCRA hazardous waste: hazardous waste listing, hazardous waste characteristics, the `mixture` and `derived-from` rules, the `contained-in` policy, and the hazardous waste identification rules (HWIR).

Iron-phosphate ceramics for solidification of mixed low-level waste

DOEpatents

Aloy, Albert S.; Kovarskaya, Elena N.; Koltsova, Tatiana I.; Macheret, Yevgeny; Medvedev, Pavel G.; Todd, Terry

2000-01-01

A method of immobilizing mixed low-level waste is provided which uses low cost materials and has a relatively long hardening period. The method includes: forming a mixture of iron oxide powders having ratios, in mass %, of FeO:Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 :Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 equal to 25-40:40-10:35-50, or weighing a definite amount of magnetite powder. Metallurgical cinder can also be used as the source of iron oxides. A solution of the orthophosphoric acid, or a solution of the orthophosphoric acid and ferric oxide, is formed and a powder phase of low-level waste and the mixture of iron oxide powders or cinder (or magnetite powder) is also formed. The acid solution is mixed with the powder phase to form a slurry with the ratio of components (mass %) of waste:iron oxide powders or magnetite:acid solution=30-60:15-10:55-30. The slurry is blended to form a homogeneous mixture which is cured at room temperature to form the final product.

SOIL SORPTION OF VOLATILE AND SEMIVOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN A MIXTURE

EPA Science Inventory

Studies were conducted to evaluate lipophilicity as a predictor sorption for a mixture of organic compounds with high vapor pressures commonly present at hazardous waste sites. Sorption partition coefficients (K_p) for the mixture of 16 volatile and semivolatile ...

Recovery of isopropyl alcohol from waste solvent of a semiconductor plant.

PubMed

Lin, Sheng H; Wang, Chuen S

2004-01-30

An important waste solvent generated in the semiconductor manufacturing process was characterized by high isopropyl alcohol (IPA) concentration over 65%, other organic pollutants and strong color. Because of these characteristics, IPA recovery was deemed as a logic choice for tackling this waste solvent. In the present work, an integrated method consisting of air stripping in conjunction with condensation and packed activated carbon fiber (ACF) adsorption for dealing with this waste solvent. The air stripping with proper stripping temperature control was employed to remove IPA from the waste solvent and the IPA vapor in the gas mixture was condensed out in a side condenser. The residual IPA remaining in the gas mixture exiting the side condenser was efficiently removed in a packed ACF column. The air stripping with condensation was able to recover up to 93% of total IPA in the initial waste solvent. The residual IPA in the gas mixture, representing less than 3% of the initial IPA, was efficiently captured in the packed ACF column. Experimental tests were conducted to examine the performances of each unit and to identify the optimum operating conditions. Theoretical modeling of the experimental IPA breakthrough curves was also undertaken using a macroscopic model. The verified breakthrough model significantly facilitates the adsorption column design. The recovered IPA was found to be of high purity and could be considered for reuse. Copyright 2003 Elsevier B.V.

Production of iron from metallurgical waste

DOEpatents

Hendrickson, David W; Iwasaki, Iwao

2013-09-17

A method of recovering metallic iron from iron-bearing metallurgical waste in steelmaking comprising steps of providing an iron-bearing metallurgical waste containing more than 55% by weight FeO and FeO equivalent and a particle size of at least 80% less than 10 mesh, mixing the iron-bearing metallurgical waste with a carbonaceous material to form a reducible mixture where the carbonaceous material is between 80 and 110% of the stoichiometric amount needed to reduce the iron-bearing waste to metallic iron, and as needed additions to provide a silica content between 0.8 and 8% by weight and a ratio of CaO/SiO.sub.2 between 1.4 and 1.8, forming agglomerates of the reducible mixture over a hearth material layer to protect the hearth, heating the agglomerates to a higher temperature above the melting point of iron to form nodules of metallic iron and slag material from the agglomerates by melting.

Trace element partitioning in ashes from boilers firing pure wood or mixtures of solid waste with respect to fuel composition, chlorine content and temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saqib, Naeem, E-mail: naeem.saqib@oru.se; Bäckström, Mattias, E-mail: mattias.backstrom@oru.se

Highlights: • Different solids waste incineration is discussed in grate fired and fluidized bed boilers. • We explained waste composition, temperature and chlorine effects on metal partitioning. • Excessive chlorine content can change oxide to chloride equilibrium partitioning the trace elements in fly ash. • Volatility increases with temperature due to increase in vapor pressure of metals and compounds. • In Fluidized bed boiler, most metals find themselves in fly ash, especially for wood incineration. - Abstract: Trace element partitioning in solid waste (household waste, industrial waste, waste wood chips and waste mixtures) incineration residues was investigated. Samples of flymore » ash and bottom ash were collected from six incineration facilities across Sweden including two grate fired and four fluidized bed incinerators, to have a variation in the input fuel composition (from pure biofuel to mixture of waste) and different temperature boiler conditions. As trace element concentrations in the input waste at the same facilities have already been analyzed, the present study focuses on the concentration of trace elements in the waste fuel, their distribution in the incineration residues with respect to chlorine content of waste and combustion temperature. Results indicate that Zn, Cu and Pb are dominating trace elements in the waste fuel. Highly volatile elements mercury and cadmium are mainly found in fly ash in all cases; 2/3 of lead also end up in fly ash while Zn, As and Sb show a large variation in distribution with most of them residing in the fly ash. Lithophilic elements such as copper and chromium are mainly found in bottom ash from grate fired facilities while partition mostly into fly ash from fluidized bed incinerators, especially for plants fuelled by waste wood or ordinary wood chips. There is no specific correlation between input concentration of an element in the waste fuel and fraction partitioned to fly ash. Temperature and chlorine content have significant effects on partitioning characteristics by increasing the formation and vaporization of highly volatile metal chlorides. Zinc and cadmium concentrations in fly ash increase with the incineration temperature.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martinez-Guerra, Edith; Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, E-mail: gude@cee.msstate.edu

Highlights: • Pulse sonication effect on transesterification of waste vegetable oil was studied. • Effects of ethanol, methanol, and alcohol mixtures on FAMEs yield were evaluated. • Effect of ultrasonic intensity, power density, and its output rates were evaluated. • Alcohol mixtures resulted in higher biodiesel yields due to better solubility. - Abstract: This study reports on the effects of direct pulse sonication and the type of alcohol (methanol and ethanol) on the transesterification reaction of waste vegetable oil without any external heating or mechanical mixing. Biodiesel yields and optimum process conditions for the transesterification reaction involving ethanol, methanol, andmore » ethanol–methanol mixtures were evaluated. The effects of ultrasonic power densities (by varying sample volumes), power output rates (in W), and ultrasonic intensities (by varying the reactor size) were studied for transesterification reaction with ethanol, methanol and ethanol–methanol (50%-50%) mixtures. The optimum process conditions for ethanol or methanol based transesterification reaction of waste vegetable oil were determined as: 9:1 alcohol to oil ratio, 1% wt. catalyst amount, 1–2 min reaction time at a power output rate between 75 and 150 W. It was shown that the transesterification reactions using ethanol–methanol mixtures resulted in biodiesel yields as high as >99% at lower power density and ultrasound intensity when compared to ethanol or methanol based transesterification reactions.« less

Novel Acid Catalysts from Waste-Tire-Derived Carbon: Application in Waste-to-Biofuel Conversion

DOE PAGES

Hood, Zachary D.; Adhikari, Shiba P.; Li, Yunchao; ...

2017-06-21

Many inexpensive biofuel feedstocks, including those containing free fatty acids (FFAs) in high concentrations, are typically disposed of as waste due to our inability to efficiently convert them into usable biofuels. Here we demonstrate that carbon derived from waste tires could be functionalized with sulfonic acid (-SO 3H) to effectively catalyze the esterification of oleic acid or a mixture of fatty acids to usable biofuels. Waste tires were converted to hard carbon, then functionalized with catalytically active -SO 3H groups on the surface through an environmentally benign process that involved the sequential treatment with L-cysteine, dithiothreitol, and H 2O 2.more » In conclusion, when benchmarked against the same waste-tire derived carbon material treated with concentrated sulfuric acid at 150 °C, similar catalytic activity was observed. Both catalysts could also effectively convert oleic acid or a mixture of fatty acids and soybean oil to usable biofuels at 65 °C and 1 atm without leaching of the catalytic sites.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kopčić, Nina, E-mail: nkopcic@fkit.hr; Vuković Domanovac, Marija; Kučić, Dajana

Highlights: • Apple and tobacco waste mixture was efficiently composted during 22 days. • Physical–chemical and microbiological properties of the mixture were suitable the process. • Evaluation of selected mathematical model showed good prediction of the temperature. • The temperature curve was a “mirror image” of the oxygen concentration curve. • The peak values of the temperature were occurred 9.5 h after the peak oxygen consumption. - Abstract: Efficient composting process requires set of adequate parameters among which physical–chemical properties of the composting substrate play the key-role. Combining different types of biodegradable solid waste it is possible to obtain amore » substrate eligible to microorganisms in the composting process. In this work the composting of apple and tobacco solid waste mixture (1:7, dry weight) was explored. The aim of the work was to investigate an efficiency of biodegradation of the given mixture and to characterize incurred raw compost. Composting was conducted in 24 L thermally insulated column reactor at airflow rate of 1.1 L min{sup −1}. During 22 days several parameters were closely monitored: temperature and mass of the substrate, volatile solids content, C/N ratio and pH-value of the mixture and oxygen consumption. The composting of the apple and tobacco waste resulted with high degradation of the volatile solids (53.1%). During the experiment 1.76 kg of oxygen was consumed and the C/N ratio of the product was 11.6. The obtained temperature curve was almost a “mirror image” of the oxygen concentration curve while the peak values of the temperature were occurred 9.5 h after the peak oxygen consumption.« less

Application of a set of complementary techniques to understand how varying the proportion of two wastes affects humic acids produced by vermicomposting.

PubMed

Fernández-Gómez, Manuel J; Nogales, Rogelio; Plante, Alain; Plaza, César; Fernández, José M

2015-01-01

A better understanding of how varying the proportion of different organic wastes affects humic acid (HA) formation during vermicomposting would be useful in producing vermicomposts enriched in HAs. With the aim of improving the knowledge about this issue, a variety of analytical techniques [UV-visible spectroscopic, Fourier transform infrared, fluorescence spectra, solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, and thermal analysis] was used in the present study to characterize HAs isolated from two mixtures at two different ratios (2:1 and 1:1) of tomato-plant debris (TD) and paper-mill sludge (PS) before and after vermicomposting. The results suggest that vermicomposting increased the HA content in the TD/PS 2:1 and 1:1 mixtures (15.9% and 16.2%, respectively), but the vermicompost produced from the mixture with a higher amount of TD had a greater proportion (24%) of HAs. Both vermicomposting processes caused equal modifications in the humic precursors contained in the different mixtures of TD and PS, and consequently, the HAs in the vermicomposts produced from different waste mixtures exhibited analogous characteristics. Only the set of analytical techniques used in this research was able to detect differences between the HAs isolated from each type of vermicompost. In conclusion, varying the proportion of different wastes may have a stronger influence on the amount of HAs in vermicomposts than on the properties of HAs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct valorisation of waste cocoa butter triglycerides via catalytic epoxidation, ring-opening and polymerisation.

PubMed

Plaza, Dorota D; Strobel, Vinzent; Heer, Parminder Kaur Ks; Sellars, Andrew B; Hoong, Seng-Soi; Clark, Andrew J; Lapkin, Alexei A

2017-09-01

Development of circular economy requires significant advances in the technologies for valorisation of waste, as waste becomes new feedstock. Food waste is a particularly important feedstock, containing large variation of complex chemical functionality. Although most food waste sources are complex mixtures, waste from food processing, no longer suitable for the human food chain, may also represent relatively clean materials. One such material requiring valorisation is cocoa butter. Epoxidation of a triglyceride from a food waste source, processing waste cocoa butter, into the corresponding triglyceride epoxide was carried out using a modified Ishii-Venturello catalyst in batch and continuous flow reactors. The batch reactor achieved higher yields due to the significant decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in the laminar flow tubular reactor. Integral and differential models describing the reaction and the phase transfer kinetics were developed for the epoxidation of cocoa butter and the model parameters were estimated. Ring-opening of the epoxidised cocoa butter was undertaken to provide polyols of varying molecular weight (M w = 2000-84 000 Da), hydroxyl value (27-60 mg KOH g -1 ) and acid value (1-173 mg KOH g -1 ), using either aqueous ortho-phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) or boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF 3 · OEt 2 )-mediated oligomerisation in bulk, using hexane or tetrahydrofuran (THF) as solvents. The thermal and tensile properties of the polyurethanes obtained from the reaction of these polyols with 4,4'-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) are described. The paper presents a complete valorisation scheme for a food manufacturing industry waste stream, starting from the initial chemical transformation, developing a process model for the design of a scaled-up process, and leading to synthesis of the final product, in this case a polymer. This work describes aspects of optimisation of the conversion route, focusing on clean synthesis and also demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of the development projects, requiring input from different areas of chemistry, process modelling and process design. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Monitoring and optimizing the co-composting of dewatered sludge: a mixture experimental design approach.

PubMed

Komilis, Dimitrios; Evangelou, Alexandros; Voudrias, Evangelos

2011-09-01

The management of dewatered wastewater sludge is a major issue worldwide. Sludge disposal to landfills is not sustainable and thus alternative treatment techniques are being sought. The objective of this work was to determine optimal mixing ratios of dewatered sludge with other organic amendments in order to maximize the degradability of the mixtures during composting. This objective was achieved using mixture experimental design principles. An additional objective was to study the impact of the initial C/N ratio and moisture contents on the co-composting process of dewatered sludge. The composting process was monitored through measurements of O(2) uptake rates, CO(2) evolution, temperature profile and solids reduction. Eight (8) runs were performed in 100 L insulated air-tight bioreactors under a dynamic air flow regime. The initial mixtures were prepared using dewatered wastewater sludge, mixed paper wastes, food wastes, tree branches and sawdust at various initial C/N ratios and moisture contents. According to empirical modeling, mixtures of sludge and food waste mixtures at 1:1 ratio (ww, wet weight) maximize degradability. Structural amendments should be maintained below 30% to reach thermophilic temperatures. The initial C/N ratio and initial moisture content of the mixture were not found to influence the decomposition process. The bio C/bio N ratio started from around 10, for all runs, decreased during the middle of the process and increased to up to 20 at the end of the process. The solid carbon reduction of the mixtures without the branches ranged from 28% to 62%, whilst solid N reductions ranged from 30% to 63%. Respiratory quotients had a decreasing trend throughout the composting process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhalation Cancer Risk Associated with Exposure to Complex Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Mixtures in an Electronic Waste and Urban Area in South China

PubMed Central

Wang, Jing; Chen, Shejun; Tian, Mi; Zheng, Xiaobo; Gonzales, Leah; Ohura, Takeshi; Mai, Bixian; Simonich, Staci L. Massey

2012-01-01

Atmospheric particulate matter samples were collected from May 2010 to April 2011 in a rural e-waste area and in Guangzhou, South China, to estimate the lifetime inhalation cancer risk from exposure to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), high molecular weight PAHs (MW 302 PAHs), and halogenated PAHs (HPAHs). Seasonal variations in the PAH concentrations and profile within and between the e-waste and urban areas indicated different PAH sources in the two areas. Benzo[b]fluoranthene, BaP, dibenz[ah]anthracene, and dibenzo[al]pyrene made the most significant contribution to the inhalation cancer risk. MW 302 PAHs accounting for 18.0% of the total cancer risk in the e-waste area and 13.6% in the urban area, while HPAHs made a minor contribution (< 0.1%) in both the areas. The number of lifetime excess lung cancers due to exposure to parent PAHs, MW 302 PAHs, and HPAHs ranged from 15.1 to 1198 per million people in the e-waste area and from 9.3 to 737 per million people in Guangzhou. PAH exposure accounted for 0.02 to 1.94% of the total lung cancer cases in Guangzhou. On average, the inhalation cancer risk in the e-waste area was 1.6 times higher than in the urban area. The e-waste dismantling activities in South China led to higher inhalation cancer risk due to PAH exposure than the urban area. PMID:22913732

Formulation of an alginate-vineyard pruning waste composite as a new eco-friendly adsorbent to remove micronutrients from agroindustrial effluents.

PubMed

Vecino, X; Devesa-Rey, R; Moldes, A B; Cruz, J M

2014-09-01

The cellulosic fraction of vineyard pruning waste (free of hemicellulosic sugars) was entrapped in calcium alginate beads and evaluated as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of different nutrients and micronutrients (Mg, P, Zn, K, N-NH4, SO4, TN, TC and PO4) from an agroindustrial effluent (winery wastewater). Batch adsorption studies were performed by varying the amounts of cellulosic adsorbent (0.5-2%), sodium alginate (1-5%) and calcium chloride (0.05-0.9M) included in the biocomposite. The optimal formulation of the adsorbent composite varied depending on the target contaminant. Thus, for the adsorption of cationic contaminants (Mg, Zn, K, N-NH4 and TN), the best mixture comprised 5% sodium alginate, 0.05M calcium chloride and 0.5% cellulosic vineyard pruning waste, whereas for removal of anionic compounds (P, SO4 and PO4), the optimal mixture comprised 1% sodium alginate, 0.9M calcium chloride and 0.5% cellulosic vineyard pruning waste. To remove TC from the winery wastewater, the optimal mixture comprised 3% of sodium alginate, 0.475M calcium chloride and 0.5% cellulosic vineyard pruning waste. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic health risk assessment of electronic waste on the general population in developing countries' scenarios

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frazzoli, Chiara, E-mail: chiara.frazzoli@iss.i; Noodles Onlus, Nutrition and food safety and wholesomeness; Orisakwe, Orish Ebere

2010-11-15

E-waste is the generic name for technological waste. Even though aspects related to e-waste environmental pollution and human exposure are known, scientific assessments are missing so far on the actual risks for health sustainability of the general population exposed to e-waste scenarios, such as illicit dumping, crude recycling and improper treatment and disposal. In fact, further to occupational and direct local exposure, e-waste scenarios may impact on the environment-to-food chain, thus eliciting a widespread and repeated exposure of the general population to mixtures of toxicants, mainly toxic chemical elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and persistent organic pollutants. In the absence ofmore » any clear policy on e-waste flow management, the situation in the e-waste receiver countries may become quite scary; accordingly, here we address a diagnostic risk assessment of health issues potentially elicited by e-waste related mixtures of toxicants. Scientific evidence available so far (mainly from China) is discussed with special attention to the concept of health sustainability, i.e. the poor health burden heritage perpetuated through the mother-to-child dyad. Endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity are specifically considered as examples of main health burden issues relevant to perpetuation through life cycle and across generations; toxicological information are considered along with available data on environmental and food contamination and human internal exposure. The risk from exposure to e-waste related mixtures of toxicants of vulnerable subpopulation like breast-fed infants is given special attention. The diagnostic risk assessment demonstrates how e-waste exposure poses an actual public health emergency, as it may entrain significant health risks also for generations to come. Exposure scenarios as well as specific chemicals of major concern may vary in different contexts; for instance, only limited information is available on e-waste related exposures in a major site of e-waste dumping such as West Africa. Therefore, considerations are also given on data gaps possibly fitting a systematic risk assessment of the e-waste health impacts in different subscenarios as well as possible protective factors for exposed subpopulations.« less

Green Chemistry Challenge: 2017 Academic Award

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Green Chemistry Challenge 2017 award winner, Professor Schelter, developed a new, targeted approach for separating mixtures of rare earth metals obtained from consumer waste streams comprising mixtures of Nd/Dy and Eu/Y

A Model Study to Unravel the Complexity of Bio-Oil from Organic Wastes.

PubMed

Croce, Annamaria; Battistel, Ezio; Chiaberge, Stefano; Spera, Silvia; De Angelis, Francesco; Reale, Samantha

2017-01-10

Binary and ternary mixtures of cellulose, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and tripalmitin, as biomass reference compounds for carbohydrates, proteins and triglycerides, respectively, were treated under hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) conditions to describe the main reaction pathways involved in the process of bio-oil production from municipal organic wastes. Several analytical techniques (elemental analysis, GC-MS, atmospheric-pressure photo-ionisation high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, and 13 C cross-polarisation magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy) were used for the molecular-level characterisation of the resulting aqueous phase, solid residue and bio-oil, in particular. The main reaction pathways led to free fatty acids, fatty acid amides, 2,5-diketopiperazines and Maillard-type compounds as the main components of the bio-oil. The relationship of such compounds to the original components of the biomass was thus determined, which highlights the fate of the heteroatom-containing molecules in particular. Finally, the molecular composition of the bio-oils from our reference compounds was matched with that of the bio-oil from municipal organic waste biomass by comparing their high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectra, and we obtained a surprisingly high similarity. Hence, the ternary mixture acts as a reliable biomass model and is a powerful tool to clarify the degradation mechanisms that occur in the biomass under HTL treatment, with the ultimate goal to improve the HTL process itself by modulating the input of the organic starting matter and then the upgrading steps to bio-fuels. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of simulant mixed waste on EPDM and butyl rubber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nigrey, P.J.; Dickens, T.G.

1997-11-01

The authors have developed a Chemical Compatibility Testing Program for the evaluation of plastic packaging components which may be used in transporting mixed waste forms. In this program, they have screened 10 plastic materials in four liquid mixed waste simulants. These plastics were butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (Nitrile) rubber, cross-linked polyethylene, epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene-propylene (EPDM) rubber, fluorocarbons (Viton and Kel-F{trademark}), polytetrafluoro-ethylene (Teflon), high-density polyethylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (Butyl) rubber, polypropylene, and styrene-butadiene (SBR) rubber. The selected simulant mixed wastes were (1) an aqueous alkaline mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite; (2) a chlorinated hydrocarbon mixture; (3) a simulant liquid scintillation fluid; andmore » (4) a mixture of ketones. The screening testing protocol involved exposing the respective materials to approximately 3 kGy of gamma radiation followed by 14-day exposures to the waste simulants at 60 C. The rubber materials or elastomers were tested using Vapor Transport Rate measurements while the liner materials were tested using specific gravity as a metric. The authors have developed a chemical compatibility program for the evaluation of plastic packaging components which may be incorporated in packaging for transporting mixed waste forms. From the data analyses performed to date, they have identified the thermoplastic, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, as having the greatest chemical compatibility after having been exposed to gamma radiation followed by exposure to the Hanford Tank simulant mixed waste. The most striking observation from this study was the poor performance of polytetrafluoroethylene under these conditions. In the evaluation of the two elastomeric materials they have concluded that while both materials exhibit remarkable resistance to these environmental conditions, EPDM has a greater resistance to this corrosive simulant mixed waste.« less

Influence of feeding mixture composition in batch anaerobic co-digestion of stabilized municipal sludge and waste from dairy farms.

PubMed

Trulli, Ettore; Torretta, Vincenzo

2015-01-01

Waste anaerobic co-digestion applications are particularly useful in Southern Mediterranean areas where large quantities of agricultural waste materials and waste from agro-industries are produced. This waste can be added to urban waste together with the sludge produced by wastewater treatment processes, which, when combined, guarantee the supply of organic matrixes for treatment throughout the year. The implementation of facilities to service vast areas of the agricultural economy and which are heterogeneous in terms of production can provide a good solution. We present an experimental investigation into the anaerobic co-digestion of municipal sludge and bio-waste produced in the Mediterranean area. We conducted anaerobic treatability tests, with measures of biogas production and pH of the mixture in digestion. Our main aims were to identify an optimal mix of substrates for the production of biogas, and to analyse the influence on the composition of biogas and the variation in pH values of the substrates. This analysis was conducted considering the variation of the input, in particular due to the addition of waste acids, such as biological sewage sludge.

RCRA/UST, superfund and EPCRA hotline training module. Introduction to: Hazardous waste identification (40 CFR part 261) updated as of July 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-11-01

This module introduces a specific hazardous waste identification process, which involves asking and analyzing a series of questions about any waste being evaluated. Analyzes in detail the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) definition of hazardous waste. It explains the following concepts that are essential to identifying a RCRA hazardous waste: hazardous waste listing, hazardous waste characteristics, the mixture and derived-from rules, the contained-in policy, and the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule (HWIR).

Hazardous Waste Management System - Definition of Hazardous Waste - Mixture and Derived- From Rules - Federal Register Notice, October 30, 1992

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This action responds to public comment on two proposals (57 FR 7636, March 3, 1992, and 57 FR 21450, May 20, 1992) to modify EPA's hazardous waste identification rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

40 CFR 264.281 - Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Special requirements for ignitable or reactive waste. 264.281 Section 264.281 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... immediately incorporated into the soil so that: (1) The resulting waste, mixture, or dissolution of material...

Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Chemical Waste Management of NJ in Newark, New Jersey

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Chemical Waste Management of NJ is located at 100 Lister Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. This section of Newark has been industrial since the late 1800s when the marshlands of the Passaic River were filled in with a mixture of coal ash, construction debris

Influence of roofing shingles on asphalt concrete mixture properties. Final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-06-01

It is estimated that the production of new roofing shingles generates approximately 1,000,000 tons of waste annually in the U.S., and about 36,000 tons of this waste is in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota. With another 8.5 million tons of wast...

Molten salt destruction of energetic waste materials

DOEpatents

Brummond, W.A.; Upadhye, R.S.; Pruneda, C.O.

1995-07-18

A molten salt destruction process is used to treat and destroy energetic waste materials such as high explosives, propellants, and rocket fuels. The energetic material is pre-blended with a solid or fluid diluent in safe proportions to form a fluid fuel mixture. The fuel mixture is rapidly introduced into a high temperature molten salt bath. A stream of molten salt is removed from the vessel and may be recycled as diluent. Additionally, the molten salt stream may be pumped from the reactor, circulated outside the reactor for further processing, and delivered back into the reactor or cooled and circulated to the feed delivery system to further dilute the fuel mixture entering the reactor. 4 figs.

Molten salt destruction of energetic waste materials

DOEpatents

Brummond, William A.; Upadhye, Ravindra S.; Pruneda, Cesar O.

1995-01-01

A molten salt destruction process is used to treat and destroy energetic waste materials such as high explosives, propellants, and rocket fuels. The energetic material is pre-blended with a solid or fluid diluent in safe proportions to form a fluid fuel mixture. The fuel mixture is rapidly introduced into a high temperature molten salt bath. A stream of molten salt is removed from the vessel and may be recycled as diluent. Additionally, the molten salt stream may be pumped from the reactor, circulated outside the reactor for further processing, and delivered back into the reactor or cooled and circulated to the feed delivery system to further dilute the fuel mixture entering the reactor.

Enhanced selective metal adsorption on optimised agroforestry waste mixtures.

PubMed

Rosales, Emilio; Ferreira, Laura; Sanromán, M Ángeles; Tavares, Teresa; Pazos, Marta

2015-04-01

The aim of this work is to ascertain the potentials of different agroforestry wastes to be used as biosorbents in the removal of a mixture of heavy metals. Fern (FE), rice husk (RI) and oak leaves (OA) presented the best removal percentages for Cu(II) and Ni(II), Mn(II) and Zn(II) and Cr(VI), respectively. The performance of a mixture of these three biosorbents was evaluated, and an improvement of 10% in the overall removal was obtained (19.25mg/g). The optimum mixture proportions were determined using simplex-centroid mixture design method (FE:OA:RI=50:13.7:36.3). The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of the optimised mixture were fit by the pseudo-first order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption mechanism was studied, and the effects of the carboxylic, hydroxyl and phenolic groups on metal-biomass binding were demonstrated. Finally, the recoveries of the metals using biomass were investigated, and cationic metal recoveries of 100% were achieved when acidic solutions were used. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixtures of a coal combustion by-product and composted yard wastes for use as soil substitutes and amendments. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eckert, D.J.; McCoy, E.L.; Danneberger, T.K.

Mixtures of coal combustion by-product (CCBP) and yard waste compost (with and without sand), and mixtures of CCBP and soil, were evaluated for use as soil substitutes and amendments for production of container-grown ornamental shrubs and trees, and for establishment and production of forage-groundcover species. Species evaluated were azalea (Rhododendron spp.), burning bush (Euonymous alatus), red maple (Acer rubrum), yew (Taxus spp.), tall fescue (Festuca arundi nacea, cv. {open_quotes}Chesapeake{close_quotes}), alfalfa, and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L., cv. {open_quotes}Bronco{close_quotes}). All ornamental species failed to grow when planted in CCBP/compost mixtures when the CCBP concentration was greater than 30 percent by volume.more » Plant toxicity due to high concentrations of soluble salts and boron was responsible for the poor plant performance. When CCBP was used as a soil amendment at concentrations less than 30 percent, growth of tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass was not affected by the mixture, and alfalfa yield increased at CCBP mixtures up to 20 percent.« less

Biological hydrogen production by anaerobic digestion of food waste and sewage sludge treated using various pretreatment technologies.

PubMed

Kim, Seungjin; Choi, Kwangkeun; Kim, Jong-Oh; Chung, Jinwook

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was to enhance the efficiency of anaerobic co-digestion with sewage sludge using pretreatment technologies and food waste. We studied the effects of various pretreatment methods (thermal, chemical, ultrasonic, and their combination) on hydrogen production and the characteristics of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) using sewage sludge alone and a mixture of sewage sludge and food waste. The pretreatment combination of alkalization and ultrasonication performed best, effecting a high solubilization rate and high hydrogen production (13.8 mL H2/g VSSconsumed). At a food waste:pretreated sewage sludge ratio of 2:1 in the mixture, the peak hydrogen production value was 5.0 L H2/L/d. As the production of hydrogen increased, propionate levels fell but butyrate concentrations rose gradually.

Asphalt dust waste material as a paste volume in developing sustainable self compacting concrete (SCC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Isham; Shahidan, Shahiron; Bahari, Nur Amira Afiza Saiful

2017-12-01

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixtures are usually designed to have high workability during the fresh state through the influence of higher volumes of paste in concrete mixtures. Asphalt dust waste (ADW) is one of disposed materials obtained during the production of asphalt premix. These fine powder wastes contribute to environmental problems today. However, these waste materials can be utilized in the development of sustainable and economical SCC. This paper focuses on the preliminary evaluations of the fresh properties and compressive strength of developed SCC for 7 and 28 days only. 144 cube samples from 24 mixtures with varying water binder ratios (0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) and ADW volume (0% to 100%) were prepared. MD940 and MD950 showed a satisfactory performance for the slump flow, J-Ring, L-Box and V-Funnel tests at fresh state. The compressive strength after 28 days for MD940 and MD950 was 36.9 MPa and 28.0 MPa respectively. In conclusion, the use of ADW as paste volume should be limited and a higher water binder ratio will significantly reduce the compressive strength.

Manufacture of reconstruction-bricks in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas-Valencia, Ma. Neftalí; Penagos, Armando Aguilar; Rojas, Denise Y. Fernández; López, Alberto López; Gálves, David Morillón

2017-12-01

In Mexico, around 33.600 tons of construction wastes are generated every day, Mexico City contributing for around tons/day, with fewer than 1.000 tons/day being sent to be recycled. For that reason the purpose of this study was to manufacture sustainable bricks, based on three types of wastes generated in the building industry: wood cutting residues, wastes from the excavation process (From Coapa and Cuautlancingo, Puebla, Mexico) and recycled aggregates. Water was added as kneading material, and Opuntia ficus-indica (mucilage) was supplemented as natural additive to improve the workability of the mixtures. Conventional firing process was substituted by drying in a solar drying chamber. Nine mixtures were prepared using 62% excavation wastes, 4% wood cutting residues and 11%, 17% and 34% recycled aggregates. These mixtures were classified in two groups depending on their granulometry: the first one denominated cementitious recycled aggregates only having granulometry from 25.4 mm, 9.52 mm to 6.35 mm to fines and the second group denominated all in one recycled aggregates having granulometry of 6.35 mm to fines. The quality of the sustainable bricks was evaluated according to compressive strength and water absorption parameters. The results of nine mixtures showed that the reconstruction-bricks manufactured with the mixture seven consisting of 9.52 mm and 6.35 mm construction residues (all in one) fines presented the highest strength values, lowest maximum initial absorption (4 g/min) compared to the norm NMX-C-037-ONNCCE-2013 which establishes that the maximum limit for walls exposed to the outside is 5 g/min. Using a solar desiccator made from construction residues, the bricks were dried in 11 days, the maximum temperature was 76 °C and the maximum solar radiation captured was 733.4 W/m2.

Development of UHPC Mixtures Utilizing Natural and Industrial Waste Materials as Partial Replacements of Silica Fume and Sand

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

In the exploratory study presented in this paper, an attempt was made to develop different mixtures of ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) using various locally available natural and industrial waste materials as partial replacements of silica fume and sand. Materials such as natural pozzolana (NP), fly ash (FA), limestone powder (LSP), cement kiln dust (CKD), and pulverized steel slag (PSS), all of which are abundantly available in Saudi Arabia at little or no cost, were employed in the development of the UHPC mixtures. A base mixture of UHPC without replacement of silica fume or sand was selected and a total of 24 trial mixtures of UHPC were prepared using different percentages of NP, FA, LSP, CKD, and PSS, partially replacing the silica fume and sand. Flow and 28-d compressive strength of each UHPC mixture were determined to finally select those mixtures, which satisfied the minimum flow and strength criteria of UHPC. The test results showed that the utilization of NP, FA, LSP, CKD, and PSS in production of UHPC is possible with acceptable flow and strength. A total of 10 UHPC mixtures were identified with flow and strength equal to or more than the minimum required. PMID:25197709

A pilot plant two-phase anaerobic digestion system for bioenergy recovery from swine wastes and garbage.

PubMed

Feng, Chuanping; Shimada, Sadoru; Zhang, Zhenya; Maekawa, Takaaki

2008-01-01

A pilot plant bioenergy recovery system from swine waste and garbage was constructed. A series of experiments was performed using swine feces (SF); a mixture of swine feces and urine (MSFU); a mixture of swine feces, urine and garbage (MSFUG); garbage and a mixture of urine and garbage (AUG). The system performed well for treating the source materials at a high organic loading rate (OLR) and short hydraulic retention time (HRT). In particular, the biogas production for the MSFUG was the highest, accounting for approximately 865-930 L kg(-1)-VS added at the OLR of 5.0-5.3 kg-VS m(-3) day(-1) and the HRT of 9 days. The removal of VS was 67-75%, and that of COD was 73-74%. Therefore, co-digestion is a promising method for the recovery of bioenergy from swine waste and garbage. Furthermore, the results obtained from this study provide fundamental information for scaling up a high-performance anaerobic system in the future.

Co-composting of eggshell waste in self-heating reactors: monitoring and end product quality.

PubMed

Soares, Micaela A R; Quina, Margarida M J; Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa M

2013-11-01

Industrial eggshell waste (ES) is classified as an animal by-product not intended to human consumption. For reducing pathogen spreading risk due to soil incorporation of ES, sanitation by composting is a pre-treatment option. This work aims to evaluate eggshell waste recycling in self-heating composting reactors and investigate ES effect on process evolution and end product quality. Potato peel, grass clippings and rice husks were the starting organic materials considered. The incorporation of 30% (w/w) ES in a composting mixture did not affect mixture biodegradability, nor its capacity to reach sanitizing temperatures. After 25 days of composting, ES addition caused a nitrogen loss of about 10 g N kg(-1) of initial volatile solids, thus reducing nitrogen nutritional potential of the finished compost. This study showed that a composting mixture with a significant proportion of ES (30% w/w) may be converted into calcium-rich marketable compost to neutralize soil acidity and/or calcium deficiencies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Batch anaerobic digestion of synthetic military base food waste and cardboard mixtures.

PubMed

Asato, Caitlin M; Gonzalez-Estrella, Jorge; Jerke, Amber C; Bang, Sookie S; Stone, James J; Gilcrease, Patrick C

2016-09-01

Austere US military bases typically dispose of solid wastes, including large fractions of food waste (FW) and corrugated cardboard (CCB), by open dumping, landfilling, or burning. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers an opportunity to reduce pollution and recover useful energy. This study aimed to evaluate the rates and yields of AD for FW-CCB mixtures. Batch AD was analyzed at substrate concentrations of 1-50g total chemical oxygen demand (COD)L(-1) using response surface methodology. At low concentrations, higher proportions of FW were correlated with faster specific methanogenic activities and greater final methane yields; however, concentrations of FW ⩾18.75gCODL(-1) caused inhibition. Digestion of mixtures with ⩾75% CCB occurred slowly but achieved methane yields >70%. Greater shifts in microbial communities were observed at higher substrate concentrations. Statistical models of methane yield and specific methanogenic activity indicated that FW and CCB exhibited no considerable interactions as substrates for AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accomplishing simple, solubility-based separations of rare earth elements with complexes bearing size-sensitive molecular apertures

PubMed Central

Bogart, Justin A.; Cole, Bren E.; Boreen, Michael A.; Lippincott, Connor A.; Manor, Brian C.; Carroll, Patrick J.; Schelter, Eric J.

2016-01-01

Rare earth (RE) metals are critical components of electronic materials and permanent magnets. Recycling of consumer materials is a promising new source of rare REs. To incentivize recycling, there is a clear need for the development of simple methods for targeted separations of mixtures of RE metal salts. Metal complexes of a tripodal hydroxylaminato ligand, TriNOx3–, featured a size-sensitive aperture formed of its three η2-(N,O) ligand arms. Exposure of cations in the aperture induced a self-associative equilibrium comprising RE(TriNOx)THF and [RE(TriNOx)]2 species. Differences in the equilibrium constants Kdimer for early and late metals enabled simple separations through leaching. Separations were performed on RE1/RE2 mixtures, where RE1 = La–Sm and RE2 = Gd–Lu, with emphasis on Eu/Y separations for potential applications in the recycling of phosphor waste from compact fluorescent light bulbs. Using the leaching method, separations factors approaching 2,000 were obtained for early–late RE combinations. Following solvent optimization, >95% pure samples of Eu were obtained with a 67% recovery for the technologically relevant Eu/Y separation. PMID:27956636

Accomplishing simple, solubility-based separations of rare earth elements with complexes bearing size-sensitive molecular apertures.

PubMed

Bogart, Justin A; Cole, Bren E; Boreen, Michael A; Lippincott, Connor A; Manor, Brian C; Carroll, Patrick J; Schelter, Eric J

2016-12-27

Rare earth (RE) metals are critical components of electronic materials and permanent magnets. Recycling of consumer materials is a promising new source of rare REs. To incentivize recycling, there is a clear need for the development of simple methods for targeted separations of mixtures of RE metal salts. Metal complexes of a tripodal hydroxylaminato ligand, TriNOx 3- , featured a size-sensitive aperture formed of its three η 2 -(N,O) ligand arms. Exposure of cations in the aperture induced a self-associative equilibrium comprising RE(TriNOx)THF and [RE(TriNOx)] 2 species. Differences in the equilibrium constants K dimer for early and late metals enabled simple separations through leaching. Separations were performed on RE1/RE2 mixtures, where RE1 = La-Sm and RE2 = Gd-Lu, with emphasis on Eu/Y separations for potential applications in the recycling of phosphor waste from compact fluorescent light bulbs. Using the leaching method, separations factors approaching 2,000 were obtained for early-late RE combinations. Following solvent optimization, >95% pure samples of Eu were obtained with a 67% recovery for the technologically relevant Eu/Y separation.

Pyrolytic conversion of plastic and rubber waste to hydrocarbons with basic salt catalysts

DOEpatents

Wingfield, Jr., Robert C.; Braslaw, Jacob; Gealer, Roy L.

1985-01-01

The invention relates to a process for improving the pyrolytic conversion of waste selected from rubber and plastic to low molecular weight olefinic materials by employing basis salt catalysts in the waste mixture. The salts comprise alkali or alkaline earth compounds, particularly sodium carbonate, in an amount of greater than about 1 weight percent based on the waste feed.

Process for the encapsulation and stabilization of radioactive, hazardous and mixed wastes

DOEpatents

Colombo, Peter; Kalb, Paul D.; Heiser, III, John H.

1997-11-14

The present invention provides a method for encapsulating and stabilizing radioactive, hazardous and mixed wastes in a modified sulfur cement composition. The waste may be incinerator fly ash or bottom ash including radioactive contaminants, toxic metal salts and other wastes commonly found in refuse. The process may use glass fibers mixed into the composition to improve the tensile strength and a low concentration of anhydrous sodium sulfide to reduce toxic metal solubility. The present invention preferably includes a method for encapsulating radioactive, hazardous and mixed wastes by combining substantially anhydrous wastes, molten modified sulfur cement, preferably glass fibers, as well as anhydrous sodium sulfide or calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide in a heated double-planetary orbital mixer. The modified sulfur cement is preheated to about 135.degree..+-.5.degree. C., then the remaining substantially dry components are added and mixed to homogeneity. The homogeneous molten mixture is poured or extruded into a suitable mold. The mold is allowed to cool, while the mixture hardens, thereby immobilizing and encapsulating the contaminants present in the ash.

Treatment of electronic waste to recover metal values using thermal plasma coupled with acid leaching--a response surface modeling approach.

PubMed

Rath, Swagat S; Nayak, Pradeep; Mukherjee, P S; Roy Chaudhury, G; Mishra, B K

2012-03-01

The global crisis of the hazardous electronic waste (E-waste) is on the rise due to increasing usage and disposal of electronic devices. A process was developed to treat E-waste in an environmentally benign process. The process consisted of thermal plasma treatment followed by recovery of metal values through mineral acid leaching. In the thermal process, the E-waste was melted to recover the metal values as a metallic mixture. The metallic mixture was subjected to acid leaching in presence of depolarizer. The leached liquor mainly contained copper as the other elements like Al and Fe were mostly in alloy form as per the XRD and phase diagram studies. Response surface model was used to optimize the conditions for leaching. More than 90% leaching efficiency at room temperature was observed for Cu, Ni and Co with HCl as the solvent, whereas Fe and Al showed less than 40% efficiency. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method and apparatus for waste destruction using supercritical water oxidation

DOEpatents

Haroldsen, Brent Lowell; Wu, Benjamin Chiau-pin

2000-01-01

The invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for initiating and sustaining an oxidation reaction. A hazardous waste, is introduced into a reaction zone within a pressurized containment vessel. An oxidizer, preferably hydrogen peroxide, is mixed with a carrier fluid, preferably water, and the mixture is heated until the fluid achieves supercritical conditions of temperature and pressure. The heating means comprise cartridge heaters placed in closed-end tubes extending into the center region of the pressure vessel along the reactor longitudinal axis. A cooling jacket surrounds the pressure vessel to remove excess heat at the walls. Heating and cooling the fluid mixture in this manner creates a limited reaction zone near the center of the pressure vessel by establishing a steady state density gradient in the fluid mixture which gradually forces the fluid to circulate internally. This circulation allows the fluid mixture to oscillate between supercritical and subcritical states as it is heated and cooled.

Geochemical transformations and modeling of two deep-well injected hazardous wastes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roy, W.R.; Seyler, B.; Steele, J.D.; Mravik, S.C.; Moore, D.M.; Krapac, I.G.; Peden, J.M.; Griffin, R.A.

1991-01-01

Two liquid hazardous wastes (an alkaline brine-like solution and a dilute acidic waste) were mixed with finely ground rock samples of three injection-related lithologies (sandstone, dolomite, and siltstone) for 155 to 230 days at 325??K-10.8 MPa. The pH and inorganic chemical composition of the alkaline waste were not significantly altered by any of the rock samples after 230 days of mixing. The acidic waste was neutralized as a consequence of carbonate dissolution, ion exchange, or clay-mineral dissolution, and hence was transformed into a nonhazardous waste. Mixing the alkaline waste with the solid phases yielded several reaction products: brucite, Mg(OH)2; calcite, CaCO3; and possibly a type of sodium metasilicate. Clay-like minerals formed in the sandstone, and hydrotalcite, Mg6Al2-CO3(OH)16??4H2O, may have formed in the siltstone at trace levels. Mixing the alkaline waste with a synthetic brine yielded brucite, calcite, and whewellite (CaC2O4??H2O). The thermodynamic model PHRQPITZ predicted that brucite and calcite would precipitate from solution in the dolomite and siltstone mixtures and in the alkaline waste-brine system. The dilute acidic waste did not significantly alter the mineralogical composition of the three rock types after 155 days of contact. The model PHREEQE indicated that the calcite was thermodynamically stable in the dolomite and siltstone mixtures.

Energy from Waste--clean, efficient, renewable: transitions in combustion efficiency and NOx control.

PubMed

Waldner, M H; Halter, R; Sigg, A; Brosch, B; Gehrmann, H J; Keunecke, M

2013-02-01

Traditionally EfW (Energy from Waste) plants apply a reciprocating grate to combust waste fuel. An integrated steam generator recovers the heat of combustion and converts it to steam for use in a steam turbine/generator set. This is followed by an array of flue gas cleaning technologies to meet regulatory limitations. Modern combustion applies a two-step method using primary air to fuel the combustion process on the grate. This generates a complex mixture of pyrolysis gases, combustion gases and unused combustion air. The post-combustion step in the first pass of the boiler above the grate is intended to "clean up" this mixture by oxidizing unburned gases with secondary air. This paper describes modifications to the combustion process to minimize exhaust gas volumes and the generation of noxious gases and thus improving the overall thermal efficiency of the EfW plant. The resulting process can be coupled with an innovative SNCR (Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction) technology to form a clean and efficient solid waste combustion system. Measurements immediately above the grate show that gas compositions along the grate vary from 10% CO, 5% H(2) and 0% O(2) to essentially unused "pure" air, in good agreement with results from a mathematical model. Introducing these diverse gas compositions to the post combustion process will overwhelm its ability to process all these gas fractions in an optimal manner. Inserting an intermediate step aimed at homogenizing the mixture above the grate has shown to significantly improve the quality of combustion, allowing for optimized process parameters. These measures also resulted in reduced formation of NO(x) (nitrogenous oxides) due to a lower oxygen level at which the combustion process was run (2.6 vol% O(2,)(wet) instead of 6.0 vol% O(2,)(wet)). This reduction establishes optimal conditions for the DyNOR™ (Dynamic NO(x) Reduction) NO(x) reduction process. This innovative SNCR technology is adapted to situations typically encountered in solid fuel combustion. DyNOR™ measures temperature in small furnace segments and delivers the reducing reagent to the exact location where it is most effective. The DyNOR™ distributor reacts precisely and dynamically to rapid changes in combustion conditions, resulting in very low NO(x) emissions from the stack. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspergillus oryzae–Saccharomyces cerevisiae Consortium Allows Bio-Hybrid Fuel Cell to Run on Complex Carbohydrates

PubMed Central

Jahnke, Justin P.; Hoyt, Thomas; LeFors, Hannah M.; Sumner, James J.; Mackie, David M.

2016-01-01

Consortia of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are examined for their abilities to turn complex carbohydrates into ethanol. To understand the interactions between microorganisms in consortia, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the concentrations of various metabolites such as sugars (e.g., glucose, maltose), longer chain carbohydrates, and ethanol to optimize consortia conditions for the production of ethanol. It is shown that with proper design A. oryzae can digest food waste simulants into soluble sugars that S. cerevisiae can ferment into ethanol. Depending on the substrate and conditions used, concentrations of 13% ethanol were achieved in 10 days. It is further shown that a direct alcohol fuel cell (FC) can be coupled with these A. oryzae-enabled S. cerevisiae fermentations using a reverse osmosis membrane. This “bio-hybrid FC” continually extracted ethanol from an ongoing consortium, enhancing ethanol production and allowing the bio-hybrid FC to run for at least one week. Obtained bio-hybrid FC currents were comparable to those from pure ethanol—water mixtures, using the same FC. The A. oryzae–S. cerevisiae consortium, coupled to a bio-hybrid FC, converted food waste simulants into electricity without any pre- or post-processing. PMID:27681904

Aspergillus oryzae-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Consortium Allows Bio-Hybrid Fuel Cell to Run on Complex Carbohydrates.

PubMed

Jahnke, Justin P; Hoyt, Thomas; LeFors, Hannah M; Sumner, James J; Mackie, David M

2016-02-04

Consortia of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are examined for their abilities to turn complex carbohydrates into ethanol. To understand the interactions between microorganisms in consortia, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the concentrations of various metabolites such as sugars (e.g., glucose, maltose), longer chain carbohydrates, and ethanol to optimize consortia conditions for the production of ethanol. It is shown that with proper design A. oryzae can digest food waste simulants into soluble sugars that S. cerevisiae can ferment into ethanol. Depending on the substrate and conditions used, concentrations of 13% ethanol were achieved in 10 days. It is further shown that a direct alcohol fuel cell (FC) can be coupled with these A. oryzae-enabled S. cerevisiae fermentations using a reverse osmosis membrane. This "bio-hybrid FC" continually extracted ethanol from an ongoing consortium, enhancing ethanol production and allowing the bio-hybrid FC to run for at least one week. Obtained bio-hybrid FC currents were comparable to those from pure ethanol-water mixtures, using the same FC. The A. oryzae-S. cerevisiae consortium, coupled to a bio-hybrid FC, converted food waste simulants into electricity without any pre- or post-processing.

Validation of an in situ solidification/stabilization technique for hazardous barium and cyanide waste for safe disposal into a secured landfill.

PubMed

Vaidya, Rucha; Kodam, Kisan; Ghole, Vikram; Surya Mohan Rao, K

2010-09-01

The aim of the present study was to devise and validate an appropriate treatment process for disposal of hazardous barium and cyanide waste into a landfill at a Common Hazardous Waste Treatment Storage Disposal Facility (CHWTSDF). The waste was generated during the process of hardening of steel components and contains cyanide (reactive) and barium (toxic) as major contaminants. In the present study chemical fixation of the contaminants was carried out. The cyanide was treated by alkali chlorination with calcium hypochlorite and barium by precipitation with sodium sulfate as barium sulfate. The pretreated mixture was then solidified and stabilized by binding with a combination of slag cement, ordinary Portland cement and fly ash, molded into blocks (5 x 5 x 5 cm) and cured for a period of 3, 7 and 28 days. The final experiments were conducted with 18 recipe mixtures of waste + additive:binder (W:B) ratios. The W:B ratios were taken as 80:20, 70:30 and 50:50. The optimum proportions of additives and binders were finalized on the basis of the criteria of unconfined compressive strength and leachability. The leachability studies were conducted using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. The blocks were analyzed for various physical and leachable chemical parameters at the end of each curing period. Based on the results of the analysis, two recipe mixtures, with compositions - 50% of [waste + (120 g Ca(OCl)(2) + 290 g Na(2)SO(4)) kg(-1) of waste] + 50% of binders, were validated for in situ stabilization into a secured landfill of CHWTSDF. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 60.2245 - What is an air curtain incinerator?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units for Which Construction Is Commenced After November 30, 1999 or for....2260). (1) 100 percent wood waste. (2) 100 percent clean lumber. (3) 100 percent mixture of only wood...

LEACHING BOUNDARY IN CEMENT-BASED WASTE FORMS

EPA Science Inventory

Cement-based fixation systems are among the most commonly employed stabilization/solidification techniques. These cement haste mixtures, however, are vulnerable to ardic leaching solutions. Leaching of cement-based waste forms in acetic acid solutions with different acidic streng...

Process and system for treating waste water

DOEpatents

Olesen, Douglas E.; Shuckrow, Alan J.

1978-01-01

A process of treating raw or primary waste water using a powdered, activated carbon/aerated biological treatment system is disclosed. Effluent turbidities less than 2 JTU (Jackson turbidity units), zero TOC (total organic carbon) and in the range of 10 mg/l COD (chemical oxygen demand) can be obtained. An influent stream of raw or primary waste water is contacted with an acidified, powdered, activated carbon/alum mixture. Lime is then added to the slurry to raise the pH to about 7.0. A polyelectrolyte flocculant is added to the slurry followed by a flocculation period -- then sedimentation and filtration. The separated solids (sludge) are aerated in a stabilization sludge basin and a portion thereof recycled to an aerated contact basin for mixing with the influent waste water stream prior to or after contact of the influent stream with the powdered, activated carbon/alum mixture.

Utilization of ethyl cellulose polymer and waste materials for roofing tile production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sam, Suubitaa Spencer; Ng, ChoonAun; Chee, Swee Yong; Habib, NoorZainab; Nadeem, Humayon; Teoh, Wei Ping

2017-05-01

The aim of this study was to utilize ethyl cellulose, mixture of waste engine oil and waste vegetable oil as a binder in the environmental friendly roofing tile production. The waste engine-vegetable oil wasmix together with ethyl cellulose, fly ash, coarse aggregates, fine aggregatesand a catalyst. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that the oil mixture added with ethyl cellulose has the relatively high binding effect due to the presence of strong carbonyl group especially after being heat cured at 1900C for 24 hours. The mixed proportion of materials with different amount of ethyl cellulose used was studied in the production of tile specimen. The results showed that the ethyl cellulose composed roofing tile specimens passed the transverse breaking strength, durability, permeabilityand the ultraviolet accelerated test. The shrinkage on the tile can be overcome by adding temperature resistance polymer on the exterior of the tile.

Properties of lightweight cement-based composites containing waste polypropylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Záleská, Martina; Pavlíková, Milena; Pavlík, Zbyšek

2016-07-01

Improvement of buildings thermal stability represents an increasingly important trend of the construction industry. This work aims to study the possible use of two types of waste polypropylene (PP) for the development of lightweight cement-based composites with enhanced thermal insulation function. Crushed PP waste originating from the PP tubes production is used for the partial replacement of silica sand by 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mass%, whereas a reference mixture without plastic waste is studied as well. First, basic physical and thermal properties of granular PP random copolymer (PPR) and glass fiber reinforced PP (PPGF) aggregate are studied. For the developed composite mixtures, basic physical, mechanical, heat transport and storage properties are accessed. The obtained results show that the composites with incorporated PP aggregate exhibit an improved thermal insulation properties and acceptable mechanical resistivity. This new composite materials with enhanced thermal insulation function are found to be promising materials for buildings subsoil or floor structures.

Mobility of Source Zone Heavy Metals and Radionuclides: The Mixed Roles of Fermentative Activity on Fate and Transport of U and Cr. Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerlach, Robin; Peyton, Brent M.; Apel, William A.

2014-01-29

Various U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) low and medium-level radioactive waste sites contain mixtures of heavy metals, radionuclides and assorted organic materials. In addition, there are numerous sites around the world that are contaminated with a mixture of organic and inorganic contaminants. In most sites, over time, water infiltrates the wastes, and releases metals, radionuclides and other contaminants causing transport into the surrounding environment. We investigated the role of fermentative microorganisms in such sites that may control metal, radionuclide and organics migration from source zones. The project was initiated based on the following overarching hypothesis: Metals, radionuclides and othermore » contaminants can be mobilized by infiltration of water into waste storage sites. Microbial communities of lignocellulose degrading and fermenting microorganisms present in the subsurface of contaminated DOE sites can significantly impact migration by directly reducing and immobilizing metals and radionuclides while degrading complex organic matter to low molecular weight organic compounds. These low molecular weight organic acids and alcohols can increase metal and radionuclide mobility by chelation (i.e., certain organic acids) or decrease mobility by stimulating respiratory metal reducing microorganisms. We demonstrated that fermentative organisms capable of affecting the fate of Cr6+, U6+ and trinitrotoluene can be isolated from organic-rich low level waste sites as well as from less organic rich subsurface environments. The mechanisms, pathways and extent of contaminant transformation depend on a variety of factors related to the type of organisms present, the aqueous chemistry as well as the geochemistry and mineralogy. This work provides observations and quantitative data across multiple scales that identify and predict the coupled effects of fermentative carbon and electron flow on the transport of radionuclides, heavy metals and organic contaminants in the subsurface; a primary concern of the DOE Environmental Remediation Science Division (ERSD) and Subsurface Geochemical Research (SBR) Program.« less

Environmental Assessment for Selection and Operation of the Proposed Field Research Centers for the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

N /A

2000-04-18

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER), within the Office of Science (SC), proposes to add a Field Research Center (FRC) component to the existing Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) Program. The NABIR Program is a ten-year fundamental research program designed to increase the understanding of fundamental biogeochemical processes that would allow the use of bioremediation approaches for cleaning up DOE's contaminated legacy waste sites. An FRC would be integrated with the existing and future laboratory and field research and would provide a means of examining the fundamental biogeochemical processes that influence bioremediationmore » under controlled small-scale field conditions. The NABIR Program would continue to perform fundamental research that might lead to promising bioremediation technologies that could be demonstrated by other means in the future. For over 50 years, DOE and its predecessor agencies have been responsible for the research, design, and production of nuclear weapons, as well as other energy-related research and development efforts. DOE's weapons production and research activities generated hazardous, mixed, and radioactive waste products. Past disposal practices have led to the contamination of soils, sediments, and groundwater with complex and exotic mixtures of compounds. This contamination and its associated costs and risks represents a major concern to DOE and the public. The high costs, long duration, and technical challenges associated with remediating the subsurface contamination at DOE sites present a significant need for fundamental research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences that will contribute to new and cost-effective solutions. One possible low-cost approach for remediating the subsurface contamination of DOE sites is through the use of a technology known as bioremediation. Bioremediation has been defined as the use of microorganisms to biodegrade or biotransform hazardous organic contaminants to environmentally safe levels in soils, subsurface materials, water, sludges, and residues.. While bioremediation technology is promising, DOE managers and non-DOE scientists have recognized that the fundamental scientific information needed to develop effective bioremediation technologies for cleanup of the legacy waste sites is lacking in many cases. DOE believes that field-based research is needed to realize the full potential of bioremediation. The Department of Energy faces a unique set of challenges associated with cleaning up waste at its former weapons production and research sites. These sites contain complex mixtures of contaminants in the subsurface, including radioactive compounds. In many cases, the fundamental field-based scientific information needed to develop safe and effective remediation and cleanup technologies is lacking. DOE needs fundamental research on the use of microorganisms and their products to assist DOE in the decontamination and cleanup of its legacy waste sites. The existing NABIR program to-date has focused on fundamental scientific research in the laboratory. Because subsurface hydrologic and geologic conditions at contaminated DOE sites cannot easily be duplicated in a laboratory, however, the DOE needs a field component to permit existing and future laboratory research results to be field-tested on a small scale in a controlled outdoor setting. Such field-testing needs to be conducted under actual legacy waste field conditions representative of those that DOE is most in need of remediating. Ideally, these field conditions should be as representative as practicable of the types of subsurface contamination conditions that resulted from legacy wastes from the nuclear weapons program activities. They should also be representative of the types of hydrologic and geologic conditions that exist across the DOE complex.« less

Aerobic composting of waste activated sludge: Kinetic analysis for microbiological reaction and oxygen consumption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamada, Y.; Kawase, Y.

2006-07-01

In order to examine the optimal design and operating parameters, kinetics for microbiological reaction and oxygen consumption in composting of waste activated sludge were quantitatively examined. A series of experiments was conducted to discuss the optimal operating parameters for aerobic composting of waste activated sludge obtained from Kawagoe City Wastewater Treatment Plant (Saitama, Japan) using 4 and 20 L laboratory scale bioreactors. Aeration rate, compositions of compost mixture and height of compost pile were investigated as main design and operating parameters. The optimal aerobic composting of waste activated sludge was found at the aeration rate of 2.0 L/min/kg (initial compostingmore » mixture dry weight). A compost pile up to 0.5 m could be operated effectively. A simple model for composting of waste activated sludge in a composting reactor was developed by assuming that a solid phase of compost mixture is well mixed and the kinetics for microbiological reaction is represented by a Monod-type equation. The model predictions could fit the experimental data for decomposition of waste activated sludge with an average deviation of 2.14%. Oxygen consumption during composting was also examined using a simplified model in which the oxygen consumption was represented by a Monod-type equation and the axial distribution of oxygen concentration in the composting pile was described by a plug-flow model. The predictions could satisfactorily simulate the experiment results for the average maximum oxygen consumption rate during aerobic composting with an average deviation of 7.4%.« less

Anaerobic digestion of organic waste in Japan: the first demonstration plant at Kyoto City.

PubMed

Komatsu, T; Kimura, T; Kuriyama, Y; Isshiki, Y; Kawano, T; Hirao, T; Masuda, M; Yokoyama, K; Matsumoto, T; Takeda, M

2002-01-01

Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste is vigorously promoted in Japan and the necessity of energy recovery from organic waste is increasing. An anaerobic digestion demonstration plant for organic waste in Kyoto City, Japan has been operated for about two years. Three kinds of wastes (garbage and leftovers from hotels, yard waste and used paper) mixed at various ratios are used. The plant has maintained stable operations with each mixture, generating biogas by the decomposition of VS at the rate of about 820 m3N/ton-VS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bostick, W.D.; Hoffmann, D.P.; Stevenson, R.J.

The category of sludges, filter cakes, and other waste processing residuals represent the largest volume of low-level mixed (hazardous and radioactive) wastes within the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Treatment of these wastes to minimize the mobility of contaminants, and to eliminate the presence of free water, is required under the Federal Facility Compliance Act agreements between DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency. In the text, we summarize the currently available data for several of the high priority mixed-waste sludge inventories within DOE. Los Alamos National Laboratory TA-50 Sludge and Rocky Flats Plant By-Pass Sludge are transuranic (TRU)-contaminated sludgesmore » that were isolated with the use of silica-based filter aids. The Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant West End Treatment Facility Sludge is predominantly calcium carbonate and biomass. The Oak Ridge K-25 Site Pond Waste is a large-volume waste stream, containing clay, silt, and other debris in addition to precipitated metal hydroxides. We formulate ``simulants`` for the waste streams described above, using cerium oxide as a surrogate for the uranium or plutonium present in the authentic material. Use of nonradiological surrogates greatly simplifies material handling requirements for initial treatability studies. The use of synthetic mixtures for initial treatability testing will facilitate compositional variation for use in conjunction with statistical design experiments; this approach may help to identify any ``operating window`` limitations. The initial treatability testing demonstrations utilizing these ``simulants`` will be based upon vitrification, although the materials are also amenable to testing grout-based and other stabilization procedures. After the feasibility of treatment and the initial evaluation of treatment performance has been demonstrated, performance must be verified using authentic samples of the candidate waste stream.« less

Development of a novel wet oxidation process for hazardous and mixed wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dhooge, P.M.

1994-12-31

Many DOE waste streams and remediates contain complex and variable mixtures of organic compounds, toxic metals, and radionuclides. These materials are often dispersed in organic or inorganic matrices, such as personal protective equipment, various sludges, soils, and water. The over all objective of the effort described here is to develop a novel catalytic wet oxidation process for the treatment of these multi-component wastes, with the aim of providing a versatile, non-thermal method which will destroy hazardous organic compounds while simultaneously containing and concentrating toxic and radioactive metals for recovery or disposal in a readily stabilized matrix. The DETOX process usesmore » a unique combination of metal catalysts to increase the rate of oxidation of organic materials. The metal catalysts are in the form of salts dissolved in a dilute acid solution. A typical catalyst composition is 60% ferric chloride, 3--4% hydrochloric acid, 0.13% platinum ions, and 0.13% ruthenium ions in a water solution. The catalyst solution is maintained at 423--473 K. Wastes are introduced into contact with the solution, where their organic portion is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. If the organic portion is chlorinated, hydrogen chloride will be produced as a product. The process is a viable alternative to incineration for the treatment of organic mixed wastes. Estimated costs for waste treatment using the process are from $2.50/kg to $25.00/kg, depending on the size of the unit and the amount of waste processed. Process units can be mobile for on-site treatment of wastes. Results from phase 1 and 2, design and engineering studies, are described.« less

Optical biosensor for environmental on-line monitoring of naphthalene and salicylate bioavailability with an immobilized bioluminescent catabolic reporter bacterium.

PubMed Central

Heitzer, A; Malachowsky, K; Thonnard, J E; Bienkowski, P R; White, D C; Sayler, G S

1994-01-01

An optical whole-cell biosensor based on a genetically engineered bioluminescent catabolic reporter bacterium was developed for continuous on-line monitoring of naphthalene and salicylate bioavailability and microbial catabolic activity potential in waste streams. The bioluminescent reporter bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44, carries a transcriptional nahG-luxCDABE fusion for naphthalene and salicylate catabolism. Exposure to either compound resulted in inducible bioluminescence. The reporter culture was immobilized onto the surface of an optical light guide by using strontium alginate. This biosensor probe was then inserted into a measurement cell which simultaneously received the waste stream solution and a maintenance medium. Exposure under defined conditions to both naphthalene and salicylate resulted in a rapid increase in bioluminescence. The magnitude of the response and the response time were concentration dependent. Good reproducibility of the response was observed during repetitive perturbations with either naphthalene or salicylate. Exposure to other compounds, such as glucose and complex nutrient medium or toluene, resulted in either minor bioluminescence increases after significantly longer response times compared with naphthalene or no response, respectively. The environmental utility of the biosensor was tested by using real pollutant mixtures. A specific bioluminescence response was obtained after exposure to either an aqueous solution saturated with JP-4 jet fuel or an aqueous leachate from a manufactured-gas plant soil, since naphthalene was present in both pollutant mixtures. PMID:8017932

Effect of addition of sewage sludge and coal sludge on bioavailability of selected metals in the waste from the zinc and lead industry.

PubMed

Sobik-Szołtysek, Jolanta; Wystalska, Katarzyna; Grobelak, Anna

2017-07-01

This study evaluated the content of bioavailable forms of selected heavy metals present in the waste from Zn and Pb processing that can potentially have an effect on the observed difficulties in reclamation of landfills with this waste. The particular focus of the study was on iron because its potential excess or deficiency may be one of the causes of the failure in biological reclamation. The study confirmed that despite high content of total iron in waste (mean value of 200.975gkg -1 ), this metal is present in the forms not available to plants (mean: 0.00009gkg -1 ). The study attempted to increase its potential bioavailability through preparation of the mixtures of this waste with additions in the form of sewage sludge and coal sludge in different proportions. Combination of waste with 10% of coal sludge and sewage sludge using the contents of 10%, 20% and 30% increased the amounts of bioavailable iron forms to the level defined as sufficient for adequate plant growth. The Lepidum sativum test was used to evaluate phytotoxicity of waste and the mixtures prepared based on this waste. The results did not show unambiguously that the presence of heavy metals in the waste had a negative effect on the growth of test plant roots. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Removing lead from metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards by vacuum distillation: factorial design and removal mechanism.

PubMed

Li, Xingang; Gao, Yujie; Ding, Hui

2013-10-01

The lead removal from the metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards by vacuum distillation was optimized using experimental design, and a mathematical model was established to elucidate the removal mechanism. The variables studied in lead evaporation consisted of the chamber pressure, heating temperature, heating time, particle size and initial mass. The low-level chamber pressure was fixed at 0.1 Pa as the operation pressure. The application of two-level factorial design generated a first-order polynomial that agreed well with the data for evaporation efficiency of lead. The heating temperature and heating time exhibited significant effects on the efficiency, which was validated by means of the copper-lead mixture experiments. The optimized operating conditions within the region studied were the chamber pressure of 0.1 Pa, heating temperature of 1023 K and heating time of 120 min. After the conditions were employed to remove lead from the metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards, the efficiency was 99.97%. The mechanism of the effects was elucidated by mathematical modeling that deals with evaporation, mass transfer and condensation, and can be applied to a wider range of metal removal by vacuum distillation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecotoxicity of arsenic contaminated sludge after mixing with soils and addition into composting and vermicomposting processes.

PubMed

Vašíčková, Jana; Maňáková, Blanka; Šudoma, Marek; Hofman, Jakub

2016-11-05

Sludge coming from remediation of groundwater contaminated by industry is usually managed as hazardous waste despite it might be considered for further processing as a source of nutrients. The ecotoxicity of phosphorus rich sludge contaminated with arsenic was evaluated after mixing with soil and cultivation with Sinapis alba, and supplementation into composting and vermicomposting processes. The Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida reproduction tests and the Lactuca sativa root growth test were used. Invertebrate bioassays reacted sensitively to arsenic presence in soil-sludge mixtures. The root elongation of L. sativa was not sensitive and showed variable results. In general, the relationship between invertebrate tests results and arsenic mobile concentration was indicated in majority endpoints. Nevertheless, significant portion of the results still cannot be satisfactorily explained by As chemistry data. Composted and vermicomposted sludge mixtures showed surprisingly high toxicity on all three tested organisms despite the decrease in arsenic mobility, probably due to toxic metabolites of bacteria and earthworms produced during these processes. The results from the study indicated the inability of chemical methods to predict the effects of complex mixtures on living organisms with respect to ecotoxicity bioassays. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validated univariate and multivariate spectrophotometric methods for the determination of pharmaceuticals mixture in complex wastewater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riad, Safaa M.; Salem, Hesham; Elbalkiny, Heba T.; Khattab, Fatma I.

2015-04-01

Five, accurate, precise, and sensitive univariate and multivariate spectrophotometric methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of a ternary mixture containing Trimethoprim (TMP), Sulphamethoxazole (SMZ) and Oxytetracycline (OTC) in waste water samples collected from different cites either production wastewater or livestock wastewater after their solid phase extraction using OASIS HLB cartridges. In univariate methods OTC was determined at its λmax 355.7 nm (0D), while (TMP) and (SMZ) were determined by three different univariate methods. Method (A) is based on successive spectrophotometric resolution technique (SSRT). The technique starts with the ratio subtraction method followed by ratio difference method for determination of TMP and SMZ. Method (B) is successive derivative ratio technique (SDR). Method (C) is mean centering of the ratio spectra (MCR). The developed multivariate methods are principle component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The specificity of the developed methods is investigated by analyzing laboratory prepared mixtures containing different ratios of the three drugs. The obtained results are statistically compared with those obtained by the official methods, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision at p = 0.05.

Validated univariate and multivariate spectrophotometric methods for the determination of pharmaceuticals mixture in complex wastewater.

PubMed

Riad, Safaa M; Salem, Hesham; Elbalkiny, Heba T; Khattab, Fatma I

2015-04-05

Five, accurate, precise, and sensitive univariate and multivariate spectrophotometric methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of a ternary mixture containing Trimethoprim (TMP), Sulphamethoxazole (SMZ) and Oxytetracycline (OTC) in waste water samples collected from different cites either production wastewater or livestock wastewater after their solid phase extraction using OASIS HLB cartridges. In univariate methods OTC was determined at its λmax 355.7 nm (0D), while (TMP) and (SMZ) were determined by three different univariate methods. Method (A) is based on successive spectrophotometric resolution technique (SSRT). The technique starts with the ratio subtraction method followed by ratio difference method for determination of TMP and SMZ. Method (B) is successive derivative ratio technique (SDR). Method (C) is mean centering of the ratio spectra (MCR). The developed multivariate methods are principle component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The specificity of the developed methods is investigated by analyzing laboratory prepared mixtures containing different ratios of the three drugs. The obtained results are statistically compared with those obtained by the official methods, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision at p=0.05. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk of Leaching in Soils Amended by Compost and Digestate from Municipal Solid Waste

PubMed Central

Tarquis, Ana M.; Cartagena, M. Carmen

2014-01-01

New European directives have proposed the direct application of compost and digestate produced from municipal solid wastes as organic matter sources in agricultural soils. Therefore information about phosphorus leaching from these residues when they are applied to the soil is increasingly important. Leaching experiments were conducted to determine the P mobility in compost and digestate mixtures, supplying equivalent amounts to 100 kg P ha−1 to three different types of soils. The tests were performed in accordance with CEN/TS 14405:2004 analyzing the maximum dissolved reactive P and the kinetic rate in the leachate. P biowaste fractionation indicated that digestate has a higher level of available P than compost has. In contrast, P losses in leaching experiments with soil-compost mixtures were higher than in soil-digestate mixtures. For both wastes, there was no correlation between dissolved reactive P lost and the water soluble P. The interaction between soil and biowaste, the long experimentation time, and the volume of leachate obtained caused the waste's wettability to become an influential parameter in P leaching behavior. The overall conclusion is that kinetic data analysis provides valuable information concerning the sorption mechanism that can be used for predicting the large-scale behavior of soil systems. PMID:25003139

The Application Of Liquid Fertilizer Made Of Traditional Market Organic Wastes On Growth Of Setaria Grass (Setaria splendida Stapf)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendarto, Eko; Suwarno

2018-02-01

There are hugh amount of traditional market organic wastes that may polute the environment. In general, the wastes are utilized for compost making and liquid fertilizer as well for plant. The use of liquid fertilizer from organic wastes of traditional markets opens up opportunities for misplaced cultivation of Setaria grass (Setaria splendida Stapf), which is required by ruminant farms. This research was conducted to evaluate the best mixture of water to the fertilizer in term of its effectiveness on the variables and experimental method using Completely Randomized Design. The treatments were: 6 doses of mixtures namely 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 liters of water, each of which was mixed with 10 liters of liquid fertilizer. The variables measured were the height, the numbers of tillers, the numbers of leaves, and canopy. The results of the study showed that the doses of water in the fertilizer did not indicate any significant differences (P > 0.05) on all variables being studied, however, the linear equation showed that greater concentrations of water in the fertilizer tended to decrease the growth of Setaria grass. Suggested use of water on the liquid fertilizer mixture should be not greater than 30 l - 10 l fertilizer.

Evaluation of Permanent Deformation of CRM-Reinforced SMA and Its Correlation with Dynamic Stiffness and Dynamic Creep

PubMed Central

Mashaan, Nuha Salim; Karim, Mohamed Rehan

2013-01-01

Today, rapid economic and industrial growth generates increasing amounts of waste materials such as waste tyre rubber. Attempts to inspire a green technology which is more environmentally friendly that can produce economic value are a major consideration in the utilization of waste materials. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of waste tyre rubber (crumb rubber modifier (CRM)), in stone mastic asphalt (SMA 20) performance. The virgin bitumen (80/100) penetration grade was used, modified with crumb rubber at four different modification levels, namely, 6%, 12%, 16%, and 20% by weight of the bitumen. The testing undertaken on the asphalt mix comprises the indirect tensile (dynamic stiffness), dynamic creep, and wheel tracking tests. By the experimentation, the appropriate amount of CRM was found to be 16% by weight of bitumen. The results show that the addition of CRM into the mixture has an obvious significant effect on the performance properties of SMA which could improve the mixture's resistance against permanent deformation. Further, higher correlation coefficient was obtained between the rut depth and permanent strain as compared to resilient modulus; thus dynamic creep test might be a more reliable test in evaluating the rut resistance of asphalt mixture. PMID:24302883

Evaluation of permanent deformation of CRM-reinforced SMA and its correlation with dynamic stiffness and dynamic creep.

PubMed

Mashaan, Nuha Salim; Karim, Mohamed Rehan

2013-01-01

Today, rapid economic and industrial growth generates increasing amounts of waste materials such as waste tyre rubber. Attempts to inspire a green technology which is more environmentally friendly that can produce economic value are a major consideration in the utilization of waste materials. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of waste tyre rubber (crumb rubber modifier (CRM)), in stone mastic asphalt (SMA 20) performance. The virgin bitumen (80/100) penetration grade was used, modified with crumb rubber at four different modification levels, namely, 6%, 12%, 16%, and 20% by weight of the bitumen. The testing undertaken on the asphalt mix comprises the indirect tensile (dynamic stiffness), dynamic creep, and wheel tracking tests. By the experimentation, the appropriate amount of CRM was found to be 16% by weight of bitumen. The results show that the addition of CRM into the mixture has an obvious significant effect on the performance properties of SMA which could improve the mixture's resistance against permanent deformation. Further, higher correlation coefficient was obtained between the rut depth and permanent strain as compared to resilient modulus; thus dynamic creep test might be a more reliable test in evaluating the rut resistance of asphalt mixture.

Co-composting as an oxygen stabilization of an organic fraction of municipal solid waste and industrial sewage sludge.

PubMed

Milczarek, M; Neczaj, E; Parkitna, K

2013-01-01

The purpose of this work is to study the characteristics of the co-composting of municipal solid waste (MSW), sewage sludge, grass and sawdust. Differing proportions of biodegradable waste were investigated through changes of temperature, oxygen consumption, organic matters, moisture content, carbon, nitrogen, C/N ratio as well as heavy metals and pathogen microorganisms content. The present study has shown that addition of MSW above 10% had a negative impact on the composting process. The initial C/N of the mixtures with a higher MSW content was below 18. Lower losses of organic matter occurred during composting for the mixture with the highest addition of MSW. Although studies have shown that composting is a good method for the disposal of organic waste additional research is required in order to optimize the organic and nitrogen compounds degradation during the co-composting process. In conclusion, a 1:4:4:1 mixture of MSW:sewage sludge:grass:sawdust is recommended because it can achieve high temperature as well as the highest organic matter degradation and highest N content in the final composting product. The concentration of heavy and light metals in all composts was within the limits of regulation of the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Evaluation of laboratory-scale in-vessel co-composting of tobacco and apple waste.

PubMed

Kopčić, Nina; Vuković Domanovac, Marija; Kučić, Dajana; Briški, Felicita

2014-02-01

Efficient composting process requires set of adequate parameters among which physical-chemical properties of the composting substrate play the key-role. Combining different types of biodegradable solid waste it is possible to obtain a substrate eligible to microorganisms in the composting process. In this work the composting of apple and tobacco solid waste mixture (1:7, dry weight) was explored. The aim of the work was to investigate an efficiency of biodegradation of the given mixture and to characterize incurred raw compost. Composting was conducted in 24 L thermally insulated column reactor at airflow rate of 1.1 L min(-1). During 22 days several parameters were closely monitored: temperature and mass of the substrate, volatile solids content, C/N ratio and pH-value of the mixture and oxygen consumption. The composting of the apple and tobacco waste resulted with high degradation of the volatile solids (53.1%). During the experiment 1.76 kg of oxygen was consumed and the C/N ratio of the product was 11.6. The obtained temperature curve was almost a "mirror image" of the oxygen concentration curve while the peak values of the temperature were occurred 9.5h after the peak oxygen consumption. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Baseline tests for arc melter vitrification of INEL buried wastes. Volume II: Baseline test data appendices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oden, L.L.; O`Conner, W.K.; Turner, P.C.

1993-11-19

This report presents field results and raw data from the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) Arc Melter Vitrification Project Phase 1 baseline test series conducted by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). The baseline test series was conducted using the electric arc melter facility at the USBM Albany Research Center in Albany, Oregon. Five different surrogate waste feed mixtures were tested that simulated thermally-oxidized, buried, TRU-contaminated, mixed wastes and soils present at the INEL. The USBM Arc Furnace Integrated Waste Processing Test Facility includes a continuous feed system, the arc meltingmore » furnace, an offgas control system, and utilities. The melter is a sealed, 3-phase alternating current (ac) furnace approximately 2 m high and 1.3 m wide. The furnace has a capacity of 1 metric ton of steel and can process as much as 1,500 lb/h of soil-type waste materials. The surrogate feed materials included five mixtures designed to simulate incinerated TRU-contaminated buried waste materials mixed with INEL soil. Process samples, melter system operations data and offgas composition data were obtained during the baseline tests to evaluate the melter performance and meet test objectives. Samples and data gathered during this program included (a) automatically and manually logged melter systems operations data, (b) process samples of slag, metal and fume solids, and (c) offgas composition, temperature, velocity, flowrate, moisture content, particulate loading and metals content. This report consists of 2 volumes: Volume I summarizes the baseline test operations. It includes an executive summary, system and facility description, review of the surrogate waste mixtures, and a description of the baseline test activities, measurements, and sample collection. Volume II contains the raw test data and sample analyses from samples collected during the baseline tests.« less

Baseline tests for arc melter vitrification of INEL buried wastes. Volume 1: Facility description and summary data report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oden, L.L.; O`Connor, W.K.; Turner, P.C.

1993-11-19

This report presents field results and raw data from the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) Arc Melter Vitrification Project Phase 1 baseline test series conducted by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). The baseline test series was conducted using the electric arc melter facility at the USBM Albany Research Center in Albany, Oregon. Five different surrogate waste feed mixtures were tested that simulated thermally-oxidized, buried, TRU-contaminated, mixed wastes and soils present at the INEL. The USBM Arc Furnace Integrated Waste Processing Test Facility includes a continuous feed system, the arc meltingmore » furnace, an offgas control system, and utilities. The melter is a sealed, 3-phase alternating current (ac) furnace approximately 2 m high and 1.3 m wide. The furnace has a capacity of 1 metric ton of steel and can process as much as 1,500 lb/h of soil-type waste materials. The surrogate feed materials included five mixtures designed to simulate incinerated TRU-contaminated buried waste materials mixed with INEL soil. Process samples, melter system operations data and offgas composition data were obtained during the baseline tests to evaluate the melter performance and meet test objectives. Samples and data gathered during this program included (a) automatically and manually logged melter systems operations data, (b) process samples of slag, metal and fume solids, and (c) offgas composition, temperature, velocity, flowrate, moisture content, particulate loading and metals content. This report consists of 2 volumes: Volume I summarizes the baseline test operations. It includes an executive summary, system and facility description, review of the surrogate waste mixtures, and a description of the baseline test activities, measurements, and sample collection. Volume II contains the raw test data and sample analyses from samples collected during the baseline tests.« less

Quality assessment of compost prepared with municipal solid waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jodar, J. R.; Ramos, N.; Carreira, J. A.; Pacheco, R.; Fernández-Hernández, A.

2017-11-01

One way that helps maintain the sustainability of agro-ecosystems land is the application of compost from municipal solid waste as fertilizer, because it can recover the nutrients contained in them, minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Composting as a method for preparing organic fertilizers and amendments is economically and ecologically sound and may well represent an acceptable solution for disposing of municipal solid waste. In the present work, the quality of compost is studied made from municipal solid waste; the content of mineral nutrients: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, manganese, cupper, iron, nickel, chromium and lead has been investigated. The objective was to evaluate the changes in mineral nutrient concentration during the composting process. The compost was prepared in a pilot-plant using the turning-pile system. Temperature was used as a monitoring parameter to follow the composting progress, which underwent the typical trend of municipal solid waste composting mixtures. The results showed a similar evolution on the content of mineral nutrients of the mixture of municipal solid waste. This evolution originated in a mature compost (end sample) with an adequate content of mineral elements and physical-chemical characteristics for its use in agriculture. So, the use of compost of municipal solid waste represents an important tool for fertilization requirements for its use in agriculture.

NATIONAL QA STANDARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

EPA Science Inventory

The clean-up of Federally-owned facilities contaminated by mixtures of hazardous chemical and radioactive wastes involves critical decisions based on environmental data. ederal agencies are currently using several different standards or sets of requirements, including U.S. Enviro...

Methanosarcina plays a main role during methanogenesis of high-solids food waste and cardboard.

PubMed

Capson-Tojo, Gabriel; Trably, Eric; Rouez, Maxime; Crest, Marion; Bernet, Nicolas; Steyer, Jean-Philippe; Delgenès, Jean-Philippe; Escudié, Renaud

2018-04-07

Anaerobic digestion of food waste is a complex process often hindered by high concentrations of volatile fatty acids and ammonia. Methanogenic archaea are more sensitive to these inhibitors than bacteria and thus the structure of their community is critical to avoid reactor acidification. In this study, the performances of three different inocula were compared using batch digestion tests of food waste and cardboard mixtures. Particular attention was paid to the archaeal communities in the inocula and after digestion. While the tests started with inocula rich in Methanosarcina led to efficient methane production, VFAs accumulated in the reactors where inocula initially were poor in this archaea and no methane was produced. In addition, higher substrate loads were tolerated when greater proportions of Methanosarcina were initially present in the inoculum. Independently of the inoculum origin, Methanosarcina were the dominant methanogens in the digestates from the experiments that efficiently produced methane. These results suggest that the initial archaeal composition of the inoculum is crucial during reactor start-up to achieve stable anaerobic digestion at high concentrations of ammonia and organic acids. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metals bioleaching from electronic waste by Chromobacterium violaceum and Pseudomonads sp.

PubMed

Pradhan, Jatindra Kumar; Kumar, Sudhir

2012-11-01

These days, electronic waste needs to be taken into consideration due to its materials content, but due to the heterogeneity of the metals present, reprocessing of electronic waste is quite limited. The bioleaching of metals from electronic waste was investigated by using cyanogenic bacterial strains (Chromobacterium violaceum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens). A two-step bioleaching process was followed under cyanide-forming conditions for maximum metals mobilization. Both single and mixed cultures of cyanogenic bacteria were able to mobilize metals from electronic waste with different efficiencies. In all the flasks in which high metal mobilizations were observed, the consequent biomass productions were also high. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was applied in the bioleaching process for the first time and this achieved its bioleaching ability of mobilization of metals from electronic waste. Chromobacterium violaceum as a single culture and a mixture of C. violaceum and P. aeruginosa exhibited maximum metal mobilization. Chromobacterium violaceum was capable of leaching more than 79, 69, 46, 9 and 7% of Cu, Au, Zn, Fe and Ag, respectively at an electronic waste concentration of 1% w/v. Moreover, the mixture of C. violaceum and P. aeruginosa exhibited metals leaching of more than 83, 73, 49, 13 and 8% of total Cu, Au, Zn, Fe, and Ag, respectively. Precious metals were mobilized through bioleaching which might be considered as an industrial application for recycling of electronic waste in the near future.

Release of chlorinated, brominated and mixed halogenated dioxin-related compounds to soils from open burning of e-waste in Agbogbloshie (Accra, Ghana).

PubMed

Tue, Nguyen Minh; Goto, Akitoshi; Takahashi, Shin; Itai, Takaaki; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Kunisue, Tatsuya; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2016-01-25

Although complex mixtures of dioxin-related compounds (DRCs) can be released from informal e-waste recycling, DRC contamination in African e-waste recycling sites has not been investigated. This study examined the concentrations of DRCs including chlorinated, brominated, mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs, PXDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in surface soil samples from the Agbogbloshie e-waste recycling site in Ghana. PCDD/F and PBDD/F concentrations in open burning areas (18-520 and 83-3800 ng/g dry, respectively) were among the highest reported in soils from informal e-waste sites. The concentrations of PCDFs and PBDFs were higher than those of the respective dibenzo-p-dioxins, suggesting combustion and PBDE-containing plastics as principal sources. PXDFs were found as more abundant than PCDFs, and higher brominated analogues occurred at higher concentrations. The median total WHO toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentration in open burning soils was 7 times higher than the U.S. action level (1000 pg/g), with TEQ contributors in the order of PBDFs>PCDD/Fs>PXDFs. DRC emission to soils over the e-waste site as of 2010 was estimated, from surface soil lightness based on the correlations between concentrations and lightness, at 200mg (95% confidence interval 93-540 mg) WHO-TEQ over three years. People living in Agbogbloshie are potentially exposed to high levels of not only chlorinated but also brominated DRCs, and human health implications need to be assessed in future studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Separation of mixtures of chemical elements in plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolgolenko, D. A.; Muromkin, Yu A.

2017-10-01

This paper reviews proposals on the plasma processing of radioactive waste (RW) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The chemical processing of SNF based on the extraction of its components from water solutions is rather expensive and produces new waste. The paper considers experimental research on plasma separation of mixtures of chemical elements and isotopes, whose results can help evaluate the plasma methods of RW and SNF reprocessing. The analysis identifies the difference between ionization levels of RW and SNF components at their transition to the plasma phase as a reason why all plasma methods are difficult to apply.

RCRA/UST, superfund, and EPCRA hotline training module. Introduction to: Solid and hazardous waste exclusions (40 CFR section 261.4) updated as of July 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-11-01

This module explains each waste exclusion and its scope, so one can apply this knowledge in determining wheather a given waste is or is not regulated under RCRA Subtitle C. It cites the regulatory section for exclusions and identifies materials that are not solid wastes and solid wastes that are not hazardous wastes. It locates the manufacturing process unit exclusion and identifies the sample and treatability study exclusions and their applicability. It outlines and specifies the conditions for meeting the exclusions for household wastes and mixtures of domestic sewage.

Thermo-chemical extraction of fuel oil from waste lubricating grease.

PubMed

Pilusa, Tsietsi Jefrey; Muzenda, Edison; Shukla, Mukul

2013-06-01

This study investigated the recovery of oil from waste grease through the process of thermal degradation in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) followed by solvent extraction. Waste high temperature metal bearing grease was dissolved in a 15 w/w% KOH solution at 80°C while being agitated at 2000 rpm using a shear action agitator for a period of 15 min. Two distinct layers were observed after 8 min of settling time. The top layer being of dark brown oil and the bottom layer was a heterogeneous mixture. The two layers were separated by decantation. The bottom layer was cooled down to 45°C followed by slow addition of toluene (C7H8) while agitating at 1200 rpm for 15 min to prevent solids settling and minimise rapid volatilisation of the organic compounds in the mixture. Two distinct layers were also formed, the top homogeneous mixture of light brown oil-toluene mixture and the bottom sludge layer. The solvent was recovered from the oil for re-use by fractional distillation of the homogenous mixture. It was observed that 15 w/w% potassium hydroxide solution can chemically degrade the soap matrix in the grease and extract up to 49 w/w% of the fuel oil when subjected to high shear stress at a temperature of 80°C. The 26 w/w% extraction of oil in the remaining sludge was obtained by solvent extraction process with mass ratios of sludge to solvent of 2:1. Solvent recovery of 88% by mass was obtained via fractional distillation method. The combined extraction processes brought an overall oil yield of 75 w/w% from the waste grease. The fuel oil obtained from this process has similar properties to paraffin oil and can be blended with other oils as an alternative energy source. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pyrolysis of waste animal fats in a fixed-bed reactor: Production and characterization of bio-oil and bio-char

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ben Hassen-Trabelsi, A., E-mail: aidabenhassen@yahoo.fr; Kraiem, T.; Département de Géologie, Université de Tunis, 2092, Tunis

Highlights: • Produced bio-fuels (bio-oil and bio-char) from some animal fatty wastes. • Investigated the effects of main parameters on pyrolysis products distribution. • Determined the suitable conditions for the production of the maximum of bio-oil. • Characterized bio-oils and bio-chars obtained from several animal fatty wastes. - Abstract: Several animal (lamb, poultry and swine) fatty wastes were pyrolyzed under nitrogen, in a laboratory scale fixed-bed reactor and the main products (liquid bio-oil, solid bio-char and syngas) were obtained. The purpose of this study is to produce and characterize bio-oil and bio-char obtained from pyrolysis of animal fatty wastes. Themore » maximum production of bio-oil was achieved at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C and a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The chemical (GC–MS analyses) and spectroscopic analyses (FTIR analyses) of bio-oil showed that it is a complex mixture consisting of different classes of organic compounds, i.e., hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, cyclic compounds…etc.), carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, esters,…etc. According to fuel properties, produced bio-oils showed good properties, suitable for its use as an engine fuel or as a potential source for synthetic fuels and chemical feedstock. Obtained bio-chars had low carbon content and high ash content which make them unattractive for as renewable source energy.« less

Biogas production from pretreated coffee-pulp waste by mixture of cow dung and rumen fluid in co-digestion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juliastuti, Sri Rachmania; Widjaja, Tri; Altway, Ali; Iswanto, Toto

2017-05-01

Coffee is an excellent commodity in Indonesia that has big problem in utilizing its wastes. As the solution, the abundant coffee pulp waste from processing of coffee bean industry has been used as a substrate of biogas production. Coffee pulp waste (CPW) was approximately 48% of total weight, consisting 42% of the coffee pulp and 6% of the seed coat. CPW holds good composition as biogas substrate that is consist of cellulose (63%), hemicellulose (2.3%) and protein (11.5%). Methane production from coffee pulp waste still has much problems because of toxic chemicals content such as caffeine, tannin, and total phenol which can inhibit the biogas production. In this case, CPW was pretreated by ethanol/water (50/50, v/v) at room temperature to remove those inhibitors. This study was to compare the methane production by microbial consortium of cow dung and rumen fluid mixture coffee pulp waste as a substrate with and without pretreatment. The pretreated CPW was fermented with mixture of Cow Dung (CD) and Rumen Fluid (RF) in anaerobic co-digestion for 30 days at mesophilic temperature (30-40°C) and the pH was maintained from 6.8 to 7.2 on a reactor with working volume of 3.6 liters. There were two reactors with each containing the mixture of CPW without pretreatment, cow dung and rumen fluid (CD+RF+CPW) and then compared with the CPW with pretreatment (CD+RF+PCPW) reactor. The measured parameters included the decreasing of inhibitor compound concentration, Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Solid (TS), Volatile Solid (VS), Methane and the Calorific value of gas (heating value) were studied as well. The result showed a decrease in inhibitor component concentration due to methanol pretreatment was 90% of caffeine; 78% of polyphenols (total phenol) and 66% of tannins. The highest methane content in biogas was produced in CD+RF+PCPW digester with concentration amounted of 44.56% with heating value of 27,770 BTU/gal.

A Method for Optimizing Lightweight-Gypsum Design Based on Sequential Measurements of Physical Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vimmrová, Alena; Kočí, Václav; Krejsová, Jitka; Černý, Robert

2016-06-01

A method for lightweight-gypsum material design using waste stone dust as the foaming agent is described. The main objective is to reach several physical properties which are inversely related in a certain way. Therefore, a linear optimization method is applied to handle this task systematically. The optimization process is based on sequential measurement of physical properties. The results are subsequently point-awarded according to a complex point criterion and new composition is proposed. After 17 trials the final mixture is obtained, having the bulk density equal to (586 ± 19) kg/m3 and compressive strength (1.10 ± 0.07) MPa. According to a detailed comparative analysis with reference gypsum, the newly developed material can be used as excellent thermally insulating interior plaster with the thermal conductivity of (0.082 ± 0.005) W/(m·K). In addition, its practical application can bring substantial economic and environmental benefits as the material contains 25 % of waste stone dust.

Shelf life studies of common hazardous materials: An innovative approach to pollution prevention

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmanian, P.A.

1995-12-31

Hazardous chemical systems, ranging in form from simple materials to compounded products and complex natural mixtures, constitute an important asset in the Navy`s daily operations. These materials include but are not limited to paints, solvents, soaps, resins, adhesives, pesticides, printing materials, petroleum products, and photographic chemicals. The short-lived availability of hazardous materials that are suspected of or known to degrade over time imposes a unique burden on the Navy`s procurement and hazardous waste disposal systems. Hazardous Materials whose shelf life`s have expired are processed for disposal as hazardous wastes. In addition, these expired hazardous materials must be replaced with newmore » materials. Many shelf life codes are based solely on the recommendations of suppliers and are not critically subjected to scientific study. The important goal of this project is to conduct a comprehensive study of the degradation of a given hazardous material to determine the true shelf life.« less

Reforming of glucose and wood at the critical conditions of water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Modell, M.

1977-01-01

Reforming of organics in aqueous solutions is being investigated as a potential waste treatment process. Earlier studies showed that glucose in water reacts to form a gaseous mixture of CO, H2, CH4, CO2, C2H6, and C2H4 in the vicinity of the critical conditions of water (374 C, 22 MPa). The earlier work has been extended to determine the effect of variations in temperature and feed concentration on the extent of gasification. The percent gasification decreases with increasing feed concentration, indicating an overall kinetic order less than unity. Surprisingly, the percent gasification decreases with increasing temperature. A number of preliminary experiments were conducted with maple sawdust feed, which was thought to be representative of complex organic wastes from paper and vegetable matter. Once again, no solid products were found under the critical conditions; the percent gasification ranged from 16 to 88 percent, depending on the feed composition and residence time.

Recovery of PET from packaging plastics mixtures by wet shaking table.

PubMed

Carvalho, M T; Agante, E; Durão, F

2007-01-01

Recycling requires the separation of materials appearing in a mass of wastes of heterogeneous composition and characteristics, into single, almost pure, component/material flows. The separation of materials (e.g., some types of plastics) with similar physical properties (e.g., specific gravity) is often accomplished by human sorting. This is the case of the separation of packaging plastics in municipal solid wastes (MSW). The low cost of virgin plastics and low value of recycled plastics necessitate the utilization of low cost techniques and processes in the recycling of packaging plastics. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of production of a PET product, cleaned from PVC and PS, using a wet shaking table. The wet shaking table is an environmentally friendly process, widely used to separate minerals, which has low capital and operational costs. Some operational variables of the equipment, as well as different feed characteristics, were considered. The results show that the separation of these plastics is feasible although, similarly to the mineral field, in somewhat complex flow sheets.

Effect of Co-Composting Cattle Manure with Construction and Demolition Waste on the Archaeal, Bacterial, and Fungal Microbiota, and on Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants

PubMed Central

Holman, Devin B.; Hao, Xiying; Topp, Edward; Yang, Hee Eun; Alexander, Trevor W.

2016-01-01

Agricultural operations generate large quantities of manure which must be eliminated in a manner that is consistent with public health guidelines. Meanwhile, construction and demolition waste makes up about 25% of total solid municipal waste. Co-composting of manure with construction and demolition waste offers a potential means to make manure safe for soil amendment and also divert construction and demolition waste from municipal landfills. Therefore, the archaeal, bacterial, and fungal microbiota of two different types of composted cattle manure and one co-composted with construction and demolition waste, were assessed over a 99-day composting period. The microbiota of the three compost mixtures did not differ, but significant changes over time and by sampling depth were observed. Bacillus and Halocella, however, were more relatively abundant in composted manure from cattle fed dried distillers’ grains and solubles. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were enriched at day 0 and Firmicutes at day 99. The fungal genus Kernia was the most relatively abundant overall and was enriched at day 0. The concentration of 12 antimicrobial resistance determinants in the compost mixtures was also determined, and 10 of these determinants decreased significantly from days 0 to 99. The addition of construction and demolition waste did not affect the persistence of antimicrobial resistance genes or community structure of the compost microbiota and therefore co-composting construction and demolition waste with cattle manure offers a safe, viable way to divert this waste from landfills. PMID:27300323

Effect of Co-Composting Cattle Manure with Construction and Demolition Waste on the Archaeal, Bacterial, and Fungal Microbiota, and on Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants.

PubMed

Holman, Devin B; Hao, Xiying; Topp, Edward; Yang, Hee Eun; Alexander, Trevor W

2016-01-01

Agricultural operations generate large quantities of manure which must be eliminated in a manner that is consistent with public health guidelines. Meanwhile, construction and demolition waste makes up about 25% of total solid municipal waste. Co-composting of manure with construction and demolition waste offers a potential means to make manure safe for soil amendment and also divert construction and demolition waste from municipal landfills. Therefore, the archaeal, bacterial, and fungal microbiota of two different types of composted cattle manure and one co-composted with construction and demolition waste, were assessed over a 99-day composting period. The microbiota of the three compost mixtures did not differ, but significant changes over time and by sampling depth were observed. Bacillus and Halocella, however, were more relatively abundant in composted manure from cattle fed dried distillers' grains and solubles. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were enriched at day 0 and Firmicutes at day 99. The fungal genus Kernia was the most relatively abundant overall and was enriched at day 0. The concentration of 12 antimicrobial resistance determinants in the compost mixtures was also determined, and 10 of these determinants decreased significantly from days 0 to 99. The addition of construction and demolition waste did not affect the persistence of antimicrobial resistance genes or community structure of the compost microbiota and therefore co-composting construction and demolition waste with cattle manure offers a safe, viable way to divert this waste from landfills.

ENHANCED FORMATION OF CHLORINATED PICS BY THE ADDITION OF BROMINE

EPA Science Inventory

A systematic series of experiments were performed on a pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator simulator in which liquid surrogate wastes containing varied levels of chlorine and bromine were burned. The surrogate wastes used were a series of mixtures of methylene chloride and methyl...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hood, Zachary D.; Adhikari, Shiba P.; Li, Yunchao

Many inexpensive biofuel feedstocks, including those containing free fatty acids (FFAs) in high concentrations, are typically disposed of as waste due to our inability to efficiently convert them into usable biofuels. Here we demonstrate that carbon derived from waste tires could be functionalized with sulfonic acid (-SO 3H) to effectively catalyze the esterification of oleic acid or a mixture of fatty acids to usable biofuels. Waste tires were converted to hard carbon, then functionalized with catalytically active -SO 3H groups on the surface through an environmentally benign process that involved the sequential treatment with L-cysteine, dithiothreitol, and H 2O 2.more » In conclusion, when benchmarked against the same waste-tire derived carbon material treated with concentrated sulfuric acid at 150 °C, similar catalytic activity was observed. Both catalysts could also effectively convert oleic acid or a mixture of fatty acids and soybean oil to usable biofuels at 65 °C and 1 atm without leaching of the catalytic sites.« less

AMELIORATION OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE USING REACTIVE MIXTURES IN PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIERS

EPA Science Inventory

The generation and release of acidic drainage from mine wastes is an environmental problem of international scale. The use of zero-valent iron and/or iron mixtures in subsurface Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRB) presents a possible passive alternative for remediating acidic grou...

Fabrication of microfibrillated cellulose gel from waste pulp sludge via mild maceration combined with mechanical shearing

Treesearch

Nusheng Chen; Junyong Zhu; Zhaohui Tong

2016-01-01

This article describes a facile route, which combines mild maceration of waste pulp sludge and a mechanical shearing process, to prepare microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) with a high storage modulus. In the maceration, the mixture of glacial acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide was used to extract cellulose from never-dried waste pulp sludge. Then, two different mechanical...

Complex Mixture-Associated Hormesis and Toxicity: The Case of Leather Tanning Industry

PubMed Central

Pagano, Giovanni; Castello, Giuseppe; Gallo, Marialuisa; Borriello, Ilaria; Guida, Marco

2008-01-01

A series of studies investigated the toxicities of tannery-derived complex mixtures, i.e. vegetable tannin (VT) from Acacia sp. or phenol-based synthetic tannin (ST), and waste-water from tannin-based vs. chromium-based tanneries. Toxicity was evaluated by multiple bioassays including developmental defects and loss of fertilization rate in sea urchin embryos and sperm (Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis), and algal growth inhibition (Dunaliella tertiolecta and Selenastrum capricornutum). Both VT and ST water extracts resulted in hormetic effects at concentrations ranging 0.1 to 0.3%, and toxicity at levels ≥1%, both in sea urchin embryo and sperm, and in algal growth bioassays. When comparing tannin-based tannery wastewater (TTW) vs. chromium-based tannery effluent (CTE), a hormesis to toxicity trend was observed for TTW both in terms of developmental and fertilization toxicity in sea urchins, and in algal growth inhibition, with hormetic effects at 0.1 to 0.2% TTW, and toxicity at TTW levels ≥1%. Unlike TTW, CTE showed a monotonic toxicity increase from the lowest tested level (0.1%) and CTE toxicity at higher levels was significantly more severe than TTW-induced toxicity. The results support the view that leather production utilizing tannins might be regarded as a more environmentally friendly procedure than chromium-based tanning process. PMID:19088903

Complex mixture-associated hormesis and toxicity: the case of leather tanning industry.

PubMed

Pagano, Giovanni; Castello, Giuseppe; Gallo, Marialuisa; Borriello, Ilaria; Guida, Marco

2008-01-01

A series of studies investigated the toxicities of tannery-derived complex mixtures, i.e. vegetable tannin (VT) from Acacia sp. or phenol-based synthetic tannin (ST), and waste-water from tannin-based vs. chromium-based tanneries. Toxicity was evaluated by multiple bioassays including developmental defects and loss of fertilization rate in sea urchin embryos and sperm (Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis), and algal growth inhibition (Dunaliella tertiolecta and Selenastrum capricornutum). Both VT and ST water extracts resulted in hormetic effects at concentrations ranging 0.1 to 0.3%, and toxicity at levels > or =1%, both in sea urchin embryo and sperm, and in algal growth bioassays. When comparing tannin-based tannery wastewater (TTW) vs. chromium-based tannery effluent (CTE), a hormesis to toxicity trend was observed for TTW both in terms of developmental and fertilization toxicity in sea urchins, and in algal growth inhibition, with hormetic effects at 0.1 to 0.2% TTW, and toxicity at TTW levels > or =1%. Unlike TTW, CTE showed a monotonic toxicity increase from the lowest tested level (0.1%) and CTE toxicity at higher levels was significantly more severe than TTW-induced toxicity. The results support the view that leather production utilizing tannins might be regarded as a more environmentally friendly procedure than chromium-based tanning process.

Vitrification as an alternative to landfilling of tannery sewage sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Celary, Piotr, E-mail: pcelary@is.pcz.czest.pl; Sobik-Szołtysek, Jolanta, E-mail: jszoltysek@is.pcz.czest.pl

Highlights: • The possibility of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge was investigated. • Glass cullet was substituted with different wastes of mineral character. • Component ratio in the processed mixtures was optimized. • Environmental safety of the acquired vitrificates was verified. • An alternative management approach of usually landfilled waste was presented. - Abstract: Due to high content of heavy metals such as chromium, tannery sewage sludge is a material which is difficult to be biologically treated as it is in the case of organic waste. Consequently, a common practice in managing tannery sewage sludge is landfilling. This poses amore » potential threat to both soil and water environments and it additionally generates costs of construction of landfills that meet specific environment protection requirements. Vitrification of this kind of sewage sludge with the addition of mineral wastes can represent an alternative to landfilling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining an environmentally safe product by means of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge from a flotation wastewater treatment process and chemical precipitation in order to address the upcoming issue of dealing with sewage sludge from the tannery industry which will be prohibited to be landfilled in Poland after 2016. The focus was set on determining mixtures of tannery sewage sludge with additives which would result in the lowest possible heavy metal leaching levels and highest hardness rating of the products obtained from their vitrification. The plasma vitrification process was carried out for mixtures with various amounts of additives depending on the type of sewage sludge used. Only the materials of waste character were used as additives. One finding of the study was an optimum content of mineral additives in vitrified mixture of 30% v/v waste molding sands with 20% v/v carbonate flotation waste from the zinc and lead industry for the formulations with flotation sewage sludge, and 45% v/v and 5% v/v, respectively, for precipitation sewage sludge. These combinations allowed for obtaining products with negligible heavy metal leaching levels and hardness similar to commercial glass, which suggests they could be potentially used as construction aggregate substitutes. Incineration of sewage sludge before the vitrification process lead to increased hardness of the vitrificates and reduced leaching of some heavy metals.« less

Toxicity of a hazardous chemical mixture in the planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramsdell, H.S.; Matthews, C.M.

1995-12-31

The responses of the planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala to toxic chemical mixtures representative of water contaminants associated with hazardous waste sites have been studied in laboratory experiments. These free-living flatworms are readily maintained under laboratory conditions and are a useful invertebrate model for toxicology studies. Their widespread occurrence also makes them potentially useful for environmental studies. Mature asexual Dugesia dorotocephala were exposed for 14 days to mixtures of seven contaminants frequently detected in water at hazardous waste sites. The complete 1X mixture contained both metals (As, 3.1 ppm; Cr, 0.7 ppm; Pb, 3.7 ppm) and organics (chloroform, 1.5 ppm; benzene, 5.0more » ppm; phenol, 3.4 ppm; trichloroethylene, 3.8 ppm). Groups of planaria were treated with the complete mixture at 0.1X, 1X and 10X concentrations. Additional groups were exposed to the metals-only or organics-only submixtures, also at 0.1X, 1X and 10X concentrations. Treatment solutions were renewed daily. Suppression of fissioning was observed in all of the 1X and 10X treatment groups. Significant mortality occurred only in the 10X complete and 1 0X metals-only treatments. It appears that the toxic effects of the complete mixture are primarily associated with the metal components.« less

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DEALING WITH THE UNIDENTIFIED FRACTION OF COMPLEX MIXTURES

EPA Science Inventory

For the vast majority of highly complex environmental mixtures to which humans are exposed, significant portions of the mixture are unidentified. Although toxicological data on the mixture itself are desired for risk assessment, such data, even on a similar mixture, are rarely a...

Optimisation of industrial wastes reuse as construction materials.

PubMed

Collivignarelli, C; Sorlini, S

2001-12-01

This study concerns the reuse of two inorganic wastes, foundry residues and fly ashes from municipal solid waste incineration, as "recycled aggregate" in concrete production. This kind of reuse was optimised by waste treatment with the following steps: waste washing with water; waste stabilisation-solidification treatment with inorganic reagents; final grinding of the stabilised waste after curing for about 10-20 days. Both the treated wastes were reused in concrete production with different mix-designs. Concrete specimens were characterised by means of conventional physical-mechanical tests (compression, elasticity modulus, shrinkage) and different leaching tests. Experimental results showed that a good structural and environmental quality of "recycled concrete" is due both to a correct waste treatment and to a correct mix-design for concrete mixture.

Effect of Warm Asphalt Additive on the Creep and Recovery Behaviour of Aged Binder Containing Waste Engine Oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Norhidayah Abdul; Kamaruddin, Nurul Hidayah Mohd; Rosli Hainin, Mohd; Ezree Abdullah, Mohd

2017-08-01

The use of waste engine oil as an additive in asphalt mixture has been reported to be able to offset the stiffening effect caused by the recycled asphalt mixture. Additionally, the fumes and odor of the waste engine oil has caused an uncomfortable condition for the workers during road construction particularly at higher production temperature. Therefore, this problem was addressed by integrating chemical warm asphalt additive into the mixture which functions to reduce the mixing and compaction temperature. This study was initiated by blending the additive in the asphalt binder of bitumen penetration grade 80/100 prior to the addition of pavement mixture. The effect of chemical warm asphalt additive, Rediset WMX was investigated by modifying the aged binder containing waste engine oil with 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% by weight of the binder. The samples were then tested for determining the rutting behaviour under different loading stress levels of 3Pa (low), 10Pa (medium) and 50Pa (high) using Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). A reference temperature of 60 °C was fixed to reflect the maximum temperature of the pavement. The results found that the addition of Rediset did not affect the creep and recovery behavior of the modified binder under different loading. On the other hand, 2% Rediset resulted a slight decrease in its rutting resistance as shown by the reduction of non-recoverable compliance under high load stress. However, overall, the inclusion of chemical warm asphalt additive to the modified binder did not adversely affect the rutting resistance which could be beneficial in lowering the temperature of asphalt production and simultaneously not compromising the binder properties.

Metal poisons for criticality in waste streams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williamson, T.G.; Goslen, A.Q.

1996-12-31

Many of the wastes from processing fissile materials contain metals that may serve as neutron poisons. It would be advantageous to the criticality evaluation of these wastes to demonstrate that the poisons remain with the fissile materials and to demonstrate an always safe poison-to-fissile ratio. The first task, demonstrating that the materials stay together, is the job of the chemist; the second, calculating an always safe ratio, is an object of this paper. In an earlier study, the authors demonstrated safe ratios for iron, manganese, and chromium oxides to {sup 235}U. In these studies, the Hansen-Roach 16-group cross sections weremore » used with the Savannah River site code HRXN. Multiplication factors were computed, and safe ratios were defined such that the adjusted neutron multiplication factors (k values) were <0.95. These safe weight ratios were Fe:{sup 235}U - 77:1; Mn:{sup 235}U - 30:1; and Cr:{sup 235}U - 52:1. Palmer has shown that for certain mixtures of aluminum, iron, and zirconium with {sup 235}U, the computed infinite multiplication factors may differ by as much as 20% with different cross sections and processing systems. Parks et al. have further studied these mixtures and state, {open_quotes}...these metal/uranium mixtures are very sensitive to the metal cross-section data in the intermediate-energy range and the processing methods that are used.{close_quotes} They conclude with a call for more experimental data. The purpose of this study is to reexamine earlier work with cross sections and processing codes used at Westinghouse Savannah River Company today. This study will focus on {sup 235}U mixtures with iron, manganese and chromium. Sodium will be included in the list of poisons because it is abundant in many of the waste materials.« less

Nitrogen conservation in simulated food waste aerobic composting process with different Mg and P salt mixtures.

PubMed

Li, Yu; Su, Bensheng; Liu, Jianlin; Du, Xianyuan; Huang, Guohe

2011-07-01

To assess the effects of three types of Mg and P salt mixtures (potassium phosphate [K3PO4]/magnesium sulfate [MgSO4], potassium dihydrogen phosphate [K2HPO4]/MgSO4, KH2PO4/MgSO4) on the conservation of N and the biodegradation of organic materials in an aerobic food waste composting process, batch experiments were undertaken in four reactors (each with an effective volume of 30 L). The synthetic food waste was composted of potatoes, rice, carrots, leaves, meat, soybeans, and seed soil, and the ratio of C and N was 17:1. Runs R1-R3 were conducted with the addition of K3PO4/ MgSO4, K2HPO4/MgSO4, and KH2PO4/MgSO4 mixtures, respectively; run R0 was a blank performed without the addition of Mg and P salts. After composting for 25 days, the degrees of degradation of the organic materials in runs R0-R3 were 53.87, 62.58, 59.14, and 49.13%, respectively. X-ray diffraction indicated that struvite crystals were formed in runs R1-R3 but not in run R0; the gaseous ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) losses in runs R0-R3 were 21.2, 32.8, 12.6, and 3.5% of the initial total N, respectively. Of the tested Mg/P salt mixtures, the K2HPO4/ MgSO4 system provided the best combination of conservation of N and biodegradation of organic materials in this food waste composting process.

Acoustic Behavior of Hollow Blocks and Bricks Made of Concrete Doped with Waste-Tire Rubber.

PubMed

Fraile-Garcia, Esteban; Ferreiro-Cabello, Javier; Defez, Beatriz; Peris-Fajanes, Guillermo

2016-11-26

In this paper, we investigate the acoustic behaviour of building elements made of concrete doped with waste-tire rubber. Three different mixtures were created, with 0%, 10%, and 20% rubber in their composition. Bricks, lattice joists, and hollow blocks were manufactured with each mixture, and three different cells were built and tested against aerial and impact noise. The values of the global acoustic isolation and the reduction of the sound pressure level of impacts were measured. Results proved that highly doped elements are an excellent option to isolate low frequency sounds, whereas intermediate and standard elements constitute a most interesting option to block middle and high frequency sounds. In both cases, the considerable amount of waste-tire rubber recycled could justify the employment of the doped materials for the sake of the environment.

Acoustic Behavior of Hollow Blocks and Bricks Made of Concrete Doped with Waste-Tire Rubber

PubMed Central

Fraile-Garcia, Esteban; Ferreiro-Cabello, Javier; Defez, Beatriz; Peris-Fajanes, Guillermo

2016-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the acoustic behaviour of building elements made of concrete doped with waste-tire rubber. Three different mixtures were created, with 0%, 10%, and 20% rubber in their composition. Bricks, lattice joists, and hollow blocks were manufactured with each mixture, and three different cells were built and tested against aerial and impact noise. The values of the global acoustic isolation and the reduction of the sound pressure level of impacts were measured. Results proved that highly doped elements are an excellent option to isolate low frequency sounds, whereas intermediate and standard elements constitute a most interesting option to block middle and high frequency sounds. In both cases, the considerable amount of waste-tire rubber recycled could justify the employment of the doped materials for the sake of the environment. PMID:28774084

Co-pyrolysis characteristics and kinetic analysis of organic food waste and plastic.

PubMed

Tang, Yijing; Huang, Qunxing; Sun, Kai; Chi, Yong; Yan, Jianhua

2018-02-01

In this work, typical organic food waste (soybean protein (SP)) and typical chlorine enriched plastic waste (polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) were chosen as principal MSW components and their interaction during co-pyrolysis was investigated. Results indicate that the interaction accelerated the reaction during co-pyrolysis. The activation energies needed were 2-13% lower for the decomposition of mixture compared with linear calculation while the maximum reaction rates were 12-16% higher than calculation. In the fixed-bed experiments, interaction was observed to reduce the yield of tar by 2-69% and promote the yield of char by 13-39% compared with linear calculation. In addition, 2-6 times more heavy components and 61-93% less nitrogen-containing components were formed for tar derived from mixtures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extracting lignins from mill wastes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Humphrey, M. F.

1977-01-01

Addition of quaternary ammonium compound and activated charcoal to pulp and mill wastes precipitates lignins in sludge mixture. Methanol dissolves lignins for separation from resulting slurry. Mineral acid reprecipitates lignins in filtered solution. Quaternary ammonium compound, activated charcoal, as well as water may be recovered and recycled from this process.

Vacuum distillation of a mixture of LiCl-KCl eutectic salts and RE oxidative precipitates and a dechlorination and oxidation of RE oxychlorides.

PubMed

Eun, Hee Chul; Yang, Hee Chul; Cho, Yung Zun; Lee, Han Soo; Kim, In Tae

2008-12-30

In this study, a vacuum distillation of a mixture of LiCl-KCl eutectic salt and rare-earth oxidative precipitates was performed to separate a pure LiCl-KCl eutectic salt from the mixture. Also, a dechlorination and oxidation of the rare-earth oxychlorides was carried out to stabilize a final waste form. The mixture was distilled under a range of 710-759.5Torr of a reduced pressure at a fixed heating rate of 4 degrees C/min and the LiCl-KCl eutectic salt was completely separated from the mixture. The required time for the salt distillation and the starting temperature for the salt vaporization were lowered with a reduction in the pressure. Dechlorination and oxidation of the rare-earth oxychlorides was completed at a temperature below 1300 degrees C and this was dependent on the partial pressure of O2. The rare-earth oxychlorides (NdOCl/PrOCl) were transformed to oxides (Nd2O3/PrO2) during the dechlorination and oxidation process. These results will be utilized to design a concept for a process for recycling the waste salt from an electrorefining process.

Characterization of concrete hardness by using sugarcane bagasse waste mixture by carbon oven curing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rino, Agus; Farida, Elvaswer, Dahlan, Dahyunir

2017-01-01

Sugarcane bagasse is one of the solid waste that can be processed as a mixture of structure materials. In the previous research, sugarcane bagasse has been processed and used as a mixture of portland cement, the manufacture of asbestos and also mixtures for manufacturing of brake pads that are frequently used in motor vehicle. Based on the previous research results, it is strongly necessary to develop a research about sugarcane bagasse for structure materials. The method used to determine the mechanical properties is tensile test and compression test. To obtain the intensity of material variations, it is needed to make various sizes of filtration carbon in the form of aggregate that is mixed into the tiles material. The size of the aggregate used in concrete material can be on 200 µm, 400 µm and 600 µm. This measure is taken in accordance with the size of the filtration apparatus. Furthermore, in obtaining sugarcane bagasse carbon, the researcher must do the oven curing process on 200 °C temperature and 3 hours in curing oven. In this research the best result is used bagasse powder mixtured 200 µm is 7. 2 MPa.

A Statistical Approach for Judging Stability of Whole Mixture Chemical Composition over Time for Highly Complex Disinfection By-Product Mixtures from EPA's Four Lab Study

EPA Science Inventory

Chemical characterization of complex mixtures and assessment of stability over time of the characterized chemicals is crucial both to characterize exposure and to use data from one mixture as a surrogate for other similar mixtures. The chemical composition of test mixtures can va...

Water-quality assessment of the largely urban blue river basin, Metropolitan Kansas City, USA, 1998 to 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilkison, D.H.; Armstrong, D.J.; Hampton, S.A.

2009-01-01

From 1998 through 2007, over 750 surface-water or bed-sediment samples in the Blue River Basin - a largely urban basin in metropolitan Kansas City - were analyzed for more than 100 anthropogenic compounds. Compounds analyzed included nutrients, fecal-indicator bacteria, suspended sediment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Non-point source runoff, hydrologic alterations, and numerous waste-water discharge points resulted in the routine detection of complex mixtures of anthropogenic compounds in samples from basin stream sites. Temporal and spatial variations in concentrations and loads of nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and organic wastewater compounds were observed, primarily related to a site's proximity to point-source discharges and stream-flow dynamics. ?? 2009 ASCE.

Dynamic Covalent Chemistry of Carbon Dioxide: Opportunities to Address Environmental Issues.

PubMed

Septavaux, Jean; Germain, Geoffroy; Leclaire, Julien

2017-07-18

Extraction and purification of basic chemicals from complex mixtures has been a persistent issue throughout the development of the chemical sciences. The chemical industry and academic research have grown over the centuries by following a deconstruction-reconstruction approach, reminiscent of the metabolism process. Chemists have designed and optimized extraction, purification, and transformation processes of molecules from natural deposits (fossil fuels, biomass, ores), in order to reassemble them into complex adducts. These highly selective and cost-effective techniques arose from developments in physical chemistry but also in supramolecular chemistry, long before the term was even coined. Thanks to the extremely diverse toolbox currently available to the scientific community, artificial molecular systems of increasing complexity can be built and integrated into high-technology products. If humanity has proven through the ages how gifted it can be at this deconstruction-reconstruction game, which has transformed the natural world to a human-shaped one, it has been confronted for more than a century by a new challenge: the deconstruction and reconstruction from a new type of deposit, the waste resulting from the mass production of disposable manufactured goods. In this Account, we will explore the potential contribution of controlled molecular and supramolecular self-assembly phenomena to the challenge of selective and efficient capture of valuable target molecules from mixtures found in postconsumer waste. While it may appear paradoxical to add more molecular ingredients to an already compositionally complex system in order to address a purification issue, we will compare the selectivity, yield, and cost of such an atypical procedure with traditional physical techniques. In the context of carbon dioxide capture or release, we will specifically focus on the coupling between this reversible covalent fixation of the gas by amines and an additional chemical equilibrium. This equilibrium may involve covalent or noncovalent bond formation between a supplementary species and either the unloaded reactant or the CO 2 -loaded product. Thereby, this new reactive species may act as a CO 2 capture agonist or antagonist by either thermodynamically favoring the carbamation or decarbamation direction. Indeed, superagonism, the increase of CO 2 loading per amine site upon carbamation beyond the theoretical limit of 0.5, can be achieved using tightly bound cationic metal counterions. In all cases, upon binding and adduct formation, a mutual selection process occurs between one member of the CO 2 -based dynamic combinatorial library and one agonist or antagonist, which can itself be contained in a complex mixture of analogues. If this adduct is the only species that, upon formation, can self-aggregate into a separate solid phase, selection and binding are accompanied by translocation, rendering the purification procedure operationally straightforward. This general strategy, based on a simple design of coupled molecular systems, may easily be implemented within new, disruptive technologies for selective extraction of target molecules, thereby providing a substantial environmental and economic benefit.

Method of immobilizing weapons plutonium to provide a durable, disposable waste product

DOEpatents

Ewing, Rodney C.; Lutze, Werner; Weber, William J.

1996-01-01

A method of atomic scale fixation and immobilization of plutonium to provide a durable waste product. Plutonium is provided in the form of either PuO.sub.2 or Pu(NO.sub.3).sub.4 and is mixed with and SiO.sub.2. The resulting mixture is cold pressed and then heated under pressure to form (Zr,Pu)SiO.sub.4 as the waste product.

Heavy metal immobilization and microbial community abundance by vegetable waste and pine cone biochar of agricultural soils.

PubMed

Igalavithana, Avanthi Deshani; Lee, Sung-Eun; Lee, Young Han; Tsang, Daniel C W; Rinklebe, Jörg; Kwon, Eilhann E; Ok, Yong Sik

2017-05-01

In order to determine the efficacy of vegetable waste and pine cone biochar for immobilization of metal/metalloid (lead and arsenic) and abundance of microbial community in different agricultural soils, we applied the biochar produced at two different temperatures to two contaminated soils. Biochar was produced by vegetable waste, pine cone, and their mixture (1:1 ww -1 ) at 200 °C (torrefied biomass) and 500 °C (biochar). Contaminated soils were incubated with 5% (ww -1 ) torrefied biomass or biochar. Sequential extraction, thermodynamic modeling, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to evaluate the metal immobilization. Microbial communities were characterized by microbial fatty acid profiles and microbial activity was assessed by dehydrogenase activity. Vegetable waste and the mixture of vegetable waste and pine cone biochar exhibited greater ability for Pb immobilization than pine cone biochar and three torrefied biomass, and vegetable waste biochar was found to be most effective. However, torrefied biomass was most effective in increasing both microbial community and dehydrogenase activity. This study confirms that vegetable waste could be a vital biomass to produce biochar to immobilize Pb, and increase the microbial communities and enzyme activity in soils. Biomass and pyrolytic temperature were not found to be effective in the immobilization of As in this study. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cultivation of a bacterial consortium with the potential to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbon using waste activated sludge.

PubMed

Sivakumar, S; Song, Y C; Kim, S H; Jang, S H

2015-11-01

Waste activated sludge was aerobically treated to demonstrate multiple uses such as cultivating an oil degrading bacterial consortium; studying the influence of a bulking agent (peat moss) and total petroleum hydrocarbon concentration on bacterial growth and producing a soil conditioner using waste activated sludge. After 30 days of incubation, the concentration of oil-degrading bacteria was 4.3 x 10(8) CFU g(-1) and 4.5 x 10(8) CFU g(-1) for 5 and 10 g of total petroleum hydrocarbon, respectively, in a mixture of waste activated sludge (1 kg) and peat moss (0.1 kg). This accounts for approximately 88.4 and 91.1%, respectively, of the total heterotrophic bacteria (total-HB). The addition of bulking agent enhanced total-HB population and total petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial population. Over 90% of total petroleum hydrocarbon degradation was achieved by the mixture of waste activated sludge, bulking agent and total petroleum hydrocarbon. The results of physico-chemical parameters of the compost (waste activated sludge with and without added peat moss compost) and a substantial reduction in E. coli showed that the use of this final product did not exhibit risk when used as soil conditioner. Finally, the present study demonstrated that cultivation of total petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium and production of compost from waste activated sludge by aerobic treatment was feasible.

Pilot installation for the thermo-chemical characterisation of solid wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marculescu, C.; Antonini, G.; Badea, A.

The increasing production and the large variety of wastes require operators of thermal treatment units to continuously adapt the installations or the functioning parameters to the different physical and chemical properties of the wastes. Usually, the treated waste is encountered in the form of heterogeneous mixtures. The classical tests such as thermogravimetry and calorimetric bomb operate component by component, separately. In addition to this, they can analyse only small quantities of waste at a time (a few grams). These common tests are necessary but insufficient in the global waste analysis in the view further thermal treatment. This paper presents anmore » experimental installation, which was designed and built at the CNRS Science Division, Department of Industrial Methods, Compiegne University of Technology, France. It allows the determination of waste thermal and chemical properties by means of thermal treatment. Also, it is capable of continuously analysing significant quantities of waste (up to 50 kg/h) as compared to the classical tests and it can work under various conditions: {center_dot}oxidant or reductive atmosphere (on choice); {center_dot}variable temperature between 400 and 1000 deg. C; {center_dot}independently set residence time of treated sample in the installation and flow conditions. The installation reproduces the process conditions from incinerators or pyrolysis reactors. It also provides complete information on the kinetics of the waste thermal degradation and on the pollutant emissions. Using different mixtures of components present in the municipal solid waste and also in the reconstituted MSW samples, we defined a series of criteria for characterising waste behaviour during the stages of the main treatment process such as: feeding, devolatilisation/oxidation, advancement, solid residue evacuation, and pollutants emission.« less

40 CFR 60.2245 - What is an air curtain incinerator?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units for Which Construction Is Commenced After November 30, 1999 or for... and controlled air technology such as mass burn, modular, and fluidized bed combustors.) (b) Air....2260). (1) 100 percent wood waste. (2) 100 percent clean lumber. (3) 100 percent mixture of only wood...

ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CO, POHC, AND PIC EMISSIONS FROM A SIMULATED HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATOR

EPA Science Inventory

Measurements conducted on full-scale hazardous waste incinerators have occasionally shown a relationship between carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and emissions of toxic organic compounds. In this study, four mixtures of chlorinated C1 and C2 hydrocarbons were diluted in commercial...

Improved method and composition for immobilization of waste in cement-based material

DOEpatents

Tallent, O.K.; Dodson, K.E.; McDaniel, E.W.

1987-10-01

A composition and method for fixation or immobilization of aqueous hazardous waste material in cement-based materials (grout) is disclosed. The amount of drainable water in the cured grout is reduced by the addition of an ionic aluminum compound to either the waste material or the mixture of waste material and dry-solid cement- based material. This reduction in drainable water in the cured grout obviates the need for large, expensive amounts of gelling clays in grout materials and also results in improved consistency and properties of these cement-based waste disposal materials.

Recovery of MSWI and soil washing residues as concrete aggregates.

PubMed

Sorlini, Sabrina; Abbà, Alessandro; Collivignarelli, Carlo

2011-02-01

The aim of the present work was to study if municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) residues and aggregates derived from contaminated soil washing could be used as alternative aggregates for concrete production. Initially, chemical, physical and geometric characteristics (according to UNI EN 12620) of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes and some contaminated soils were evaluated; moreover, the pollutants release was evaluated by means of leaching tests. The results showed that the reuse of pre-treated MSWI bottom ash and washed soil is possible, either from technical or environmental point of view, while it is not possible for the raw wastes. Then, the natural aggregate was partially and totally replaced with these recycled aggregates for the production of concrete mixtures that were characterized by conventional mechanical and leaching tests. Good results were obtained using the same dosage of a high resistance cement (42.5R calcareous Portland cement instead of 32.5R); the concrete mixture containing 400 kg/m(3) of washed bottom ash and high resistance cement was classified as structural concrete (C25/30 class). Regarding the pollutants leaching, all concrete mixtures respected the limit values according to the Italian regulation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic co-digestion of livestock and vegetable processing wastes: fibre degradation and digestate stability.

PubMed

Molinuevo-Salces, Beatriz; Gómez, Xiomar; Morán, Antonio; García-González, Mari Cruz

2013-06-01

Anaerobic digestion of livestock wastes (swine manure (SM) and poultry litter (PL)) and vegetable processing wastes (VPW) mixtures was evaluated in terms of methane yield, volatile solids removal and lignocellulosic material degradation. Batch experiments were performed with 2% VS (volatile solids) to ensure complete conversion of TVFAs (total volatile fatty acids) and to avoid ammonia inhibition. Experimental methane yields obtained for the mixtures resulted in higher values than those obtained from the sum of the methane yields from the individual components. VPW addition to livestock wastes before anaerobic digestion also resulted in improved VS elimination. In SM-VPW co-digestions, CH4 yield increased from 111 to 244 mL CH4 g VS added(-1), and the percentage of VS removed increased from 50% to 86%. For PL-VPW co-digestions, the corresponding values were increased from 158 to 223 mL CH4 g VS added(-1) and from 70% to 92% VS removed. Hemicelluloses and more than 50% of cellulose were degraded during anaerobic digestion. Thermal analyses indicated that the stabilization of the wastes during anaerobic digestion resulted in significantly less energy being released by digestate samples than fresh samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioremediation of contaminated mixtures of desert mining soil and sawdust with fuel oil by aerated in-vessel composting in the Atacama Region (Chile).

PubMed

Godoy-Faúndez, Alex; Antizar-Ladislao, Blanca; Reyes-Bozo, Lorenzo; Camaño, Andrés; Sáez-Navarrete, César

2008-03-01

Since early 1900s, with the beginning of mining operations and especially in the last decade, small, although repetitive spills of fuel oil had occurred frequently in the Chilean mining desert industry during reparation and maintenance of machinery, as well as casual accidents. Normally, soils and sawdust had been used as cheap readily available sorbent materials of spills of fuel oil, consisting of complex mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Chilean legislation considers these fuel oil contaminated mixtures of soil and sawdust as hazardous wastes, and thus they must be contained. It remains unknown whether it would be feasible to clean-up Chilean desert soils with high salinity and metal content, historically polluted with different commercial fuel oil, and contained during years. Thus, this study evaluated the feasibility of aerated in-vessel composting at a laboratory scale as a bioremediation technology to clean-up contaminated desert mining soils (fuel concentration>50,000 mg kg(-1)) and sawdust (fuel concentration>225,000 mg kg(-1)) in the Atacama Region. The composting reactors were operated using five soil to sawdust ratios (S:SD, 1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1, on a dry weight basis) under mesophilic temperatures (30-40 degrees C), constant moisture content (MC, 50%) and continuous aeration (16 l min(-1)) during 56 days. Fuel oil concentration and physico-chemical changes in the composting reactors were monitored following standard procedures. The highest (59%) and the lowest (35%) contaminant removals were observed in the contaminated sawdust and contaminated soil reactors after 56 days of treatment, respectively. The S:SD ratio, time of treatment and interaction between both factors had a significant effect (p<0.050) on the contaminant removal. The results of this research indicate that bioremediation of an aged contaminated mixture of desert mining soil and sawdust with fuel oil is feasible. This study recommends a S:SD ratio 1:3 and a correct nutrient balance in order to achieve a maximum overall hydrocarbon removal of fuel oil in the weathered and aged contaminated wastes.

Velocity field measurements in tailings dam failure experiments using a combined PIV-PTV approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tailings dams are built to impound mining waste, also called tailings, which consists of a mixture of fine-sized sediments and water contaminated with some hazardous chemicals used for extracting the ore by leaching. Non-Newtonian flow of sediment-water mixture resulting from a failure of tailings d...

Supercritical-Fluid Extraction of Oil From Tar Sands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Compton, L. E.

1982-01-01

New supercritical solvent mixtures have been laboratory-tested for extraction of oil from tar sands. Mixture is circulated through sand at high pressure and at a temperature above critical point, dissolving organic matter into the compressed gas. Extract is recovered from sand residues. Low-temperature super-critical solvents reduce energy consumption and waste-disposal problems.

Engineering and environmental properties of thermally treated mixtures containing MSWI fly ash and low-cost additives.

PubMed

Polettini, A; Pomi, R; Trinci, L; Muntoni, A; Lo Mastro, S

2004-09-01

An experimental work was carried out to investigate the feasibility of application of a sintering process to mixtures composed of Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) fly ash and low-cost additives (waste from feldspar production and cullet). The proportions of the three constituents were varied to adjust the mixture compositions to within the optimal range for sintering. The material was compacted in cylindrical specimens and treated at 1100 and 1150 degrees C for 30 and 60 min. Engineering and environmental characteristics including weight loss, dimensional changes, density, open porosity, mechanical strength, chemical stability and leaching behavior were determined for the treated material, allowing the relationship between the degree of sintering and both mixture composition and treatment conditions to be singled out. Mineralogical analyses detected the presence of neo-formation minerals from the pyroxene group. Estimation of the extent of metal loss from the samples indicated that the potential for volatilization of species of Pb, Cd and Zn is still a matter of major concern when dealing with thermal treatment of incinerator ash.

Application of Biologically-Based Lumping To Investigate the Toxicological Interactions of a Complex Gasoline Mixture

EPA Science Inventory

People are often exposed to complex mixtures of environmental chemicals such as gasoline, tobacco smoke, water contaminants, or food additives. However, investigators have often considered complex mixtures as one lumped entity. Valuable information can be obtained from these exp...

Acetylene from the co-pyrolysis of biomass and waste tires or coal in the H{sub 2}/Ar plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bao, W.; Cao, Q.; Lv, Y.

Acetylene from carbon-containing materials via plasma pyrolysis is not only simple but also environmentally friendly. In this article, the acetylene produced from co-pyrolyzing biomass with waste tire or coal under the conditions of H{sub 2}/Ar DC arc plasma jet was investigated. The experimental results showed that the co-pyrolysis of mixture with biomass and waste tire or coal can improve largely the acetylene relative volume fraction (RVF) in gaseous products and the corresponding yield of acetylene. The change trends for the acetylene yield of plasma pyrolysis from mixture with raw sample properties were the same as relevant RVF. But the yieldmore » change trend with feeding rate is different from its RVF. The effects of the feeding rate of raw materials and the electric current of plasmatron on acetylene formation are also discussed.« less

An approach for modeling thermal destruction of hazardous wastes in circulating fluidized bed incinerator.

PubMed

Patil, M P; Sonolikar, R L

2008-10-01

This paper presents a detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based approach for modeling thermal destruction of hazardous wastes in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) incinerator. The model is based on Eular - Lagrangian approach in which gas phase (continuous phase) is treated in a Eularian reference frame, whereas the waste particulate (dispersed phase) is treated in a Lagrangian reference frame. The reaction chemistry hasbeen modeled through a mixture fraction/ PDF approach. The conservation equations for mass, momentum, energy, mixture fraction and other closure equations have been solved using a general purpose CFD code FLUENT4.5. Afinite volume method on a structured grid has been used for solution of governing equations. The model provides detailed information on the hydrodynamics (gas velocity, particulate trajectories), gas composition (CO, CO2, O2) and temperature inside the riser. The model also allows different operating scenarios to be examined in an efficient manner.

Biodegradable packaging materials conception based on starch and polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with cellulose.

PubMed

Masmoudi, Fatma; Bessadok, Atef; Dammak, Mohamed; Jaziri, Mohamed; Ammar, Emna

2016-10-01

The plastic materials used for packaging are increasing leading to a considerable amount of undegradable solid wastes. This work deals with the reduction of conventional plastics waste and the natural resources preservation by using cellulosic polymers from renewable resources (alfa and luffa). Plasticized starch films syntheses were achieved at a laboratory scale. These natural films showed some very attractive mechanical properties at relatively low plasticizers levels (12 to 17 % by weight). Furthermore, mixtures including polylactic acid polymer (PLA) and cellulose fibers extracted from alfa and luffa were investigated by melt extrusion technique. When used at a rate of 10 %, these fibers improved the mixture mechanical properties. Both developed materials were biodegradable, but the plasticized starch exhibited a faster biodegradation kinetic compared to the PLA/cellulose fibers. These new materials would contribute to a sustainable development and a waste reduction.

Ionic Liquids for Utilization of Waste Heat from Distributed Power Generation Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joan F. Brennecke; Mihir Sen; Edward J. Maginn

2009-01-11

The objective of this research project was the development of ionic liquids to capture and utilize waste heat from distributed power generation systems. Ionic Liquids (ILs) are organic salts that are liquid at room temperature and they have the potential to make fundamental and far-reaching changes in the way we use energy. In particular, the focus of this project was fundamental research on the potential use of IL/CO2 mixtures in absorption-refrigeration systems. Such systems can provide cooling by utilizing waste heat from various sources, including distributed power generation. The basic objectives of the research were to design and synthesize ILsmore » appropriate for the task, to measure and model thermophysical properties and phase behavior of ILs and IL/CO2 mixtures, and to model the performance of IL/CO2 absorption-refrigeration systems.« less

Review: Application of coal bottom ash as aggregate replacement in highway embankment, acoustic absorbing wall and asphalt mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afiza Mohammed, Syakirah; Rehan Karim, Mohamed

2017-06-01

Worldwide annual production of coal bottom ash waste was increased in the last decade and is being dumped on landfill over the years. Its improper disposal has become an environmental concern and resulted in a waste of recoverable resources. There is a pressing and on-going need to develop new recycling methods for coal bottom ash. The utilization of coal bottom ash in highway engineering is one of the options to reduce the environmental problems related to the disposal of bottom ash. The present review describe the physical and chemical properties of coal bottom ash waste and its current application as highway embankment material, as acoustic absorbing material and as aggregate replacement in asphalt mixtures. The purpose of this review is to stimulate and promote the effective recycling of coal bottom ash in highway engineering industry.

Iron phosphate compositions for containment of hazardous metal waste

DOEpatents

Day, Delbert E.

1998-01-01

An improved iron phosphate waste form for the vitrification, containment and long-term disposition of hazardous metal waste such as radioactive nuclear waste is provided. The waste form comprises a rigid iron phosphate matrix resulting from the cooling of a melt formed by heating a batch mixture comprising the metal waste and a matrix-forming component. The waste form comprises from about 30 to about 70 weight percent P.sub.2 O.sub.5 and from about 25 to about 50 weight percent iron oxide and has metals present in the metal waste chemically dissolved therein. The concentration of iron oxide in the waste form along with a high proportion of the iron in the waste form being present as Fe.sup.3+ provide a waste form exhibiting improved chemical resistance to corrosive attack. A method for preparing the improved iron phosphate waste forms is also provided.

Iron phosphate compositions for containment of hazardous metal waste

DOEpatents

Day, D.E.

1998-05-12

An improved iron phosphate waste form for the vitrification, containment and long-term disposition of hazardous metal waste such as radioactive nuclear waste is provided. The waste form comprises a rigid iron phosphate matrix resulting from the cooling of a melt formed by heating a batch mixture comprising the metal waste and a matrix-forming component. The waste form comprises from about 30 to about 70 weight percent P{sub 2}O{sub 5} and from about 25 to about 50 weight percent iron oxide and has metals present in the metal waste chemically dissolved therein. The concentration of iron oxide in the waste form along with a high proportion of the iron in the waste form being present as Fe{sup 3+} provide a waste form exhibiting improved chemical resistance to corrosive attack. A method for preparing the improved iron phosphate waste forms is also provided. 21 figs.

Controls on the Mobility of Antimony in Mine Waste from Three Deposit Types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamieson, H.; Radková, A. B.; Fawcett, S.

2017-12-01

Antimony can be considered both a critical metal and an environmental hazard, with a toxicity similar to arsenic. It is concentrated in stibnite deposits, but also present in polymetallic and precious metal ores, frequently accompanied by arsenic. We have studied the mineralogical controls on the mobility of antimony in three types of mine waste: stibnite tailings from an antimony mine, tetrahedrite-bearing waste rock from copper mining, and gold mine tailings and ore roaster waste. Our results demonstrate that the tendency of antimony to leach into the aqueous environment or remain sequestered in solid phases depends on the primary host minerals and conditions governing the precipitation of secondary antimony-hosting phases. In tailings at the Beaver Brook antimony mine in Newfoundland, Canada, stibnite oxidizes rapidly, and secondary minerals such as the relatively insoluble Sb-Fe tripuhyite-like phase and Sb-bearing goethite. However, under dry conditions, the most important secondary Sb host is the Mg-Sb hydroxide brandholzite, but this easily soluble mineral disappears when it rains. Antimony that was originally hosted in tetrahedrite, a complex multi-element sulfosalt, in the historic waste rock piles at Špania Dolina-Piesky, Slovakia, is not as mobile as Cu and As during weathering but reprecipiates to a mixture of tripuhyite and romeite. Finally, the original antimony-hosting minerals, both stibnite and sulphosalts, in the gold ore at Giant Mine, Yellowknife, Canada were completely destroyed during ore roasting. In tailings-contaminated sediments, antimony persists in roaster-generated iron oxide phases, except under reducing conditions where some of the antimony forms a Sb-S phase. The combined presence of antimony and arsenic in mine waste complicates risk assessment but in general, our findings suggest that antimony is less mobile than arsenic in the environment.

Installation Restoration Program. Phase 1. Records Search. Air Force Plant Number 3, Tulsa, Oklahoma

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

treatment plant was designed for cyanide and chromium treat- ment. Wastes are collected in two separate sewer systems; acid-chrome, and alkali cyanide...reduction of hexavalent chrome to trivalent chrome with sulfur dioxide. After the oxidation and reduction are accomplished separately, the wastes are...uses of the water. CCNVEPSI N COATING WASTE: Acidic solution containinq chromium . 0COOLANT: An oil-water mixture used for coolina metal parts durirq

Glass former composition and method for immobilizing nuclear waste using the same

DOEpatents

Cadoff, Laurence H.; Smith-Magowan, David B.

1988-01-01

An alkoxide glass former composition has silica-containing constituents present as solid particulates of a particle size of 0.1 to 0.7 micrometers in diameter in a liquid carrier phase substantially free of dissolved silica. The glass former slurry is resistant to coagulation and may contain other glass former metal constituents. The immobilization of nuclear waste employs the described glass former by heating the same to reduce the volume, mixing the same with the waste, and melting the resultant mixture to encapsulate the waste in the resultant glass.

COMPARATIVE TUMOR-INITIATING ACTIVITY OF COMPLEX MIXTURES FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PARTICULATE EMISSIONS ON SENCAR MOUSE SKIN

EPA Science Inventory

The value of the SENCAR mouse for testing tumorigenic properties of complex mixtures on mouse skin was studied. Seven complex mixtures were obtained as dichloromethane extracts of collected particulate emissions from three diesel-fueled automobiles, a heavy-duty diesel engine, a ...

Mechanical Parameters of Rubber-Sand Mixtures for Numerical Analysis of a Road Embankment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalska, Magdalena; Chmielewski, Maciej

2017-10-01

Waste production is one of the greatest problems of the modern world. It is inevitably related to the increase of industrialization. One of the most difficult, and growing in amounts, waste is scrap tyres. The most common method of utilization of end-of-life tyres by their incineration raises much concern in terms of air pollution. More sustainable seems to reuse the tyre derived products - rubber in particular - in civil engineering, where the interesting properties of this material may be effectively utilized. This paper presents results of direct shear strength tests on sand-rubber mixtures, which were next applied to a numerical FEM (finite element method) model of a road embankment built on soft ground. The laboratory tests, conducted for two types of scrap tyre rubber granulates (0.5 - 2 mm and 1 - 5 mm in size) mixed with medium fluvial sand in various proportions (5, 10, 30 and 50% by weight), proved that the unit weight of the mixtures is distinctly smaller that the unit weight of sand alone and at 50% rubber content it drops by half. The internal angle of friction stays almost unchanged for the mixtures with up to 10% of rubber (33 - 37°), but decreases by about 10° when the rubber content increases to 50%. In most of the cases analysed, the cohesion intercept is higher in case of sand-rubber mixtures when compared to sand alone. The numerical model simulated a 4.5 m high embankment with a 3 m thick layer made of sand-rubber mixtures, containing 0%, 10% or 30% of the waste product, founded on a weak subsoil (with a 3 m layer of organic soil). The results showed that stability factor of the structure built with the layer containing 30% of the coarser rubber granulate has increased from 1.60 - for sand only, to 2.15. The embankment was also able to carry load increased from 32 kPa to 45.5 kPa and its base showed much smaller settlement. The results prove that the use of tyre derived aggregates in embankment construction is not only an effective way of utilization of this problematic waste, but can also improve behaviour of such a structure.

Comparison of Chemical Composition of Complex Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Mixtures Produced by Different Treatment Methods - slides

EPA Science Inventory

Analyses of the chemical composition of complex DBP mixtures, produced by different drinking water treatment processes, are essential to generate toxicity data required for assessing their risks to humans. For mixture risk assessments, whole mixture toxicology studies generally a...

Comparison of Chemical Composition of Complex Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Mixtures Produced by Different Treatment Methods

EPA Science Inventory

Analyses of the chemical composition of complex DBP mixtures, produced by different drinking water treatment processes, are essential to generate toxicity data required for assessing their risks to humans. For mixture risk assessments, whole mixture toxicology studies generally a...

Effective solutions for monitoring the electrostatic separation of metal and plastic granular waste from electric and electronic equipment.

PubMed

Senouci, Khouira; Medles, Karim; Dascalescu, Lucian

2013-02-01

The variability of the quantity and purity of the recovered materials is a serious drawback for the application of electrostatic separation technologies to the recycling of granular wastes. In a series of previous articles we have pointed out how capability and classic control chart concepts could be employed for better mastering the outcome of such processes. In the present work, the multiple exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart is introduced and shown to be more effective than the Hotelling T2 chart for monitoring slow varying changes in the electrostatic separation of granular mixtures originating from electric and electronic equipment waste. The operation of the industrial process was simulated by using a laboratory roll-type electrostatic separator and granular samples resulting from shredded electric cable wastes. The 25 tests carried out during the observation phase enabled the calculation of the upper and lower control limits for the two control charts considered in the present study. The 11 additional tests that simulated the monitoring phase pointed out that the MEWMA chart is more effective than Hotelling's T(2) chart in detecting slow varying changes in the outcome of a process. As the reverse is true in the case of abrupt alterations of monitored process performances, simultaneous usage of the two control charts is strongly recommended. While this study focused on a specific electrostatic separation process, using the MEWMA chart together with the well known Hotelling's T(2) chart should be applicable to the statistical control of other complex processes in the field of waste processing.

Evaluating the biogas potential of the dry fraction from pretreatment of food waste from households

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murto, Marika, E-mail: marika.murto@biotek.lu.se; Björnsson, Lovisa, E-mail: lovisa.bjornsson@miljo.lth.se; Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► A novel approach for biogas production from a waste fraction that today is incinerated. ► Biogas production is possible in spite of the impurities of the waste. ► Tracer studies are applied in a novel way. ► Structural material is needed to improve the flow pattern of the waste. ► We provide a solution to biological treatment for the complex waste fraction. - Abstract: At the waste handling company NSR, Helsingborg, Sweden, the food waste fraction of source separated municipal solid waste is pretreated to obtain a liquid fraction, which is used for biogas production, and a drymore » fraction, which is at present incinerated. This pretreatment and separation is performed to remove impurities, however also some of the organic material is removed. The possibility of realising the methane potential of the dry fraction through batch-wise dry anaerobic digestion was investigated. The anaerobic digestion technique used was a two-stage process consisting of a static leach bed reactor and a methane reactor. Treatment of the dry fraction alone and in a mixture with structural material was tested to investigate the effect on the porosity of the leach bed. A tracer experiment was carried out to investigate the liquid flow through the leach beds, and this method proved useful in demonstrating a more homogenous flow through the leach bed when structural material was added. Addition of structural material to the dry fraction was needed to achieve a functional digestion process. A methane yield of 98 m{sup 3}/ton was obtained from the dry fraction mixed with structural material after 76 days of digestion. This was in the same range as obtained in the laboratory scale biochemical methane potential test, showing that it was possible to extract the organic content in the dry fraction in this type of dry digestion system for the production of methane.« less

Waste Oil Burn-Off in Coast Guard Power Plants - Diesel Piston Ring Wear Study by Radioactive Tracer Techniques

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-07-01

This report covers the results of a study utilizing a radioactive tracer technique to determine wear effects on the upper compression rings of a two-stroke cycle diesel engine burning mixtures of waste lube oil in fuel oil. The radioactive tracer tec...

Production, characterization and fuel properties of alternative diesel fuel from pyrolysis of waste plastic grocery bags

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pyrolysis of HDPE waste grocery bags followed by distillation resulted in a liquid hydrocarbon mixture that consisted of saturated aliphatic paraffins (96.8%), aliphatic olefins (2.6%), and aromatics (0.6%) that corresponded to the boiling range of conventional petroleum diesel fuel (#1 diesel 182–2...

Study utilization of extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste as the main material for making solid fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrianie, Nuniek; Juliastuti, Sri Rachmania; Ar-rosyidah, Fanny Husna; Rochman, Hilal Abdur

2017-05-01

Nowadays the existence of energy sources of oil and was limited. Therefore, it was important to searching for new innovations of renewable energy sources by utilizing the waste into a source of energy. On the other hand, the process of extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation generated sludge that had calorific value and untapped. Because of the need for alternative sources of energy innovation with the concept of zero waste and the fuel potential from extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste, so it was necessary to study the use of extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste as the main material for making solid fuel. In addition, sawdust is a waste that had a great quantities and also had a high calorific value to be mixed with extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste and to determine the potential and a combination of a mixture of extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste and sawdust which has the best calorific value. The variables of this study was the composition of the waste and sawdust as follows 1:1; 1:3; and 3:1 (mass of sawdust : mass of waste) and time of sawdust carbonization was 10, 15 and 20 minutes. Sawdust was carbonized to get the high heating value. The characteristic of main material and fuel analysis performed with proximate analysis. While the calorific value analysis was performed with a bomb calorimeter. From the research, it was known that extractable petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation waste had a moisture content of 3.06%; volatile matter 19.98%; ash content of 0.56%; fixed carbon content of 76.4% and a calorific value of 717 cal/gram. And a mixture that had the highest calorific value (4286.5 cal/gram) achieved in comparison sawdust : waste (3:1) by carbonization of sawdust for 20 minutes.

Enhancement of methane production from co-digestion of chicken manure with agricultural wastes.

PubMed

Abouelenien, Fatma; Namba, Yuzaburo; Kosseva, Maria R; Nishio, Naomichi; Nakashimada, Yutaka

2014-05-01

The potential for methane production from semi-solid chicken manure (CM) and mixture of agricultural wastes (AWS) in a co-digestion process has been experimentally evaluated at thermophilic and mesophilic temperatures. To the best of author(')s knowledge, it is the first time that CM is co-digested with mixture of AWS consisting of coconut waste, cassava waste, and coffee grounds. Two types of anaerobic digestion processes (AD process) were used, process 1 (P1) using fresh CM (FCM) and process 2 (P2) using treated CM (TCM), ammonia stripped CM, were conducted. Methane production in P1 was increased by 93% and 50% compared to control (no AWS added) with maximum methane production of 502 and 506 mL g(-1)VS obtained at 55°C and 35°C, respectively. Additionally, 42% increase in methane production was observed with maximum volume of 695 mL g(-1)VS comparing P2 test with P2 control under 55°C. Ammonia accumulation was reduced by 39% and 32% in P1 and P2 tests. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Co-digestion of bovine slaughterhouse wastes, cow manure, various crops and municipal solid waste at thermophilic conditions: a comparison with specific case running at mesophilic conditions.

PubMed

Pagés-Díaz, J; Sárvári-Horváth, I; Pérez-Olmo, J; Pereda-Reyes, I

2013-01-01

A co-digestion process was evaluated when mixing different ratios of agro-industrial residues, i.e. bovine slaughterhouse waste (SB); cow manure (M); various crop residues (VC); and municipal solid waste (MSW) by anaerobic batch digestion under thermophilic conditions (55 °C). A selected study case at mesophilic condition (37 °C) was also investigated. The performance of the co-digestion was evaluated by kinetics (k(0)). The best kinetic results were obtained under thermophilic operation when a mixture of 22% w/w SB, 22% w/w M, 45% w/w VC and 11% w/w MSW was co-digested, which showed a proper combination of high values in r(s)CH(4) and k(0) (0.066 Nm(3)CH(4)/kgVS*d, 0.336 d(-1)) during the anaerobic process. The effect of temperature on methane yield (Y(CH4)), specific methane rate (r(s)CH(4)) and k(0) was also analyzed for a specific study case; there a mixture of 25% w/w of SB, 37.5% w/w of M, 37.5% of VC and 0% of MSW was used. Response variables were severely affected by mesophilic conditions, diminishing to at least 45% of the thermophilic values obtained for a similar mixture. The effect of temperature suggested that thermophilic conditions are suitable to treat these residues.

Staged mold for encapsulating hazardous wastes

DOEpatents

Unger, Samuel L.; Telles, Rodney W.; Lubowitz, Hyman R.

1990-01-01

A staged mold for stabilizing hazardous wastes for final disposal by molding an agglomerate of the hazardous wastes and encapsulating the agglomerate. Three stages are employed in the process. In the first stage, a first mold body is positioned on a first mold base, a mixture of the hazardous wastes and a thermosetting plastic is loaded into the mold, the mixture is mechanically compressed, heat is applied to cure the mixture to form a rigid agglomerate, and the first mold body is removed leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base. In the second stage, a clamshell second mold body is positioned around the agglomerate and the first mold base, a powdered thermoplastic resin is poured on top of the agglomerate and in the gap between the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body, the thermoplastic is compressed, heat is applied to melt the thermoplastic, and the plastic is cooled jacketing the agglomerate on the top and sides. In the third stage, the mold with the jacketed agglomerate is inverted, the first mold base is removed exposing the former bottom of the agglomerate, powdered thermoplastic is poured over the former bottom, the first mold base is replaced to compress the thermoplastic, heat is applied to melt the new thermoplastic and the top part of the jacket on the sides, the plastic is cooled jacketing the bottom and fusing with the jacketing on the sides to complete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate.

Staged mold for encapsulating hazardous wastes

DOEpatents

Unger, Samuel L.; Telles, Rodney W.; Lubowitz, Hyman R.

1988-01-01

A staged mold for stabilizing hazardous wastes for final disposal by molding an agglomerate of the hazardous wastes and encapsulating the agglomerate. Three stages are employed in the process. In the first stage, a first mold body is positioned on a first mold base, a mixture of the hazardous wastes and a thermosetting plastic is loaded into the mold, the mixture is mechanically compressed, heat is applied to cure the mixture to form a rigid agglomerate, and the first mold body is removed leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base. In the second stage, a clamshell second mold body is positioned around the agglomerate and the first mold base, a powdered thermoplastic resin is poured on top of the agglomerate and in the gap between the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body, the thermoplastic is compressed, heat is applied to melt the thermoplastic, and the plastic is cooled jacketing the agglomerate on the top and sides. In the third stage, the mold with the jacketed agglomerate is inverted, the first mold base is removed exposing the former bottom of the agglomerate, powdered thermoplastic is poured over the former bottom, the first mold base is replaced to compress the thermoplastic, heat is applied to melt the new thermoplastic and the top part of the jacket on the sides, the plastic is cooled jacketing the bottom and fusing with the jacketing on the sides to complete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate.

Method for encapsulating hazardous wastes using a staged mold

DOEpatents

Unger, Samuel L.; Telles, Rodney W.; Lubowitz, Hyman R.

1989-01-01

A staged mold and method for stabilizing hazardous wastes for final disposal by molding an agglomerate of the hazardous wastes and encapsulating the agglomerate. Three stages are employed in the process. In the first stage, a first mold body is positioned on a first mold base, a mixture of the hazardous wastes and a thermosetting plastic is loaded into the mold, the mixture is mechanically compressed, heat is applied to cure the mixture to form a rigid agglomerate, and the first mold body is removed leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base. In the second stage, a clamshell second mold body is positioned around the agglomerate and the first mold base, a powdered thermoplastic resin is poured on top of the agglomerate and in the gap between the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body, the thermoplastic is compressed, heat is applied to melt the thermoplastic, and the plastic is cooled jacketing the agglomerate on the top and sides. In the third stage, the mold with the jacketed agglomerate is inverted, the first mold base is removed exposing the former bottom of the agglomerate, powdered thermoplastic is poured over the former bottom, the first mold base is replaced to compress the thermoplastic, heat is applied to melt the new thermoplastic and the top part of the jacket on the sides, the plastic is cooled jacketing the bottom and fusing with the jacketing on the sides to complete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate.

Slope Stability Analysis of Waste Dump in Sandstone Open Pit Osielec

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamczyk, Justyna; Cała, Marek; Flisiak, Jerzy; Kolano, Malwina; Kowalski, Michał

2013-03-01

This paper presents the slope stability analysis for the current as well as projected (final) geometry of waste dump Sandstone Open Pit "Osielec". For the stability analysis six sections were selected. Then, the final geometry of the waste dump was designed and the stability analysis was conducted. On the basis of the analysis results the opportunities to improve the stability of the object were identified. The next issue addressed in the paper was to determine the proportion of the mixture containing mining and processing wastes, for which the waste dump remains stable. Stability calculations were carried out using Janbu method, which belongs to the limit equilibrium methods.

Harnessing dark fermentative hydrogen from pretreated mixture of food waste and sewage sludge under sequencing batch mode.

PubMed

Nam, Joo-Youn; Kim, Dong-Hoon; Kim, Sang-Hyoun; Lee, Wontae; Shin, Hang-Sik; Kim, Hyun-Woo

2016-04-01

Food waste and sewage sludge are the most abundant and problematic organic wastes in any society. Mixture of these two wastes may provide appropriate substrate condition for dark fermentative biohydrogen production based on synergistic mutual benefits. This work evaluates continuous hydrogen production from the cosubstrate of food waste and sewage sludge to verify mechanisms of performance improvement in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors. Volatile solid concentration and mixing ratio of food waste and sludge were adjusted to 5 % and 80:20, respectively. Five different hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 36, 42, 48, 72, and 108 h were tested using anaerobic sequencing batch reactors to find out optimal operating condition. Results show that the best performance was achieved at HRT 72 h, where the hydrogen yield, the hydrogen production rate, and hydrogen content were 62.0 mL H2/g VS, 1.0 L H2/L/day, and ~50 %, respectively. Sufficient solid retention time (143 h) and proper loading rate (8.2 g COD/L/day as carbohydrate) at HRT 72h led to the enhanced performance with better hydrogen production showing appropriate n-butyrate/acetate (B/A) ratio of 2.6. Analytical result of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism revealed that specific peaks associated with Clostridium sp. and Bacillus sp. were strongly related to enhanced hydrogen production from the cosubstrate of food waste and sewage sludge.

Optimizing the performance of microbial fuel cells fed a combination of different synthetic organic fractions in municipal solid waste.

PubMed

Pendyala, Brahmaiah; Chaganti, Subba Rao; Lalman, Jerald A; Heath, Daniel D

2016-03-01

The objective of this study was to establish the impact of different steam exploded organic fractions in municipal solid waste (MSW) on electricity production using microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In particular, the influence of individual steam exploded liquefied waste components (food waste (FW), paper-cardboard waste (PCW) and garden waste (GW)) and their blends on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, columbic efficiency (CE) and microbial diversity was examined using a mixture design. Maximum power densities from 0.56 to 0.83 W m(-2) were observed for MFCs fed with different feedstocks. The maximum COD removed and minimum CE were observed for a GW feed. However, a reverse trend (minimum COD removed and maximum CE) was observed for the FW feed. A maximum COD removal (78%) accompanied with a maximum CE (24%) was observed for a combined feed of FW, PCW plus GW in a 1:1:1 ratio. Lactate, the major byproduct detected, was unutilized by the anodic biofilm community. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) could serve as a potential feedstock for electricity generation in MFCs; however, elevated protein levels will lead to reduced COD removal. The microbial communities in cultures fed FW and PCW was highly diversified; however, the communities in cultures fed FW or a feed mixture containing high FW levels were similar and dominated by Bacteroidetes and β-proteobacteria. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved compaction of dried tannery wastewater sludge.

PubMed

Della Zassa, M; Zerlottin, M; Refosco, D; Santomaso, A C; Canu, P

2015-12-01

We quantitatively studied the advantages of improving the compaction of a powder waste by several techniques, including its pelletization. The goal is increasing the mass storage capacity in a given storage volume, and reducing the permeability of air and moisture, that may trigger exothermic spontaneous reactions in organic waste, particularly as powders. The study is based on dried sludges from a wastewater treatment, mainly from tanneries, but the indications are valid and useful for any waste in the form of powder, suitable to pelletization. Measurements of bulk density have been carried out at the industrial and laboratory scale, using different packing procedures, amenable to industrial processes. Waste as powder, pellets and their mixtures have been considered. The bulk density of waste as powder increases from 0.64 t/m(3) (simply poured) to 0.74 t/m(3) (tapped) and finally to 0.82 t/m(3) by a suitable, yet simple, packing procedure that we called dispersion filling, with a net gain of 28% in the compaction by simply modifying the collection procedure. Pelletization increases compaction by definition, but the packing of pellets is relatively coarse. Some increase in bulk density of pellets can be achieved by tapping; vibration and dispersion filling are not efficient with pellets. Mixtures of powder and pellets is the optimal packing policy. The best compaction result was achieved by controlled vibration of a 30/70 wt% mixture of powders and pellets, leading to a final bulk density of 1t/m(3), i.e. an improvement of compaction by more than 54% with respect to simply poured powders, but also larger than 35% compared to just pellets. That means increasing the mass storage capacity by a factor of 1.56. Interestingly, vibration can be the most or the least effective procedure to improve compaction of mixtures, depending on characteristics of vibration. The optimal packing (30/70 wt% powders/pellets) proved to effectively mitigate the onset of smouldering, leading to self-heating, according to standard tests, whereas the pure pelletization totally removes the self-heating hazard. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

33 CFR 155.430 - Standard discharge connections for oceangoing ships of 400 gross tons and above.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... a standard shore connection for reception facilities to discharge oily mixtures from machinery space bilges or ballast water containing an oily mixture from fuel oil tanks. The discharge connection must... paragraph (a) of this section and that fits the discharge shore connection, for the discharge of oily wastes...

33 CFR 155.430 - Standard discharge connections for oceangoing ships of 400 gross tons and above.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... a standard shore connection for reception facilities to discharge oily mixtures from machinery space bilges or ballast water containing an oily mixture from fuel oil tanks. The discharge connection must... paragraph (a) of this section and that fits the discharge shore connection, for the discharge of oily wastes...

33 CFR 155.430 - Standard discharge connections for oceangoing ships of 400 gross tons and above.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... a standard shore connection for reception facilities to discharge oily mixtures from machinery space bilges or ballast water containing an oily mixture from fuel oil tanks. The discharge connection must... paragraph (a) of this section and that fits the discharge shore connection, for the discharge of oily wastes...

33 CFR 155.430 - Standard discharge connections for oceangoing ships of 400 gross tons and above.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... a standard shore connection for reception facilities to discharge oily mixtures from machinery space bilges or ballast water containing an oily mixture from fuel oil tanks. The discharge connection must... paragraph (a) of this section and that fits the discharge shore connection, for the discharge of oily wastes...

Interactions Between Chlorinated Waste Solvents and Clay Minerals in Low Permeability Subsurface Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayral, D.; Otero-Diaz, M.; Demond, A. H.

2014-12-01

Waste organic contaminants stored in low permeability subsurface layers serve as long-term sources for dissolved phase contaminant plumes. These layers may have a different mineralogical make up than the surrounding geologic media; specifically, they may be characterized by a high clay content. Although these layers are often considered inert, interactions may occur between the clay minerals and the waste liquids that may influence transport. Measurements of the basal spacing of Na-montmorillonite in contact with pure chlorinated organic liquids such as trichloroethylene (TCE) showed that it is similar to that with water; however, its basal spacing in contact with waste chlorinated liquids was reduced, leading to cracking. In fact, the basal spacing in contact with the waste chlorinated liquids was closer to that in contact with air than in contact with water. The observation that contact with pure organic liquids did not cause cracking, but contact with chlorinated wastes obtained from the field did, suggests that other components of the waste are critical to the basal spacing reduction process. Screening experiments indicated that the presence of a binary mixture of surfactants, a nonionic and an anionic surfactant, in the chlorinated solvent were necessary to cause the cracking at the same rate and magnitude as the chlorinated wastes obtained from the field. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy measurements suggest that the mixture alters the adsorbed water OH-bending band, implying a displacement of adsorbed water. Coupling these results with sorption and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, a hypothesis of component conformation in the clay interlayer space that leads to cracking can be constructed.

Chemical digestion of low level nuclear solid waste material

DOEpatents

Cooley, Carl R.; Lerch, Ronald E.

1976-01-01

A chemical digestion for treatment of low level combustible nuclear solid waste material is provided and comprises reacting the solid waste material with concentrated sulfuric acid at a temperature within the range of 230.degree.-300.degree.C and simultaneously and/or thereafter contacting the reacting mixture with concentrated nitric acid or nitrogen dioxide. In a special embodiment spent ion exchange resins are converted by this chemical digestion to noncombustible gases and a low volume noncombustible residue.

Immobilization of iodine in concrete

DOEpatents

Clark, Walter E.; Thompson, Clarence T.

1977-04-12

A method for immobilizing fission product radioactive iodine recovered from irradiated nuclear fuel comprises combining material comprising water, Portland cement and about 3-20 wt. % iodine as Ba(IO.sub.3).sub.2 to provide a fluid mixture and allowing the fluid mixture to harden, said Ba(IO.sub.3).sub.2 comprising said radioactive iodine. An article for solid waste disposal comprises concrete prepared by this method. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention was made in the course of, or under a contract with the Energy Research and Development Administration. It relates in general to reactor waste solidification and more specifically to the immobilization of fission product radioactive iodine recovered from irradiated nuclear fuel for underground storage.

Waste plastics as supplemental fuel in the blast furnace process: improving combustion efficiencies.

PubMed

Kim, Dongsu; Shin, Sunghye; Sohn, Seungman; Choi, Jinshik; Ban, Bongchan

2002-10-14

The possibility of using waste plastics as a source of secondary fuel in a blast furnace has been of recent interest. The success of this process, however, will be critically dependent upon the optimization of operating systems. For instance, the supply of waste plastics must be reliable as well as economically attractive compared with conventional secondary fuels such as heavy oil, natural gas and pulverized coal. In this work, we put special importance on the improvement of the combustibility of waste plastics as a way to enhance energy efficiency in a blast furnace. As experimental variables to approach this target, the effects of plastic particle size, blast temperature, and the level of oxygen enrichment were investigated using a custom-made blast model designed to simulate a real furnace. Lastly, the combustion efficiency of the mixture of waste plastics and pulverized coal was tested. The observations made from these experiments led us to the conclusion that with the increase of both blast temperature and the level of oxygen enrichment, and with a decrease in particle size, the combustibility of waste polyethylene could be improved at a given distance from the tuyere. Also it was found that the efficiency of coal combustion decreased with the addition of plastics; however, the combustion efficiency of mixture could be comparable at a longer distance from the tuyere.

Honeybees Learn Odour Mixtures via a Selection of Key Odorants

PubMed Central

Reinhard, Judith; Sinclair, Michael; Srinivasan, Mandyam V.; Claudianos, Charles

2010-01-01

Background The honeybee has to detect, process and learn numerous complex odours from her natural environment on a daily basis. Most of these odours are floral scents, which are mixtures of dozens of different odorants. To date, it is still unclear how the bee brain unravels the complex information contained in scent mixtures. Methodology/Principal Findings This study investigates learning of complex odour mixtures in honeybees using a simple olfactory conditioning procedure, the Proboscis-Extension-Reflex (PER) paradigm. Restrained honeybees were trained to three scent mixtures composed of 14 floral odorants each, and then tested with the individual odorants of each mixture. Bees did not respond to all odorants of a mixture equally: They responded well to a selection of key odorants, which were unique for each of the three scent mixtures. Bees showed less or very little response to the other odorants of the mixtures. The bees' response to mixtures composed of only the key odorants was as good as to the original mixtures of 14 odorants. A mixture composed of the other, non-key-odorants elicited a significantly lower response. Neither an odorant's volatility or molecular structure, nor learning efficiencies for individual odorants affected whether an odorant became a key odorant for a particular mixture. Odorant concentration had a positive effect, with odorants at high concentration likely to become key odorants. Conclusions/Significance Our study suggests that the brain processes complex scent mixtures by predominantly learning information from selected key odorants. Our observations on key odorant learning lend significant support to previous work on olfactory learning and mixture processing in honeybees. PMID:20161714

A summary description of the flammable gas tank safety program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, G.D.; Sherwood, D.J.

1994-10-01

Radioactive liquid waste may produce hydrogen as result of the interaction of gamma radiation and water. If the waste contains organic chelating agents, additional hydrogen as well as nitrous oxide and ammonia may be produced by thermal and radiolytic decomposition of these organics. Several high-level radioactive liquid waste storage tanks, located underground at the Hanford Site in Washington State, are on a Flammable Gas Watch List. Some contain waste that produces and retains gases until large quantities of gas are released rapidly to the tank vapor space. Tanks nearly-filled to capacity have relatively little vapor space; therefore if the wastemore » suddenly releases a large amount of hydrogen and nitrous oxide, a flammable gas mixture could result. The most notable example of a Hanford waste tank with a flammable gas problem is tank 241-SY-101. Upon occasion waste stored in this tank has released enough flammable gas to burn if an ignition source had been present inside of the tank. Several, other Hanford waste tanks exhibit similar behavior although to a lesser magnitude. Because this behavior was hot adequately-addressed in safety analysis reports for the Hanford Tank Farms, an unreviewed safety question was declared, and in 1990 the Flammable Gas Tank Safety Program was established to address this problem. The purposes of the program are a follows: (1) Provide safety documents to fill gaps in the safety analysis reports, and (2) Resolve the safety issue by acquiring knowledge about gas retention and release from radioactive liquid waste and developing mitigation technology. This document provides the general logic and work activities required to resolve the unreviewed safety question and the safety issue of flammable gas mixtures in radioactive liquid waste storage tanks.« less

Correlation between acute toxicity for Daphnia magna, Aliivibrio fischeri and physicochemical variables of the leachate produced in landfill simulator reactors.

PubMed

Barrios Restrepo, José J; Flohr, Letícia; Melegari, Silvia P; da Costa, Cristina H; Fuzinatto, Cristiane F; de Castilhos, Armando B; Matias, William G

2017-11-01

Due to the diversified nature of municipal solid waste and the different stages of its decomposition, the formed leachates result in a complex chemical mixture with toxic potential. These chemicals can cause environmental problems, such as the contamination of surface or groundwater, thus affecting the balance of aquatic ecosystems. The aim of our study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of leachates in Daphnia magna and Aliivibrio fischeri and to identify the main physicochemical variables that influence the toxicity of the landfill leachates produced in reactors within pilot simulations. Acute toxicity tests carried out on D. magna and A. fischeri showed that the leachates produced inside the reactors are highly toxic, presenting EC50 48h  < 1% for D. magna and EC50 15min  < 12% for A. fischeri. This result indicates that microcrustaceans are more sensitive to leachates, making them more suitable to our study. Pb showed the highest correlation with EC50 48h , suggesting that Pb is the main chemical variable indicative of toxicity for the conditions of the experiment. In smaller scale, phosphate (PO 4 3- ) and nitrate (NO 3- ) were the macronutrients that most influenced the toxicity. Clearly, this correlation should be viewed with caution because the synergistic effects of this complex mixture are difficult to observe.

Detection of potential genetic hazards in complex environmental mixtures using plant cytogenetics and microbial mutagenesis assays. [Arsenic-contaminated groundwater and power plant fly ash extract

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Constantin, M J; Lowe, K; Rao, T K

1980-01-01

Solid wastes have been characterized to determine their potential hazards to humans and the environment. An arsenic-contaminated ground water sample increased the frequency of histidine revertants in Salmonella typhimurium (TA-98) at 0.025 to 5.000 ..mu..l per plate with Aroclor-induced S-9 liver microsomes. When 2.5 to 75 ..mu..l of the XAD-2 concentrate (12.5-fold, v:v) were used, the mutant frequency was increased in strains TA-98, TA-100, and TA-1537; metabolic activation was not required. Only the XAD-2 concentrate was mutagenic in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid strain XL-7-10B; metabolic activation was not required. The mutagenic principal, which is not known, appears to be atmore » the limit of resolution; hence, the XAD-2 concentration is necessary to demonstrate mutagenic activity. The arsenic-contaminated ground water (0.0625 and 0.125 dilutions) and the power plant fly ash extract (undiluted) increased the frequency of bridges and fragements at anaphase in root tip cells of Hordeum. The fly ash sample was negative in the microbial assays. Results emphasize (1) the need for a battery of assays with different organisms and (2) the potential of a simple assay using plant root tip cells to detect mutagenic activity in complex environmental mixtures.« less

Applicability study of classical and contemporary models for effective complex permittivity of metal powders.

PubMed

Kiley, Erin M; Yakovlev, Vadim V; Ishizaki, Kotaro; Vaucher, Sebastien

2012-01-01

Microwave thermal processing of metal powders has recently been a topic of a substantial interest; however, experimental data on the physical properties of mixtures involving metal particles are often unavailable. In this paper, we perform a systematic analysis of classical and contemporary models of complex permittivity of mixtures and discuss the use of these models for determining effective permittivity of dielectric matrices with metal inclusions. Results from various mixture and core-shell mixture models are compared to experimental data for a titanium/stearic acid mixture and a boron nitride/graphite mixture (both obtained through the original measurements), and for a tungsten/Teflon mixture (from literature). We find that for certain experiments, the average error in determining the effective complex permittivity using Lichtenecker's, Maxwell Garnett's, Bruggeman's, Buchelnikov's, and Ignatenko's models is about 10%. This suggests that, for multiphysics computer models describing the processing of metal powder in the full temperature range, input data on effective complex permittivity obtained from direct measurement has, up to now, no substitute.

Investigation of thermal and optical properties of some quartet mixed hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumuş, Mustafa

2017-11-01

In this study, the thermal and optical properties of quartet mixtures formed at different weight ratios (1:1:1:1 and 1.5:1:1:1) from liquid crystals 4-octyloxy-4‧-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB), 4-hexylbenzoic acid, 4-(octyloxy)benzoic acid and 4-(decyloxy)benzoic acid were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized optic microscopy (POM). The phase transition temperatures of the novel quartet mixtures measured in the DSC experiments are in line with the POM experiments. The experimental results clearly show that the novel liquid crystal mixtures have displayed pure liquid crystalline properties. According to the phase diagram drawn from DSC results, the nematic range of the novel mixture at the eutectic point is larger than the nematic ranges of the components. The mesomorphic structures of produced homolog complex mixtures are found to be smectic and nematic phases. But the smectic phase cannot be observed in the novel complex 1.5:1:1:1 mixture during continuous cooling. The nematic range of the novel complex 1.5:1:1:1 mixture is bigger than the nematic range of the novel complex 1:1:1:1 mixture with increasing 8OCB. Also, the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature decreases with increasing the weight ratio of 8OCB in the complex quartet mixture. Another interesting result is that the produced mixtures are to be like a medical cream at room temperatures. Furthermore, order parameter and thermal stability factor of the transitions are also calculated.

Cytogenetic effects of leachates from tannery solid waste on the somatic cells of Vicia faba.

PubMed

Chandra, Saurabh; Chauhan, L K S; Pande, P N; Gupta, S K

2004-04-01

The contamination of surface- and groundwater by the leaching of solid wastes generated by industrial activities as a result of water runoff and rainfall is a matter of great concern. The leachates from tannery solid waste (TSW), a major environmental pollutant, were examined for their possible genotoxic effects on the somatic cells of Vicia faba. Leachates were prepared from solid wastes procured from leather-tanning industrial sites, and V. faba seedlings were exposed to three test concentrations, 2.5%, 5%, and 10%, through soil and aqueous media for 5 days. The root tips examined for cytogenetic damage revealed that leachate of TSW significantly inhibited the mitotic index and induced significantly frequent chromosomal and mitotic aberrations (CA/MA) in a dose-dependent manner. The chemical analysis of TSW samples revealed that the chief constituents were chromium and nickel, which may cause genetic abnormalities. The frequency of aberrations was found to be higher in the root meristematic cells of Vicia faba exposed through the aqueous medium than those exposed through the soil medium. The results of the present study indicated that contamination of potable water bodies by leachates of TSW may cause genotoxicity. For the biomonitoring of complex mixtures of toxicants with the V. faba bioassay, the use of the aqueous medium seems to be a more promising method than the use of the soil medium. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 129-133, 2004.

Conversion of radioactive ferrocyanide compounds to immobile glasses

DOEpatents

Schulz, W.W.; Dressen, A.L.

1975-11-21

A method is described for converting complex radioactive ferrocyanide compounds of /sup 134/Cs and /sup 137/Cs to immobile glass that is resistant to leaching by water. The /sup 134/Cs and /sup 137/Cs are separated from nuclear waste solutions by precipitation from alkaline solutions by the addition of a soluble Ni/sup 2 +/, Zn/sup 2 +/, Cu/sup 2 +/, Co/sup 2 +/, UO/sub 2//sup 2 +/, or Mn/sup 2 +/ and K/sub 4/Fe(CN)/sub 6/. The dried, finely ground precipitate is mixed with Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ and a mixture of (a) basalt and B/sub 2/O/sub 3/ or (b) SiO/sub 2/ and CaO, melted, and allowed to solidify. (BLM)

Emission of methane and carbon dioxide and earthworm survival during composting of pharmaceutical sludge and spent mycelia.

PubMed

Majumdar, Deepanjan; Patel, Jigisha; Bhatt, Neha; Desai, Priyanka

2006-03-01

Emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from spent mycelia of the mold Penicilium notatum and sludge from the effluent treatment facility (ETPS) of a pharmaceutical industry were estimated twice during a two-week composting before vermicomposting. These wastes are dumped in landfills or sometimes used in agricultural fields and no reports are available on their greenhouse gas producing potentials. The solid wastes contained appreciable organic carbon and nitrogen while very high Fe, Mn and Zn were found in ETPS only. Pure wastes did not support germination of Vigna radiata L. while mixing soil with ETPS and spent mycelia at the ratios of 12:1 and 14:1 led to 80% and 50% germination, respectively. The wastes were mixed with cowdung at the ratios of 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1 for composting. Carbon dioxide emissions were always significantly higher than CH4 emissions from all the treatments due to prevalence of aerobic condition during composting. From some treatments, CH4 emissions increased with time, indicating increasing activity of anaerobic bacteria in the waste mixtures. Methane emissions ranged from 21.6 to 231.7 microg m(-2) day(-1) while CO2 emissions were greater than thousand times at 39.8-894.8 mg m(-2) day(-1). The amount of C emitted as CH4-C and CO2-C from ranged from 0.007% to 0.081% of total C composted. Cowdung emitted highest CH4 followed by spent mycelia and ETPS while ETPS emitted more CO2 than spent mycelia but lesser than cowdung. Global warming potential of emitted CH4 was found to be in the range of 10.6-27.7 mg-CO2-equivalent on a 20-year time horizon. The results suggest that pharmaceutical wastes can be an important source of CH4 and CO2 during composting or any other stockpiling under suitable moisture conditions. The waste mixtures were found not suitable for vermicomposting after two weeks composting and earthworms did not survive long in the mixtures.

Evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex organic chemical mixtures: lessons learned from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and petroleum hydrocarbon case studies.

PubMed

Landrum, Peter F; Chapman, Peter M; Neff, Jerry; Page, David S

2012-04-01

Experimental designs for evaluating complex mixture toxicity in aquatic environments can be highly variable and, if not appropriate, can produce and have produced data that are difficult or impossible to interpret accurately. We build on and synthesize recent critical reviews of mixture toxicity using lessons learned from 4 case studies, ranging from binary to more complex mixtures of primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons, to provide guidance for evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex mixtures of organic chemicals. Two fundamental requirements include establishing a dose-response relationship and determining the causative agent (or agents) of any observed toxicity. Meeting these 2 requirements involves ensuring appropriate exposure conditions and measurement endpoints, considering modifying factors (e.g., test conditions, test organism life stages and feeding behavior, chemical transformations, mixture dilutions, sorbing phases), and correctly interpreting dose-response relationships. Specific recommendations are provided. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Treatment of electronic waste to recover metal values using thermal plasma coupled with acid leaching - A response surface modeling approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rath, Swagat S., E-mail: swagat.rath@gmail.com; Nayak, Pradeep; Mukherjee, P.S.

2012-03-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sentences/phrases were modified. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Necessary discussions for different figures were included. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer More discussion have been included on the flue gas analysis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Queries to both the reviewers have been given. - Abstract: The global crisis of the hazardous electronic waste (E-waste) is on the rise due to increasing usage and disposal of electronic devices. A process was developed to treat E-waste in an environmentally benign process. The process consisted of thermal plasma treatment followed by recovery of metal values through mineral acid leaching. In the thermal process, the E-waste was melted to recover the metal values asmore » a metallic mixture. The metallic mixture was subjected to acid leaching in presence of depolarizer. The leached liquor mainly contained copper as the other elements like Al and Fe were mostly in alloy form as per the XRD and phase diagram studies. Response surface model was used to optimize the conditions for leaching. More than 90% leaching efficiency at room temperature was observed for Cu, Ni and Co with HCl as the solvent, whereas Fe and Al showed less than 40% efficiency.« less

An approach to the usage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste as roadway pavement material.

PubMed

Gürü, Metin; Çubuk, M Kürşat; Arslan, Deniz; Farzanian, S Ali; Bilici, İbrahim

2014-08-30

This study investigates an application area for Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle waste which has become an environmental problem in recent decades as being a considerable part of the total plastic waste bulk. Two novel additive materials, namely Thin Liquid Polyol PET (TLPP) and Viscous Polyol PET (VPP), were chemically derived from waste PET bottles and used to modify the base asphalt separately for this aim. The effects of TLPP and VPP on the asphalt and hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixture properties were detected through conventional tests (Penetration, Softening Point, Ductility, Marshall Stability, Nicholson Stripping) and Superpave methods (Rotational Viscosity, Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR)). Also, chemical structures were described by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques. Since TLPP and VPP were determined to improve the low temperature performance and fatigue resistance of the asphalt as well as the Marshall Stability and stripping resistance of the HMA mixtures based on the results of the applied tests, the usage of PET waste as an asphalt roadway pavement material offers an alternative and a beneficial way of disposal of this ecologically hazardous material. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genotoxicity reduction in bagasse waste of sugar industry by earthworm technology.

PubMed

Bhat, Sartaj Ahmad; Singh, Jaswinder; Vig, Adarsh Pal

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the genotoxicity reduction in post vermicompost feed mixtures of bagasse (B) waste using earthworm Eisenia fetida. The genotoxicity of bagasse waste was determined by using Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay. Bagasse was amended with cattle dung in different proportions [0:100 (B0) 25:75 (B25), 50:50 (B50), 75:25 (B75) and 100:0 (B100)] on dry weight basis. Genotoxic effects of initial and post vermicompost bagasse extracts were analysed on the root tips cells of Allium cepa. Root length and mitotic index (MI) was found to be increased in post vermicompost extracts when compared to initial bagasse waste. The maximum percent increase of root length was observed in the B50 bagasse extract (96.60 %) and the maximum MI was observed in B100 mixture (14.20 ± 0.60) 6 h treatment which was similar to the control. Genotoxicity analysis of post vermicompost extracts of bagasse revealed a 21-44 % decline in the aberration frequencies and the maximum reduction was found in B75 extract (44.50 %). The increase in root length and mitotic index, as well as decrease in chromosomal aberrations indicates that E. fetida has the ability to reduce the genotoxicity of the bagasse waste.

Reuse of waste materials as growing media for ornamental plants.

PubMed

Hernández-Apaolaza, Lourdes; Gascó, Antonio M; Gascó, José M; Guerrero, Francisca

2005-01-01

The use of different waste materials: pine bark, coconut fibre and sewage sludge as substrates in the production of ornamental plants was studied, with an special interest on the suitability of coconut fibre as growing substrate for conifer plants. The plant species tested were Pinus pinea, Cupressus arizonica and C. sempervirens and the substrate mixtures were: (1) pine bark, (2) pine bark with 15% of sewage sludge compost, (3) pine bark with 30% of sewage sludge compost, (4) coconut fibre, (5) coconut fibre with 15% of sewage sludge compost and (6) coconut fibre with 30% of sewage sludge compost. Substrates were physically and chemically well characterized, and 75-cm plants were grown on them for one year. Plant and substrate status were periodically tested along the experiment. As biosolid recycling is the main objective of the present work, the mixtures with 30% of composted sewage sludge will be the most convenient substrate to use. For C. sempervirens and C. arizonica, a mixture between pine bark or coconut fibre and 30% of biosolid compost in volume gave the best results, but the lower cost of the pine bark than the coconut fibre substrate indicated the use of the PB+30% CSS. For P. pinea the research of new combinations between waste products is recommended to attain better results.

Use of cement-fly ash-based stabilization techniques for the treatment of waste containing aromatic contaminants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banaszkiewicz, Kamil; Marcinkowski, Tadeusz

2017-11-01

Research on evaluation of evaporation rate of volatile organic compounds from soil beds during processing is presented. For the experiment, soil samples were prepared with the same amounts of benzene and stabilized using a mixture of CEMI 42.5R cement and fly ash from pit-coal combustion. Solidification of soils contaminated with BTEX hydrocarbons using hydraulic binders involves a risk of releasing vapours of these compounds during homogenization of waste with stabilizing mixture introduced and its dilution with water. The primary purposes of the research were: analysis of benzene volume emitted from soil during stabilization/solidification process and characterization of factors that may negatively affect the quality of measurements/the course of stabilization process. Analysis of benzene emission intensity during the process was based on concentration (C6H6) values, recorded with flame-ionization detector above the surface of reacting mixture. At the same time, gaseous contaminants emitted during waste stabilization were passed through pipes filled with activated carbon (SCK, Anasorb CSC). Benzene vapours adsorbed on activated carbon were subjected to analysis using gas chromatograph Varian 450-GC. Evaporation characteristics of benzene during processing contaminated soils revealed the stages creating the highest danger to workers' health, as well as a need for actions connected with modification of technological line.

A compost bin for handling privy wastes: its fabrication and use

Treesearch

R.E. Leonard; S.C. Fay

1978-01-01

A 24-ft3 (6.8-m3) fiberglass bin was constructed and tested for its effectiveness in composting privy wastes. A mixture of ground hardwood bark and raw sewage was used for composting. Temperatures in excess of 60°C for 36 hours were produced in the bin by aerobic, thermophilic composting. This temperature is...

Analysis of Cement-Based Pastes Mixed with Waste Tire Rubber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sola, O. C.; Ozyazgan, C.; Sayin, B.

2017-03-01

Using the methods of thermal gravimetry, differential thermal analysis, Furier transform infrared analysis, and capillary absorption, the properties of a cement composite produced by introducing waste tyre rubber into a cement mixture were investigated. It was found that the composite filled with the rubber had a much lower water absorption ability than the unfilled one.

Biodiesel production by combined fatty acids separation and subsequently enzymatic esterification to improve the low temperature properties.

PubMed

Wang, Meng; Nie, Kaili; Cao, Hao; Deng, Li; Wang, Fang; Tan, Tianwei

2014-12-01

The poor low-temperature properties of biodiesel, which provokes easy crystallization at low temperature, can cause fuel line plugging and limits its blending amount with petro-diesel. This work aimed to study the production of biodiesel with a new process of improving the low temperature performance of biodiesel. Waste cooking oil was first hydrolyzed into fatty acids (FAs) by 60g immobilized lipase and 240g RO water in 15h. Then, urea complexation was used to divide the FAs into saturated and unsaturated components. The conditions for complexation were: FA-to-urea ratio 1:2 (w/w), methanol to FA ratio 5:1 (v/v), duration 2h. The saturated and unsaturated FAs were then converted to iso-propyl and methyl esters by lipase, respectively. Finally, the esters were mixed together. The CFPP of this mixture was decreased from 5°C to -3°C. Hydrolysis, urea complexation and enzymic catalyzed esterification processes are discussed in this paper. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-step colloidal quantum dot films for infrared solar harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiani, Amirreza; Sutherland, Brandon R.; Kim, Younghoon; Ouellette, Olivier; Levina, Larissa; Walters, Grant; Dinh, Cao-Thang; Liu, Mengxia; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Lan, Xinzheng; Labelle, Andre J.; Ip, Alexander H.; Proppe, Andrew; Ahmed, Ghada H.; Mohammed, Omar F.; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Sargent, Edward H.

2016-10-01

Semiconductors with bandgaps in the near- to mid-infrared can harvest solar light that is otherwise wasted by conventional single-junction solar cell architectures. In particular, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising materials since they are cost-effective, processed from solution, and have a bandgap that can be tuned into the infrared (IR) via the quantum size effect. These characteristics enable them to harvest the infrared portion of the solar spectrum to which silicon is transparent. To date, IR CQD solar cells have been made using a wasteful and complex sequential layer-by-layer process. Here, we demonstrate ˜1 eV bandgap solar-harvesting CQD films deposited in a single step. By engineering a fast-drying solvent mixture for metal iodide-capped CQDs, we deposited active layers greater than 200 nm in thickness having a mean roughness less than 1 nm. We integrated these films into infrared solar cells that are stable in air and exhibit power conversion efficiencies of 3.5% under illumination by the full solar spectrum, and 0.4% through a simulated silicon solar cell filter.

Characterization of Fine Metal Particles Derived from Shredded WEEE Using a Hyperspectral Image System: Preliminary Results

PubMed Central

Candiani, Gabriele; Picone, Nicoletta; Pompilio, Loredana; Pepe, Monica; Colledani, Marcello

2017-01-01

Waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the fastest-growing waste stream in Europe. The large amount of electric and electronic products introduced every year in the market makes WEEE disposal a relevant problem. On the other hand, the high abundance of key metals included in WEEE has increased the industrial interest in WEEE recycling. However, the high variability of materials used to produce electric and electronic equipment makes key metals’ recovery a complex task: the separation process requires flexible systems, which are not currently implemented in recycling plants. In this context, hyperspectral sensors and imaging systems represent a suitable technology to improve WEEE recycling rates and the quality of the output products. This work introduces the preliminary tests using a hyperspectral system, integrated in an automatic WEEE recycling pilot plant, for the characterization of mixtures of fine particles derived from WEEE shredding. Several combinations of classification algorithms and techniques for signal enhancement of reflectance spectra were implemented and compared. The methodology introduced in this study has shown characterization accuracies greater than 95%. PMID:28505070

Continuous Ethanol Fermentation of Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomasses, Waste Biomasses, Molasses and Syrup Using the Anaerobic, Thermophilic Bacterium Thermoanaerobacter italicus Pentocrobe 411

PubMed Central

Andersen, Rasmus Lund; Jensen, Karen Møller; Mikkelsen, Marie Just

2015-01-01

Lignocellosic ethanol production is now at a stage where commercial or semi-commercial plants are coming online and, provided cost effective production can be achieved, lignocellulosic ethanol will become an important part of the world bio economy. However, challenges are still to be overcome throughout the process and particularly for the fermentation of the complex sugar mixtures resulting from the hydrolysis of hemicellulose. Here we describe the continuous fermentation of glucose, xylose and arabinose from non-detoxified pretreated wheat straw, birch, corn cob, sugar cane bagasse, cardboard, mixed bio waste, oil palm empty fruit bunch and frond, sugar cane syrup and sugar cane molasses using the anaerobic, thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter Pentocrobe 411. All fermentations resulted in close to maximum theoretical ethanol yields of 0.47–0.49 g/g (based on glucose, xylose, and arabinose), volumetric ethanol productivities of 1.2–2.7 g/L/h and a total sugar conversion of 90–99% including glucose, xylose and arabinose. The results solidify the potential of Thermoanaerobacter strains as candidates for lignocellulose bioconversion. PMID:26295944

Advances in Glass Formulations for Hanford High-Aluminum, High-Iron and Enhanced Sulphate Management in HLW Streams - 13000

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kruger, Albert A.

2013-07-01

The current estimates and glass formulation efforts have been conservative in terms of achievable waste loadings. These formulations have been specified to ensure that the glasses are homogenous, contain essentially no crystalline phases, are processable in joule-heated, ceramic-lined melters and meet Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Contract terms. The WTP's overall mission will require the immobilization of tank waste compositions that are dominated by mixtures of aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), bismuth (Bi), iron (Fe), phosphorous (P), zirconium (Zr), and sulphur (S) compounds as waste-limiting components. Glass compositions for these waste mixtures have been developed based upon previousmore » experience and current glass property models. Recently, DOE has initiated a testing program to develop and characterize HLW glasses with higher waste loadings and higher throughput efficiencies. Results of this work have demonstrated the feasibility of increases in waste loading from about 25 wt% to 33-50 wt% (based on oxide loading) in the glass depending on the waste stream. In view of the importance of aluminum limited waste streams at Hanford (and also Savannah River), the ability to achieve high waste loadings without adversely impacting melt rates has the potential for enormous cost savings from reductions in canister count and the potential for schedule acceleration. Consequently, the potential return on the investment made in the development of these enhancements is extremely favorable. Glass composition development for one of the latest Hanford HLW projected compositions with sulphate concentrations high enough to limit waste loading have been successfully tested and show tolerance for previously unreported tolerance for sulphate. Though a significant increase in waste loading for high-iron wastes has been achieved, the magnitude of the increase is not as substantial as those achieved for high-aluminum, high-chromium, high-bismuth or sulphur. Waste processing rate increases for high-iron streams as a combined effect of higher waste loadings and higher melt rates resulting from new formulations have been achieved. (author)« less

Advances in Glass Formulations for Hanford High-Alumimum, High-Iron and Enhanced Sulphate Management in HLW Streams - 13000

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kruger, Albert A.

2013-01-16

The current estimates and glass formulation efforts have been conservative in terms of achievable waste loadings. These formulations have been specified to ensure that the glasses are homogenous, contain essentially no crystalline phases, are processable in joule-heated, ceramic-lined melters and meet Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Contract terms. The WTP?s overall mission will require the immobilization of tank waste compositions that are dominated by mixtures of aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), bismuth (Bi), iron (Fe), phosphorous (P), zirconium (Zr), and sulphur (S) compounds as waste-limiting components. Glass compositions for these waste mixtures have been developed based upon previousmore » experience and current glass property models. Recently, DOE has initiated a testing program to develop and characterize HLW glasses with higher waste loadings and higher throughput efficiencies. Results of this work have demonstrated the feasibility of increases in waste loading from about 25 wt% to 33-50 wt% (based on oxide loading) in the glass depending on the waste stream. In view of the importance of aluminum limited waste streams at Hanford (and also Savannah River), the ability to achieve high waste loadings without adversely impacting melt rates has the potential for enormous cost savings from reductions in canister count and the potential for schedule acceleration. Consequently, the potential return on the investment made in the development of these enhancements is extremely favorable. Glass composition development for one of the latest Hanford HLW projected compositions with sulphate concentrations high enough to limit waste loading have been successfully tested and show tolerance for previously unreported tolerance for sulphate. Though a significant increase in waste loading for high-iron wastes has been achieved, the magnitude of the increase is not as substantial as those achieved for high-aluminum, high-chromium, high-bismuth or sulphur. Waste processing rate increases for high-iron streams as a combined effect of higher waste loadings and higher melt rates resulting from new formulations have been achieved.« less

Optimization of marine waste based-growth media for microbial lipase production using mixture design methodology.

PubMed

Sellami, Mohamed; Kedachi, Samiha; Frikha, Fakher; Miled, Nabil; Ben Rebah, Faouzi

2013-01-01

Lipase production by Staphylococcus xylosus and Rhizopus oryzae was investigated using a culture medium based on a mixture of synthetic medium and supernatants generated from tuna by-products and Ulva rigida biomass. The proportion of the three medium components was optimized using the simplex-centroid mixture design method (SCMD). Results indicated that the experimental data were in good agreement with predicted values, indicating that SCMD was a reliable method for determining the optimum mixture proportion of the growth medium. Maximal lipase activities of 12.5 and 23.5 IU/mL were obtained with a 50:50 (v:v) mixture of synthetic medium and tuna by-product supernatant for Staphylococcus xylosus and Rhizopus oryzae, respectively. The predicted responses from these mixture proportions were also validated experimentally.

Life cycle assessment modelling of waste-to-energy incineration in Spain and Portugal.

PubMed

Margallo, M; Aldaco, R; Irabien, A; Carrillo, V; Fischer, M; Bala, A; Fullana, P

2014-06-01

In recent years, waste management systems have been evaluated using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. A main shortcoming of prior studies was the focus on a mixture of waste with different characteristics. The estimation of emissions and consumptions associated with each waste fraction in these studies presented allocation problems. Waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration is a clear example in which municipal solid waste (MSW), comprising many types of materials, is processed to produce several outputs. This paper investigates an approach to better understand incineration processes in Spain and Portugal by applying a multi-input/output allocation model. The application of this model enabled predictions of WTE inputs and outputs, including the consumption of ancillary materials and combustibles, air emissions, solid wastes, and the energy produced during the combustion of each waste fraction. © The Author(s) 2014.

Effect of fermentation time of mixture of solid and liquid wastes from tapioca industry to percentage reduction of TSS (Total Suspended Solids)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandia, S.; Tanata, S.; Rachel, M.; Octiva, C.; Sialagan, N.

2018-02-01

The waste from tapioca industry is as an organic waste that contains many important compounds such as carbohydrate, protein, and glucose. This research as aimed to know the effect of fermentation time from solid waste combined with waste-water from the tapioca industry to percentage reduction of TSS. The study was started by mixing the solid and liquid wastes from tapioca industry at a ratio of 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 30:70 (w/w) with a starter from solid waste of cattle in a batch anaerobic digester. The percentage reduction of TSS was 72.2289 at a ratio by weight of the composition of solid and liquid wastes from tapioca industry was 70:30 after 30 days of fermentation time.

Chemical Equilibrium of Aluminate in Hanford Tank Waste Originating from Tanks 241-AN-105 and 241-AP-108

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCoskey, Jacob K.; Cooke, Gary A.; Herting, Daniel L.

The purposes of the study described in this document follow; Determine or estimate the thermodynamic equilibrium of gibbsite in contact with two real tank waste supernatant liquids through both dissolution of gibbsite (bottom-up approach) and precipitation of aluminum-bearing solids (top-down approach); determine or estimate the thermodynamic equilibrium of a mixture of gibbsite and real tank waste saltcake in contact with real tank waste supernatant liquid through both dissolution of gibbsite and precipitation of aluminum-bearing solids; and characterize the solids present after equilibrium and precipitation of aluminum-bearing solids.

Crystal accumulation in the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant high level waste melter: Summary of 2017 experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fox, K.; Fowley, M.

A full-scale, transparent mock-up of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Project High Level Waste glass melter riser and pour spout has been constructed to allow for testing with visual feedback of particle settling, accumulation, and resuspension when operating with a controlled fraction of crystals in the glass melt. Room temperature operation with silicone oil and magnetite particles simulating molten glass and spinel crystals, respectively, allows for direct observation of flow patterns and settling patterns. The fluid and particle mixture is recycled within the system for each test.

COMPONENT-BASED AND WHOLE-MIXTURE ASSESSMENTS IN ADDRESSING THE UNIDENTIFIED FRACTION OF COMPLEX MIXTURES: DRINKING WATER AS AN EXAMPLE

EPA Science Inventory

Component-Based and Whole-Mixtures Assessments in Addressing the Unidentified Fraction of Complex Mixtures: Drinking Water as an Example

J. E. Simmons; L. K. Teuschler; C. Gennings; T. F. Speth; S. D. Richardson; R. J. Miltner; M. G. Narotsky; K. D. Schenck; G. Rice

Liquid class predictor for liquid handling of complex mixtures

DOEpatents

Seglke, Brent W [San Ramon, CA; Lekin, Timothy P [Livermore, CA

2008-12-09

A method of establishing liquid classes of complex mixtures for liquid handling equipment. The mixtures are composed of components and the equipment has equipment parameters. The first step comprises preparing a response curve for the components. The next step comprises using the response curve to prepare a response indicator for the mixtures. The next step comprises deriving a model that relates the components and the mixtures to establish the liquid classes.

Determination of chemical speciations of cerium in nuclear waste glasses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gong, Meiling; Li, Hong

1996-12-31

Cerium oxides have been widely used as a surrogate for plutonium in the investigation of the melt and durability behavior of simulated nuclear waste glasses. It is well known that there is a cerous-ceric equilibrium in silicate glasses under normal melting conditions. The position of this equilibrium depends on glass composition, melting temperature, furnace atmosphere, and possibly the total amounts of cerium in glass. The oxidation state of cerium affects total solubility of cerium in glass, solubilities of other components in glass, viscosities and liquidus temperatures of the melts, and the chemical durability of the glasses. A procedure was developedmore » for the determination of the ceric and cerous distribution. The glass was ground to small particles of less than 300 meshes and was dissolved in mixture of HF and H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}. The ceric oxide was graduately reduced to cerous species in the presence of HF acid during the dissolution. To compensate the change of the equilibrium during the dissolution, a calibration curve is made with a mixture of standard solution of ceric sulphate and one gram of glass of the same composition containing no cerium. Boric acid was added to complex the fluoride ions, and the resultant solution was titrated potentiometrically with 0.01 N ferrous ammonium sulphate solution. The corrected ceric concentration was obtained on the calibration curve. The total cerium content in the above solution was analyzed using ICP-AES and the cerous content was the difference between the total Ce and Ce(+4).« less

Thermal - Hydraulic Behavior of Unsaturated Bentonite and Sand-Bentonite Material as Seal for Nuclear Waste Repository: Numerical Simulation of Column Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballarini, E.; Graupner, B.; Bauer, S.

2015-12-01

For deep geological repositories of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW), bentonite and sand bentonite mixtures are investigated as buffer materials to form a a sealing layer. This sealing layer surrounds the canisters and experiences an initial drying due to the heat produced by HLRW and a successive re-saturation with fluid from the host rock. These complex thermal, hydraulic and mechanical processes interact and were investigated in laboratory column experiments using MX-80 clay pellets as well as a mixture of 35% sand and 65% bentonite. The aim of this study is to both understand the individual processes taking place in the buffer materials and to identify the key physical parameters that determine the material behavior under heating and hydrating conditions. For this end, detailed and process-oriented numerical modelling was applied to the experiments, simulating heat transport, multiphase flow and mechanical effects from swelling. For both columns, the same set of parameters was assigned to the experimental set-up (i.e. insulation, heater and hydration system), while the parameters of the buffer material were adapted during model calibration. A good fit between model results and data was achieved for temperature, relative humidity, water intake and swelling pressure, thus explaining the material behavior. The key variables identified by the model are the permeability and relative permeability, the water retention curve and the thermal conductivity of the buffer material. The different hydraulic and thermal behavior of the two buffer materials observed in the laboratory observations was well reproduced by the numerical model.

Assessment of co-composting process with high load of an inorganic industrial waste.

PubMed

Soares, Micaela A R; Quina, Margarida J; Reis, Marco S; Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the co-composting of an inorganic industrial waste (eggshell - ES) in very high levels (up to 60% w/w). Since composting is a process in which solid, liquid and gaseous phases interact in a very complex way, there is a need to shed light on statistical tools that can unravel the main relationships structuring the variability associated to this process. In this study, PCA and data visualisation were used with that purpose. The co-composting tests were designed with increasing quantities of ES (0, 10, 20, 30 and 60%ES w/w) mixed with industrial potato peel and rice husks. Principal component analysis showed that physical properties like free air space, bulk density and moisture are the most relevant variables for explaining the variability due to ES content. On the other hand, variability in time dynamics is mostly driven by some chemical and phytoxicological parameters, such as organic matter decay and nitrate content. Higher ES incorporation (60% ES) enhanced the initial biological activity of the mixture, but the higher bulk density and lower water holding capacity had a negative effect on the aerobic biological activity as the process evolved. Nevertheless, pathogen-killing temperatures (>70°C for 11h) were attained. All the final products obtained after 90days were stable and non-phytotoxic. This work proved that valorisation of high amounts of eggshell by co-composting is feasible, but prone to be influenced by the physical properties of the mixtures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory determination of migration of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite-sand mixtures as buffer/backfill material for high-level waste disposal.

PubMed

Zhou, Lang; Zhang, Huyuan; Yan, Ming; Chen, Hang; Zhang, Ming

2013-12-01

For the safety assessment of geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the migration of Eu(III) through compacted bentonite-sand mixtures was measured under expected repository conditions. Under the evaluated conditions, advection and dispersion is the dominant migration mechanism. The role of sorption on the retardation of migration was also evaluated. The hydraulic conductivities of compacted bentonite-sand mixtures were K=2.07×10(-10)-5.23×10(-10)cm/s, The sorption and diffusion of Eu(III) were examined using a flexible wall permeameter for a solute concentration of 2.0×10(-5)mol/l. The effective diffusion coefficients and apparent diffusion coefficients of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite-sand mixtures were in the range of 1.62×10(-12)-4.87×10(-12)m(2)/s, 1.44×10(-14)-9.41×10(-14)m(2)/s, respectively, which has a very important significance to forecast the relationship between migration length of Eu(III) in buffer/backfill material and time and provide a reference for the design of buffer/backfill material for HLW disposal in China. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined removal of a BTEX, TCE, and cis-DCE mixture using Pseudomonas sp. immobilized on scrap tyres.

PubMed

Lu, Qihong; de Toledo, Renata Alves; Xie, Fei; Li, Junhui; Shim, Hojae

2015-09-01

The simultaneous aerobic removal of a mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o,m,p-xylene (BTEX); cis-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE); and trichloroethylene (TCE) from the artificially contaminated water using an indigenous bacterial isolate identified as Pseudomonas plecoglossicida immobilized on waste scrap tyres was investigated. Suspended and immobilized conditions were compared for the removal of these volatile organic compounds. For the immobilized system, toluene, benzene, and ethylbenzene were completely removed, while the highest removal efficiencies of 99.0 ± 0.1, 96.8 ± 0.3, 73.6 ± 2.5, and 61.6 ± 0.9% were obtained for o-xylene, m,p-xylene, TCE, and cis-DCE, respectively. The sorption kinetics of contaminants towards tyre surface was also evaluated, and the sorption capacity generally followed the order of toluene > benzene > m,p-xylene > o-xylene > ethylbenzene > TCE > cis-DCE. Scrap tyres showed a good capability for the simultaneous sorption and bioremoval of BTEX/cis-DCE/TCE mixture, implying a promising waste material for the removal of contaminant mixture from industrial wastewater or contaminated groundwater.

Catalytic and electrochemical behaviour of solid oxide fuel cell operated with simulated-biogas mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang-Long, T.; Quang-Tuyen, T.; Shiratori, Y.

2016-06-01

Being produced from organic matters of wastes (bio-wastes) through a fermentation process, biogas mainly composed of CH4 and CO2 and can be considered as a secondary energy carrier derived from solar energy. To generate electricity from biogas through the electrochemical process in fuel cells is a state-of-the-art technology possessing higher energy conversion efficiency without harmful emissions compared to combustion process in heat engines. Getting benefits from high operating temperature such as direct internal reforming ability and activation of electrochemical reactions to increase overall system efficiency, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system operated with biogas becomes a promising candidate for distributed power generator for rural applications leading to reductions of environmental issues caused by greenhouse effects and bio-wastes. CO2 reforming of CH4 and electrochemical oxidation of the produced syngas (H2-CO mixture) are two main reaction processes within porous anode material of SOFC. Here catalytic and electrochemical behavior of Ni-ScSZ (scandia stabilized-zirconia) anode in the feed of CH4-CO2 mixtures as simulated-biogas at 800 °C were evaluated. The results showed that CO2 had strong influences on both reaction processes. The increase in CO2 partial pressure resulted in the decrease in anode overvoltage, although open-circuit voltage was dropped. Besides that, the simulation result based on a power-law model for equimolar CH4-CO2 mixture revealed that coking hazard could be suppressed along the fuel flow channel in both open-circuit and closed-circuit conditions.

Optimisation of the recovery of carotenoids from tomato processing wastes: application on textile dyeing and assessment of its antioxidant activity.

PubMed

Baaka, Noureddine; El Ksibi, Imen; Mhenni, Mohamed Farouk

2017-01-01

The present study has been focused on the extraction of natural pigments from tomato industry waste. At first, different solvents and solvents mixture were compared to determine which one is the best for extracting carotenoids compounds from tomato by-products. A mixture of hexane and acetone gave the highest carotenoids extraction yield among the others examined. The extraction conditions were optimised using a five-level-five-factor central composite design. Under optimal conditions, solvent solid ratio 90, hexane percentage in the solvent mixture 60, extraction duration 50, number of extractions 4 and extraction temperature 35 °C, the yield of carotenoids was 80.7 μg/g. The coloured extract of tomato by-products was applied on textile fabrics to investigate the dyeing characteristics and antioxidant activities. The results indicate that extract can be applied on textile fabrics (wool, silk and polyamide) to produce coloured clothing with acceptable antioxidant properties.

Fresh and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete with coarse aggregate replacement using Waste of Oil Palm Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prayuda, Hakas; Saleh, Fadillawaty; Ilham Maulana, Taufiq; Monika, Fanny

2018-05-01

Self-compacting Concrete (SCC) is a real innovation that can solidify itself without the help of tools to ease field practice. In its implementation, SCC can use alternative materials to reduce waste, such as Oil Palm Shell (OPS). In this research, OPS used as a replacement of crushed stone as the main coarse aggregate. The concrete mixture used consists of cement, sand, crushed stone, OPS as a variation of aggregate substitutes, palm oil fuel ash, and superplasticizer. OPS used were variated with 0%, 5%, 10%, 25% and 50% of crushed stone aggregate weight with age up to 28 days. Tests were conducted on fresh and mechanical properties. From the results, it is known that replacement of aggregate using OPS meets fresh properties criteria and although the compressive strength of OPS concrete mixture is lower than normal SCC, OPS still can be an alternative in making SCC and reducing palm oil industrial waste.

Mixtures and their risk assessment in toxicology.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Moiz M; Hansen, Hugh; Pohl, Hana R

2011-01-01

For communities generally and for persons living in the vicinity of waste sites specifically, potential exposures to chemical mixtures are genuine concerns. Such concerns often arise from perceptions of a site's higher than anticipated toxicity due to synergistic interactions among chemicals. This chapter outlines some historical approaches to mixtures risk assessment. It also outlines ATSDR's current approach to toxicity risk assessment. The ATSDR's joint toxicity assessment guidance for chemical mixtures addresses interactions among components of chemical mixtures. The guidance recommends a series of steps that include simple calculations for a systematic analysis of data leading to conclusions regarding any hazards chemical mixtures might pose. These conclusions can, in turn, lead to recommendations such as targeted research to fill data gaps, development of new methods using current science, and health education to raise awareness of residents and health care providers. The chapter also provides examples of future trends in chemical mixtures assessment.

Feasibility of composting combinations of sewage sludge, olive mill waste and winery waste in a rotary drum reactor.

PubMed

Fernández, Francisco J; Sánchez-Arias, Virginia; Rodríguez, Lourdes; Villaseñor, José

2010-10-01

Representative samples of the following biowastes typically generated in Castilla La Mancha (Spain) were composted using a pilot-scale closed rotary drum composting reactor provided with adequate control systems: waste from the olive oil industry (olive mill waste; OMW), winery-distillery waste containing basically grape stalk and exhausted grape marc (WDW), and domestic sewage sludge. Composting these biowastes was only successful when using a bulking agent or if sufficient porosity was supported. OMW waste composting was not possible, probably because of its negligible porosity, which likely caused anaerobic conditions. WDW was successfully composted using a mixture of solid wastes generated from the same winery. SS was also successfully composted, although its higher heavy metal content was a limitation. Co-composting was an adequate strategy because the improved mixture characteristics helped to maintain optimal operating conditions. By co-composting, the duration of the thermophilic period increased, the final maturity level improved and OMW was successfully composted. Using the proposed reactor, composting could be accelerated compared to classical outdoor techniques, enabling easy control of the process. Moisture could be easily controlled by wet air feeding and leachate recirculation. Inline outlet gas analysis helped to control aerobic conditions without excessive aeration. The temperature reached high values in a few days, and sufficient thermal requirements for pathogen removal were met. The correct combination of biowastes along with appropriate reactor design would allow composting as a management option for such abundant biowastes in this part of Spain. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

COMPLEX MIXTURES OF CHEMICAL CARCINOGENS: PRINCIPLES OF ACTION AND HUMAN CANCER

EPA Science Inventory

There is strong epidemiological evidence supported by experimental animal data that complex environmental mixtures pose a risk to human health producing increases in cancer incidence. Understanding the chemical and biological properties of these mixtures leads to a clearer unde...

The composting option for human waste disposal in the backcountry

Treesearch

S. C. Fay; R. H. Walke

1977-01-01

The disposal of human waste by composting at backcountry recreation areas is a possible alternative to methods that are considered unsafe. The literature indicates that aerobic, thermophilic composting is a reliable disposal method that can be low in cost and in maintenance. A bark-sewage mixture can be composted to produce a pathogen-free substance that might be used...

Method for removing and decolorizing aqueous waste effluents containing dissolved or dispersed organic matter

DOEpatents

Case, F.N.; Ketchen, E.E.

1975-10-14

A method is provided for treating organic waste material dissolved or dispersed in an aqueous effluent, which comprises contacting the effluent with an inert particulate carbonaceous sorbent at an oxygen pressure up to 2000 psi, irradiating the resultant mixture with high energy radiation until a decolorized liquid is produced, and then separating the decolorized liquid.

Degradation of plant wastes by anaerobic process using rumen bacteria.

PubMed

Seon, J; Creuly, C; Duchez, D; Pons, A; Dussap, C G

2003-01-01

An operational reactor has been designed for the fermentation of a pure culture of Fibrobacter succinogenes with the constraints of strict anaerobic condition. The process is controlled by measurements of pH, redox, temperature and CO2 pressure; it allows an efficient degradation (67%) of lignocellulosic wastes such as a mixture of wheat straw, soya bean cake and green cabbage.

Integrated use of residues from olive mill and winery for lipase production by solid state fermentation with Aspergillus sp.

PubMed

Salgado, José Manuel; Abrunhosa, Luís; Venâncio, Armando; Domínguez, José Manuel; Belo, Isabel

2014-02-01

Two-phase olive mill waste (TPOMW) is presently the major waste produced by the olive mill industry. This waste has potential to be used as substrate for solid state fermentation (SSF) despite of its high concentration of phenolic compounds and low nitrogen content. In this work, it is demonstrated that mixtures of TPOMW with winery wastes support the production of lipase by Aspergillus spp. By agar plate screening, Aspergillus niger MUM 03.58, Aspergillus ibericus MUM 03.49, and Aspergillus uvarum MUM 08.01 were chosen for lipase production by SSF. Plackett-Burman experimental design was employed to evaluate the effect of substrate composition and time on lipase production. The highest amounts of lipase were produced by A. ibericus on a mixture of TPOMW, urea, and exhausted grape mark (EGM). Urea was found to be the most influent factor for the lipase production. Further optimization of lipase production by A. ibericus using a full factorial design (3(2)) conducted to optimal conditions of substrate composition (0.073 g urea/g and 25 % of EGM) achieve 18.67 U/g of lipolytic activity.

Batch anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge and microalgae (Chlorella sorokiniana) at mesophilic temperature.

PubMed

Beltrán, Carolina; Jeison, David; Fermoso, Fernando G; Borja, Rafael

2016-08-23

The microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana are used as co-substrate for waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. The specific objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of improving methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS in co-digestion with this microalga, based on an optimized mixture percentage. Thus, the anaerobic co-digestion of both substrates aims to overcome the drawbacks of the anaerobic digestion of single WAS, simultaneously improving its management. Different co-digestion mixtures (0% WAS-100% microalgae; 25% WAS-75% microalgae; 50% WAS-50% microalgae; 75% WAS-25% microalgae; 100% WAS-0% microalgae) were studied. The highest methane yield (442 mL CH4/g VS) was obtained for the mixture with 75% WAS and 25% microalgae. This value was 22% and 39% higher than that obtained in the anaerobic digestion of the sole substrates WAS and microalgae, respectively, as well as 16% and 25% higher than those obtained for the co-digestion mixtures with 25% WAS and 75% microalgae and 50% WAS and 50% microalgae, respectively. The kinetic constant of the process increased 42%, 42% and 12%, respectively, for the mixtures with 25%, 50% and 75% of WAS compared to the substrate without WAS. Anaerobic digestion of WAS, together with C. sorokiniana, has been clearly improved by ensuring its viability, suitability and efficiency.

Sources and fates of heavy metals in a mining-impacted stream: Temporal variability and the role of iron oxides

PubMed Central

Schaider, Laurel A.; Senn, David B.; Estes, Emily R.; Brabander, Daniel J.; Shine, James P.

2014-01-01

Heavy metal contamination of surface waters at mining sites often involves complex interactions of multiple sources and varying biogeochemical conditions. We compared surface and subsurface metal loading from mine waste pile runoff and mine drainage discharge and characterized the influence of iron oxides on metal fate along a 0.9-km stretch of Tar Creek (Oklahoma, USA), which drains an abandoned Zn/Pb mining area. The importance of each source varied by metal: mine waste pile runoff contributed 70% of Cd, while mine drainage contributed 90% of Pb, and both sources contributed similarly to Zn loading. Subsurface inputs accounted for 40% of flow and 40-70% of metal loading along this stretch. Streambed iron oxide aggregate material contained highly elevated Zn (up to 27,000 μg g−1), Pb (up to 550 μg g−1) and Cd (up to 200 μg g−1) and was characterized as a heterogeneous mixture of iron oxides, fine-grain mine waste, and organic material. Sequential extractions confirmed preferential sequestration of Pb by iron oxides, as well as substantial concentrations of Zn and Cd in iron oxide fractions, with additional accumulation of Zn, Pb, and Cd during downstream transport. Comparisons with historical data show that while metal concentrations in mine drainage have decreased by more than an order of magnitude in recent decades, the chemical composition of mine waste pile runoff has remained relatively constant, indicating less attenuation and increased relative importance of pile runoff. These results highlight the importance of monitoring temporal changes at contaminated sites associated with evolving speciation and simultaneously addressing surface and subsurface contamination from both mine waste piles and mine drainage. PMID:24867708

In-situ stabilization of radioactive zirconium swarf

DOEpatents

Hess, Clay C.

1999-01-01

The method for treating ignitable cutting swarf in accordance with the present invention involves collecting cutting swarf in a casting mold underwater and injecting a binder mixture comprising vinyl ester styrene into the vessel to fill void volume; and form a mixture comprising swarf and vinyl ester styrene; and curing the mixture. The method is especially useful for stabilizing the ignitable characteristics of radioactive zirconium cutting swarf, and can be used to solidify zirconium swarf, or other ignitable finely divided material, underwater. The process could also be performed out of water with other particulate wastes.

Interactions between hydrated cement paste and organic acids: Thermodynamic data and speciation modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Windt, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.dewindt@mines-paristech.fr; Bertron, Alexandra; Larreur-Cayol, Steeves

2015-03-15

Interactions of short-chain organic acids with hydrated cement phases affect structure durability in the agro-food and nuclear waste industries but can also be used to modify cement properties. Most previous studies have been experimental, performed at fixed concentrations and pH, without quantitatively discriminating among polyacidity effects, or complexation and salt precipitation processes. This paper addresses such issues by thermodynamic equilibrium calculations for acetic, citric, oxalic, succinic acids and a simplified hydrated CEM-I. The thermodynamic constants collected from the literature allow the speciation to be modeled over a wide range of pH and concentrations. Citric and oxalic had a stronger chelatingmore » effect than acetic acid, while succinic acid was intermediate. Similarly, Ca-citrate and Ca-oxalate salts were more insoluble than Ca-acetate and Ca-succinate salts. Regarding aluminium complexation, hydroxyls, sulfates, and acid competition was highlighted. The exploration of acid mixtures showed the preponderant effect of oxalate and citrate over acetate and succinate.« less

Ultrasonic recovery of copper and iron through the simultaneous utilization of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) spent acid etching solution and PCB waste sludge.

PubMed

Huang, Zhiyuan; Xie, Fengchun; Ma, Yang

2011-01-15

A method was developed to recover the copper and iron from Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) manufacturing generated spent acid etching solution and waste sludge with ultrasonic energy at laboratory scale. It demonstrated that copper-containing PCB spent etching solution could be utilized as a leaching solution to leach copper from copper contained PCB waste sludge. It also indicated that lime could be used as an alkaline precipitating agent in this method to precipitate iron from the mixture of acidic PCB spent etching solution and waste sludge. This method provided an effective technique for the recovery of copper and iron through simultaneous use of PCB spent acid solution and waste sludge. The leaching rates of copper and iron enhanced with ultrasound energy were reached at 93.76% and 2.07% respectively and effectively separated copper from iron. Followed by applying lime to precipitate copper from the mixture of leachate and rinsing water produced by the copper and iron separation, about 99.99% and 1.29% of soluble copper and calcium were settled as the solids respectively. Furthermore the settled copper could be made as commercial rate copper. The process performance parameters studied were pH, ultrasonic power, and temperature. This method provided a simple and reliable technique to recover copper and iron from waste streams generated by PCB manufacturing, and would significantly reduce the cost of chemicals used in the recovery. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A U-bearing composite waste form for electrochemical processing wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; Ebert, W. L.; Indacochea, J. E.

2018-04-01

Metallic/ceramic composite waste forms are being developed to immobilize combined metallic and oxide waste streams generated during electrochemical recycling of used nuclear fuel. Composites were made for corrosion testing by reacting HT9 steel to represent fuel cladding, Zr and Mo to simulate metallic fuel waste, and a mixture of ZrO2, Nd2O3, and UO2 to represent oxide wastes. More than half of the added UO2 was reduced to metal and formed Fe-Zr-U intermetallics and most of the remaining UO2 and all of the Nd2O3 reacted to form zirconates. Fe-Cr-Mo intermetallics were also formed. Microstructure characterization of the intermetallic and ceramic phases that were generated and tests conducted to evaluate their corrosion behaviors indicate composite waste forms can accommodate both metallic and oxidized waste streams in durable host phases.

A U-bearing composite waste form for electrochemical processing wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, X.; Ebert, W. L.; Indacochea, J. E.

Metallic/ceramic composite waste forms are being developed to immobilize combined metallic and oxide waste streams generated during electrochemical recycling of used nuclear fuel. Composites were made for corrosion testing by reacting HT9 steel to represent fuel cladding, Zr and Mo to simulate metallic fuel waste, and a mixture of ZrO2, Nd2O3, and UO2 to represent oxide wastes. More than half of the added UO2 was reduced to metal and formed Fe-Zr-U intermetallics and most of the remaining UO2 and all of the Nd2O3 reacted to form zirconates. Fe-Cr-Mo intermetallics were also formed. Microstructure characterization of the intermetallic and ceramic phasesmore » that were generated and tests conducted to evaluate their corrosion behaviors indicate composite waste forms can accommodate both metallic and oxidized waste streams in durable host phases. (c) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.« less

Production of single cell protein (SCP) from food and agricultural waste by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Gervasi, Teresa; Pellizzeri, Vito; Calabrese, Giorgio; Di Bella, Giuseppa; Cicero, Nicola; Dugo, Giacomo

2018-03-01

Food waste is the single-largest component of the waste stream, in order to protect and safeguard the public health, useful and innovative recycling methods are investigated. The conversion of food wastes in value-added products is becoming a more economically viable and interesting practice. Food waste, collected in the distribution sector and citrus industries, was characterised for its potential as a raw material to use in fermentation processes. In this study, the production of single-cell protein (SCP) using food waste as a substrate was investigated. The purpose of this study has been to produce SCP from mixtures of food waste using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The main fermentation test was carried out using a 25 l bioreactor. The utilisation of food waste can allow us to not only to reduce environmental pollution, but also to obtain value-added products such as protein supply for animal feed.

Analytic Complexity and Challenges in Identifying Mixtures of Exposures Associated with Phenotypes in the Exposome Era.

PubMed

Patel, Chirag J

2017-01-01

Mixtures, or combinations and interactions between multiple environmental exposures, are hypothesized to be causally linked with disease and health-related phenotypes. Established and emerging molecular measurement technologies to assay the exposome , the comprehensive battery of exposures encountered from birth to death, promise a new way of identifying mixtures in disease in the epidemiological setting. In this opinion, we describe the analytic complexity and challenges in identifying mixtures associated with phenotype and disease. Existing and emerging machine-learning methods and data analytic approaches (e.g., "environment-wide association studies" [EWASs]), as well as large cohorts may enhance possibilities to identify mixtures of correlated exposures associated with phenotypes; however, the analytic complexity of identifying mixtures is immense. If the exposome concept is realized, new analytical methods and large sample sizes will be required to ascertain how mixtures are associated with disease. The author recommends documenting prevalent correlated exposures and replicated main effects prior to identifying mixtures.

Compost made of organic wastes suppresses fusariosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuryntseva, Polina; Galitskaya, Polina; Biktasheva, Liliya; Selivanovkaya, Svetlana

2017-04-01

Fungal plant diseases cause dramatic yield losses worldwide. Usually, pesticides are used for soil sanitation, and it results in practically pest-free soils, although pesticides cause a biological vacuum, which present many horticultural disadvantages. Suppressive composts, which possess both fertilizing properties for plants and inhibiting properties for plant pathogens, represent an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional pesticides. In this study, composts obtained from agricultural organic wastes were applied to suppress Fusarium oxysporum of tomato plants in model experiments. Composts were made of mixtures of the widespread organic wastes sampled in Tatarstan (Russia): straw (SW), corn wastes (CW), chicken manure (ChM), cattle manure (CM) and swine manure (SM). 11 two- and three-component mixtures were prepared to obtain the optimal carbon-nitrogen, moisture and pH balances, and composted for 210 days. It was found that the thermophilic phase of composting in all the mixtures lasted from 2 to 35 days, and was characterized by significant fluctuations in temperature, i.e. from 27°C to 59°C. In the initial mixtures, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content was between 10 and 62 mg kg-1; it fell significantly on day 13, and then continuously decreased up to day 102, and subsequently remained low. For all the mixtures, maximal respiration activity was observed in the beginning of composting (231.9 mg CO2-C g-1 day-1). After 23 days, this parameter decreased significantly, and fluctuations subsided. The phytotoxicity of the initial compost mixtures varied from 18% (SW+SM) to 100% (CW+ChM+SM, CW+ChM); however, the trends in the dynamics were similar. After 120 days of composting, 5 of 11 samples were not phytotoxic. After 120 days of composting, each mixture was divided into two parts; one was inoculated with a biopreparation consisting of four microbial strains (Trichoderma asperellum, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Streptomyces spp.), and the other part was not inoculated. Both parts were composted under equivalent conditions. Inoculation led to a slightly shorter period of increasing DOC and respiration activity. It did not influence the temperature profile and phytotoxicity of the mixtures. In contrast, the suppressiveness of the composts towards Fusarium oxysporum increased by 1.2-fold after 60 days, although the inoculated compost mixtures became suppressive 30-58 days earlier. The compost mixture prepared from CM, ChM and CW was the most suppressive one, both in its inoculated and non-inoculated variants. It was therefore used in further experiments. Further, we were searching for the optimal doses of CM+ChM+CW compost's amendments. Amoung several does checked (1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%), a dose of 20% was demonstrated to be the most effective and resulted in disease suppression of 84% after 21 day of plant incubation. From the three amendment schemes investigated (1 - once before vegetation season, 2 - twice before vegetation season with one month break between amendments, half of the dose each time, 3 - twice, once before winter frost simulation, once before vegetation season, half of the dose each time), the first scheme was the most efficient one. After a single amendment with 20% of compost, soils were suppressive during two consecutive vegetation periods.

The valorization of the plastic waste to the rheological characteristics of bituminous mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucherba, Mohammed; Kriker, Abdelouahed; Kebaili, Nabil

2017-02-01

The valorization of materials used at the end of the cycle currently constitutes one of the major challenges for the state for the safeguarding of the environment. Indeed, plastic waste from their obstruction and weak biodegradability often constitutes a threat for health, nature and the environment. The present study treats a mining method and valorization of these wastes in the road, where this waste is incorporated in the pure bitumen of asphalt concretes using the Dry process. The vital objective of this work is to see their impact on the mechanical behavior of these concretes using the Marshall Test and NAT.

Persistent activation of DNA damage signaling in response to complex mixtures of PAHs in air particulate matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarvis, Ian W.H., E-mail: Ian.Jarvis@ki.se; Bergvall, Christoffer, E-mail: Christoffer.Bergvall@anchem.su.se; Bottai, Matteo, E-mail: Matteo.Bottai@ki.se

2013-02-01

Complex mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in air particulate matter (PM) and have been associated with many adverse human health effects including cancer and respiratory disease. However, due to their complexity, the risk of exposure to mixtures is difficult to estimate. In the present study the effects of binary mixtures of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) and complex mixtures of PAHs in urban air PM extracts on DNA damage signaling was investigated. Applying a statistical model to the data we observed a more than additive response for binary mixtures of BP and DBP on activation of DNAmore » damage signaling. Persistent activation of checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) was observed at significantly lower BP equivalent concentrations in air PM extracts than BP alone. Activation of DNA damage signaling was also more persistent in air PM fractions containing PAHs with more than four aromatic rings suggesting larger PAHs contribute a greater risk to human health. Altogether our data suggests that human health risk assessment based on additivity such as toxicity equivalency factor scales may significantly underestimate the risk of exposure to complex mixtures of PAHs. The data confirms our previous findings with PAH-contaminated soil (Niziolek-Kierecka et al., 2012) and suggests a possible role for Chk1 Ser317 phosphorylation as a biological marker for future analyses of complex mixtures of PAHs. -- Highlights: ► Benzo[a]pyrene (BP), dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) and air PM PAH extracts were compared. ► Binary mixture of BP and DBP induced a more than additive DNA damage response. ► Air PM PAH extracts were more potent than toxicity equivalency factor estimates. ► Larger PAHs (> 4 rings) contribute more to the genotoxicity of PAHs in air PM. ► Chk1 is a sensitive marker for persistent activation of DNA damage signaling from PAH mixtures.« less

Lab-scale co-digestion of kitchen waste and brown water for a preliminary performance evaluation of a decentralized waste and wastewater management.

PubMed

Lavagnolo, Maria Cristina; Girotto, Francesca; Hirata, Osamu; Cossu, Raffaello

2017-08-01

An overall interaction is manifested between wastewater and solid waste management schemes. At the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering (LISA) of the University of Padova, Italy, the scientific and technical implications of putting into practice a decentralized waste and wastewater treatment based on the separation of grey water, brown water (BW - faecal matter) and yellow water (YW - urine) are currently undergoing investigation in the Aquanova Project. An additional aim of this concept is the source segregation of kitchen waste (KW) for subsequent anaerobic co-digestion with BW. To determine an optimal mixing ratio and temperature for use in the treatment of KW, BW, and eventually YW, by means of anaerobic digestion, a series of lab-scale batch tests were performed. Organic mixtures of KW and BW performed much better (max. 520mlCH 4 /gVS) in terms of methane yields than the individual substrates alone (max. 220mlCH 4 /gVS). A small concentration of urine proved to have a positive effect on anaerobic digestion performance, possibly due to the presence of micronutrients in YW. When considering high YW concentrations in the anaerobically digested mixtures, no ammonia inhibition was observed until a 30% and 10% YW content was added under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecotoxicity of wastes in avoidance tests with Enchytraeus albidus, Enchytraeus crypticus and Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta).

PubMed

Kobeticová, Klára; Hofman, Jakub; Holoubek, Ivan

2010-04-01

Contact bioassays are important for testing the ecotoxicity of solid materials. However, survival and reproduction tests are often not practical due to their duration which may last for several weeks. Avoidance tests with soil invertebrates may offer an alternative or extension to the classic test batteries due to their short duration (days rather than weeks) and due to a sensitive sub-acute endpoint (behavior). (a) to evaluate the effects of three solid industrial wastes (incineration ash, contaminated wood chips and contaminated soil) on three Oligochaeta species (enchytraeids Enchytraeusalbidus, Enchytraeus crypticus and earthworm Eisenia fetida) in avoidance tests; (b) to compare the sensitivity among the species and to compare results of avoidance test to reproduction tests; (c) to elucidate if measuring the weight in the earthworm avoidance test could be reasonable additional endpoint. Avoidance mostly increased with the increasing percent of waste in the mixture showing a dose-response curve. E. fetida was the most sensitive species and E. crypticus the least one. An additional endpoint, (changes in weight after two-day exposure) was not found to be more sensitive than avoidance reaction, but it confirmed that earthworms staying in the highest concentrations of the waste mixture were affected showing apparent weight reduction. Our results indicate that avoidance tests with earthworms and enchytraeids are feasible for waste testing. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved anaerobic digestion of a thermally pretreated mixture of physicochemical sludge; broiler excreta and sugar cane wastes (SCW): Effect on organic matter solubilization, biodegradability and bioenergy production.

PubMed

Nava-Valente, Noemí; Alvarado-Lassman, Alejandro; Nativitas-Sandoval, Liliana S; Mendez-Contreras, Juan M

2016-01-01

Thermal pretreatment effect of a mixture of organic wastes (physicochemical sludge, excreta of broiler chickens and sugarcane wastes (SCW)) in the solubilization and biodegradability organic matter as well as bioenergy production by anaerobic digestion was evaluated. Two different mixtures of physicochemical sludge, excreta of broiler chickens and SCW (70%, 15%, 15% and 60%, 20%, 20% of VS, respectively) were treated at different temperatures (80 °C, 85 °C and 90 °C) and contact time (30, 60 and 90 min). Results indicate that, organic matter solubilization degree increased from 1.14 to 6.56%; subsequently, in the anaerobic digestion process, an increase of 50% in the volatile solids removal and 10% in biogas production was observed, while, retention time decreased from 23 up to 9 days. The results obtained were similar to pilot-scale. In both experimental scales it showed that the synergy produced by the simultaneous anaerobic digestion of different substrates could increase bioenergy production up to 1.3 L bio g(-1) VS removed and 0.82 L CH4 g(-1) VS removed. The treatment conditions presented in this study allow for large residue quantities to be treated and large bioenergy quantities to be produced (10% higher than during conventional treatment) without increasing the anaerobic digester volume.

Evaluating the similarity of complex drinking-water disinfection by-product mixtures: overview of the issues.

PubMed

Rice, Glenn E; Teuschler, Linda K; Bull, Richard J; Simmons, Jane E; Feder, Paul I

2009-01-01

Humans are exposed daily to complex mixtures of environmental chemical contaminants, which arise as releases from sources such as engineering procedures, degradation processes, and emissions from mobile or stationary sources. When dose-response data are available for the actual environmental mixture to which individuals are exposed (i.e., the mixture of concern), these data provide the best information for dose-response assessment of the mixture. When suitable data on the mixture itself are not available, surrogate data might be used from a sufficiently similar mixture or a group of similar mixtures. Consequently, the determination of whether the mixture of concern is "sufficiently similar" to a tested mixture or a group of tested mixtures is central to the use of whole mixture methods. This article provides an overview for a series of companion articles whose purpose is to develop a set of biostatistical, chemical, and toxicological criteria and approaches for evaluating the similarity of drinking-water disinfection by-product (DBPs) complex mixtures. Together, the five articles in this series serve as a case study whose techniques will be relevant to assessing similarity for other classes of complex mixtures of environmental chemicals. Schenck et al. (2009) describe the chemistry and mutagenicity of a set of DBP mixtures concentrated from five different drinking-water treatment plants. Bull et al. (2009a, 2009b) describe how the variables that impact the formation of DBP affect the chemical composition and, subsequently, the expected toxicity of the mixture. Feder et al. (2009a, 2009b) evaluate the similarity of DBP mixture concentrates by applying two biostatistical approaches, principal components analysis, and a nonparametric "bootstrap" analysis. Important factors for determining sufficient similarity of DBP mixtures found in this research include disinfectant used; source water characteristics, including the concentrations of bromide and total organic carbon; concentrations and proportions of individual DBPs with known toxicity data on the same endpoint; magnitude of the unidentified fraction of total organic halides; similar toxicity outcomes for whole mixture testing (e.g., mutagenicity); and summary chemical measures such as total trihalomethanes, total haloacetic acids, total haloacetonitriles, and the levels of bromide incorporation in the DBP classes.

Metal leaching from refinery waste hydroprocessing catalyst.

PubMed

Marafi, Meena; Rana, Mohan S

2018-05-18

The present study aims to develop an eco-friendly methodology for the recovery of nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and vanadium (V) from the refinery waste spent hydroprocessing catalyst. The proposed process has two stages: the first stage is to separate alumina, while the second stage involves the separation of metal compounds. The effectiveness of leaching agents, such as NH 4 OH, (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 , and (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 , for the extraction of Mo, V, Ni, and Al from the refinery spent catalyst has been reported as a function of reagent concentration (0.5 to 2.0 molar), leaching time (1 to 6 h), and temperature (35 to 60°C). The optimal leaching conditions were achieved to obtain the maximum recovery of Mo, Ni, and V metals. The effect of the mixture of multi-ammonium salts on the metal extraction was also studied, which showed an adverse effect for Ni and V, while marginal improvement was observed for Mo leaching. The ammonium salts can form soluble metal complexes, in which stability or solubility depends on the nature of ammonium salt and the reaction conditions. The extracted metals and support can be reused to synthesize a fresh hydroprocessing catalyst. The process will reduce the refinery waste and recover the expensive metals. Therefore, the process is not only important from an environmental point of view but also vital from an economic perspective.

Surrogate Indicators of Radionuclide Migration at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nye County, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stonestrom, D. A.; Andraski, B. J.; Baker, R. J.; Luo, W.; Michel, R. L.

2005-05-01

Contaminant-transport processes are being investigated at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS), adjacent to the Nation's first commercial disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste. Gases containing tritium and radiocarbon are migrating through a 110-m thick unsaturated zone from unlined trenches that received waste from 1962 to 1992. Information on plume dynamics comes from an array of shallow (<2 m) and two vertical arrays of deep (5-109 m) gas-sampling ports, plus ground-water monitoring wells. Migration is dominated by lateral transport in the upper 50 m of sediments. Radiological analyses require ex-situ wet-chemical techniques, because in-situ sensors for the radionuclides of interest do not exist. As at other LLRW-disposal facilities, radionuclides at the ADRS are mixed with varying amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other substances. Halogenated-methanes, -ethanes, and -ethenes dominate the complex mixture of VOCs migrating from the disposal area. These compounds and their degradates provide a distinctive "fingerprint" of contamination originating from low-level radioactive waste. Carbon-dioxide and VOC anomalies provide indicator proxies for radionuclide contamination. Spatial and temporal patterns of co-disposed and byproduct constituents provide field-scale information about physical and biochemical processes involved in transport. Processes include reduction and biorespiration within trenches, and largely non-reactive, barometrically dispersed diffusion away from trenches.

Vitrification as an alternative to landfilling of tannery sewage sludge.

PubMed

Celary, Piotr; Sobik-Szołtysek, Jolanta

2014-12-01

Due to high content of heavy metals such as chromium, tannery sewage sludge is a material which is difficult to be biologically treated as it is in the case of organic waste. Consequently, a common practice in managing tannery sewage sludge is landfilling. This poses a potential threat to both soil and water environments and it additionally generates costs of construction of landfills that meet specific environment protection requirements. Vitrification of this kind of sewage sludge with the addition of mineral wastes can represent an alternative to landfilling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining an environmentally safe product by means of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge from a flotation wastewater treatment process and chemical precipitation in order to address the upcoming issue of dealing with sewage sludge from the tannery industry which will be prohibited to be landfilled in Poland after 2016. The focus was set on determining mixtures of tannery sewage sludge with additives which would result in the lowest possible heavy metal leaching levels and highest hardness rating of the products obtained from their vitrification. The plasma vitrification process was carried out for mixtures with various amounts of additives depending on the type of sewage sludge used. Only the materials of waste character were used as additives. One finding of the study was an optimum content of mineral additives in vitrified mixture of 30% v/v waste molding sands with 20% v/v carbonate flotation waste from the zinc and lead industry for the formulations with flotation sewage sludge, and 45% v/v and 5% v/v, respectively, for precipitation sewage sludge. These combinations allowed for obtaining products with negligible heavy metal leaching levels and hardness similar to commercial glass, which suggests they could be potentially used as construction aggregate substitutes. Incineration of sewage sludge before the vitrification process lead to increased hardness of the vitrificates and reduced leaching of some heavy metals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of organic matter during the mesophilic composting of lignocellulosic winery wastes.

PubMed

Paradelo, Remigio; Moldes, Ana Belén; Barral, María Teresa

2013-02-15

Winery wastes were composted in the laboratory during five months in order to study the composting process of lignocellulosic wastes. In a first experiment, spent grape marc was composted alone, and in a second one, hydrolyzed grape marc, which is the residue generated after the acid hydrolysis of spent grape marc for biotechnological purposes, was composted together with vinification lees. During the composting of spent grape marc, total organic matter did not change, and as total N increased only slightly (from 1.7% to 1.9%), the reduction in the C/N ratio was very low (from 31 to 28). The mixture of hydrolyzed grape marc and lees showed bigger changes, reaching a C/N ratio around 20 from the third month on. Water-soluble organic matter followed the usual trend during composting, showing a progressive decrease in both experiments. Although the mixture of hydrolyzed grape marc and lees presented the highest initial water-soluble carbon concentrations, the final values for both experiments were similar (8.1 g kg(-1) for the spent grape marc, and 9.1 g kg(-1) for the mixture). The analysis of the humification parameters did not allow an adequate description of the composting process, maybe as a consequence of the inherent problems existing with alkaline extractions. The total humic substances, which usually increase during composting as a consequence of the humification process, followed no trend, and they were even reduced with respect to the initial values. Notwithstanding, the fractionation of organic matter into cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin enabled a better monitoring of the waste decomposition. Cellulose and hemicellulose were degraded mainly during the first three months of composting, and the progressive reduction of the cellulose/lignin ratio proved that the main evolution of these wastes took place during the first three months of composting. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxicity assessment of heavy metal mixtures by Lemna minor L.

PubMed

Horvat, Tea; Vidaković-Cifrek, Zeljka; Orescanin, Visnja; Tkalec, Mirta; Pevalek-Kozlina, Branka

2007-10-01

The discharge of untreated electroplating wastewaters directly into the environment is a certain source of heavy metals in surface waters. Even though heavy metal discharge is regulated by environmental laws many small-scale electroplating facilities do not apply adequate protective measures. Electroplating wastewaters contain large amounts of various heavy metals (the composition depending on the facility) and the pH value often bellow 2. Such pollution diminishes the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems and also endangers human health. The aim of our study was to observe/measure the toxic effects induced by a mixture of seven heavy metals on a bioindicator species Lemna minor L. Since artificial laboratory metal mixtures cannot entirely predict behaviour of metal mixtures nor provide us with informations relating to the specific conditions in the realistic environment we have used an actual electroplating wastewater sample discharged from a small electroplating facility. In order to obtain three more samples with the same composition of heavy metals but at different concentrations, the original electroplating wastewater sample has undergone a purification process. The purification process used was developed by Orescanin et al. [Orescanin V, Mikelić L, Lulić S, Nad K, Rubcić M, Pavlović G. Purification of electroplating wastewaters utilizing waste by-product ferrous sulphate and wood fly ash. J Environ Sci Health A 2004; 39 (9): 2437-2446.] in order to remove the heavy metals and adjust the pH value to acceptable values for discharge into the environment. Studies involving plants and multielemental waters are very rare because of the difficulty in explaining interactions of the combined toxicities. Regardless of the complexity in interpretation, Lemna bioassay can be efficiently used to assess combined effects of multimetal samples. Such realistic samples should not be avoided because they can provide us with a wide range of information which can help explain many different interactions of metals on plant growth and metabolism. In this study we have primarily evaluated classical toxicity endpoints (relative growth rate, Nfronds/Ncolonies ratio, dry to fresh weight ratio and frond area) and measured guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activity as early indicator of oxidative stress. Also, we have measured metal accumulation in plants treated with waste ash water sample with EDXRF analysis and have used toxic unit (TU) approach to predict which metal will contribute the most to the general toxicity of the tested samples.

Characterization of the Androgen-sensitive MDA-kb2 Cell Line for Assessing Complex Environmental Mixtures, Presentation

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic and natural steroidal androgens and estrogens and many other non-steroidal endocrine-active compounds commonly occur as complex mixtures in aquatic environments. It is important to understand the potential interactive effects of these mixtures to properly assess their r...

Integrated Disinfection By-Products Research: Assessing Reproductive and Developmental Risks Posed by Complex Disinfection By-Product Mixtures

EPA Science Inventory

This article presents a toxicologically-based risk assessment strategy for identifying the individual components or fractions of a complex mixture that are associated with its toxicity. The strategy relies on conventional component-based mixtures risk approaches such as dose addi...

Radiation resistant concrete for applications in nuclear power and radioactive waste industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnham, Steven Robert

Elemental components of ordinary concrete contain a variety of metals and rare earth elements that are susceptible to neutron activation. This activation occurs by means of radiative capture, a neutron interaction that results in formation of radioisotopes such as Co-60, Eu-152, and Eu-154. Studies have shown that these three radioisotopes are responsible for the residual radioactivity found in nuclear power plant concrete reactor dome and shielding walls. Such concrete is classified as Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) and Very Low Level Waste (VLLW) by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards and requires disposal at appropriate disposal sites. There are only three such sites in the USA, and every nuclear power plant will produce at the time of decommissioning approximately 1,500 tonnes of activated concrete classified as LLRW and VLLW. NAVA ALIGA (ancient word for a new stone) is a new concrete mixture developed mainly by research as presented in this thesis. The purpose of NAVA ALIGA is to satisfy IAEA clearance levels if used as a material for reactor dome, spent fuel pool, or radioactive waste canisters. NAVA ALIGA will never be activated above the IAEA clearance level after long-term exposure to neutron radiation when used as a material for reactor dome, spent fuel pool, and radioactive waste canisters. Components of NAVA ALIGA were identified using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ISP-MS) to determine trace element composition. In addition, it was tested for compressive strength and permeability, important for nuclear infrastructure. The studied mixture had a high water to cement ratio of 0.56, which likely resulted in the high measured permeability, yet the mixture also showed a compressive strength greater than 6 000 psi after 28 days. In addition to this experimental analysis, which goal was to develop a standard approach to define the concrete mixtures in satisfying the IAEA radiation clearance levels, the NAVA ALIGA concrete was analyzed as to potentially be used together with depleted uranium. This study was purely computational (based on MCNP6 models) and was twofold: to find if this new concrete mix would enhance the radiation shielding properties when combined with depleted uranium and to find if this will be an effective and useful way of using the existing large quantities of disposed depleted uranium.

Disposal of Kitchen Waste from High Rise Apartment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ori, Kirki; Bharti, Ajay; Kumar, Sunil

2017-09-01

The high rise building has numbers of floor and rooms having variety of users or tenants for residential purposes. The huge quantities of heterogenous mixtures of domestic food waste are generated from every floor of the high rise residential buildings. Disposal of wet and biodegradable domestic kitchen waste from high rise buildings are more expensive in regards of collection and vertical transportation. This work is intended to address the technique to dispose of the wet organic food waste from the high rise buildings or multistory building at generation point with the advantage of gravity and vermicomposting technique. This innovative effort for collection and disposal of wet organic solid waste from high rise apartment is more economical and hygienic in comparison with present system of disposal.

Method for making a low density polyethylene waste form for safe disposal of low level radioactive material

DOEpatents

Colombo, P.; Kalb, P.D.

1984-06-05

In the method of the invention low density polyethylene pellets are mixed in a predetermined ratio with radioactive particulate material, then the mixture is fed through a screw-type extruder that melts the low density polyethylene under a predetermined pressure and temperature to form a homogeneous matrix that is extruded and separated into solid monolithic waste forms. The solid waste forms are adapted to be safely handled, stored for a short time, and safely disposed of in approved depositories.

Recycling Of Cis Photovoltaic Waste

DOEpatents

Drinkard, Jr., William F.; Long, Mark O.; Goozner; Robert E.

1998-07-14

A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CIS photovoltaic cells and associated photovoltaic manufacturing waste by leaching the waste with dilute nitric acid, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating glass substrate from the leachate, electrolyzing the leachate to plate a copper and selenium metal mixture onto a first cathode, replacing the cathode with a second cathode, re-electrolyzing the leachate to plate cadmium onto the second cathode, separating the copper from selenium, and evaporating the depleted leachate to yield a zinc and indium containing solid.

Overview of human health and chemical mixtures: problems facing developing countries.

PubMed Central

Yáñ ez, Leticia; Ortiz, Deogracias; Calderón, Jaqueline; Batres, Lilia; Carrizales, Leticia; Mejía, Jesús; Martínez, Lourdes; García-Nieto, Edelmira; Díaz-Barriga, Fernando

2002-01-01

In developing countries, chemical mixtures within the vicinity of small-scale enterprises, smelters, mines, agricultural areas, toxic waste disposal sites, etc., often present a health hazard to the populations within those vicinities. Therefore, in these countries, there is a need to study the toxicological effects of mixtures of metals, pesticides, and organic compounds. However, the study of mixtures containing substances such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, an insecticide banned in developed nations), and mixtures containing contaminants such as fluoride (of concern only in developing countries) merit special attention. Although the studies may have to take into account simultaneous exposures to metals and organic compounds, there is also a need to consider the interaction between chemicals and other specific factors such as nutritional conditions, alcoholism, smoking, infectious diseases, and ethnicity. PMID:12634117

Overview of human health and chemical mixtures: problems facing developing countries.

PubMed

Yáñ ez, Leticia; Ortiz, Deogracias; Calderón, Jaqueline; Batres, Lilia; Carrizales, Leticia; Mejía, Jesús; Martínez, Lourdes; García-Nieto, Edelmira; Díaz-Barriga, Fernando

2002-12-01

In developing countries, chemical mixtures within the vicinity of small-scale enterprises, smelters, mines, agricultural areas, toxic waste disposal sites, etc., often present a health hazard to the populations within those vicinities. Therefore, in these countries, there is a need to study the toxicological effects of mixtures of metals, pesticides, and organic compounds. However, the study of mixtures containing substances such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, an insecticide banned in developed nations), and mixtures containing contaminants such as fluoride (of concern only in developing countries) merit special attention. Although the studies may have to take into account simultaneous exposures to metals and organic compounds, there is also a need to consider the interaction between chemicals and other specific factors such as nutritional conditions, alcoholism, smoking, infectious diseases, and ethnicity.

Vitrification of ion exchange resins

DOEpatents

Cicero-Herman, Connie A.; Workman, Rhonda Jackson

2001-01-01

The present invention relates to vitrification of ion exchange resins that have become loaded with hazardous or radioactive wastes, in a way that produces a homogenous and durable waste form and reduces the disposal volume of the resin. The methods of the present invention involve directly adding borosilicate glass formers and an oxidizer to the ion exchange resin and heating the mixture at sufficient temperature to produce homogeneous glass.

Comparison of fuel value and combustion characteristics of two different RDF samples.

PubMed

Sever Akdağ, A; Atımtay, A; Sanin, F D

2016-01-01

Generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) tends to increase with the growing population and economic development of the society; therefore, establishing environmentally sustainable waste management strategies is crucial. In this sense, waste to energy strategies have come into prominence since they increase the resource efficiency and replace the fossil fuels with renewable energy sources by enabling material and energy recovery instead of landfill disposal of the wastes. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which is an alternative fuel produced from energy-rich Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) materials diverted from landfills, is one of the waste to energy strategies gaining more and more attention. This study aims to investigate the thermal characteristics and co-combustion efficiency of two RDF samples in Turkey. Proximate, ultimate and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were conducted on these samples. Furthermore, elemental compositions of ash from RDF samples were determined by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The RDF samples were combusted alone and co-combusted in mixtures with coal and petroleum coke in a lab scale reactor at certain percentages on energy basis (3%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30%) where co-combustion processes and efficiencies were investigated. It was found that the calorific values of RDF samples on dry basis were close to that of coal and a little lower compared to petroleum coke used in this study. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that when RDF in the mixture was higher than 10%, the CO concentration in the flue gas increased and so the combustion efficiency decreased; furthermore, the combustion characteristics changed from char combustion to volatile combustion. However, RDF addition to the fuel mixtures decreased the SO2 emission and did not change the NOx profiles. Also, XRF analysis showed that the slagging and fouling potential of RDF combustion was a function of RDF portion in fuel blend. When the RDF was combusted alone, the slagging and fouling indices of its ash were found to be higher than the limit values producing slagging and fouling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Catalytic and electrochemical behaviour of solid oxide fuel cell operated with simulated-biogas mixtures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dang-Long, T., E-mail: 3TE14098G@kyushu-u.ac.jp; Quang-Tuyen, T., E-mail: tran.tuyen.quang.314@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Shiratori, Y., E-mail: shiratori.yusuke.500@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp

2016-06-03

Being produced from organic matters of wastes (bio-wastes) through a fermentation process, biogas mainly composed of CH{sub 4} and CO{sub 2} and can be considered as a secondary energy carrier derived from solar energy. To generate electricity from biogas through the electrochemical process in fuel cells is a state-of-the-art technology possessing higher energy conversion efficiency without harmful emissions compared to combustion process in heat engines. Getting benefits from high operating temperature such as direct internal reforming ability and activation of electrochemical reactions to increase overall system efficiency, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system operated with biogas becomes a promising candidatemore » for distributed power generator for rural applications leading to reductions of environmental issues caused by greenhouse effects and bio-wastes. CO{sub 2} reforming of CH{sub 4} and electrochemical oxidation of the produced syngas (H{sub 2}–CO mixture) are two main reaction processes within porous anode material of SOFC. Here catalytic and electrochemical behavior of Ni-ScSZ (scandia stabilized-zirconia) anode in the feed of CH{sub 4}–CO{sub 2} mixtures as simulated-biogas at 800 °C were evaluated. The results showed that CO{sub 2} had strong influences on both reaction processes. The increase in CO{sub 2} partial pressure resulted in the decrease in anode overvoltage, although open-circuit voltage was dropped. Besides that, the simulation result based on a power-law model for equimolar CH{sub 4}−CO{sub 2} mixture revealed that coking hazard could be suppressed along the fuel flow channel in both open-circuit and closed-circuit conditions.« less

Generation of PHB from Spent Sulfite Liquor Using Halophilic Microorganisms.

PubMed

Weissgram, Michaela; Gstöttner, Janina; Lorantfy, Bettina; Tenhaken, Raimund; Herwig, Christoph; Weber, Hedda K

2015-06-08

Halophilic microorganisms thrive at elevated concentrations of sodium chloride up to saturation and are capable of growing on a wide variety of carbon sources like various organic acids, hexose and also pentose sugars. Hence, the biotechnological application of these microorganisms can cover many aspects, such as the treatment of hypersaline waste streams of different origin. Due to the fact that the high osmotic pressure of hypersaline environments reduces the risk of contamination, the capacity for cost-effective non-sterile cultivation can make extreme halophilic microorganisms potentially valuable organisms for biotechnological applications. In this contribution, the stepwise use of screening approaches, employing design of experiment (DoE) on model media and subsequently using industrial waste as substrate have been implemented to investigate the applicability of halophiles to generate PHB from the industrial waste stream spent sulfite liquor (SSL). The production of PHB on model media as well as dilutions of industrial substrate in a complex medium has been screened for by fluorescence microscopy using Nile Blue staining. Screening was used to investigate the ability of halophilic microorganisms to withstand the inhibiting substances of the waste stream without negatively affecting PHB production. It could be shown that neither single inhibiting substances nor a mixture thereof inhibited growth in the investigated range, hence, leaving the question on the inhibiting mechanisms open. However, it could be demonstrated that some haloarchaea and halophilic bacteria are able to produce PHB when cultivated on 3.3% w/w dry matter spent sulfite liquor, whereas H. halophila was even able to thrive on 6.6% w/w dry matter spent sulfite liquor and still produce PHB.

19. CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS PHOTO SHOWING (TYPICALLY COMPLEX) WASTE HOLDING CELL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

19. CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS PHOTO SHOWING (TYPICALLY COMPLEX) WASTE HOLDING CELL PIPING. INEEL PHOTO NUMBER NRTS-59-3212. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Old Waste Calcining Facility, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Method for removing sulfur oxide from waste gases and recovering elemental sulfur

DOEpatents

Moore, Raymond H.

1977-01-01

A continuous catalytic fused salt extraction process is described for removing sulfur oxides from gaseous streams. The gaseous stream is contacted with a molten potassium sulfate salt mixture having a dissolved catalyst to oxidize sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide and molten potassium normal sulfate to solvate the sulfur trioxide to remove the sulfur trioxide from the gaseous stream. A portion of the sulfur trioxide loaded salt mixture is then dissociated to produce sulfur trioxide gas and thereby regenerate potassium normal sulfate. The evolved sulfur trioxide is reacted with hydrogen sulfide as in a Claus reactor to produce elemental sulfur. The process may be advantageously used to clean waste stack gas from industrial plants, such as copper smelters, where a supply of hydrogen sulfide is readily available.

Composting of pig manure and forest green waste amended with industrial sludge.

PubMed

Arias, O; Viña, S; Uzal, M; Soto, M

2017-05-15

The aim of this research was to study the composting of chestnut forest green waste (FGW) from short rotation chestnut stands amended with sludge resulting from the manufacture of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDFS) and pig manure (PM). Both FGW and MDFS presented low biodegradation potential but different characteristics in granulometry and bulk density that make its mixture of interest to achieve high composting temperatures. PM decreased the C/N ratio of the mixture and increased its moisture content (MC). Three mixtures of MDFS:FGW at volume ratios of 1:1.3 (M2), 1:2.4 (M3) and 0:1 (M4) were composted after increasing its MC to about 70% with PM. A control with food waste (OFW) and FGW (1:2.4 in volume) (M1) was run in parallel. Watering ratios reached 0.25 (M1), 1.08 (M2) 1.56 (M3) and 4.35 (M4) L PM/kg TS of added solids wastes. Treatments M2 and M3 reached a thermophilic phase shorter than M1, whilst M4 remained in the mesophilic range. After 48days of composting, temperature gradients in respect to ambient temperature were reduced, but the mineralization process continued for around 8months. Final reduction in total organic carbon reached 35-56%, depending mainly on the content in MDFS. MDFS addition to composting matrices largely reduced nitrogen losses, which range from 22% (M2) to 37% (M3) and 53% (M4). Final products had high nutrient content, low electrical conductivity and low heavy metal content which make it a valuable product for soil fertilization, right to amend in the chestnut forests and as a pillar of their sustainable management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil acidification as a confounding factor on metal phytotoxicity in soils spiked with copper-rich mine wastes.

PubMed

Ginocchio, Rosanna; De la Fuente, Luz María; Sánchez, Pablo; Bustamante, Elena; Silva, Yasna; Urrestarazu, Paola; Rodríguez, Patricio H

2009-10-01

Pollution of soil with mine wastes results in both Cu enrichment and soil acidification. This confounding effect may be very important in terms of phytotoxicity, because pH is a key parameter influencing Cu solubility in soil solution. Laboratory toxicity tests were used to assess the effect of acidification by acidic mine wastes on Cu solubility and on root elongation of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Three contrasting substrates (two soils and a commercial sand) and two acidic, Cu-rich mine wastes (oxidized tailings [OxT] and smelter dust [SmD]) were selected as experimental materials. Substrates were spiked with a fixed amount of either SmD or OxT, and the pH of experimental mixtures was then modified in the range of 4.0 to 6.0 and 7.0 using PIPES (piperazine-1,4-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid)), MES (2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid), and MOPS (3-(N-Morpholino)-propanesulfonic acid) buffers. Chemical (pore-water Cu and pH) and toxicological (root length of barley plants) parameters were determined for experimental mixtures. Addition of SmD and OxT to substrates resulted in acidification (0.11-1.16 pH units) and high levels of soluble Cu and Zn. Neutralization of experimental mixtures with MES (pH 6.0) and MOPS (pH 7.0) buffers resulted in a marked decrease in soluble Cu and Zn, but the intensity of the effect was substrate-dependent. Adjustment of soil pH above the range normally considered to be toxic to plants (pH in water extract, > 5.5) significantly reduced metal toxicity in barley, but phytotoxicity was not completely eliminated. The present results stress the importance of considering confounding effects on derivation of toxicity thresholds to plants when using laboratory phytotoxicity tests.

Nutrient and enzymatic changes of hydrolysed tannery solid waste treated with epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae and phytotoxicity assessment on selected commercial crops.

PubMed

Ravindran, B; Contreras-Ramos, S M; Wong, J W C; Selvam, A; Sekaran, G

2014-01-01

Animal fleshing (ANFL) is the predominant proteinaceous solid waste generated during processing of leather and it is confronting disposal problems. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to utilize and transform the fermented ANFL in the solid state (SSF) and submerged state (SmF) into a value added product along a low residence period (25 days). A total of six treatment units containing different waste mixture compositions were established. Fifty healthy and non-clitellated earthworms were introduced in three different treatment containers: control, SSF, and SmF (+worm). Another set of treatment mixtures (control, SSF, SmF) was established without earthworms (-worm) to compare the results. The products were characterized for physico-chemical, enzymatic analysis and seedling growth parameters to compare the differences in the process with and without earthworms. The changes observed in the analytical parameters were in the following order: SSF > SmF > control mixtures (p < 0.05). The vermicompost showed a significant reduction in heavy metals, total organic carbon and an increase in total Kjeldhal nitrogen as compared to the product untreated by earthworms. The maximum enzymatic activities were observed after 21 days of vermicomposting. The relative seed germination of vermicompost extracts were in the order of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) > green gram (Vigna radiata) > cucumber (Cucumis sativus) > bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.) and showed no phytotoxicity effects. The results indicated that the combination of both ANFL hydrolysis through fermentation and vermicomposting is a good alternative to the management of this kind of waste.

Method for producing dustless graphite spheres from waste graphite fines

DOEpatents

Pappano, Peter J [Oak Ridge, TN; Rogers, Michael R [Clinton, TN

2012-05-08

A method for producing graphite spheres from graphite fines by charging a quantity of spherical media into a rotatable cylindrical overcoater, charging a quantity of graphite fines into the overcoater thereby forming a first mixture of spherical media and graphite fines, rotating the overcoater at a speed such that the first mixture climbs the wall of the overcoater before rolling back down to the bottom thereby forming a second mixture of spherical media, graphite fines, and graphite spheres, removing the second mixture from the overcoater, sieving the second mixture to separate graphite spheres, charging the first mixture back into the overcoater, charging an additional quantity of graphite fines into the overcoater, adjusting processing parameters like overcoater dimensions, graphite fines charge, overcoater rotation speed, overcoater angle of rotation, and overcoater time of rotation, before repeating the steps until graphite fines are converted to graphite spheres.

Home composting using different ratios of bulking agent to food waste.

PubMed

Guidoni, Lucas Lourenço Castiglioni; Marques, Roger Vasques; Moncks, Rodrigo Bilhalva; Botelho, Fabiana Torma; da Paz, Matheus Francisco; Corrêa, Luciara Bilhalva; Corrêa, Érico Kunde

2018-02-01

The negative environmental impacts associated with home composting may be due to the absence of a defined operation criteria for the degradation process. In addition to the potentially low environmental impact in terms of energy and water usage, which is minimal to the manufacture of the composting unit and avoiding the processing and transportation of waste or byproduct, composting at home can also promote a reduction in the emission of unpleasant gases. The proportion of the food waste and bulking agents in the composting mixture may be decisive to fulfill good practices of waste stabilization. The aim of this study was to investigate how different ratios of bulking agent and organic household waste can affect the progress and outcome of the composting process. Three treatments, varying in the ratio of rice husk: raw fruit and vegetable leftovers (70:30, 50:50, 30:70; v:v) were used in a home composting system on a pilot scale. Results show that the proportion of starting materials used in the composting mixture influenced the degradation of organic matter, nitrogen dynamics of the process and its toxicity on germinating plants. The proportions with greater amounts of food waste had higher concentrations of mineral matter, higher peak temperature, and a better initial carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, while the proportion containing 70% of bulking agent lacked odors and leachate generation and showed a low nitrogen loss. A higher proportion of food waste presented better conditions for microbiological development and less time to obtain characteristics of matured composts. A higher proportion of bulking agents resulted in favorable conditions for household handling and less potential for environmental impacts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixture and odorant processing in the olfactory systems of insects: a comparative perspective.

PubMed

Clifford, Marie R; Riffell, Jeffrey A

2013-11-01

Natural olfactory stimuli are often complex mixtures of volatiles, of which the identities and ratios of constituents are important for odor-mediated behaviors. Despite this importance, the mechanism by which the olfactory system processes this complex information remains an area of active study. In this review, we describe recent progress in how odorants and mixtures are processed in the brain of insects. We use a comparative approach toward contrasting olfactory coding and the behavioral efficacy of mixtures in different insect species, and organize these topics around four sections: (1) Examples of the behavioral efficacy of odor mixtures and the olfactory environment; (2) mixture processing in the periphery; (3) mixture coding in the antennal lobe; and (4) evolutionary implications and adaptations for olfactory processing. We also include pertinent background information about the processing of individual odorants and comparative differences in wiring and anatomy, as these topics have been richly investigated and inform the processing of mixtures in the insect olfactory system. Finally, we describe exciting studies that have begun to elucidate the role of the processing of complex olfactory information in evolution and speciation.

Investigation of some process parameters using microwave plasma technology for the treatment of radioactive waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trnovcevic, J.; Schneider, F.; Scherer, U. W.

2017-02-01

The production of nuclear energy and the application of other nuclear technologies produce large volumes of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes. To investigate a novel means of treating such wastes, plasma is investigated for its efficacy. Plasma treatment promises to simultaneously treat all waste types without any previous sorting or pre-treatment. Microwave-driven plasma torches have the advantage of high-energy efficiency and low-electrode wear. In small-scale experiments, several design variations of an open plasma oven were assembled in order to investigate constraints caused by the materials and oven geometry. The experimental set-up was modified several times in order to test the design characteristics and the variation of plasma-specific proprieties related to the radioactive waste treatment and in order to find a suitable solution with the minimum complexity that allows a representative reproducibility of the results obtained. A plasma torch controlled by a 2.45 GHz microwave signal of up to 200 W was used, employing air as the primary plasma gas with a flow rate of ∼2 L/min. Different organic and inorganic materials in different shapes and sizes were treated besides a standardized mixture resembling mixed wastes from nuclear plants. The results prove that the chosen microwave plasma torch is suitable for a combined combustion and melting of organic and in-organic materials. Investigation of the specimen size to be treated is influential in this process: the power is still too low to melt larger samples, but the temperature is sufficient to treat all kinds of material. When glass particles are added, materials melt together to form an amorphous substance, proving the possibility to vitrify material with this plasma torch. By optimization of the oven configuration, the time needed to combust 25 g of standard sample was reduced by ∼50%. Typical energy efficiencies were found in the range of 8-20% for melting of metal chipping, and ∼90% for melting of zinc powder.

Application of the high throughput Attagene Factorial TM platform to environmental monitoring: Characterizing complex, environmental mixtures

EPA Science Inventory

Bioassays can be employed to evaluate the integrated effects of complex mixtures of both known and unidentified contaminants present in environmental samples. However, such methods have typically focused on one or a few pathways despite the fact that the chemicals in a mixture ma...

Measurement of the complex permittivity of dry rocks and minerals: application of polythene dilution method and Lichtenecker's mixture formulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yongchun; Wang, Shijie; Feng, Junming; Ouyang, Ziyuan; Li, Xiongyao

2005-12-01

The complex permittivity of dry rocks and minerals varies over a very wide range, even within a sample there are variation at different temperatures and frequencies. Most rocks and minerals are inhomogeneous materials, therefore, most of the present methods of dielectric measurement designed for artificial homogeneous materials are not suitable for rocks and minerals. The resonant cavity perturbation (RCP) method is a reliable and simple technique to determine the complex permittivity of dielectric materials in the GHz range, and this method is also used extensively. However, the traditional RCP method is sensitive to the measurement of low dielectric constant (ɛ') and low loss factor (ɛ'' or tanδ) materials. The complex permittivity of most dry rocks and minerals exceeds the span vibration of the RCP method, and cannot be measured by the RCP method directly. This paper proposes a new method to measure the complex permittivity of dry rocks and minerals with the RCP method incorporated in the application of polythene (PE) dilution method and Lichtenecker's mixture formulae. Dry rocks and minerals were ground into fine powder. The powder of rocks and minerals was mixed with polythene powder in a definite volume per cent. The mixture was heated and pressed into a thin circular slice. The slice was processed into a small rectangular strip sample, the size of which was fitted to the demands of the RCP method. The complex permittivity of the strip was obtained by the RCP method. The relationship between the dielectric properties of the two-phase mixture and those of each phase in the mixture can be expressed by Lichtenecker's mixture formula. Thus the complex permittivity of dry rocks and minerals can be calculated from the complex permittivity of the mixture in case the complex permittivity of polythene is known. The presented method was verified by measurements of reference materials of various known complex permittivity and other reliable dielectric measurement methods. The results of the experiment showed that this new method is of high accuracy, small sample requirement, and convenient application. Moreover, the complex permittivity of rocks and minerals measured by this method is more reliable than the direct dielectric measurement of rocks or minerals without application of the polythene dilution method and Lichtenecker's mixture formulae.

Influence of shape and size of the particles on jigging separation of plastics mixture.

PubMed

Pita, Fernando; Castilho, Ana

2016-02-01

Plastics are popular for numerous applications due to their high versatility and favourable properties such as endurance, lightness and cheapness. Therefore the generation of plastic waste is constantly increasing, becoming one of the larger categories in municipal solid waste. Almost all plastic materials are recyclable, but for the recycling to be possible it is necessary to separate the different types of plastics. The aim of this research was to evaluate the performance of the jig separation of bi-component plastic mixtures. For this study six granulated plastics had been used: Polystyrene (PS), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET-S, PET-D) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC-M, PVC-D). Plastics mixtures were subjected to jigging in a laboratorial Denver mineral jig. The results showed that the quality of the jigging separation varies with the mixture, the density differences and with the size and shape of the particles. In the case of particles with more regular shapes the quality of separation of bi-component plastic mixtures improved with the increase of the particle size. For lamellar particles the influence of particle size was minimal. In general, the beneficiation of plastics with similar densities was not effective, since the separation efficiency was lower than 25%. However, in bi-component plastic mixtures that join a low density plastic (PS) with a high density one (PMMA, PET-S, PET-D, PVC-M and PVC-D), the quality of the jigging separation was greatly improved. The PS grade in the sunk was less than 1% for all the plastic mixtures. Jigging proved to be an effective method for the separation of bi-component plastic mixtures. Jigging separation will be enhanced if the less dense plastic, that overflows, has a lamellar shape and if the denser plastic, that sinks, has a regular one. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In-situ stabilization of radioactive zirconium swarf

DOEpatents

Hess, C.C.

1999-08-31

The method for treating ignitable cutting swarf in accordance with the present invention involves collecting cutting swarf in a casting mold underwater and injecting a binder mixture comprising vinyl ester styrene into the vessel to fill void volume; and form a mixture comprising swarf and vinyl ester styrene; and curing the mixture. The method is especially useful for stabilizing the ignitable characteristics of radioactive zirconium cutting swarf, and can be used to solidify zirconium swarf, or other ignitable finely divided material, underwater. The process could also be performed out of water with other particulate wastes. 6 figs.

Municipal solid waste flow and waste generation characteristics in an urban--rural fringe area in Thailand.

PubMed

Hiramatsu, Ai; Hara, Yuji; Sekiyama, Makiko; Honda, Ryo; Chiemchaisri, Chart

2009-12-01

In the urban-rural fringe of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, rapid urbanization is creating a land-use mixture of agricultural fields and residential areas. To develop appropriate policies to enhance recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW), current MSW management was investigated in the oboto (local administrative district) of Bang Maenang in Nonthaburi Province, adjoining Bangkok. The authors conducted a structural interview survey with waste-related organizations and local residents, analysed household waste generation, and performed global positioning system (GPS) tracking of municipal garbage trucks. It was found that MSW was collected and treated by local government, private-sector entities, and the local community separately. Lack of integrated management of these entities complicated waste flow in the study area, and some residences were not served by MSW collection. Organic waste, such as kitchen garbage and yard waste, accounted for a large proportion of waste generation but was underutilized. Through GPS/GIS analysis, the waste collection rate of the generated waste amount was estimated to be 45.5- 51.1% of total generation.

THE GENOTOXICITY OF PRIORITY POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN COMPLEX MIXTURES

EPA Science Inventory

Risk assessment of complex environmental samples suffers from difficulty in identifying toxic components, inadequacy of available toxicity data, and a paucity of knowledge about the behavior of geno(toxic) substances in complex mixtures. Lack of information about the behavior of ...

Electrochemical incineration of wastes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhardwaj, R. C.; Sharma, D. K.; Bockris, J. OM.

1990-01-01

The novel technology of waste removal in space vehicles by electrochemical methods is presented to convert wastes into chemicals that can be eventually recycled. The important consideration for waste oxidation is to select a right kind of electrode (anode) material that should be stable under anodic conditions and also a poor electrocatalyst for oxygen and chlorine evolution. On the basis of long term electrolysis experiments on seven different electrodes and on the basis of total organic carbon reduced, two best electrodes were identified. The effect of redox ions on the electrolyte was studied. Though most of the experiments were done in mixtures of urine and waste, the experiments with redox couples involved 2.5 M sulfuric acid in order to avoid the precipitation of redox ions by urea. Two methods for long term electrolysis of waste were investigated: (1) the oxidation on Pt and lead dioxide electrodes using the galvanostatic methods; and (2) potentiostatic method on other electrodes. The advantage of the first method is the faster rate of oxidation. The chlorine evolution in the second method is ten times less then in the first. The accomplished research has shown that urine/feces mixtures can be oxidized to carbon dioxide and water, but current densities are low and must be improved. The perovskite and Ti4O7 coated with RuO2 are the best electrode materials found. Recent experiment with the redox agent improves the current density, however, sulphuric acid is required to keep the redox agent in solution to enhance oxidation effectively. It is desirable to reduce the use of acid and/or find substitutes.

The use of Crumb Rubber as Substitute of Fine Aggregate for Hot Asphalt Mixture using Polymer Modified Bitumen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setyawan, A.; Nugroho, S. K.; Irsyad, A. M.; Mutaqo, H. F.; Ramadhan, P.; Sumarsono, A.; Pramesti, F. P.

2018-03-01

The development of road pavement to fulfilled the need of modern life is not only focused on heavy duty road, but also a light duty road for the convenience of road users according to its function. For example the use of pavement on the jogging track, rail crossing, playground and so on. Due to the need of an alternative and the innovation of a comfortable pavement layer, but sufficiently strong in holding the load on the layer. The alternative innovation that can be used for the respective requirement is the utilization of waste old tires as substitute material in pavement construction. In this case the use of crumb rubber made from old tire rubber as an 100% fine aggregate substitute on the asphalt mixtures is investigated. To improve the strength and durability of the mixtures, the addition of polymer modified bitumen was incorporated. The two types of asphalt mixture selected in this study by using a continuous gradation of asphalt concrete and a gap gradation of hot roll asphalt. Testing to be implemented in this research is volumetric characteristics, Marshall characteristics, resistance to abrasion and impact and permeability. Replacement of fine aggregate with crumb rubber on asphalt concrete mixture with 60/70 penetration grade bitumen and polymer modified asphalt SBS E-55 in this research are expected to be an alternative in improving the quality of pavement and overcoming the environmental problems by reuse the waste materials.

Evolution of process control parameters during extended co-composting of green waste and solid fraction of cattle slurry to obtain growing media.

PubMed

Cáceres, Rafaela; Coromina, Narcís; Malińska, Krystyna; Marfà, Oriol

2015-03-01

This study aimed to monitor process parameters when two by-products (green waste - GW, and the solid fraction of cattle slurry - SFCS) were composted to obtain growing media. Using compost in growing medium mixtures involves prolonged composting processes that can last at least half a year. It is therefore crucial to study the parameters that affect compost stability as measured in the field in order to shorten the composting process at composting facilities. Two mixtures were prepared: GW25 (25% GW and 75% SFCS, v/v) and GW75 (75% GW and 25% SFCS, v/v). The different raw mixtures resulted in the production of two different growing media, and the evolution of process management parameters was different. A new parameter has been proposed to deal with attaining the thermophilic temperature range and maintaining it during composting, not only it would be useful to optimize composting processes, but also to assess the hygienization degree. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of health effects in epidemiologic studies of air pollution.

PubMed Central

Samet, J M; Speizer, F E

1993-01-01

As we increasingly recognize the complexity of the pollutants in indoor and outdoor microenvironments, a broad array of inhaled mixtures has assumed scientific, public health, and regulatory importance. Few adverse effects of environmental pollutants are specific, that is, uniquely associated with a single agent; the adverse effects that might be considered in an investigation of the consequences of exposure to an inhaled complex mixture are generally nonspecific. In the context of this paper, we will refer to binary mixtures as complex, though we realize that a more precise definition of complexity would restrict the term to mixtures of three or more constituents. Their causes potentially include not only pollutant exposures through the medium of inhaled air but other environmental agents, such as infectious organisms and radiation, and inherent characteristics of the exposed persons, such as atopy. We review the outcome measures that have been used in epidemiologic studies of the health effects of single pollutants and complex mixtures. Some of these outcome measures have been carefully standardized, whereas others need similar standardization and modification to improve sensitivity and specificity for investigating the health effects of air pollution. PMID:8206024

Molecular identification of organic compounds in atmospheric complex mixtures and relationship to atmospheric chemistry and sources.

PubMed

Mazurek, Monica A

2002-12-01

This article describes a chemical characterization approach for complex organic compound mixtures associated with fine atmospheric particles of diameters less than 2.5 m (PM2.5). It relates molecular- and bulk-level chemical characteristics of the complex mixture to atmospheric chemistry and to emission sources. Overall, the analytical approach describes the organic complex mixtures in terms of a chemical mass balance (CMB). Here, the complex mixture is related to a bulk elemental measurement (total carbon) and is broken down systematically into functional groups and molecular compositions. The CMB and molecular-level information can be used to understand the sources of the atmospheric fine particles through conversion of chromatographic data and by incorporation into receptor-based CMB models. Once described and quantified within a mass balance framework, the chemical profiles for aerosol organic matter can be applied to existing air quality issues. Examples include understanding health effects of PM2.5 and defining and controlling key sources of anthropogenic fine particles. Overall, the organic aerosol compositional data provide chemical information needed for effective PM2.5 management.

Efficient free fatty acid production in engineered Escherichia coli strains using soybean oligosaccharides as feedstock.

PubMed

Wang, Dan; Wu, Hui; Thakker, Chandresh; Beyersdorf, Jared; Bennett, George N; San, Ka-Yiu

2015-01-01

To be competitive with current petrochemicals, microbial synthesis of free fatty acids can be made to rely on a variety of renewable resources rather than on food carbon sources, which increase its attraction for governments and companies. Industrial waste soybean meal is an inexpensive feedstock, which contains soluble sugars such as stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, galactose, and fructose. Free fatty acids were produced in this report by introducing an acyl-ACP carrier protein thioesterase and (3R)-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase into E. coli. Plasmid pRU600 bearing genes involved in raffinose and sucrose metabolism was also transformed into engineered E. coli strains, which allowed more efficient utilization of these two kinds of specific oligosaccharide present in the soybean meal extract. Strain ML103 (pRU600, pXZ18Z) produced ~1.60 and 2.66 g/L of free fatty acids on sucrose and raffinose, respectively. A higher level of 2.92 g/L fatty acids was obtained on sugar mixture. The fatty acid production using hydrolysate obtained from acid or enzyme based hydrolysis was evaluated. Engineered strains just produced ~0.21 g/L of free fatty acids with soybean meal acid hydrolysate. However, a fatty acid production of 2.61 g/L with a high yield of 0.19 g/g total sugar was observed on an enzymatic hydrolysate. The results suggest that complex mixtures of oligosaccharides derived from soybean meal can serve as viable feedstock to produce free fatty acids. Enzymatic hydrolysis acts as a much more efficient treatment than acid hydrolysis to facilitate the transformation of industrial waste from soybean processing to high value added chemicals. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Effect of experimental variables onto Co(2+) and Sr(2+) sorption behavior in red mud-water suspensions.

PubMed

Milenković, Aleksandra S; Smičiklas, Ivana D; Šljivić-Ivanović, Marija Z; Živković, Ljiljana S; Vukelić, Nikola S

2016-07-02

The prospects of rinsed red mud (alumina production residue) utilization for liquid radioactive waste treatment have been investigated, with Co(2+) and Sr(2+) as model cations of radioactive elements. To evaluate the sorption effectiveness and corresponding binding mechanisms, the process was analyzed in batch conditions, by varying experimental conditions (pH, Co(2+) and Sr(2+) concentrations in single solutions and binary mixtures, contact time, and the concentration of competing cations and ligands common in liquid radioactive waste). Comparison of the Co(2+) and Sr(2+) sorption pH edges with the red mud isoelectric point has revealed that Co(2+) removal took place at both positive and negative red mud surface, while Sr(2+) sorption abruptly increased when the surface became negatively charged. The increase of initial cation content and pH resulted in increased equilibrium times and sorption capacity and decreased rate constants. From single metal solutions and various binary mixtures, Co(2+) was sorbed more efficiently and selectively than Sr(2+). While Sr(2+) sorption was reduced by coexisting cations in the order Al(3+) ≥ Ca(2+) >Na(+) ≥Cs(+), removal of Co(2+) was affected by Al(3+) species and complexing agents (EDTA and citrate). Desorption of Co(2+) was negligible in Ca(2+) and Sr(2+) containing media and in solutions with initial pH 4-7. Sr(2+) desorption was generally more pronounced, especially at low pH and in the presence of Co(2+). Collected macroscopic data signify that Co(2+) sorption by red mud minerals occurred via strong chemical bonds, while Sr(2+) was retained mainly by weaker ion-exchange or electrostatic interactions. Results indicate that the rinsed red mud represent an efficient, low-cost sorbent for Co(2+) and Sr(2+) immobilization.

Characterization of Explosives Processing Waste Decomposition Due to Composting

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-01

volume % of soil in the compost. The amendment mixture was 30% sawdust, 15% apple pomace, 20% chicken manure, and 35% chopped potato waste. The negative...experiments. 3.3 Dkictiion Naturally occurring soil- and sediment-dwelling microbes produce a diverse array of exo- and endoenzymes that can degrade...consortia of microbes . Additionally, the loss of TNT by microbial processes was accompanied by commensurate reductions in compost leachate toxicity and

Use of limestone powder during incorporation of Pb-containing cathode ray tube waste in self-compacting concrete.

PubMed

Sua-iam, Gritsada; Makul, Natt

2013-10-15

For several decades, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were the primary display component of televisions and computers. The CRT glass envelope contains sufficient levels of lead oxide (PbO) to be considered hazardous, and there is a need for effective methods of permanently encapsulating this material during waste disposal. We examined the effect of adding limestone powder (LS) on the fresh and cured properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixtures containing waste CRT glass. The SCC mixtures were prepared using Type 1 Portland cement at a constant cement content of 600 kg/m(3) and a water-to-cement ratio (w/c) of 0.38. CRT glass waste cullet was blended with river sand in proportions of 20 or 40% by weight. To suppress potential viscosity effects limestone powder was added at levels of 5, 10, or 15% by weight. The slump flow time, slump flow diameter, V-funnel flow time, Marsh cone flow time, and setting time of the fresh concrete were tested, as well as the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity of the hardened concrete. Addition of limestone powder improved the fresh and hardened properties. Pb leaching levels from the cured concrete were within US EPA allowable limits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential of utilizing asphalt dust waste as filler material in the production of sustainable self compacting concrete (SCC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Isham; Shahidan, Shahiron; Bahari, Nur Amira Afiza Saiful

2017-12-01

Waste materials from many industries are widely used in the production of sustainable green concrete. Utilizing asphalt dust waste (ADW) as a filler material in the development of self-compacting concrete (SCC) is one of the alternative solutions for reducing environmental waste. SCC is an innovative concrete that does not require vibration for placing and compaction. However, there is limited information on the effects of utilizing ADW in the development of SCC. Therefore, this research study examines the effects of various w/b ratios (0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) and differing amounts of ADW (0% to 50%) on the rheological properties of fresh state concrete. The compressive strength of the SCC was tested only for 7 and 28 days as preliminary studies. The results revealed that mixtures MD730, MD740 and MD750 showed satisfactory results for the slump flow, J-Ring, L-Box and V-Funnel test during the fresh state. The compressive strength values obtained after 28 days for MD730, MD740 and MD750 were 35.1 MPa, 36.8 MPa and 29.4 MPa respectively. In conclusion, the distribution of materials in mixtures has significant effect in achieving rheological properties and compressive strength of SCC.

Biotransformation of an uncured composite material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welsh, Clement J.; Glass, Michael J.; Cheslack, Brian; Pryor, Robert; Tran, Duan K.; Bowers-Irons, Gail

1994-01-01

The feasibility of biologically degrading prepreg wastes was studied. The work was conducted with the intention of obtaining baseline data that would facilitate the achievement of two long-range goals. These goals are: (1) the biological remediation of the hazardous components in the prepreg wastes, and (2) providing the potential for recycling the prepreg waste fibers. The experiments examined a prepreg that employs an bismaleimide resin system. Initial results demonstrated an obvious deterioration of the prepreg material when incubated with several bacterial strains. The most active cultures were identified as a mixture of 'Bacillus cereus' and 'Pseudomonas sp'. Gas chromatography analyses revealed seven primary compounds in the resin mixture. Biotransformation studies, using the complete prepreg material, demonstrated on obvious loss of all seven organic compounds. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses resulted in structure assignments for the two primary components of the resin. Both were analogs of Bisphenol A; one being bismaleimide, and the other being Bisphenol A containing a diglycidyl moiety. The 'diglycidyl analog' was purified using thin-layer chromatography and the biotransformation of this compound (at 27 ug/ml bacterial culture) was monitored. After a seven-day incubation, approximately 40% of the organic compound was biotransformed. These results demonstrate the biotransformation of the prepreg resin and indicate that biological remediation of the prepreg wastes is feasible.

Multi-step process for concentrating magnetic particles in waste sludges

DOEpatents

Watson, John L.

1990-01-01

This invention involves a multi-step, multi-force process for dewatering sludges which have high concentrations of magnetic particles, such as waste sludges generated during steelmaking. This series of processing steps involves (1) mixing a chemical flocculating agent with the sludge; (2) allowing the particles to aggregate under non-turbulent conditions; (3) subjecting the mixture to a magnetic field which will pull the magnetic aggregates in a selected direction, causing them to form a compacted sludge; (4) preferably, decanting the clarified liquid from the compacted sludge; and (5) using filtration to convert the compacted sludge into a cake having a very high solids content. Steps 2 and 3 should be performed simultaneously. This reduces the treatment time and increases the extent of flocculation and the effectiveness of the process. As partially formed aggregates with active flocculating groups are pulled through the mixture by the magnetic field, they will contact other particles and form larger aggregates. This process can increase the solids concentration of steelmaking sludges in an efficient and economic manner, thereby accomplishing either of two goals: (a) it can convert hazardous wastes into economic resources for recycling as furnace feed material, or (b) it can dramatically reduce the volume of waste material which must be disposed.

Multi-step process for concentrating magnetic particles in waste sludges

DOEpatents

Watson, J.L.

1990-07-10

This invention involves a multi-step, multi-force process for dewatering sludges which have high concentrations of magnetic particles, such as waste sludges generated during steelmaking. This series of processing steps involves (1) mixing a chemical flocculating agent with the sludge; (2) allowing the particles to aggregate under non-turbulent conditions; (3) subjecting the mixture to a magnetic field which will pull the magnetic aggregates in a selected direction, causing them to form a compacted sludge; (4) preferably, decanting the clarified liquid from the compacted sludge; and (5) using filtration to convert the compacted sludge into a cake having a very high solids content. Steps 2 and 3 should be performed simultaneously. This reduces the treatment time and increases the extent of flocculation and the effectiveness of the process. As partially formed aggregates with active flocculating groups are pulled through the mixture by the magnetic field, they will contact other particles and form larger aggregates. This process can increase the solids concentration of steelmaking sludges in an efficient and economic manner, thereby accomplishing either of two goals: (a) it can convert hazardous wastes into economic resources for recycling as furnace feed material, or (b) it can dramatically reduce the volume of waste material which must be disposed. 7 figs.

Limitation of tritium outgassing from tritiated solid waste drums

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liger, K.; Trabuc, P.; Lefebvre, X.

2015-03-15

In the framework of the development of fusion thermonuclear reactors, tritiated solid waste is foreseen and will have to be managed. The management of tritiated waste implies limitations in terms of activity and tritium degassing. The degassing tritium can be under the form of tritiated hydrogen, tritiated water and, in some specific cases, negligible amount of tritiated volatile organic compound. Hence, considering the major forms of degassing tritium, CEA has developed a mixed-compound dedicated to tritium trapping in drums. Based on several experiments, the foreseen mixed compound is composed of MnO{sub 2}, Ag{sub 2}O, Pt and molecular sieve, the threemore » first species having the ability to convert tritiated hydrogen into tritiated water and the last one acting as a trap for tritiated water. To assess the performance of the trapping mixture, experimental tests were performed at room temperature on tritiated dust composed of beryllium and carbon. It was shown that the metallic oxides mixture used for tritiated hydrogen conversion is efficient and that tritiated water adsorption was limited due to an inefficient regeneration of the molecular sieve prior to its use. Apart from this point, the tritium release from waste was reduced by a factor of 5.5, which can be improved up to 87 if the adsorption step is efficient.« less

Experimental investigation of photocatalytic effects of concrete in air purification adopting entire concrete waste reuse model.

PubMed

Xu, Yidong; Chen, Wei; Jin, Ruoyu; Shen, Jiansheng; Smallbone, Kirsty; Yan, Chunyang; Hu, Lei

2018-07-05

This research investigated the capacities of recycled aggregate concrete adopting entire concrete waste reuse model in degrading NO 2. Two major issues within environmental sustainability were addressed: concrete waste reuse rate and mitigation of hazards substances in the polluted air. The study consisted of two stages: identification of proper replacement rates of recycled concrete wastes in new concrete mixture design, and the evaluation of photocatalytic performance of recycled aggregate concrete in degrading NO 2 . It was found that replacement rates up to 3%, 30%, and 50% for recycled power, recycled fine aggregate, and recycled coarse aggregate respectively could be applied in concrete mixture design without deteriorating concrete strength. Recycled aggregates contained both positive attributes ("internal curing") and negative effects (e.g., lower hardness) to concrete properties. It was found that 30%-50% of natural coarse aggregate replaced by recycled coarse aggregates coated with TiO 2 would significantly improve the photocatalytic performance of concrete measured by degradation rate of NO 2 . Micro-structures of recycled aggregates observed under microscope indicated that soaking recycled aggregates in TiO 2 solution resulted in whiskers that filled the porosity within recycled aggregates which enhanced concrete strength. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility study on cross-linked biopolymeric concrete encapsulating selenium glass wastes.

PubMed

Kim, Daeik; Park, Joon-Seok; Yen, Teh Fu

2012-08-01

Feasibility study was conducted to encapsulate the selenium (Se) contained in glass waste, using the biopolymer-modified concrete. Biopolymer has unique characteristics to provide the chemical sites to metals or toxic compounds through the three-dimensional cross-linked structure. Very minute amount of biopolymer enhanced the characteristics of cementitious material. The resulting biopolymeric composite with selenium glass waste showed 20% higher compressive strength than ordinary concrete and the lower leaching concentration than the equipment detection limit. For a qualitative measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD; X-ray powder diffractogram) was used to characterize the biopolymeric concrete. The optimum waste content percentage with appropriate biopolymer concrete mixture ratio was identified for its possible commercial use.

Process for disposal of aqueous solutions containing radioactive isotopes

DOEpatents

Colombo, Peter; Neilson, Jr., Robert M.; Becker, Walter W.

1979-01-01

A process for disposing of radioactive aqueous waste solutions whereby the waste solution is utilized as the water of hydration to hydrate densified powdered portland cement in a leakproof container; said waste solution being dispersed without mechanical inter-mixing in situ in said bulk cement, thereafter the hydrated cement body is impregnated with a mixture of a monomer and polymerization catalyst to form polymer throughout the cement body. The entire process being carried out while maintaining the temperature of the components during the process at a temperature below 99.degree. C. The container containing the solid polymer-impregnated body is thereafter stored at a radioactive waste storage dump such as an underground storage dump.

A flow system for the spectrophotometric determination of lead in different types of waters using ion-exchange for pre-concentration and elimination of interferences.

PubMed

Mesquita, Raquel B R; Fernandes, Sílvia M V; Rangel, António O S S

2004-02-06

A flow system for the spectrophotometric determination of lead in natural and waste waters is proposed. The determination is based on the colorimetric reaction between malachite green and iodide, followed by the formation of a ternary complex between those reagents and lead cations. The developed flow system includes a lead pre-concentration step in a column packed with a cationic resin (Chelex 100) operating in a sequential injection mode. To improve the mixture of sample and reagents, a flow injection approach was adopted for the colorimetric determination. This way a hybrid flow system, involving both sequential and flow injection concepts was designed. Another feature of the proposed system is the efficient elimination of major interferent species, such as cadmium and copper. The elimination of cadmium interference is obtained by complexing Cd(2+) with chloride and retaining the formed negatively charged complexes in an anionic resin, AG1 X-8. As for copper, with the presence of both ionic resins as well as the conditions for cadmium elimination, it no longer acts as an interferent. Different ranges of lead concentration (50-300 and 300-1000mugl(-1)) can be determined with minor changes in the controlling software, useful for application to both natural and waste waters. Therefore, a detection limit of 25mugl(-1) was achieved. Repeatability was evaluated from 10 consecutive determinations being the results better than 4%. The recoveries of lead spikes added to the samples ranged from 93 to 102%. The sampling frequency was 17 and 24 determinations per hour, for 50-300 and 300-1000mugl(-1) ranges, respectively.

Ultrapyrolytic upgrading of plastic wastes and plastics/heavy oil mixtures to valuable light gas products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lovett, S.; Berruti, F.; Behie, L.A.

1997-11-01

Viable operating conditions were identified experimentally for maximizing the production of high-value products such as ethylene, propylene, styrene, and benzene, from the ultrapyrolysis of waste plastics. Using both a batch microreactor and a pilot-plant-sized reactor, the key operating variables considered were pyrolysis temperature, product reaction time, and quench time. In the microreactor experiments, polystyrene (PS), a significant component of waste plastics, was pyrolyzed at temperatures ranging from 800 to 965 C, with total reaction times ranging from 500 to 1,000 ms. At a temperature of 965 C and 500 ms, the yields of styrene plus benzene were greater than 95more » wt %. In the pilot-plant experiments, the recently patented internally circulating fluidized bed (ICFB) reactor (Milne et al., US Patent Number 5,370,789, 1994b) was used to ultrapyrolyze low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in addition to LDPE (5% by weight)/heavy oil mixtures at a residence time of 600 ms. Both experiments produced light olefin yields greater than 55 wt % at temperatures above 830 C.« less

Identifying Complex Mixtures in the Environment with Cheminformatics and Non-targeted High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (SETAC NA Focused Topic Meeting : Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures)

EPA Science Inventory

Non-target high resolution mass spectrometry techniques combined with advanced cheminformatics offer huge potential for exploring complex mixtures in our environment – yet also offers plenty of challenges. Peak inventories of several non-target studies from within Europe reveal t...

75 FR 73080 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations of Experts for the SAB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

... are IRIS reference doses (RfDs) for two commercial PCB mixtures: Aroclor 1016 and Aroclor 1254 that... developing a draft assessment of the potential noncancer health hazards of complex PCB mixtures for inclusion... with the goal of establishing an RfD for application to complex PCB mixtures. The EPA's National Center...

[Co-composting high moisture vegetable waste and flower waste in a sequential fed operation].

PubMed

Zhang, Xiangfeng; Wang, Hongtao; Nie, Yongfeng

2003-11-01

Co-composting of high moisture vegetable wastes (celery and cabbage) and flower wastes (carnation) were studied in a sequential fed bed. The preliminary materials of composting were celery and carnation wastes. The sequential fed materials of composting were cabbage wastes and were fed every 4 days. Moisture content of mixture materials was between 60% and 70%. Composting was done in an aerobic static bed of composting based temperature feedback and control via aeration rate regulation. Aeration was ended when temperature of the pile was about 40 degrees C. Changes of composting of temperature, aeration rate, water content, organic matter, ash, pH, volume, NH4(+)-N, and NO3(-)-N were studied. Results show that co-composting of high moisture vegetable wastes and flower wastes, in a sequential fed aerobic static bed based temperature feedback and control via aeration rate regulation, can stabilize organic matter and removal water rapidly. The sequential fed operation are effective to overcome the difficult which traditional composting cannot applied successfully where high moisture vegetable wastes in more excess of flower wastes, such as Dianchi coastal.

Plasma vitrification of waste materials

DOEpatents

McLaughlin, David F.; Dighe, Shyam V.; Gass, William R.

1997-01-01

This invention provides a process wherein hazardous or radioactive wastes in the form of liquids, slurries, or finely divided solids are mixed with finely divided glassformers (silica, alumina, soda, etc.) and injected directly into the plume of a non-transferred arc plasma torch. The extremely high temperatures and heat transfer rates makes it possible to convert the waste-glassformer mixture into a fully vitrified molten glass product in a matter of milliseconds. The molten product may then be collected in a crucible for casting into final wasteform geometry, quenching in water, or further holding time to improve homogeneity and eliminate bubbles.

Physical and thermal behavior of cement composites reinforced with recycled waste paper fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hospodarova, Viola; Stevulova, Nadezda; Vaclavik, Vojtech; Dvorsky, Tomas

2017-07-01

In this study, three types of recycled waste paper fibers were used to manufacture cement composites reinforced with recycled cellulosic fibers. Waste cellulosic fibers in quantity of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.% were added to cement mixtures. Physical properties such as density, water capillarity, water absorbability and thermal conductivity of fiber cement composites were studied after 28 days of hardening. However, durability of composites was tested after their water storage up to 90 days. Final results of tested properties of fiber cement composites were compared with cement reference sample without cellulosic fibers.

Plasma vitrification of waste materials

DOEpatents

McLaughlin, D.F.; Dighe, S.V.; Gass, W.R.

1997-06-10

This invention provides a process wherein hazardous or radioactive wastes in the form of liquids, slurries, or finely divided solids are mixed with finely divided glassformers (silica, alumina, soda, etc.) and injected directly into the plume of a non-transferred arc plasma torch. The extremely high temperatures and heat transfer rates makes it possible to convert the waste-glassformer mixture into a fully vitrified molten glass product in a matter of milliseconds. The molten product may then be collected in a crucible for casting into final wasteform geometry, quenching in water, or further holding time to improve homogeneity and eliminate bubbles. 4 figs.

Estimating Residual Solids Volume In Underground Storage Tanks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clark, Jason L.; Worthy, S. Jason; Martin, Bruce A.

2014-01-08

The Savannah River Site liquid waste system consists of multiple facilities to safely receive and store legacy radioactive waste, treat, and permanently dispose waste. The large underground storage tanks and associated equipment, known as the 'tank farms', include a complex interconnected transfer system which includes underground transfer pipelines and ancillary equipment to direct the flow of waste. The waste in the tanks is present in three forms: supernatant, sludge, and salt. The supernatant is a multi-component aqueous mixture, while sludge is a gel-like substance which consists of insoluble solids and entrapped supernatant. The waste from these tanks is retrieved andmore » treated as sludge or salt. The high level (radioactive) fraction of the waste is vitrified into a glass waste form, while the low-level waste is immobilized in a cementitious grout waste form called saltstone. Once the waste is retrieved and processed, the tanks are closed via removing the bulk of the waste, chemical cleaning, heel removal, stabilizing remaining residuals with tailored grout formulations and severing/sealing external penetrations. The comprehensive liquid waste disposition system, currently managed by Savannah River Remediation, consists of 1) safe storage and retrieval of the waste as it is prepared for permanent disposition; (2) definition of the waste processing techniques utilized to separate the high-level waste fraction/low-level waste fraction; (3) disposition of LLW in saltstone; (4) disposition of the HLW in glass; and (5) closure state of the facilities, including tanks. This paper focuses on determining the effectiveness of waste removal campaigns through monitoring the volume of residual solids in the waste tanks. Volume estimates of the residual solids are performed by creating a map of the residual solids on the waste tank bottom using video and still digital images. The map is then used to calculate the volume of solids remaining in the waste tank. The ability to accurately determine a volume is a function of the quantity and quality of the waste tank images. Currently, mapping is performed remotely with closed circuit video cameras and still photograph cameras due to the hazardous environment. There are two methods that can be used to create a solids volume map. These methods are: liquid transfer mapping / post transfer mapping and final residual solids mapping. The task is performed during a transfer because the liquid level (which is a known value determined by a level measurement device) is used as a landmark to indicate solids accumulation heights. The post transfer method is primarily utilized after the majority of waste has been removed. This method relies on video and still digital images of the waste tank after the liquid transfer is complete to obtain the relative height of solids across a waste tank in relation to known and usable landmarks within the waste tank (cooling coils, column base plates, etc.). In order to accurately monitor solids over time across various cleaning campaigns, and provide a technical basis to support final waste tank closure, a consistent methodology for volume determination has been developed and implemented at SRS.« less

The Effect of Poly (Glycerol Sebacate) Incorporation within Hybrid Chitin-Lignin Sol-Gel Nanofibrous Scaffolds.

PubMed

Abudula, Tuerdimaimaiti; Gzara, Lassaad; Simonetti, Giovanna; Alshahrie, Ahmed; Salah, Numan; Morganti, Pierfrancesco; Chianese, Angelo; Fallahi, Afsoon; Tamayol, Ali; Bencherif, Sidi A; Memic, Adnan

2018-03-19

Chitin and lignin primarily accumulate as bio-waste resulting from byproducts of crustacean crusts and plant biomass. Recently, their use has been proposed for diverse and unique bioengineering applications, amongst others. However, their weak mechanical properties need to be improved in order to facilitate their industrial utilization. In this paper, we fabricated hybrid fibers composed of a chitin-lignin (CL)-based sol-gel mixture and elastomeric poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) using a standard electrospinning approach. Obtained results showed that PGS could be coherently blended with the sol-gel mixture to form a nanofibrous scaffold exhibiting remarkable mechanical performance and improved antibacterial and antifungal activity. The developed hybrid fibers showed promising potential in advanced biomedical applications such as wound care products. Ultimately, recycling these sustainable biopolymers and other bio-wastes alike could propel a "greener" economy.

The influence of clay fineness upon sludge recycling in a ceramic matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szőke, A. M.; Muntean, M.; Sándor, M.; Brotea, L.

2016-04-01

The feasibility of sludge recycling in the ceramic manufacture was evaluated through laboratory testing. Such residues have similar chemical and mineralogical composition with the raw mixture of the green ceramic body used in construction. Several ceramic masses with clay and various proportion of sludge have been synthesized and then characterized by their physical-mechanical properties. The fineness of the clay, the main component of the green ceramic body, has been considered for every raw mixture. The proportion of the sludge waste addition depends on the clay fineness and the sintering capacity also, increases with the clay fineness. The ceramic properties, particularly, the open porosity, and mechanical properties, in presence of small sludge proportion (7, 20%) shows small modification. The introduction of such waste into building ceramic matrix (bricks, tiles, and plates) has a very good perspective.

Vermiconversion of industrial sludge for recycling the nutrients.

PubMed

Sangwan, Pritam; Kaushik, C P; Garg, V K

2008-12-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the transformation of sugar mill sludge (PM) amended with biogas plant slurry (BPS) into vermicompost employing an epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida. To achieve the objectives experiments were conducted for 13 weeks under controlled environmental conditions. In all the waste mixtures, a decrease in pH, TOC, TK and C:N ratio, but increase in TKN and TP was recorded. Maximum worm biomass and growth rate was attained in 20% PM containing waste mixture. It was inferred from the study that addition of 30-50% of PM with BPS had no adverse effect on the fertilizer value of the vermicompost as well as growth of E. fetida. The results indicated that vermicomposting can be an alternate technology for the management and nutrient recovery from press mud if mixed with bulking agent in appropriate quantities.

Separation of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene waste plastics by froth flotation combined with ammonia pretreatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chong-qing; Wang, Hui, E-mail: huiwang1968@163.com; Liu, Qun

Highlights: • Ammonia treatment changes selectively floatability of PC. • The effects of ammonia on PC were investigated through contact angle and XPS. • Reactions between ammonia and PC surface make PC more hydrophilic. • PC and ABS mixtures with different particle sizes were separated effectively. - Abstract: The objective of this research is flotation separation of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) waste plastics combined with ammonia pretreatment. The PC and ABS plastics show similar hydrophobicity, and ammonia treatment changes selectively floatability of PC plastic while ABS is insensitive to ammonia treatment. The contact angle measurement indicates the dropping ofmore » flotation recovery of PC is ascribed to a decline of contact angle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates reactions occur on PC surface, which makes PC surface more hydrophilic. Separation of PC and ABS waste plastics was conducted based on the flotation behavior of single plastic. At different temperatures, PC and ABS mixtures were separated efficiently through froth flotation with ammonia pretreatment for different time (13 min at 23 °C, 18 min at 18 °C and 30 min at 23 °C). For both PC and ABS, the purity and recovery is more than 95.31% and 95.35%, respectively; the purity of PC and ABS is up to 99.72% and 99.23%, respectively. PC and ABS mixtures with different particle sizes were separated effectively, implying that ammonia treatment possesses superior applicability.« less

Vermistabilization of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L) waste produced from sugar factory using earthworm Eisenia fetida: Genotoxic assessment by Allium cepa test.

PubMed

Bhat, Sartaj Ahmad; Singh, Jaswinder; Vig, Adarsh Pal

2015-08-01

In the present study, sugar beet mud (SBM) and pulp (SBP) produced as a waste by-products of the sugar industry were mixed with cattle dung (CD) at different ratios on dry weight basis for vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida. Minimum mortality and highest population of worms were observed in 20:80 (SBM20) mixture of SBM and 10:90 (SBP10) ratios. However, increased percentages of wastes significantly affected the growth and fecundity of worms. Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, increased from initial feed mixture to final products (i.e., vermicompost), while organic carbon (OC), C:N ratio and electrical conductivity (EC) declined in all the products of vermicomposting. Although there was an increase in the contents of all the heavy metals except copper, chromium, and iron in SBM, the contents were less than the international standards for compost which indicates that the vermicompost can be used in the fields without any ill effects on the soil. Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay was used to evaluate the genotoxicity of pre- and post-vermicomposted SBM to understand the effect of vermicomposting on the reduction of toxicity. Genotoxicity analysis of post-vermicomposted samples of SBM revealed 18-75% decline in the aberration frequencies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was recorded to identify the changes in texture in the control and vermicomposted samples. The vermicomposted mixtures in the presence of earthworms confirm more numerous surface irregularities that prove to be good manure.

Production of an endoinulinase from Aspergillus niger AUMC 9375, by solid state fermentation of agricultural wastes, with purification and characterization of the free and immobilized enzyme.

PubMed

Housseiny, Manal M

2014-05-01

Two different substrates, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) tubers and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) roots, were tested. Using a mixture of both wastes resulted in higher production of endoinulinase than either waste alone. Also, ten fungal species grown on these substrates as inexpensive, carbon sources were screened for the best production of endoinulinase activities. Of these, Aspergillus niger AUMC 9375 was the most productive, when grown on the mixture using a 6:1 w/w ratio of sun flower: lettuce, and yielded the highest levels of inulinase at 50% moisture, 30°C, pH 5.0, with seven days of incubation, and with yeast extract as the best nitrogen source. Inulinase was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration giving a 51.11 fold purification. The mixture of sunflower tubers and lettuce roots has potential to be an effective and economical substrate for inulinase production. Inulinase was successfully immobilized with an immobilization yield of 71.28%. After incubation for 2 h at 60°C, the free enzyme activity decreased markedly to 10%, whereas that of the immobilized form decreased only to 87%. A reusability test demonstrated the durability of the immobilized inulinase for 10 cycles and in addition, that it could be stored for 32 days at 4°C. These results indicate that this inulinase, in the immobilized form, is a potential candidate for large-scale production of high purity fructose syrups.

Effects of vermicomposts produced from food waste on the growth and yields of greenhouse peppers.

PubMed

Arancon, Norman Q; Edwards, Clive A; Atiyeh, Rola; Metzger, James D

2004-06-01

Vermicomposts, produced commercially from food wastes, were substituted at a range of different concentrations into a soil-less commercial bedding plant container medium, Metro-Mix 360 (MM360), to evaluate their effects on the growth and yields of peppers in the greenhouse. Six-week-old peppers (Capsicum annum L. var. California) were transplanted into 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% or 10% MM360 substituted with 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% vermicompost. All plants were watered three times weekly with 200 ppm Peter's Nutrient Solution from the time of transplanting up to 107 days. Peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 40% food waste vermicomposts and 60% MM360 yielded 45% more fruit weights and had 17% greater mean number of fruits than those grown in MM360 only. The mean heights, numbers of buds and numbers of flowers of peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 10-80% vermicompost although greater did not differ significantly from those of peppers grown in MM360. There were no positive correlations between the increases in pepper yields, and the amounts of mineral-N and microbial biomass-N in the potting mixtures, or the concentrations of nitrogen in the shoot tissues of peppers. Factors such as: an improvement of the physical structure of the potting medium, increases in populations of beneficial microorganisms and the potential availability of plant growth-influencing-substances produced by microorganisms in vermicomposts, could have contributed to the increased pepper yields obtained. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Ltd.

Enhanced production of raw starch degrading enzyme using agro-industrial waste mixtures by thermotolerant Rhizopus microsporus for raw cassava chip saccharification in ethanol production.

PubMed

Trakarnpaiboon, Srisakul; Srisuk, Nantana; Piyachomkwan, Kuakoon; Sakai, Kenji; Kitpreechavanich, Vichien

2017-09-14

In the present study, solid-state fermentation for the production of raw starch degrading enzyme was investigated by thermotolerant Rhizopus microsporus TISTR 3531 using a combination of agro-industrial wastes as substrates. The obtained crude enzyme was applied for hydrolysis of raw cassava starch and chips at low temperature and subjected to nonsterile ethanol production using raw cassava chips. The agro-industrial waste ratio was optimized using a simplex axial mixture design. The results showed that the substrate mixture consisting of rice bran:corncob:cassava bagasse at 8 g:10 g:2 g yielded the highest enzyme production of 201.6 U/g dry solid. The optimized condition for solid-state fermentation was found as 65% initial moisture content, 35°C, initial pH of 6.0, and 5 × 10 6 spores/mL inoculum, which gave the highest enzyme activity of 389.5 U/g dry solid. The enzyme showed high efficiency on saccharification of raw cassava starch and chips with synergistic activities of commercial α-amylase at 50°C, which promotes low-temperature bioethanol production. A high ethanol concentration of 102.2 g/L with 78% fermentation efficiency was achieved from modified simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using cofermentation of the enzymatic hydrolysate of 300 g raw cassava chips/L with cane molasses.

The Effects of Organic Pollutants in Soil on Human Health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgess, Lynn

2013-04-01

The soil has always been depository of the organic chemicals produced naturally or anthropogenically. Soil contamination is a serious human and environmental problem. A large body of evidence has shown the risks of adverse health effects with the exposure to contaminated soil due to the large quantities of organic chemicals used in agriculture and urban areas that have a legacy of environmental pollution linked to industrial activities, coal burning, motor vehicle emissions, waste incineration and waste dumping. In agricultural areas, because of the effort to provide adequate quantities of agricultural products, farmers have been using an increasing amount of organic chemicals, but the resulting pollution has enormous potential for environmental damage. The types of organic pollutants commonly found in soils are polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides, herbicides and organic fuels, especially gasoline and diesel. Another source of soil pollution is the complex mixture of organic chemicals, metals and microorganisms in the effluent from septic systems, animal wastes and other sources of biowaste. The soils of the world are a vast mixture of chemicals and although conditions are such that an individual is rarely exposed to a single compound, the great majority of people are exposed to a vast chemical mixture of organics, their metabolites, and other compounds at low concentrations Human exposure to organic pollutants in the soil is an area of toxicology that is very difficult to study due to the low concentration of the pollutants. The toxicological studies of single organic pollutants found in soils are limited and research on the metabolites and of chemical mixtures is very limited. The majority of toxicological studies are conducted at relatively high doses and for short periods of exposure. This makes the application of this data to exposure from soil very difficult, with the exposure from soil usually being chronic and at very low concentrations. The vastness of the soil has led to the dilution of these pollutants and most of the pollutants remain on or near the surface of the soil unless they have moved by the action of water, organisms, or mechanical mixing. This dilution has reduced the toxicity of these pollutants but the unknown factor is the action of the soil, its chemistry, and the combined action of all the microorganisms, plants, and invertebrates that live in the soil. This biological action combined with the influences of the soil components has the potential of creating new metabolites and chemicals. Toxicologists needs expand their studies to include the persistent organic pollutants and the organic pollutants that can bioaccumulate in organisms. We do not know if the addition of organics chemicals to the soil is creating very toxic xenobiotics and at very low concentrations but with important health effects to humans and other organisms. These unknown compounds could be accumulating in plants that we use for food or as forage for our livestock, then bioaccumulating in the livestock and then on into us.

STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN COMPLEX AIR POLLUTANT MIXTURES

EPA Science Inventory

Both indoor and outdoor air contains a very complex mixture of gas and particulate matter (PM) pollutants. The assessment of the role of each pollutant in the complex atmosphere in the induction of an associated health effect or a response can be difficult due to many factors, i...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bae, Wookeun; Shin, Eung Bai; Lee, Kil Chul

The potential hazard of landfill wastes was previously evaluated by examining the extraction procedures for individual waste, although various wastes were co-disposed of in actual landfills. This paper investigates the reduction of extraction-procedure toxicity by co-disposing various combinations of two wastes. When two wastes are mixed homogeneously, the extraction of heavy metals from the waste mixture is critically affected by the extract pH. Thus, co-disposal wastes will have a resultant pH between the pH values of its constituent. The lower the resultant pH, the lower the concentrations of heavy metals in the extract. When these wastes are extracted sequentially, themore » latter extracted waste has a stronger influence on the final concentration of heavy metals in the extract. Small-scale lysimeter experiments confirm that when heavy-metal-bearing leachates Generated from hazardous-waste lysimeters are passed through a nonhazardous-waste lysimeter filled with compost, briquette ash, or refuse-incineration ashes, the heavy-metal concentration in the final leachates decreases significantly. Thus, the heavy-metal leaching could be attenuated if a less extraction-procedure-toxic waste were placed at the bottom of a landfill. 3 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Process for the displacement of cyanide ions from metal-cyanide complexes

DOEpatents

Smith, Barbara F.; Robinson, Thomas W.

1997-01-01

The present invention relates to water-soluble polymers and the use of such water-soluble polymers in a process for the displacement of the cyanide ions from the metal ions within metal-cyanide complexes. The process waste streams can include metal-cyanide containing electroplating waste streams, mining leach waste streams, mineral processing waste streams, and related metal-cyanide containing waste streams. The metal ions of interest are metals that give very strong complexes with cyanide, mostly iron, nickel, and copper. The physical separation of the water-soluble polymer-metal complex from the cyanide ions can be accomplished through the use of ultrafiltration. Once the metal-cyanide complex is disrupted, the freed cyanide ions can be recovered for reuse or destroyed using available oxidative processes rendering the cyanide nonhazardous. The metal ions are released from the polymer, using dilute acid, metal ion oxidation state adjustment, or competing chelating agents, and collected and recovered or disposed of by appropriate waste management techniques. The water-soluble polymer can then be recycled. Preferred water-soluble polymers include polyethyleneimine and polyethyleneimine having a catechol or hydroxamate group.

Performance Test on Polymer Waste Form - 12137

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Se Yup

Polymer solidification was attempted to produce stable waste form for the boric acid concentrates and the dewatered spent resins. The polymer mixture was directly injected into the mold or drum which was packed with the boric acid concentrates and the dewatered spent resins, respectively. The waste form was produced by entirely curing the polymer mixture. A series of performance tests was conducted including compressive strength test, water immersion test, leach test, thermal stability test, irradiation stability test and biodegradation stability test for the polymer waste forms. From the results of the performance tests for the polymer waste forms, it ismore » believed that the polymer waste form is very stable and can satisfy the acceptance criteria for permanent disposal. At present, performance tests with full scale polymer waste forms are being carried out in order to obtain qualification certificate by the regulatory institute in Korea. Polymer waste forms were prepared with the surrogate of boric acid concentrates and the surrogate of spent ion exchange resins respectively. Waste forms were also made in lab scale and in full scale. Lab. scale waste forms were directly subjected to a series of the performance tests. In the case of full scale waste form, the test specimens for the performance test were taken from a part of waste form by coring. A series of performance tests was conducted including compressive strength test, thermal stability test, irradiation stability test and biodegradation stability test, water immersion test, leach test, and free standing water for the polymer waste forms. In addition, a fire resistance test was performed on the waste forms by the requirement of the regulatory institute in Korea. Every polymer waste forms containing the boric acid concentrates and the spent ion exchange resins had exhibited excellent structural integrity of more than 27.58 MPa (4,000 psi) of compressive strength. On thermal stability testing, biodegradation testing and water immersion testing, no degradation was observed in the waste forms. Also, by measuring the compressive strength after these tests, it was confirmed that the structural integrity was still retained. A leach test was performed by using non radioactive cobalt, cesium and strontium. The leaching of cobalt, cesium and strontium from the polymer waste forms was very low. Also, the polymer waste forms were found to possess adequate fire resistance. From the results of the performance tests, it is believed that the polymer waste form is very stable and can satisfy the acceptance criteria for permanent disposal. At present, Performance tests with full scale polymer waste forms are on-going in order to obtain qualification certificate by the regulatory institute in Korea. (authors)« less

Complexation Effect on Redox Potential of Iron(III)-Iron(II) Couple: A Simple Potentiometric Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rizvi, Masood Ahmad; Syed, Raashid Maqsood; Khan, Badruddin

2011-01-01

A titration curve with multiple inflection points results when a mixture of two or more reducing agents with sufficiently different reduction potentials are titrated. In this experiment iron(II) complexes are combined into a mixture of reducing agents and are oxidized to the corresponding iron(III) complexes. As all of the complexes involve the…

Aerobic Treatability of Waste Effluent from the Leather Finishing Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

Thesis in Environmental Engineering by Jeffery A. Vinger Submitted in Partial Fulfillment / of the Requirements Acceslon -for [ for the Degree of NeS CRA...respirometer tests of the raw wastes and mass balance analysis. The results of Phase I were published in a report to the Seton Company as Environmental ...Randall (1992) states that the main driving forces behind the changes in paints and coatings toward water-based mixtures has been the environmental

Modeling the chemistry of complex petroleum mixtures.

PubMed Central

Quann, R J

1998-01-01

Determining the complete molecular composition of petroleum and its refined products is not feasible with current analytical techniques because of the astronomical number of molecular components. Modeling the composition and behavior of such complex mixtures in refinery processes has accordingly evolved along a simplifying concept called lumping. Lumping reduces the complexity of the problem to a manageable form by grouping the entire set of molecular components into a handful of lumps. This traditional approach does not have a molecular basis and therefore excludes important aspects of process chemistry and molecular property fundamentals from the model's formulation. A new approach called structure-oriented lumping has been developed to model the composition and chemistry of complex mixtures at a molecular level. The central concept is to represent an individual molecular or a set of closely related isomers as a mathematical construct of certain specific and repeating structural groups. A complex mixture such as petroleum can then be represented as thousands of distinct molecular components, each having a mathematical identity. This enables the automated construction of large complex reaction networks with tens of thousands of specific reactions for simulating the chemistry of complex mixtures. Further, the method provides a convenient framework for incorporating molecular physical property correlations, existing group contribution methods, molecular thermodynamic properties, and the structure--activity relationships of chemical kinetics in the development of models. PMID:9860903

Brines formed by multi-salt deliquescence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carroll, S; Rard, J; Alai, M

2005-11-04

The FY05 Waste Package Environment testing program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory focused on determining the temperature, relative humidity, and solution compositions of brines formed due to the deliquescence of NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} and NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3}-Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} salt mixtures. Understanding the physical and chemical behavior of these brines is important because they define conditions under which brines may react with waste canister surfaces. Boiling point experiments show that NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} and NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3}-Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} salt mixtures form brines that transform to hydrous melts that do not truly 'dry out' until temperatures exceed 300 and 400more » C, respectively. Thus a conducting solution is present for these salt assemblages over the thermal history of the repository. The corresponding brines form at lower relative humidity at higher temperatures. The NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture has a mutual deliquescence relative humidity (MDRH) of 25.9% at 120 C and 10.8% at 180 C. Similarly, the KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture has MDRH of 26.4% at 120 C and 20.0% at 150 C. The KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture salts also absorb some water (but do not appear to deliquesce) at 180 C and thus may also contribute to the transfer of electrons at interface between dust and the waste package surface. There is no experimental evidence to suggest that these brines will degas and form less deliquescent salt assemblages. Ammonium present in atmospheric and tunnel dust (as the chloride, nitrate, or sulfate) will readily decompose in the initial heating phase of the repository, and will affect subsequent behavior of the remaining salt mixture only through the removal of a stoichiometric equivalent of one or more anions. Although K-Na-NO{sub 3}-Cl brines form at high temperature and low relative humidity, these brines are dominated by nitrate, which is known to inhibit corrosion at lower temperature. Nitrate to chloride ratios of the NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture are about NO{sub 3}:Cl = 19:1. The role of nitrate on corrosion at higher temperatures is addressed in a companion report (Dixit et al., 2005).« less

Modeling Organic Contaminant Desorption from Municipal Solid Waste Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knappe, D. R.; Wu, B.; Barlaz, M. A.

2002-12-01

Approximately 25% of the sites on the National Priority List (NPL) of Superfund are municipal landfills that accepted hazardous waste. Unlined landfills typically result in groundwater contamination, and priority pollutants such as alkylbenzenes are often present. To select cost-effective risk management alternatives, better information on factors controlling the fate of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in landfills is required. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the effects of HOC aging time, anaerobic sorbent decomposition, and leachate composition on HOC desorption rates, and (2) to simulate HOC desorption rates from polymers and biopolymer composites with suitable diffusion models. Experiments were conducted with individual components of municipal solid waste (MSW) including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), newsprint, office paper, and model food and yard waste (rabbit food). Each of the biopolymer composites (office paper, newsprint, rabbit food) was tested in both fresh and anaerobically decomposed form. To determine the effects of aging on alkylbenzene desorption rates, batch desorption tests were performed after sorbents were exposed to toluene for 30 and 250 days in flame-sealed ampules. Desorption tests showed that alkylbenzene desorption rates varied greatly among MSW components (PVC slowest, fresh rabbit food and newsprint fastest). Furthermore, desorption rates decreased as aging time increased. A single-parameter polymer diffusion model successfully described PVC and HDPE desorption data, but it failed to simulate desorption rate data for biopolymer composites. For biopolymer composites, a three-parameter biphasic polymer diffusion model was employed, which successfully simulated both the initial rapid and the subsequent slow desorption of toluene. Toluene desorption rates from MSW mixtures were predicted for typical MSW compositions in the years 1960 and 1997. For the older MSW mixture, which had a low plastics content, the model predicted that 50% of the initially sorbed toluene desorbed over a period of 5.8 days. In contrast, the model predicted that 50% of the initially sorbed toluene desorbed over a period of 4 years for the newer MSW mixture. These results suggest that toluene desorption rates from old MSW mixtures exceed methanogenic toluene degradation rates (toluene half-lives of about 30 to 100 days have been reported for methanogenic systems) and thus imply that biodegradation kinetics control the rate at which sorbed toluene is mineralized in old landfills. For newer MSW mixtures with a larger plastics content, toluene desorption rates are substantially slower; therefore, toluene desorption kinetics likely control the rate at which sorbed toluene can be mineralized in new landfills.

MULTISUBSTRATE BIODEGRADATION KINETICS FOR BINARY AND COMPLEX MIXTURES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

EPA Science Inventory

Biodegradation kinetics were studied for binary and complex mixtures of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, 2-ethylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene, fluorene and fluoranthene. Discrepancies between the ...

Phenol removal pretreatment process

DOEpatents

Hames, Bonnie R.

2004-04-13

A process for removing phenols from an aqueous solution is provided, which comprises the steps of contacting a mixture comprising the solution and a metal oxide, forming a phenol metal oxide complex, and removing the complex from the mixture.

Development of organic fertilizers from food market waste and urban gardening by composting in Ecuador

PubMed Central

Jara-Samaniego, J.; Pérez-Murcia, M. D.; Bustamante, M. A.; Paredes, C.; Pérez-Espinosa, A.; Gavilanes-Terán, I.; López, M.; Marhuenda-Egea, F. C.; Brito, H.; Moral, R.

2017-01-01

Currently, the management of urban waste streams in developing countries is not optimized yet, and in many cases these wastes are disposed untreated in open dumps. This fact causes serious environmental and health problems due to the presence of contaminants and pathogens. Frequently, the use of specific low-cost strategies reduces the total amount of wastes. These strategies are mainly associated to the identification, separate collection and composting of specific organic waste streams, such as vegetable and fruit refuses from food markets and urban gardening activities. Concretely, in the Chimborazo Region (Ecuador), more than 80% of municipal solid waste is dumped into environment due to the lack of an efficient waste management strategy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a demonstration project at field scale in this region to evaluate the feasibility of implanting the composting technology not only for the management of the organic waste fluxes from food market and gardening activities to be scaled-up in other developing regions, but also to obtain an end-product with a commercial value as organic fertilizer. Three co-composting mixtures were prepared using market wastes mixed with pruning of trees and ornamental palms as bulking agents. Two piles were created using different proportions of market waste and prunings of trees and ornamental palms: pile 1 (50:33:17) with a C/N ratio 25; pile 2: (60:30:10) with C/N ratio 24 and pile 3 (75:0:25) with C/N ratio 33), prepared with market waste and prunings of ornamental palm. Throughout the process, the temperature of the mixtures was monitored and organic matter evolution was determined using thermogravimetric and chemical techniques. Additionally, physico-chemical, chemical and agronomic parameters were determined to evaluate compost quality. The results obtained indicated that all the piles showed a suitable development of the composting process, with a significant organic matter decomposition, reached in a shorter period of time in pile 3. At the end of the process, all the composts showed absence of phytotoxicity and suitable agronomic properties for their use as organic fertilizers. This reflects the viability of the proposed alternative to be scaled-up in developing areas, not only to manage and recycle urban waste fluxes, but also to obtain organic fertilizers, including added value in economic terms related to nutrient contents. PMID:28727757

Development of organic fertilizers from food market waste and urban gardening by composting in Ecuador.

PubMed

Jara-Samaniego, J; Pérez-Murcia, M D; Bustamante, M A; Paredes, C; Pérez-Espinosa, A; Gavilanes-Terán, I; López, M; Marhuenda-Egea, F C; Brito, H; Moral, R

2017-01-01

Currently, the management of urban waste streams in developing countries is not optimized yet, and in many cases these wastes are disposed untreated in open dumps. This fact causes serious environmental and health problems due to the presence of contaminants and pathogens. Frequently, the use of specific low-cost strategies reduces the total amount of wastes. These strategies are mainly associated to the identification, separate collection and composting of specific organic waste streams, such as vegetable and fruit refuses from food markets and urban gardening activities. Concretely, in the Chimborazo Region (Ecuador), more than 80% of municipal solid waste is dumped into environment due to the lack of an efficient waste management strategy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a demonstration project at field scale in this region to evaluate the feasibility of implanting the composting technology not only for the management of the organic waste fluxes from food market and gardening activities to be scaled-up in other developing regions, but also to obtain an end-product with a commercial value as organic fertilizer. Three co-composting mixtures were prepared using market wastes mixed with pruning of trees and ornamental palms as bulking agents. Two piles were created using different proportions of market waste and prunings of trees and ornamental palms: pile 1 (50:33:17) with a C/N ratio 25; pile 2: (60:30:10) with C/N ratio 24 and pile 3 (75:0:25) with C/N ratio 33), prepared with market waste and prunings of ornamental palm. Throughout the process, the temperature of the mixtures was monitored and organic matter evolution was determined using thermogravimetric and chemical techniques. Additionally, physico-chemical, chemical and agronomic parameters were determined to evaluate compost quality. The results obtained indicated that all the piles showed a suitable development of the composting process, with a significant organic matter decomposition, reached in a shorter period of time in pile 3. At the end of the process, all the composts showed absence of phytotoxicity and suitable agronomic properties for their use as organic fertilizers. This reflects the viability of the proposed alternative to be scaled-up in developing areas, not only to manage and recycle urban waste fluxes, but also to obtain organic fertilizers, including added value in economic terms related to nutrient contents.

Production of an alternative fuel by the co-pyrolysis of landfill recovered plastic wastes and used lubrication oils.

PubMed

Breyer, Sacha; Mekhitarian, Loucine; Rimez, Bart; Haut, B

2017-02-01

This work is a preliminary study for the development of a co-pyrolysis process of plastic wastes excavated from a landfill and used lubrication oils, with the aim to produce an alternative liquid fuel for industrial use. First, thermogravimetric experiments were carried out with pure plastics (HDPE, LDPE, PP and PS) and oils (a motor oil and a mixture of used lubrication oils) in order to highlight the interactions occurring between a plastic and an oil during their co-pyrolysis. It appears that the main decomposition event of each component takes place at higher temperatures when the components are mixed than when they are alone, possibly because the two components stabilize each other during their co-pyrolysis. These interactions depend on the nature of the plastic and the oil. In addition, co-pyrolysis experiments were led in a lab-scale reactor using a mixture of excavated plastic wastes and used lubrication oils. On the one hand, the influence of some key operating parameters on the outcome of the process was analyzed. It was possible to produce an alternative fuel for industrial use whose viscosity is lower than 1Pas at 90°C, from a plastic/oil mixture with an initial plastic mass fraction between 40% and 60%, by proceeding at a maximum temperature included in the range 350-400°C. On the other hand, the amount of energy required to successfully co-pyrolyze, in lab conditions, 1kg of plastic/oil mixture with an initial plastic mass fraction of 60% was estimated at about 8MJ. That amount of energy is largely used for the thermal cracking of the molecules. It is also shown that, per kg of mixture introduced in the lab reactor, 29MJ can be recovered from the combustion of the liquid resulting from the co-pyrolysis. Hence, this co-pyrolysis process could be economically viable, provided heat losses are addressed carefully when designing an industrial reactor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sorption of Cesium on smectite-rich clays from the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic) and their mixtures with sand.

PubMed

Vejsada, J; Jelínek, E; Randa, Z; Hradil, D; Prikryl, R

2005-01-01

Sorption is an important process for the transport of radionuclides through backfill materials in a radioactive waste underground repository. Within this study, sorption of Cs on selected Czech clay materials and their mixtures with sand was investigated by batch tests. The experiments were performed under oxic conditions at 25 degrees C. Synthetic groundwater as a liquid phase and unconditioned clays (as they were provided by their producer) were used to reach the natural conditions as close as possible. Distribution ratios (Rds) of Cs for all selected clays rise with increase of the clay fraction in clay/sand mixtures in agreement with previous works studying sorption behaviour of such mixtures. The rise of Rds is from 10(2) cm3 g(-1) for mixtures with 80% of sand to 10(3) cm3 g(-1) for pure clays. There are significant differences between natural and technologically modified clays.

Designing a mixture experiment when the components are subject to a nonlinear multiple-component constraint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piepel, Greg F.; Cooley, Scott K.; Vienna, John D.

This article presents a case study of developing an experimental design for a constrained mixture experiment when the experimental region is defined by single-component constraints (SCCs), linear multiple-component constraints (MCCs), and a nonlinear MCC. Traditional methods and software for designing constrained mixture experiments with SCCs and linear MCCs are not directly applicable because of the nonlinear MCC. A modification of existing methodology to account for the nonlinear MCC was developed and is described in this article. The case study involves a 15-component nuclear waste glass example in which SO3 is one of the components. SO3 has a solubility limit inmore » glass that depends on the composition of the balance of the glass. A goal was to design the experiment so that SO3 would not exceed its predicted solubility limit for any of the experimental glasses. The SO3 solubility limit had previously been modeled by a partial quadratic mixture (PQM) model expressed in the relative proportions of the 14 other components. The PQM model was used to construct a nonlinear MCC in terms of all 15 components. In addition, there were SCCs and linear MCCs. This article discusses the waste glass example and how a layered design was generated to (i) account for the SCCs, linear MCCs, and nonlinear MCC and (ii) meet the goals of the study.« less

Air filtration media from electrospun waste high-impact polystyrene fiber membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulfi, Akmal; Miftahul Munir, Muhammad; Hapidin, Dian Ahmad; Rajak, Abdul; Edikresnha, Dhewa; Iskandar, Ferry; Khairurrijal, Khairurrijal

2018-03-01

Nanofiber membranes were synthesized from waste high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) using electrospinning method and then applied as air filtration media. The waste HIPS precursor solution with the concentration of 20 wt.% was prepared by dissolving waste HIPS into the mixture of d-limonene and DMF solvents. Beaded or fine nanofibers could be achieved by adjusting the ratio of solvents mixture (d-limonene and DMF). Using the ratios of solvents (d-limonene: DMF) of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, it was obtained beaded HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 272 nm, beaded HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 937, and fine HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 621 nm, respectively. From the FTIR spectral analysis, it was found that the FTIR peaks of the HIPS nanofiber membranes are the same as those of the cleaned waste HIPS and there are no FTIR peaks of DMF and d-limonene solvents. These findings implied that the electrospinning process allows the recycling of waste HIPS into HIPS nanofibers without any trapped solvent phases or apparent degradation of the original material. From the contact angle measurement, it was confirmed that the HIPS nanofiber membranes are hydrophobic and the presence of the beads in the HIPS nanofiber membranes varies their contact angles. From the air-filtration test, it was shown that the fiber morphology (beaded or fine nanofibers) considerably affects the filtration performance of the membranes. The presence of beads increased the distance between the fibers so that the pressure drop decreased. Moreover, the basis weight of the membrane greatly affected the filtration efficiency. The HIPS nanofiber membrane with the basis weight of 12.22 g m‑2 had the efficiency greater than 99.999%, which was equivalent to that of the HEPA filter.

Melting of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash by waste-derived thermite reaction.

PubMed

Wang, Kuen-Sheng; Lin, Kae-Long; Lee, Ching-Hwa

2009-02-15

This work describes a novel approach for melting municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash, based on self-propagating reactions, by using energy-efficient simulated waste-derived thermite. The self-propagating characteristics, the properties of the recycled alloy and slag and the partitioning of heavy metals during the process are also studied. Experimental results demonstrate that the mix ratio of fly ash to the starting mixture of less than 30% supports the development of the self-propagating reaction with a melting temperature of 1350-2200 degrees C. Furthermore, metallic iron (or alloy) and the slag were retrieved after activation of the thermite reactions among the starting mixtures. It was noted that more than 91wt.% of iron was retrieved as alloy and the rest of non-reductive oxides as slag. During the thermite reactions, the partition of heavy metals to the SFA and flue gas varied with the characteristics of the target metals: Cd was mainly partitioned to flue gas (75-82%), and partition slightly increased with the increasing fly ash ratio; Pb and Zn, were mainly partitioned to the SFA, and the partition increased with increasing fly ash ratio; Cu was partitioned to the SFA (18-31%) and was not found in the flue gas; and moreover stable Cr and Ni were not identified in both the SFA and flue gas. On the other hand, the determined TCLP leaching concentrations were all well within the current regulatory thresholds, despite the various FA ratios. This suggests that the vitrified fly ash samples were environmental safe in heavy metal leaching. The results of this study suggested that melting of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash by waste-derived thermite reactions was a feasible approach not only energy-beneficial but also environmental-safe.

Supercritical separation process for complex organic mixtures

DOEpatents

Chum, Helena L.; Filardo, Giuseppe

1990-01-01

A process is disclosed for separating low molecular weight components from complex aqueous organic mixtures. The process includes preparing a separation solution of supercritical carbon dioxide with an effective amount of an entrainer to modify the solvation power of the supercritical carbon dioxide and extract preselected low molecular weight components. The separation solution is maintained at a temperature of at least about 70.degree. C. and a pressure of at least about 1,500 psi. The separation solution is then contacted with the organic mixtures while maintaining the temperature and pressure as above until the mixtures and solution reach equilibrium to extract the preselected low molecular weight components from the organic mixtures. Finally, the entrainer/extracted components portion of the equilibrium mixture is isolated from the separation solution.

Method for treating materials for solidification

DOEpatents

Jantzen, Carol M.; Pickett, John B.; Martin, Hollis L.

1995-01-01

A method for treating materials such as wastes for solidification to form a solid, substantially nonleachable product. Addition of reactive silica rather than ordinary silica to the material when bringing the initial molar ratio of its silica constituent to a desired ratio within a preselected range increases the solubility and retention of the materials in the solidified matrix. Materials include hazardous, radioactive, mixed, and heavy metal species. Amounts of other constituents of the material, in addition to its silica content are also added so that the molar ratio of each of these constituents is within the preselected ranges for the final solidified product. The mixture is then solidified by cement solidification or vitrification. The method can be used to treat a variety of wastes, including but not limited to spent filter aids from waste water treatment, waste sludges, combinations of spent filter aids and waste sludges, combinations of supernate and waste sludges, incinerator ash, incinerator offgas blowdown, combinations of incinerator ash and offgas blowdown, cementitious wastes and contaminated soils.

Development of anti-slip sustainable tiles from agricultural waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulkefli, Zainordin Firdaus; Zainol, Mohd Remy Rozainy Mohd Arif; Osman, Norhayati

2017-04-01

In general of 80% the human activities is located in the building. Buildings constructed should be in line with full functions and optimum safety features. Aspects to be emphasized is the slip on the floor of the building. The selection of tiles must have anti-slip characteristics and achieve standard strength stress. This study is conducted to develop anti-slip tiles modification using agricultural waste. The material used is agricultural waste such rice husks, palm fibre and saw dusk mixed into the clay and then baked at a temperature of 900-1185 C °. Agricultural waste mixture ratio is 5%, 10% and 15%. The samples of tiles are produced for experiments. The results of agricultural waste tiles show that the strength is higher than standard strength, the water absorption less than standard tiles and pendulum value test is exceeds 36.

Polymer recycling: potential application of radiation technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burillo, Guillermina; Clough, Roger L.; Czvikovszky, Tibor; Guven, Olgun; Le Moel, Alain; Liu, Weiwei; Singh, Ajit; Yang, Jingtian; Zaharescu, Traian

2002-04-01

Management of solid waste is an important problem, which is becoming progressively worse as a byproduct of continuing economic growth and development. Polymeric materials (plastics and rubbers) comprise a steadily increasing proportion of the municipal and industrial waste going into landfill. Development of technologies for reducing polymeric waste, which are acceptable from the environmental standpoint, and which are cost-effective, has proven to be a difficult challenge due to complexities inherent in the reuse of polymers. Establishing optimal processes for the reuse/recycling of polymeric materials thus remains a worldwide challenge as we enter the new century. Due to the ability of ionizing radiation to alter the structure and properties of bulk polymeric materials, and the fact that it is applicable to essentially all polymer types, irradiation holds promise for impacting the polymer waste problem. The three main possibilities for use of radiation in this application are: (1) enhancing the mechanical properties and performance of recovered materials or material blends, principally through crosslinking, or through surface modification of different phases being combined; (2) treatment causing or enhancing the decomposition of polymers, particularly through chain scission, leading to recovery of either low molecular weight mixtures, or powders, for use as chemical feedstocks or additives; (3) production of advanced polymeric materials designed for environmental compatibility. This paper provides an overview of the polymer recycling problem, describes the major technological obstacles to the implementation of recycling technologies, and outlines some of the approaches being taken. A review of radiation-based recycling research is then provided, followed by a discussion of future directions where irradiation may be relevant to the problems currently inhibiting the widespread recycling of polymeric materials.

Generation of PHB from Spent Sulfite Liquor Using Halophilic Microorganisms

PubMed Central

Weissgram, Michaela; Gstöttner, Janina; Lorantfy, Bettina; Tenhaken, Raimund; Herwig, Christoph; Weber, Hedda K.

2015-01-01

Halophilic microorganisms thrive at elevated concentrations of sodium chloride up to saturation and are capable of growing on a wide variety of carbon sources like various organic acids, hexose and also pentose sugars. Hence, the biotechnological application of these microorganisms can cover many aspects, such as the treatment of hypersaline waste streams of different origin. Due to the fact that the high osmotic pressure of hypersaline environments reduces the risk of contamination, the capacity for cost-effective non-sterile cultivation can make extreme halophilic microorganisms potentially valuable organisms for biotechnological applications. In this contribution, the stepwise use of screening approaches, employing design of experiment (DoE) on model media and subsequently using industrial waste as substrate have been implemented to investigate the applicability of halophiles to generate PHB from the industrial waste stream spent sulfite liquor (SSL). The production of PHB on model media as well as dilutions of industrial substrate in a complex medium has been screened for by fluorescence microscopy using Nile Blue staining. Screening was used to investigate the ability of halophilic microorganisms to withstand the inhibiting substances of the waste stream without negatively affecting PHB production. It could be shown that neither single inhibiting substances nor a mixture thereof inhibited growth in the investigated range, hence, leaving the question on the inhibiting mechanisms open. However, it could be demonstrated that some haloarchaea and halophilic bacteria are able to produce PHB when cultivated on 3.3% w/w dry matter spent sulfite liquor, whereas H. halophila was even able to thrive on 6.6% w/w dry matter spent sulfite liquor and still produce PHB. PMID:27682089

Adaptability comparison of E. fetida in vermicomposting against sludge from livestock wastewater treatment plant based on their several growth stages.

PubMed

Hao, Xiaoxia; Hu, Hongwen; Li, Xuewei; Jiang, Dongmei; Zhu, Li; Bai, Lin

2016-08-01

Vermicomposting is a low-cost, eco-efficient process to deal with organic wastes. Mixtures of swine manure (SM), cow dung (CD), and animal wastewater treatment plant sludge (S) were applied as feeds, and Eisenia fetida was employed in this study to investigate the vermicomposting efficiency based on their several growth stages. The hatching test resulted in a 100 % hatching rate in S60SM40 (60 % S + 40 % SM) mixture, while 4.40 hatchlings per cocoon were observed. The growth of infancy performed best in 0-20 % CD mixtures (0.05 ± 0.002 g), followed by in SM + CD (0.04 ± 0.003 g). The highest growth rate of young and adult E. fetida was noticed in CD + S mixtures (11.14 ± 0.01 and 6.00 ± 0.02 mg/d/worm, respectively), while the higher cocoon production of adults was noticed in S + SM mixtures especially in S40SM60 (537 ± 5 worms). Moreover, the conversion of solids; the modified pH value; the reduction in total organic carbon (TOC); total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), NH4-N, NO3-N, and C:N ratio; and the rich in total available phosphorus (TAP) and total potassium (TK) content by young and adult E. fetida were related to the growth of worms. Such work would benefit understanding and to increase the efficiency of vermicompost processing of different wastes.

Recycling of residual IGCC slags and their benefits as degreasers in ceramics.

PubMed

Iglesias Martín, I; Acosta Echeverría, A; García-Romero, E

2013-11-15

This work studies the evolution of IGCC slag grains within a ceramic matrix fired at different temperatures to investigate the effect of using IGCC slag as a degreaser. Pressed ceramic specimens from two clay mixtures are used in this study. The M1 mixture is composed of standard clays, whereas the M2 mixture is composed of the same clay mixture as M1 mixture but contains 15% by weight IGCC slag. The amount of IGCC slag added coincides with the amount of slag typically used as a degreaser in the ceramic industry. Specimens are fired at 950 °C, 1000 °C, 1050 °C, 1100 °C and 1150 °C. The mineralogical composition and the IGCC slag grain shape within the ceramic matrix are determined by X-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results reveal that the surface of the slag grains is welded to the ceramic matrix while the quartz grains are separated, which causes increased water absorption and reduces the mechanical strength. IGCC slag, however, reduces water absorption. This behaviour is due to the softening temperature of the slag. This property is quite important from an industrial viewpoint because IGCC slag can serve as an alternative to traditional degreasing agents in the ceramic building industry. Additionally, using IGCC slag allows for the transformation of waste into a secondary raw material, thereby avoiding disposal at landfills; moreover, these industrial wastes are made inert and improve the properties of ceramics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distillation Separation of Hydrofluoric Acid and Nitric Acid from Acid Waste Using the Salt Effect on Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Hideki; Sumoge, Iwao

2011-03-01

This study presents the distillation separation of hydrofluoric acid with use of the salt effect on the vapor-liquid equilibrium for acid aqueous solutions and acid mixtures. The vapor-liquid equilibrium of hydrofluoric acid + salt systems (fluorite, potassium nitrate, cesium nitrate) was measured using an apparatus made of perfluoro alkylvinylether. Cesium nitrate showed a salting-out effect on the vapor-liquid equilibrium of the hydrofluoric acid-water system. Fluorite and potassium nitrate showed a salting-in effect on the hydrofluoric acid-water system. Separation of hydrofluoric acid from an acid mixture containing nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid was tested by the simple distillation treatment using the salt effect of cesium nitrate (45 mass%). An acid mixture of nitric acid (5.0 mol · dm-3) and hydrofluoric acid (5.0 mol · dm-3) was prepared as a sample solution for distillation tests. The concentration of nitric acid in the first distillate decreased from 5.0 mol · dm-3 to 1.13 mol · dm-3, and the concentration of hydrofluoric acid increased to 5.41 mol · dm-3. This first distillate was further distilled without the addition of salt. The concentrations of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid in the second distillate were 7.21 mol · dm-3 and 0.46 mol · dm-3, respectively. It was thus found that the salt effect on vapor-liquid equilibrium of acid mixtures was effective for the recycling of acids from acid mixture wastes.

Rabbit Neonates and Human Adults Perceive a Blending 6-Component Odor Mixture in a Comparable Manner

PubMed Central

Sinding, Charlotte; Thomas-Danguin, Thierry; Chambault, Adeline; Béno, Noelle; Dosne, Thibaut; Chabanet, Claire; Schaal, Benoist; Coureaud, Gérard

2013-01-01

Young and adult mammals are constantly exposed to chemically complex stimuli. The olfactory system allows for a dual processing of relevant information from the environment either as single odorants in mixtures (elemental perception) or as mixtures of odorants as a whole (configural perception). However, it seems that human adults have certain limits in elemental perception of odor mixtures, as suggested by their inability to identify each odorant in mixtures of more than 4 components. Here, we explored some of these limits by evaluating the perception of three 6-odorant mixtures in human adults and newborn rabbits. Using free-sorting tasks in humans, we investigated the configural or elemental perception of these mixtures, or of 5-component sub-mixtures, or of the 6-odorant mixtures with modified odorants' proportion. In rabbit pups, the perception of the same mixtures was evaluated by measuring the orocephalic sucking response to the mixtures or their components after conditioning to one of these stimuli. The results revealed that one mixture, previously shown to carry the specific odor of red cordial in humans, was indeed configurally processed in humans and in rabbits while the two other 6-component mixtures were not. Moreover, in both species, such configural perception was specific not only to the 6 odorants included in the mixture but also to their respective proportion. Interestingly, rabbit neonates also responded to each odorant after conditioning to the red cordial mixture, which demonstrates their ability to perceive elements in addition to configuration in this complex mixture. Taken together, the results provide new insights related to the processing of relatively complex odor mixtures in mammals and the inter-species conservation of certain perceptual mechanisms; the results also revealed some differences in the expression of these capacities between species putatively linked to developmental and ecological constraints. PMID:23341948

Role of Eisenia fetida in rapid recycling of nutrients from bio sludge of beverage industry.

PubMed

Singh, J; Kaur, A; Vig, A P; Rup, P J

2010-03-01

Beverage industry bio sludge proved to be toxic when given alone to earthworms even after stabilization for 15 days, therefore, it was mixed in various proportions with cattle dung. Best suitable mixture for highest survival, maximum growth and highest population buildup of Eisenia fetida was determined by observing mortality, growth rate, rate of cocoon production, population buildup and time taken for decomposition of waste. Minimum mortality and maximum population buildup were observed in 50:50 mixture of bio sludge and cattle dung. Nitrogen, phosphorous, sodium and pH increased in all the feed mixtures, while electrical conductivity, organic carbon and potassium declined in all the samples in comparison to traditional compost (without worms). Degradation of 50:50 mixture could be achieved in 75 days when worms were inoculated at 25 g/kg feed mixture. But the best-quality product was obtained after 105-110 days with 7.5 g worms/kg feed mixture. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microbial Ecology Assessment of Mixed Copper Oxide/Sulfide Dump Leach Operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruhn, D F; Thompson, D N; Noah, K S

1999-06-01

Microbial consortia composed of complex mixtures of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria are responsible for the dissolution of metals from sulfide minerals. Thus, an efficient copper bioleaching operation depends on the microbial ecology of the system. A microbial ecology study of a mixed oxide/sulfide copper leaching operation was conducted using an "overlay" plating technique to differentiate and identify various bacterial consortium members of the genera Thiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Ferromicrobium, and Acidiphilium. Two temperatures (30C and 45C) were used to select for mesophilic and moderately thermophilic bacteria. Cell numbers varied from 0-106 cells/g dry ore, depending on the sample location and depth. Aftermore » acid curing for oxide leaching, no viable bacteria were recovered, although inoculation of cells from raffinate re-established a microbial population after three months. Due to the low pH of the operation, very few non-iron-oxidizing acidophilic heterotrophs were recovered. Moderate thermophiles were isolated from the ore samples. Pregnant liquor solutions (PLS) and raffinate both contained a diversity of bacteria. In addition, an intermittently applied waste stream that contained high levels of arsenic and fluoride was tested for toxicity. Twenty vol% waste stream in PLS killed 100% of the cells in 48 hours, indicating substantial toxicity and/or growth inhibition. The data indicate that bacteria populations can recover after acid curing, and that application of the waste stream to the dump should be avoided. Monitoring the microbial ecology of the leaching operation provided significant information that improved copper recovery.« less

Application of NIR hyperspectral imaging for post-consumer polyolefins recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serranti, Silvia; Gargiulo, Aldo; Bonifazi, Giuseppe

2012-06-01

An efficient large-scale recycling approach of particulate solid wastes is always accomplished according to the quality of the materials fed to the recycling plant and/or to any possible continuous and reliable control of the different streams inside the processing plants. Processing technologies addressed to recover plastics need to be extremely powerful, since they must be relatively simple to be cost-effective, but also accurate enough to create high-purity products and able to valorize a substantial fraction of the plastic waste materials into useful products of consistent quality in order to be economical. On the other hand, the potential market for such technologies is large and the boost of environmental regulations, and the oil price increase, has made many industries interested both in "general purpose" waste sorting technologies, as well as in developing more specialized sensing devices and/or inspection logics for a better quality assessment of plastic products. In this perspective recycling strategies have to be developed taking into account some specific aspects as i) mixtures complexity: the valuable material has to be extracted from the residue, ii) overall production: the profitability of plastic can be achieved only with mass production and iii) costs: low-cost sorting processes are required. In this paper new analytical strategies, based on hyperspectral imaging in the near infrared field (1000-1700 nm), have been investigated and set up in order to define sorting and/or quality control logics that could be profitably applied, at industrial plant level, for polyolefins recycling.

Using Big Data Analytics to Address Mixtures Exposure

EPA Science Inventory

The assessment of chemical mixtures is a complex issue for regulators and health scientists. We propose that assessing chemical co-occurrence patterns and prevalence rates is a relatively simple yet powerful approach in characterizing environmental mixtures and mixtures exposure...

Ground-Based Aerosol Measurements

EPA Science Inventory

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is a complex chemical mixture of liquid and solid particles suspended in air (Seinfeld and Pandis 2016). Measurements of this complex mixture form the basis of our knowledge regarding particle formation, source-receptor relationships, data to ...

Indoor air-assessment: Indoor concentrations of environmental carcinogens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gold, K.W.; Naugle, D.F.; Berry, M.A.

1991-01-01

In the report, indoor concentration data are presented for the following general categories of air pollutants: radon-222, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), asbestos, gas phase organic compounds, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, and inorganic compounds. These pollutants are either known or suspect carcinogens (i.e., radon-222, asbestos) or more complex mixtures or classes of compounds which contain known or suspect carcinogens. Concentration data for individual carcinogenic compounds in complex mixtures are usually far from complete. The data presented for complex mixtures often include compounds which are not carcinogenic or for which data are insufficient to evaluate carcinogenicity. Their inclusion is justified,more » however, by the possibility that further work may show them to be carcinogens, cocarcinogens, initiators or promotors, or that they may be employed as markers (e.g., nicotine, acrolein) for the estimation of exposure to complex mixtures.« less

Potential Prebiotic Oligosaccharide Mixtures from Acidic Hydrolysis of Rice Bran and Cassava Pulp.

PubMed

Hansawasdi, Chanida; Kurdi, Peter

2017-12-01

Two agricultural wastes, rice bran and cassava pulp were subjected to acidic hydrolysis by 2 M sulfuric acid which resulted in hemicellulosic oligosaccharide mixtures. Monosaccharide component analysis of these mixtures revealed that the oligosaccharides of rice bran acid hydrolysate (RAHF) composed of glucose and arabinose while cassava pulp acid hydrolysate (CAHF) was found to be comprised of glucose, galactose and arabinose. Both RAHF and CAHF were able to fuel all of the tested three Lactobacillus, five Bifidobacterium and three Bacteroides strains indicating the prebiotic potential of these oligosaccharide mixtures. Moreover, Lb. gasseri grew significantly better on RAHF than on inulin, a benchmark prebiotic oligo- and polysaccharide mixture. When the digestibility of RAHF and CAHF were tested it was found that these oligosaccharide mixtures were only slightly hydrolyzed upon exposure to simulated human gastric (by less than 8%) and pancreatic juices (by less than 3%). Additionally, most sensory attributes of the above obtained oligosaccharide mixtures supplemented two model cereal drink formulations were generally not different from those of the control, while the overall acceptance was not affected significantly in one cereal drink formulation.

Anaerobic treatment of animal byproducts from slaughterhouses at laboratory and pilot scale.

PubMed

Edström, Mats; Nordberg, Ake; Thyselius, Lennart

2003-01-01

Different mixtures of animal byproducts, other slaughterhouse waste (i.e., rumen, stomach and intestinal content), food waste, and liquid manure were codigested at mesophilic conditions (37 degrees C) at laboratory and pilot scale. Animal byproducts, including blood, represent 70-80% of the total biogas potential from waste generated during slaughter of animals. The total biogas potential from waste generated during slaughter is about 1300 MJ/cattle and about 140 MJ/pig. Fed-batch digestion of pasteurized (70 degrees C, 1 h) animal byproducts resulted in a fourfold increase in biogas yield (1.14 L/g of volatile solids [VS]) compared with nonpasteurized animal byproducts (0.31 L/g of VS). Mixtures with animal byproducts representing 19-38% of the total dry matter were digested in continuous-flow stirred tank reactors at laboratory and pilot scale. Stable processes at organic loading rates (OLRs) exceeding 2.5 g of VS/(L.d) and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) less than 40 d could be obtained with total ammonia nitrogen concentrations (NH4-N + NH3-N) in the range of 4.0-5.0 g/L. After operating one process for more than 1.5 yr at total ammonia nitrogen concentrations >4 g/L, an increase in OLR to 5 g of VS/(L.d) and a decrease in HRT to 22 d was possible without accumulation of volatile fatty acids.

Substrate composition and moisture in composting source-separated human faeces and food waste.

PubMed

Niwagaba, C; Nalubega, M; Vinnerås, B; Sundberg, C; Jönsson, H

2009-04-14

The composting of a faeces/ash mixture and food waste in relative proportions of 1:0, 1:1 and 1:3 was studied in three successive experiments conducted in Kampala, Uganda in 216 L reactors insulated with 75 mm styrofoam or not insulated. The faeces/ash mixture alone exceeded 50 degrees C for < or = 12 days in insulated reactors, but did not reach or maintain 50 degrees C in non-insulated reactors. Inclusion of food waste kept temperatures above 50 degrees C for over two weeks in insulated reactors except when the substrate was too wet. Escherichia coli and total coliform concentrations decreased below detection in material that exceeded 50 degrees C for at least six days. Enterococcus spp. decreased below detection in material that exceeded 50 degrees C for at least two weeks, but remained detectable after 1.5 months in material that exceeded 50 degrees C for less than two weeks, suggesting that a period of at least two weeks above 50 degrees C, combined with mixing, is needed to achieve sanitation. Initially substrates that were too wet proved a challenge to composting and ways of decreasing substrate moisture should be investigated. The results obtained are applicable to the management of small- to medium-scale composting of faeces/ash and food waste at household and institution levels, e.g. schools and restaurants.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahoney, Lenna A.

Through radiolytic and thermolytic reactions, Hanford tank wastes generate and retain a variety of gases, including hydrogen, nitrous oxide, methane (and other hydrocarbons), ammonia, and nitrogen. This gas generation can be expected to continue during processing in the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The generation rates in the WTP will change from those for the in-situ tank waste because of different process temperatures, different dose rates produced by in-process changes in the proportions of solid and liquid, and dilution of the waste liquid. The flammability of the generated gas that is continuously released, and of any retainedmore » gas that might be released into a vessel headspace in quantity due to a spontaneous release, depends on the concentrations not only of the fuel gases—primarily hydrogen (H2), methane, other hydrocarbons, and ammonia—but of the oxidizer nitrous oxide (N2O). As a result of high concentrations of N2O, some gas mixtures are “self-flammable” (i.e., ignition can occur when no air is present because N2O provides the only oxidizer needed). Self-flammability could potentially reduce the effectiveness of using a nitrogen (N2) purge in the headspace as a flammability control, if its effects are not accounted for. A given amount of inertant gas (N2) can accommodate only a certain amount of a generated self-flammable gas before the mixture with inertant gas becomes flammable.« less

Plastic waste to liquid oil through catalytic pyrolysis using natural and synthetic zeolite catalysts.

PubMed

Miandad, R; Barakat, M A; Rehan, M; Aburiazaiza, A S; Ismail, I M I; Nizami, A S

2017-11-01

This study aims to examine the catalytic pyrolysis of various plastic wastes in the presence of natural and synthetic zeolite catalysts. A small pilot scale reactor was commissioned to carry out the catalytic pyrolysis of polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and their mixtures in different ratios at 450°C and 75min. PS plastic waste resulted in the highest liquid oil yield of 54% using natural zeolite and 50% using synthetic zeolite catalysts. Mixing of PS with other plastic wastes lowered the liquid oil yield whereas all mixtures of PP and PE resulted in higher liquid oil yield than the individual plastic feedstocks using both catalysts. The GC-MS analysis revealed that the pyrolysis liquid oils from all samples mainly consisted of aromatic hydrocarbons with a few aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds. The types and amounts of different compounds present in liquid oils vary with some common compounds such as styrene, ethylbenzene, benzene, azulene, naphthalene, and toluene. The FT-IR data also confirmed that liquid oil contained mostly aromatic compounds with some alkanes, alkenes and small amounts of phenol group. The produced liquid oils have high heating values (HHV) of 40.2-45MJ/kg, which are similar to conventional diesel. The liquid oil has potential to be used as an alternative source of energy or fuel production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation and corrosion of a 410 SS/ceramic composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, X.; Ebert, W. L.; Indacochea, J. E.

This study evaluates the possible use of alloy/ceramic composite waste forms to immobilize metallic and oxide waste streams generated during the electrochemical reprocessing of spent reactor fuel in a single waste form. A representative composite material AOC410 was made to evaluate the microstructure and corrosion behavior at alloy/ceramic interfaces by reacting 410 stainless steel with Zr, Mo, and a mixture of lanthanide oxides. Essentially all of the Zr reacted with lanthanide oxides to form lanthanide zirconate, which combined with the remaining lanthanide oxides to form a porous ceramic network encapsulated by alloy as a composite puck. Excess alloy formed amore » metal bead on top of the composite. The alloys in the composite and bead were both mixture of martensite grains and ferrite grains with carbide precipitates. FeCrMo intermetallic phases also precipitated in the ferrite grains in the composite part. Ferrite surrounding carbides was sensitized and the least corrosion resistant in electrochemical corrosion tests conducted in an acidic brine electrolyte; ferrite neighboring martensite grains and intermetallics corroded galvanically. The lanthanide oxide domains dissolved chemically, but lanthanide zirconate domains did not dissolve. The presence of oxide phases did not affect corrosion of the neighboring alloy phases. These results suggest the longterm corrosion of a composite waste form can be evaluated by using separate material degradation models for the alloy and ceramic phases.« less

New concrete mixtures turn waste into quality roads : fact sheet.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-11-01

Many entities currently use fly ash, slag, and other supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement and structures. Although the body of knowledge is limited, several states are currently using ternary cementit...

Evaluation of moisture damage in asphalt concrete with CRM motorcycle tire waste passing #50 sieve size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswanto, Henri; Supriyanto, Bambang; Pranoto, Pranoto; Chandra, Pria Rizky; Hakim, Arief Rahman

2017-09-01

The objective of this experimental research is to evaluate moisture damage in Asphalt Concrete (AC) with Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) motorcycle tire waste passing #50 and retaining #100 sieve size. Two gradations were used in this research, the first gradation is usual for asphalt concrete base (ACB) and the second gradation is for asphalt concrete wearing course (ACWC). Marshall testing apparatus was used for testing the Marshall specimens. Seven levels of CRM content were used, namely 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 3%, 4.5% and 6% by weight of mixtures. Retained stability represent the level of moisture damage of AC pavement. The result indicates that addition CRM to the AC mixture increases their the stability to a maximum value and subsequent addition decrease the stability. The addition CRM to AC decreases their moisture damage susceptibility. AC with 1% CRM is the best asphalt-CRM mix.

The Effect of Poly (Glycerol Sebacate) Incorporation within Hybrid Chitin–Lignin Sol–Gel Nanofibrous Scaffolds

PubMed Central

Abudula, Tuerdimaimaiti; Gzara, Lassaad; Simonetti, Giovanna; Alshahrie, Ahmed; Salah, Numan; Morganti, Pierfrancesco; Chianese, Angelo; Fallahi, Afsoon; Tamayol, Ali; Memic, Adnan

2018-01-01

Chitin and lignin primarily accumulate as bio-waste resulting from byproducts of crustacean crusts and plant biomass. Recently, their use has been proposed for diverse and unique bioengineering applications, amongst others. However, their weak mechanical properties need to be improved in order to facilitate their industrial utilization. In this paper, we fabricated hybrid fibers composed of a chitin–lignin (CL)-based sol–gel mixture and elastomeric poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) using a standard electrospinning approach. Obtained results showed that PGS could be coherently blended with the sol–gel mixture to form a nanofibrous scaffold exhibiting remarkable mechanical performance and improved antibacterial and antifungal activity. The developed hybrid fibers showed promising potential in advanced biomedical applications such as wound care products. Ultimately, recycling these sustainable biopolymers and other bio-wastes alike could propel a “greener” economy. PMID:29562729

Potential Fungus surface resistance of the silica/acrylic coated leaves waste composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masturi; Jannah, WN; Maulana, RM; Darsono, T.; Sunarno; Rustad, S.

2018-04-01

The composite coated by some materials coaters have been made. This coating was done to isolate the fungus possibly growing on the composite. The composite was made from a mixture of teak leaves waste and polyurethane polymer using a simple mixing method; then the mixture was pressed at a pressure of 3 metric-tons for 15 minutes. The composite produced then was coated with acrylic only and acrylic-silica using spray method. The coated samples then were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the surface pores. Further, it was obtained the average surface pore size of acrylic coater is 1.24 µm, while the acrylic-silica pore forms an oval shape with a length and a width of 0.75 µm and 0.38 µm, respectively. In comparison with the fungus size of 2-7 µm, it can be concluded that the composite is proper as home appliance application.

Aerobic biodegradability of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) used in natural gas sweetening plants in batch tests and continuous flow experiments.

PubMed

Fürhacker, M; Pressl, A; Allabashi, R

2003-09-01

Mixtures of different amines including tertiary amines (methyldiethanolamine, MDEA) are commonly used for the removal of CO2 from gas mixtures or in gas sweetening processes for the extraction of CO2 and H2S. The absorber solutions used can be released into the industrial waste water due to continuous substitution of degraded MDEA, periodically cleaning processes or an accidental spill. In this study, the aerobic biodegradability of MDEA was investigated in a standardised batch test and a continuous flow experiment (40 l/d). The results of the batch test indicated that the MDEA-solution was non-biodegradable during the test period of 28 days, whereas the continuous flow experiments showed biodegradation of more than 96% based on TOC-measurements. This was probably due to the adaptation of the microorganisms to this particular waste water contamination during continuous flow experiment.

Thermogravimetric characteristics of typical municipal solid waste fractions during co-pyrolysis.

PubMed

Zhou, Hui; Long, YanQiu; Meng, AiHong; Li, QingHai; Zhang, YanGuo

2015-04-01

The interactions of nine typical municipal solid waste (MSW) fractions during pyrolysis were investigated using the thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). To compare the mixture results with the calculation results of superposition of single fractions quantitatively, TG overlap ratio was introduced. There were strong interactions between orange peel and rice (overlap ratio 0.9736), and rice and poplar wood (overlap ratio 0.9774). The interactions of mixture experiments postponed the peak and lowered the peak value. Intense interactions between PVC and rice, poplar wood, tissue paper, wool, terylene, and rubber powder during co-pyrolysis were observed, and the pyrolysis at low temperature was usually promoted. The residue yield was increased when PVC was blended with rice, poplar wood, tissue paper, or rubber powder; while the residue yield was decreased when PVC was blended with wool. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Properties of concrete containing scrap-tire rubber--an overview.

PubMed

Siddique, Rafat; Naik, Tarun R

2004-01-01

Solid waste management is one of the major environmental concerns in the United States. Over 5 billion tons of non-hazardous solid waste materials are generated in USA each year. Of these, more than 270 million scrap-tires (approximately 3.6 million tons) are generated each year. In addition to this, about 300 million scrap-tires have been stockpiled. Several studies have been carried out to reuse scrap-tires in a variety of rubber and plastic products, incineration for production of electricity, or as fuel for cement kilns, as well as in asphalt concrete. Studies show that workable rubberized concrete mixtures can be made with scrap-tire rubber. This paper presents an overview of some of the research published regarding the use of scrap-tires in portland cement concrete. The benefits of using magnesium oxychloride cement as a binder for rubberized concrete mixtures are also presented. The paper details the likely uses of rubberized concrete.

Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical and Durability Properties of Crumb Rubber Concrete.

PubMed

Liu, Hanbing; Wang, Xianqiang; Jiao, Yubo; Sha, Tao

2016-03-07

Recycling waste tire rubber by incorporating it into concrete has become the preferred solution to dispose of waste tires. In this study, the effect of the volume content of crumb rubber and pretreatment methods on the performances of concrete was evaluated. Firstly, the fine aggregate and mixture were partly replaced by crumb rubber to produce crumb rubber concrete. Secondly, the mechanical and durability properties of crumb rubber concrete with different replacement forms and volume contents had been investigated. Finally, the crumb rubber after pretreatment by six modifiers was introduced into the concrete mixture. Corresponding tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of pretreatment methods as compared to the concrete containing untreated crumb rubber. It was observed that the mechanical strength of crumb rubber concrete was reduced, while durability was improved with the increasing of crumb rubber content. 20% replacement of fine aggregate and 5% replacement of the total mixture exhibited acceptable properties for practical applications. In addition, the results indicated that the modifiers had a positive impact on the mechanical and durability properties of crumb rubber concrete. It avoided the disadvantage of crumb rubber concrete having lower strength and provides a reference for the production of modified crumb rubber concrete.

Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical and Durability Properties of Crumb Rubber Concrete

PubMed Central

Liu, Hanbing; Wang, Xianqiang; Jiao, Yubo; Sha, Tao

2016-01-01

Recycling waste tire rubber by incorporating it into concrete has become the preferred solution to dispose of waste tires. In this study, the effect of the volume content of crumb rubber and pretreatment methods on the performances of concrete was evaluated. Firstly, the fine aggregate and mixture were partly replaced by crumb rubber to produce crumb rubber concrete. Secondly, the mechanical and durability properties of crumb rubber concrete with different replacement forms and volume contents had been investigated. Finally, the crumb rubber after pretreatment by six modifiers was introduced into the concrete mixture. Corresponding tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of pretreatment methods as compared to the concrete containing untreated crumb rubber. It was observed that the mechanical strength of crumb rubber concrete was reduced, while durability was improved with the increasing of crumb rubber content. 20% replacement of fine aggregate and 5% replacement of the total mixture exhibited acceptable properties for practical applications. In addition, the results indicated that the modifiers had a positive impact on the mechanical and durability properties of crumb rubber concrete. It avoided the disadvantage of crumb rubber concrete having lower strength and provides a reference for the production of modified crumb rubber concrete. PMID:28773298

Structure, mechanical and thermal behaviour of mixtures of polyester resin and dental ceramic waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña Rodríguez, G.; Martínez Maldonado, L.; Dulce Moreno, H. J.

2016-02-01

The tensile strength and bending strength, structure and thermal behaviour of mixtures of polyester resin (P-2000) and powders (ASTM sieve 200, <75μm) of dental ceramic wastes (dentals impressions, alginate and gypsum) was reported. The samples consisted of mixtures with percentage weights of 50-50%, 60-40%, 70-30%, 80-20%, 90-10%, where the resin was the majority phase, the Mekc (4% wt) was used as catalyst. The structure was studied using SEM and XRD, the thermal behaviour using DSC, TGA and DMA, while the mechanical strength was tested using standards ASTM D790 and D638. Irregular morphology and presence of small agglomerations was observed, with particle sizes between 29.63 and 38.67μm, the presence of different phases of calcium sulphate was found, and that to the increasing the concentration of the powder, the materials becomes more crystalline, increasing its density. An average service temperature of 69.15±4.60°C was found. Vickers hardness values are reported in ranges from 18.65 to 27.96. Considering the elastic modules was established that the materials become more rigid by having more powder concentration.

Transcriptional responses to complex mixtures - A review

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure of people to hazardous compounds is primarily through complex environmental mixtures, those that occur through media such as air, soil, water, food, cigarette smoke, and combustion emissions. Microarray technology offers the ability to query the entire genome after expos...

Fact or artifact: the representativeness of ESI-MS for complex natural organic mixtures.

PubMed

Novotny, Nicole R; Capley, Erin N; Stenson, Alexandra C

2014-04-01

Because mass spectrometers provide their own dispersion and resolution of analytes, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has become a workhorse for the characterization of complex mixtures from aerosols to crude oil. Unfortunately, ESI mass spectra commonly contain multimers, adducts and fragments. For the characterization of complex mixtures of unknown initial composition, this presents a significant concern. Mixed-multimer formation could potentially lead to results that bare no resemblance to the original mixture. Conversely, ESI-MS has continually reflected subtle differences between natural organic matter mixtures that are in agreement with prediction or theory. Knowing the real limitations of the technique is therefore critical to avoiding both over-interpretation and unwarranted skepticism. Here, data were collected on four mass spectrometers under a battery of conditions. Results indicate that formation of unrepresentative ions cannot entirely be ruled out, but non-covalent multimers do not appear to make a major contribution to typical natural organic matter spectra based on collision-induced dissociation results. Multimers also appear notably reduced when a cooling gas is present in the accumulation region of the mass spectrometer. For less complex mixtures, the choice of spray solvent can make a difference, but generally spectrum cleanliness (i.e. representativeness) comes at the price of increased selectivity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Electrochemical processing of solid waste

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bockris, J. OM.; Hitchens, G. D.; Kaba, L.

1988-01-01

The investigation into electrolysis as a means of waste treatment and recycling on manned space missions is described. The electrochemical reactions of an artificial fecal waste mixture was examined. Waste electrolysis experiments were performed in a single compartment reactor, on platinum electrodes, to determine conditions likely to maximize the efficiency of oxidation of fecal waste material to CO2. The maximum current efficiencies for artificial fecal waste electrolysis to CO2 was found to be around 50 percent in the test apparatus. Experiments involving fecal waste oxidation on platinum indicates that electrodes with a higher overvoltage for oxygen evolution such as lead dioxide will give a larger effective potential range for organic oxidation reactions. An electrochemical packed column reactor was constructed with lead dioxide as electrode material. Preliminary experiments were performed using a packed-bed reactor and continuous flow techniques showing this system may be effective in complete oxidation of fecal material. The addition of redox mediator Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) enhances the oxidation process of biomass components. Scientific literature relevant to biomass and fecal waste electrolysis were reviewed.

Study on Commercialization of Biogasification Systems in Ishikari Bay New Port Area - Proposal of Estimation Method of Collectable Amount of Food Waste by using Binary Logit Model -

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Sho; Furuichi, Toru; Ishii, Kazuei

This study proposed an estimation method for collectable amount of food waste considering the food waste generator's cooperation ratio ant the amount of food waste generation, and clarified the factors influencing the collectable amount of food waste. In our method, the cooperation ratio was calculated by using the binary logit model which is often used for the traffic multiple choice question. In order to develop a more precise binary logit model, the factors influencing on the cooperation ratio were extracted by a questionnaire survey asking food waste generator's intention, and the preference investigation was then conducted at the second step. As a result, the collectable amount of food waste was estimated to be 72 [t/day] in the Ishikari bay new port area under a condition of current collection system by using our method. In addition, the most critical factor influencing on the collectable amount of food waste was the treatment fee for households, and was the permitted mixture degree of improper materials for retail trade and restaurant businesses

Supercritical separation process for complex organic mixtures

DOEpatents

Chum, H.L.; Filardo, G.

1990-10-23

A process is disclosed for separating low molecular weight components from complex aqueous organic mixtures. The process includes preparing a separation solution of supercritical carbon dioxide with an effective amount of an entrainer to modify the solvation power of the supercritical carbon dioxide and extract preselected low molecular weight components. The separation solution is maintained at a temperature of at least about 70 C and a pressure of at least about 1,500 psi. The separation solution is then contacted with the organic mixtures while maintaining the temperature and pressure as above until the mixtures and solution reach equilibrium to extract the preselected low molecular weight components from the organic mixtures. Finally, the entrainer/extracted components portion of the equilibrium mixture is isolated from the separation solution. 1 fig.

Calcination process for radioactive wastes

DOEpatents

Kilian, Douglas C.

1976-05-04

The present invention provides a method for minimizing the volatilization of chlorides during solidification in a fluidized-bed calciner of liquids containing sodium, nitrate and chloride ions. Zirconium and fluoride are introduced into the liquid, and one-half mole of calcium nitrate is added per mole of fluoride present in the liquid mixture. The mixture is calcined in the fluidized-bed calciner at about 500.degree.C., producing a high bulk density calcine product containing the chloride, thus tying up the chloride in the solid product and minimizing chloride volatilization.

Toward the Rational Use of Exposure Information in Mixtures Toxicology

EPA Science Inventory

Of all the disciplines of toxicology, perhaps none is as dependent on exposure information as Mixtures Toxicology. Identifying real world mixtures and replicating them in the laboratory (or in silico) is critical to understanding their risks. Complex mixtures such as cigarett...

Two Stage Anaerobic Reactor Design and Treatment To Produce Biogas From Mixed Liquor of Vegetable Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budiastuti, H.; Ghozali, M.; Wicaksono, H. K.; Hadiansyah, R.

2018-01-01

Municipal solid waste has become a common challenged problem to be solved for developing countries including Indonesia. Municipal solid waste generating is always bigger than its treatment to reduce affect of environmental pollution. This research tries to contribute to provide an alternative solution to treat municipal solid waste to produce biogas. Vegetable waste was obtained from Gedebage Market, Bandung and starter as a source of anaerobic microorganisms was cow dung obtained from a cow farm in Lembang. A two stage anaerobic reactor was designed and built to treat the vegetable waste in a batch run. The capacity of each reactor is 20 liters but its active volume in each reactor is 15 liters. Reactor 1 (R1) was fed up with mixture of filtered blended vegetable waste and water at ratio of 1:1 whereas Reactor 2 (R2) was filled with filtered mixed liquor of cow dung and water at ratio of 1:1. Both mixtures were left overnight before use. Into R1 it was added EM-4 at concentration of 10%. pH in R1 was maintained at 5 - 6.5 whereas pH in R1 was maintained at 6.5 - 7.5. Temperature of reactors was not maintained to imitate the real environmental temperature. Parameters taken during experiment were pH, temperature, COD, MLVSS, and composition of biogas. The performance of reactor built was shown from COD efficiencies reduction obtained of about 60% both in R1 and R2, pH average in R1 of 4.5 ± 1 and R2 of 7 ± 0.6, average temperature in both reactors of 25 ± 2°C. About 1L gas produced was obtained during the last 6 days of experiment in which CH4 obtained was 8.951 ppm and CO2 of 1.087 ppm. The maximum increase of MLVSS in R1 reached 156% and R2 reached 89%.

Screening on oil-decomposing microorganisms and application in organic waste treatment machine.

PubMed

Lu, Yi-Tong; Chen, Xiao-Bin; Zhou, Pei; Li, Zhen-Hong

2005-01-01

As an oil-decomposable mixture of two bacteria strains (Bacillus sp. and Pseudomonas sp.), Y3 was isolated after 50 d domestication under the condition that oil was used as the limited carbon source. The decomposing rate by Y3 was higher than that by each separate individual strain, indicating a synergistic effect of the two bacteria. Under the conditions that T = 25-40 degrees C, pH = 6-8, HRT (Hydraulic retention time) = 36 h and the oil concentration at 0.1%, Y3 yielded the highest decomposing rate of 95.7%. Y3 was also applied in an organic waste treatment machine and a certain rate of activated bacteria was put into the stuffing. A series of tests including humidity, pH, temperature, C/N rate and oil percentage of the stuffing were carried out to check the efficacy of oil-decomposition. Results showed that the oil content of the stuffing with inoculums was only half of that of the control. Furthermore, the bacteria were also beneficial to maintain the stability of the machine operating. Therefore, the bacteria mixture as well as the machines in this study could be very useful for waste treatment.

Separation of mixed waste plastics via magnetic levitation.

PubMed

Zhao, Peng; Xie, Jun; Gu, Fu; Sharmin, Nusrat; Hall, Philip; Fu, Jianzhong

2018-06-01

Separation becomes a bottleneck of dealing with the enormous stream of waste plastics, as most of the extant methods can only handle binary mixtures. In this paper, a novel method that based on magnetic levitation was proposed for separating multiple mixed plastics. Six types of plastics, i.e., polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide 6 (PA6), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), were used to simulate the mixed waste plastics. The samples were mixed and immersed into paramagnetic medium that placed into a magnetic levitation configuration with two identical NdFeB magnets with like-poles facing each other, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to verify the separation outputs. Unlike any conventional separation methods such as froth flotation and hydrocyclone, this method is not limited by particle sizes, as mixtures of different size fractions reached their respective equilibrium positions in the initial tests. The two-stage separation tests demonstrated that the plastics can be completely separated with purities reached 100%. The method has the potential to be industrialised into an economically-viable and environmentally-friendly mass production procedure, since quantitative correlations are determined, and the paramagnetic medium can be reused indefinitely. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene waste plastics by froth flotation combined with ammonia pretreatment.

PubMed

Wang, Chong-Qing; Wang, Hui; Liu, Qun; Fu, Jian-Gang; Liu, You-Nian

2014-12-01

The objective of this research is flotation separation of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) waste plastics combined with ammonia pretreatment. The PC and ABS plastics show similar hydrophobicity, and ammonia treatment changes selectively floatability of PC plastic while ABS is insensitive to ammonia treatment. The contact angle measurement indicates the dropping of flotation recovery of PC is ascribed to a decline of contact angle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates reactions occur on PC surface, which makes PC surface more hydrophilic. Separation of PC and ABS waste plastics was conducted based on the flotation behavior of single plastic. At different temperatures, PC and ABS mixtures were separated efficiently through froth flotation with ammonia pretreatment for different time (13 min at 23 °C, 18 min at 18 °C and 30 min at 23 °C). For both PC and ABS, the purity and recovery is more than 95.31% and 95.35%, respectively; the purity of PC and ABS is up to 99.72% and 99.23%, respectively. PC and ABS mixtures with different particle sizes were separated effectively, implying that ammonia treatment possesses superior applicability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation and corrosion of a 410 SS/ceramic composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; Ebert, W. L.; Indacochea, J. E.

2016-11-01

This study addressed the possible use of alloy/ceramic composite waste forms to immobilize metallic and oxide waste streams generated during the electrochemical reprocessing of spent reactor fuel using a single waste form. A representative composite material was made to evaluate the microstructure and corrosion behavior at alloy/ceramic interfaces by reacting 410 stainless steel with Zr, Mo, and a mixture of lanthanide oxides. Essentially all of the available Zr reacted with lanthanide oxides to generate lanthanide zirconates, which combined with the unreacted lanthanide oxides to form a porous ceramic network that filled with alloy to produce a composite puck. Alloy present in excess of the pore volume of the ceramic generated a metal bead on top of the puck. The alloys in the composite and forming the bead were both mixtures of martensite grains and ferrite grains bearing carbide precipitates; FeCrMo intermetallic phases also precipitated at ferrite grain boundaries within the composite puck. Micrometer-thick regions of ferrite surrounding the carbides were sensitized and corroded preferentially in electrochemical tests. The lanthanide oxides dissolved chemically, but the lanthanide zirconates did not dissolve and are suitable host phases. The presence of oxide phases did not affect corrosion of the neighboring alloy phases.

Value addition of vegetable wastes by solid-state fermentation using Aspergillus niger for use in aquafeed industry.

PubMed

Rajesh, N; Imelda-Joseph; Raj, R Paul

2010-11-01

Vegetable waste typically has high moisture content and high levels of protein, vitamins and minerals. Its value as an agricultural feed can be enhanced through solid-state fermentation (SSF). Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the nutritional status of the products derived by SSF of a mixture of dried vegetable waste powder and oil cake mixture (soybean flour, wheat flour, groundnut oil cake and sesame oil cake at 4:3:2:1 ratio) using fungi Aspergillus niger S(1)4, a mangrove isolate, and A. niger NCIM 616. Fermentation was carried out for 9 days at 35% moisture level and neutral pH. Significant (p<0.05) increase in crude protein and amino acids were obtained in both the trials. The crude fat and crude fibre content showed significant reduction at the end of fermentation. Nitrogen free extract (NFE) showed a gradual decrease during the fermentation process. The results of the study suggest that the fermented product obtained on days 6 and 9 in case of A. niger S(1)4 and A. niger NCIM 616 respectively contained the highest levels of crude protein. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Highly-Complex Environmentally-Realistic Mixtures: Challenges and Advances

EPA Science Inventory

The difficulties involved in design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of defmed mixtures experiments and use of the resulting data in risk assessment are now wellknown to the toxicology, risk assessment and risk management communities. The arena of highly-complex environment...