Sample records for waste packages stored

  1. Establishing a store baseline during interim storage of waste packages and a review of potential technologies for base-lining

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

    McTeer, Jennifer; Morris, Jenny; Wickham, Stephen

    Interim storage is an essential component of the waste management lifecycle, providing a safe, secure environment for waste packages awaiting final disposal. In order to be able to monitor and detect change or degradation of the waste packages, storage building or equipment, it is necessary to know the original condition of these components (the 'waste storage system'). This paper presents an approach to establishing the baseline for a waste-storage system, and provides guidance on the selection and implementation of potential base-lining technologies. The approach is made up of two sections; assessment of base-lining needs and definition of base-lining approach. Duringmore » the assessment of base-lining needs a review of available monitoring data and store/package records should be undertaken (if the store is operational). Evolutionary processes (affecting safety functions), and their corresponding indicators, that can be measured to provide a baseline for the waste-storage system should then be identified in order for the most suitable indicators to be selected for base-lining. In defining the approach, identification of opportunities to collect data and constraints is undertaken before selecting the techniques for base-lining and developing a base-lining plan. Base-lining data may be used to establish that the state of the packages is consistent with the waste acceptance criteria for the storage facility and to support the interpretation of monitoring and inspection data collected during store operations. Opportunities and constraints are identified for different store and package types. Technologies that could potentially be used to measure baseline indicators are also reviewed. (authors)« less

  2. Tritium Packages and 17th RH Canister Categories of Transuranic Waste Stored Below Ground within Area G

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

    Hargis, Kenneth Marshall

    A large wildfire called the Las Conchas Fire burned large areas near Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 2011 and heightened public concern and news media attention over transuranic (TRU) waste stored at LANL’s Technical Area 54 (TA-54) Area G waste management facility. The removal of TRU waste from Area G had been placed at a lower priority in budget decisions for environmental cleanup at LANL because TRU waste removal is not included in the March 2005 Compliance Order on Consent (Reference 1) that is the primary regulatory driver for environmental cleanup at LANL. The Consent Order is a settlementmore » agreement between LANL and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) that contains specific requirements and schedules for cleaning up historical contamination at the LANL site. After the Las Conchas Fire, discussions were held by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with the NMED on accelerating TRU waste removal from LANL and disposing it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This report summarizes available information on the origin, configuration, and composition of the waste containers within the Tritium Packages and 17th RH Canister categories; their physical and radiological characteristics; the results of the radioassays; and potential issues in retrieval and processing of the waste containers.« less

  3. Waste from grocery stores

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

    Lieb, K.

    1993-11-01

    The Community Recycling Center, Inc., (CRC, Champaign, Ill.), last year conducted a two-week audit of waste generated at two area grocery stores. The stores surveyed are part of a 10-store chain. For two of the Kirby Foods Stores, old corrugated containers (OCC) accounted for 39-45% of all waste. The summary drew correlations between the amount of OCC and the sum of food and garbage waste. The study suggested that one can reasonably estimate volumes of waste based on the amount of OCC because most things come in a box. Auditors set up a series of containers to make the collectionmore » process straightforward. Every day the containers were taken to local recycling centers and weighed. Approximate waste breakdowns for the two stores were as follows: 45% OCC; 35% food waste; 20% nonrecyclable or noncompostable items; and 10% other.« less

  4. Naval Waste Package Design Sensitivity

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

    T. Schmitt

    2006-12-13

    The purpose of this calculation is to determine the sensitivity of the structural response of the Naval waste packages to varying inner cavity dimensions when subjected to a comer drop and tip-over from elevated surface. This calculation will also determine the sensitivity of the structural response of the Naval waste packages to the upper bound of the naval canister masses. The scope of this document is limited to reporting the calculation results in terms of through-wall stress intensities in the outer corrosion barrier. This calculation is intended for use in support of the preliminary design activities for the license applicationmore » design of the Naval waste package. It examines the effects of small changes between the naval canister and the inner vessel, and in these dimensions, the Naval Long waste package and Naval Short waste package are similar. Therefore, only the Naval Long waste package is used in this calculation and is based on the proposed potential designs presented by the drawings and sketches in References 2.1.10 to 2.1.17 and 2.1.20. All conclusions are valid for both the Naval Long and Naval Short waste packages.« less

  5. Waste Package Component Design Methodology Report

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

    D.C. Mecham

    2004-07-12

    This Executive Summary provides an overview of the methodology being used by the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) to design waste packages and ancillary components. This summary information is intended for readers with general interest, but also provides technical readers a general framework surrounding a variety of technical details provided in the main body of the report. The purpose of this report is to document and ensure appropriate design methods are used in the design of waste packages and ancillary components (the drip shields and emplacement pallets). The methodology includes identification of necessary design inputs, justification of design assumptions, and usemore » of appropriate analysis methods, and computational tools. This design work is subject to ''Quality Assurance Requirements and Description''. The document is primarily intended for internal use and technical guidance for a variety of design activities. It is recognized that a wide audience including project management, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and others are interested to various levels of detail in the design methods and therefore covers a wide range of topics at varying levels of detail. Due to the preliminary nature of the design, readers can expect to encounter varied levels of detail in the body of the report. It is expected that technical information used as input to design documents will be verified and taken from the latest versions of reference sources given herein. This revision of the methodology report has evolved with changes in the waste package, drip shield, and emplacement pallet designs over many years and may be further revised as the design is finalized. Different components and analyses are at different stages of development. Some parts of the report are detailed, while other less detailed parts are likely to undergo further refinement. The design methodology is intended to provide designs that satisfy the safety and

  6. Waste disposal package

    DOEpatents

    Smith, M.J.

    1985-06-19

    This is a claim for a waste disposal package including an inner or primary canister for containing hazardous and/or radioactive wastes. The primary canister is encapsulated by an outer or secondary barrier formed of a porous ceramic material to control ingress of water to the canister and the release rate of wastes upon breach on the canister. 4 figs.

  7. Prevention policies addressing packaging and packaging waste: Some emerging trends.

    PubMed

    Tencati, Antonio; Pogutz, Stefano; Moda, Beatrice; Brambilla, Matteo; Cacia, Claudia

    2016-10-01

    Packaging waste is a major issue in several countries. Representing in industrialized countries around 30-35% of municipal solid waste yearly generated, this waste stream has steadily grown over the years even if, especially in Europe, specific recycling and recovery targets have been fixed. Therefore, an increasing attention starts to be devoted to prevention measures and interventions. Filling a gap in the current literature, this explorative paper is a first attempt to map the increasingly important phenomenon of prevention policies in the packaging sector. Through a theoretical sampling, 11 countries/states (7 in and 4 outside Europe) have been selected and analyzed by gathering and studying primary and secondary data. Results show evidence of three specific trends in packaging waste prevention policies: fostering the adoption of measures directed at improving packaging design and production through an extensive use of the life cycle assessment; raising the awareness of final consumers by increasing the accountability of firms; promoting collaborative efforts along the packaging supply chains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. WASTE PACKAGE REMEDIATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

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

    N.D. Sudan

    2000-06-22

    The Waste Package Remediation System remediates waste packages (WPs) and disposal containers (DCs) in one of two ways: preparation of rejected DC closure welds for repair or opening of the DC/WP. DCs are brought to the Waste Package Remediation System for preparation of rejected closure welds if testing of the closure weld by the Disposal Container Handling System indicates an unacceptable, but repairable, welding flaw. DC preparation of rejected closure welds will require removal of the weld in such a way that the Disposal Container Handling System may resume and complete the closure welding process. DCs/WPs are brought to themore » Waste Package Remediation System for opening if the Disposal Container Handling System testing of the DC closure weld indicates an unrepairable welding flaw, or if a WP is recovered from the subsurface repository because suspected damage to the WP or failure of the WP has occurred. DC/WP opening will require cutting of the DC/WP such that a temporary seal may be installed and the waste inside the DC/WP removed by another system. The system operates in a Waste Package Remediation System hot cell located in the Waste Handling Building that has direct access to the Disposal Container Handling System. One DC/WP at a time can be handled in the hot cell. The DC/WP arrives on a transfer cart, is positioned within the cell for system operations, and exits the cell without being removed from the cart. The system includes a wide variety of remotely operated components including a manipulator with hoist and/or jib crane, viewing systems, machine tools for opening WPs, and equipment used to perform pressure and gas composition sampling. Remotely operated equipment is designed to facilitate DC/WP decontamination and hot cell equipment maintenance, and interchangeable components are provided where appropriate. The Waste Package Remediation System interfaces with the Disposal Container Handling System for the receipt and transport of WPs and DCs

  9. Disposal of LLW and ILW in Germany - Characterisation and Documentation of Waste Packages with Respect to the Change of Requirements

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

    Bandt, G.; Spicher, G.; Steyer, St.

    2008-07-01

    Since the 1998 termination of LLW and ILW emplacement in the Morsleben repository (ERAM), Germany, the treatment, conditioning and documentation of radioactive waste products and packages have been continued on the basis of the waste acceptance requirements as of 1995, prepared for the Konrad repository near Salzgitter in Lower Saxony, Germany. The resulting waste products and packages are stored in interim storage facilities. Due to the Konrad license issued in 2002 the waste acceptance requirements have to be completed by additional requirements imposed by the licensing authority, e. g. for the declaration of chemical waste package constituents. Therefore, documentation ofmore » waste products and packages which are checked by independent experts and are in parts approved by the responsible authority (Office for Radiation Protection, BfS) up to now will have to be checked again for fulfilling the final waste acceptance requirements prior to disposal. In order to simplify these additional checks, databases are used to ensure an easy access to all known facts about the waste packages. A short balance of the existing waste products and packages which are already checked and partly approved by BfS as well as an overview on the established databases ensuring a fast access to the known facts about the conditioning processes is presented. (authors)« less

  10. Canister arrangement for storing radioactive waste

    DOEpatents

    Lorenzo, D.K.; Van Cleve, J.E. Jr.

    1980-04-23

    The subject invention relates to a canister arrangement for jointly storing high level radioactive chemical waste and metallic waste resulting from the reprocessing of nuclear reactor fuel elements. A cylindrical steel canister is provided with an elongated centrally disposed billet of the metallic waste and the chemical waste in vitreous form is disposed in the annulus surrounding the billet.

  11. Canister arrangement for storing radioactive waste

    DOEpatents

    Lorenzo, Donald K.; Van Cleve, Jr., John E.

    1982-01-01

    The subject invention relates to a canister arrangement for jointly storing high level radioactive chemical waste and metallic waste resulting from the reprocessing of nuclear reactor fuel elements. A cylindrical steel canister is provided with an elongated centrally disposed billet of the metallic waste and the chemical waste in vitreous form is disposed in the annulus surrounding the billet.

  12. Systems and methods of storing combustion waste products

    DOEpatents

    Chen, Shen-En; Wang, Peng; Miao, Xiexing; Feng, Qiyan; Zhu, Qianlin

    2016-04-12

    In one aspect, methods of storing one or more combustion waste products are described herein. Combustion waste products stored by a method described herein can include solid combustion waste products such as coal ash and/or gaseous combustion products such as carbon dioxide. In some embodiments, a method of storing carbon dioxide comprises providing a carbon dioxide storage medium comprising porous concrete having a macroporous and microporous pore structure and flowing carbon dioxide captured from a combustion flue gas source into the pore structure of the porous concrete.

  13. Safety evaluation for packaging (onsite) concrete-lined waste packaging

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

    Romano, T.

    1997-09-25

    The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a package to ship Type A, non-transuranic, fissile excepted quantities of liquid or solid radioactive material and radioactive mixed waste to the Central Waste Complex for storage on the Hanford Site.

  14. Conceptual waste packaging options for deep borehole disposal

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

    Su, Jiann -Cherng; Hardin, Ernest L.

    This report presents four concepts for packaging of radioactive waste for disposal in deep boreholes. Two of these are reference-size packages (11 inch outer diameter) and two are smaller (5 inch) for disposal of Cs/Sr capsules. All four have an assumed length of approximately 18.5 feet, which allows the internal length of the waste volume to be 16.4 feet. However, package length and volume can be scaled by changing the length of the middle, tubular section. The materials proposed for use are low-alloy steels, commonly used in the oil-and-gas industry. Threaded connections between packages, and internal threads used to sealmore » the waste cavity, are common oilfield types. Two types of fill ports are proposed: flask-type and internal-flush. All four package design concepts would withstand hydrostatic pressure of 9,600 psi, with factor safety 2.0. The combined loading condition includes axial tension and compression from the weight of a string or stack of packages in the disposal borehole, either during lower and emplacement of a string, or after stacking of multiple packages emplaced singly. Combined loading also includes bending that may occur during emplacement, particularly for a string of packages threaded together. Flask-type packages would be fabricated and heat-treated, if necessary, before loading waste. The fill port would be narrower than the waste cavity inner diameter, so the flask type is suitable for directly loading bulk granular waste, or loading slim waste canisters (e.g., containing Cs/Sr capsules) that fit through the port. The fill port would be sealed with a tapered, threaded plug, with a welded cover plate (welded after loading). Threaded connections between packages and between packages and a drill string, would be standard drill pipe threads. The internal flush packaging concepts would use semi-flush oilfield tubing, which is internally flush but has a slight external upset at the joints. This type of tubing can be obtained with premium

  15. Greater-than-Class C low-level radioactive waste shipping package/container identification and requirements study. National Low-Level Waste Management Program

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

    Tyacke, M.

    1993-08-01

    This report identifies a variety of shipping packages (also referred to as casks) and waste containers currently available or being developed that could be used for greater-than-Class C (GTCC) low-level waste (LLW). Since GTCC LLW varies greatly in size, shape, and activity levels, the casks and waste containers that could be used range in size from small, to accommodate a single sealed radiation source, to very large-capacity casks/canisters used to transport or dry-store highly radioactive spent fuel. In some cases, the waste containers may serve directly as shipping packages, while in other cases, the containers would need to be placedmore » in a transport cask. For the purpose of this report, it is assumed that the generator is responsible for transporting the waste to a Department of Energy (DOE) storage, treatment, or disposal facility. Unless DOE establishes specific acceptance criteria, the receiving facility would need the capability to accept any of the casks and waste containers identified in this report. In identifying potential casks and waste containers, no consideration was given to their adequacy relative to handling, storage, treatment, and disposal. Those considerations must be addressed separately as the capabilities of the receiving facility and the handling requirements and operations are better understood.« less

  16. Radioactive waste disposal package

    DOEpatents

    Lampe, Robert F.

    1986-11-04

    A radioactive waste disposal package comprising a canister for containing vitrified radioactive waste material and a sealed outer shell encapsulating the canister. A solid block of filler material is supported in said shell and convertible into a liquid state for flow into the space between the canister and outer shell and subsequently hardened to form a solid, impervious layer occupying such space.

  17. Radioactive waste disposal package

    DOEpatents

    Lampe, Robert F.

    1986-01-01

    A radioactive waste disposal package comprising a canister for containing vitrified radioactive waste material and a sealed outer shell encapsulating the canister. A solid block of filler material is supported in said shell and convertible into a liquid state for flow into the space between the canister and outer shell and subsequently hardened to form a solid, impervious layer occupying such space.

  18. 10 CFR 60.135 - Criteria for the waste package and its components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Section 60.135 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES... for the waste package and its components. (a) High-level-waste package design in general. (1) Packages... package's permanent written records. (c) Waste form criteria for HLW. High-level radioactive waste that is...

  19. Depleted uranium as a backfill for nuclear fuel waste package

    DOEpatents

    Forsberg, Charles W.

    1998-01-01

    A method for packaging spent nuclear fuel for long-term disposal in a geological repository. At least one spent nuclear fuel assembly is first placed in an unsealed waste package and a depleted uranium fill material is added to the waste package. The depleted uranium fill material comprises flowable particles having a size sufficient to substantially fill any voids in and around the assembly and contains isotopically-depleted uranium in the +4 valence state in an amount sufficient to inhibit dissolution of the spent nuclear fuel from the assembly into a surrounding medium and to lessen the potential for nuclear criticality inside the repository in the event of failure of the waste package. Last, the waste package is sealed, thereby substantially reducing the release of radionuclides into the surrounding medium, while simultaneously providing radiation shielding and increased structural integrity of the waste package.

  20. Waste forms, packages, and seals working group summary

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

    Sridhar, N.

    1995-09-01

    This article is a summary of the proceedings of a group discussion which took place at the Workshop on the Role of Natural Analogs in Geologic Disposal of High-Level Nuclear Waste in San Antonio, Texas on July 22-25, 1991. The working group concentrated on the subject of radioactive waste forms and packaging. Also included is a description of the use of natural analogs in waste packaging, container materials and waste forms.

  1. DESIGN ANALYSIS FOR THE NAVAL SNF WASTE PACKAGE

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

    T.L. Mitchell

    2000-05-31

    The purpose of this analysis is to demonstrate the design of the naval spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste package (WP) using the Waste Package Department's (WPD) design methodologies and processes described in the ''Waste Package Design Methodology Report'' (CRWMS M&O [Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor] 2000b). The calculations that support the design of the naval SNF WP will be discussed; however, only a sub-set of such analyses will be presented and shall be limited to those identified in the ''Waste Package Design Sensitivity Report'' (CRWMS M&O 2000c). The objective of this analysis is to describe themore » naval SNF WP design method and to show that the design of the naval SNF WP complies with the ''Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal Container System Description Document'' (CRWMS M&O 1999a) and Interface Control Document (ICD) criteria for Site Recommendation. Additional criteria for the design of the naval SNF WP have been outlined in Section 6.2 of the ''Waste Package Design Sensitivity Report'' (CRWMS M&O 2000c). The scope of this analysis is restricted to the design of the naval long WP containing one naval long SNF canister. This WP is representative of the WPs that will contain both naval short SNF and naval long SNF canisters. The following items are included in the scope of this analysis: (1) Providing a general description of the applicable design criteria; (2) Describing the design methodology to be used; (3) Presenting the design of the naval SNF waste package; and (4) Showing compliance with all applicable design criteria. The intended use of this analysis is to support Site Recommendation reports and assist in the development of WPD drawings. Activities described in this analysis were conducted in accordance with the technical product development plan (TPDP) ''Design Analysis for the Naval SNF Waste Package (CRWMS M&O 2000a).« less

  2. Depleted uranium as a backfill for nuclear fuel waste package

    DOEpatents

    Forsberg, C.W.

    1998-11-03

    A method is described for packaging spent nuclear fuel for long-term disposal in a geological repository. At least one spent nuclear fuel assembly is first placed in an unsealed waste package and a depleted uranium fill material is added to the waste package. The depleted uranium fill material comprises flowable particles having a size sufficient to substantially fill any voids in and around the assembly and contains isotopically-depleted uranium in the +4 valence state in an amount sufficient to inhibit dissolution of the spent nuclear fuel from the assembly into a surrounding medium and to lessen the potential for nuclear criticality inside the repository in the event of failure of the waste package. Last, the waste package is sealed, thereby substantially reducing the release of radionuclides into the surrounding medium, while simultaneously providing radiation shielding and increased structural integrity of the waste package. 6 figs.

  3. 10 CFR 60.135 - Criteria for the waste package and its components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Technical Criteria Design Criteria for the Waste Package § 60.135 Criteria for the waste package and its components. (a) High-level-waste package design in general. (1) Packages for HLW shall be designed so that the in situ chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of the waste...

  4. 10 CFR 60.135 - Criteria for the waste package and its components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Technical Criteria Design Criteria for the Waste Package § 60.135 Criteria for the waste package and its components. (a) High-level-waste package design in general. (1) Packages for HLW shall be designed so that the in situ chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of the waste...

  5. 10 CFR 60.135 - Criteria for the waste package and its components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Technical Criteria Design Criteria for the Waste Package § 60.135 Criteria for the waste package and its components. (a) High-level-waste package design in general. (1) Packages for HLW shall be designed so that the in situ chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of the waste...

  6. 10 CFR 60.135 - Criteria for the waste package and its components.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Technical Criteria Design Criteria for the Waste Package § 60.135 Criteria for the waste package and its components. (a) High-level-waste package design in general. (1) Packages for HLW shall be designed so that the in situ chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of the waste...

  7. Temperature environment for 9975 packages stored in KAC

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

    Daugherty, W. L.

    Plutonium materials are stored in the K Area Complex (KAC) in shipping packages, typically the 9975 shipping package. In order to estimate realistic degradation rates for components within the shipping package (i.e. the fiberboard overpack and O-ring seals), it is necessary to understand actual facility temperatures, which can vary daily and seasonally. Relevant facility temperature data available from several periods throughout its operating history have been reviewed. The annual average temperature within the Crane Maintenance Area has ranged from approximately 70 to 74 °F, although there is significant seasonal variation and lesser variation among different locations within the facility. Themore » long-term average degradation rate for 9975 package components is very close to that expected if the component were to remain continually at the annual average temperature. This result remains valid for a wide range of activation energies (which describes the variation in degradation rate as the temperature changes), if the activation energy remains constant over the seasonal range of component temperatures. It is recommended that component degradation analyses and service life estimates incorporate these results. Specifically, it is proposed that future analyses assume an average facility ambient air temperature of 94 °F. This value is bounding for all packages, and includes margin for several factors such as increased temperatures within the storage arrays, the addition of more packages in the future, and future operational changes.« less

  8. System for handling and storing radioactive waste

    DOEpatents

    Anderson, J.K.; Lindemann, P.E.

    1982-07-19

    A system and method are claimed for handling and storing spent reactor fuel and other solid radioactive waste, including canisters to contain the elements of solid waste, storage racks to hold a plurality of such canisters, storage bays to store these racks in isolation by means of shielded doors in the bays. This system also includes means for remotely positioning the racks in the bays and an access tunnel within which the remotely operated means is located to position a rack in a selected bay. The modular type of these bays will facilitate the construction of additional bays and access tunnel extension.

  9. System for handling and storing radioactive waste

    DOEpatents

    Anderson, John K.; Lindemann, Paul E.

    1984-01-01

    A system and method for handling and storing spent reactor fuel and other solid radioactive waste, including canisters to contain the elements of solid waste, storage racks to hold a plurality of such canisters, storage bays to store these racks in isolation by means of shielded doors in the bays. This system also includes means for remotely positioning the racks in the bays and an access tunnel within which the remotely operated means is located to position a rack in a selected bay. The modular type of these bays will facilitate the construction of additional bays and access tunnel extension.

  10. Oxidation and waste-to-energy output of aluminium waste packaging during incineration: A laboratory study.

    PubMed

    López, Félix A; Román, Carlos Pérez; García-Díaz, Irene; Alguacil, Francisco J

    2015-09-01

    This work reports the oxidation behaviour and waste-to-energy output of different semi-rigid and flexible aluminium packagings when incinerated at 850°C in an air atmosphere enriched with 6% oxygen, in the laboratory setting. The physical properties of the different packagings were determined, including their metallic aluminium contents. The ash contents of their combustion products were determined according to standard BS ISO 1171:2010. The net calorific value, the required energy, and the calorific gain associated with each packaging type were determined following standard BS EN 13431:2004. Packagings with an aluminium lamina thickness of >50μm did not fully oxidise. During incineration, the weight-for-weight waste-to-energy output of the packagings with thick aluminium lamina was lower than that of packagings with thin lamina. The calorific gain depended on the degree of oxidation of the metallic aluminium, but was greater than zero for all the packagings studied. Waste aluminium may therefore be said to act as an energy source in municipal solid waste incineration systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Bioprocessing of a stored mixed liquid waste

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

    Wolfram, J.H.; Rogers, R.D.; Finney, R.

    1995-12-31

    This paper describes the development and results of a demonstration for a continuous bioprocess for mixed waste treatment. A key element of the process is an unique microbial strain which tolerates high levels of aromatic solvents and surfactants. This microorganism is the biocatalysis of the continuous flow system designed for the processing of stored liquid scintillation wastes. During the past year a process demonstration has been conducted on commercial formulation of liquid scintillation cocktails (LSC). Based on data obtained from this demonstration, the Ohio EPA granted the Mound Applied Technologies Lab a treatability permit allowing the limited processing of actualmore » mixed waste. Since August 1994, the system has been successfully processing stored, {open_quotes}hot{close_quotes} LSC waste. The initial LSC waste fed into the system contained 11% pseudocumene and detectable quantities of plutonium. Another treated waste stream contained pseudocumene and tritium. Data from this initial work shows that the hazardous organic solvent, and pseudocumene have been removed due to processing, leaving the aqueous low level radioactive waste. Results to date have shown that living cells are not affected by the dissolved plutonium and that 95% of the plutonium was sorbed to the biomass. This paper discusses the bioprocess, rates of processing, effluent, and the implications of bioprocessing for mixed waste management.« less

  12. De-Inventory Plan for Transuranic Waste Stored at Area G

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

    Hargis, Kenneth Marshall; Christensen, Davis V.; Shepard, Mark D.

    This report describes the strategy and detailed work plan developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to disposition transuranic (TRU) waste stored at its Area G radioactive waste storage site. The focus at this time is on disposition of 3,706 m 3 of TRU waste stored above grade by June 30, 2014, which is one of the commitments within the Framework Agreement: Realignment of Environmental Priorities between the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the State of New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Reference 1. A detailed project management schedule has been developed to manage this workmore » and better ensure that all required activities are aligned and integrated. The schedule was developed in conjunction with personnel from the NNSA Los Alamos Site Office (LASO), the DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), the Central Characterization Project (CCP), and Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). A detailed project management schedule for the remainder of the above grade inventory and the below grade inventory will be developed and incorporated into the De-Inventory Plan by December 31, 2012. This schedule will also include all newly-generated TRU waste received at Area G in FYs 2012 and 2013, which must be removed by no later than December 31, 2014, under the Framework Agreement. The TRU waste stored above grade at Area G is considered to be one of the highest nuclear safety risks at LANL, and the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board has expressed concern for the radioactive material at risk (MAR) contained within the above grade TRU waste inventory and has formally requested that DOE reduce the MAR. A large wildfire called the Las Conchas Fire burned extensive areas west of LANL in late June and July 2011. Although there was minimal to no impact by the fire to LANL, the fire heightened public concern and news media attention on TRU waste storage at Area G. After the fire, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez also

  13. Testing of candidate waste-package backfill and canister materials for basalt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wood, M. I.; Anderson, W. J.; Aden, G. D.

    1982-09-01

    The Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) is developing a multiple-barrier waste package to contain high-level nuclear waste as part of an overall system (e.g., waste package, repository sealing system, and host rock) designed to isolate the waste in a repository located in basalt beneath the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. The three basic components of the waste package are the waste form, the canister, and the backfill. An extensive testing program is under way to determine the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of potential canister and backfill materials. The data derived from this testing program will be used to recommend those materials that most adequately perform the functions assigned to the canister and backfill.

  14. Production patterns of packaging waste categories generated at typical Mediterranean residential building worksites

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

    González Pericot, N., E-mail: natalia.gpericot@upm.es; Villoria Sáez, P., E-mail: paola.villoria@upm.es; Del Río Merino, M., E-mail: mercedes.delrio@upm.es

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • On-site segregation level: 1.80%; training and motivation strategies were not effective. • 70% Cardboard waste: from switches and sockets during the building services stage. • 40% Plastic waste: generated during structures and partition works due to palletizing. • >50% Wood packaging waste, basically pallets, generated during the envelope works. - Abstract: The construction sector is responsible for around 28% of the total waste volume generated in Europe, which exceeds the amount of household waste. This has led to an increase of different research studies focusing on construction waste quantification. However, within the research studies made, packaging waste hasmore » been analyzed to a limited extent. This article focuses on the packaging waste stream generated in the construction sector. To this purpose current on-site waste packaging management has been assessed by monitoring ten Mediterranean residential building works. The findings of the experimental data collection revealed that the incentive measures implemented by the construction company to improve on-site waste sorting failed to achieve the intended purpose, showing low segregation ratios. Subsequently, through an analytical study the generation patterns for packaging waste are established, leading to the identification of the prevailing kinds of packaging and the products responsible for their generation. Results indicate that plastic waste generation maintains a constant trend throughout the whole construction process, while cardboard becomes predominant towards the end of the construction works with switches and sockets from the electricity stage. Understanding the production patterns of packaging waste will be beneficial for adapting waste management strategies to the identified patterns for the specific nature of packaging waste within the context of construction worksites.« less

  15. Recycling potential of post-consumer plastic packaging waste in Finland.

    PubMed

    Dahlbo, Helena; Poliakova, Valeria; Mylläri, Ville; Sahimaa, Olli; Anderson, Reetta

    2018-01-01

    Recycling of plastics is urged by the need for closing material loops to maintain our natural resources when striving towards circular economy, but also by the concern raced by observations of plastic scrap in oceans and lakes. Packaging industry is the sector using the largest share of plastics, hence packaging dominates in the plastic waste flow. The aim of this paper was to sum up the recycling potential of post-consumer plastic packaging waste in Finland. This potential was evaluated based on the quantity, composition and mechanical quality of the plastic packaging waste generated by consumers and collected as a source-separated fraction, within the mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) or within energy waste. Based on the assessment 86,000-117,000 tons (18 kg/person/a) of post-consumer plastic packaging waste was generated in Finland in 2014. The majority, 84% of the waste was in the mixed MSW flow in 2014. Due to the launching of new sorting facilities and separate collections for post-consumer plastic packaging in 2016, almost 40% of the post-consumer plastic packaging could become available for recycling. However, a 50% recycling rate for post-consumer plastic packaging (other than PET bottles) would be needed to increase the overall MSW recycling rate from the current 41% by around two percentage points. The share of monotype plastics in the overall MSW plastics fraction was 80%, hence by volume the recycling potential of MSW plastics is high. Polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) were the most common plastic types present in mixed MSW, followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and high density polyethylene (HDPE). If all the Finnish plastic packaging waste collected through the three collection types would be available for recycling, then 19,000-25,000 tons of recycled PP and 6000-8000 tons of recycled HDPE would be available on the local market. However, this assessment includes uncertainties due to performing the

  16. Production patterns of packaging waste categories generated at typical Mediterranean residential building worksites.

    PubMed

    González Pericot, N; Villoria Sáez, P; Del Río Merino, M; Liébana Carrasco, O

    2014-11-01

    The construction sector is responsible for around 28% of the total waste volume generated in Europe, which exceeds the amount of household waste. This has led to an increase of different research studies focusing on construction waste quantification. However, within the research studies made, packaging waste has been analyzed to a limited extent. This article focuses on the packaging waste stream generated in the construction sector. To this purpose current on-site waste packaging management has been assessed by monitoring ten Mediterranean residential building works. The findings of the experimental data collection revealed that the incentive measures implemented by the construction company to improve on-site waste sorting failed to achieve the intended purpose, showing low segregation ratios. Subsequently, through an analytical study the generation patterns for packaging waste are established, leading to the identification of the prevailing kinds of packaging and the products responsible for their generation. Results indicate that plastic waste generation maintains a constant trend throughout the whole construction process, while cardboard becomes predominant towards the end of the construction works with switches and sockets from the electricity stage. Understanding the production patterns of packaging waste will be beneficial for adapting waste management strategies to the identified patterns for the specific nature of packaging waste within the context of construction worksites. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The Role of Packaging in Solid Waste Management 1966 to 1976.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darnay, Arsen; Franklin, William E.

    The goals of waste processors and packagers obviously differ: the packaging industry seeks durable container material that will be unimpaired by external factors. Until recently, no systematic analysis of the relationship between packaging and solid waste disposal had been undertaken. This three-part document defines these interactions, and the…

  18. 46 CFR 153.976 - Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores. 153.976 Section 153.976 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SHIPS CARRYING BULK LIQUID, LIQUEFIED GAS, OR COMPRESSED GAS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Operations Cargo...

  19. 46 CFR 153.976 - Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores. 153.976 Section 153.976 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SHIPS CARRYING BULK LIQUID, LIQUEFIED GAS, OR COMPRESSED GAS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Operations Cargo...

  20. 46 CFR 153.976 - Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores. 153.976 Section 153.976 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SHIPS CARRYING BULK LIQUID, LIQUEFIED GAS, OR COMPRESSED GAS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Operations Cargo...

  1. 46 CFR 153.976 - Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores. 153.976 Section 153.976 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SHIPS CARRYING BULK LIQUID, LIQUEFIED GAS, OR COMPRESSED GAS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Operations Cargo...

  2. Life cycle assessment of a packaging waste recycling system in Portugal

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

    Ferreira, S.; Cabral, M.; Cruz, N.F. da, E-mail: nunocruz@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

    Highlights: • We modeled a real packaging waste recycling system. • The analysis was performed using the life cycle assessment methodology. • The 2010 situation was compared with scenarios where the materials were not recycled. • The “Baseline” scenario seems to be more beneficial to the environment. - Abstract: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to assess the environmental impacts associated with an activity or product life cycle. It has also been applied to assess the environmental performance related to waste management activities. This study analyses the packaging waste management system of a local public authority in Portugal. Themore » operations of selective and refuse collection, sorting, recycling, landfilling and incineration of packaging waste were considered. The packaging waste management system in operation in 2010, which we called “Baseline” scenario, was compared with two hypothetical scenarios where all the packaging waste that was selectively collected in 2010 would undergo the refuse collection system and would be sent directly to incineration (called “Incineration” scenario) or to landfill (“Landfill” scenario). Overall, the results show that the “Baseline” scenario is more environmentally sound than the hypothetical scenarios.« less

  3. 33 Shafts Category of Transuranic Waste Stored Below Ground within Area G

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

    Hargis, Kenneth Marshall; Monk, Thomas H

    This report compiles information to support the evaluation of alternatives and analysis of regulatory paths forward for the 33 shafts. The historical information includes a form completed by waste generators for each waste package (Reference 6) that included a waste description, estimates of Pu-239 and uranium-235 (U-235) based on an accounting technique, and calculations of mixed fission products (MFP) based on radiation measurements. A 1979 letter and questionnaire (Reference 7) provides information on waste packaging of hot cell waste and the configuration of disposal shafts as storage in the 33 Shafts was initiated. Tables of data by waste package weremore » developed during a review of historical documents that was performed in 2005 (Reference 8). Radiological data was coupled with material-type data to estimate the initial isotopic content of each waste package and an Oak Ridge National Laboratory computer code was used to calculate 2009 decay levels. Other sources of information include a waste disposal logbook for the 33 shafts (Reference 9), reports that summarize remote-handled waste generated at the CMR facility (Reference 10) and placement of waste in the 33 shafts (Reference 11), a report on decommissioning of the LAMPRE reactor (Reference 12), interviews with an employee and manager involved in placing waste in the 33 shafts (References 13 and 14), an interview with a long-time LANL employee involved in waste operations (Reference 15), a 2002 plan for disposition of remote-handled TRU waste (Reference 16), and photographs obtained during field surveys of several shafts in 2007. The WIPP Central Characterization Project (CCP) completed an Acceptable Knowledge (AK) summary report for 16 canisters of remote-handled waste from the CMR Facility that contains information relevant to the 33 Shafts on hot-cell operations and timeline (Reference 17).« less

  4. Tritium waste package

    DOEpatents

    Rossmassler, Rich; Ciebiera, Lloyd; Tulipano, Francis J.; Vinson, Sylvester; Walters, R. Thomas

    1995-01-01

    A containment and waste package system for processing and shipping tritium xide waste received from a process gas includes an outer drum and an inner drum containing a disposable molecular sieve bed (DMSB) seated within outer drum. The DMSB includes an inlet diffuser assembly, an outlet diffuser assembly, and a hydrogen catalytic recombiner. The DMSB absorbs tritium oxide from the process gas and converts it to a solid form so that the tritium is contained during shipment to a disposal site. The DMSB is filled with type 4A molecular sieve pellets capable of adsorbing up to 1000 curies of tritium. The recombiner contains a sufficient amount of catalyst to cause any hydrogen add oxygen present in the process gas to recombine to form water vapor, which is then adsorbed onto the DMSB.

  5. A Fruit of Yucca Mountain: The Remote Waste Package Closure System

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

    Kevin Skinner; Greg Housley; Colleen Shelton-Davis

    2011-11-01

    Was the death of the Yucca Mountain repository the fate of a technical lemon or a political lemon? Without caution, this debate could lure us away from capitalizing on the fruits of the project. In March 2009, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) successfully demonstrated the Waste Package Closure System, a full-scale prototype system for closing waste packages that were to be entombed in the now abandoned Yucca Mountain repository. This article describes the system, which INL designed and built, to weld the closure lids on the waste packages, nondestructively examine the welds using four different techniques, repair the welds if necessary,more » mitigate crack initiating stresses in the surfaces of the welds, evacuate and backfill the packages with an inert gas, and perform all of these tasks remotely. As a nation, we now have a proven method for securely sealing nuclear waste packages for long term storage—regardless of whether or not the future destination for these packages will be an underground repository. Additionally, many of the system’s features and concepts may benefit other remote nuclear applications.« less

  6. 10 CFR 60.143 - Monitoring and testing waste packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... package monitoring program shall include laboratory experiments which focus on the internal condition of... the laboratory experiments. (d) The waste package monitoring program shall continue as long as...

  7. 10 CFR 60.143 - Monitoring and testing waste packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... package monitoring program shall include laboratory experiments which focus on the internal condition of... the laboratory experiments. (d) The waste package monitoring program shall continue as long as...

  8. 10 CFR 60.143 - Monitoring and testing waste packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... package monitoring program shall include laboratory experiments which focus on the internal condition of... the laboratory experiments. (d) The waste package monitoring program shall continue as long as...

  9. 10 CFR 60.143 - Monitoring and testing waste packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... package monitoring program shall include laboratory experiments which focus on the internal condition of... the laboratory experiments. (d) The waste package monitoring program shall continue as long as...

  10. 10 CFR 60.143 - Monitoring and testing waste packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... package monitoring program shall include laboratory experiments which focus on the internal condition of... the laboratory experiments. (d) The waste package monitoring program shall continue as long as...

  11. Tritium waste package

    DOEpatents

    Rossmassler, R.; Ciebiera, L.; Tulipano, F.J.; Vinson, S.; Walters, R.T.

    1995-11-07

    A containment and waste package system for processing and shipping tritium oxide waste received from a process gas includes an outer drum and an inner drum containing a disposable molecular sieve bed (DMSB) seated within the outer drum. The DMSB includes an inlet diffuser assembly, an outlet diffuser assembly, and a hydrogen catalytic recombiner. The DMSB absorbs tritium oxide from the process gas and converts it to a solid form so that the tritium is contained during shipment to a disposal site. The DMSB is filled with type 4A molecular sieve pellets capable of adsorbing up to 1000 curies of tritium. The recombiner contains a sufficient amount of catalyst to cause any hydrogen and oxygen present in the process gas to recombine to form water vapor, which is then adsorbed onto the DMSB. 1 fig.

  12. 46 CFR 153.976 - Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Transfer of packaged cargo or ship's stores. 153.976 Section 153.976 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SHIPS CARRYING BULK LIQUID, LIQUEFIED GAS, OR COMPRESSED GAS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Operations Cargo Transfer Procedures § 153.976 Transfer of...

  13. Management of packaging waste in Poland--development agenda and accession to the EU.

    PubMed

    Grodzińska-Jurczak, Małgorzata; Zakowska, Hanna; Read, Adam

    2004-06-01

    In recent years the issue of the municipal waste in Poland has become increasingly topical, with a considerable rise in the waste generation, much of which can be attributed to a boom in product packaging (mainly plastic). The annual production of plastics packaging has been constantly increasing over the last 20 to 30 years, and now exceeds 3.7 million tons. Due to a lack of processing technologies and poorly developed selective segregation system, packaging waste is still treated as a part of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, most of which is landfilled. As a result of Poland's access to the European Union, previous legal regulations governing municipal waste management have been harmonized with those binding on the member countries. One of the main changes, the most revolutionary one, is to make entrepreneurs liable for environmental risks resulting from the introduction of packaging to the market, and for its recycling. In practice, all entrepreneurs are to ensure recovery, and recycling, of used packaging from products introduced to the market at the required level. In recent year, the required recycling levels were fulfilled for all types of materials but mainly by large institutions using grouped and transport packaging waste for that matter. Household packaging gathered in the selective segregation system at the municipalities was practically left alone. This paper is an attempt to describe the system and assess the first year of functioning of the new, revamped system of packaging waste management in Poland. Recommendations are made relating to those features that need to be included in packaging waste management systems in order to maximize their sustainability and harmonization with the EU legal system.

  14. Packaging waste recycling in Europe: is the industry paying for it?

    PubMed

    da Cruz, Nuno Ferreira; Ferreira, Sandra; Cabral, Marta; Simões, Pedro; Marques, Rui Cunha

    2014-02-01

    This paper describes and examines the schemes established in five EU countries for the recycling of packaging waste. The changes in packaging waste management were mainly implemented since the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste entered into force. The analysis of the five systems allowed the authors to identify very different approaches to cope with the same problem: meet the recovery and recycling targets imposed by EU law. Packaging waste is a responsibility of the industry. However, local governments are generally in charge of waste management, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the industry and the local governments (particularly regarding the extra costs involved with selective collection and sorting). Using the same methodological approach, the authors also compare the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local public authorities for France, Portugal and Romania. Since the purpose of the current paper is to take note of who is paying for the incremental costs of recycling and whether the industry (i.e. the consumer) is paying for the net financial costs of packaging waste management, environmental impacts are not included in the analysis. The work carried out in this paper highlights some aspects that are prone to be improved and raises several questions that will require further research. In the three countries analyzed more closely in this paper the industry is not paying the net financial cost of packaging waste management. In fact, if the savings attained by diverting packaging waste from other treatment (e.g. landfilling) and the public subsidies to the investment on the "recycling system" are not considered, it seems that the industry should increase the financial support to local authorities (by 125% in France, 50% in Portugal and 170% in Romania). However, in France and

  15. Stored product mites (Acari: Astigmata) infesting food in various types of packaging.

    PubMed

    Hubert, Jan; Nesvorna, Marta; Volek, Vlado

    2015-02-01

    From 2008 to 2014, stored product mites have been reported from prepackaged dried food on the market in the Czech Republic. The infestation was by Carpoglyphus lactis (L.) in dried fruits and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) in dog feed. The infestation is presumably caused by poor protection of the packages. We compared various packaging methods for their resistance to mites using dried apricots and dog feed in laboratory experiments. The trial packages included nine different plastic films, monofilm, duplex and triplex, and one type of plastic cup (ten replicates per packaging type). All packaging materials are available on the Czech market for dried food products. The samples of dried food were professionally packed in a factory and packaged dried apricots were exposed to C. lactis and dog food to T. putrescentiae. After 3 months of exposure, the infestation and mite density of the prepackaged food was assessed. Mites were found to infest six types of packages. Of the packaging types with mites, 1-5 samples were infested and the maximum abundance was 1,900 mites g(-1) of dried food. Mites entered the prepackaged food by faulty sealing. Inadequate sealing is suggested to be the major cause of the emerged infestation of dried food.

  16. Packaging waste prevention activities: A life cycle assessment of the effects on a regional waste management system.

    PubMed

    Nessi, Simone; Rigamonti, Lucia; Grosso, Mario

    2015-09-01

    A life cycle assessment was carried out to evaluate the effects of two packaging waste prevention activities on the overall environmental performance of the integrated municipal waste management system of Lombardia region, Italy. The activities are the use of refined tap water instead of bottled water for household consumption and the substitution of liquid detergents packaged in single-use containers by those distributed 'loose' through self-dispensing systems and refillable containers. A 2020 baseline scenario without waste prevention is compared with different waste prevention scenarios, where the two activities are either separately or contemporaneously implemented, by assuming a complete substitution of the traditional product(s). The results show that, when the prevention activities are carried out effectively, a reduction in total waste generation ranging from 0.14% to 0.66% is achieved, corresponding to a 1-4% reduction of the affected packaging waste fractions (plastics and glass). However, the improvements in the overall environmental performance of the waste management system can be far higher, especially when bottled water is substituted. In this case, a nearly 0.5% reduction of the total waste involves improvements ranging mostly between 5 and 23%. Conversely, for the substitution of single-use packaged liquid detergents (0.14% reduction of the total waste), the achieved improvements do not exceed 3% for nearly all impact categories. © The Author(s) 2015.

  17. Secondary Waste Form Down Selection Data Package – Ceramicrete

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

    Cantrell, Kirk J.; Westsik, Joseph H.

    2011-08-31

    As part of high-level waste pretreatment and immobilized low activity waste processing, liquid secondary wastes will be generated that will be transferred to the Effluent Treatment Facility on the Hanford Site for further treatment. These liquid secondary wastes will be converted to stable solid waste forms that will be disposed in the Integrated Disposal Facility. Currently, four waste forms are being considered for stabilization and solidification of the liquid secondary wastes. These waste forms are Cast Stone, Ceramicrete, DuraLith, and Fluidized Bed Steam Reformer. The preferred alternative will be down selected from these four waste forms. Pacific Northwest National Laboratorymore » is developing data packages to support the down selection process. The objective of the data packages is to identify, evaluate, and summarize the existing information on the four waste forms being considered for stabilization and solidification of the liquid secondary wastes. The information included will be based on information available in the open literature and from data obtained from testing currently underway. This data package is for the Ceramicrete waste form. Ceramicrete is a relatively new engineering material developed at Argonne National Laboratory to treat radioactive and hazardous waste streams (e.g., Wagh 2004; Wagh et al. 1999a, 2003; Singh et al. 2000). This cement-like waste form can be used to treat solids, liquids, and sludges by chemical immobilization, microencapsulation, and/or macroencapsulation. The Ceramicrete technology is based on chemical reaction between phosphate anions and metal cations to form a strong, dense, durable, low porosity matrix that immobilizes hazardous and radioactive contaminants as insoluble phosphates and microencapsulates insoluble radioactive components and other constituents that do not form phosphates. Ceramicrete is a type of phosphate-bonded ceramic, which are also known as chemically bonded phosphate ceramics. The

  18. Packaging waste recycling in Europe: Is the industry paying for it?

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

    Ferreira da Cruz, Nuno, E-mail: nunocruz@ist.utl.pt; Ferreira, Sandra; Cabral, Marta

    Highlights: • We study the recycling schemes of France, Germany, Portugal, Romania and the UK. • The costs and benefits of recycling are compared for France, Portugal and Romania. • The balance of costs and benefits depend on the perspective (strictly financial/economic). • Financial supports to local authorities ought to promote cost-efficiency. - Abstract: This paper describes and examines the schemes established in five EU countries for the recycling of packaging waste. The changes in packaging waste management were mainly implemented since the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste entered into force. The analysis of the five systems allowedmore » the authors to identify very different approaches to cope with the same problem: meet the recovery and recycling targets imposed by EU law. Packaging waste is a responsibility of the industry. However, local governments are generally in charge of waste management, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the industry and the local governments (particularly regarding the extra costs involved with selective collection and sorting). Using the same methodological approach, the authors also compare the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local public authorities for France, Portugal and Romania. Since the purpose of the current paper is to take note of who is paying for the incremental costs of recycling and whether the industry (i.e. the consumer) is paying for the net financial costs of packaging waste management, environmental impacts are not included in the analysis. The work carried out in this paper highlights some aspects that are prone to be improved and raises several questions that will require further research. In the three countries analyzed more closely in this paper the industry is not paying the net financial cost of packaging

  19. AMModels: An R package for storing models, data, and metadata to facilitate adaptive management

    PubMed Central

    Katz, Jonathan E.

    2018-01-01

    Agencies are increasingly called upon to implement their natural resource management programs within an adaptive management (AM) framework. This article provides the background and motivation for the R package, AMModels. AMModels was developed under R version 3.2.2. The overall goal of AMModels is simple: To codify knowledge in the form of models and to store it, along with models generated from numerous analyses and datasets that may come our way, so that it can be used or recalled in the future. AMModels facilitates this process by storing all models and datasets in a single object that can be saved to an .RData file and routinely augmented to track changes in knowledge through time. Through this process, AMModels allows the capture, development, sharing, and use of knowledge that may help organizations achieve their mission. While AMModels was designed to facilitate adaptive management, its utility is far more general. Many R packages exist for creating and summarizing models, but to our knowledge, AMModels is the only package dedicated not to the mechanics of analysis but to organizing analysis inputs, analysis outputs, and preserving descriptive metadata. We anticipate that this package will assist users hoping to preserve the key elements of an analysis so they may be more confidently revisited at a later date. PMID:29489825

  20. AMModels: An R package for storing models, data, and metadata to facilitate adaptive management.

    PubMed

    Donovan, Therese M; Katz, Jonathan E

    2018-01-01

    Agencies are increasingly called upon to implement their natural resource management programs within an adaptive management (AM) framework. This article provides the background and motivation for the R package, AMModels. AMModels was developed under R version 3.2.2. The overall goal of AMModels is simple: To codify knowledge in the form of models and to store it, along with models generated from numerous analyses and datasets that may come our way, so that it can be used or recalled in the future. AMModels facilitates this process by storing all models and datasets in a single object that can be saved to an .RData file and routinely augmented to track changes in knowledge through time. Through this process, AMModels allows the capture, development, sharing, and use of knowledge that may help organizations achieve their mission. While AMModels was designed to facilitate adaptive management, its utility is far more general. Many R packages exist for creating and summarizing models, but to our knowledge, AMModels is the only package dedicated not to the mechanics of analysis but to organizing analysis inputs, analysis outputs, and preserving descriptive metadata. We anticipate that this package will assist users hoping to preserve the key elements of an analysis so they may be more confidently revisited at a later date.

  1. Waste Generator Instructions: Key to Successful Implementation of the US DOE's 435.1 for Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions (LA-UR-12-24155) - 13218

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

    French, David M.; Hayes, Timothy A.; Pope, Howard L.

    In times of continuing fiscal constraints, a management and operation tool that is straightforward to implement, works as advertised, and virtually ensures compliant waste packaging should be carefully considered and employed wherever practicable. In the near future, the Department of Energy (DOE) will issue the first major update to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management. This update will contain a requirement for sites that do not have a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) waste certification program to use two newly developed technical standards: Contact-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions and Remote-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions. The technical standards aremore » being developed from the DOE O 435.1 Notice, Contact-Handled and Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Packaging, approved August 2011. The packaging instructions will provide detailed information and instruction for packaging almost every conceivable type of transuranic (TRU) waste for disposal at WIPP. While providing specificity, the packaging instructions leave to each site's own discretion the actual mechanics of how those Instructions will be functionally implemented at the floor level. While the Technical Standards are designed to provide precise information for compliant packaging, the density of the information in the packaging instructions necessitates a type of Rosetta Stone that translates the requirements into concise, clear, easy to use and operationally practical recipes that are waste stream and facility specific for use by both first line management and hands-on operations personnel. The Waste Generator Instructions provide the operator with step-by-step instructions that will integrate the sites' various operational requirements (e.g., health and safety limits, radiological limits or dose limits) and result in a WIPP certifiable waste and package that can be transported to and emplaced at WIPP. These little known but widely productive

  2. AMModels: An R package for storing models, data, and metadata to facilitate adaptive management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Donovan, Therese M.; Katz, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Agencies are increasingly called upon to implement their natural resource management programs within an adaptive management (AM) framework. This article provides the background and motivation for the R package, AMModels. AMModels was developed under R version 3.2.2. The overall goal of AMModels is simple: To codify knowledge in the form of models and to store it, along with models generated from numerous analyses and datasets that may come our way, so that it can be used or recalled in the future. AMModels facilitates this process by storing all models and datasets in a single object that can be saved to an .RData file and routinely augmented to track changes in knowledge through time. Through this process, AMModels allows the capture, development, sharing, and use of knowledge that may help organizations achieve their mission. While AMModels was designed to facilitate adaptive management, its utility is far more general. Many R packages exist for creating and summarizing models, but to our knowledge, AMModels is the only package dedicated not to the mechanics of analysis but to organizing analysis inputs, analysis outputs, and preserving descriptive metadata. We anticipate that this package will assist users hoping to preserve the key elements of an analysis so they may be more confidently revisited at a later date.

  3. Options for reducing food waste by quality-controlled logistics using intelligent packaging along the supply chain.

    PubMed

    Heising, Jenneke K; Claassen, G D H; Dekker, Matthijs

    2017-10-01

    Optimising supply chain management can help to reduce food waste. This paper describes how intelligent packaging can be used to reduce food waste when used in supply chain management based on quality-controlled logistics (QCL). Intelligent packaging senses compounds in the package that correlate with the critical quality attribute of a food product. The information on the quality of each individual packaged food item that is provided by the intelligent packaging can be used for QCL. In a conceptual approach it is explained that monitoring food quality by intelligent packaging sensors makes it possible to obtain information about the variation in the quality of foods and to use a dynamic expiration date (IP-DED) on a food package. The conceptual approach is supported by quantitative data from simulations on the effect of using the information of intelligent packaging in supply chain management with the goal to reduce food waste. This simulation shows that by using the information on the quality of products that is provided by intelligent packaging, QCL can substantially reduce food waste. When QCL is combined with dynamic pricing based on the predicted expiry dates, a further waste reduction is envisaged.

  4. Rethink Disposable: Packaging Waste Source Reduction Pilot Project

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Information about the SFBWQP Rethink Disposable: Packaging Waste Source Reduction Pilot Project, part of an EPA competitive grant program to improve SF Bay water quality focused on restoring impaired waters and enhancing aquatic resources.

  5. BWR ASSEMBLY SOURCE TERMS FOR WASTE PACKAGE DESIGN

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

    T.L. Lotz

    1997-02-15

    This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to provide boiling water reactor (BWR) assembly radiation source term data for use during Waste Package (WP) design. The BWR assembly radiation source terms are to be used for evaluation of radiolysis effects at the WP surface, and for personnel shielding requirements during assembly or WP handling operations. The objectives of this evaluation are to generate BWR assembly radiation source terms that bound selected groupings of BWR assemblies, with regard to assembly average burnup and cooling time, which comprise the anticipated MGDS BWR commercialmore » spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste stream. The source term data is to be provided in a form which can easily be utilized in subsequent shielding/radiation dose calculations. Since these calculations may also be used for Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA), with appropriate justification provided by TSPA, or radionuclide release rate analysis, the grams of each element and additional cooling times out to 25 years will also be calculated and the data included in the output files.« less

  6. Safety evaluation for packaging transportation of equipment for tank 241-C-106 waste sluicing system

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

    Calmus, D.B.

    1994-08-25

    A Waste Sluicing System (WSS) is scheduled for installation in nd waste storage tank 241-C-106 (106-C). The WSS will transfer high rating sludge from single shell tank 106-C to double shell waste tank 241-AY-102 (102-AY). Prior to installation of the WSS, a heel pump and a transfer pump will be removed from tank 106-C and an agitator pump will be removed from tank 102-AY. Special flexible receivers will be used to contain the pumps during removal from the tanks. After equipment removal, the flexible receivers will be placed in separate containers (packagings). The packaging and contents (packages) will be transferredmore » from the Tank Farms to the Central Waste Complex (CWC) for interim storage and then to T Plant for evaluation and processing for final disposition. Two sizes of packagings will be provided for transferring the equipment from the Tank Farms to the interim storage facility. The packagings will be designated as the WSSP-1 and WSSP-2 packagings throughout the remainder of this Safety Evaluation for Packaging (SEP). The WSSP-1 packagings will transport the heel and transfer pumps from 106-C and the WSSP-2 packaging will transport the agitator pump from 102-AY. The WSSP-1 and WSSP-2 packagings are similar except for the length.« less

  7. Generic Degraded Congiguration Probability Analysis for DOE Codisposal Waste Package

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

    S.F.A. Deng; M. Saglam; L.J. Gratton

    2001-05-23

    In accordance with the technical work plan, ''Technical Work Plan For: Department of Energy Spent Nuclear Fuel Work Packages'' (CRWMS M&O 2000c), this Analysis/Model Report (AMR) is developed for the purpose of screening out degraded configurations for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) types. It performs the degraded configuration parameter and probability evaluations of the overall methodology specified in the ''Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report'' (YMP 2000, Section 3) to qualifying configurations. Degradation analyses are performed to assess realizable parameter ranges and physical regimes for configurations. Probability calculations are then performed for configurations characterized by k{submore » eff} in excess of the Critical Limit (CL). The scope of this document is to develop a generic set of screening criteria or models to screen out degraded configurations having potential for exceeding a criticality limit. The developed screening criteria include arguments based on physical/chemical processes and probability calculations and apply to DOE SNF types when codisposed with the high-level waste (HLW) glass inside a waste package. The degradation takes place inside the waste package and is long after repository licensing has expired. The emphasis of this AMR is on degraded configuration screening and the probability analysis is one of the approaches used for screening. The intended use of the model is to apply the developed screening criteria to each DOE SNF type following the completion of the degraded mode criticality analysis internal to the waste package.« less

  8. Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste and associated packaging materials for energy source generation.

    PubMed

    Li, Liang; Diederick, Ryan; Flora, Joseph R V; Berge, Nicole D

    2013-11-01

    Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermal conversion technique that converts food wastes and associated packaging materials to a valuable, energy-rich resource. Food waste collected from local restaurants was carbonized over time at different temperatures (225, 250 and 275°C) and solids concentrations to determine how process conditions influence carbonization product properties and composition. Experiments were also conducted to determine the influence of packaging material on food waste carbonization. Results indicate the majority of initial carbon remains integrated within the solid-phase at the solids concentrations and reaction temperatures evaluated. Initial solids concentration influences carbon distribution because of increased compound solubilization, while changes in reaction temperature imparted little change on carbon distribution. The presence of packaging materials significantly influences the energy content of the recovered solids. As the proportion of packaging materials increase, the energy content of recovered solids decreases because of the low energetic retention associated with the packaging materials. HTC results in net positive energy balances at all conditions, except at a 5% (dry wt.) solids concentration. Carbonization of food waste and associated packaging materials also results in net positive balances, but energy needs for solids post-processing are significant. Advantages associated with carbonization are not fully realized when only evaluating process energetics. A more detailed life cycle assessment is needed for a more complete comparison of processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Probablistic Analyses of Waste Package Quantities Impacted by Potential Igneous Disruption at Yucca Mountain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallace, M. G.; Iuzzolina, H.

    2005-12-01

    A probabilistic analysis was conducted to estimate ranges for the numbers of waste packages that could be damaged in a potential future igneous event through a repository at Yucca Mountain. The analysis includes disruption from an intrusive igneous event and from an extrusive volcanic event. This analysis supports the evaluation of the potential consequences of future igneous activity as part of the total system performance assessment for the license application for the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP). The first scenario, igneous intrusion, investigated the case where one or more igneous dikes intersect the repository. A swarm of dikes was characterized by distributions of length, width, azimuth, and number of dikes and the spacings between them. Through the use in part of a latin hypercube simulator and a modified video game engine, mathematical relationships were built between those parameters and the number of waste packages hit. Corresponding cumulative distribution function curves (CDFs) for the number of waste packages hit under several different scenarios were calculated. Variations in dike thickness ranges, as well as in repository magma bulkhead positions were examined through sensitivity studies. It was assumed that all waste packages in an emplacement drift would be impacted if that drift was intersected by a dike. Over 10,000 individual simulations were performed. Based on these calculations, out of a total of over 11,000 planned waste packages distributed over an area of approximately 5.5 km2 , the median number of waste packages impacted was roughly 1/10 of the total. Individual cases ranged from 0 waste packages to the entire inventory being impacted. The igneous intrusion analysis involved an explicit characterization of dike-drift intersections, built upon various distributions that reflect the uncertainties associated with the inputs. The second igneous scenario, volcanic eruption (eruptive conduits), considered the effects of conduits formed in

  10. Shelf-Life Extension of Chill-Stored Beef Longissimus Steaks Packaged under Modified Atmospheres with 50% O2 and 40% CO2.

    PubMed

    Yang, Xiaoyin; Niu, Lebao; Zhu, Lixian; Liang, Rongrong; Zhang, Yimin; Luo, Xin

    2016-07-01

    This study was conducted to compare the shelf-life of beef steaks stored in different packaging conditions: overwrapped (OW) packaging and 2 modified atmosphere packaging systems (MAP): 80% O2 MAP (80% O2 /20% CO2 ) and 50% O2 MAP (50% O2 /40% CO2 /10% N2 ). Steaks were stored at 2 °C for 20 d. Headspace gas composition, microbial counts, color stability, pH, purge loss, and lipid oxidation were monitored. Among the packaging types, 50% O2 MAP was superior to OW packaging and 80% O2 MAP in delaying bacterial growth and extending shelf-life to 20 d. 50% O2 MAP also gave steaks an acceptable color during storage. No significant differences were observed in color stability of steaks packaged in both 50% O2 MAP and 80% O2 MAP. This study reveals 50% O2 MAP is a realistic alternative to preserve beef steaks efficiently. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

  11. Estimation of packaged water consumption and associated plastic waste production from household budget surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wardrop, Nicola A.; Dzodzomenyo, Mawuli; Aryeetey, Genevieve; Hill, Allan G.; Bain, Robert E. S.; Wright, Jim

    2017-08-01

    Packaged water consumption is growing in low- and middle-income countries, but the magnitude of this phenomenon and its environmental consequences remain unclear. This study aims to quantify both the volumes of packaged water consumed relative to household water requirements and associated plastic waste generated for three West African case study countries. Data from household expenditure surveys for Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia were used to estimate the volumes of packaged water consumed and thereby quantify plastic waste generated in households with and without solid waste disposal facilities. In Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively, 11.3 (95% confidence interval: 10.3-12.4), 10.1 (7.5-12.5), and 0.38 (0.31-0.45) Ml day-1 of sachet water were consumed. This generated over 28 000 tonnes yr-1 of plastic waste, of which 20%, 63% and 57% was among households lacking formal waste disposal facilities in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively. Reported packaged water consumption provided sufficient water to meet daily household drinking-water requirements for 8.4%, less than 1% and 1.6% of households in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively. These findings quantify packaged water’s contribution to household water needs in our study countries, particularly Ghana, but indicate significant subsequent environmental repercussions.

  12. Cleanup Verification Package for the 300-18 Waste Site

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

    J. M. Capron

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 300-18 waste site. This site was identified as containing radiologically contaminated soil, metal shavings, nuts, bolts, and concrete.

  13. Quality of Meat (Longissimus dorsi) from Male Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Packaged and Stored under Vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Conditions

    PubMed Central

    Piaskowska, N.; Daszkiewicz, T.; Kubiak, D.; Zapotoczny, P.

    2016-01-01

    This study evaluated the effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere (40% CO2+60% N2, MA) packaging on the chemical composition, physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of chill-stored meat from 10 fallow deer (Dama dama) bucks at 17 to 18 months of age. The animals were hunter-harvested in the forests of north-eastern Poland. During carcass dressing (48 to 54 h post mortem), both musculus longissimus muscles were cut out. Each muscle was divided into seven sections which were allocated to three groups: 0, A, and B. Samples 0 were immediately subjected to laboratory analyses. Samples A were vacuum-packaged, and samples B were packaged in MA. Packaged samples were stored for 7, 14, and 21 days at 2°C. The results of the present study showed that the evaluated packaging systems had no significant effect on the quality of fallow deer meat during chilled storage. However, vacuum-packaged meat samples were characterised by greater drip loss. Vacuum and MA packaging contributed to preserving the desired physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of meat during 21 days of storage. Regardless of the packaging method used, undesirable changes in the colour, water-holding capacity and juiciness of meat, accompanied by tenderness improvement, were observed during chilled storage. PMID:27165026

  14. Cholesterol photosensitised oxidation of horse meat slices stored under different packaging films.

    PubMed

    Boselli, Emanuele; Rodriguez-Estrada, Maria Teresa; Ferioli, Federico; Caboni, Maria Fiorenza; Lercker, Giovanni

    2010-07-01

    The effect of the type of packaging film (transparent vs. light-protecting red film) was evaluated on the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) in refrigerated horse meat slices stored in retail conditions under light exposure for 8h. In meat wrapped with a transparent film, COPs increased from 233 (control) to 317 microg/g of fat, whereas the red film delayed cholesterol oxidation and offered protection against COPs formation, since COPs decreased from 173 (control) to 139 microg/g of fat after 8h of light exposure. In addition, light opened the epoxy ring and led to the formation of triol, which was actually absent at T(0.) A proper packaging film may represent a useful strategy to retard oxidative degradation in a light-sensitive, high pigment- and fat-containing food, such as horse meat. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Acceptable knowledge document for INEEL stored transuranic waste -- Rocky Flats Plant waste. Revision 2

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

    NONE

    1998-01-23

    This document and supporting documentation provide a consistent, defensible, and auditable record of acceptable knowledge for waste generated at the Rocky Flats Plant which is currently in the accessible storage inventory at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The inventory consists of transuranic (TRU) waste generated from 1972 through 1989. Regulations authorize waste generators and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities to use acceptable knowledge in appropriate circumstances to make hazardous waste determinations. Acceptable knowledge includes information relating to plant history, process operations, and waste management, in addition to waste-specific data generated prior to the effective date of the RCRAmore » regulations. This document is organized to provide the reader a comprehensive presentation of the TRU waste inventory ranging from descriptions of the historical plant operations that generated and managed the waste to specific information about the composition of each waste group. Section 2 lists the requirements that dictate and direct TRU waste characterization and authorize the use of the acceptable knowledge approach. In addition to defining the TRU waste inventory, Section 3 summarizes the historical operations, waste management, characterization, and certification activities associated with the inventory. Sections 5.0 through 26.0 describe the waste groups in the inventory including waste generation, waste packaging, and waste characterization. This document includes an expanded discussion for each waste group of potential radionuclide contaminants, in addition to other physical properties and interferences that could potentially impact radioassay systems.« less

  16. Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging.

    PubMed

    Valdés, Arantzazu; Mellinas, Ana Cristina; Ramos, Marina; Garrigós, María Carmen; Jiménez, Alfonso

    2014-01-01

    The main directions in food packaging research are targeted toward improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed.

  17. Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valdés, Arantzazu; Mellinas, Ana Cristina; Ramos, Marina; Garrigós, María Carmen; Jiménez, Alfonso

    2014-02-01

    The main directions in food packaging research are targeted towards improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed.

  18. Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging

    PubMed Central

    Valdés, Arantzazu; Mellinas, Ana Cristina; Ramos, Marina; Garrigós, María Carmen; Jiménez, Alfonso

    2014-01-01

    The main directions in food packaging research are targeted toward improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed. PMID:24790975

  19. Shielding Calculations on Waste Packages - The Limits and Possibilities of different Calculation Methods by the example of homogeneous and inhomogeneous Waste Packages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Mike; Smalian, Silva

    2017-09-01

    For nuclear waste packages the expected dose rates and nuclide inventory are beforehand calculated. Depending on the package of the nuclear waste deterministic programs like MicroShield® provide a range of results for each type of packaging. Stochastic programs like "Monte-Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System" (MCNP®) on the other hand provide reliable results for complex geometries. However this type of program requires a fully trained operator and calculations are time consuming. The problem here is to choose an appropriate program for a specific geometry. Therefore we compared the results of deterministic programs like MicroShield® and stochastic programs like MCNP®. These comparisons enable us to make a statement about the applicability of the various programs for chosen types of containers. As a conclusion we found that for thin-walled geometries deterministic programs like MicroShield® are well suited to calculate the dose rate. For cylindrical containers with inner shielding however, deterministic programs hit their limits. Furthermore we investigate the effect of an inhomogeneous material and activity distribution on the results. The calculations are still ongoing. Results will be presented in the final abstract.

  20. Effect of packaging conditions on the growth of micro-organisms and the quality characteristics of fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) stored at inadequate temperatures.

    PubMed

    González-Fandos, E; Giménez, M; Olarte, C; Sanz, S; Simón, A

    2000-10-01

    Mushrooms were packed in two polymeric films (perforated and non-perforated PVC) and stored at 17 degrees C and 25 degrees C. The carbon dioxide and oxygen content inside the packages, aerobic mesophiles, Pseudomonas spp., faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, anaerobic spores and major sensory factors (colour, texture, development stage and presence of moulds) were determined. The non-perforated packages had the highest contents of CO2 (6-7%), the lowest contents of O2 (0.013-0.17%) and the most desirable quality parameters (texture, development stage and absence of moulds). Pseudomonas spp. counts were around 1 logarithmic unit lower in mushrooms packaged in non-perforated film as the O2 concentrations were lower than in perforated film. The mushrooms themselves were inoculated with an enterotoxin A-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus, packaged in overwrapped trays and stored at 17 and 25 degrees C. Staphylococcus aureus did not grow in the samples stored at 17 degrees C. Only slight growth was observed in mushrooms packaged with non-perforated film after 1 day at 25 degrees C. No enterotoxin was detected in any package. Faecal coliform counts were <2 log cfu g(-1). Escherichia coli was not isolated in any of the samples. At 25 degrees C, counts of anaerobic spores of around 2 log cfu g(-1) were detected in those mushrooms packaged in non-perforated film.

  1. Secondary Waste Cementitious Waste Form Data Package for the Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment

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

    Cantrell, Kirk J.; Westsik, Joseph H.; Serne, R Jeffrey

    A review of the most up-to-date and relevant data currently available was conducted to develop a set of recommended values for use in the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) performance assessment (PA) to model contaminant release from a cementitious waste form for aqueous wastes treated at the Hanford Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). This data package relies primarily upon recent data collected on Cast Stone formulations fabricated with simulants of low-activity waste (LAW) and liquid secondary wastes expected to be produced at Hanford. These data were supplemented, when necessary, with data developed for saltstone (a similar grout waste form used at themore » Savannah River Site). Work is currently underway to collect data on cementitious waste forms that are similar to Cast Stone and saltstone but are tailored to the characteristics of ETF-treated liquid secondary wastes. Recommended values for key parameters to conduct PA modeling of contaminant release from ETF-treated liquid waste are provided.« less

  2. Nanotechnology for the Solid Waste Reduction of Military Food Packaging

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    WP-200816) Nanotechnology for the Solid Waste Reduction of Military Food Packaging June 2016 This document has been cleared for public release...NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) 01/06/2016 Cost and Performance Report 04/01/2008 - 01/01/2015 Nanotechnology for... nanotechnology packaging. The PIs have been dedicated to these efforts, and it is anticipated that this technology will be used someday by the Warfighter

  3. Cleanup Verification Package for the 300 VTS Waste Site

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

    S. W. Clark and T. H. Mitchell

    2006-03-13

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 300 Area Vitrification Test Site, also known as the 300 VTS site. The site was used by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a field demonstration site for in situ vitrification of soils containing simulated waste.

  4. IN-PACKAGE CHEMISTRY ABSTRACTION

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

    E. Thomas

    2005-07-14

    This report was developed in accordance with the requirements in ''Technical Work Plan for Postclosure Waste Form Modeling'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173246]). The purpose of the in-package chemistry model is to predict the bulk chemistry inside of a breached waste package and to provide simplified expressions of that chemistry as a function of time after breach to Total Systems Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA). The scope of this report is to describe the development and validation of the in-package chemistry model. The in-package model is a combination of two models, a batch reactor model, which uses the EQ3/6more » geochemistry-modeling tool, and a surface complexation model, which is applied to the results of the batch reactor model. The batch reactor model considers chemical interactions of water with the waste package materials, and the waste form for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) waste packages and codisposed (CDSP) waste packages containing high-level waste glass (HLWG) and DOE spent fuel. The surface complexation model includes the impact of fluid-surface interactions (i.e., surface complexation) on the resulting fluid composition. The model examines two types of water influx: (1) the condensation of water vapor diffusing into the waste package, and (2) seepage water entering the waste package as a liquid from the drift. (1) Vapor-Influx Case: The condensation of vapor onto the waste package internals is simulated as pure H{sub 2}O and enters at a rate determined by the water vapor pressure for representative temperature and relative humidity conditions. (2) Liquid-Influx Case: The water entering a waste package from the drift is simulated as typical groundwater and enters at a rate determined by the amount of seepage available to flow through openings in a breached waste package.« less

  5. Prompt gamma neutron activation analysis of toxic elements in radioactive waste packages.

    PubMed

    Ma, J-L; Carasco, C; Perot, B; Mauerhofer, E; Kettler, J; Havenith, A

    2012-07-01

    The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ANDRA) are conducting an R&D program to improve the characterization of long-lived and medium activity (LL-MA) radioactive waste packages. In particular, the amount of toxic elements present in radioactive waste packages must be assessed before they can be accepted in repository facilities in order to avoid pollution of underground water reserves. To this aim, the Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of CEA-Cadarache has started to study the performances of Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) for elements showing large capture cross sections such as mercury, cadmium, boron, and chromium. This paper reports a comparison between Monte Carlo calculations performed with the MCNPX computer code using the ENDF/B-VII.0 library and experimental gamma rays measured in the REGAIN PGNAA cell with small samples of nickel, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, chromium, magnesium, zinc, boron, and lithium to verify the validity of a numerical model and gamma-ray production data. The measurement of a ∼20kg test sample of concrete containing toxic elements has also been performed, in collaboration with Forschungszentrum Jülich, to validate the model in view of future performance studies for dense and large LL-MA waste packages. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Formation of biogenic amines and growth of spoilage-related microorganisms in pork stored under different packaging conditions applying PCA.

    PubMed

    Li, Miaoyun; Tian, Lu; Zhao, Gaiming; Zhang, Qiuhui; Gao, Xiaoping; Huang, Xianqing; Sun, Lingxia

    2014-02-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the evolution of biogenic amines and spoilage-related microorganisms of chilled pork stored at 5 °C under various atmospheric conditions. The experimental packaging systems were pallet packaging, vacuum packaging (VP) and modified atmosphere packaging methods (MAP, 40%O2+40%CO2+20%N2), respectively. The results showed that about 74.26% of the variability could be explained by two first principal components analyzed by PCA in the pallet packaging, while in the vacuum and modified atmosphere packagings were about 85.21% and 79.14%, respectively. PC1 differentiated the indicators from packaging conditions. All the five microbial indicators and partial biogenic amines, gathering together, had high values at the positive side of PC1. Putrescine and cadaverine could reflect the spoilage evolution of fresh pork except for those in the pallet. Therefore, putrescine and cadaverine could be used as the spoilage indicators of chilled pork, of which the contents might reflect the spoilage degree. © 2013.

  7. Chemical compatibility screening results of plastic packaging to mixed waste simulants

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

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

    1995-12-01

    We have developed a chemical compatibility program for evaluating transportation packaging components for transporting mixed waste forms. We have performed the first phase of this experimental program to determine the effects of simulant mixed wastes on packaging materials. This effort involved the screening of 10 plastic materials in four liquid mixed waste simulants. The testing protocol involved exposing the respective materials to {approximately}3 kGy of gamma radiation followed by 14 day exposures to the waste simulants of 60 C. The seal materials or rubbers were tested using VTR (vapor transport rate) measurements while the liner materials were tested using specificmore » gravity as a metric. For these tests, a screening criteria of {approximately}1 g/m{sup 2}/hr for VTR and a specific gravity change of 10% was used. 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. It is anticipated that those materials with the lowest VTRs will be evaluated in the comprehensive phase of the program. 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 were found to offer the greatest resistance to the combination of radiation and chemicals.« less

  8. Stability of lamb loin stored under refrigeration and packed in different modified atmosphere packaging systems.

    PubMed

    Fernandes, Rafaella de Paula Paseto; Freire, Maria Teresa de Alvarenga; de Paula, Elisa Silva Maluf; Kanashiro, Ana Livea Sayuri; Catunda, Fernanda Antunes Pinto; Rosa, Alessandra Fernandes; Balieiro, Júlio Cesar de Carvalho; Trindade, Marco Antonio

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems (vacuum, 75% O2+25% CO2 and 100% CO2) on the stability of lamb loins stored at 1±1°C for 28 days. Microbiological (counts of aerobic and anaerobic psychrotrophic microorganisms, coliform at 45°C, coagulase-positive staphylococci and lactic acid bacteria and presence of Salmonella), physical and chemical (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS], objective color, pH, water loss from cooking [WLC] and shear force), sensory (acceptance testing using a 9-point hedonic scale) and gas composition analyses were performed. Lamb meat remained stable with respect to the majority of the evaluated physical and chemical indexes and within the standards established by Brazilian legislation for pathogenic microorganisms throughout the storage period in all three packaging systems. However, with respect to psychrotrophic microorganisms, 100% CO2 packaging system provided increased stability despite presenting lower appearance preference. © 2013.

  9. Data Packages for the Hanford Immobilized Low Activity Tank Waste Performance Assessment 2001 Version [SEC 1 THRU 5

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

    MANN, F.M.

    Data package supporting the 2001 Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Performance Analysis. Geology, hydrology, geochemistry, facility, waste form, and dosimetry data based on recent investigation are provided. Verification and benchmarking packages for selected software codes are provided.

  10. Cleanup Verification Package for the 118-C-1, 105-C Solid Waste Burial Ground

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

    M. J. Appel and J. M. Capron

    2007-07-25

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 118-C-1, 105-C Solid Waste Burial Ground. This waste site was the primary burial ground for general wastes from the operation of the 105-C Reactor and received process tubes, aluminum fuel spacers, control rods, reactor hardware, spent nuclear fuel and soft wastes.

  11. Nuclear Waste Package Mockups: A Study of In-situ Redox State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Helean, K.; Anderson, B.; Brady, P. V.

    2006-05-01

    The Yucca Mountain Repository (YMR), located in southern Nevada, is to be the first facility in the U.S. for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuels. Total system performance assessment(TSPA) has indicated that among the major radionuclides contributing to dose are Np, Tc, and I. These three radionuclides are mobile in most geochemical settings, and therefore sequestering them within the repository horizon is a priority for the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP). Corroding steel may offset radionuclide transport processes within the proposed waste packages at YMR by retaining radionuclides, creating locally reducing conditions, and reducing porosity. Ferrous iron has been shown to reduce UO22+ to UO2s, and some ferrous iron-bearing ion-exchange materials have been shown to adsorb radionuclides and heavy metals. Locally reducing conditions may lead to the reduction and subsequent immobilization of problematic dissolved species such as TcO4-, NpO2+, and UO22+ and can also inhibit corrosion of spent nuclear fuel. Water occluded during corrosion produces bulky corrosion products, and consequently less porosity is available for water and radionuclide transport. The focus of this study is on the nature of Yucca Mountain waste package corrosion products and their effects on local redox conditions, radionuclide transport, and porosity. In order to measure in-situ redox, six small-scale (1:40) waste package mockups were constructed using A516 and 316 stainless steel, the same materials as the proposed Yucca Mountain waste packages. The mockups are periodically injected with a simulated groundwater and the accumulated effluent and corrosion products are evaluated for their Fe(II)/Fe(III) content and mineralogy. Oxygen fugacities are then calculated and, thus, in-situ redox conditions are determined. Early results indicate that corrosion products are largely amorphous Fe-oxyhydroxides, goethite and magnetite. That information together with the

  12. In-Package Chemistry Abstraction

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

    E. Thomas

    2004-11-09

    This report was developed in accordance with the requirements in ''Technical Work Plan for: Regulatory Integration Modeling and Analysis of the Waste Form and Waste Package'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171583]). The purpose of the in-package chemistry model is to predict the bulk chemistry inside of a breached waste package and to provide simplified expressions of that chemistry as function of time after breach to Total Systems Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA). The scope of this report is to describe the development and validation of the in-package chemistry model. The in-package model is a combination of two models, amore » batch reactor model that uses the EQ3/6 geochemistry-modeling tool, and a surface complexation model that is applied to the results of the batch reactor model. The batch reactor model considers chemical interactions of water with the waste package materials and the waste form for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) waste packages and codisposed waste packages that contain both high-level waste glass (HLWG) and DOE spent fuel. The surface complexation model includes the impact of fluid-surface interactions (i.e., surface complexation) on the resulting fluid composition. The model examines two types of water influx: (1) the condensation of water vapor that diffuses into the waste package, and (2) seepage water that enters the waste package from the drift as a liquid. (1) Vapor Influx Case: The condensation of vapor onto the waste package internals is simulated as pure H2O and enters at a rate determined by the water vapor pressure for representative temperature and relative humidity conditions. (2) Water Influx Case: The water entering a waste package from the drift is simulated as typical groundwater and enters at a rate determined by the amount of seepage available to flow through openings in a breached waste package. TSPA-LA uses the vapor influx case for the nominal scenario for simulations where the waste package has been

  13. Pit 9 Category of Transuranic Waste Stored Below Ground within Area G

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

    Hargis, Kenneth M.

    2014-01-08

    A large wildfire called the Las Conchas Fire burned large areas near Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 2011 and heightened public concern and news media attention over transuranic (TRU) waste stored at LANL’s Technical Area 54 (TA-54) Area G waste management facility. The removal of TRU waste from Area G had been placed at a lower priority in budget decisions for environmental cleanup at LANL because TRU waste removal is not included in the March 2005 Compliance Order on Consent (Reference 1) that is the primary regulatory driver for environmental cleanup at LANL. The Consent Order is an agreementmore » between LANL and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) that contains specific requirements and schedules for cleaning up historical contamination at the LANL site. After the Las Conchas Fire, discussions were held by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with the NMED on accelerating TRU waste removal from LANL and disposing it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).This report summarizes available information on the origin, configuration, and composition of the waste containers within Pit 9, their physical and radiological characteristics, and issues that may be encountered in their retrieval and processing. Review of the available information indicates that Pit 9 should present no major issues in retrieval and processing, and most drums contain TRU waste that can be shipped to WIPP. The primary concern in retrieval is the integrity of containers that have been stored below-ground for 35 to 40 years. The most likely issue that will be encountered in processing containers retrieved from Pit 9 is the potential for items that are prohibited at WIPP such as sealed containers greater than four liters in size and free liquids that exceed limits for WIPP.« less

  14. Review of waste package verification tests. Semiannual report, October 1982-March 1983

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

    Soo, P.

    1983-08-01

    The current study is part of an ongoing task to specify tests that may be used to verify that engineered waste package/repository systems comply with NRC radionuclide containment and controlled release performance objectives. Work covered in this report analyzes verification tests for borosilicate glass waste forms and bentonite- and zeolite-based packing mateials (discrete backfills). 76 references.

  15. Cleanup Verification Package for the 600-47 Waste Site

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

    M. J. Cutlip

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of interim remedial action for the 600-47 waste site. This site consisted of several areas of surface debris and contamination near the banks of the Columbia River across from Johnson Island. Contaminated material identified in field surveys included four areas of soil, wood, nuts, bolts, and other metal debris.

  16. Method for distinctive estimation of stored acidity forms in acid mine wastes.

    PubMed

    Li, Jun; Kawashima, Nobuyuki; Fan, Rong; Schumann, Russell C; Gerson, Andrea R; Smart, Roger St C

    2014-10-07

    Jarosites and schwertmannite can be formed in the unsaturated oxidation zone of sulfide-containing mine waste rock and tailings together with ferrihydrite and goethite. They are also widely found in process wastes from electrometallurgical smelting and metal bioleaching and within drained coastal lowland soils (acid-sulfate soils). These secondary minerals can temporarily store acidity and metals or remove and immobilize contaminants through adsorption, coprecipitation, or structural incorporation, but release both acidity and toxic metals at pH above about 4. Therefore, they have significant relevance to environmental mineralogy through their role in controlling pollutant concentrations and dynamics in contaminated aqueous environments. Most importantly, they have widely different acid release rates at different pHs and strongly affect drainage water acidity dynamics. A procedure for estimation of the amounts of these different forms of nonsulfide stored acidity in mining wastes is required in order to predict acid release rates at any pH. A four-step extraction procedure to quantify jarosite and schwertmannite separately with various soluble sulfate salts has been developed and validated. Corrections to acid potentials and estimation of acid release rates can be reliably based on this method.

  17. Development of bio based plastic materials for packaging from soybeans waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muhammad, A.; Rashidi, A. R.; Roslan, A.; Idris, S. A.

    2017-09-01

    Demands of plastic material which increase with the increasing of human population encourage researchers to find alternative solution to replace petro based plastic. Thus, in the present study, a novel "green bioplastic" packaging was developed using soybean waste which is a major waste in soy sauce food industry. The evaluation of the effect of ratio of starch, soy waste and plasticizer in this bioplastic production was studied and their characteristics were compared with available bioplastics. Characteristics study was done in terms of burning test, water absorption capacity, thermal and tensile strength measurement and the result obtained were analyzed. The glass transition temperature (Tg) for soy waste bioplastic is 117˚C. The water absorption test shows that an increase in mass up to 114.17% which show large amount of water uptake capacity of this bioplastics. And about 38% of percentage loss was observed when compared with other novel bioplastics. The results clearly show that the amount of glycerol as a plasticizer had an inversely proportional relationship with the Glass Transition Temperature (Tg). The average maximum force value for tensile strength test is 6.71 N. The burning test show that the soy wastes bioplastic release a very faint smell of soy and glue-like substance. The flame ignited a Yellowish-Orange colour and released some sparks. Based on the overall results, soy-based have been proven to become an excellent bio-based packaging materials.

  18. Calculation of the Naval Long and Short Waste Package Three-Dimensional Thermal Interface Temperatures

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

    H. Marr

    2006-10-25

    The purpose of this calculation is to evaluate the thermal performance of the Naval Long and Naval Short spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste packages (WP) in the repository emplacement drift. The scope of this calculation is limited to the determination of the temperature profiles upon the surfaces of the Naval Long and Short SNF waste package for up to 10,000 years of emplacement. The temperatures on the top of the outside surface of the naval canister are the thermal interfaces for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP). The results of this calculation are intended to support Licensing Application design activities.

  19. SITE GENERATED RADIOLOGICAL WASTE HANDLING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

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

    S. C. Khamankar

    2000-06-20

    The Site Generated Radiological Waste Handling System handles radioactive waste products that are generated at the geologic repository operations area. The waste is collected, treated if required, packaged for shipment, and shipped to a disposal site. Waste streams include low-level waste (LLW) in solid and liquid forms, as-well-as mixed waste that contains hazardous and radioactive constituents. Liquid LLW is segregated into two streams, non-recyclable and recyclable. The non-recyclable stream may contain detergents or other non-hazardous cleaning agents and is packaged for shipment. The recyclable stream is treated to recycle a large portion of the water while the remaining concentrated wastemore » is packaged for shipment; this greatly reduces the volume of waste requiring disposal. There will be no liquid LLW discharge. Solid LLW consists of wet solids such as ion exchange resins and filter cartridges, as-well-as dry active waste such as tools, protective clothing, and poly bags. Solids will be sorted, volume reduced, and packaged for shipment. The generation of mixed waste at the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) is not planned; however, if it does come into existence, it will be collected and packaged for disposal at its point of occurrence, temporarily staged, then shipped to government-approved off-site facilities for disposal. The Site Generated Radiological Waste Handling System has equipment located in both the Waste Treatment Building (WTB) and in the Waste Handling Building (WHB). All types of liquid and solid LLW are processed in the WTB, while wet solid waste from the Pool Water Treatment and Cooling System is packaged where received in the WHB. There is no installed hardware for mixed waste. The Site Generated Radiological Waste Handling System receives waste from locations where water is used for decontamination functions. In most cases the water is piped back to the WTB for processing. The WTB and WHB provide staging areas for storing and

  20. Operating Experience and Lessons Learned in the Use of Soft-Sided Packaging for Transportation and Disposal of Low Activity Radioactive Waste

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

    Kapoor, A.; Gordon, S.; Goldston, W.

    2013-07-08

    This paper describes the operating experience and lessons learned at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites as a result of an evaluation of potential trailer contamination and soft-sided packaging integrity issues related to the disposal of low-level and mixed low-level (LLW/MLLW) radioactive waste shipments. Nearly 4.3 million cubic meters of LLW/MLLW will have been generated and disposed of during fiscal year (FY) 2010 to FY 2015—either at commercial disposal sites or disposal sites owned by DOE. The LLW/MLLW is packaged in several different types of regulatory compliant packaging and transported via highway or rail to disposal sites safely and efficientlymore » in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and DOE orders. In 1999, DOE supported the development of LLW containers that are more volumetrically efficient, more cost effective, and easier to use as compared to metal or wooden containers that existed at that time. The DOE Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), working in conjunction with the plastic industry, tested several types of soft-sided waste packaging systems that meet U.S. Department of Transportation requirements for transport of low specific activity and surface contaminated objects. Since then, soft-sided packaging of various capacities have been used successfully by the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) projects to package, transport, and dispose D&D wastes throughout the DOE complex. The joint team of experts assembled by the Energy Facility Contractors Group from DOE waste generating sites, DOE and commercial waste disposal facilities, and soft-sided packaging suppliers conducted the review of soft-sided packaging operations and transportation of these packages to the disposal sites. As a result of this evaluation, the team developed several recommendations and best practices to prevent or minimize the recurrences of equipment contamination issues and proper use of soft-sided packaging for

  1. 77 FR 23751 - Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and Packaging Thereof; Institution of Investigation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-20

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Inv. No. 337-TA-838] Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components... States after importation of certain food waste disposers and components and packaging thereof by reason... an industry in the United States exists as required by subsections (a)(1)(A) and (a)(2) of section...

  2. An econometric analysis of regional differences in household waste collection: the case of plastic packaging waste in Sweden.

    PubMed

    Hage, Olle; Söderholm, Patrik

    2008-01-01

    The Swedish producer responsibility ordinance mandates producers to collect and recycle packaging materials. This paper investigates the main determinants of collection rates of household plastic packaging waste in Swedish municipalities. This is done by the use of a regression analysis based on cross-sectional data for 252 Swedish municipalities. The results suggest that local policies, geographic/demographic variables, socio-economic factors and environmental preferences all help explain inter-municipality collection rates. For instance, the collection rate appears to be positively affected by increases in the unemployment rate, the share of private houses, and the presence of immigrants (unless newly arrived) in the municipality. The impacts of distance to recycling industry, urbanization rate and population density on collection outcomes turn out, though, to be both statistically and economically insignificant. A reasonable explanation for this is that the monetary compensation from the material companies to the collection entrepreneurs vary depending on region and is typically higher in high-cost regions. This implies that the plastic packaging collection in Sweden may be cost ineffective. Finally, the analysis also shows that municipalities that employ weight-based waste management fees generally experience higher collection rates than those municipalities in which flat and/or volume-based fees are used.

  3. An econometric analysis of regional differences in household waste collection: The case of plastic packaging waste in Sweden

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

    Hage, Olle; Soederholm, Patrik

    2008-07-01

    The Swedish producer responsibility ordinance mandates producers to collect and recycle packaging materials. This paper investigates the main determinants of collection rates of household plastic packaging waste in Swedish municipalities. This is done by the use of a regression analysis based on cross-sectional data for 252 Swedish municipalities. The results suggest that local policies, geographic/demographic variables, socio-economic factors and environmental preferences all help explain inter-municipality collection rates. For instance, the collection rate appears to be positively affected by increases in the unemployment rate, the share of private houses, and the presence of immigrants (unless newly arrived) in the municipality. Themore » impacts of distance to recycling industry, urbanization rate and population density on collection outcomes turn out, though, to be both statistically and economically insignificant. A reasonable explanation for this is that the monetary compensation from the material companies to the collection entrepreneurs vary depending on region and is typically higher in high-cost regions. This implies that the plastic packaging collection in Sweden may be cost ineffective. Finally, the analysis also shows that municipalities that employ weight-based waste management fees generally experience higher collection rates than those municipalities in which flat and/or volume-based fees are used.« less

  4. Development of an air flow calorimeter prototype for the measurement of thermal power released by large radioactive waste packages.

    PubMed

    Razouk, R; Beaumont, O; Failleau, G; Hay, B; Plumeri, S

    2018-03-01

    The estimation and control of the thermal power released by the radioactive waste packages are a key parameter in the management of radioactive waste geological repository sites. In the framework of the European project "Metrology for decommissioning nuclear facilities," the French National Agency of Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA) collaborates with Laboratoire National de Métrologie et D'essais in order to measure the thermal power up to 500 W of typical real size radioactive waste packages (of at least 0.175 m 3 ) with an uncertainty better than 5% by using a measurement method traceable to the international system of units. One of the selected metrological approaches is based on the principles of air flow calorimetry. This paper describes in detail the development of the air flow calorimeter prototype as well as the design of a radioactive waste package simulator used for its calibration. Results obtained from the calibration of the calorimeter and from the determination of thermal powers are presented here with an investigation of the measurement uncertainties.

  5. Development of an air flow calorimeter prototype for the measurement of thermal power released by large radioactive waste packages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Razouk, R.; Beaumont, O.; Failleau, G.; Hay, B.; Plumeri, S.

    2018-03-01

    The estimation and control of the thermal power released by the radioactive waste packages are a key parameter in the management of radioactive waste geological repository sites. In the framework of the European project "Metrology for decommissioning nuclear facilities," the French National Agency of Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA) collaborates with Laboratoire National de Métrologie et D'essais in order to measure the thermal power up to 500 W of typical real size radioactive waste packages (of at least 0.175 m3) with an uncertainty better than 5% by using a measurement method traceable to the international system of units. One of the selected metrological approaches is based on the principles of air flow calorimetry. This paper describes in detail the development of the air flow calorimeter prototype as well as the design of a radioactive waste package simulator used for its calibration. Results obtained from the calibration of the calorimeter and from the determination of thermal powers are presented here with an investigation of the measurement uncertainties.

  6. Cementitious waste option scoping study report

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

    Lee, A.E.; Taylor, D.D.

    1998-02-01

    A Settlement Agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Idaho mandates that all high-level radioactive waste (HLW) now stored at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) will be treated so that it is ready to be moved out of Idaho for disposal by a target date of 2035. This study investigates the nonseparations Cementitious Waste Option (CWO) as a means to achieve this goal. Under this option all liquid sodium-bearing waste (SBW) and existing HLW calcine would be recalcined with sucrose, grouted, canisterized, and interim stored asmore » a mixed-HLW for eventual preparation and shipment off-Site for disposal. The CWO waste would be transported to a Greater Confinement Disposal Facility (GCDF) located in the southwestern desert of the US on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). All transport preparation, shipment, and disposal facility activities are beyond the scope of this study. CWO waste processing, packaging, and interim storage would occur over a 5-year period between 2013 and 2017. Waste transport and disposal would occur during the same time period.« less

  7. A case study of packaging waste collection systems in Portugal - Part II: Environmental and economic analysis.

    PubMed

    Pires, Ana; Sargedas, João; Miguel, Mécia; Pina, Joaquim; Martinho, Graça

    2017-03-01

    An understanding of the environmental impacts and costs related to waste collection is needed to ensure that existing waste collection schemes are the most appropriate with regard to both environment and cost. This paper is Part II of a three-part study of a mixed packaging waste collection system (curbside plus bring collection). Here, the mixed collection system is compared to an exclusive curbside system and an exclusive bring system. The scenarios were assessed using life cycle assessment and an assessment of costs to the waste management company. The analysis focuses on the collection itself so as to be relevant to waste managers and decision-makers who are involved only in this step of the packaging life cycle. The results show that the bring system has lower environmental impacts and lower economic costs, and is capable of reducing the environmental impacts of the mixed system. However, a sensitivity analysis shows that these results could differ if the curbside collection were to be optimized. From economic and environmental perspectives, the mixed system has few advantages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. 40 CFR 262.30 - Packaging.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Packaging. 262.30 Section 262.30... APPLICABLE TO GENERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Pre-Transport Requirements § 262.30 Packaging. Before... the waste in accordance with the applicable Department of Transportation regulations on packaging...

  9. Integrated software system for low level waste management

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

    Worku, G.

    1995-12-31

    In the continually changing and uncertain world of low level waste management, many generators in the US are faced with the prospect of having to store their waste on site for the indefinite future. This consequently increases the set of tasks performed by the generators in the areas of packaging, characterizing, classifying, screening (if a set of acceptance criteria applies), and managing the inventory for the duration of onsite storage. When disposal sites become available, it is expected that the work will require re-evaluating the waste packages, including possible re-processing, re-packaging, or re-classifying in preparation for shipment for disposal undermore » the regulatory requirements of the time. In this day and age, when there is wide use of computers and computer literacy is at high levels, an important waste management tool would be an integrated software system that aids waste management personnel in conducting these tasks quickly and accurately. It has become evident that such an integrated radwaste management software system offers great benefits to radwaste generators both in the US and other countries. This paper discusses one such approach to integrated radwaste management utilizing some globally accepted radiological assessment software applications.« less

  10. Lessons Learned in the Design and Use of IP1 / IP2 Flexible Packaging - 13621

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

    Sanchez, Mike; Reeves, Wendall; Smart, Bill

    2013-07-01

    For many years in the USA, Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW), contaminated soils and construction debris, have been transported, interim stored, and disposed of, using IP1 / IP2 metal containers. The performance of these containers has been more than adequate, with few safety occurrences. The containers are used under the regulatory oversight of the US Department of Transportation (DOT), 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). In the late 90's the introduction of flexible packaging for the transport, storage, and disposal of low level contaminated soils and construction debris was introduced. The development of flexible packaging came out of a needmore » for a more cost effective package, for the large volumes of waste generated by the decommissioning of many of the US Department of Energy (DOE) legacy sites across the US. Flexible packaging had to be designed to handle a wide array of waste streams, including soil, gravel, construction debris, and fine particulate dust migration. The design also had to meet all of the IP1 requirements under 49CFR 173.410, and be robust enough to pass the IP2 testing 49 CFR 173.465 required for many LLW shipments. Tens of thousands of flexible packages have been safely deployed and used across the US nuclear industry as well as for hazardous non-radioactive applications, with no recorded release of radioactive materials. To ensure that flexible packages are designed properly, the manufacturer must use lessons learned over the years, and the tests performed to provide evidence that these packages are suitable for transporting low level radioactive wastes. The design and testing of flexible packaging for LLW, VLLW and other hazardous waste streams must be as strict and stringent as the design and testing of metal containers. The design should take into consideration the materials being loaded into the package, and should incorporate the right materials, and manufacturing methods, to provide a quality, safe product. Flexible packaging

  11. Hot Cell Liners Category of Transuranic Waste Stored Below Ground within Area G

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

    Jones, Robert Wesley; Hargis, Kenneth Marshall

    2014-09-01

    A large wildfire called the Las Conchas Fire burned large areas near Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 2011 and heightened public concern and news media attention over transuranic (TRU) waste stored at LANL’s Technical Area 54 (TA-54) Area G waste management facility. The removal of TRU waste from Area G had been placed at a lower priority in budget decisions for environmental cleanup at LANL because TRU waste removal is not included in the March 2005 Compliance Order on Consent (Reference 1) that is the primary regulatory driver for environmental cleanup at LANL. The Consent Order is an agreementmore » between LANL and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) that contains specific requirements and schedules for cleaning up historical contamination at the LANL site. After the Las Conchas Fire, discussions were held by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with the NMED on accelerating TRU waste removal from LANL and disposing it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This report summarizes available information on the origin, configuration, and composition of the waste containers within the Hot Cell Liners category; their physical and radiological characteristics; the results of the radioassays; and the justification to reclassify the five containers as LLW rather than TRU waste.« less

  12. FABRICATION AND DEPLOYMENT OF THE 9979 TYPE AF RADIOACTIVE WASTE PACKAGING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

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

    Blanton, P.; Eberl, K.

    2013-10-10

    This paper summarizes the development, testing, and certification of the 9979 Type A Fissile Packaging that replaces the UN1A2 Specification Shipping Package eliminated from Department of Transportation (DOT) 49 CFR 173. The DOT Specification Package was used for many decades by the U.S. nuclear industry as a fissile waste container until its removal as an authorized container by DOT. This paper will discuss stream lining procurement of high volume radioactive material packaging manufacturing, such as the 9979, to minimize packaging production costs without sacrificing Quality Assurance. The authorized content envelope (combustible and non-combustible) as well as planned content envelope expansionmore » will be discussed.« less

  13. Secondary Waste Form Down-Selection Data Package—Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming Waste Form

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

    Qafoku, Nikolla; Westsik, Joseph H.; Strachan, Denis M.

    2011-09-12

    The Hanford Site in southeast Washington State has 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous wastes stored in 177 underground tanks (ORP 2010). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of River Protection (ORP), through its contractors, is constructing the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) to convert the radioactive and hazardous wastes into stable glass waste forms for disposal. Within the WTP, the pretreatment facility will receive the retrieved waste from the tank farms and separate it into two treated process streams. These waste streams will be vitrified, and the resulting waste canisters will be sentmore » to offsite (high-level waste [HLW]) and onsite (immobilized low-activity waste [ILAW]) repositories. As part of the pretreatment and ILAW processing, liquid secondary wastes will be generated that will be transferred to the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) on the Hanford Site for further treatment. These liquid secondary wastes will be converted to stable solid waste forms that will be disposed of in the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF). To support the selection of a waste form for the liquid secondary wastes from WTP, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has initiated secondary waste form testing work at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In anticipation of a down-selection process for a waste form for the Solidification Treatment Unit to be added to the ETF, PNNL is developing data packages to support that down-selection. The objective of the data packages is to identify, evaluate, and summarize the existing information on the four waste forms being considered for stabilizing and solidifying the liquid secondary wastes. At the Hanford Site, the FBSR process is being evaluated as a supplemental technology for treating and immobilizing Hanford LAW radioactive tank waste and for treating secondary wastes from the WTP pretreatment and LAW vitrification processes.« less

  14. 77 FR 17093 - Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and Packaging Thereof: Notice of Receipt of Complaint...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-23

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [DN 2886] Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and Packaging...: U.S. International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and...

  15. An investigation of the usability of sound recognition for source separation of packaging wastes in reverse vending machines.

    PubMed

    Korucu, M Kemal; Kaplan, Özgür; Büyük, Osman; Güllü, M Kemal

    2016-10-01

    In this study, we investigate the usability of sound recognition for source separation of packaging wastes in reverse vending machines (RVMs). For this purpose, an experimental setup equipped with a sound recording mechanism was prepared. Packaging waste sounds generated by three physical impacts such as free falling, pneumatic hitting and hydraulic crushing were separately recorded using two different microphones. To classify the waste types and sizes based on sound features of the wastes, a support vector machine (SVM) and a hidden Markov model (HMM) based sound classification systems were developed. In the basic experimental setup in which only free falling impact type was considered, SVM and HMM systems provided 100% classification accuracy for both microphones. In the expanded experimental setup which includes all three impact types, material type classification accuracies were 96.5% for dynamic microphone and 97.7% for condenser microphone. When both the material type and the size of the wastes were classified, the accuracy was 88.6% for the microphones. The modeling studies indicated that hydraulic crushing impact type recordings were very noisy for an effective sound recognition application. In the detailed analysis of the recognition errors, it was observed that most of the errors occurred in the hitting impact type. According to the experimental results, it can be said that the proposed novel approach for the separation of packaging wastes could provide a high classification performance for RVMs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Phenol metabolism and preservation of fresh in-hull walnut stored in modified atmosphere packaging.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jin; Li, Pan; Gong, Bi; Li, Shuying; Ma, Huiling

    2017-12-01

    The effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on phenol metabolism and preservation of fresh in-hull walnuts have been investigated. Fruit was packaged under MAP1 (film thickness, 30 μm), MAP2 (45 μm) and MAP3 (50 μm) and stored at -0.5 to 1.0 °C for up to 60 days. Firmness, soluble solid concentration, total phenols, total flavonoids and total antioxidant activity of the green hull were maintained at higher levels under the MAP conditions, whereas decay incidence was lower compared to the control during storage. Green hull of fruit under MAP conditions contained lower polyphenol oxidase activity than the control and the peroxidase activity was at a similar level to the control after 18 days. Phenylalanine ammonialyase activity was enhanced by MAP conditions, with two peaks on days 18 and 36. Until day 60, the peroxide value and acid value of kernel oils under MAP conditions were lower than that of the control. The MAP3 treatment was most effective for maintaining kernel quality. The protective role of MAP conditions on phenolic contents in green hull may contribute to the mitigation of decay and the maintenance of kernel quality. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. Post-consumer plastic packaging waste in England: Assessing the yield of multiple collection-recycling schemes.

    PubMed

    Hahladakis, John N; Purnell, Phil; Iacovidou, Eleni; Velis, Costas A; Atseyinku, Maryann

    2018-05-01

    The European Commission (EC) recently introduced a 'Circular Economy Package', setting ambitious recycling targets and identifying waste plastics as a priority sector where major improvements are necessary. Here, the authors explain how different collection modalities affect the quantity and quality of recycling, using recent empirical data on household (HH) post-consumer plastic packaging waste (PCPP) collected for recycling in the devolved administration of England over the quarterly period July-September 2014. Three main collection schemes, as currently implemented in England, were taken into account: (i) kerbside collection (KS), (ii) household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) (also known as 'civic amenity sites'), and (iii) bring sites/banks (BSs). The results indicated that: (a) the contribution of KS collection scheme in recovering packaging plastics is higher than HWRCs and BBs, with respective percentages by weight (wt%) 90%, 9% and 1%; (b) alternate weekly collection (AWC) of plastic recyclables in wheeled bins, when collected commingled, demonstrated higher yield in KS collection; (c) only a small percentage (16%) of the total amount of post-consumer plastics collected in the examined period (141 kt) was finally sent to reprocessors (22 kt); (c) nearly a third of Local Authorities (LAs) reported insufficient or poor data; and (d) the most abundant fractions of plastics that finally reached the reprocessors were mixed plastic bottles and mixed plastics. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Edible packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Janjarasskul, Theeranun; Krochta, John M

    2010-01-01

    Research groups and the food and pharmaceutical industries recognize edible packaging as a useful alternative or addition to conventional packaging to reduce waste and to create novel applications for improving product stability, quality, safety, variety, and convenience for consumers. Recent studies have explored the ability of biopolymer-based food packaging materials to carry and control-release active compounds. As diverse edible packaging materials derived from various by-products or waste from food industry are being developed, the dry thermoplastic process is advancing rapidly as a feasible commercial edible packaging manufacturing process. The employment of nanocomposite concepts to edible packaging materials promises to improve barrier and mechanical properties and facilitate effective incorporation of bioactive ingredients and other designed functions. In addition to the need for a more fundamental understanding to enable design to desired specifications, edible packaging has to overcome challenges such as regulatory requirements, consumer acceptance, and scaling-up research concepts to commercial applications.

  19. Report to Congress on the potential use of lead in the waste packages for a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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

    NONE

    1989-12-01

    In the Report of the Senate Committee on Appropriations accompanying the Energy and Water Appropriation Act for 1989, the Committee directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the use of lead in the waste packages to be used in geologic repositories for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. The evaluation that was performed in response to this directive is presented in this report. This evaluation was based largely on a review of the technical literature on the behavior of lead, reports of work conducted in other countries, and work performed for the waste-management program being conducted by the DOE.more » The initial evaluation was limited to the potential use of lead in the packages to be used in the repository. Also, the focus of this report is post closure performance and not on retrievability and handling aspects of the waste package. 100 refs., 8 figs., 15 tabs.« less

  20. rAvis: an R-package for downloading information stored in Proyecto AVIS, a citizen science bird project.

    PubMed

    Varela, Sara; González-Hernández, Javier; Casabella, Eduardo; Barrientos, Rafael

    2014-01-01

    Citizen science projects store an enormous amount of information about species distribution, diversity and characteristics. Researchers are now beginning to make use of this rich collection of data. However, access to these databases is not always straightforward. Apart from the largest and international projects, citizen science repositories often lack specific Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to connect them to the scientific environments. Thus, it is necessary to develop simple routines to allow researchers to take advantage of the information collected by smaller citizen science projects, for instance, programming specific packages to connect them to popular scientific environments (like R). Here, we present rAvis, an R-package to connect R-users with Proyecto AVIS (http://proyectoavis.com), a Spanish citizen science project with more than 82,000 bird observation records. We develop several functions to explore the database, to plot the geographic distribution of the species occurrences, and to generate personal queries to the database about species occurrences (number of individuals, distribution, etc.) and birdwatcher observations (number of species recorded by each collaborator, UTMs visited, etc.). This new R-package will allow scientists to access this database and to exploit the information generated by Spanish birdwatchers over the last 40 years.

  1. rAvis: An R-Package for Downloading Information Stored in Proyecto AVIS, a Citizen Science Bird Project

    PubMed Central

    Varela, Sara; González-Hernández, Javier; Casabella, Eduardo; Barrientos, Rafael

    2014-01-01

    Citizen science projects store an enormous amount of information about species distribution, diversity and characteristics. Researchers are now beginning to make use of this rich collection of data. However, access to these databases is not always straightforward. Apart from the largest and international projects, citizen science repositories often lack specific Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to connect them to the scientific environments. Thus, it is necessary to develop simple routines to allow researchers to take advantage of the information collected by smaller citizen science projects, for instance, programming specific packages to connect them to popular scientific environments (like R). Here, we present rAvis, an R-package to connect R-users with Proyecto AVIS (http://proyectoavis.com), a Spanish citizen science project with more than 82,000 bird observation records. We develop several functions to explore the database, to plot the geographic distribution of the species occurrences, and to generate personal queries to the database about species occurrences (number of individuals, distribution, etc.) and birdwatcher observations (number of species recorded by each collaborator, UTMs visited, etc.). This new R-package will allow scientists to access this database and to exploit the information generated by Spanish birdwatchers over the last 40 years. PMID:24626233

  2. Functions and requirements document for interim store solidified high-level and transuranic waste

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

    Smith-Fewell, M.A., Westinghouse Hanford

    1996-05-17

    The functions, requirements, interfaces, and architectures contained within the Functions and Requirements (F{ampersand}R) Document are based on the information currently contained within the TWRS Functions and Requirements database. The database also documents the set of technically defensible functions and requirements associated with the solidified waste interim storage mission.The F{ampersand}R Document provides a snapshot in time of the technical baseline for the project. The F{ampersand}R document is the product of functional analysis, requirements allocation and architectural structure definition. The technical baseline described in this document is traceable to the TWRS function 4.2.4.1, Interim Store Solidified Waste, and its related requirements, architecture,more » and interfaces.« less

  3. Optimizing and developing a continuous separation system for the wet process separation of aluminum and polyethylene in aseptic composite packaging waste.

    PubMed

    Yan, Dahai; Peng, Zheng; Liu, Yuqiang; Li, Li; Huang, Qifei; Xie, Minghui; Wang, Qi

    2015-01-01

    The consumption of milk in China is increasing as living standards rapidly improve, and huge amounts of aseptic composite milk packaging waste are being generated. Aseptic composite packaging is composed of paper, polyethylene, and aluminum. It is difficult to separate the polyethylene and aluminum, so most of the waste is currently sent to landfill or incinerated with other municipal solid waste, meaning that enormous amounts of resources are wasted. A wet process technique for separating the aluminum and polyethylene from the composite materials after the paper had been removed from the original packaging waste was studied. The separation efficiency achieved using different separation reagents was compared, different separation mechanisms were explored, and the impacts of a range of parameters, such as the reagent concentration, temperature, and liquid-solid ratio, on the separation time and aluminum loss ratio were studied. Methanoic acid was found to be the optimal separation reagent, and the suitable conditions were a reagent concentration of 2-4 mol/L, a temperature of 60-80°C, and a liquid-solid ratio of 30 L/kg. These conditions allowed aluminum and polyethylene to be separated in less than 30 min, with an aluminum loss ratio of less than 3%. A mass balance was produced for the aluminum-polyethylene separation system, and control technique was developed to keep the ion concentrations in the reaction system stable. This allowed a continuous industrial-scale process for separating aluminum and polyethylene to be developed, and a demonstration facility with a capacity of 50t/d was built. The demonstration facility gave polyethylene and aluminum recovery rates of more than 98% and more than 72%, respectively. Separating 1t of aluminum-polyethylene composite packaging material gave a profit of 1769 Yuan, meaning that an effective method for recycling aseptic composite packaging waste was achieved. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Corrosion of Metal Inclusions In Bulk Vitrification Waste Packages. Erratum

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

    Smith, Gary L.

    This report refers to or contains K g values for glasses LAWA44, LAWB45 and LAWC22 affected by calculations errors as identified by Papathanassiu et al. (2011). The corrected K g values are reported in an erratum included in the revised version of the original report. The revised report can be referenced as follows: Pierce E. M. et al. (2004) Waste Form Release Data Package for the 2005 Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment. PNNL-14805 Rev. 0 Erratum. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.

  5. Food losses, shelf life extension and environmental impact of a packaged cheesecake: A life cycle assessment.

    PubMed

    Gutierrez, Michele Mario; Meleddu, Marta; Piga, Antonio

    2017-01-01

    Packaging is associated with a high environmental impact. This is also the case in the food industry despite packaging being necessary for maintaining food quality, safety assurance and preventing food waste. The aim of the present study was to identify improvements in food packaging solutions able to minimize environmental externalities while maximizing the economic sustainability. To this end, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to evaluate the environmental performance of new packaging solutions. The environmental impact of packaging and food losses and the balance between the two were examined in relation to a cheesecake that is normally packaged in low density polyethylene film and has a limited shelf life due to microbial growth. A shelf life extension was sought via application of the well-established modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technique. Samples for MAP (N 2 /CO 2 : 70/30) were placed inside multilayer gas barrier trays, which were then wrapped with a multilayer gas and water barrier film (i.e. AerPack packaging); control batches were packaged in gas barrier recycled polyethylene terephthalate (XrPet) trays and wrapped with a XrPet film. Samples were then stored at 20°C and inspected at regular intervals for chemical-physical, microbiological and sensory parameters. Results show that the new packaging solution could considerably extend the shelf life of cheesecakes, thereby reducing food waste and decreasing the overall environmental impact. Moreover, the new packaging allows one to minimize transport costs and to generate economies of scale in manufacturing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Packaging waste prevention in the distribution of fruit and vegetables: An assessment based on the life cycle perspective.

    PubMed

    Tua, Camilla; Nessi, Simone; Rigamonti, Lucia; Dolci, Giovanni; Grosso, Mario

    2017-04-01

    In recent years, alternative food supply chains based on short distance production and delivery have been promoted as being more environmentally friendly than those applied by the traditional retailing system. An example is the supply of seasonal and possibly locally grown fruit and vegetables directly to customers inside a returnable crate (the so-called 'box scheme'). In addition to other claimed environmental and economic advantages, the box scheme is often listed among the packaging waste prevention measures. To check whether such a claim is soundly based, a life cycle assessment was carried out to verify the real environmental effectiveness of the box scheme in comparison to the Italian traditional distribution. The study focused on two reference products, carrots and apples, which are available in the crate all year round. An experience of a box scheme carried out in Italy was compared with some traditional scenarios where the product is distributed loose or packaged at the large-scale retail trade. The packaging waste generation, 13 impact indicators on environment and human health and energy consumptions were calculated. Results show that the analysed experience of the box scheme, as currently managed, cannot be considered a packaging waste prevention measure when compared with the traditional distribution of fruit and vegetables. The weaknesses of the alternative system were identified and some recommendations were given to improve its environmental performance.

  7. Effect of irradiation on stored vacuum packaged Wiltshire bacon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dempster, JF; Halls, NA

    Wiltshire cured 'middle-cut' bacon (NaCl, 4.87%; 40 mg/kg NO 2; 53 mg/kg NO 3) was boned, sliced and vacuum packaged. It was irradiated (25 kGy: 10 kGy) and stored aerobically (5 0 : 15 0). At weekly intervals the bacon was evaluated bacteriologically and organoleptically (appearance, odour, colour of lean and fat) against unirradiated (control) samples). Results indicated that irradiation (10 kGy) did not permanently inhibit bacterial growth. After initial reductions in count of 0.99 g -1-1(15 0C) and log 3.61 g -1 (5 0C), maximum numbers were reached in 28 days at 15 0C (log 10.32 g -1) and in 35 days at 5 0C (log 8.05 g -1). However viability was significantly affected by 25 kGy irradiation: final numbers reached being log 2.22 g -1 (15 0C) at 35 days and log 3.38 g -1 (5 0C) at 42 days. Appearance and colour (fat and lean) were not significantly impaired by irradiation. However the interaction of storage temperature (5 0 : 15 0C), irradiation (10 kGy: 25 kGy): duration of storage (42 days) and initial count (log 7.24 g -1) had pronounced adverse effects on odour judgements. Evaluation of odour changes in bacon due to irradiation require further investigation. This is especially so since it is often possible to detect odour changes in raw meat after doses as low as 0.5 kGy (Coleby 1959).

  8. Teaching Old Packaging New Tricks - 12593

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

    England, Jeffery L.; Shuler, James M.

    2012-07-01

    Waste disposition campaigns have been an industry and government focus area since the mid- 1970's. With increased focus on this issue, and a lot of hard work, most waste packaging and transportation issues have been addressed. The material has been successfully shipped and dis-positioned. DOE has successfully de-inventoried materials from multiple sites to meet material consolidation, footprint reduction, nonproliferation, and regulatory obligations with cost savings from reduced maintenance and regulatory compliance. There has been a wide range of certified shipping packagings for the transportation of hazardous materials to meet most of the waste needs. The remaining materials are problematic, generallymore » low volume, and do not meet the certified content of the existing inventory of packaging. Designing, testing and certifying new packaging designs can be a long and expensive process and for small volumes of material it is cost prohibitive. One very cost effective option is to lease and use a certified packaging to overpack waste containers. There are many robust certified packagings available with the capability to envelope the waste content. The capability to use inner containers, inside the current fleet of certified casks or packaging, to address specific content problems of additional shielding (e.g., U-233) or containment (e.g., sodium bonded nuclear material) has successfully expanded the capability for timely cost effective shipment of unique contents. This option has been used successfully in the NAC-LWT, T-3 and other packagings. (authors)« less

  9. Geochemical data package for the Hanford immobilized low-activity tank waste performance assessment (ILAW PA)

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

    DI Kaplan; RJ Serne

    Lockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method of disposing of the portion that is classified as low-activity waste is to vitrify the liquid/slurry and place the solid product in near-surface, shallow-land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is the Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste (ILAW) Performance Assessment (PA) activity. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste ismore » protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require prediction of contaminant migration from the facilities. This migration is expected to occur primarily via the movement of water through the facilities, and the consequent transport of dissolved contaminants in the porewater of the vadose zone. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory assists LMHC in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of the geochemical properties of the materials comprising the disposal facility, the disturbed region around the facility, and the physically undisturbed sediments below the facility (including the vadose zone sediments and the aquifer sediments in the upper unconfined aquifer). The geochemical properties are expressed as parameters that quantify the adsorption of contaminants and the solubility constraints that might apply for those contaminants that may exceed solubility constraints. The common parameters used to quantify adsorption and solubility are the distribution coefficient (K{sub d}) and the thermodynamic solubility product (K{sub sp}), respectively. In this data package, the authors approximate the solubility of contaminants using a more simplified

  10. Development of integrated radioactive waste packaging and conditioning solutions in the UK

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

    Sibley, Peter; Butter, Kevin; Zimmerman, Ian

    2013-07-01

    In order to offer a more cost effective, safer and efficient Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) management service, EnergySolutions EU Ltd. and Gesellschaft fur Nuklear-Service mbH (GNS) have been engaged in the development of integrated radioactive waste retrieval, packaging and conditioning solutions in the UK. Recognising the challenges surrounding regulatory endorsement and on-site implementation in particular, this has resulted in an alternative approach to meeting customer, safety regulator and disposability requirements. By working closely with waste producers and the organisation(s) responsible for endorsing radioactive waste management operations in the UK, our proposed solutions are now being implemented. By combining GNS' off-the-shelf,more » proven Ductile Cast Iron Containers (DCICs) and water removal technologies, with EnergySolutions EU Ltd.'s experience and expertise in waste retrieval, safety case development and disposability submissions, a fully integrated service offering has been developed. This has involved significant effort to overcome technical challenges such as onsite equipment deployment, active commissioning, conditioning success criteria and disposability acceptance. Our experience in developing such integrated solutions has highlighted the importance of working in collaboration with all parties to achieve a successful and viable outcome. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure reliable, safe and effective delivery of waste management solutions. (authors)« less

  11. Active packaging of cheese with allyl isothiocyanate, an alternative to modified atmosphere packaging.

    PubMed

    Winther, Mette; Nielsen, Per Vaeggemose

    2006-10-01

    The natural antimicrobial compound allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), found in mustard oil, is effective against cheese-related fungi both on laboratory media and cheese. Penicillium commune, Penicillium roqueforti, and Aspergillus flavus were more sensitive to AITC when it was added just after the spores had completed 100% germination and branching had started on Czapek yeast extract agar than were spores in the dormant phase. The use of 1 AITC label (Wasaouro interior labels, LD30D, 20 by 20 mm) in combination with atmospheric air in the packaging extended the shelf life of Danish Danbo cheese from 4 1/2 to 13 weeks. Two AITC labels extended the shelf life from 4 1/2 to 28 weeks. Both 1 and 2 labels in combination with modified atmosphere packaging extended the shelf life of the cheese from 18 to 28 weeks. This study showed that AITC was absorbed in the cheese, but it was not possible to detect any volatile breakdown products from AITC in the cheese. Cheese stored for up to 12 weeks with an AITC label had an unacceptable mustard flavor. The mustard flavor decreased to an acceptable level between weeks 12 and 28. Cheese stored in atmospheric air had a fresher taste without a CO2 off-flavor than did cheese stored in modified atmosphere packaging. AITC may be a good alternative to modified atmosphere packaging for cheese. The extended shelf life of cheese in the package is very desirable: the cheese can be transported longer distances, and the packaging can be used for the final maturing of the cheese. Furthermore, AITC can address problems such as pinholes and leaking seals in cheese packaging.

  12. A Feasibility Study on Reactor Based Fission Neutron Radiography of 200-l Waste Packages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bücherl, T.; Kalthoff, O.; von Gostomski, Ch. Lierse

    This feasibility study investigates the applicability of fission neutrons for the non-destructive characterization of radioactive waste packages by means of neutron radiography. Based on a number of mock-up drums of different non-radioactive matrices, but being typical for radioactive waste generated in Europe, radiography measurements at the NECTAR and the ITS facility using fission neutrons and 60Co-gamma-rays, respectively, are performed. The resulting radiographs are compared and qualitatively assessed. In addition, a first approach for the stitching of the fission neutron radiographs to visualize the complete area of 200-l waste drums is performed. While the feasibility of fission neutrons is demonstrated successfully, fields for further improvements are identified.

  13. Review of DOE Waste Package Program. Semiannual report, October 1984-March 1985. Volume 8

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

    Davis, M.S.

    1985-12-01

    A large number of technical reports on waste package component performance were reviewed over the last year in support of the NRC`s review of the Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Environmental Assessment reports. The intent was to assess in some detail the quantity and quality of the DOE data and their relevance to the high-level waste repository site selection process. A representative selection of the reviews is presented for the salt, basalt, and tuff repository projects. Areas for future research have been outlined. 141 refs.

  14. Pyrolysis of plastic packaging waste: A comparison of plastic residuals from material recovery facilities with simulated plastic waste.

    PubMed

    Adrados, A; de Marco, I; Caballero, B M; López, A; Laresgoiti, M F; Torres, A

    2012-05-01

    Pyrolysis may be an alternative for the reclamation of rejected streams of waste from sorting plants where packing and packaging plastic waste is separated and classified. These rejected streams consist of many different materials (e.g., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), aluminum, tetra-brik, and film) for which an attempt at complete separation is not technically possible or economically viable, and they are typically sent to landfills or incinerators. For this study, a simulated plastic mixture and a real waste sample from a sorting plant were pyrolyzed using a non-stirred semi-batch reactor. Red mud, a byproduct of the aluminum industry, was used as a catalyst. Despite the fact that the samples had a similar volume of material, there were noteworthy differences in the pyrolysis yields. The real waste sample resulted, after pyrolysis, in higher gas and solid yields and consequently produced less liquid. There were also significant differences noted in the compositions of the compared pyrolysis products. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Improvement of the overall quality of table grapes stored under modified atmosphere packaging in combination with natural antimicrobial compounds.

    PubMed

    Guillén, F; Zapata, P J; Martínez-Romero, D; Castillo, S; Serrano, M; Valero, D

    2007-04-01

    Consumers demand new means of preservation with absence of chemicals. In this work a package was developed (thermosealed baskets) with grapes wrapped with 2 distinct films (M and P) with different permeability (medium and high, respectively) without or with the addition of a mixture of eugenol, thymol, and carvacrol. Table grapes stored on air (control) lost their quality attributes very rapidly, manifested by accelerated weight loss, color changes, softening, and increase in soluble solids concentration and titratable acidity ratio (SSC/TA). The use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) alone retarded these changes, the effects being significantly greater when essential oils were added (especially for M film), although atmospheric composition was not affected by incorporating essential oils. In addition, microbial counts (molds and yeasts and mesophilic aerobics) were drastically decreased and accompanied by lower occurrence of berry decay. Although slight odor was detected after opening the packages, absence of the typical flavor of these compounds was found by trained panelists after tasting the berries. Thus, with this safe, simple, and innovative technology, the overall quality (sensory and safety) could be improved and considered as a toll alternative to the use of synthetic fungicides.

  16. Water, vapour and heat transport in concrete cells for storing radioactive waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carme Chaparro, M.; W. Saaltink, Maarten

    2016-08-01

    Water is collected from a drain situated at the centre of a concrete cell that stores radioactive waste at 'El Cabril', which is the low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility of Spain. This indicates flow of water within the cell. 2D numerical models have been made in order to reproduce and understand the processes that take place inside the cell. Temperature and relative humidity measured by sensors in the cells and thermo-hydraulic parameters from laboratory test have been used. Results show that this phenomenon is caused by capillary rise from the phreatic level, evaporation and condensation within the cell produced by temperature gradients caused by seasonal temperature fluctuations outside. At the centre of the cell, flow of gas and convection also play a role. Three remedial actions have been studied that may avoid the leakage of water from the drain.

  17. Recharge Data Package for the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste 2001 Performance Assessment

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

    MJ Fayer; EM Murphy; JL Downs

    2000-01-18

    Lockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are currently stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method of disposing of the portion that is classified as immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) is to vitrify the waste and place the product in near-surface, shallow-land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is known as the Hanford ILAW Performance Assessment (PA) Activity, hereafter called the ILAW PA project. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation thatmore » the disposal of the waste is protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require predictions of contaminant migration from the facility. To make such predictions will require estimates of the fluxes of water moving through the sediments within the vadose zone around and beneath the disposal facility. These fluxes, loosely called recharge rates, are the primary mechanism for transporting contaminants to the groundwater. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) assists LMHC in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of recharge rates for current conditions and long-term scenarios involving the shallow-land disposal of ILAW. Specifically, recharge estimates are needed for a filly functional surface cover; the cover sideslope, and the immediately surrounding terrain. In addition, recharge estimates are needed for degraded cover conditions. The temporal scope of the analysis is 10,000 years, but could be longer if some contaminant peaks occur after 10,000 years. The elements of this report compose the Recharge Data Package, which provides estimates of recharge rates for the scenarios being considered in the 2001 PA. Table S.1 identifies the surface

  18. 78 FR 1881 - Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and Packaging Thereof; Notice of the Commission's...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-09

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-838] Certain Food Waste Disposers and Components and Packaging Thereof; Notice of the Commission's Determination Not To Review Initial Determinations Granting Complainant's Motions To Partially Terminate the Investigation and To Withdraw the...

  19. Gravity packaging final waste recovery based on gravity separation and chemical imaging control.

    PubMed

    Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Serranti, Silvia; Potenza, Fabio; Luciani, Valentina; Di Maio, Francesco

    2017-02-01

    Plastic polymers are characterized by a high calorific value. Post-consumer plastic waste can be thus considered, in many cases, as a typical secondary solid fuels according to the European Commission directive on End of Waste (EoW). In Europe the practice of incineration is considered one of the solutions for waste disposal waste, for energy recovery and, as a consequence, for the reduction of waste sent to landfill. A full characterization of these products represents the first step to profitably and correctly utilize them. Several techniques have been investigated in this paper in order to separate and characterize post-consumer plastic packaging waste fulfilling the previous goals, that is: gravity separation (i.e. Reflux Classifier), FT-IR spectroscopy, NIR HyperSpectralImaging (HSI) based techniques and calorimetric test. The study demonstrated as the proposed separation technique and the HyperSpectral NIR Imaging approach allow to separate and recognize the different polymers (i.e. PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC), PolyStyrene (PS), PolyEthylene (PE), PoliEtilene Tereftalato (PET), PolyPropylene (PP)) in order to maximize the removal of the PVC fraction from plastic waste and to perform the full quality control of the resulting products, can be profitably utilized to set up analytical/control strategies finalized to obtain a low content of PVC in the final Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), thus enhancing SRF quality, increasing its value and reducing the "final waste". Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Monitoring of Microbial Metabolites and Bacterial Diversity in Beef Stored under Different Packaging Conditions ▿ †

    PubMed Central

    Ercolini, Danilo; Ferrocino, Ilario; Nasi, Antonella; Ndagijimana, Maurice; Vernocchi, Pamela; La Storia, Antonietta; Laghi, Luca; Mauriello, Gianluigi; Guerzoni, M. Elisabetta; Villani, Francesco

    2011-01-01

    Beef chops were stored at 4°C under different conditions: in air (A), modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), vacuum packaging (V), or bacteriocin-activated antimicrobial packaging (AV). After 0 to 45 days of storage, analyses were performed to determine loads of spoilage microorganisms, microbial metabolites (by solid-phase microextraction [SPME]-gas chromatography [GC]-mass spectrometry [MS] and proton nuclear magnetic resonance [1H NMR]), and microbial diversity (by PCR–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE] and pyrosequencing). The microbiological shelf life of meat increased with increasing selectivity of storage conditions. Culture-independent analysis by pyrosequencing of DNA extracted directly from meat showed that Brochothrix thermosphacta dominated during the early stages of storage in A and MAP, while Pseudomonas spp. took over during further storage in A. Many different bacteria, several of which are usually associated with soil rather than meat, were identified in V and AV; however, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominated during the late phases of storage, and Carnobacterium divergens was the most frequent microorganism in AV. Among the volatile metabolites, butanoic acid was associated with the growth of LAB under V and AV storage conditions, while acetoin was related to the other spoilage microbial groups and storage conditions. 1H NMR analysis showed that storage in air was associated with decreases in lactate, glycogen, IMP, and ADP levels and with selective increases in levels of 3-methylindole, betaine, creatine, and other amino acids. The meat microbiota is significantly affected by storage conditions, and its changes during storage determine complex shifts in the metabolites produced, with a potential impact on meat quality. PMID:21803905

  1. Influence of point-of-sale tobacco displays and plain black and white cigarette packaging and advertisements on adults: Evidence from a virtual store experimental study.

    PubMed

    Nonnemaker, James; Kim, Annice; Shafer, Paul; Loomis, Brett; Hill, Edward; Holloway, John; Farrelly, Matthew

    2016-05-01

    We examined the potential impact of banning tobacco displays and mandating plain packaging and cigarette advertisements at the point of sale (POS) on adult outcomes. A virtual convenience store was created with scenarios in which the tobacco product display was either fully visible (status quo) or enclosed behind a cabinet (display ban), and cigarette packs and advertisements were either in full color (status quo) or black and white, text only (plain). A national convenience sample of 1313 adult current smokers and recent quitters was randomized to 1 of 4 conditions and given a shopping task to complete in the virtual store. Main outcomes were participants' self-reported urge to smoke and tobacco purchase attempts in the virtual store. Compared with recent quitters in the status quo conditions, recent quitters in the display ban condition had lower urges to smoke (β=-4.82, 95% CI=-8.16--1.49, p<0.01). Compared with current smokers in the status quo conditions, smokers in the display ban conditions were less likely to attempt to purchase cigarettes in the virtual store (OR=0.05, 95% CI=0.03-0.08, P<0.01). Smokers exposed to plain packs and ads were significantly less likely to attempt to purchase cigarettes (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.20-0.47, P<0.01) than those exposed to color packs and ads. Policies that ban the display of tobacco products or require plain packaging and advertising at the POS may help reduce adult smoking. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Identification of junk buyers' contribution to recycling of household waste in Hanoi, Vietnam, through a physical composition analysis.

    PubMed

    Kawai, Kosuke; Osako, Masahiro; Matsui, Saburo; Dong, Nguyen The

    2012-07-01

    Even in developing countries, the amount of containers and packaging waste are increasing in line with population concentration and lifestyle changes in urban areas. This can cause serious problems for the disposal of municipal solid waste. Through a physical composition analysis of household waste in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, this study aimed to identify the contribution made by junk buyers to recycling. Interviews on the handling of recyclable waste by households were conducted. About 232 kg of recyclable waste was sampled from a total of 115 households, and about 230 kg of municipal solid waste was sampled from a total of 101 households and sorted into 69 categories for measurement by volume and weight. The interview survey revealed that a high proportion of households tended to routinely store recyclable waste for sale or donation to junk buyers. Junk buyers accounted for 8.8% of recycling by weight or 26.0% by volume according to the results of the physical composition analysis. In addition, the results suggested that containers and packaging waste accounted for the largest proportion of household waste by volume. Junk buyers recycled 25.5% by weight of containers and packaging waste. In the formulation of new plans for municipal solid waste management to improve the current situation and handle future challenges, the role of the informal sector should be monitored carefully and reliable data on recyclable waste should be collected continuously.

  3. Assessment of collection schemes for packaging and other recyclable waste in European Union-28 Member States and capital cities.

    PubMed

    Seyring, Nicole; Dollhofer, Marie; Weißenbacher, Jakob; Bakas, Ioannis; McKinnon, David

    2016-09-01

    The Waste Framework Directive obliged European Union Member States to set up separate collection systems to promote high quality recycling for at least paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015. As implementation of the requirement varies across European Union Member States, the European Commission contracted BiPRO GmbH/Copenhagen Resource Institute to assess the separate collection schemes in the 28 European Union Member States, focusing on capital cities and on metal, plastic, glass (with packaging as the main source), paper/cardboard and bio-waste. The study includes an assessment of the legal framework for, and the practical implementation of, collection systems in the European Union-28 Member States and an in depth-analysis of systems applied in all capital cities. It covers collection systems that collect one or more of the five waste streams separately from residual waste/mixed municipal waste at source (including strict separation, co-mingled systems, door-to-door, bring-point collection and civic amenity sites). A scoreboard including 13 indicators is elaborated in order to measure the performance of the systems with the capture rates as key indicators to identify best performers. Best performance are by the cities of Ljubljana, Helsinki and Tallinn, leading to the key conclusion that door-to-door collection, at least for paper and bio-waste, and the implementation of pay-as-you-throw schemes results in high capture and thus high recycling rates of packaging and other municipal waste. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Correlation between microbial flora, sensory changes and biogenic amines formation in fresh chicken meat stored aerobically or under modified atmosphere packaging at 4 degrees C: possible role of biogenic amines as spoilage indicators.

    PubMed

    Balamatsia, C C; Paleologos, E K; Kontominas, M G; Savvaidis, I N

    2006-01-01

    This study evaluated the formation of biogenic amines (BAs) in breast chicken meat during storage under aerobic and modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) conditions at 4 degrees C, the correlation of microbial and sensory changes in chicken meat with formation of BAs and the possible role of BAs as indicators of poultry meat spoilage. Poultry breast fillets were stored aerobically or under MAP (30%, CO(2), 70% N(2)) at 4 degrees C for up to 17 days. Quality evaluation was carried out using microbiological, chemical and sensory analyses. Total viable counts, Pseudomonads and Enterobacteriaceae, were in general higher for chicken samples packaged in air whereas lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Enterobacteriaceae were among the dominant species for samples under MAP. Levels of putrescine and cadaverine increased linearly with storage time and were higher in aerobically stored chicken samples. Spermine and spermidine levels were also detected in both aerobically and MAP stored chicken meat. Levels of tyramine in both chicken samples stored aerobically and or under MAP were low (< 10 mg kg(-1)) whereas the formation of histamine was only observed after day 11 of storage when Enterobacteriaceae had reached a population of ca. 10(7) CFU g(-1). Based on sensory and microbiological analyses and also taking into account a biogenic amines index (BAI, sum of putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine), BAI values between 96 and 101 mg kg(-1) may be proposed as a quality index of MAP and aerobically-packaged fresh chicken meat. Spermine and spermidine decreased steadily throughout the entire storage period of chicken meat under aerobic and MAP packaging, and thus these two amines cannot be used as indicators of fresh chicken meat quality.

  5. Intact and Degraded Criticality Calculations for the Codisposal of Shippingport LWBR Spent Nuclear Fuel in a Waste Package

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

    L.M. Montierth

    2000-09-15

    The objective of this calculation is to characterize the nuclear criticality safety concerns associated with the codisposal of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Shippingport Light Water Breeder Reactor (SP LWBR) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) in a 5-Defense High-Level Waste (5-DHLW) Waste Package (WP), which is to be placed in a Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). The scope of this calculation is limited to the determination of the effective neutron multiplication factor (K{sub eff}) for intact- and degraded-mode internal configurations of the codisposal WP containing Shippingport LWBR seed-type assemblies. The results of this calculation will be used to evaluate criticality issuesmore » and support the analysis that is planed to be performed to demonstrate the viability of the codisposal concept for the MGR. This calculation is associated with the waste package design and was performed in accordance with the DOE SNF Analysis Plan for FY 2000 (See Ref. 22). The document has been prepared in accordance with the Administrative Procedure AP-3.12Q, Calculations (Ref. 23).« less

  6. Model for the separate collection of packaging waste in Portuguese low-performing recycling regions.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, V; Sousa, V; Vaz, J M; Dias-Ferreira, C

    2018-06-15

    Separate collection of packaging waste (glass; plastic/metals; paper/cardboard), is currently a widespread practice throughout Europe. It enables the recovery of good quality recyclable materials. However, separate collection performance are quite heterogeneous, with some countries reaching higher levels than others. In the present work, separate collection of packaging waste has been evaluated in a low-performance recycling region in Portugal in order to investigate which factors are most affecting the performance in bring-bank collection system. The variability of separate collection yields (kg per inhabitant per year) among 42 municipalities was scrutinized for the year 2015 against possible explanatory factors. A total of 14 possible explanatory factors were analysed, falling into two groups: socio-economic/demographic and waste collection service related. Regression models were built in an attempt to evaluate the individual effect of each factor on separate collection yields and predict changes on the collection yields by acting on those factors. The best model obtained is capable to explain 73% of the variation found in the separate collection yields. The model includes the following statistically significant indicators affecting the success of separate collection yields: i) inhabitants per bring-bank; ii) relative accessibility to bring-banks; iii) degree of urbanization; iv) number of school years attended; and v) area. The model presented in this work was developed specifically for the bring-bank system, has an explanatory power and quantifies the impact of each factor on separate collection yields. It can therefore be used as a support tool by local and regional waste management authorities in the definition of future strategies to increase collection of recyclables of good quality and to achieve national and regional targets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Smart Packaging Technologies and Their Application in Conventional Meat Packaging Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Grady, Michael N.; Kerry, Joseph P.

    Preservative packaging of meat and meat products should maintain acceptable appearance, odour and flavour and should delay the onset of microbial spoilage. Typically fresh red meats are placed on trays and over-wrapped with an oxygen permeable film or alternatively, meats are stored in modified atmosphere packages (MAP) containing high levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (80% O2:20% CO2) (Georgala & Davidson, 1970). Cooked meats are usually stored in 70% N2:30% CO2 (Smiddy, Papkovsky, & Kerry, 2002). The function of oxygen in MAP is to maintain acceptable fresh meat colour and carbon dioxide inhibits the growth of spoilage bacteria (Seideman & Durland, 1984). Nitrogen is used as an inert filler gas either to reduce the proportions of the other gases or to maintain the pack shape (Bell & Bourke, 1996).

  8. Plodia interpunctella and Trogoderma variabile larval penetration and invasion of methoprene-treated foil packaging

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Packaged food products inside retail stores and food warehouses are susceptible to infestation by stored-product insects. The insect growth regulator methoprene can be impregnated onto packaging to help limit stored-product insect population development and prevent infestations. The objectives of t...

  9. Presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Rubber Packaging Materials and in Parenteral Formulations Stored in Bottles With Rubber Stoppers.

    PubMed

    Bohrer, Denise; Viana, Carine; Barichello, Marcia M; de Moura, Juliane F; de Carvalho, Leandro M; Nascimento, Paulo C

    2017-08-01

    Rubber closures are the primary packaging material for sterile preparations intended for repeated use. Important features of rubber closures are achieved after additives are added to the elastomeric material that compounds the rubber. Among these additives is carbon black. Because of its origin, carbon black may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified 16 priority PAHs on the basis of concerns that they cause or might cause cancer in animals and humans. Regulatory agencies impose carbon black purity specifications based on limits for total PAHs (0.5 mg/kg) and benzo[a]pyrene (5 μg/kg) or benzo[a]pyrene only (250 μg/kg). PAHs in rubber packaging used for pharmaceutical formulations and in parenteral products stored in containers with rubber stoppers were investigated. To this end, the method proposed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-based on high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection-was adapted to determine the levels of PAHs in rubber stoppers (gray and red) and in lipid emulsions and amino acid solutions stored in bottles with rubber stoppers. The rubber materials were shown to contain 12 PAHs, in concentrations ranging from 0.25-3.31 µg/g. Only 1 of 18 samples (11 amino acid solutions and 7 lipid emulsions) was uncontaminated. The most prevalent contaminants were pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, and fluoranthene. The total PAH concentrations in the samples ranged from 0.11-5.96 µg/mL. Components of parenteral nutrition may be contaminated with PAHs, and rubber stoppers represent a potential source of these contaminants.

  10. The Strategic Management of Store Brand Perceived Quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Defeng

    Store brand plays a vital role in the success of retailers. Perceived quality is one of important factors influencing consumers' store brand purchase intention. Store brand perceived quality is lower compared with objective quality or national brand. For this end, the purpose of this article is to examine how to manage store brand perceived quality in strategic level. This article firstly discusses how consumers evaluate product quality, and the theoretical background of the reason that store brand perceived quality is lower from the view of cue related theories. Then, consumers' store brand quality evaluation is explored. Finally, this article presents several strategic tactics to increase store brand perceived quality. These tactics include choosing store's name as store brand name, making large advertising investment, improving store brand product package, and strengthening the relationship with store brand product suppliers.

  11. Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Packaged Sachet Water and Household Stored Drinking Water in Freetown, Sierra Leone

    PubMed Central

    Jalloh, Mohamed F.; Saquee, George; Bain, Robert E. S.; Bartram, Jamie K.

    2015-01-01

    Packaged drinking water (PW) sold in bottles and plastic bags/sachets is widely consumed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and many urban users in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rely on packaged sachet water (PSW) as their primary source of water for consumption. However, few rigorous studies have investigated PSW quality in SSA, and none have compared PSW to stored household water for consumption (HWC). A clearer understanding of PSW quality in the context of alternative sources is needed to inform policy and regulation. As elsewhere in SSA, PSW is widely consumed in Sierra Leone, but government oversight is nearly nonexistent. This study examined the microbiological and chemical quality of a representative sample of PSW products in Freetown, Sierra Leone at packaged water manufacturing facilities (PWMFs) and at points of sale (POSs). Samples of HWC were also analyzed for comparison. The study did not find evidence of serious chemical contamination among the parameters studied. However, 19% of 45 PSW products sampled at the PWMF contained detectable Escherichia coli (EC), although only two samples exceeded 10 CFU/100 mL. Concentrations of total coliforms (TC) in PSW (but not EC) increased along the supply chain. Samples of HWC from 60 households in Freetown were significantly more likely to contain EC and TC than PSW at the point of production (p<0.01), and had significantly higher concentrations of both bacterial indicators (p<0.01). These results highlight the need for additional PSW regulation and surveillance, while demonstrating the need to prioritize the safety of HWC. At present, PSW may be the least unsafe option for many households. PMID:26162082

  12. Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Packaged Sachet Water and Household Stored Drinking Water in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

    PubMed

    Fisher, Michael B; Williams, Ashley R; Jalloh, Mohamed F; Saquee, George; Bain, Robert E S; Bartram, Jamie K

    2015-01-01

    Packaged drinking water (PW) sold in bottles and plastic bags/sachets is widely consumed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and many urban users in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rely on packaged sachet water (PSW) as their primary source of water for consumption. However, few rigorous studies have investigated PSW quality in SSA, and none have compared PSW to stored household water for consumption (HWC). A clearer understanding of PSW quality in the context of alternative sources is needed to inform policy and regulation. As elsewhere in SSA, PSW is widely consumed in Sierra Leone, but government oversight is nearly nonexistent. This study examined the microbiological and chemical quality of a representative sample of PSW products in Freetown, Sierra Leone at packaged water manufacturing facilities (PWMFs) and at points of sale (POSs). Samples of HWC were also analyzed for comparison. The study did not find evidence of serious chemical contamination among the parameters studied. However, 19% of 45 PSW products sampled at the PWMF contained detectable Escherichia coli (EC), although only two samples exceeded 10 CFU/100 mL. Concentrations of total coliforms (TC) in PSW (but not EC) increased along the supply chain. Samples of HWC from 60 households in Freetown were significantly more likely to contain EC and TC than PSW at the point of production (p<0.01), and had significantly higher concentrations of both bacterial indicators (p<0.01). These results highlight the need for additional PSW regulation and surveillance, while demonstrating the need to prioritize the safety of HWC. At present, PSW may be the least unsafe option for many households.

  13. Packaging and Transportation Support at LANL CTMA 2012

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

    Salazar, Nick

    2012-06-08

    Operations Support Packaging and Transportation (OS-PT) supports LANL in various functions. Some highlights of the past year have been with the work relating to environmental remediation, type B packaging, non-DOT compliant transfers, and special permit training. The TA-21 remediation project was part of the ARRA funding that LANL received. The $212 million in funding was used to demolish 24 buildings at TA-21, excavate the lab's oldest waste disposal site, and install 16 groundwater monitoring wells. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. More than 300 tons of metal was recycled and all the soil excavated from MDA-Bmore » was replaced with clean fill. OS-PT supported this projected by transporting more than 7 million pounds of waste to TA-54 Area G with an addendum to their TSD. Because of the public access on the transfer route, Los Alamos County restricted the transfer to happen from 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM. OS-PT conducted 8 transfers in support of this project. Some concerns included the contaminated trailers at receipt facilities when transferring filled Super Sacks. Future Super Sacks were over packed into new IP-2 Super Sacks before shipping. OS-PT is also supporting the remediation of TA-54 Area G. LANL has an agreement with the State of New Mexico to remove all TRU waste currently stored above ground from at Area G. OS-PT supports this initiative with transfers of TRU waste under LANL's TSD and support of TRU shipments to WIPP. Another project supported by our organization is gas cylinder/dewar recycling and remediation. We are focusing on reducing risk associated with unneeded gasses at LANL. To minimized excessive ordering, to save money and time, and to minimize hazards OS-PT is supporting a gas recycling program. This program will allow programmatic organization across LANL to share unused/unneeded gasses. Instead of old dewars being disposed of, OS-PT has began identifying these dewars and sending them for refurbishment. To date

  14. 19 CFR 19.10 - Examination packages.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Examination packages. 19.10 Section 19.10 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... Examination packages. Merchandise sent from a bonded warehouse to the appraiser's stores for examination shall...

  15. Behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes in packaged fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).

    PubMed

    González-Fandos, E; Olarte, C; Giménez, M; Sanz, S; Simón, A

    2001-11-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of Listeria monocytogenes to grow in mushrooms packaged in two different types of PVC films when stored at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C. Mushrooms were packed in two polymeric films (perforated and nonperforated PVC) and stored at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C. The carbon dioxide and oxygen content inside the packages, aerobic mesophiles, psychrotrophs, Pseudomonas spp., Listeria monocytogenes, faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, anaerobic spores and major sensory factors were determined. The mushrooms packaged in nonperforated film and stored at 4 degrees C had the most desirable quality parameters (texture, development stage and absence of moulds). Listeria monocytogenes was able to grow at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C in inoculated mushrooms packaged in perforated and nonperforated films between 1 and 2 log units during the first 48 h. After 10 d of storage, the populations of L. monocytogenes were higher in mushrooms packaged in nonperforated film and stored at 10 degrees C. MAP followed by storage at 4 degrees C or 10 degrees C extends the shelf life by maintaining an acceptable appearance, but allows the growth and survival of L. monocytogenes. According to this study additional hurdles must be studied in order to prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes.

  16. Response of antioxidant activity and sensory quality in fresh-cut pear as affected by high O2,active packaging compared with low O2 packaging

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Effects of active modified atmosphere packaging (MAP, initial O2/CO2: 5/5; 30/5; 80/0) and passive packaging (initial O2/CO2: 20.8/0 (air)) on the antioxidant capacity and sensory quality of fresh-cut ‘Yaoshan’ pear stored at 4C for 12 days were investigated. Samples stored in high O2 (30% and 80%) ...

  17. Innovative Soft-Sided Waste Packaging System Implementation at a Small Department of Energy Environmental Restoration/Waste Management (ER/WM) Site

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

    Wolf, J.

    2002-02-28

    Weiss Associates (WA) performs a broad range of environmental restoration/waste management (ER/WM) activities for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the former Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research (LEHR), University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Over the last three years, the LEHR ER/WM program transitioned from a baseline packaging system of steel, 2.7 cubic meter (3.5-cubic yard) B-25 boxes to a 7.0 cubic meter (9.1-cubic yard) soft-sided container (Lift Liner) system. The transition increased efficiencies in processing, packaging, and storage, and when combined with decreased procurement costs, achieved a $402,000 cost savings (Table I). Additional disposal costs between $128,600 andmore » $182,600 were avoided by minimizing void space. Future cost savings by the end of fiscal year 2003 are projected between $250,640 and $1,003,360.« less

  18. Packaged Waste Treatment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1977-01-01

    This Jacksonville, Florida, apartment complex has a wastewater treatment system which clears the water, removes harmful microorganisms and reduces solid residue to ash. It is a spinoff from spacecraft waste management and environmental control technology.

  19. Environmental Assessment of Packaging: The Consumer Point of View

    PubMed

    Van Dam YK

    1996-09-01

    When marketing environmentally responsible packaged products, the producer is confronted with consumer beliefs concerning the environmental friendliness of packaging materials. When making environmentally conscious packaging decisions, these consumer beliefs should be taken into account alongside the technical guidelines. Dutch consumer perceptions of the environmental friendliness of packaged products are reported and compared with the results of a life-cycle analysis assessment. It is shown that consumers judge environmental friendliness mainly from material and returnability. Furthermore, the consumer perception of the environmental friendliness of packaging material is based on the postconsumption waste, whereas the environmental effects of production are ignored. From the consumer beliefs concerning environmental friendliness implications are deduced for packaging policy and for environmental policy.KEY WORDS: Consumer behavior; Environment; Food; Packaging; Perception; Waste

  20. Evaluation of performance indicators applied to a material recovery facility fed by mixed packaging waste.

    PubMed

    Mastellone, Maria Laura; Cremiato, Raffaele; Zaccariello, Lucio; Lotito, Roberta

    2017-06-01

    Most of the integrated systems for municipal solid waste management aim to increase the recycling of secondary materials by means of physical processes including sorting, shredding and reprocessing. Several restrictions prevent from reaching a very high material recycling efficiency: the variability of the composition of new-marketed materials used for packaging production and its shape and complexity are critical issues. The packaging goods are in fact made of different materials (aluminium, polymers, paper, etc.), possibly assembled, having different shape (flat, cylindrical, one-dimensional, etc.), density, colours, optical properties and so on. These aspects limit the effectiveness and efficiency of the sorting and reprocessing plants. The scope of this study was to evaluate the performance of a large scale Material Recovery Facility (MRF) by utilizing data collected during a long period of monitoring. The database resulted from the measured data has been organized in four sections: (1) data related to the amount and type of inlet waste; (2) amount and composition of output products and waste; (3) operating data (such as worked hours for shift, planned and unscheduled maintenance time, setting parameters of the equipment, and energy consumption for shift); (4) economic data (value of each product, disposal price for the produced waste, penalty for non-compliance of products and waste, etc.). A part of this database has been utilized to build an executive dashboard composed by a set of performance indicators suitable to measure the effectiveness and the efficiency of the MRF operations. The dashboard revealed itself as a powerful tool to support managers and engineers in their decisions in respect to the market demand or compliance regulation variation as well as in the designing of the lay-out improvements. The results indicated that the 40% of the input waste was recovered as valuable products and that a large part of these (88%) complied with the standards of

  1. Investigation on penetration of three conventional foodstuffs packaging polymers with two different thicknesses by larvae and adults of major species of stored-product pest insects.

    PubMed

    Allahvaisi, Somayeh; Purmirza, Ali Asghar; Safaralizade, Mohamad Hasan

    2009-01-01

    Despite modern methods of packaging, stored agricultural products are still under attack by stored-insect pests. Therefore, determination of the best polymer and appropriate thickness inhibiting the penetration of the insects must be considered. In this study, we investigated the ability of penetration and the rates of contamination by nine important stored product pest insects for three conventional flexible polymers (polyethylene, cellophane and polypropylene) at two thicknesses (16.5 and 29 microm), which are used as pouches for packing of agricultural products. We used adults of T. castaneum (Coleoptera), S. granarius (Coleoptera), R. dominica (Coleoptera), C. maculates (Coleoptera), O. surinamensis (Coleoptera), and larvae of P. interpunctella (Lepidoptera), E. kuehniella (Lepidoptera), S. cerealella (Lepidoptera) and T. granarium (Coleoptera). Results showed that for most of the species penetration occurred between 4 days and 2 weeks, but there were significant differences (p < or = 0.05) in the penetration of three polymers (cellophane, polyethylene and polypropylene) by the insects. Among the polymers, polyethylene with a thickness of 16.5 microm showed the highest degree of penetration and was the most unsuitable polymer for packaging of foodstuffs. Application of this polymer led to a complete infestation of the product and a lot of punctures were created by the insects. In contrast, no penetration was observed in polypropylene polymer with a thickness of 29 microm. Furthermore, adults and larvae of all species showed a much lower penetration when there was no food present in the pouches and this was the case for all polymers tested.

  2. Tobacco advertising in retail stores.

    PubMed Central

    Cummings, K M; Sciandra, R; Lawrence, J

    1991-01-01

    Recent studies have described tobacco advertising in the print media, on billboards, and through sponsorship of cultural and sporting events. However, little attention has been given to another common and unavoidable source of tobacco advertising, that which is encountered in retail stores. In July 1987, we conducted a survey of 61 packaged goods retail stores in Buffalo, NY, to assess the prevalence and type of point-of-sale tobacco advertising. In addition, store owners or managers were surveyed to determine their store's policy regarding tobacco advertising, receipt of monetary incentives from distributors for displaying tobacco ads, and willingness to display antitobacco ads. Six types of stores were involved in the study: 10 supermarkets, 10 privately owned grocery stores, 9 chain convenience food stores that do not sell gasoline, 11 chain convenience food stores that sell gasoline, 11 chain pharmacies, and 10 private pharmacies. Two-thirds of the stores displayed tobacco posters, and 87 percent had promotional items advertising tobacco products, primarily cigarettes. Larger stores, and those that were privately owned, tended to display more posters and promotional items. Eighty percent of tobacco product displays were for cigarettes, 16 percent for smokeless tobacco products, and 4 percent for cigars and pipe tobacco. Convenience stores selling gasoline had the most separate tobacco product displays. Of tobacco product displays, 24 percent were located adjacent to candy and snack displays. Twenty-nine of the 61 store owners or managers indicated that their store had a policy regulating the display of tobacco ads and tobacco product displays.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:1910192

  3. Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This web page provide numbers on the different containers and packaging products in our municipal solid waste. These include containers of all types, such as glass, steel, plastic, aluminum, wood, and other types of packaging

  4. The ENSDF Java Package

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

    Sonzogni, A.A.

    2005-05-24

    A package of computer codes has been developed to process and display nuclear structure and decay data stored in the ENSDF (Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File) library. The codes were written in an object-oriented fashion using the java language. This allows for an easy implementation across multiple platforms as well as deployment on web pages. The structure of the different java classes that make up the package is discussed as well as several different implementations.

  5. 9975 Shipping package component long-term degradation rates

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

    Daugherty, W. L.

    Special nuclear materials are being stored in the K-Area Complex using 3013 containers that are held within Model 9975 shipping packages. The service life for these packages in storage was recently increased from 15 to 20 years, since some of these packages have been stored for nearly 15 years. A strategy is also being developed whereby such storage might be extended beyond 20 years. This strategy is based on recent calculations that support acceptable 9975 package performance for 20 years with internal heat loads up to 19 watts, and identifies a lower heat load limit for which the package componentsmore » should degrade at half the bounding rate or less, thus doubling the effective storage life for these lower wattage packages. The components of the 9975 package that are sensitive to aging under storage conditions are the fiberboard overpack and the O-ring seals, although some degradation of the lead shield and outer drum are also possible. This report summarizes degradation rates applicable to lower heat load storage conditions. In particular, the O-ring seals should provide leak-tight performance for more than 40 years in packages for which their maximum temperature is ≤135 °F. Similarly, the fiberboard should remain acceptable in performance of its required safety functions for up to 40 years in packages with a maximum fiberboard temperature ≤125 °F.« less

  6. Radioactive waste management and practice in Bangladesh

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

    Mollah, A.S.; Rahman, M.M.

    1993-12-31

    A large amount of low- and medium-level radioactive wastes are being generated in different parts of Bangladesh. The solid wastes are being collected in steel containers and liquid wastes are collected in plastic carboys and drums. Gaseous Ar-41 is discharged into the atmosphere through the 25 m height stack under controlled conditions after proper monitoring. The solid radioactive wastes collected are approximately 5 m{sup 3} (1988--1992) with gross beta-gamma surface dose rates from 0.30 {micro}Sv/h to 250 {micro}Sv/h. The liquid radioactive wastes are approximately 200 liters (1988--1992) with gross-beta-gamma surface dose rates from 0.30 {micro}Sv/h to 1 mSv/h. The solidmore » and liquid wastes presently being collected are mostly short lived and low level and safely stored according to international safety codes of practice. Radioactive waste packages collected during the 5-yrs study totaled 16, representing a collective volume of {approximately} 7.5 m{sup 3}. The problem of management of radioactive waste in Bangladesh is not so serious at present because the wastes arising are small now. A computerized data base has been developed to document inventory of all radioactive waste arising in the country. The current practices of collection, handling, safe storage and management of the radioactive wastes are reported in this paper.« less

  7. Waste Form Release Data Package for the 2005 Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment. Erratum

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

    Smith, Gary L.

    2016-09-06

    This report refers to or contains K g values for glasses LAWA44, LAWB45 and LAWC22 affected by calculations errors as identified by Papathanassiu et al. (2011). The corrected K g values are reported in an erratum included in the revised version of the original report. The revised report can be referenced as follows: Pierce E. M. et al. (2004) Waste Form Release Data Package for the 2005 Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment. PNNL-14805 Rev. 0 Erratum. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.

  8. Determination of critical levels of residual oxygen to minimize discoloration of sliced packaged Norwegian salami under light display.

    PubMed

    Sørheim, Oddvin; Måge, Ingrid; Larsen, Hanne

    2017-07-01

    Discoloration of sliced packaged salami is contributing to rejection of the product, food waste and economical loss. A combination of residual O 2 in the headspace of packages and light is causing photooxidation and deterioration of colour. The aim of this study was to establish maximum tolerable concentrations of residual O 2 in packages of salami slices with 100% N 2 under light display at 4 and 20°C. Salami sausages had variable inherent O 2 consumption rate. Storage of salami in 1% O 2 in darkness did not induce discoloration. The upper limits for O 2 for avoiding discoloration under light were variable in the range 0.1-1.0%, depending on temperature and type of salami. Display at 20°C increased the rate of O 2 depletion compared to 4°C. To minimize discoloration, sliced and packaged salami should be stored in darkness at approximately 20°C until the level of residual O 2 is reduced below a critical limit. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Observations of marketing on food packaging targeted to youth in retail food stores.

    PubMed

    Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S; Moise, Imelda K; Geiger, Sarah D

    2011-09-01

    There is growing evidence that exposure to food marketing influences dietary preferences among youth. Few studies exploring this association, however, have focused on the retail food store environment where families negotiate the influence of food and beverage marketing on purchasing practices. Consequently, we sought to examine: (i) the extent to which foods marketed on the internet and television to youth are also available and marketed in retail food stores, and (ii) whether differences exist in the marketing practices across store types and by neighborhood racial composition. In 2008, a cross-sectional survey of 118 food stores was conducted in four Midwestern cities in the United States. Results showed that 82% of stores assessed carried items commonly marketed to youth via television or the internet. The items most likely to have some type of marketing technique were noncarbonated drinks (97.7%), fruit and cereal bars (76.9%), and soda (62.2%). Grocery stores were significantly more likely than convenience stores to have marketing for breads and pastries (34.6% vs. 17.9%), breakfast cereals (52.0% vs. 22.9%), cookies and crackers (54.2% vs. 25.3%), dairy (70.8% vs. 42.7%), and ice cream (23.8% vs. 9.8%). Stores located in black neighborhoods were significantly more likely to have marketing, in comparison to white neighborhoods, for breads and pastries (35.7% vs. 17.1%), breakfast cereals (44.4% vs. 25.0%), and cookies and crackers (48.1% vs. 26.3%). Our results highlight the importance of examining food marketing techniques in the retail food store environment, where visual cues from television and the internet may be reinforced.

  10. UP2 400 High Activity Oxide Legacy Waste Retrieval Project Scope and Progress-13048

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

    Chabeuf, Jean-Michel; Varet, Thierry

    The High Activity Oxide facility (HAO) reprocessed sheared and dissolved 4500 metric tons of light water reactor fuel the fuel of the emerging light water reactor spent fuel between 1976 and 1998. Over the period, approximately 2200 tons of process waste, composed primarily of sheared hulls, was produced and stored in a vast silo in the first place, and in canisters stored in pools in subsequent years. Upon shutdown of the facility, AREVA D and D Division in La Hague launched a thorough investigation and characterization of the silos and pools content, which then served as input data for themore » definition of a legacy waste retrieval and reconditioning program. Basic design was conducted between 2005 and 2007, and was followed by an optimization phase which lead to the definition of a final scenario and budget, 12% under the initial estimates. The scenario planned for the construction of a retrieval and reconditioning cell to be built on top of the storage silo. The retrieved waste would then be rinsed and sorted, so that hulls could subsequently be sent to La Hague high activity compacting facility, while resins and sludge would be cemented within the retrieval cell. Detailed design was conducted successfully from 2008 until 2011, while a thorough research and development program was conducted in order to qualify each stage of the retrieval and reconditioning process, and assist in the elaboration of the final waste package specification. This R and D program was defined and conducted as a response and mitigation of the major project risks identified during the basic design process. Procurement and site preparatory works were then launched in 2011. By the end of 2012, R and D is nearly completed, the retrieval and reconditioning process have been secured, the final waste package specification is being completed, the first equipment for the retrieval cell is being delivered on site, while preparation works are allowing to free up space above and around the silo

  11. Packaging for Posterity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sias, Jim

    1990-01-01

    A project in which students designed environmentally responsible food packaging is described. The problem definition; research on topics such as waste paper, plastic, metal, glass, incineration, recycling, and consumer preferences; and the presentation design are provided. (KR)

  12. Food safety concerns deriving from the use of silver based food packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Pezzuto, Alessandra; Losasso, Carmen; Mancin, Marzia; Gallocchio, Federica; Piovesana, Alessia; Binato, Giovanni; Gallina, Albino; Marangon, Alberto; Mioni, Renzo; Favretti, Michela; Ricci, Antonia

    2015-01-01

    The formulation of innovative packaging solutions, exerting a functional antimicrobial role in slowing down food spoilage, is expected to have a significant impact on the food industry, allowing both the maintenance of food safety criteria for longer periods and the reduction of food waste. Different materials are considered able to exert the required antimicrobial activity, among which are materials containing silver. However, challenges exist in the application of silver to food contact materials due to knowledge gaps in the production of ingredients, stability of delivery systems in food matrices and health risks caused by the same properties which also offer the benefits. Aims of the present study were to test the effectiveness and suitability of two packaging systems, one of which contained silver, for packaging and storing Stracchino cheese, a typical Italian fresh cheese, and to investigate if there was any potential for consumers to be exposed to silver, via migration from the packaging to the cheese. Results did not show any significant difference in the effectiveness of the packaging systems on packaged Stracchino cheese, excluding that the active packaging systems exerted an inhibitory effect on the growth of spoilage microorganisms. Moreover, silver migrated into the cheese matrix throughout the storage time (24 days). Silver levels in cheese finally exceeded the maximum established level for the migration of a non-authorised substance through a functional barrier (Commission of the European Communities, 2009). This result poses safety concerns and strongly suggests the need for more research aimed at better characterizing the new packaging materials in terms of their potential impacts on human health and the environment.

  13. Application of Quality by Design (QbD) Principles to Extractables/Leachables Assessment. Establishing a Design Space for Terminally Sterilized Aqueous Drug Products Stored in a Plastic Packaging System.

    PubMed

    Jenke, Dennis

    2010-01-01

    The concept of quality by design (QbD) reflects the current global regulatory thinking related to pharmaceutical products. A cornerstone of the QbD paradigm is the concept of a design space, where the design space is a multidimensional combination of input variables and process parameters that have been demonstrated to provide the assurance of product quality. If a design space can be established for a pharmaceutical process or product, then operation within the design space confirms that the product or process output possesses the required quality attributes. This concept of design space can be applied to the safety (leachables) assessment of drug products manufactured and stored in packaging systems. Critical variables in such a design space would include those variables that affect the interaction of the drug product and its packaging, including (a) composition of the drug product, (b) composition of the packaging system, (c) configuration of the packaging system, and (d) the conditions of contact. This paper proposes and justifies such a leachables design space for aqueous drug products packaged in a specific plastic packaging system. Such a design space has the following boundaries:Aqueous drug products with a pH in the range of 2 to 8 and that contain no polarity-impacting agents such as organic solubilizers and stabilizers (addressing variable a). Packaging systems manufactured from materials that meet the system's existing material specifications (addressing variable b). Nominal fill volumes from 50 to 1000 mL (addressing variable c). Products subjected to terminal sterilization and then stored at room temperature for a period of up to 24 months (addressing variable d). The ramification of such a design space is that any drug product that falls within these boundaries is deemed to be compatible with the packaging system, from the perspective of safety, without the requirement of supporting drug product testing. When drug products are packaged in plastic

  14. Quality evaluation of polypropylene packaged corn yogurt during storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aini, Nur; Prihananto, V.; Sustriawan, B.; Astuti, Y.; Maulina, M. R.

    2018-01-01

    Packaging is an important factor to control the process of quality decrease of any food product, including to determine the shelf life. The objective of this study was to determine changes quality of corn yogurt packaged using polypropylene. The method were using was package yogurt polypropylene, then it was stored in a refrigerator at 5, 10, or 15°C during 21 days. The yogurt was analysed every 7 days over a 21-day period. The results indicate that protein content decreased during storage, while the lactic acid bacteria, total acid, pH, viscosity, and total solids were increased. At the end of storage, the amount of lactic acid bacteria still fulfil the minimum requirements of a probiotic food, with a count of 6.407 log CFU/g. Overal scoring by panelist (scores ranged from 0 to 5) have a 4.78 at the beginning of storage. By the 21st day of storage, yogurt was packaging using transparent polypropylene having a score of 3.85, and that stored in opaque white packaging having a value of 3.95.

  15. Float Package and the Data Rack aboard the DC-9

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    Ted Brunzie and Peter Mason observe the float package and the data rack aboard the DC-9 reduced gravity aircraft. The float package contains a cryostat, a video camera, a pump and accelerometers. The data rack displays and record the video signal from the float package on tape and stores acceleration and temperature measurements on disk.

  16. Preliminary Study of Radioactive Waste Package Made of High-Strength and Ultra Low-Permeability Concrete for Geological Disposal of TRU Wastes

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

    Matsuo, T.; Kawasaki, T.; Sakamoto, H.

    2003-02-27

    We have been developing a radioactive waste package made of high-strength and ultra low-permeability concrete (HSULPC) for geological disposal of TRU wastes, which is expected to be much more impervious to water than conventional concrete. In this study, basic data for the HSULPC regarding its the impervious character and the thermodynamics during cement hydration were obtained through water permeability measurements using cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and adiabatic concrete hydration experiments, respectively. Then, a prediction tool to find concrete package construction conditions to avoid thermal cracking was developed, which could deal with coupled calculations of cement hydration, heat transfer, stress, andmore » cracking. The developed tool was applied to HSULPC hydration on a small-scale cylindrical model to examine whether there was any effect on cracking which depended on the ratio of concrete cylinder thickness to its inner diameter. The results were compared to experiments. For concrete with a compressive strength of 200MPa, the water permeability coefficient was 4 x 10{sup 19} m/s. Dependences of activation energy and frequency factor on degree of cement hydration had a sharp peaking due to the nucleation rate-determining step, and a gradual increase region due to the diffusion rate-determining step. From analyses of the small-scale cylindrical model, dependences of the maximum principal stress on the radius were obtained. When the ratio of the concrete thickness to the heater diameter was around 1, the risk of cracking was predicted to be minimized. These numerical predictions from the developed tool were verified by experiments.« less

  17. Copycat snacks: Can students differentiate between school and store snacks?

    PubMed

    Mann, Georgianna

    2018-02-01

    In 2014, the national Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards placed regulations on all snack foods sold in schools. Many food companies reformulated common snack food products for sale in schools, called "copycat snacks", which look similar to nutritionally different foods sold in stores. It is possible that these snacks create consumer confusion among students. The purpose of this study was to determine if middle school students could differentiate, in taste and appearance, between school (copycat) and store versions of common snacks. Seventy-six middle school students evaluated three different food products offered in schools: Froot Loops, Rice Krispy Treats, and Doritos. Students tasted snacks in a series of triangle tests for difference, one for each snack food, including school and store versions. Students were also presented with packages, school and store versions of the same products, and asked to determine the expected taste, purchase intentions, and perceived healthfulness. Students could determine taste differences between school and store Rice Krispy Treats yet could not differentiate between Froot Loop and Dorito varieties. Students rated store versions of all three snacks with greater expected taste, higher intention to purchase, and as less healthy. While it seems product confusion concerning copycat snacks may not be severe in this sample, snack food brands are still a prominent feature in schools. It is possible that these copycat snacks can confuse students' perceptions of healthy foods. Alternative packaging for school foods or reformation of store versions of snack foods may be viable solutions to this problem. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A case study of packaging waste collection systems in Portugal - Part I: Performance and operation analysis.

    PubMed

    Martinho, Graça; Gomes, Ana; Santos, Pedro; Ramos, Mário; Cardoso, João; Silveira, Ana; Pires, Ana

    2017-03-01

    The need to increase packaging recycling rates has led to the study and analysis of recycling schemes from various perspectives, including technical, economic, social, and environmental. This paper is part one of a three-part study devoted to comparing two recyclable packaging waste collection systems operating in western Portugal: a mixed collection system, where curbside and drop-off collections are operated simultaneously (but where the curbside system was introduced after the drop-off system), and an exclusive drop-off system. This part of the study focuses on analyzing the operation and performance of the two waste collection systems. The mixed collection system is shown to yield higher material separation rates, higher recycling rates, and lower contamination rates compared with the exclusive drop-off system, a result of the curbside component in the former system. However, the operational efficiency of the curbside collection in the mixed system is lower than the drop-off collection in the mixed system and the exclusive drop-off system, mainly because of inefficiency of collection. A key recommendation is to ensure that the systems should be optimized in an attempt to improve performance. Optimization should be applied not only to logistical aspects but also to citizens' participation, which could be improved by conducting curbside collection awareness campaigns in the neighborhoods that have a mixed system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Alternative disposal options for transuranic waste

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

    Loomis, G.G.

    1994-12-31

    Three alternative concepts are proposed for the final disposal of stored and retrieved buried transuranic waste. These proposed options answer criticisms of the existing U.S. Department of Energy strategy of directly disposing of stored transuranic waste in deep, geological salt formations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The first option involves enhanced stabilization of stored waste by thermal treatment followed by convoy transportation and internment in the existing WIPP facility. This concept could also be extended to retrieved buried waste with proper permitting. The second option involves in-state, in situ internment using an encapsulating lensmore » around the waste. This concept applies only to previously buried transuranic waste. The third option involves sending stored and retrieved waste to the Nevada Test Site and configuring the waste around a thermonuclear device from the U.S. or Russian arsenal in a specially designed underground chamber. The thermonuclear explosion would transmute plutonium and disassociate hazardous materials while entombing the waste in a national sacrifice area.« less

  20. Effect of Lemongrass Essential Oil Vapors on Microbial Dynamics and Listeria monocytogenes Survival on Rocket and Melon Stored under Different Packaging Conditions and Temperatures.

    PubMed

    Hadjilouka, Agni; Polychronopoulou, Melissanthi; Paramithiotis, Spiros; Tzamalis, Periklis; Drosinos, Eleftherios H

    2015-09-09

    The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of lemongrass essential oil vapors on the dynamics of surface microbiota and L. monocytogenes growth on rocket and melon under different packaging conditions and storage temperature. For that purpose, rocket and melon were placed on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) trays, sprayed with L. monocytogenes to a population of 4.5-5.0 log CFU·g(-1), packaged using microperforated Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) film in either air or Microperforated Active Modified Atmosphere (MAMA) (initial atmosphere 5% O₂, 10% CO₂) including a Whatman paper containing the essential oil, without contact with the product, and stored at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C. Application of lemongrass exhibited a bactericidal effect on enterococci and a fungistatic effect on yeast-mould populations but only during air storage of rocket. The former took place at all temperatures and the latter only at 10 and 15 °C. No effect on shelf life of both products was recorded. However, an important effect on the sensorial properties was observed; during the first 4-5 days of storage both products were organoleptically unacceptable. Regarding MAMA packaging, it affected only Pseudomonas spp. population resulting in a reduction of 1-2 log CFU·g(-1) in both products.

  1. Effect of Lemongrass Essential Oil Vapors on Microbial Dynamics and Listeria monocytogenes Survival on Rocket and Melon Stored under Different Packaging Conditions and Temperatures

    PubMed Central

    Hadjilouka, Agni; Polychronopoulou, Melissanthi; Paramithiotis, Spiros; Tzamalis, Periklis; Drosinos, Eleftherios H.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of lemongrass essential oil vapors on the dynamics of surface microbiota and L. monocytogenes growth on rocket and melon under different packaging conditions and storage temperature. For that purpose, rocket and melon were placed on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) trays, sprayed with L. monocytogenes to a population of 4.5–5.0 log CFU·g−1, packaged using microperforated Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) film in either air or Microperforated Active Modified Atmosphere (MAMA) (initial atmosphere 5% O2, 10% CO2) including a Whatman paper containing the essential oil, without contact with the product, and stored at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C. Application of lemongrass exhibited a bactericidal effect on enterococci and a fungistatic effect on yeast-mould populations but only during air storage of rocket. The former took place at all temperatures and the latter only at 10 and 15 °C. No effect on shelf life of both products was recorded. However, an important effect on the sensorial properties was observed; during the first 4–5 days of storage both products were organoleptically unacceptable. Regarding MAMA packaging, it affected only Pseudomonas spp. population resulting in a reduction of 1–2 log CFU·g−1 in both products. PMID:27682104

  2. Evaluating laser-driven Bremsstrahlung radiation sources for imaging and analysis of nuclear waste packages.

    PubMed

    Jones, Christopher P; Brenner, Ceri M; Stitt, Camilla A; Armstrong, Chris; Rusby, Dean R; Mirfayzi, Seyed R; Wilson, Lucy A; Alejo, Aarón; Ahmed, Hamad; Allott, Ric; Butler, Nicholas M H; Clarke, Robert J; Haddock, David; Hernandez-Gomez, Cristina; Higginson, Adam; Murphy, Christopher; Notley, Margaret; Paraskevoulakos, Charilaos; Jowsey, John; McKenna, Paul; Neely, David; Kar, Satya; Scott, Thomas B

    2016-11-15

    A small scale sample nuclear waste package, consisting of a 28mm diameter uranium penny encased in grout, was imaged by absorption contrast radiography using a single pulse exposure from an X-ray source driven by a high-power laser. The Vulcan laser was used to deliver a focused pulse of photons to a tantalum foil, in order to generate a bright burst of highly penetrating X-rays (with energy >500keV), with a source size of <0.5mm. BAS-TR and BAS-SR image plates were used for image capture, alongside a newly developed Thalium doped Caesium Iodide scintillator-based detector coupled to CCD chips. The uranium penny was clearly resolved to sub-mm accuracy over a 30cm(2) scan area from a single shot acquisition. In addition, neutron generation was demonstrated in situ with the X-ray beam, with a single shot, thus demonstrating the potential for multi-modal criticality testing of waste materials. This feasibility study successfully demonstrated non-destructive radiography of encapsulated, high density, nuclear material. With recent developments of high-power laser systems, to 10Hz operation, a laser-driven multi-modal beamline for waste monitoring applications is envisioned. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Batching alternatives for Phase I retrieval wastes to be processed in WRAP Module 1

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

    Mayancsik, B.A.

    1994-10-13

    During the next two decades, the transuranic (TRU) waste now stored in the 200 Area burial trenches and storage buildings is to be retrieved, processed in the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Module 1 facility, and shipped to a final disposal facility. The purpose of this document is to identify the criteria that can be used to batch suspect TRU waste, currently in retrievable storage, for processing through the WRAP Module 1 facility. These criteria are then used to generate a batch plan for Phase 1 Retrieval operations, which will retrieve the waste located in Trench 4C-04 of the 200more » West Area burial ground. The reasons for batching wastes for processing in WRAP Module 1 include reducing the exposure of workers and the environment to hazardous material and ionizing radiation; maximizing the efficiency of the retrieval, processing, and disposal processes by reducing costs, time, and space throughout the process; reducing analytical sampling and analysis; and reducing the amount of cleanup and decontamination between process runs. The criteria selected for batching the drums of retrieved waste entering WRAP Module 1 are based on the available records for the wastes sent to storage as well as knowledge of the processes that generated these wastes. The batching criteria identified in this document include the following: waste generator; type of process used to generate or package the waste; physical waste form; content of hazardous/dangerous chemicals in the waste; radiochemical type and quantity of waste; drum weight; and special waste types. These criteria were applied to the waste drums currently stored in Trench 4C-04. At least one batching scheme is shown for each of the criteria listed above.« less

  4. The nutrient content of US household food purchases by store types

    PubMed Central

    Stern, Dalia; Ng, Shu Wen; Popkin, Barry M

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Little is known about where households shop for packaged foods, what foods and beverages they purchase, and the nutrient content of these purchases. The objectives are to describe volume trends and nutrient content (food groups and nutrient profiles) of household packaged foods purchases (PFP) by store-type. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of US households’ food purchases (Nielsen Homescan) from 2000 to 2012 (n=652,023 household-year observations) with survey weights used for national representativeness. Household PFP trends (% volume) by store-type, household purchases of key food and beverage groups based on caloric contribution by store-type, and mean caloric and nutrient densities (sugars, saturated fat and sodium) of household PFP by store-type are analyzed. Data were collected from 2000–2012. Analyses were conducted in 2014–2015. Results The proportion of total volume of household PFP significantly increased from 2000 to 2012 for mass-merchandisers (13.1 to 23.9%), convenience-stores (3.6 to 5.9%) and warehouse-club (6.2 to 9.8%), and significantly decreased for grocery-chains (58.5 to 46.3%) and non-chain grocerys (10.3 to 5.2%). Top common sources of calories (%) from household PFP by food/beverage group include: savory snacks, grain-based desserts and regular soft-drinks. The energy, total sugar, sodium and saturated fat densities of household PFP from mass-merchandisers, warehouse-club and convenience-stores were higher, compared to grocery-stores. Conclusions PFP from stores with poorer nutrient density (more energy, total sugar, sodium and saturated fat-dense), such as warehouse-club, mass-merchandisers and convenience-stores are growing, representing a potential US public health concern. PMID:26437868

  5. On-site characterisation, re-packaging and transport of luminised, former aircraft escape hatches

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

    Reeves, Nigel; John, Gordon; Beadle, Ian

    2007-07-01

    AMEC NNC, under contract to the UK Environment Agency, recovered a number of redundant aircraft hatches from an insecure location in North Wales. The Environment Agency instigated emergency action under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA93), to recover the hatches. Section 30(1) of RSA93 gives the Environment Agency powers to dispose of radioactive waste where it is unlikely the waste will be lawfully disposed of. Funding for this project was provided by the UK Government, within the Surplus Source Disposal Programme. The Environment Agency worked closely with partner regulatory organisations including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Department formore » Transport (DfT) and the Local Authority to ensure the safe packaging, removal and transport of the material to a part-shielded store pending final disposal. The project comprised a number of technical difficulties that needed to be overcome. These included poor existing characterisation of the waste, insecure premises requiring daily lock-down, construction of a temporary containment facility with associated filtered extract and the inclement weather. AMEC NNC's initial risk assessment identified the likelihood of high levels of loose, airborne radiological material. In order to provide adequate protection for personnel, and to prevent the spread of any radioactive contamination, the decision was made to implement radiological containment and to equip contractors with appropriate RPE (Respiratory Protective Equipment). Accurate characterisation of the radiological nature of the material was a crucial objective within the project. This was in order to correctly identify the Proper Shipping Name for consignment for transport, and to ensure that suitable transport containers were used. The packaged wastes were then transported to a secure location for temporary storage prior to final disposal. An innovative route was identified for processing of this material. Beneficial recycling and re-use within

  6. Seal welded cast iron nuclear waste container

    DOEpatents

    Filippi, Arthur M.; Sprecace, Richard P.

    1987-01-01

    This invention identifies methods and articles designed to circumvent metallurgical problems associated with hermetically closing an all cast iron nuclear waste package by welding. It involves welding nickel-carbon alloy inserts which are bonded to the mating plug and main body components of the package. The welding inserts might be bonded in place during casting of the package components. When the waste package closure weld is made, the most severe thermal effects of the process are restricted to the nickel-carbon insert material which is far better able to accommodate them than is cast iron. Use of nickel-carbon weld inserts should eliminate any need for pre-weld and post-weld heat treatments which are a problem to apply to nuclear waste packages. Although the waste package closure weld approach described results in a dissimilar metal combination, the relative surface area of nickel-to-iron, their electrochemical relationship, and the presence of graphite in both materials will act to prevent any galvanic corrosion problem.

  7. Leveraging Available Data to Support Extension of Transportation Packages Service Life

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

    Dunn, K.; Abramczyk, G.; Bellamy, S.

    Data obtained from testing shipping package materials have been leveraged to support extending the service life of select shipping packages while in nuclear materials transportation. Increasingly, nuclear material inventories are being transferred to an interim storage location where they will reside for extended periods of time. Use of a shipping package to store nuclear materials in an interim storage location has become more attractive for a variety of reasons. Shipping packages are robust and have a qualified pedigree for their performance in normal operation and accident conditions within the approved shipment period and storing nuclear material within a shipping packagemore » results in reduced operations for the storage facility. However, the shipping package materials of construction must maintain a level of integrity as specified by the safety basis of the storage facility through the duration of the storage period, which is typically well beyond the one year transportation window. Test programs have been established to obtain aging data on materials of construction that are the most sensitive/susceptible to aging in certain shipping package designs. The collective data are being used to support extending the service life of shipping packages in both transportation and storage.« less

  8. Excess Weapons Plutonium Disposition: Plutonium Packaging, Storage and Transportation and Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Activities

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

    Jardine, L J; Borisov, G B

    2004-07-21

    A fifth annual Excess Weapons Plutonium Disposition meeting organized by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was held February 16-18, 2004, at the State Education Center (SEC), 4 Aerodromnya Drive, St. Petersburg, Russia. The meeting discussed Excess Weapons Plutonium Disposition topics for which LLNL has the US Technical Lead Organization responsibilities. The technical areas discussed included Radioactive Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal, Plutonium Oxide and Plutonium Metal Packaging, Storage and Transportation and Spent Fuel Packaging, Storage and Transportation. The meeting was conducted with a conference format using technical presentations of papers with simultaneous translation into English and Russian. There were 46more » Russian attendees from 14 different Russian organizations and six non-Russian attendees, four from the US and two from France. Forty technical presentations were made. The meeting agenda is given in Appendix B and the attendance list is in Appendix C.« less

  9. Price promotions for food and beverage products in a nationwide sample of food stores.

    PubMed

    Powell, Lisa M; Kumanyika, Shiriki K; Isgor, Zeynep; Rimkus, Leah; Zenk, Shannon N; Chaloupka, Frank J

    2016-05-01

    Food and beverage price promotions may be potential targets for public health initiatives but have not been well documented. We assessed prevalence and patterns of price promotions for food and beverage products in a nationwide sample of food stores by store type, product package size, and product healthfulness. We also assessed associations of price promotions with community characteristics and product prices. In-store data collected in 2010-2012 from 8959 food stores in 468 communities spanning 46 U.S. states were used. Differences in the prevalence of price promotions were tested across stores types, product varieties, and product package sizes. Multivariable regression analyses examined associations of presence of price promotions with community racial/ethnic and socioeconomic characteristics and with product prices. The prevalence of price promotions across all 44 products sampled was, on average, 13.4% in supermarkets (ranging from 9.1% for fresh fruits and vegetables to 18.2% for sugar-sweetened beverages), 4.5% in grocery stores (ranging from 2.5% for milk to 6.6% for breads and cereals), and 2.6% in limited service stores (ranging from 1.2% for fresh fruits and vegetables to 4.1% for breads and cereals). No differences were observed by community characteristics. Less-healthy versus more-healthy product varieties and larger versus smaller product package sizes generally had a higher prevalence of price promotion, particularly in supermarkets. On average, in supermarkets, price promotions were associated with 15.2% lower prices. The observed patterns of price promotions warrant more attention in public health food environment research and intervention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Solid Waste Reduction--A Hands-on Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wiessinger, Diane

    1991-01-01

    This lesson plan uses grocery shopping to demonstrate the importance of source reduction in the handling of solid waste problems. Students consider different priorities in shopping (convenience, packaging, and waste reduction) and draw conclusions about the relationship between packaging techniques and solid waste problems. (MCO)

  11. Correlates of in-store promotions for beer: differential effects of market and product characteristics.

    PubMed

    Bray, Jeremy W; Loomis, Brett; Engelen, Mark

    2007-03-01

    We estimated the strength and direction of the association between product characteristics (beer type, package size, and brand name) and market-area socioeconomic characteristics, and promoted sales of beer in grocery stores. Supermarket scanner data from 64 market areas across the United States over 5 years were used to estimate regression models of the share of beer sales that are promoted, controlling for beer price, packaging, and type; and for market-level age, race/ethnicity, income, unemployment rate, and percentage of the population living in an alcohol control state. Large-volume units, such as 144-oz and 288-oz packages, are more likely to be promoted than smaller package sizes. Malt-liquor beverages are less likely to be promoted than non-malt-liquor beverages. Age, race/ethnicity, income, and geographic location of the market area are not significantly related to promoted beer sales. Marketing research has shown that in-store merchandising and promotions can substantially increase beer sales and that purchasing large package sizes may increase total consumption. Our results suggest that high levels of promoted sales for large-volume beer packages may result in increased beer consumption.

  12. K-Basins Sludge Treatment and Packaging at the Hanford Site - 13585

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

    Fogwell, Thomas W.; Honeyman, James O.; Stegen, Gary

    Highly radioactive sludge resulting from the storage of degraded spent nuclear fuel has been consolidated in Engineered Containers (ECs) in the 105-K West Storage Basin located on the Hanford site near the Columbia River in Washington State. CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) is proceeding with a project to retrieve the sludge, place it in Sludge Transport and Storage Containers (STSCs) and store those filled containers within the T Plant Canyon facility on the Hanford Site Central Plateau (Phase 1). Retrieval and transfer of the sludge material will enable removal of the 105-K West Basin and allow remediation of themore » subsurface contamination plumes under the basin. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to treat and dispose of this K Basins sludge (Phase 2) as Remote Handled Transuranic Waste (RH TRU) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located in New Mexico. The K Basin sludge currently contains uranium metal which reacts with water present in the stored slurry, generating hydrogen and other byproducts. The established transportation and disposal requirements require the transformation of the K Basins sludge to a chemically stable, liquid-free, packaged waste form. The Treatment and Packaging Project includes removal of the containerised sludge from T Plant, the treatment of the sludge as required, and packaging of all the sludge into a form that is certifiable for transportation to and disposal at WIPP. Completion of this scope will require construction and operation of a Sludge Treatment and Packaging Facility (STPF), which could be either a completely new facility or a modification of an existing Hanford Site facility. A Technology Evaluation and Alternatives Analysis (TEAA) for the STP Phase 2 was completed in 2011. A Request for Technology Information (RFI) had been issued in October 2009 to solicit candidate technologies for use in Phase 2. The RFI also included a preliminary definition of Phase 2 functions and requirements

  13. Optimal segmentation and packaging process

    DOEpatents

    Kostelnik, Kevin M.; Meservey, Richard H.; Landon, Mark D.

    1999-01-01

    A process for improving packaging efficiency uses three dimensional, computer simulated models with various optimization algorithms to determine the optimal segmentation process and packaging configurations based on constraints including container limitations. The present invention is applied to a process for decontaminating, decommissioning (D&D), and remediating a nuclear facility involving the segmentation and packaging of contaminated items in waste containers in order to minimize the number of cuts, maximize packaging density, and reduce worker radiation exposure. A three-dimensional, computer simulated, facility model of the contaminated items are created. The contaminated items are differentiated. The optimal location, orientation and sequence of the segmentation and packaging of the contaminated items is determined using the simulated model, the algorithms, and various constraints including container limitations. The cut locations and orientations are transposed to the simulated model. The contaminated items are actually segmented and packaged. The segmentation and packaging may be simulated beforehand. In addition, the contaminated items may be cataloged and recorded.

  14. Optimal segmentation and packaging process

    DOEpatents

    Kostelnik, K.M.; Meservey, R.H.; Landon, M.D.

    1999-08-10

    A process for improving packaging efficiency uses three dimensional, computer simulated models with various optimization algorithms to determine the optimal segmentation process and packaging configurations based on constraints including container limitations. The present invention is applied to a process for decontaminating, decommissioning (D and D), and remediating a nuclear facility involving the segmentation and packaging of contaminated items in waste containers in order to minimize the number of cuts, maximize packaging density, and reduce worker radiation exposure. A three-dimensional, computer simulated, facility model of the contaminated items are created. The contaminated items are differentiated. The optimal location, orientation and sequence of the segmentation and packaging of the contaminated items is determined using the simulated model, the algorithms, and various constraints including container limitations. The cut locations and orientations are transposed to the simulated model. The contaminated items are actually segmented and packaged. The segmentation and packaging may be simulated beforehand. In addition, the contaminated items may be cataloged and recorded. 3 figs.

  15. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on quality and shelf life of 'Robusta' banana (Musa sp.) stored at low temperature.

    PubMed

    Kudachikar, V B; Kulkarni, S G; Prakash, M N Keshava

    2011-06-01

    Banana (Musa sp var. 'Robusta') stored under active and passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 12 ± 1°C and 85-90% RH for 2 seasons were evaluated for fruit quality and shelf-life. A steady state of about 8.6 and 8.2% of CO2 and 2.8 and 2.6% of O2 in passive MAP and MAP+GK (Green Keeper) packages, respectively, were established after 3 weeks of storage. Passive MAP and MAP+GK treatments of banana resulted in reduction in physiological loss in weight (PLW) of 0.7 and 0.8% after 5 and 7 weeks of storage, respectively as against 5% PLW in openly kept green banana after 3 weeks. Both MAP and MAP+GK treatments delayed colour, texture, pulp to peel ratio and total soluble solids (TSS) content as compared to openly kept control banana. Results indicated that the shelf life of fruits packed under MAP and MAP+GK could be extended up to 5 and 7 weeks, respectively as compared to 3 weeks for openly kept control fruits. Sensory quality of fully ripe fruits of both passive MAP and MAP+GK treatments, 5 days after ethrel dip was very good. Thus, MAP+GK at 12 ± 1°C and 85-90% RH could be commercially used for long term storage and long distance transportation of banana with maximum shelf-life of 7 weeks.

  16. Device Stores and Discharges Metered Fluid

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooper, S. L.; Setzer, D.

    1983-01-01

    Hand-held container accepts measured amount of liquid from pressurized supply. Supply pressure drives spring-loaded piston that stores enough mechanical energy to discharge measured liquid into another container. Original application of container was to rehydrate sterilized pre-packaged food in zerogravity environment of space vehicles. Possible terrestrial applicatios include dispensing of toxic fluids or metering of fluids for household, commercial or laboratory uses.

  17. Child-oriented marketing techniques in snack food packages in Guatemala.

    PubMed

    Chacon, Violeta; Letona, Paola; Barnoya, Joaquin

    2013-10-18

    Childhood overweight in Guatemala is now becoming a public health concern. Child-oriented marketing contributes to increase children's food preference, purchase and consumption. This study sought to assess the availability of child-oriented snack foods sold in school kiosks and convenience stores near public schools in Guatemala, to identify the marketing techniques used in child-oriented snack food packages and to classify the snacks as "healthy" or "less-healthy". We purchased all child-oriented snacks found in stores inside and within 200 square meters from four schools in an urban community. Snacks were classified as child-oriented if the package had any promotional characters, premium offers, children's television/movie tie-ins, sports references, or the word "child". We used a checklist to assess child-oriented references and price. Snacks were classified as "healthy" or "less-healthy" according to the UK standards for the Nutritional Profiling Model. We analyzed 106 packages found in 55 stores. The most commonly used technique was promotional characters (92.5%) of which 32.7% were brand-specific characters. Premium offers were found in 34% of packages and were mostly collectibles (50%). Most marketing techniques were located on the front and covered nearly 25% of the package surface. Median (interquartile range) price was US$ 0.19 (0.25). Nutrition labels were found in 91 (86%) packages and 41% had a nutrition related health claim. Most snacks (97.1%) were classified as "less-healthy". In Guatemala, the food industry targets children through several marketing techniques promoting inexpensive and unhealthy snacks in the school environment. Evidence-based policies restricting the use of promotional characters in unhealthy snack food packages need to be explored as a contributing strategy to control the obesity epidemic.

  18. Child-oriented marketing techniques in snack food packages in Guatemala

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Childhood overweight in Guatemala is now becoming a public health concern. Child-oriented marketing contributes to increase children’s food preference, purchase and consumption. This study sought to assess the availability of child-oriented snack foods sold in school kiosks and convenience stores near public schools in Guatemala, to identify the marketing techniques used in child-oriented snack food packages and to classify the snacks as “healthy” or “less-healthy”. Methods We purchased all child-oriented snacks found in stores inside and within 200 square meters from four schools in an urban community. Snacks were classified as child-oriented if the package had any promotional characters, premium offers, children′s television/movie tie-ins, sports references, or the word “child”. We used a checklist to assess child-oriented references and price. Snacks were classified as “healthy” or “less-healthy” according to the UK standards for the Nutritional Profiling Model. Results We analyzed 106 packages found in 55 stores. The most commonly used technique was promotional characters (92.5%) of which 32.7% were brand-specific characters. Premium offers were found in 34% of packages and were mostly collectibles (50%). Most marketing techniques were located on the front and covered nearly 25% of the package surface. Median (interquartile range) price was US$ 0.19 (0.25). Nutrition labels were found in 91 (86%) packages and 41% had a nutrition related health claim. Most snacks (97.1%) were classified as “less-healthy”. Conclusion In Guatemala, the food industry targets children through several marketing techniques promoting inexpensive and unhealthy snacks in the school environment. Evidence-based policies restricting the use of promotional characters in unhealthy snack food packages need to be explored as a contributing strategy to control the obesity epidemic. PMID:24139325

  19. DESIGN ANALYSIS FOR THE DEFENSE HIGH-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL CONTAINER

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

    G. Radulesscu; J.S. Tang

    The purpose of ''Design Analysis for the Defense High-Level Waste Disposal Container'' analysis is to technically define the defense high-level waste (DHLW) disposal container/waste package using the Waste Package Department's (WPD) design methods, as documented in ''Waste Package Design Methodology Report'' (CRWMS M&O [Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor] 2000a). The DHLW disposal container is intended for disposal of commercial high-level waste (HLW) and DHLW (including immobilized plutonium waste forms), placed within disposable canisters. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-managed spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in disposable canisters may also be placed in a DHLW disposal container alongmore » with HLW forms. The objective of this analysis is to demonstrate that the DHLW disposal container/waste package satisfies the project requirements, as embodied in Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System Description Document (SDD) (CRWMS M&O 1999a), and additional criteria, as identified in Waste Package Design Sensitivity Report (CRWMS M&Q 2000b, Table 4). The analysis briefly describes the analytical methods appropriate for the design of the DHLW disposal contained waste package, and summarizes the results of the calculations that illustrate the analytical methods. However, the analysis is limited to the calculations selected for the DHLW disposal container in support of the Site Recommendation (SR) (CRWMS M&O 2000b, Section 7). The scope of this analysis is restricted to the design of the codisposal waste package of the Savannah River Site (SRS) DHLW glass canisters and the Training, Research, Isotopes General Atomics (TRIGA) SNF loaded in a short 18-in.-outer diameter (OD) DOE standardized SNF canister. This waste package is representative of the waste packages that consist of the DHLW disposal container, the DHLW/HLW glass canisters, and the DOE-managed SNF in disposable canisters. The intended use of this analysis

  20. Waste Handling and Emplacement Options for Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Deep Boreholes.

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

    Cochran, John R.; Hardin, Ernest

    2015-11-01

    Traditional methods cannot be used to handle and emplace radioactive wastes in boreholes up to 16,400 feet (5 km) deep for disposal. This paper describes three systems that can be used for handling and emplacing waste packages in deep borehole: (1) a 2011 reference design that is based on a previous study by Woodward–Clyde in 1983 in which waste packages are assembled into “strings” and lowered using drill pipe; (2) an updated version of the 2011 reference design; and (3) a new concept in which individual waste packages would be lowered to depth using a wireline. Emplacement on coiled tubingmore » was also considered, but not developed in detail. The systems described here are currently designed for U.S. Department of Energy-owned high-level waste (HLW) including the Cesium- 137/Strontium-90 capsules from the Hanford Facility and bulk granular HLW from fuel processing in Idaho.« less

  1. A testing program to evaluate the effects of simulant mixed wastes on plastic transportation packaging components

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

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

    1997-08-01

    Based on regulatory requirements for Type A and B radioactive material packaging, a Testing Program was developed to evaluate the effects of mixed wastes on plastic materials which could be used as liners and seals in transportation containers. The plastics evaluated in this program were butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (Nitrile rubber), cross-linked polyethylene, epichlorohydrin, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), fluorocarbons, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), butyl rubber, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). These plastics were first screened in four simulant mixed wastes. The liner materials were screened using specific gravity measurements and seal materials by vapor transport rate (VTR) measurements. For the screening of linermore » materials, Kel-F, HDPE, and XLPE were found to offer the greatest resistance to the combination of radiation and chemicals. The tests also indicated 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 waste, none of the seal materials met the screening criteria. Those materials which passed the screening tests were subjected to further comprehensive testing in each of the simulant wastes. The materials were exposed to four different radiation doses followed by exposure to a simulant mixed waste at three temperatures and four different exposure times (7, 14, 28, 180 days). Materials were tested by measuring specific gravity, dimensional, hardness, stress cracking, VTR, compression set, and tensile properties. The second phase of this Testing Program involving the comprehensive testing of plastic liner has been completed and for seal materials is currently in progress.« less

  2. On the Rocks: Microbiological Quality and Microbial Diversity of Packaged Ice in Southern California.

    PubMed

    Lee, Kun Ho; Ab Samad, Liana S; Lwin, Phillip M; Riedel, Stefan F; Magin, Ashley; Bashir, Mina; Vaishampayan, Parag A; Lin, Wei-Jen

    2017-06-01

    Ice is defined as a food and is frequently used in direct contact with food and beverages. Packaged ice is commercially produced and can be easily found in grocery and convenience stores. However, the quality and safety of packaged ice products is not consistent. The Packaged Ice Quality Control Standards manual (PIQCS) published by the International Packaged Ice Association provides the quality and processing standards for packaged ice produced by its members. Packaged ice produced on the premise of stores (on-site packaged ice) is not required to be in compliance with these standards. In this study, packaged ice produced by manufacturing plants or by in-store bagger (ISB) machines and on-site packaged ice were compared for their microbiological quality and microbial diversity. Our results revealed that 19% of the 120 on-site packaged ice samples did not meet the PIQCS microbial limit of 500 CFU/mL (or g) and also the absence of coliforms and Escherichia coli . Staphylococci were found in 34% of the on-site packaged ice samples, most likely through contamination from the packaging workers. None of the ISB and manufactured packaged ice samples had unacceptable microbial levels, and all were devoid of staphylococci. Salmonella was absent in all samples analyzed in this study. Microbial community analysis of ice based on 16S/18S rRNA targeted sequencing revealed a much higher microbial diversity and abundance in the on-site packaged ice than in the ISB ice. Proteobacteria, especially Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, were the dominant bacterial groups in all samples tested. Most of these bacteria were oligotrophic; however, a few opportunistic or potential pathogens were found at low levels in the on-site packaged ice but not in the ISB packaged ice. The types of microbes identified may provide information needed to investigate potential sources of contamination. Our data also suggest a need for enforcement of processing standards during the on

  3. Modular vaccine packaging increases packing efficiency

    PubMed Central

    Norman, Bryan A.; Rajgopal, Jayant; Lim, Jung; Gorham, Katrin; Haidari, Leila; Brown, Shawn T.; Lee, Bruce Y.

    2015-01-01

    Background Within a typical vaccine supply chain, vaccines are packaged into individual cylindrical vials (each containing one or more doses) that are bundled together in rectangular “inner packs” for transport via even larger groupings such as cold boxes and vaccine carriers. The variability of vaccine inner pack and vial size may hinder efficient vaccine distribution because it constrains packing of cold boxes and vaccine carriers to quantities that are often inappropriate or suboptimal in the context of country-specific vaccination guidelines. Methods We developed in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) a spreadsheet model that evaluated the impact of different packing schemes for the Benin routine regimen plus the introduction of the Rotarix vaccine. Specifically, we used the model to compare the current packing scheme to that of a proposed modular packing scheme. Results Conventional packing of a Dometic RCW25 that aims to maximize fully-immunized children (FICs) results in 123 FICs and a packing efficiency of 81.93% compared to a maximum of 155 FICs and 94.1% efficiency for an alternative modular packaging system. Conclusions Our analysis suggests that modular packaging systems could offer significant advantages over conventional vaccine packaging systems with respect to space efficiency and potential FICs, when they are stored in standard vaccine carrying devices. This allows for more vaccines to be stored within the same volume while also simplifying the procedures used by field workers to pack storage devices. Ultimately, modular packaging systems could be a simple way to help increase vaccine coverage worldwide. PMID:25957666

  4. Obstruction of critical information on over-the-counter medication packages by external tags.

    PubMed

    Sansgiry, Sujit S; Pawaskar, Manjiri D

    2005-02-01

    Over-the-counter (OTC) medication packages are important sources of information for consumers during product selection and use. Consumers may not be able to access information from OTC packages if external tags, namely price or anti-theft tags, are improperly placed. To determine the amount and type of information concealed by anti-theft tags and price tags affixed on OTC drug packages. A field study was performed by evaluating packages containing acetaminophen and combinations of acetaminophen in stores located in Houston. Five packages for 4 products selected from each store after an initial survey for presence of an external tag were examined. A data collection sheet was prepared that extracted the type and amount of information concealed by these tags. Data were analyzed by performing descriptive analyses to provide an understanding of the information obscured. A total of 24 stores were considered in the study, and 67 products and 285 packages were evaluated. External tags, both anti-theft and price tags, obscured significant amounts of information on the principal display panel (53.4%) and the Drug Facts panel (47.7%) of OTC packages. These tags concealed crucial information on various aspects of labels such as brand names (42.3%), product description (36.3%), warnings (51.5%), uses (10.4%), and purposes (7.2%). Results suggest that improper use of external tags clearly obscured important information on OTC medication packages necessary for consumers to make informed decisions regarding product selection and use. Tagging practices should be altered to allow consumers full access to drug information on the product.

  5. Tobacco advertising in retail stores.

    PubMed

    Cummings, K M; Sciandra, R; Lawrence, J

    1991-01-01

    Recent studies have described tobacco advertising in the print media, on billboards, and through sponsorship of cultural and sporting events. However, little attention has been given to another common and unavoidable source of tobacco advertising, that which is encountered in retail stores. In July 1987, we conducted a survey of 61 packaged goods retail stores in Buffalo, NY, to assess the prevalence and type of point-of-sale tobacco advertising. In addition, store owners or managers were surveyed to determine their store's policy regarding tobacco advertising, receipt of monetary incentives from distributors for displaying tobacco ads, and willingness to display antitobacco ads. Six types of stores were involved in the study: 10 supermarkets, 10 privately owned grocery stores, 9 chain convenience food stores that do not sell gasoline, 11 chain convenience food stores that sell gasoline, 11 chain pharmacies, and 10 private pharmacies. Two-thirds of the stores displayed tobacco posters, and 87 percent had promotional items advertising tobacco products, primarily cigarettes. Larger stores, and those that were privately owned, tended to display more posters and promotional items. Eighty percent of tobacco product displays were for cigarettes, 16 percent for smokeless tobacco products, and 4 percent for cigars and pipe tobacco. Convenience stores selling gasoline had the most separate tobacco product displays. Of tobacco product displays, 24 percent were located adjacent to candy and snack displays. Twenty-nine of the 61 store owners or managers indicated that their store had a policy regulating the display of tobacco ads and tobacco product displays. Policies dealt primarily with the location of tobacco posters (for example, no ads in the window) and number of product displays. Only 14 shop owners or managers indicated that they had previously displayed antitobacco information; more than half (31 of 61) said that they would be willing to display antitobaccoads.In many

  6. Method for storing radioactive combustible waste

    DOEpatents

    Godbee, H.W.; Lovelace, R.C.

    1973-10-01

    A method is described for preventing pressure buildup in sealed containers which contain radioactively contaminated combustible waste material by adding an oxide getter material to the container so as to chemically bind sorbed water and combustion product gases. (Official Gazette)

  7. Reduction of Salmonella on chicken breast fillets stored under aerobic or modified atmosphere packaging by the application of lytic bacteriophage preparation SalmoFreshTM.

    PubMed

    Sukumaran, Anuraj T; Nannapaneni, Rama; Kiess, Aaron; Sharma, Chander Shekhar

    2016-03-01

    The present study evaluated the efficacy of recently approved Salmonella lytic bacteriophage preparation (SalmoFresh™) in reducing Salmonella on chicken breast fillets, as a surface and dip application. The effectiveness of phage in combination with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and the ability of phage preparation in reducing Salmonella on chicken breast fillets at room temperature was also evaluated. Chicken breast fillets inoculated with a cocktail of Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Heidelberg, and S. Enteritidis were treated with bacteriophage (10(9) PFU/mL) as either a dip or surface treatment. The dip-treated samples were stored at 4°C aerobically and the surface-treated samples were stored under aerobic and MAP conditions (95% CO2/5% O2) at 4°C for 7 d. Immersion of Salmonella-inoculated chicken breast fillets in bacteriophage solution reduced Salmonella (P < 0.05) by 0.7 and 0.9 log CFU/g on d 0 and d 1 of storage, respectively. Surface treatment with phage significantly (P < 0.05) reduced Salmonella by 0.8, 0.8, and 1 log CFU/g on d 0, 1, and 7 of storage, respectively, under aerobic conditions. Higher reductions in Salmonella counts were achieved on chicken breast fillets when the samples were surface treated with phage and stored under MAP conditions. The Salmonella counts were reduced by 1.2, 1.1, and 1.2 log CFU/g on d 0, 1, and 7 of storage, respectively. Bacteriophage surface application on chicken breast fillets stored at room temperature reduced the Salmonella counts by 0.8, 0.9, and 0.4 log CFU/g after 0, 4, and 8 h, respectively, compared to the untreated positive control. These findings indicate that lytic phage preparation was effective in reducing Salmonella on chicken breast fillets stored under aerobic and modified atmosphere conditions. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  8. Hanford solid-waste handling facility strategy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albaugh, J. F.

    1982-05-01

    Prior to 1970, transuranic (TRU) solid waste was disposed of at Hanford by shallow land burial. Since 1970, TRU solid waste has been stored in near surface trenches designed to facilitate retrieval after twenty year storage period. Current strategy calls for final disposal in a geologic repository. Funding permitting, in 1983, certification of newly generated TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) criteria for geologic disposal will be initiated. Certified and uncertified waste will continue to be stored at Hanford in retrievable storage until a firm schedule for shipment to WIPP is developed. Previously stored wastes retrieved for geologic disposal and newly generated uncertified waste requires processing to assure compliance with disposal criteria. A facility to perform this function is being developed. A study to determine the requirements of this Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility is currently being conducted.

  9. Waste Management Information System (WMIS) User Guide

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

    R. E. Broz

    2008-12-22

    This document provides the user of the Waste Management Information System (WMIS) instructions on how to use the WMIS software. WMIS allows users to initiate, track, and close waste packages. The modular design supports integration and utilization of data throuh the various stages of waste management. The phases of the waste management work process include generation, designation, packaging, container management, procurement, storage, treatment, transportation, and disposal.

  10. A Description and Analysis of the German Packaging Take-Back System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nakajima, Nina; Vanderburg, Willem H.

    2006-01-01

    The German packaging ordinance is an example of legislated extended producer responsibility (also known as product take-back). Consumers can leave packaging with retailers, and packagers are required to pay for their recycling and disposal. It can be considered to be successful in reducing waste, spurring the redesign of packaging to be more…

  11. Retail lighting and packaging influence consumer acceptance of fluid milk.

    PubMed

    Potts, H L; Amin, K N; Duncan, S E

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about the effect of retail light-emitting diode (LED) exposure on consumer acceptance of milk. The study objective was to determine effects of fluorescent and LED lighting under retail storage conditions on consumer acceptance of milk. Consumer acceptance of milk stored under retail conditions was determined through sensory evaluation (2 studies; n=150+ each) and analytical measures (dissolved oxygen, secondary oxidation products, riboflavin retention). Study 1 evaluated milk stored in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packages for 4h under LED light (960 lx). Commercially available HDPE package treatments included translucent HDPE (most commonly used), white HDPE [low concentration (1.3%) TiO 2 ], and yellow HDPE; in addition, HDPE with a higher TiO 2 concentration (high white; 4.9% TiO 2 ) and a foil-wrapped translucent HDPE (control) were tested. Translucent and control packages also were tested under fluorescent light. Study 2 evaluated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages for 4h under fluorescent and LED light (1,460 lx). The PET packaging included 2 treatments (medium, 4.0% TiO 2 ; high, 6.6% TiO 2 ) as well as translucent HDPE (exposed to fluorescent), clear PET (fluorescent and LED), and light-protected control. Overall mean acceptability of milk ranged from "like slightly" to "like moderately" with significantly lower acceptability for milk exposed to fluorescent light. Milk in HDPE and PET packages had comparable overall acceptability scores when exposed to LED light. Only the fluorescent light condition (both PET and HDPE) diminished overall acceptability. Fluorescent light exposure negatively influenced flavor with significant penalty (2.0-2.5 integers) to overall acceptability of milk in translucent HDPE and clear PET. The LED also diminished aftertaste of milk packaged in translucent HDPE. Changes in dissolved oxygen content, as an indication of oxidation, supported the observed differences in consumer acceptance of milk stored

  12. Cleanup Verification Package for the 618-2 Burial Ground

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

    W. S. Thompson

    2006-12-28

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 618-2 Burial Ground, also referred to as Solid Waste Burial Ground No. 2; Burial Ground No. 2; 318-2; and Dry Waste Burial Site No. 2. This waste site was used primarily for the disposal of contaminated equipment, materials and laboratory waste from the 300 Area Facilities.

  13. RH Packaging Program Guidance

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

    Washington TRU Solutions LLC

    The purpose of this program guidance document is to provide the technical requirements for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of the RH-TRU 72-B Waste Shipping Package (also known as the "RH-TRU 72-B cask") and directly related components. This document complies with the requirements as specified in the RH-TRU 72-B Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9212. If there is a conflict between this document and the SARP and/or C of C, the C of C shall govern. The C of C states: "...each package must be prepared for shipmentmore » and operated in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 7.0, Operating Procedures, of the application." It further states: "...each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the Application." Chapter 9.0 of the SARP tasks the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Management and Operating (M&O) Contractor with assuring the packaging is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. Because the packaging is NRC-approved, users need to be familiar with Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §71.8, "Deliberate Misconduct." Any time a user suspects or has indications that the conditions of approval in the C of C were not met, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) shall be notified immediately. The CBFO will evaluate the issue and notify the NRC if required.In accordance with 10 CFR Part 71, "Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material," certificate holders, packaging users, and contractors or subcontractors who use, design, fabricate, test, maintain, or modify the packaging shall post copies of (1) 10 CFR Part 21, "Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance," regulations, (2) Section 206 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and (3) NRC Form 3, Notice to Employees. These documents must be posted in a

  14. RH Packaging Program Guidance

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

    Washington TRU Solutions LLC

    The purpose of this program guidance document is to provide the technical requirements for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of the RH-TRU 72-B Waste Shipping Package and directly related components. This document complies with the requirements as specified in the RH-TRU 72-B Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9212. If there is a conflict between this document and the SARP and/or C of C, the C of C shall govern. The C of C states: "...each package must be prepared for shipment and operated in accordance with the proceduresmore » described in Chapter 7.0, Operating Procedures, of the application." It further states: "...each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the Application." Chapter 9.0 of the SARP tasks the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Management and Operating (M&O) Contractor with assuring the packaging is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. Because the packaging is NRC-approved, users need to be familiar with 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §71.8, "Deliberate Misconduct." Any time a user suspects or has indications that the conditions of approval in the C of C were not met, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) shall be notified immediately. CBFO will evaluate the issue and notify the NRC if required. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 71, "Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material," certificate holders, packaging users, and contractors or subcontractors who use, design, fabricate, test, maintain, or modify the packaging shall post copies of (1) 10 CFR Part 21, "Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance," regulations, (2) Section 206 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and (3) NRC Form 3, Notice to Employees. These documents must be posted in a conspicuous location where the activities subject

  15. Convenience stores and the marketing of foods and beverages through product assortment.

    PubMed

    Sharkey, Joseph R; Dean, Wesley R; Nalty, Courtney

    2012-09-01

    Product assortment (presence and variety) is a key in-store marketing strategy to influence consumer choice. Quantifying the product assortment of healthier and less-healthy foods and beverages in convenience stores can inform changes in the food environment. To document product assortment (i.e., presence and variety of specific foods and beverages) in convenience stores. Observational survey data were collected onsite in 2011 by trained promotora-researchers in 192 convenience stores. Frequencies of presence and distributions of variety were calculated in 2012. Paired differences were examined using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Convenience stores displayed a large product assortment of sugar-sweetened beverages (median 86.5 unique varieties); candy (76 varieties); salty snacks (77 varieties); fried chips (44 varieties); cookies and pastries (19 varieties); and frozen sweets (21 varieties). This compared with 17 varieties of non-sugar sweetened beverages and three varieties of baked chips. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test confirmed a (p<0.001) greater variety of sugar-sweetened than non-sugar-sweetened beverages, and of fried chips compared with baked chips. Basic food items provided by convenience stores included milk (84% of stores); fresh fruit (33%); fresh vegetables (35%); canned vegetables (78%); white bread (71%); and deli-style packaged meat (57%). Healthier versions of milk, canned fruit, canned tuna, bread, and deli-style packaged meat were displayed in 17%-71% of convenience stores. Convenience stores in this area provide a greater assortment of less-healthy compared with healthier foods and beverages. There are opportunities to influence consumer food choice through programs that alter the balance between healthier and less-healthy foods and beverages in existing convenience stores that serve rural and underserved neighborhoods and communities. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

  16. Measurement of radionuclides in waste packages

    DOEpatents

    Brodzinski, R.L.; Perkins, R.W.; Rieck, H.G.; Wogman, N.A.

    1984-09-12

    A method is described for non-destructively assaying the radionuclide content of solid waste in a sealed container by analysis of the waste's gamma-ray spectrum and neutron emissions. Some radionuclides are measured by characteristic photopeaks in the gamma-ray spectrum; transuranic nuclides are measured by neutron emission rate; other radionuclides are measured by correlation with those already measured.

  17. Measurement of radionuclides in waste packages

    DOEpatents

    Brodzinski, Ronald L.; Perkins, Richard W.; Rieck, Henry G.; Wogman, Ned A.

    1986-01-01

    A method is described for non-destructively assaying the radionuclide content of solid waste in a sealed container by analysis of the waste's gamma-ray spectrum and neutron emissions. Some radionuclides are measured by characteristic photopeaks in the gamma-ray spectrum; transuranic nuclides are measured by neutron emission rate; other radionuclides are measured by correlation with those already measured.

  18. Microbiological quality of cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) fillets stored in dry and wet ice.

    PubMed

    Jeyasekaran, G; Jeya Shakila, R; Sukumar, D

    2012-10-01

    Microbiological quality of cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) fillets stored in three different ice conditions was studied. Fillets stored in wet ice at a ratio of 1:1 (package III) were sensorially acceptable for only 18 h, while that stored in dry ice at 1:1 (package I) and combination of dry ice and wet ice at 1:0.2:0.5 (package II) were in acceptable condition up to 24 h without re-icing and thus there was an extension of shelf life by about 33%. Total bacterial load was 7 log₁₀ cfu/g at the end of the storage period. Total psychrophilic population increased from zero to 7 log₁₀ cfu/g while total lactic acid bacteria from zero to 5 log₁₀ cfu/g. H₂S producers were detected only at 18 h, with a count of 1 log₁₀ cfu/g. Sulphite-reducing Clostridia increased gradually from zero to 110 most probable number count/g. Fresh cuttlefish fillets carried a bacterial flora of Micrococcus, Planococcus, Streptococcus, Moraxella, Proteus and Aeromonas. Pseudomonas was dominant in wet ice pack, while Aeromonas was dominant in both the dry ice and combination pack. Immediately after packing, the temperatures recorded in packages I, II and III were 10.5, 1.2 and 3.0 °C, respectively, which drastically decreased in 1 h and then maintained and finally increased gradually. The results indicate that use of combination of dry ice and wet ice is economical and very much useful to seafood industries, as this package considerably reduced the cost of air freight, as well as improved the quality and shelf life of cuttlefish.

  19. Estimating population food and nutrient exposure: a comparison of store survey data with household panel food purchases.

    PubMed

    Eyles, Helen; Neal, Bruce; Jiang, Yannan; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

    2016-05-28

    Population exposure to food and nutrients can be estimated from household food purchases, but store surveys of foods and their composition are more available, less costly and might provide similar information. Our aim was to compare estimates of nutrient exposure from a store survey of packaged food with those from household panel food purchases. A cross-sectional store survey of all packaged foods for sale in two major supermarkets was undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand, between February and May 2012. Longitudinal household food purchase data (November 2011 to October 2012) were obtained from the nationally representative, population-weighted New Zealand Nielsen HomeScan® panel. Data on 8440 packaged food and non-alcoholic beverage products were collected in the store survey. Food purchase data were available for 1229 households and 16 812 products. Store survey data alone produced higher estimates of exposure to Na and sugar compared with estimates from household panel food purchases. The estimated mean difference in exposure to Na was 94 (95 % CI 72, 115) mg/100 g (20 % relative difference; P<0·01), to sugar 1·6 (95 % CI 0·8, 2·5) g/100 g (11 %; P<0·01), to SFA -0·3 (95 % CI -0·8, 0·3) g/100 g (6 %; P=0·3) and to energy -18 (-71, 35) kJ/100 g (2 %; P=0·51). Compared with household panel food purchases, store survey data provided a reasonable estimate of average population exposure to key nutrients from packaged foods. However, caution should be exercised in using such data to estimate population exposure to Na and sugar and in generalising these findings to other countries, as well as over time.

  20. Using Task Clarification, Checklists and Performance Feedback To Improve the Appearance of a Grocery Store.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shier, Leslie; Rae, Christen; Austin, John

    2003-01-01

    An intervention package of task clarification, checklists, and posted performance feedback was developed to increase completion of tasks contributing to the appearance of a local grocery store. The package was based on an informal diagnostic assessment that examined antecedents, equipment and processes, knowledge and skills, and consequences in…

  1. Positive influence of the revised Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children food packages on access to healthy foods.

    PubMed

    Andreyeva, Tatiana; Luedicke, Joerg; Middleton, Ann E; Long, Michael W; Schwartz, Marlene B

    2012-06-01

    The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has important potential for preventing diet-related disease in low-income children. WIC food packages were recently revised to offer foods that better reflect dietary recommendations for Americans. This article reports on how implementation of the new healthier WIC food packages affected access of low-income populations to healthy foods (eg, whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and lower-fat milk). A pre-post store inventory was completed using a standardized instrument to assess availability, variety, quality and prices of WIC-approved foods (65 food items). Stores were assessed before (spring 2009) and shortly after the new WIC package implementation (spring 2010). All convenience stores and nonchain grocery stores located in five towns of Connecticut (N=252), including 33 WIC-authorized stores and 219 non-WIC stores. The healthy food supply score was constructed to summarize postrevision changes in availability, variety, prices of healthy foods, and produce quality. The effect of the WIC food package revisions was measured by differential changes in the scores for stores authorized to accept WIC benefits and stores not participating in WIC, including differences by neighborhood income. Multivariate multilevel regression models were estimated. The 2009 introduction of the revised WIC food packages has significantly improved availability and variety of healthy foods in WIC-authorized and (to a smaller degree) non-WIC convenience and grocery stores. The increase in the composite score of healthy food supply varied from 16% in WIC convenience and grocery stores in higher-income neighborhoods to 39% in lower-income areas. Improved availability and variety of whole-grain products were responsible for most of the increase in the composite score of healthy food supply. Designed as cost-neutral changes, the WIC food package revisions have improved access to healthy foods for WIC participants

  2. Comparison of modified atmosphere packaging and vacuum packaging for long period storage of dry-cured ham: effects on colour, texture and microbiological quality.

    PubMed

    García-Esteban, Marta; Ansorena, Diana; Astiasarán, Iciar

    2004-05-01

    Slices of dry-cured hams (Biceps femoris muscle) were stored during 8 weeks under vacuum and modified atmospheres (100% N(2) and a mixture of 20% CO(2) and 80% N(2)) in order to study the modifications on colour, texture and microbial counts during that period. Lightness was found to be more stable when samples were stored with 20% CO(2) and 80% N(2) without statistical differences between vacuum and 100% N(2). A slight whiteness was observed in the vacuum packed samples. Yellowness increased during time in vacuum packed samples, although no differences were found among the three conditions at the end of the study. Redness values were not affected by time or by the packaging system. With regard to texture, values found for all samples were within the normal range for this type of products, although it was observed that modified atmosphere packaging preserved samples better from hardening than vacuum packaging. No safety problems were detected in relation to the microbial quality in any case. In general, no clear differences were found among the three packaging systems for colour, texture and microbial quality in the storage conditions studied.

  3. Packaging, Transportation and Recycling of NPP Condenser Modules - 12262

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

    Polley, G.M.

    2012-07-01

    Perma-Fix was awarded contract from Energy Northwest for the packaging, transportation and disposition of the condenser modules, water boxes and miscellaneous metal, combustibles and water generated during the 2011 condenser replacement outage at the Columbia Generating Station. The work scope was to package the water boxes and condenser modules as they were removed from the facility and transfer them to the Perma-Fix Northwest facility for processing, recycle of metals and disposition. The condenser components were oversized and overweight (the condenser modules weighed ∼102,058 kg [225,000 lb]) which required special equipment for loading and transport. Additional debris waste was packaged inmore » inter-modals and IP-1 boxes for transport. A waste management plan was developed to minimize the generation of virtually any waste requiring landfill disposal. The Perma-Fix Northwest facility was modified to accommodate the ∼15 m [50-ft] long condenser modules and equipment was designed and manufactured to complete the disassembly, decontamination and release survey. The condenser modules are currently undergoing processing for free release to a local metal recycler. Over three millions pounds of metal will be recycled and over 95% of the waste generated during this outage will not require land disposal. There were several elements of this project that needed to be addressed during the preparation for this outage and the subsequent packaging, transportation and processing. - Staffing the project to support 24/7 generation of large components and other wastes. - The design and manufacture of the soft-sided shipping containers for the condenser modules that measured ∼15 m X 4 m X 3 m [50 ft X 13 ft X 10 ft] and weighed ∼102,058 kg [225,000 lbs] - Developing a methodology for loading the modules into the shipping containers. - Obtaining a transport vehicle for the modules. - Designing and modifying the processing facility. - Movement of the modules at the

  4. Circular economy of plastic packaging: Current practice and perspectives in Austria.

    PubMed

    Van Eygen, Emile; Laner, David; Fellner, Johann

    2018-02-01

    Plastics, especially from packaging, have gained increasing attention in waste management, driving many policy initiatives to improve the circularity of these materials in the economy to increase resource efficiency. In this context, the EU has proposed increasing targets to encourage the recycling of (plastic) packaging. To accurately calculate the recycling rates, detailed information on the flows of plastic packaging is needed. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the waste management system for plastic packaging in Austria in 2013 using material flow analysis, taking into account the used product types and the polymer composition. The results show that 300,000 ± 3% t/a (35 kg/cap·a) of waste plastic packaging were produced, mainly composed of large and small films and small hollow bodies, including PET bottles. Correspondingly, the polymer composition of the waste stream was dominated by LDPE (46% ± 6%), PET (19% ± 4%) and PP (14% ± 6%). 58% ± 3% was collected separately, and regarding the final treatment, 26% ± 7% of the total waste stream was recovered as re-granulates, whereas the rest was thermally recovered in waste-to-energy plants (40% ± 3%) and the cement industry (33% ± 6%). The targets set by the EU and Austria were reached comfortably, although to reach the proposed future target major technological steps regarding collection and sorting will be needed. However, the current calculation point of the targets, i.e. on the input side of the recycling plant, is not deemed to be fully in line with the overall objective of the circular economy, namely to keep materials in the economy and prevent losses. It is therefore recommended that the targets be calculated with respect to the actual output of the recycling process, provided that the quality of the output products is maintained, to accurately assess the performance of the waste management system. Copyright © 2017

  5. Freshness maintenance of cherries ready for consumption using convenient, microperforated, bio-based packaging.

    PubMed

    Koutsimanis, Georgios; Harte, Janice; Almenar, Eva

    2015-03-30

    Current consumer demand for high-quality ready-to-eat fresh fruit in convenient bio-based packaging was met utilizing sanitized stem-free sweet cherries and a polylactic acid (PLA) cup with a PLA peelable microperforated lid. The newly developed packaging system was compared with the petroleum-based macroperforated bag currently used for retail. After 27 days of storage at 1 °C, the PLA package maintained the cherry firmness, compared with a 50% reduction of the controls. No fungal decay was detected in the cherries stored in PLA, while the controls were non-marketable after 21 days. The PLA package allowed minimal weight loss (0.8%), compared with a weight loss of approximately 16% in the controls. Differences in the cherry aroma, color, acidity, soluble solids content, pH and quality index were also caused by the packaging type. A consumer sensory evaluation showed that cherries stored in PLA packages were more acceptable than those of the controls for appearance, texture, flavor and overall acceptability. The new package matched both the consumer demand for high-quality fresh fruit ready for consumption in convenient bio-based packaging and the extended fruit marketability and consumer satisfaction desired by industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  6. Hanford facility dangerous waste permit application, 616 Nonradioactive dangerous waste storage facility

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

    Price, S.M.

    1997-04-30

    This chapter provides information on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the waste stored at the 616 NRDWSF. A waste analysis plan is included that describes the methodology used for determining waste types.

  7. Quality changes of cuttlefish stored under various atmosphere modifications and vacuum packaging.

    PubMed

    Bouletis, Achilleas D; Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis S; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Neofitou, Christos; Parlapani, Foteini F; Gkagtzis, Dimitrios C

    2016-06-01

    Seafood preservation and its shelf life prolongation are two of the main issues in the seafood industry. As a result, and in view of market globalization, research has been triggered in this direction by applying several techniques such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), vacuum packaging (VP) and active packaging (AP). However, seafood such as octopus, cuttlefish and others have not been thoroughly investigated up to now. The aim of this research was to determine the optimal conditions of modified atmosphere under which cuttlefish storage time and consequently shelf life time could be prolonged without endangering consumer safety. It was found that cuttlefish shelf life reached 2, 2, 4, 8 and 8 days for control, VP, MAP 1, MAP 2 and MAP 3 (20% CO2 -80% N2 , 50% CO2 -50% N2 and 70% CO2 -30% N2 for MAP 1, 2 and 3, respectively) samples, respectively, judging by their sensorial attributes. Elevated CO2 levels had a strong microbiostatic effect, whereas storage under vacuum did not offer significant advantages. All physicochemical attributes of MAP-treated samples were better preserved compared to control. Application of high CO2 atmospheres such as MAP 2 and MAP 3 proved to be an effective strategy toward preserving the characteristics and prolonging the shelf life of fresh cuttlefish and thereby improving its potential in the market. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. The disposal of nuclear waste in space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burns, R. E.

    1978-01-01

    The important problem of disposal of nuclear waste in space is addressed. A prior study proposed carrying only actinide wastes to space, but the present study assumes that all actinides and all fission products are to be carried to space. It is shown that nuclear waste in the calcine (oxide) form can be packaged in a container designed to provide thermal control, radiation shielding, mechanical containment, and an abort reentry thermal protection system. This package can be transported to orbit via the Space Shuttle. A second Space Shuttle delivers an oxygen-hydrogen orbit transfer vehicle to a rendezvous compatible orbit and the mated OTV and waste package are sent to the preferred destination. Preferred locations are either a lunar crater or a solar orbit. Shuttle traffic densities (which vary in time) are given and the safety of space disposal of wastes discussed.

  9. Hazardous Waste Manifest System

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA’s hazardous waste manifest system is designed to track hazardous waste from the time it leaves the generator facility where it was produced, until it reaches the off-site waste management facility that will store, treat, or dispose of the waste.

  10. Consumer behaviour towards price-reduced suboptimal foods in the supermarket and the relation to food waste in households.

    PubMed

    Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Jensen, Jacob Haagen; Jensen, Mette Hyldetoft; Kulikovskaja, Viktorija

    2017-09-01

    To combat food waste, supermarkets offer food items at a reduced price in-store when they are close to the expiration date or perceived as suboptimal. It is yet unknown, however, which considerations consumers engage in when deciding about the offer, and whether focusing particularly on the price during food purchase might be related to greater food waste at home. Knowledge about both the consumers' food purchase process for these price-reduced foods and the potential wastage of price-focused consumers can contribute to the assessment of whether or not offering suboptimal food at reduced prices in-store actually reduces food waste across the supply chain. We explore these questions in a mixed-method study including 16 qualitative accompanied shopping interviews and a quantitative online experimental survey with 848 consumers in Denmark. The interviews reveal that the consumers interviewed assess their ability to consume the price-reduced suboptimal food at home already while in the store. Consumers consider the relation between product-related factors of package unit, expiration date, and product quality, in interaction with household-related factors of freezing/storing, household size/demand, and possible meal/cooking. The survey shows that consumers who are more price-focused report lower food waste levels and lower tendency to choose the optimal food item first at home, than those who are not emphasizing the price-quality relation or do not search for price offers to the same extent. Higher age and high education also played a role, and the price-focus is lower in high-income groups and among single households. The findings allow deriving recommendations for retailers and policy makers to support both the marketability and the subsequent actual consumption of price-reduced suboptimal food, but they also raise questions for further research of this underexplored area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Temperature-package power correlations for open-mode geologic disposal concepts.

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

    Hardin, Ernest.

    2013-02-01

    Logistical simulation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management in the U.S. combines storage, transportation and disposal elements to evaluate schedule, cost and other resources needed for all major operations leading to final geologic disposal. Geologic repository reference options are associated with limits on waste package thermal power output at emplacement, in order to meet limits on peak temperature for certain key engineered and natural barriers. These package power limits are used in logistical simulation software such as CALVIN, as threshold requirements that must be met by means of decay storage or SNF blending in waste packages, before emplacement in amore » repository. Geologic repository reference options include enclosed modes developed for crystalline rock, clay or shale, and salt. In addition, a further need has been addressed for open modes in which SNF can be emplaced in a repository, then ventilated for decades or longer to remove heat, prior to permanent repository closure. For each open mode disposal concept there are specified durations for surface decay storage (prior to emplacement), repository ventilation, and repository closure operations. This study simulates those steps for several timing cases, and for SNF with three fuel-burnup characteristics, to develop package power limits at which waste packages can be emplaced without exceeding specified temperature limits many years later after permanent closure. The results are presented in the form of correlations that span a range of package power and peak postclosure temperature, for each open-mode disposal concept, and for each timing case. Given a particular temperature limit value, the corresponding package power limit for each case can be selected for use in CALVIN and similar tools.« less

  12. Nuclear waste

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

    Not Available

    1991-09-01

    Radioactive waste is mounting at U.S. nuclear power plants at a rate of more than 2,000 metric tons a year. Pursuant to statute and anticipating that a geologic repository would be available in 1998, the Department of Energy (DOE) entered into disposal contracts with nuclear utilities. Now, however, DOE does not expect the repository to be ready before 2010. For this reason, DOE does not want to develop a facility for monitored retrievable storage (MRS) by 1998. This book is concerned about how best to store the waste until a repository is available, congressional requesters asked GAO to review themore » alternatives of continued storage at utilities' reactor sites or transferring waste to an MRS facility, GAO assessed the likelihood of an MRSA facility operating by 1998, legal implications if DOE is not able to take delivery of wastes in 1998, propriety of using the Nuclear Waste Fund-from which DOE's waste program costs are paid-to pay utilities for on-site storage capacity added after 1998, ability of utilities to store their waste on-site until a repository is operating, and relative costs and safety of the two storage alternatives.« less

  13. Evaluation of trade-offs in costs and environmental impacts for returnable packaging implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jarupan, Lerpong; Kamarthi, Sagar V.; Gupta, Surendra M.

    2004-02-01

    The main thrust of returnable packaging these days is to provide logistical services through transportation and distribution of products and be environmentally friendly. Returnable packaging and reverse logistics concepts have converged to mitigate the adverse effect of packaging materials entering the solid waste stream. Returnable packaging must be designed by considering the trade-offs between costs and environmental impact to satisfy manufacturers and environmentalists alike. The cost of returnable packaging entails such items as materials, manufacturing, collection, storage and disposal. Environmental impacts are explicitly linked with solid waste, air pollution, and water pollution. This paper presents a multi-criteria evaluation technique to assist decision-makers for evaluating the trade-offs in costs and environmental impact during the returnable packaging design process. The proposed evaluation technique involves a combination of multiple objective integer linear programming and analytic hierarchy process. A numerical example is used to illustrate the methodology.

  14. Submergible barge retrievable storage and permanent disposal system for radioactive waste

    DOEpatents

    Goldsberry, Fred L.; Cawley, William E.

    1981-01-01

    A submergible barge and process for submerging and storing radioactive waste material along a seabed. A submergible barge receives individual packages of radwaste within segregated cells. The cells are formed integrally within the barge, preferably surrounded by reinforced concrete. The cells are individually sealed by a concrete decking and by concrete hatch covers. Seawater may be vented into the cells for cooling, through an integral vent arrangement. The vent ducts may be attached to pumps when the barge is bouyant. The ducts are also arranged to promote passive ventilation of the cells when the barge is submerged. Packages of the radwaste are loaded into individual cells within the barge. The cells are then sealed and the barge is towed to the designated disposal-storage site. There, the individual cells are flooded and the barge will begin descent controlled by a powered submarine control device to the seabed storage site. The submerged barge will rest on the seabed permanently or until recovered by a submarine control device.

  15. Bacterial microbiota profile in gills of modified atmosphere-packaged oysters stored at 4 °C.

    PubMed

    Chen, Huibin; Wang, Meiying; Lin, Xiangzhi; Shi, Caihua; Liu, Zhiyu

    2017-02-01

    As filter-feeding bivalves, oysters can accumulate microorganisms into their gills, causing spoilage and potential safety issues. This study aims to investigate the changes in the gill microbiota of oysters packed under air and modified atmospheres (MAs, 50% CO 2 : 50% N 2 , 70% CO 2 : 30% O 2 , and 50% CO 2 : 50% O 2 ) during storage at 4 °C. The diversity of bacterial microbiota in oyster gills was profiled through polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis on the 16S rRNA gene V3 region to describe the variation during the entire storage period. The DGGE profile revealed high bacterial diversity in the air- and MA-packaged oyster gills, and the spoilage bacterial microbiota varied in the MA-packaged oyster gills. Results indicated that CO 2 :O 2 (70%:30%) was suitable for oyster MA packaging and that high bacterial loads in oyster gills need to be considered during storage. In addition, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus species were found to grow dominantly in fresh oyster gills under MA packaging, which supports the potential application of MA packaging for oyster storage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Importance of storage time in mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste.

    PubMed

    Lü, Fan; Xu, Xian; Shao, Liming; He, Pinjing

    2016-07-01

    Storage was used as a pretreatment to enhance the methanization performance of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste. Food wastes were separately stored for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 12days, and then fed into a methanogenic reactor for a biochemical methane potential (BMP) test lasting up to 60days. Relative to the methane production of food waste stored for 0-1day (285-308mL/g-added volatile solids (VSadded)), that after 2-4days and after 5-12days of storage increased to 418-530 and 618-696mL/g-VSadded, respectively. The efficiency of hydrolysis and acidification of pre-stored food waste in the methanization reactors increased with storage time. The characteristics of stored waste suggest that methane production was not correlated with the total hydrolysis efficiency of organics in pre-stored food waste but was positively correlated with the storage time and acidification level of the waste. From the results, we recommend 5-7days of storage of food waste in anaerobic digestion treatment plants. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. WASTE TREATMENT BUILDING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

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

    F. Habashi

    2000-06-22

    The Waste Treatment Building System provides the space, layout, structures, and embedded subsystems that support the processing of low-level liquid and solid radioactive waste generated within the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). The activities conducted in the Waste Treatment Building include sorting, volume reduction, and packaging of dry waste, and collecting, processing, solidification, and packaging of liquid waste. The Waste Treatment Building System is located on the surface within the protected area of the MGR. The Waste Treatment Building System helps maintain a suitable environment for the waste processing and protects the systems within the Waste Treatment Building (WTB) from mostmore » of the natural and induced environments. The WTB also confines contaminants and provides radiological protection to personnel. In addition to the waste processing operations, the Waste Treatment Building System provides space and layout for staging of packaged waste for shipment, industrial and radiological safety systems, control and monitoring of operations, safeguards and security systems, and fire protection, ventilation and utilities systems. The Waste Treatment Building System also provides the required space and layout for maintenance activities, tool storage, and administrative facilities. The Waste Treatment Building System integrates waste processing systems within its protective structure to support the throughput rates established for the MGR. The Waste Treatment Building System also provides shielding, layout, and other design features to help limit personnel radiation exposures to levels which are as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA). The Waste Treatment Building System interfaces with the Site Generated Radiological Waste Handling System, and with other MGR systems that support the waste processing operations. The Waste Treatment Building System interfaces with the General Site Transportation System, Site Communications System, Site Water System

  18. TRANSIENT SUPPRESSION PACKAGING FOR REDUCED EMISSIONS FROM ROTARY KILN INCINERATORS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Experiments were performed on a 73 kW rotary kiln incinerator simulator to determine whether innovative waste packaging designs might reduce transient emissions of products of incomplete combustion due to batch charging of containerized liquid surrogate waste compounds bound on g...

  19. Performance assessment of a single-layer moisture store-and-release cover system at a mine waste rock pile in a seasonally humid region (Nova Scotia, Canada).

    PubMed

    Power, Christopher; Ramasamy, Murugan; Mkandawire, Martin

    2018-03-03

    Cover systems are commonly applied to mine waste rock piles (WRPs) to control acid mine drainage (AMD). Single-layer covers utilize the moisture "store-and-release" concept to first store and then release moisture back to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration. Although more commonly used in semi-arid and arid climates, store-and-release covers remain an attractive option in humid climates due to the low cost and relative simplicity of installation. However, knowledge of their performance in these climates is limited. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of moisture store-and-release covers at full-scale WRPs located in humid climates. This cover type was installed at a WRP in Nova Scotia, Canada, alongside state-of-the-art monitoring instrumentation. Field monitoring was conducted over 5 years to assess key components such as meteorological conditions, cover material water dynamics, net percolation, surface runoff, pore-gas, environmental receptor water quality, landform stability and vegetation. Water balances indicate small reductions in water influx to the waste rock (i.e., 34 to 28% of precipitation) with the diminished AMD release also apparent by small improvements in groundwater quality (increase in pH, decrease in sulfate/metals). Surface water quality analysis and field observations of vegetative/aquatic life demonstrate significant improvements in the surface water receptor. The WRP landform is stable and the vegetative cover is thriving. This study has shown that while a simple store-and-release cover may not be a highly effective barrier to water infiltration in humid climates, it can be used to (i) eliminate contaminated surface water runoff, (ii) minimize AMD impacts to surface water receptor(s), (iii) maintain a stable landform, and (iv) provide a sustainable vegetative canopy.

  20. Food Packaging Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The photos show a few of the food products packaged in Alure, a metallized plastic material developed and manufactured by St. Regis Paper Company's Flexible Packaging Division, Dallas, Texas. The material incorporates a metallized film originally developed for space applications. Among the suppliers of the film to St. Regis is King-Seeley Thermos Company, Winchester, Ma'ssachusetts. Initially used by NASA as a signal-bouncing reflective coating for the Echo 1 communications satellite, the film was developed by a company later absorbed by King-Seeley. The metallized film was also used as insulating material for components of a number of other spacecraft. St. Regis developed Alure to meet a multiple packaging material need: good eye appeal, product protection for long periods and the ability to be used successfully on a wide variety of food packaging equipment. When the cost of aluminum foil skyrocketed, packagers sought substitute metallized materials but experiments with a number of them uncovered problems; some were too expensive, some did not adequately protect the product, some were difficult for the machinery to handle. Alure offers a solution. St. Regis created Alure by sandwiching the metallized film between layers of plastics. The resulting laminated metallized material has the superior eye appeal of foil but is less expensive and more easily machined. Alure effectively blocks out light, moisture and oxygen and therefore gives the packaged food long shelf life. A major packaging firm conducted its own tests of the material and confirmed the advantages of machinability and shelf life, adding that it runs faster on machines than materials used in the past and it decreases product waste; the net effect is increased productivity.

  1. Investigation of Expandable Polymeric Microspheres for Packaging Applications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-06

    FILMS COST REDUCTION OLEFIN POLYMERS COSTS PACKAGING MICROSPHERES WASTE DISPOSAL WEIGHT...MANAGEMENT THERMAL INSULATION DENSITY SOLID WASTES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THERMOPLASTIC POLYMERS POLYMERS ...research. The purpose was to provide information on the incorporation of hollow, expandable  polymeric microspheres  into  thermoplastic   polymers   to

  2. Effects of packaging, mineral oil coating, and storage time on biogenic amine levels and internal quality of eggs.

    PubMed

    Figueiredo, T C; Assis, D C S; Menezes, L D M; Oliveira, D D; Lima, A L; Souza, M R; Heneine, L G D; Cançado, S V

    2014-12-01

    This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the effects of mineral oil application on eggshells and the use of plastic packages with lids on the physical-chemical and microbiological quality and biogenic amine contents of eggs stored under refrigeration for up to 125 d. A total of 1,920 eggs from 46-wk-old Hyline W36 laying hens were randomly distributed into 4 groups soon after classification: (i) 480 eggs were stored in pulp carton tray packages; (ii) 480 eggs were stored in plastic packages with lids; (iii) 480 eggs were stored in carton packages after the application of mineral oil; and (iv) 480 eggs were stored in plastic packages with lids after the application of mineral oil. The internal quality was measured by Haugh units, by the counts of mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms, by the most probable number of total and thermal-tolerant coliforms, by the counts of molds and yeasts, by the analysis of Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus spp., and by the levels of biogenic amines in the egg yolk and albumen. The application of mineral oil to the eggshell resulted in higher Haugh unit values throughout storage, and the use of plastic packages altered the internal quality. The application of mineral oil and the use of packaging had no effects on the microbiological and biogenic amine results. Microbiological analyses showed the absence of Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, thermal-tolerant coliforms, and fungi. However, the highest counts of mesophilic (1.1 × 10(7) cfu/g) and psychrotrophic (6.7 × 10(7) cfu/g) microorganisms were recorded. The highest values of biogenic amines detected and quantified were putrescine (2.38 mg/kg) and cadaverine (7.27 mg/kg) in the egg yolk and putrescine (1.95 mg/kg), cadaverine (2.83 mg/kg), and phenylethylamine (2.57 mg/kg) in the albumen. Despite these results, the biogenic amine levels recorded were considered low and would not be harmful to consumer health. ©2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  3. Summary of Uranium Solubility Studies in Concrete Waste Forms and Vadose Zone Environments

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

    Golovich, Elizabeth C.; Wellman, Dawn M.; Serne, R. Jeffrey

    2011-09-30

    One of the methods being considered for safely disposing of Category 3 low-level radioactive wastes is to encase the waste in concrete. Concrete encasement would contain and isolate the waste packages from the hydrologic environment and act as an intrusion barrier. The current plan for waste isolation consists of stacking low-level waste packages on a trench floor, surrounding the stacks with reinforced steel, and encasing these packages in concrete. These concrete-encased waste stacks are expected to vary in size with maximum dimensions of 6.4 m long, 2.7 m wide, and 4 m high. The waste stacks are expected to havemore » a surrounding minimum thickness of 15 cm of concrete encasement. These concrete-encased waste packages are expected to withstand environmental exposure (solar radiation, temperature variations, and precipitation) until an interim soil cover or permanent closure cover is installed and to remain largely intact thereafter. Any failure of concrete encasement may result in water intrusion and consequent mobilization of radionuclides from the waste packages. This report presents the results of investigations elucidating the uranium mineral phases controlling the long-term fate of uranium within concrete waste forms and the solubility of these phases in concrete pore waters and alkaline, circum-neutral vadose zone environments.« less

  4. Current status of circularity for aluminum from household waste in Austria.

    PubMed

    Warrings, R; Fellner, J

    2018-02-20

    Aluminum (Al) represents the metal with the highest consumption growth in the last few decades. Beside its increasing usage in the transport (lightweight construction of vehicles) and building sector, Al is used ever more frequently for household goods like packaging material, which represents a readily available source for secondary aluminum due to its short lifetime. The present paper investigates the extent to which this potential source for recycling of Al is already utilized in Austria and highlights areas for future improvements. Thereto a detailed material flow analysis for Al used in packaging & household non-packaging in 2013 was conducted. In practice, all Al flows starting from market entrance through waste collection and processing until its final recycling or disposal have been investigated. The results indicate that about 25,100 t/a (2.96 kg/cap/a) of Al packaging & household non-packaging arose as waste. At present about 9800 t/a, or 39%, are recycled as secondary Al, of which 26% is regained from separate collection and sorting, 8% from bottom ash and 5% from mechanical treatment. The type of Al packaging & household non-packaging affects the recycling rate: 82% of the total recycled quantities come from rigid packaging & household non-packaging, while only 3% of the total recycled Al derives from flexible materials. A significant amount of Al was lost during thermal waste treatment due to oxidation (10%) and insufficient recovery of Al from both waste incineration bottom ash and municipal solid waste treated in mechanical biological treatment plants (49%). Overall it can be concluded that once Al ends up in commingled waste the recovery of Al becomes less likely and its material quality is reduced. Although Austria can refer to a highly developed recycling system, the Austrian packaging industry, collection and recovery systems and waste management need to increase their efforts to comply with future recycling targets. Copyright © 2018

  5. Electronic Cigarette Refill Liquids: Child-Resistant Packaging, Nicotine Content, and Sales to Minors.

    PubMed

    Buettner-Schmidt, Kelly; Miller, Donald R; Balasubramanian, Narayanaganesh

    2016-01-01

    To determine the accuracy of the labeled quantity of the nicotine content of the e-liquids sold in unlicensed vape stores, whether the packaging of e-liquids sold within the vape stores was child-resistant, whether minors were present within vape stores, and whether sales to minors occurred. This study was conducted across North Dakota prior to implementation of a new e-cigarette state law and provided a baseline assessment before enactment of the new legal requirements. We tested samples of e-liquids and performed observations in 16 stores that were selling e-cigarettes but were not legally required to be licensed for tobacco retail. The e-liquids were analyzed for nicotine content using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method for nicotine analysis. Of the 70 collected e-liquid samples that claimed to contain nicotine, 17% contained more than the labeled quantity and 34% contained less than the labeled quantity by 10% or more, with one sample containing 172% more than the labeled quantity. Of the 94 e-liquid containers sampled, only 35% were determined to be child-resistant. Minors were present in stores, although no sales to minors occurred. Mislabeling of nicotine in e-liquids is common and exposes the user to the harmful effects of nicotine. The lack of child-resistant packaging for this potentially toxic substance is a serious public health problem. E-cigarettes should be included in the legal definition of tobacco products, child-resistant packaging and nicotine labeling laws should be enacted and strictly enforced, and vape stores should be licensed by states. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Dangerous Waste Characteristics of Contact-Handled Transuranic Mixed Wastes from Hanford Tanks

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

    Tingey, Joel M.; Bryan, Garry H.; Deschane, Jaquetta R.

    2004-10-05

    This report summarizes existing analytical data gleaned from samples taken from the Hanford tanks designated as potentially containing transuranic mixed process wastes. Process knowledge of the wastes transferred to these tanks has been reviewed to determine whether the dangerous waste characteristics now assigned to all Hanford underground storage tanks are applicable to these particular wastes. Supplemental technologies are being examined to accelerate the Hanford tank waste cleanup mission and accomplish waste treatment safely and efficiently. To date, 11 Hanford waste tanks have been designated as potentially containing contact-handled (CH) transuranic mixed (TRUM) wastes. The CH-TRUM wastes are found in single-shellmore » tanks B-201 through B-204, T-201 through T-204, T-104, T-110, and T-111. Methods and equipment to solidify and package the CH-TRUM wastes are part of the supplemental technologies being evaluated. The resulting packages and wastes must be acceptable for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The dangerous waste characteristics being considered include ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity arising from the presence of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol at levels above the dangerous waste threshold. The analytical data reviewed include concentrations of sulfur, sulfate, cyanide, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, total organic carbon, and oxalate; the composition of the tank headspace, pH, and mercury. Differential scanning calorimetry results were used to determine the energetics of the wastes as a function of temperature. This report supercedes and replaces PNNL-14832.« less

  7. A Guidance Manual: Waste Analysis at Facilities that Generate, Treat, Store, and Dispose of Hazardous Wastes

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Discusses how a person can perform waste analyses and develop waste analysis plans (WAPs) in accordance with the federal hazardous waste regulations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

  8. 49 CFR 173.197 - Regulated medical waste.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... (bio) medical waste must be rigid containers meeting the provisions of subpart B of this part. (b) Non... medical waste or clinical waste or (bio) medical waste must be UN standard packagings conforming to the... filled. (2) Liquids. Liquid regulated medical waste or clinical waste or (bio) medical waste transported...

  9. Cleanup Verification Package for the 618-8 Burial Ground

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

    M. J. Appel

    2006-08-10

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 618-8 Burial Ground, also referred to as the Solid Waste Burial Ground No. 8, 318-8, and the Early Solid Waste Burial Ground. During its period of operation, the 618-8 site is speculated to have been used to bury uranium-contaminated waste derived from fuel manufacturing, and construction debris from the remodeling of the 313 Building.

  10. Impact of external influences on food packaging.

    PubMed

    Brody, A L

    1977-09-01

    Since the food supply is dependent upon an effective packaging system, threats to packaging represent implied threats to food processing and distribution. Enacted and potential legislation and regulation are retarding technological and commercial progress in food packaging and have already restricted some food packaging/processins systems. The results of these external influences is not simply the sum of the individual acts, but is a cascading self-imposed arresting of food packaging/processing advancement. The technological bases for the enacted and proposed legislation and regulation are presented in the enumeration of the external influences on food packaging. Economic and sociological arguments and facts surrounding the issues are also presented. Among the external influences on food packaging detailed are indirect additives, nutritional labeling, benefit:risk, solid waste and litter, environmental pollution, universal product code, and food industry productivity. The magnitude of the total impact of these external influences upon the food supply is so large that assertive action must be taken to channel these influences into more productive awareness. An objective and comprehensive public communications program supported by the technological community appears mandatory.

  11. Extension of the shelf life of prawns (Penaeus japonicus) by vacuum packaging and high-pressure treatment.

    PubMed

    López-Caballero, M E; Pérez-Mateos, M; Borderías, J A; Montero, P

    2000-10-01

    The present study has investigated the application of high pressures (200 and 400 MPa) in chilled prawn tails, both conventionally stored (air) and vacuum packaged. Vacuum packaging and high-pressure treatment did extend the shelf life of the prawn samples, although it did affect muscle color very slightly, giving it a whiter appearance. The viable shelf life of 1 week for the air-stored samples was extended to 21 days in the vacuum-packed samples, 28 days in the samples treated at 200 MPa, and 35 days in the samples pressurized at 400 MPa. Vacuum packaging checked the onset of blackening, whereas high-pressure treatment aggravated the problem. From a microbiological point of view, batches conventionally stored reached about 6 log CFU/g or even higher at 14 days. Similar figures were reached in total number of bacteria in vacuum-packed samples and in pressurized at 200-MPa samples at 21 days. When samples were pressurized at 400 MPa, total numbers of bacteria were below 5.5 log CFU/g at 35 days of storage. Consequently, a combination of vacuum packaging and high-pressure treatment would appear to be beneficial in prolonging freshness and preventing spotting.

  12. Effectiveness of some recent antimicrobial packaging concepts.

    PubMed

    Vermeiren, L; Devlieghere, F; Debevere, J

    2002-01-01

    A new type of active packaging is the combination of food-packaging materials with antimicrobial substances to control microbial surface contamination of foods. For both migrating and non-migrating antimicrobial materials, intensive contact between the food product and packaging material is required and therefore potential food applications include especially vacuum or skin-packaged products, e.g. vacuum-packaged meat, fish, poultry or cheese. Several antimicrobial compounds have been combined with different types of carriers (plastic and rubber articles, paper-based materials, textile fibrils and food-packaging materials). Until now, however, few antimicrobial concepts have found applications as a food-packaging material. Antimicrobial packaging materials cannot legally be used in the EU at the moment. The potential use would require amendments of several different legal texts involving areas such as food additives, food packaging, hygiene, etc. The main objective of this paper is to provide a state of the art about the different types of antimicrobial concepts, their experimental development and commercialization, and to present a case study summarizing the results of investigations on the feasibility of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-film containing triclosan to inhibit microbial growth on food surfaces and consequently prolong shelf-life or improve microbial food safety. In contrast with the strong antimicrobial effect in in-vitro simulated vacuum-packaged conditions against the psychrotrophic food pathogen L. monocytogenes, the 1000 mg kg(-1) containing triclosan film did not effectively reduce spoilage bacteria and growth of L. monocytogenes on refrigerated vacuum-packaged chicken breasts stored at 7 degrees C.

  13. Influence of modified atmosphere packaging on 'Star Ruby' grapefruit phytochemicals.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Priyanka R; Jayaprakasha, G K; Porat, Ron; Patil, Bhimanagouda S

    2015-01-28

    Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can extend the shelf life of salads, vegetables, and fruits by generating a storage environment with low O2, high CO2, and high humidity. The current study investigates the effect of modified atmosphere and humidity generated by two plastic films, microperforated bags (MIPBs) and macroperforated bags (MAPBs), on the levels of phytochemicals present in 'Star Ruby' grapefruits (Citrus paradisi, Macf.) stored for 16 weeks at 10 °C. Control fruits were stored without any packaging film. Juice samples were analyzed every 4 weeks for ascorbic acid, carotenoids, limonoids, flavonoids, and furocoumarins and assessed for quality parameters. MAP significantly reduced weight loss compared to control grapefruits. Control fruits had more β-carotene, lycopene, and furocoumarin compared with the fruits in MAP. Flavonoid content was highest in fruits stored in MAPB (P < 0.05), while fruits stored in MIPB showed no significant difference in flavonoid content compared to control (P > 0.05). The MAP treatments did not significantly affect ascorbic acid, limonoids, or fruit quality parameters, including total soluble solids, acidity, ripening ratio, decay and disorders, fruit taste, and off-flavors after 16 weeks of storage. These results suggest that MAP can be used to maintain the quality of 'Star Ruby' grapefruit with no detrimental effect on health-promoting phytochemicals.

  14. Using dairy ingredients to produce edible films and biodegradable packaging materials

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Food packaging is comprised of multi-layers of films which are thin continuous sheets of synthetic polymers. Recently, major food retailers and consumers have become concerned about the waste that packaging generates and the scarce natural resources and energy used in its manufacture. They are deman...

  15. Dangerous Waste Characteristics of Contact-Handled Transuranic Mixed Wastes from the Hanford Tanks

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

    Tingey, Joel M.; Bryan, Garry H.; Deschane, Jaquetta R.

    2004-08-31

    This report summarizes existing analytical data from samples taken from the Hanford tanks designated as potentially containing transuranic mixed process wastes. Process knowledge of the wastes transferred to these tanks has been reviewed to determine whether the dangerous waste characteristics now assigned to all Hanford underground storage tanks are applicable to these particular wastes. Supplemental technologies are being examined to accelerate the Hanford tank waste cleanup mission and accomplish waste treatment safely and efficiently. To date, 11 Hanford waste tanks have been designated as potentially containing contact-handled (CH) transuranic mixed (TRUM) wastes. The CH-TRUM wastes are found in single-shell tanksmore » B-201 through B-204, T-201 through T-204, T-104, T-110, and T-111. Methods and equipment to solidify and package the CH-TRUM wastes are part of the supplemental technologies being evaluated. The resulting packages and wastes must be acceptable for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The dangerous waste characteristics being considered include ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity arising from the presence of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol at levels above the dangerous waste threshold. The analytical data reviewed include concentrations of sulfur, sulfate, cyanide, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, total organic carbon, and oxalate; the composition of the tank headspace, pH, and mercury. Differential scanning calorimetry results were used to determine the energetics of the wastes as a function of temperature.« less

  16. Trash-to-Gas: Using Waste Products to Minimize Logistical Mass During Long Duration Space Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hintze, Paul E.; Caraccio, A. J.; Anthony, S. M.; Tsoras, A. N.; Devor, Robert; Captain, James G.; Nur, Mononita

    2013-01-01

    Just as waste-to-energy processes utilizing municipal landftll and biomass wastes are finding increased terrestrial uses, the Trash-to-Gas (TtG) project seeks to convert waste generated during spaceflight into high value commodities. These include methane for propulsion and water for life support in addition to a variety of other gasses. TtG is part of the Logistic Reduction and Repurposing (LRR) project under the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The LRR project will enable a largely mission-independent approach to minimize logistics contributions to total mission architecture mass. LRR includes technologies that reduce the amount of consumables that need to be sent to space, repurpose items sent to space, or convert wastes to commodities. Currently, waste generated on the International Space Station is stored inside a logistic module which is de-orbited into Earth's atmosphere for destruction. The waste consists of food packaging, food, clothing and other items. This paper will discuss current results on incineration as a waste processing method. Incineration is part of a two step process to produce methane from waste: first the waste is converted to carbon oxides; second, the carbon oxides are fed to a Sabatier reactor where they are converted to methane. The quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and water were measured under the different thermal degradation conditions. The overall carbon conversion efficiency and water recovery are discussed

  17. Trash-to-Gas: Using Waste Products to Minimize Logistical Mass During Long Duration Space Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hintze, Paul. E.; Caraccio, Anne J.; Anthony, Stephen M.; Tsoras, Alexandra N.; Nur, Monoita; Devor, Robert; Captain, James G.

    2013-01-01

    Just as waste-to-energy processes utilizing municipal landftll and biomass wastes are finding increased terrestrial uses, the Trash-to-Gas (TtG) project seeks to convert waste generated during spaceflight into high value commodities. These include methane for propulsion and water for life support in addition to a variety of other gasses. TtG is part of the Logistic Reduction and Repurposing (LRR) project under the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The LRR project will enable a largely mission-independent approach to minimize logistics contributions to total mission architecture mass. LRR includes technologies that reduce the amount of consumables that need to be sent to space, repurpose items sent to space, or convert wastes to commodities. Currently, waste generated on the International Space Station is stored inside a logistic module which is de-orbited into Earth's atmosphere for destruction. The waste consists of food packaging, food, clothing and other items. This paper will discuss current results on incineration as a waste processing method. Incineration is part of a two step process to produce methane from waste: first the waste is converted to carbon oxides; second, the carbon oxides are fed to a Sabatier reactor where they are converted to methane. The quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and water were measured under the different thermal degradation conditions. The overall carbon conversion efficiency and water recovery are discussed.

  18. Natural biopolymer-based nanocomposite films for packaging applications.

    PubMed

    Rhim, Jong-Whan; Ng, Perry K W

    2007-01-01

    Concerns on environmental waste problems caused by non-biodegradable petrochemical-based plastic packaging materials as well as the consumer's demand for high quality food products has caused an increasing interest in developing biodegradable packaging materials using annually renewable natural biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins. Inherent shortcomings of natural polymer-based packaging materials such as low mechanical properties and low water resistance can be recovered by applying a nanocomposite technology. Polymer nanocomposites, especially natural biopolymer-layered silicate nanocomposites, exhibit markedly improved packaging properties due to their nanometer size dispersion. These improvements include increased modulus and strength, decreased gas permeability, and increased water resistance. Additionally, biologically active ingredients can be added to impart the desired functional properties to the resulting packaging materials. Consequently, natural biopolymer-based nanocomposite packaging materials with bio-functional properties have a huge potential for application in the active food packaging industry. In this review, recent advances in the preparation of natural biopolymer-based films and their nanocomposites, and their potential use in packaging applications are addressed.

  19. Electronic Cigarette Refill Liquids: Child-Resistant Packaging, Nicotine Content, and Sales to Minors2

    PubMed Central

    Buettner-Schmidt, Kelly; Miller, Donald R.; Balasubramanian, Narayanaganesh

    2016-01-01

    Purpose To determine the accuracy of the labeled quantity of the nicotine content of the e-liquids sold in unlicensed vape stores, whether the packaging of e-liquids sold within the vape stores was child-resistant, whether minors were present within vape stores, and whether sales to minors occurred. This study was conducted across North Dakota prior to implementation of a new e-cigarette state law and provided a baseline assessment before enactment of the new legal requirements. Design and Methods We tested samples of e-liquids and performed observations in 16 stores that were selling e-cigarettes but were not legally required to be licensed for tobacco retail. The e-liquids were analyzed for nicotine content using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method for nicotine analysis. Results Of the 70 collected e-liquid samples that claimed to contain nicotine, 17% contained more than the labeled quantity and 34% contained less than the labeled quantity by 10% or more, with one sample containing 172% more than the labeled quantity. Of the 94 e-liquid containers sampled, only 35% were determined to be child-resistant. Minors were present in stores, although no sales to minors occurred. Conclusions Mislabeling of nicotine in e-liquids is common and exposes the user to the harmful effects of nicotine. The lack of child-resistant packaging for this potentially toxic substance is a serious public health problem. E-cigarettes should be included in the legal definition of tobacco products, child-resistant packaging and nicotine labeling laws should be enacted and strictly enforced, and vape stores should be licensed by states. PMID:27079973

  20. Natural biopolimers in organic food packaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wieczynska, Justyna; Cavoski, Ivana; Chami, Ziad Al; Mondelli, Donato; Di Donato, Paola; Di Terlizzi, Biagio

    2014-05-01

    Concerns on environmental and waste problems caused by use of non-biodegradable and non-renewable based plastic packaging have caused an increase interest in developing biodegradable packaging using renewable natural biopolymers. Recently, different types of biopolymers like starch, cellulose, chitosan, casein, whey protein, collagen, egg white, soybean protein, corn zein, gelatin and wheat gluten have attracted considerable attention as potential food packaging materials. Recyclable or biodegradable packaging material in organic processing standards is preferable where possible but specific principles of packaging are not precisely defined and standards have to be assessed. There is evidence that consumers of organic products have specific expectations not only with respect to quality characteristics of processed food but also in social and environmental aspects of food production. Growing consumer sophistication is leading to a proliferation in food eco-label like carbon footprint. Biopolymers based packaging for organic products can help to create a green industry. Moreover, biopolymers can be appropriate materials for the development of an active surfaces designed to deliver incorporated natural antimicrobials into environment surrounding packaged food. Active packaging is an innovative mode of packaging in which the product and the environment interact to prolong shelf life or enhance safety or sensory properties, while maintaining the quality of the product. The work will discuss the various techniques that have been used for development of an active antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials focusing on a recent findings in research studies. With the current focus on exploring a new generation of biopolymer-based food packaging materials with possible applications in organic food packaging. Keywords: organic food, active packaging, biopolymers , green technology

  1. [Packaging: the guarantee of medicinal quality].

    PubMed

    Chaumeil, J-C

    2003-01-01

    Primary packaging guarantees the pharmaceutical quality of the medicinal preparation received by the patient. Glass bottles containing parenteral solutions for example ensure that sterility, quality and optimal stability are preserved until administration. Recent innovations in materials research has lead to improvements in parenteral infusions. Multicompartmental bags, allowing extemporaneous mixtures without opening the container, constitute an extremely beneficial advance for the patient, allowing administration of mixtures with solutions and emulsions which would be unstable if stored. Metered dose pressurized inhalers are an excellent example of drug administration devices designed specifically to ensure quality and bioavailability. These examples illustrate the important role of primary packaging and demonstrate the usefulness of research and development in this area.

  2. Romanian experience on packaging testing

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

    Vieru, G.

    2007-07-01

    With more than twenty years ago, the Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti (INR), through its Reliability and Testing Laboratory, was licensed by the Romanian Nuclear Regulatory Body- CNCAN and to carry out qualification tests [1] for packages intended to be used for the transport and storage of radioactive materials. Radioactive materials, generated by Romanian nuclear facilities [2] are packaged in accordance with national [3] and the IAEA's Regulations [1,6] for a safe transport to the disposal center. Subjecting these packages to the normal and simulating test conditions accomplish the evaluation and certification in order to prove the package technical performances.more » The paper describes the qualification tests for type A and B packages used for transport and storage of radioactive materials, during a period of 20 years of experience. Testing is used to substantiate assumption in analytical models and to demonstrate package structural response. The Romanian test facilities [1,3,6] are used to simulate the required qualification tests and have been developed at INR Pitesti, the main supplier of type A packages used for transport and storage of low radioactive wastes in Romania. The testing programme will continue to be a strong option to support future package development, to perform a broad range of verification and certification tests on radioactive material packages or component sections, such as packages used for transport of radioactive sources to be used for industrial or medical purposes [2,8]. The paper describes and contain illustrations showing some of the various tests packages which have been performed during certain periods and how they relate to normal conditions and minor mishaps during transport. Quality assurance and quality controls measures taken in order to meet technical specification provided by the design there are also presented and commented. (authors)« less

  3. The effect of vacuum packaging on histamine changes of milkfish sticks at various storage temperatures.

    PubMed

    Kung, Hsien-Feng; Lee, Yi-Chen; Lin, Chiang-Wei; Huang, Yu-Ru; Cheng, Chao-An; Lin, Chia-Min; Tsai, Yung-Hsiang

    2017-10-01

    The effects of polyethylene packaging (PEP) (in air) and vacuum packaging (VP) on the histamine related quality of milkfish sticks stored at different temperatures (-20°C, 4°C, 15°C, and 25°C) were studied. The results showed that the aerobic plate count (APC), pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and histamine contents increased as storage time increased when the PEP and VP samples were stored at 25°C. At below 15°C, the APC, TVBN, pH, and histamine levels in PEP and VP samples were retarded, but the VP samples had considerably lower levels of APC, TVBN, and histamine than PEP samples. Once the frozen fish samples stored at -20°C for 2 months were thawed and stored at 25°C, VP retarded the increase of histamine in milkfish sticks as compared to PEP. In summary, this result suggested the milkfish sticks packed with VP and stored below 4°C could prevent deterioration of product quality and extend shelf-life. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Starch plastics packaging and agriculture applications

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The environmental impact of petroleum-based plastics is a growing concern throughout the world. Containers and packaging comprise the largest sector of municipal solid waste and are a major component of pollution on both land and sea. Although the benefits of plastics in many consumer and industrial...

  5. Sodium content in major brands of US packaged foods, 2009.

    PubMed

    Gillespie, Cathleen; Maalouf, Joyce; Yuan, Keming; Cogswell, Mary E; Gunn, Janelle P; Levings, Jessica; Moshfegh, Alanna; Ahuja, Jaspreet K C; Merritt, Robert

    2015-02-01

    Most Americans consume more sodium than is recommended, the vast majority of which comes from commercially packaged and restaurant foods. In 2010 the Institute of Medicine recommended that manufacturers reduce the amount of sodium in their products. The aim was to assess the sodium content in commercially packaged food products sold in US grocery stores in 2009. With the use of sales and nutrition data from commercial sources, we created a database with nearly 8000 packaged food products sold in major US grocery stores in 2009. We estimated the sales-weighted mean and distribution of sodium content (mg/serving, mg/100 g, and mg/kcal) of foods within food groups that contribute the most dietary sodium to the US diet. We estimated the proportion of products within each category that exceed 1) the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) limits for sodium in foods that use a "healthy" label claim and 2) 1150 mg/serving or 50% of the maximum daily intake recommended in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Products in the meat mixed dishes category had the highest mean and median sodium contents per serving (966 and 970 mg, respectively). Products in the salad dressing and vegetable oils category had the highest mean and median concentrations per 100 g (1072 and 1067 mg, respectively). Sodium density was highest in the soup category (18.4 mg/kcal). More than half of the products sold in 11 of the 20 food categories analyzed exceeded the FDA limits for products with a "healthy" label claim. In 4 categories, >10% of the products sold exceeded 1150 mg/serving. The sodium content in packaged foods sold in major US grocery stores varied widely, and a large proportion of top-selling products exceeded limits, indicating the potential for reduction. Ongoing monitoring is necessary to evaluate the progress in sodium reduction. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

  6. Fiberboard humidity data for 9975 shipping packages

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

    Daugherty, W. L.

    2015-07-31

    The 9975 surveillance program is identifying a technical basis to support extending the storage period of 9975 packages in KAC beyond the currently approved 15 years. A key element of this effort is developing a better understanding of degradation of the fiberboard assembly under storage conditions. This degradation is influenced greatly by the moisture content of the fiberboard, which is not well characterized on an individual package basis.Two efforts have been undertaken to better understand the levels and behavior of moisture within the fiberboard assemblies of the 9975 shipping package. In the first effort, an initial survey of humidity andmore » temperature in the upper air space of 26 packages stored in KAC was made. The data collected within this first effort help to illustrate how the upper air space humidity varies with the local ambient temperature and package heat load. In the second effort, direct measurements of two test packages are providing a correlation between humidity and fiberboard moisture levels within the package, and variations in moisture throughout the fiberboard assembly. This effort has examined packages with cane fiberboard and internal heat levels of 5 and 10W to date. Additional testing is expected to include 15 and 19W heat levels, and then repeat the same four heat levels with softwood fiberboard assemblies. This report documents the data collected to date within these two efforts.« less

  7. Fiberboard Humidity Data for 9975 Shipping Packages

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

    Daugherty, W.

    The 9975 surveillance program is identifying a technical basis to support extending the storage period of 9975 packages in KAC beyond the currently approved 15 years. A key element of this effort is developing a better understanding of degradation of the fiberboard assembly under storage conditions. This degradation is influenced greatly by the moisture content of the fiberboard, which is not well characterized on an individual package basis. Two efforts have been undertaken to better understand the levels and behavior of moisture within the fiberboard assemblies of the 9975 shipping package. In the first effort, an initial survey of humiditymore » and temperature in the upper air space of 26 packages stored in KAC was made. The data collected within this first effort help to illustrate how the upper air space humidity varies with the local ambient temperature and package heat load. In the second effort, direct measurements of two test packages are providing a correlation between humidity and fiberboard moisture levels within the package, and variations in moisture throughout the fiberboard assembly. This effort has examined packages with cane fiberboard and internal heat levels of 5 and 10W to date. Additional testing is expected to include 15 and 19W heat levels, and then repeat the same four heat levels with softwood fiberboard assemblies. This report documents the data collected to date within these two efforts« less

  8. Fiberboard humidity data for 9975 shipping packages

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

    Daugherty, W. L.

    The 9975 surveillance program is identifying a technical basis to support extending the storage period of 9975 packages in KAC beyond the currently approved 15 years. A key element of this effort is developing a better understanding of degradation of the fiberboard assembly under storage conditions. This degradation is influenced greatly by the moisture content of the fiberboard, which is not well characterized on an individual package basis.Two efforts have been undertaken to better understand the levels and behavior of moisture within the fiberboard assemblies of the 9975 shipping package. In the first effort, an initial survey of humidity andmore » temperature in the upper air space of 26 packages stored in KAC was made. The data collected within this first effort help to illustrate how the upper air space humidity varies with the local ambient temperature and package heat load. In the second effort, direct measurements of two test packages are providing a correlation between humidity and fiberboard moisture levels within the package, and variations in moisture throughout the fiberboard assembly. This effort has examined packages with cane fiberboard and internal heat levels of 5 and 10W to date. Additional testing is expected to include 15 and 19W heat levels, and then repeat the same four heat levels with softwood fiberboard assemblies. This report documents the data collected to date within these two efforts.« less

  9. Discussion on the methodology for determining food waste in household waste composition studies.

    PubMed

    Lebersorger, S; Schneider, F

    2011-01-01

    Food waste has become an increasingly discussed topic in recent years. However, there is little authoritative data on food waste quantities and composition and systematic and comparable data are missing. Household waste composition analyses, which are often carried out routinely at regular or irregular intervals, provide an opportunity for obtaining data about food waste at both local and regional levels. The results of prior waste composition studies are not really comparable due to the different classifications, definitions and methods used; in addition, these are mostly insufficiently described and not reproducible by a third party. The aim of this paper is to discuss a methodology for determining the proportion of food waste in household waste composition studies, by analysing specific problems and possible solutions. For that purpose, findings from the literature are analysed and the approach and results of a composition analysis of residual waste of a stratified sample (urban, rural area) are presented. The study suggests that in order to avoid a significant loss of information, waste should not be sieved before sorting and packed food waste should be classified into the relevant food waste category together with its packaging. The case study showed that the overall influence of the proportion of food packaging included in the food waste category, which amounted to only 8%, did not significantly influence the results and can therefore be disregarded. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Solid Waste Activity Packet for Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Illinois Univ., Urbana. Cooperative Extension Service.

    This solid waste activity packet introduces students to the solid waste problem in Illinois. Topics explore consumer practices in the market place, packaging, individual and community garbage generation, and disposal practices. The activities provide an integrated approach to incorporating solid waste management issues into subject areas. The…

  11. Calculation Package for the Analysis of Performance of Cells 1-6, with Underdrain, of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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

    Gonzales D.

    2010-03-30

    This calculation package presents the results of an assessment of the performance of the 6 cell design of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF). The calculations show that the new cell 6 design at the EMWMF meets the current WAC requirement. QA/QC steps were taken to verify the input/output data for the risk model and data transfer from modeling output files to tables and calculation.

  12. Potential migration of buoyant LNAPL from intermediate level waste (ILW) emplaced in a geological disposal facility (GDF) for U.K. radioactive waste.

    PubMed

    Benbow, Steven J; Rivett, Michael O; Chittenden, Neil; Herbert, Alan W; Watson, Sarah; Williams, Steve J; Norris, Simon

    2014-10-15

    A safety case for the disposal of Intermediate Level (radioactive) Waste (ILW) in a deep geological disposal facility (GDF) requires consideration of the potential for waste-derived light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) to migrate under positive buoyancy from disposed waste packages. Were entrainment of waste-derived radionuclides in LNAPL to occur, such migration could result in a shorter overall travel time to environmental or human receptors than radionuclide migration solely associated with the movement of groundwater. This paper provides a contribution to the assessment of this issue through multiphase-flow numerical modelling underpinned by a review of the UK's ILW inventory and literature to define the nature of the associated ILW LNAPL source term. Examination has been at the waste package-local GDF environment scale to determine whether proposed disposal of ILW would lead to significant likelihood of LNAPL migration, both from waste packages and from a GDF vault into the local host rock. Our review and numerical modelling support the proposition that the release of a discrete free phase LNAPL from ILW would not present a significant challenge to the safety case even with conservative approximations. 'As-disposed' LNAPL emplaced with the waste is not expected to pose a significant issue. 'Secondary LNAPL' generated in situ within the disposed ILW, arising from the decomposition of plastics, in particular PVC (polyvinyl chloride), could form the predominant LNAPL source term. Released high molecular weight phthalate plasticizers are judged to be the primary LNAPL potentially generated. These are expected to have low buoyancy-based mobility due to their very low density contrast with water and high viscosity. Due to the inherent uncertainties, significant conservatisms were adopted within the numerical modelling approach, including: the simulation of a deliberately high organic material--PVC content wastestream (2D03) within an annular grouted waste package

  13. Upgrading of recycled plastics obtained from flexible packaging waste by adding nanosilicates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garofalo, E.; Claro, M.; Scarfato, P.; Di Maio, L.; Incarnato, L.

    2015-12-01

    Currently, the growing consumption of polymer products creates large quantities of waste materials resulting in public concern in the environment and people life. The efficient treatment of polymer wastes is still a difficult challenge and the recycling process represents the best way to manage them. Recently, many researchers have tried to develop nanotechnology for polymer recycling. The products prepared through the addition of nanoparticles to post-used plastics could offer the combination of improved properties, low weight, easy of processing and low cost which is not easily and concurrently found by other methods of plastic recycling. In this study materials, obtained by the separation and mechanical recycling of post-consumer packaging films of small size (

  14. Radiological Characterization Methodology of INEEL Stored RH-TRU Waste from ANL-E

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

    Rajiv N. Bhatt

    2003-02-01

    An Acceptable Knowledge (AK)-based radiological characterization methodology is being developed for RH TRU waste generated from ANL-E hot cell operations performed on fuel elements irradiated in the EBR-II reactor. The methodology relies on AK for composition of the fresh fuel elements, their irradiation history, and the waste generation and collection processes. Radiological characterization of the waste involves the estimates of the quantities of significant fission products and transuranic isotopes in the waste. Methods based on reactor and physics principles are used to achieve these estimates. Because of the availability of AK and the robustness of the calculation methods, the AK-basedmore » characterization methodology offers a superior alternative to traditional waste assay techniques. Using this methodology, it is shown that the radiological parameters of a test batch of ANL-E waste is well within the proposed WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria limits.« less

  15. Technical and Regulatory Considerations in Using Freight Containers as Industrial Packages

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

    Hawk, Mark B; Opperman, Erich; Natali, Ronald

    2008-01-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM), is actively pursuing activities to reduce the radiological risk and clean up the environmental legacy of the nation's nuclear weapons programmes. The EM has made significant progress in recent years in the clean-up and closure of sites and is also focusing on longer term activities necessary for the completion of the clean-up programme. The packaging and transportation of contaminated demolition debris and low level waste materials in a safe and cost effective manner are essential in completing this mission. Toward this end, the US Department of Transportation's Final Rulemore » on Hazardous Materials Regulation issued on 26 January 2004, included a new provision authorising the use of freight containers (e.g. 20 and 40 ft ISO containers) as industrial packages type 2 or 3. This paper will discuss the technical and regulatory considerations in using these newly authorised and large packages for the packaging and transportation of low level waste materials.« less

  16. Physical performance of biodegradable films intended for antimicrobial food packaging.

    PubMed

    Marcos, Begonya; Aymerich, Teresa; Monfort, Josep M; Garriga, Margarita

    2010-10-01

    Antimicrobial films were prepared by including enterocins to alginate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and zein films. The physical performance of the films was assessed by measuring color, microstructure (SEM), water vapor permeability (WVP), and tensile properties. All studied biopolymers showed poor WVP and limited tensile properties. PVOH showed the best performance exhibiting the lowest WVP values, higher tensile properties, and flexibility among studied biopolymers. SEM of antimicrobial films showed increased presence of voids and pores as a consequence of enterocin addition. However, changes in microstructure did not disturb WVP of films. Moreover, enterocin-containing films showed slight improvement compared to control films. Addition of enterocins to PVOH films had a plasticizing effect, by reducing its tensile strength and increasing the strain at break. The presence of enterocins had an important effect on tensile properties of zein films by significantly reducing its brittleness. Addition of enterocins, thus, proved not to disturb the physical performance of studied biopolymers. Development of new antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials may contribute to improving food safety while reducing environmental impact derived from packaging waste. Practical Application: Development of new antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials may contribute to improving food safety while reducing environmental impact derived from packaging waste.

  17. Cleanup Verification Package for the 118-F-1 Burial Ground

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

    E. J. Farris and H. M. Sulloway

    2008-01-10

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 118-F-1 Burial Ground on the Hanford Site. This burial ground is a combination of two locations formerly called Minor Construction Burial Ground No. 2 and Solid Waste Burial Ground No. 2. This waste site received radioactive equipment and other miscellaneous waste from 105-F Reactor operations, including dummy elements and irradiated process tubing; gun barrel tips, steel sleeves, and metal chips removed from the reactor; filter boxes containing reactor graphite chips; and miscellaneous construction solid waste.

  18. Substitution potentials of recycled HDPE and wood particles from post-consumer packaging waste in Wood-Plastic Composites.

    PubMed

    Sommerhuber, Philipp F; Welling, Johannes; Krause, Andreas

    2015-12-01

    The market share of Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC) is small but expected to grow sharply in Europe. This raises some concerns about suitable wood particles needed in the wood-based panels industry in Europe. Concerns are stimulated by the competition between the promotion of wooden products through the European Bioeconomy Strategy and wood as an energy carrier through the Renewable Energy Directive. Cascade use of resources and valorisation of waste are potential strategies to overcome resource scarcity. Under experimental design conditions, WPC made from post-consumer recycled wood and plastic (HDPE) were compared to WPC made from virgin resources. Wood content in the polymer matrix was raised in two steps from 0% to 30% and 60%. Mechanical and physical properties and colour differences were characterized. The feasibility of using cascaded resources for WPC is discussed. Results indicate the technical and economic feasibility of using recycled HDPE from packaging waste for WPC. Based on technical properties, 30% recycled wood content for WPC is feasible, but economic and political barriers of efficient cascading of biomass need to be overcome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Consumer preferences for reduced packaging under economic instruments and recycling policy.

    PubMed

    Yamaguchi, Keiko; Takeuchi, Kenji

    2016-02-01

    This study was conducted using a web-based survey and bidding game in contingent valuation method to evaluate consumer preferences for packaging with less material. Results revealed that people who live in a municipality implementing unit-based pricing of waste have a higher willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a product. Economic instruments can affect the purchase of products with reduced packaging because a higher disposal cost increases the attractiveness of source reduction. However, unit-based pricing combined with plastic separation for recycling reduces WTP. This result suggests that recycling policy weakens the effect of economic instruments on source reduction of waste. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. DWPF Safely Dispositioning Liquid Waste

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

    None

    2016-01-05

    The only operating radioactive waste glassification plant in the nation, the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) converts the liquid radioactive waste currently stored at the Savannah River Site (SRS) into a solid glass form suitable for long-term storage and disposal. Scientists have long considered this glassification process, called “vitrification,” as the preferred option for treating liquid radioactive waste.

  1. RH Packaging Program Guidance

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

    Washington TRU Solutions, LLC

    The purpose of this program guidance document is to provide technical requirements for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of the RH-TRU 72-B Waste Shipping Package and directly related components. This document complies with the requirements as specified in the RH-TRU 72-B Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9212. If there is a conflict between this document and the SARP and/or C of C, the SARP and/or C of C shall govern. The C of C states: ''...each package must be prepared for shipment and operated in accordance with themore » procedures described in Chapter 7.0, ''Operating Procedures,'' of the application.'' It further states: ''...each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, ''Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the Application.'' Chapter 9.0 of the SARP tasks the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Management and Operating (M&O) contractor with assuring the packaging is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. Because the packaging is NRC approved, users need to be familiar with 10 CFR {section} 71.11, ''Deliberate Misconduct.'' Any time a user suspects or has indications that the conditions of approval in the C of C were not met, the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) shall be notified immediately. CBFO will evaluate the issue and notify the NRC if required. This document details the instructions to be followed to operate, maintain, and test the RH-TRU 72-B packaging. This Program Guidance standardizes instructions for all users. Users shall follow these instructions. Following these instructions assures that operations are safe and meet the requirements of the SARP. This document is available on the Internet at: ttp://www.ws/library/t2omi/t2omi.htm. Users are responsible for ensuring they are using the current revision and change notices. Sites may prepare their own document using the word

  2. High-pressure processing and antimicrobial biodegradable packaging to control Listeria monocytogenes during storage of cooked ham.

    PubMed

    Marcos, Begonya; Aymerich, Teresa; Monfort, Josep M; Garriga, Margarita

    2008-02-01

    The efficiency of combining high-pressure processing (HPP) and active packaging technologies to control Listeria monocytogenes growth during the shelf life of artificially inoculated cooked ham was assessed. Three lots of cooked ham were prepared: control, packaging with alginate films, and packaging with antimicrobial alginate films containing enterocins. After packaging, half of the samples were pressurized. Sliced cooked ham stored at 6 degrees C experienced a quick growth of L. monocytogenes. Both antimicrobial packaging and pressurization delayed the growth of the pathogen. However, at 6 degrees C the combination of antimicrobial packaging and HPP was necessary to achieve a reduction of inoculated levels without recovery during 60 days of storage. Further storage at 6 degrees C of pressurized antimicrobial packed cooked ham resulted in L. monocytogenes levels below the detection limit (day 90). On the other hand, storage at 1 degrees C controlled the growth of the pathogen until day 39 in non-pressurized ham, while antimicrobial packaging and storage at 1 degrees C exerted a bacteriostatic effect for 60 days. All HPP lots stored at 1 degrees C led to counts <100CFU/g at day 60. Similar results were observed when combining both technologies. After a cold chain break no growth of L. monocytogenes was observed in pressurized ham packed with antimicrobial films, showing the efficiency of combining both technologies.

  3. Biomethanization of citrus waste: Effect of waste characteristics and of storage on treatability and evaluation of limonene degradation.

    PubMed

    Lotito, Adriana Maria; De Sanctis, Marco; Pastore, Carlo; Di Iaconi, Claudio

    2018-06-01

    This study proposes the evaluation of the suitability of mesophilic anaerobic digestion as a simple technology for the treatment of the citrus waste produced by small-medium agro-industrial enterprises involved in the transformation of Citrus fruits. Two different stocks of citrus peel waste were used (i.e., fresh and stored citrus peel waste), to evaluate the influence of waste composition (variability in the type of processed Citrus fruits) and of storage (potentially necessary to operate the anaerobic digester continuously over the whole year due to the seasonality of the production) on anaerobic degradation treatability. A thorough characterization of the two waste types has been performed, showing that the fresh one has a higher solid and organic content, and that, in spite of the similar values of oil fraction amounts, the two stocks are significantly different in the composition of essential oils (43% of limonene and 34% of linalyl acetate in the fresh citrus waste and 20% of limonene and 74% of linalyl acetate in the stored citrus waste). Contrarily to what observed in previous studies, anaerobic digestion was successful and no reactor acidification occurred. No inhibition by limonene and linalyl acetate even at the maximum applied organic load value (i.e., 2.72 gCOD waste /gVS inoculum ) was observed in the treatment of the stored waste, with limonene and linalyl acetate concentrations of 104 mg/l and 385 mg/l, respectively. On the contrary, some inhibition was detected with fresh citrus peel waste when the organic load increased from 2.21 to 2.88 gCOD waste /gVS inoculum , ascribable to limonene at initial concentration higher than 150 mg/l. A good conversion into methane was observed with fresh peel waste, up to 0.33  [Formula: see text] at the highest organic load, very close to the maximum theoretical value of 0.35 [Formula: see text] , while a lower efficiency was achieved with stored peel waste, with a reduction down to 0.24  [Formula: see

  4. 9975 SHIPPING PACKAGE LIFE EXTENSION SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM RESULTS SUMMARY

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

    Daugherty, W.; Dunn, K.; Hackney, B.

    2011-01-06

    Results from the 9975 Surveillance Program at the Savannah River Site (SRS) are summarized for justification to extend the life of the 9975 packages currently stored in the K-Area Materials Storage (KAMS) facility from 10 years to 15 years. This justification is established with the stipulation that surveillance activities will continue throughout this extended time to ensure the continued integrity of the 9975 materials of construction and to further understand the currently identified degradation mechanisms. The current 10 year storage life was developed prior to storage. A subsequent report was later used to extend the qualification of the 9975 shippingmore » packages for 2 years for shipping plus 10 years for storage. However the qualification for the storage period was provided by the monitoring requirements of the Storage and Surveillance Program. This report summarizes efforts to determine a new safe storage limit for the 9975 shipping package based on the surveillance data collected since 2005 when the surveillance program began. KAMS is a zero-release facility that depends upon containment by the 9975 to meet design basis storage requirements. Therefore, to confirm the continued integrity of the 9975 packages while stored in KAMS, a 9975 Storage and Surveillance Program was implemented alongside the DOE required Integrated Surveillance Program (ISP) for 3013 plutonium-bearing containers. The 9975 Storage and Surveillance Program performs field surveillance as well as accelerated aging tests to ensure any degradation due to aging, to the extent that could affect packaging performance, is detected in advance of such degradation occurring in the field. The Program has demonstrated that the 9975 package has a robust design that can perform under a variety of conditions. As such the primary emphasis of the on-going 9975 Surveillance Program is an aging study of the 9975 Viton(reg.sign) GLT containment vessel O-rings and the Celotex(reg.sign) fiberboard

  5. Incineration of European non-nuclear radioactive waste in the USA

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

    Moloney, B. P.; Ferguson, D.; Stephenson, B.

    2013-07-01

    Incineration of dry low level radioactive waste from nuclear stations is a well established process achieving high volume reduction factors to minimise disposal costs and to stabilise residues for disposal. Incineration has also been applied successfully in many European Union member countries to wastes arising from use of radionuclides in medicine, nonnuclear research and industry. However, some nations have preferred to accumulate wastes over many years in decay stores to reduce the radioactive burden at point of processing. After decay and sorting the waste, they then require a safe, industrial scale and affordable processing solution for the large volumes accumulated.more » This paper reports the regulatory, logistical and technical issues encountered in a programme delivered for Eckert and Ziegler Nuclitec to incinerate safely 100 te of waste collected originally from German research, hospital and industrial centres, applying for the first time a 'burn and return' process model for European waste in the US. The EnergySolutions incinerators at Bear Creek, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA routinely incinerate waste arising from the non-nuclear user community. To address the requirement from Germany, EnergySolutions had to run a dedicated campaign to reduce cross-contamination with non-German radionuclides to the practical minimum. The waste itself had to be sampled in a carefully controlled programme to ensure the exacting standards of Bear Creek's license and US emissions laws were maintained. Innovation was required in packaging of the waste to minimise transportation costs, including sea freight. The incineration was inspected on behalf of the German regulator (the BfS) to ensure suitability for return to Germany and disposal. This first 'burn and return' programme has safely completed the incineration phase in February and the arising ash will be returned to Germany presently. The paper reports the main findings and lessons learned on this first of its kind

  6. The Integrated Sensor System Data Enhancement Package

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trankle, T. L.; Reed, W. B.; Rabin, U.; Vincent, J.

    1983-01-01

    The purpose of the Integrated Sensor System (ISS) Data Enhancement Package (DEP) is to improve the accuracies of the data obtained from the inflight tests performed on aircraft. The DEP is a microprocessor-based, flight-qualified electronics package that assimilates data from a Ring Laser Gyro (RGL) system, a standard NASA air data package, and other inputs. The DEP then processes these inputs in real-time to obtain optimal estimates of the aircraft velocity, attitude, and altitude. These estimates can be passed to the flight crew, downlinked, and/or stored on a mass storage medium. The DEP is now being built for the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Completion is anticipated in early 1984. A primary use of the ISS/DEP will be for the collection of quality data for the estimation of aircraft aerodynamic coefficients, including stability derivatives, using system identification methods. Initial anticipated applications will be on the AV-8B, F-14, and X-29 test aircraft.

  7. EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Shippingport LWBR (TH/U Oxide) Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages

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

    S. Arthur

    The Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Waste Package Department of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Shippingport Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) (Ref. 1). The Shippingport LWBR SNF has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site. Because of the high content of fissile material in the SNF, the waste package (WP) design requires special consideration of the amount and placement of neutron absorbers and the possible loss of absorbers and SNF materials over geologic time. For some WPs,more » the outer shell corrosion-resistant material (CRM) and the corrosion-allowance inner shell may breach (Refs. 2 and 3), allowing the influx of water. Water in the WP will moderate neutrons, increasing the likelihood of a criticality event within the WP; and the water may, in time, gradually leach the fissile components and neutron absorbers from the WP, further affecting the neutronics of the system. This study presents calculations of the long-term geochemical behavior of WPs containing a Shippingport LWBR SNF seed assembly, and high-level waste (HLW) glass canisters arranged according to the codisposal concept (Ref. 4). The specific study objectives were to determine: (1) The extent to which criticality control material, suggested for this WP design, will remain in the WP after corrosion/dissolution of the initial WP configuration (such that it can be effective in preventing criticality); (2) The extent to which fissile uranium and fertile thorium will be carried out of the degraded WP by infiltrating water (such that internal criticality is no longer possible, but the possibility of external criticality may be enhanced); and (3) The nominal chemical composition for the criticality evaluations of the WP design, and to suggest the range of parametric variations for additional evaluations. The scope of

  8. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging (map) on the quality of sea buckthorn berry fruits during postharvest storage

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality of the berry fruits of sea buckthorn (SBT) during refrigerated storage was investigated. SBT berries were packaged in 160 and 525 oxygen transmission rate (OTR) films or in vented clamshell containers (air control) and stored at 10C fo...

  9. DWPF Safely Dispositioning Liquid Waste

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2018-06-21

    The only operating radioactive waste glassification plant in the nation, the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) converts the liquid radioactive waste currently stored at the Savannah River Site (SRS) into a solid glass form suitable for long-term storage and disposal. Scientists have long considered this glassification process, called “vitrification,” as the preferred option for treating liquid radioactive waste.

  10. Combined effect of vacuum-packaging and oregano essential oil on the shelf-life of Mediterranean octopus (Octopus vulgaris) from the Aegean Sea stored at 4 degrees C.

    PubMed

    Atrea, I; Papavergou, A; Amvrosiadis, I; Savvaidis, I N

    2009-04-01

    The present study evaluated the use of vacuum packaging (alone) or with addition of oregano essential oil (EO), as an antimicrobial treatment for shelf-life extension of fresh Mediterranean octopus stored under refrigeration for a period of 23 days. Four different treatments were tested: A, control sample; under aerobic storage in the absence of oregano essential oil; VP, under vacuum packaging in the absence of oregano essential oil; and VO1, VO2, treated samples with oregano essential oil 0.2 and 0.4% (v/w), respectively, under VP. Of all the microorganisms enumerated, Pseudomonas spp., H2S-producing bacteria and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were the groups that prevailed in octopus samples, irrespective of antimicrobial treatment. With regard to the chemical freshness indices determined, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values were low in all octopus samples, as could have been expected from the low fat content of the product. Both trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA-N) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values of oregano treated under VP octopus samples were significantly lower compared to control samples during the entire refrigerated storage period. Based primarily on sensory evaluation (odor), the use of VP, VO1 and VO2 extended the shelf-life of fresh Mediterranean octopus by ca. 3, 11 and 20 days, respectively.

  11. RCRA Part A Permit Application for Waste Management Activities at the Nevada Test Site, Part B Permit Application Hazardous Waste Storage Unit, Nevada Test Site, and Part B Permit Application - Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit (EODU)

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

    NSTec Environmental Programs

    2010-06-17

    The Area 5 Hazardous Waste Storage Unit (HWSU) was established to support testing, research, and remediation activities at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), a large-quantity generator of hazardous waste. The HWSU, located adjacent to the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS), is a prefabricated, rigid steel-framed, roofed shelter used to store hazardous nonradioactive waste generated on the NTS. No offsite generated wastes are managed at the HWSU. Waste managed at the HWSU includes the following categories: Flammables/Combustibles; Acid Corrosives; Alkali Corrosives; Oxidizers/Reactives; Toxics/Poisons; and Other Regulated Materials (ORMs). A list of the regulated waste codes accepted for storage atmore » the HWSU is provided in Section B.2. Hazardous wastes stored at the HWSU are stored in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) compliant containers, compatible with the stored waste. Waste transfer (between containers) is not allowed at the HWSU and containers remain closed at all times. Containers are stored on secondary containment pallets and the unit is inspected monthly. Table 1 provides the metric conversion factors used in this application. Table 2 provides a list of existing permits. Table 3 lists operational Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) units at the NTS and their respective regulatory status.« less

  12. Effects of packaging materials on storage quality of peanut kernels

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Xiaoji; Xing, Shengping; Xiong, Huiwei; Min, Hua; Zhu, Xuejing; He, Jialin; Mu, Honglei

    2018-01-01

    In order to obtain optimum packaging materials for peanut kernels, the effects of four types of packaging materials on peanut storage quality (coat color, acid value, germination rate, relative damage, and prevention of aflatoxin contamination) were examined. The results showed that packaging materials had a major influence on peanut storage quality indexes. The color of the peanut seed coat packaged in the polyester/aluminum/polyamide/polyethylene (PET/AL/PA/PE) composite film bag did not change significantly during the storage period. Color deterioration was slower with polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) packaging materials than with polyethylene (PE) film bags and was slower in PE bags than in the woven bags. The use of PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags maintained peanut quality and freshness for more than one year and both package types resulted in better germination rates. There were significant differences between the four types of packaging materials in terms of controlling insect pests. The peanuts packaged in the highly permeable woven bags suffered serious invasion from insect pests, while both PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags effectively prevented insect infection. Peanuts stored in PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags were also better at preventing and controlling aflatoxin contamination. PMID:29518085

  13. Quality assessment of ice-stored tropical yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and influence of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging.

    PubMed

    Silbande, Adèle; Adenet, Sandra; Smith-Ravin, Juliette; Joffraud, Jean-Jacques; Rochefort, Katia; Leroi, Françoise

    2016-12-01

    Metagenomic, microbial, chemical and sensory analyses of Thunnus albacares from Martinique stored in ice (AIR - 0 °C), vacuum (VP - 4/8 °C) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP - 4/8 °C) (70% CO2 - 30% O2) were carried out. The organoleptic rejection of AIR tuna was observed at day 13 when total bacterial counts equaled 10(6)-10(7) CFU g(-1). No extension of shelf-life was provided by VP and MAP. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analyzed by Illumina MiSeq and PCR-TTGE, Rhodanobacter terrae was the main species of the freshly caught tuna. At the sensory rejection time, Brochothrix thermosphacta and Pseudomonas dominated the AIR products while B. thermosphacta alone or a mix of B. thermosphacta, Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominated the microbiota of MAP and VP products, respectively. The pH value remained stable in all trials, ranging from 5.77 to 5.97. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and trimethylamine (TMA-N) concentrations were weak and not significantly different between batches. Lipid oxidation increased in the samples containing O2 (MAP > AIR). The initial concentration of histamine was high (75-78 mg kg(-1)) and stable up to 8 days but then significantly decreased in all trials to reach 25-30 mg kg(-1), probably due to the presence of histamine-decomposing bacteria. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Data Package for Secondary Waste Form Down-Selection—Cast Stone

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

    Serne, R. Jeffrey; Westsik, Joseph H.

    2011-09-05

    Available literature on Cast Stone and Saltstone was reviewed with an emphasis on determining how Cast Stone and related grout waste forms performed in relationship to various criteria that will be used to decide whether a specific type of waste form meets acceptance criteria for disposal in the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) at Hanford. After the critical review of the Cast Stone/Saltstone literature, we conclude that Cast Stone is a good candidate waste form for further consideration. Cast stone meets the target IDF acceptance criteria for compressive strength, no free liquids, TCLP leachate are below the UTS permissible concentrations andmore » leach rates for Na and Tc-99 are suiteably low. The cost of starting ingredients and equipment necessary to generate Cast Stone waste forms with secondary waste streams are low and the Cast Stone dry blend formulation can be tailored to accommodate variations in liquid waste stream compositions. The database for Cast Stone short-term performance is quite extensive compared to the other three candidate waste solidification processes. The solidification of liquid wastes in Cast Stone is a mature process in comparison to the other three candidates. Successful production of Cast Stone or Saltstone has been demonstrated from lab-scale monoliths with volumes of cm3 through m3 sized blocks to 210-liter sized drums all the way to the large pours into vaults at Savannah River. To date over 9 million gallons of low activity liquid waste has been solidified and disposed in concrete vaults at Savannah River.« less

  15. Quality and safety aspects of meat products as affected by various physical manipulations of packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Lee, Keun Taik

    2010-09-01

    This article explores the effects of physically manipulated packaging materials on the quality and safety of meat products. Recently, innovative measures for improving quality and extending the shelf-life of packaged meat products have been developed, utilizing technologies including barrier film, active packaging, nanotechnology, microperforation, irradiation, plasma and far-infrared ray (FIR) treatments. Despite these developments, each technology has peculiar drawbacks which will need to be addressed by meat scientists in the future. To develop successful meat packaging systems, key product characteristics affecting stability, environmental conditions during storage until consumption, and consumers' packaging expectations must all be taken into consideration. Furthermore, the safety issues related to packaging materials must also be taken into account when processing, packaging and storing meat products.

  16. Postharvest changes in the phenolic profile of watercress induced by post-packaging irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging.

    PubMed

    Pinela, José; Barros, Lillian; Barreira, João C M; Carvalho, Ana Maria; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

    2018-07-15

    The effects of γ-ray irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) phenolic compounds were evaluated after 7-day storage at 4 °C. Irradiation doses of 1, 2 and 5 kGy were tested, as well as vacuum-packaging and MAP enriched with 100% N 2 and Ar. A non-irradiated, air-packaged control was included in all experiments. p-Coumaric acid was the most abundant compound in fresh watercress, followed by quercetin-3-O-sophoroside and isorhamnetin-O-hydroxyferuloylhexoside-O-hexoside. Four kaempferol glycoside derivatives were identified for the first time in this species. In general, flavonoids predominated over phenolic acids. Samples stored under vacuum and irradiated at 2 kGy revealed lower phenolic levels. Ar-enriched MAP and control conditions preserved the initial phenolic content. The 5 kGy dose also maintained concentrations of flavonoids and total phenolic compounds, but increased the phenolic acids content. Additionally, flavonoids were found strongly correlated to DPPH scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching inhibition capacity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Solid Waste Management Practices in EBRP Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mann, Nadine L.

    1994-01-01

    A Louisiana school district has made tremendous progress toward developing and implementing an environmentally friendly solid waste management program. Packaging changes in school food service, newspaper and aluminum can recycling, and composting of leaf and yard waste have contributed to reduced waste sent to the local landfill. (MLF)

  18. The empowerment of sustainable design in food packaging as designer responsibilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Setiadi, V.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is emphasized on the empowerment of sustainable design in providing the dual function of a food packaging. Which can extend the life of paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum foil so as to reduce the contribution of waste on earth. The methodology used in this research is using qualitative research. With the main approach taken on the layout of the packaging design, the approach that relies heavily on the data in the form of packaging design. For the process of observation, the authors should compare with the forms of food packaging designs that are contained in the diversity of food packaging types from products outside Indonesia. The purpose of this study is also intended as a recommendation through observation of data interviews and survey related products. Conclusion through material exploration, packaging structure exploration, efficient exploration of ink usage and packaging usage patterns.

  19. Microbial community structure and diversity in a municipal solid waste landfill.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaolin; Cao, Aixin; Zhao, Guozhu; Zhou, Chuanbin; Xu, Rui

    2017-08-01

    Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the most prevalent waste disposal method and constitute one of the largest sources of anthropogenic methane emissions in the world. Microbial activities in disposed waste play a crucial role in greenhouse gas emissions; however, only a few studies have examined metagenomic microbial profiles in landfills. Here, the MiSeq high-throughput sequencing method was applied for the first time to examine microbial diversity of the cover soil and stored waste located at different depths (0-150cm) in a typical MSW landfill in Yangzhou City, East China. The abundance of microorganisms in the cover soil (0-30cm) was the lowest among all samples, whereas that in stored waste decreased from the top to the middle layer (30-90cm) and then increased from the middle to the bottom layer (90-150cm). In total, 14 phyla and 18 genera were found in the landfill. A microbial diversity analysis showed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, whereas Halanaerobium, Methylohalobius, Syntrophomonas, Fastidiosipila, and Spirochaeta were the dominant genera. Methylohalobius (methanotrophs) was more abundant in the cover layers of soil than in stored waste, whereas Syntrophomonas and Fastidiosipila, which affect methane production, were more abundant in the middle to bottom layers (90-150cm) in stored waste. A canonical correlation analysis showed that microbial diversity in the landfill was most strongly correlated with the conductivity, organic matter, and moisture content of the stored waste. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Effect of chitosan based active packaging film on the keeping quality of chilled stored barracuda fish.

    PubMed

    Remya, S; Mohan, C O; Bindu, J; Sivaraman, G K; Venkateshwarlu, G; Ravishankar, C N

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, active antimicrobial (AM) packaging films were prepared from chitosan (CH) incorporated with ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oil at different concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 % v/v) and characterized. GC-MS analysis revealed zingiberene (22.54 ± 0.13), geranial (12.34 ± 0.33), β-sesquiphellandrene (8.14 ± 0.14), camphene (7.44 ± 0.54) and neral (5.45 ± 0.23) as the major components of essential oil extracted from ginger. Addition of ginger essential oil (GEO) improved the AM activity of the CH film against food borne pathogens, without significantly (p < 0.05) affecting the mechanical properties of the film. CH film with GEO was more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria and maximum antibacterial property against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was shown by 0.3 % GEO added CH film. In a further experiment, steaks of barracuda (Sphyraena jello) fish were wrapped with the CH-GEO (0.3 %) film and stored at 2 °C for 20 days. Throughout the storage period, the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value and total mesophilic count of fish steak wrapped with the CH-GEO film were significantly (p < 0.05) lesser than both the unwrapped control fish steak and aerobically packed fish steak in synthetic multilayer film of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) (nylon, EVOH and polyethylene). Sensorily, CH-GEO film wrapped sample was acceptable till the end of storage for 20 days compared to 12 days for unwrapped control and fish steak packed in EVOH film. The results indicate that the developed CH-GEO film is efficient in extending the storage life of fish.

  1. Method of storing radioactive wastes using modified tobermorite

    DOEpatents

    Komarneni, Sridhar; Roy, Della M.

    1985-01-01

    A new cation exchanger is a modified tobermorite containing aluminum isomorphously substituted for silicon and containing sodium or potassium. The exchanger is selective for lead, rubidium, cobalt and cadmium and is selective for cesium over calcium or sodium. The tobermorites are compatable with cement and are useful for the long-term fixation and storage of radioactive nuclear wastes.

  2. Oak Ridge Reservation Waste Management Plan

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

    Turner, J.W.

    1995-02-01

    This report presents the waste management plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation facilities. The primary purpose is to convey what facilities are being used to manage wastes, what forces are acting to change current waste management systems, and what plans are in store for the coming fiscal year.

  3. Functions of Nano-Materials in Food Packaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yap, Ray Chin Chong; Kwablah, Amegadze Paul Seyram; He, Jiating; Li, Xu

    Food packaging has been changing from bulky and rigid form in the past to different variation of lights and plastic packagings. Regardless of the changes, the packaging must be able to uphold its original function which is to serve as food containment as well as to protect the food from the external environment. Coupled with the increasing consumer’s awareness on food waste, higher standard of living, technological developments are underway to enhance the shelf-life of packed food as well as methods to provide indications of food packaging environment. There are many different indicators for food spoilage, but two commonly found gases in food packaging are oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is the main mechanism for food spoilage, while carbon dioxide is often used in modified-atmosphere-packaging. There are also different methods of gas scavenging and/or sensing techniques based on different concepts in the literature. In this review, the focus will be on nano-materials, namely titanium dioxide, silica, zeolites and metal organic frameworks. This review is structured in a manner to highlight how each material can be used in both gas scavenging and/or indicators applications. The last part of the review focuses on the approach and some key considerations when integrating nano-materials into the plastic film.

  4. 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.

  5. Cleanup Verification Package for the 118-F-6 Burial Ground

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

    H. M. Sulloway

    2008-10-02

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 118-F-6 Burial Ground located in the 100-FR-2 Operable Unit of the 100-F Area on the Hanford Site. The trenches received waste from the 100-F Experimental Animal Farm, including animal manure, animal carcasses, laboratory waste, plastic, cardboard, metal, and concrete debris as well as a railroad tank car.

  6. The influence of the WIC food package changes on the retail food environment in New Orleans.

    PubMed

    Rose, Donald; O'Malley, Keelia; Dunaway, Lauren Futrell; Bodor, J Nicholas

    2014-01-01

    To examine the effect of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food package changes on availability of healthy foods in small stores. Pre-post comparison group design with repeat in-store observations. New Orleans. Small stores (n = 102; 77% of total) were visited in 2009. Of these, 91% were observed again in 2010, including both WIC (n = 27) and non-WIC (n = 66) stores. The 2009 WIC food package changes to include healthier foods. Change in store availability of fruits, vegetables, lower-fat milks, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. Change in number of varieties and shelf length of fruits and vegetables. Difference-in-differences analysis using logit models for change in availability and regression models for change in number of varieties or shelf length. The WIC stores were more likely to improve availability of lower-fat milks than non-WIC stores (adjusted odds ratio, 5.0, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-21.0). An even greater relative improvement was seen with whole grains. The WIC stores showed a relative increase in number of varieties of fresh fruits (0.9 ± 0.3; P < .01) and shelf length of vegetables (1.2 ± 0.4 meters; P < .01). Results suggest that WIC changes improved the availability of healthy foods in small stores in New Orleans. Similar changes throughout the country could have a significant impact on neighborhood food environments. Copyright © 2014 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Cleanup Verification Package for the 100-F-20, Pacific Northwest Laboratory Parallel Pits

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

    M. J. Appel

    2007-01-22

    This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 100-F-20, Pacific Northwest Laboratory Parallel Pits waste site. This waste site consisted of two earthen trenches thought to have received both radioactive and nonradioactive material related to the 100-F Experimental Animal Farm.

  8. Miniature stick-packaging--an industrial technology for pre-storage and release of reagents in lab-on-a-chip systems.

    PubMed

    van Oordt, Thomas; Barb, Yannick; Smetana, Jan; Zengerle, Roland; von Stetten, Felix

    2013-08-07

    Stick-packaging of goods in tubular-shaped composite-foil pouches has become a popular technology for food and drug packaging. We miniaturized stick-packaging for use in lab-on-a-chip (LOAC) systems to pre-store and on-demand release the liquid and dry reagents in a volume range of 80-500 μl. An integrated frangible seal enables the pressure-controlled release of reagents and simplifies the layout of LOAC systems, thereby making the package a functional microfluidic release unit. The frangible seal is adjusted to defined burst pressures ranging from 20 to 140 kPa. The applied ultrasonic welding process allows the packaging of temperature sensitive reagents. Stick-packs have been successfully tested applying recovery tests (where 99% (STDV = 1%) of 250 μl pre-stored liquid is released), long-term storage tests (where there is loss of only <0.5% for simulated 2 years) and air transport simulation tests. The developed technology enables the storage of a combination of liquid and dry reagents. It is a scalable technology suitable for rapid prototyping and low-cost mass production.

  9. Pyrolysis behavior of different type of materials contained in the rejects of packaging waste sorting plants.

    PubMed

    Adrados, A; De Marco, I; Lopez-Urionabarrenechea, A; Caballero, B M; Laresgoiti, M F

    2013-01-01

    In this paper rejected streams coming from a waste packaging material recovery facility have been characterized and separated into families of products of similar nature in order to determine the influence of different types of ingredients in the products obtained in the pyrolysis process. The pyrolysis experiments have been carried out in a non-stirred batch 3.5 dm(3) reactor, swept with 1 L min(-1) N(2), at 500°C for 30 min. Pyrolysis liquids are composed of an organic phase and an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase is greater as higher is the cellulosic material content in the sample. The organic phase contains valuable chemicals as styrene, ethylbenzene and toluene, and has high heating value (HHV) (33-40 MJ kg(-1)). Therefore they could be used as alternative fuels for heat and power generation and as a source of valuable chemicals. Pyrolysis gases are mainly composed of hydrocarbons but contain high amounts of CO and CO(2); their HHV is in the range of 18-46 MJ kg(-1). The amount of COCO(2) increases, and consequently HHV decreases as higher is the cellulosic content of the waste. Pyrolysis solids are mainly composed of inorganics and char formed in the process. The cellulosic materials lower the quality of the pyrolysis liquids and gases, and increase the production of char. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Storage stability of banana chips in polypropylene based nanocomposite packaging films.

    PubMed

    Manikantan, M R; Sharma, Rajiv; Kasturi, R; Varadharaju, N

    2014-11-01

    In this study, polypropylene (PP) based nanocomposite films of 15 different compositions of nanoclay, compatibilizer and thickness were developed and used for packaging and storage of banana chips. The effect of nanocomposite films on the quality characteristics viz. moisture content (MC), water activity (WA), total color difference(TCD), breaking force (BF), free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value(PV), total plate count (TPC) and overall acceptability score of banana chips under ambient condition at every 15 days interval were studied for 120 days. All quality parameters of stored banana chips increased whereas overall acceptability scores decreased during storage. The elevation in FFA, BF and TCD of stored banana chips increased with elapse of storage period as well as with increased proportion of both nanoclay and compatibilizer but decreased by reducing the thickness of film. Among all the packaging materials, the WA of banana chips remained lower than 0.60 i.e. critical limit for microbial growth up to 90 days of storage. The PV of banana chips packaged also remained within the safe limit of 25 meq oxygen kg(-1) throughout the storage period. Among all the nanocomposite films, packaging material having 5 % compatibilizer, 2 % nanoclay & 100 μm thickness (treatment E) and 10 % compatibilizer, 4 % nanoclay & 120 μm thickness (treatment N) showed better stability of measured quality characteristics of banana chips than any other treatment.

  11. Preservation of fresh meat with active and modified atmosphere packaging conditions.

    PubMed

    Skandamis, Panagiotis N; Nychas, George-John E

    2002-11-15

    The sensory, microbiological and physicochemical attributes of fresh meat stored at 5 and 15 degrees C were affected by the combined effect of volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and modified atmosphere packaging conditions (40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2, 100% CO2, 80% CO2/20% air, vacuum pack and air). It was found that the extension of shelf life of meat samples depended on the packaging conditions and augmented in the order: air < vacuum pack < 40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2 < 80% CO2/ 20% air < 100% CO2. Longer shelf life was observed in samples supplemented with the volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and stored under the same packaging conditions mentioned above. The extension of shelf life may be due to the synergistic effect of volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and the modified atmosphere packaging used on the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of meat. Indeed, both these hurdles can prolong and delay microbial growth or suppress the final counts of the spoilage microorganisms in comparison with the 'control' samples. The effect of essential oil volatile compounds was even more pronounced on the physicochemical changes of meat samples caused by microbial association. Oregano essential oil delayed glucose and lactate consumption, both indicators of meat spoilage aerobically as well as under 40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2, and 100% CO2. Finally, changes in other metabolites such as formic acid were also observed.

  12. Prevalence of pesticides in postconsumer agrochemical polymeric packaging.

    PubMed

    Eras, J; Costa, J; Vilaró, F; Pelacho, A M; Canela-Garayoa, R; Martin-Closas, L

    2017-02-15

    Pesticide remains contained in agrochemical packaging waste are a source of uncontrolled risk for human health; they are also a quality feedstock for the plastic recycling industry. Many governments have recently started to establish laws and regulations to develop systems for recovering and recycling the polymeric packages used for pesticides. There is also a demand in having a procedure to control the suitability of the pesticide packages to be reused. We have developed a two-step operation process to assess the pesticide residues in agricultural containers made of a variety of polymeric matrices. The procedure is based on an extraction with a solvent mixture followed by UPLC-MS/MS determination. Solvents for neutral pesticides were selected considering the Hildebrand solubility (δ) of solvents and polymers together with those estimated for the pesticides. The proposed technique is effective in recovering imbibed pesticides in polymeric matrices. Also, a simplified extraction procedure has been tested to become a routine method for these wastes. We have found that in many cases a significant amount of pesticides remain into the polymeric matrix, even after a standardized cleaning; the impact of releasing these hazardous compounds into the environment is to be of further consideration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Impact of Nisin-Activated Packaging on Microbiota of Beef Burgers during Storage

    PubMed Central

    Ferrocino, Ilario; Greppi, Anna; La Storia, Antonietta; Rantsiou, Kalliopi; Ercolini, Danilo

    2015-01-01

    Beef burgers were stored at 4°C in a vacuum in nisin-activated antimicrobial packaging. Microbial ecology analyses were performed on samples collected between days 0 and 21 of storage to discover the population diversity. Two batches were analyzed using RNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and pyrosequencing. The active packaging retarded the growth of the total viable bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. Culture-independent analysis by pyrosequencing of RNA extracted directly from meat showed that Photobacterium phosphoreum, Lactococcus piscium, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc carnosum were the major operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared between control and treated samples. Beta diversity analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence data and RNA-DGGE showed a clear separation between two batches based on the microbiota. Control samples from batch B showed a significant high abundance of some taxa sensitive to nisin, such as Kocuria rhizophila, Staphylococcus xylosus, Leuconostoc carnosum, and Carnobacterium divergens, compared to control samples from batch A. However, only from batch B was it possible to find a significant difference between controls and treated samples during storage due to the active packaging. Predicted metagenomes confirmed differences between the two batches and indicated that the use of nisin-based antimicrobial packaging can determine a reduction in the abundance of specific metabolic pathways related to spoilage. The present study aimed to assess the viable bacterial communities in beef burgers stored in nisin-based antimicrobial packaging, and it highlights the efficacy of this strategy to prolong beef burger shelf life. PMID:26546424

  14. Impact of Nisin-Activated Packaging on Microbiota of Beef Burgers during Storage.

    PubMed

    Ferrocino, Ilario; Greppi, Anna; La Storia, Antonietta; Rantsiou, Kalliopi; Ercolini, Danilo; Cocolin, Luca

    2016-01-15

    Beef burgers were stored at 4°C in a vacuum in nisin-activated antimicrobial packaging. Microbial ecology analyses were performed on samples collected between days 0 and 21 of storage to discover the population diversity. Two batches were analyzed using RNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and pyrosequencing. The active packaging retarded the growth of the total viable bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. Culture-independent analysis by pyrosequencing of RNA extracted directly from meat showed that Photobacterium phosphoreum, Lactococcus piscium, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc carnosum were the major operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared between control and treated samples. Beta diversity analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence data and RNA-DGGE showed a clear separation between two batches based on the microbiota. Control samples from batch B showed a significant high abundance of some taxa sensitive to nisin, such as Kocuria rhizophila, Staphylococcus xylosus, Leuconostoc carnosum, and Carnobacterium divergens, compared to control samples from batch A. However, only from batch B was it possible to find a significant difference between controls and treated samples during storage due to the active packaging. Predicted metagenomes confirmed differences between the two batches and indicated that the use of nisin-based antimicrobial packaging can determine a reduction in the abundance of specific metabolic pathways related to spoilage. The present study aimed to assess the viable bacterial communities in beef burgers stored in nisin-based antimicrobial packaging, and it highlights the efficacy of this strategy to prolong beef burger shelf life. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  15. Adequacy of a Small Quantity Site RH-TRU Waste Program in Meeting Proposed WIPP Characterization Objectives

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

    Biedscheid, J.; Stahl, S.; Devarakonda, M.

    2002-02-26

    The first remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste is expected to be permanently disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) during Fiscal Year (FY) 2003. The first RH-TRU waste shipments are scheduled from the Battelle Columbus Laboratories (BCL) to WIPP in order to facilitate compliance with BCL Decommissioning Project (BCLDP) milestones. Milestones requiring RH-TRU waste containerization and removal from the site by 2004 in order to meet a 2006 site closure goal, established by Congress in the Defense Facilities Closure Projects account, necessitated the establishment and implementation of a site-specific program to direct the packaging of BCLDP RH-TRU waste priormore » to the finalization of WIPP RH-TRU waste characterization requirements. The program was designed to collect waste data, including audio and videotape records of waste packaging, such that upon completion of waste packaging, comprehensive data records exist from which compliance with final WIPP RH-TRU waste characterization requirements can be demonstrated. With the BCLDP data records generated to date and the development by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) of preliminary documents proposing the WIPP RH-TRU waste characterization program, it is possible to evaluate the adequacy of the BCLDP program with respect to meeting proposed characterization objectives. The BCLDP characterization program uses primarily acceptable knowledge (AK) and visual examination (VE) during waste packaging to characterize RH-TRU waste. These methods are used to estimate physical waste parameters, including weight percentages of metals, cellulosics, plastics, and rubber in the waste, and to determine the absence of prohibited items, including free liquids. AK combined with computer modeling is used to estimate radiological waste parameters, including total activity on a waste container basis, for the majority of BCLDP RH-TRU waste. AK combined with direct analysis is used to

  16. Plastic flexible films waste management - A state of art review.

    PubMed

    Horodytska, O; Valdés, F J; Fullana, A

    2018-04-21

    Plastic flexible films are increasingly used in many applications due to their lightness and versatility. In 2014, the amount of plastic films represented 34% of total plastic packaging produced in UK. The flexible film waste generation rises according to the increase in number of applications. Currently, in developed countries, about 50% of plastics in domestic waste are films. Moreover, about 615,000 tonnes of agricultural flexible waste are generated in the EU every year. A review of plastic films recycling has been conducted in order to detect the shortcomings and establish guidelines for future research. This paper reviews plastic films waste management technologies from two different sources: post-industrial and post-consumer. Clean and homogeneous post-industrial waste is recycled through closed-loop or open-loop mechanical processes. The main differences between these methods are the quality and the application of the recycled materials. Further research should be focused on closing the loops to obtain the highest environmental benefits of recycling. This could be accomplished through minimizing the material degradation during mechanical processes. Regarding post-consumer waste, flexible films from agricultural and packaging sectors have been assessed. The agricultural films and commercial and industrial flexible packaging are recycled through open-loop mechanical recycling due to existing selective waste collection routes. Nevertheless, the contamination from the use phase adversely affects the quality of recycled plastics. Therefore, upgrading of current washing lines is required. On the other hand, household flexible packaging shows the lowest recycling rates mainly because of inefficient sorting technologies. Delamination and compatibilization methods should be further developed to ensure the recycling of multilayer films. Finally, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies on waste management have been reviewed. A lack of thorough LCA on plastic films waste

  17. The Affordance Template ROS Package for Robot Task Programming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hart, Stephen; Dinh, Paul; Hambuchen, Kimberly

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces the Affordance Template ROS package for quickly programming, adjusting, and executing robot applications in the ROS RViz environment. This package extends the capabilities of RViz interactive markers by allowing an operator to specify multiple end-effector waypoint locations and grasp poses in object-centric coordinate frames and to adjust these waypoints in order to meet the run-time demands of the task (specifically, object scale and location). The Affordance Template package stores task specifications in a robot-agnostic XML description format such that it is trivial to apply a template to a new robot. As such, the Affordance Template package provides a robot-generic ROS tool appropriate for building semi-autonomous, manipulation-based applications. Affordance Templates were developed by the NASA-JSC DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) team and have since successfully been deployed on multiple platforms including the NASA Valkyrie and Robonaut 2 humanoids, the University of Texas Dreamer robot and the Willow Garage PR2. In this paper, the specification and implementation of the affordance template package is introduced and demonstrated through examples for wheel (valve) turning, pick-and-place, and drill grasping, evincing its utility and flexibility for a wide variety of robot applications.

  18. Nevada Test Site Waste Acceptance Criteria

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

    U. S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

    This document establishes the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The WAC provides the requirements, terms, and conditions under which the Nevada Test Site (NTS) will accept low-level radioactive (LLW) and mixed waste (MW) for disposal. It includes requirements for the generator waste certification program, characterization, traceability, waste form, packaging, and transfer. The criteria apply to radioactive waste received at the NTS Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) for storage or disposal.

  19. Concept for Underground Disposal of Nuclear Waste

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowyer, J. M.

    1987-01-01

    Packaged waste placed in empty oil-shale mines. Concept for disposal of nuclear waste economically synergistic with earlier proposal concerning backfilling of oil-shale mines. New disposal concept superior to earlier schemes for disposal in hard-rock and salt mines because less uncertainty about ability of oil-shale mine to contain waste safely for millenium.

  20. NEVADA TEST SITE WASTE ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

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

    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, NEVADA SITE OFFICE

    This document establishes the U. S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The WAC provides the requirements, terms, and conditions under which the Nevada Test Site will accept low-level radioactive and mixed waste for disposal. Mixed waste generated within the State of Nevada by NNSA/NSO activities is accepted for disposal. It includes requirements for the generator waste certification program, characterization, traceability, waste form, packaging, and transfer. The criteria apply to radioactive waste received at the Nevada Test Site Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site for storage or disposal.

  1. Store manager performance and satisfaction: effects on store employee performance and satisfaction, store customer satisfaction, and store customer spending growth.

    PubMed

    Netemeyer, Richard G; Maxham, James G; Lichtenstein, Donald R

    2010-05-01

    Based on emotional contagion theory and the value-profit chain literatures, the present study posits a number of hypotheses that show how managers in the small store, small number of employees retail context may affect store employees, customers, and potentially store performance. With data from 306 store managers, 1,615 store customer-contact employees, and 57,656 customers of a single retail chain, the authors examined relationships among store manager job satisfaction and job performance, store customer-contact employee job satisfaction and job performance, customer satisfaction with the retailer, and a customer-spending-based store performance metric (customer spending growth over a 2-year period). Via path analysis, several hypothesized direct and interaction relations among these constructs are supported. The results suggest implications for academic researchers and retail managers. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

  2. Food marketing targeting youth and families: what do we know about stores where moms actually shop?

    PubMed

    Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S; Rooney, Mary R

    2013-01-01

    Although efforts are underway to examine marketing that targets the youth and families in the retail food store environment, few studies have specifically focused on stores that families identify as their primary sites for food shopping. Between November 2011 and April 2012, we examined the frequency and types of marketing techniques of 114 packaged and nonpackaged items in 24 food stores that mothers of young children in Champaign County, IL, said they commonly frequented. Chi-square tests were used to determine whether significant differences existed between items with regard to marketing by store type, store food-assistance-program acceptance (i.e., WIC), and claims. Overall, stores accepting WIC and convenience stores had higher frequencies of marketing compared to non-WIC and grocery stores. Fruits and vegetables had the lowest frequency of any marketing claim, while salty snacks and soda had the highest frequency of marketing claims. Nutrition claims were the most common across all items, followed by taste, suggested use, fun, and convenience. Television tie-ins and cartoons were observed more often than movie tie-ins and giveaways. Our results suggest an opportunity to promote healthful items more efficiently by focusing efforts on stores where mothers actually shop.

  3. 9 CFR 94.5 - Regulation of certain garbage.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    .... Cooking garbage at an internal temperature of 212 °F for 30 minutes. Stores. The food, supplies, and other... in this section and includes food scraps, table refuse, galley refuse, food wrappers or packaging materials, and other waste material from stores, food preparation areas, passengers' or crews' quarters...

  4. Compaction of Space Mission Wastes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, John; Pisharody, Suresh; Wignarajah, K.

    2004-01-01

    The current solid waste management system employed on the International Space Station (ISS) consists of compaction, storage, and disposal. Wastes such plastic food packaging and trash are compacted manually and wrapped in duct tape footballs by the astronauts. Much of the waste is simply loaded either into the empty Russian Progress vehicle for destruction on reentry or into Shuttle for return to Earth. This manual method is wasteful of crew time and does not transition well to far term missions. Different wastes onboard spacecraft vary considerably in their characteristics and in the appropriate method of management. In advanced life support systems for far term missions, recovery of resources such as water from the wastes becomes important. However waste such as plastic food packaging, which constitutes a large fraction of solid waste (roughly 21% on ISS, more on long duration missions), contains minimal recoverable resource. The appropriate management of plastic waste is waste stabilization and volume minimization rather than resource recovery. This paper describes work that has begun at Ames Research Center on development of a heat melt compactor that can be used on near term and future missions, that can minimize crew interaction, and that can handle wastes with a significant plastic composition. The heat melt compactor takes advantage of the low melting point of plastics to compact plastic materials using a combination of heat and pressure. The US Navy has demonstrated successful development of a similar unit for shipboard application. Ames is building upon the basic approach demonstrated by the Navy to develop an advanced heat melt type compactor for space mission type wastes.

  5. Type B drum packages

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

    McCoy, J.C.

    1994-08-01

    The Type B drum packages (TBD) are conceptualized as a family of containers in which a single 208 L or 114 L (55 gal or 30 gal) drum containing Type B quantities of radioactive material (RAM) can be packaged for shipment. The TBD containers are being developed to fill a void in the packaging and transportation capabilities of the U.S. Department of Energy as no container packaging single drums of Type B RAM exists offering double containment. Several multiple-drum containers currently exist, as well as a number of shielded casks, but the size and weight of these containers present manymore » operational challenges for single-drum shipments. As an alternative, the TBD containers will offer up to three shielded versions (light, medium, and heavy) and one unshielded version, each offering single or optional double containment for a single drum. To reduce operational complexity, all versions will share similar design and operational features where possible. The primary users of the TBD containers are envisioned to be any organization desiring to ship single drums of Type B RAM, such as laboratories, waste retrieval activities, emergency response teams, etc. Currently, the TBD conceptual design is being developed with the final design and analysis to be completed in 1995 to 1996. Testing and certification of the unshielded version are planned to be completed in 1996 to 1997 with production to begin in 1997 to 1998.« less

  6. A review of sterilization, packaging and storage considerations for orthodontic pliers.

    PubMed

    Papaioannou, Angeliki

    2013-01-01

    Wrapping dental instruments along with a chemical indicator is considered an essential step of a reliable infection control protocol. Hinged instruments, such as orthodontic pliers, are particular because they must be sterilized in an open position. Different methods to sterilize, package and store orthodontic pliers are reviewed and discussed.

  7. Potential mechanisms of carbon monoxide and high oxygen packaging in maintaining color stability of different bovine muscles.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chenglong; Zhang, Yimin; Yang, Xiaoyin; Liang, Rongrong; Mao, Yanwei; Hou, Xu; Lu, Xiao; Luo, Xin

    2014-06-01

    The objectives were to compare the effects of packaging methods on color stability, metmyoglobin-reducing-activity (MRA), total-reducing-activity and NADH concentration of different bovine muscles and to explore potential mechanisms in the enhanced color stability by carbon monoxide modified atmosphere packaging (CO-MAP, 0.4% CO/30% CO2/69.6% N2). Steaks from longissimus lumborum (LL), psoas major (PM) and longissimus thoracis (LT) packaged in CO-MAP, high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (HiOx-MAP, 80% O2/20% CO2) or vacuum packaging were stored for 0day, 4days, 9days, and 14days or stored for 9days then displayed in air for 0day, 1day, or 3days. The CO-MAP significantly increased red color stability of all muscles, and especially for PM. The PM and LT were more red than LL in CO-MAP, whereas PM had lowest redness in HiOx-MAP. The content of MetMb in CO-MAP was lower than in HiOx-MAP. Steaks in CO-MAP maintained a higher MRA compared with those in HiOx-MAP during storage. After opening packages, the red color of steaks in CO-MAP deteriorated more slowly compared with that of steaks in HiOx-MAP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Ethanolic extract of propolis for biodegradable films packaging enhanced with chitosan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, M. I.; Roslan, A.; Saari, N. S.; Hashim, K. H.; Kalamullah, M. R.

    2017-09-01

    The use of industrial organic waste which are chitosan and propolis as materials for the development of biodegradable and active packaging is economical and environmentally appealing. Processing of propolis-chitosan film can minimize waste, and produce low-cost added value biopolymer packaging films for targeted applications. This aims of this research is to develop and characterize a biodegradable films by incorporating chitosan with propolis extract to enhance the functional properties for potential use as active food packaging. The film's moisture content, solubility and antimicrobial activity increase due to increasing volume of propolis extract which are 0 ml, 1.2 ml and 2.4 ml of propolis extract. Propolis-chitosan film with 2.4 ml of propolis extract is more soluble in water compared to propolis-chitosan film with 0 ml of propolis extract and 1.2 ml of propolis extract. The higher the volume of the propolis extract used, the higher the solubility of film in the water. The moisture content also will increase when higher volume of propolis extract used. Characterization of moisture content, solubility and antimicrobial activities revealed the benefits of adding propolis extract into chitosan films and the potential of using the developed film as active food packaging.

  9. Development of characterization protocol for mixed liquid radioactive waste classification

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

    Zakaria, Norasalwa, E-mail: norasalwa@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my; Wafa, Syed Asraf; Wo, Yii Mei

    2015-04-29

    Mixed liquid organic waste generated from health-care and research activities containing tritium, carbon-14, and other radionuclides posed specific challenges in its management. Often, these wastes become legacy waste in many nuclear facilities and being considered as ‘problematic’ waste. One of the most important recommendations made by IAEA is to perform multistage processes aiming at declassification of the waste. At this moment, approximately 3000 bottles of mixed liquid waste, with estimated volume of 6000 litres are currently stored at the National Radioactive Waste Management Centre, Malaysia and some have been stored for more than 25 years. The aim of this studymore » is to develop a characterization protocol towards reclassification of these wastes. The characterization protocol entails waste identification, waste screening and segregation, and analytical radionuclides profiling using various analytical procedures including gross alpha/ gross beta, gamma spectrometry, and LSC method. The results obtained from the characterization protocol are used to establish criteria for speedy classification of the waste.« less

  10. Consumption and production waste: another externality of tobacco use.

    PubMed

    Novotny, T E; Zhao, F

    1999-01-01

    To describe the waste produced by and environmental implications of individual cigarette consumption (filter tips, packages, and cartons) and tobacco manufacturing. All available articles and reports published since 1970 related to cigarette consumption and production waste were reviewed. Global cigarette consumption data were used to estimate cigarette butt and packaging waste quantities. Data from the Center for Marine Conservation's International Coastal Cleanup Project were used to describe some environmental impacts of tobacco-related trash. Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Toxics Release Inventory and reported global cigarette consumption totals were used to estimate waste production from cigarette manufacturing. In 1995, an estimated 5.535 trillion cigarettes (27,675 million cartons and 276,753 million packages) were sold by the tobacco industry globally. Some of the wastes from these products were properly deposited, but a large amount of tobacco consumption waste ends up in the environment. Some is recovered during environmental clean-up days. For the past eight years (1990-1997), cigarette butts have been the leading item found during the International Coastal Cleanup Project; they accounted for 19.1% of all items collected in 1997. The tobacco manufacturing process produces liquid, solid, and airborne waste. Among those wastes, some materials, including nicotine, are designated by the EPA as Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals. These are possible environmental health hazards. In 1995, the global tobacco industry produced an estimated 2262 million kilograms of manufacturing waste and 209 million kilograms of chemical waste. In addition, total nicotine waste produced in the manufacture of reduced nicotine cigarettes was estimated at 300 million kilograms. Laws against littering relative to cigarette butts could be better enforced. Additional taxes might be levied on cigarette products that would then be directed to

  11. Characterization of microbial and chemical composition of shuttle wet waste with permanent gas and volatile organic compound analyses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, B. V.; Hummerick, M.; Roberts, M. S.; Krumins, V.; Kish, A. L.; Garland, J. L.; Maxwell, S.; Mills, A.

    2004-01-01

    Solid-waste treatment in space for Advanced Life Support, ALS, applications requires that the material can be safely processed and stored in a confined environment. Many solid-wastes are not stable because they are wet (40-90% moisture) and contain levels of soluble organic compounds that can contribute to the growth of undesirable microorganisms with concomitant production of noxious odors. In the absence of integrated Advanced Life Support systems on orbit, permanent gas, trace volatile organic and microbiological analyses were performed on crew refuse returned from the volume F "wet" trash of three consecutive Shuttle missions (STS-105, 109, and 110). These analyses were designed to characterize the short-term biological stability of the material and assess potential crew risks resulting from microbial decay processes during storage. Waste samples were collected post-orbiter landing and sorted into packaging material, food waste, toilet waste, and bulk liquid fractions deposited during flight in the volume F container. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial loads were determined in each fraction by cultivation on R2A and by acridine orange direct count (AODC). Dry and ash weights were performed to determine both water and organic content of the materials. Experiments to determine the aerobic and anaerobic biostability of refuse stored for varying periods of time were performed by on-line monitoring of CO 2 and laboratory analysis for production of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Volatile organic compounds and permanent gases were analyzed using EPA Method TO15 by USEPA et al. [EPA Method TO15, The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air using SUMMA, Passivated Canister Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis, 1999] with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography with selective detectors. These baseline measures of waste stream content, labile organics, and microbial load in the volume F Shuttle trash provide data for waste

  12. Characterization of microbial and chemical composition of shuttle wet waste with permanent gas and volatile organic compound analyses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peterson, B. V.; Hummerick, M.; Roberts, M. S.; Krumins, V.; Kish, A. L.; Garland, J. L.; Maxwell, S.; Mills, A.

    2004-01-01

    Solid-waste treatment in space for Advanced Life Support, ALS, applications requires that the material can be safely processed and stored in a confined environment. Many solid-wastes are not stable because they are wet (40-90% moisture) and contain levels of soluble organic compounds that can contribute to the growth of undesirable microorganisms with concomitant production of noxious odors. In the absence of integrated Advanced Life Support systems on orbit, permanent gas, trace volatile organic and microbiological analyses were performed on crew refuse returned from the volume F "wet" trash of three consecutive Shuttle missions (STS-105, 109, and 110). These analyses were designed to characterize the short-term biological stability of the material and assess potential crew risks resulting from microbial decay processes during storage. Waste samples were collected post-orbiter landing and sorted into packaging material, food waste, toilet waste, and bulk liquid fractions deposited during flight in the volume F container. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial loads were determined in each fraction by cultivation on R2A and by acridine orange direct count (AODC). Dry and ash weights were performed to determine both water and organic content of the materials. Experiments to determine the aerobic and anaerobic biostability of refuse stored for varying periods of time were performed by on-line monitoring of CO2 and laboratory analysis for production of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Volatile organic compounds and permanent gases were analyzed using EPA Method TO15 by USEPA et al. [EPA Method TO15, The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air using SUMMA, Passivated Canister Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis,1999] with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography with selective detectors. These baseline measures of waste stream content, labile organics, and microbial load in the volume F Shuttle trash provide data for waste

  13. Characterization of microbial and chemical composition of shuttle wet waste with permanent gas and volatile organic compound analyses.

    PubMed

    Peterson, B V; Hummerick, M; Roberts, M S; Krumins, V; Kish, A L; Garland, J L; Maxwell, S; Mills, A

    2004-01-01

    Solid-waste treatment in space for Advanced Life Support, ALS, applications requires that the material can be safely processed and stored in a confined environment. Many solid-wastes are not stable because they are wet (40-90% moisture) and contain levels of soluble organic compounds that can contribute to the growth of undesirable microorganisms with concomitant production of noxious odors. In the absence of integrated Advanced Life Support systems on orbit, permanent gas, trace volatile organic and microbiological analyses were performed on crew refuse returned from the volume F "wet" trash of three consecutive Shuttle missions (STS-105, 109, and 110). These analyses were designed to characterize the short-term biological stability of the material and assess potential crew risks resulting from microbial decay processes during storage. Waste samples were collected post-orbiter landing and sorted into packaging material, food waste, toilet waste, and bulk liquid fractions deposited during flight in the volume F container. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial loads were determined in each fraction by cultivation on R2A and by acridine orange direct count (AODC). Dry and ash weights were performed to determine both water and organic content of the materials. Experiments to determine the aerobic and anaerobic biostability of refuse stored for varying periods of time were performed by on-line monitoring of CO2 and laboratory analysis for production of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Volatile organic compounds and permanent gases were analyzed using EPA Method TO15 by USEPA et al. [EPA Method TO15, The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air using SUMMA, Passivated Canister Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis,1999] with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography with selective detectors. These baseline measures of waste stream content, labile organics, and microbial load in the volume F Shuttle trash provide data for waste

  14. Combined chitosan-thyme treatments with modified atmosphere packaging on a ready-to-cook poultry product.

    PubMed

    Giatrakou, V; Ntzimani, A; Savvaidis, I N

    2010-04-01

    In the present study, natural antimicrobials chitosan and thyme, and their combination, were evaluated for their effect on the shelf life of a ready-to-cook (RTC) chicken-pepper kebab (skewer) stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions at 4 +/- 0.5 degrees C for 14 days. The following treatments were examined: control samples stored under aerobic packaging (A), samples stored under MAP (M), samples treated with 1.5% chitosan (vol/wt) and stored under MAP (M-CH), samples treated with 0.2% thyme essential oil (vol/wt) (M-T), and samples treated with 1.5% chitosan (vol/wt) and 0.2% thyme essential oil (vol/wt) and stored under MAP (M-CH-T). Treatment M-CH-T significantly affected aerobic plate counts and counts of lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeasts and molds during the entire storage period. Similarly, lipid oxidation of the RTC product was retarded (M-CH-T treatment) during storage, whereas redness was maintained in M-T, M-CH, and M-CH-T samples. Based primarily on sensory data (taste attribute), M-CH and M-T treatments extended RTC product shelf life by 6 days, whereas M-CH-T treatment resulted in a product with a shelf life of 14 days that maintained acceptable sensory characteristics (shelf life of the control was 6 days).

  15. Waste reduction through consumer education. Final report

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

    Harrison, E.Z.

    The Waste Reduction through Consumer Education research project was conducted to determine how environmental educational strategies influence purchasing behavior in the supermarket. The objectives were to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate consumer education strategies for waste reduction. The amount of waste generated by packaging size and form, with an adjustment for local recyclability of waste, was determined for 14 product categories identified as having more waste generating and less waste generating product choices (a total of 484 products). Using supermarket scan data and shopper identification numbers, the research tracked the purchases of shoppers in groups receiving different education treatments for 9more » months. Statistical tests applied to the purchase data assessed patterns of change between the groups by treatment period. Analysis of the data revealed few meaningful statistical differences between study groups or changes in behavior over time. Findings suggest that broad brush consumer education about waste reduction is not effective in changing purchasing behaviors in the short term. However, it may help create a general awareness of the issues surrounding excess packaging and consumer responsibility. The study concludes that the answer to waste reduction in the future may be a combination of voluntary initiatives by manufacturers and retailers, governmental intervention, and better-informed consumers.« less

  16. Corneal epithelial cell biocompatibility to silicone hydrogel and conventional hydrogel contact lens packaging solutions.

    PubMed

    Gorbet, M B; Tanti, N C; Jones, L; Sheardown, H

    2010-02-19

    Although all contact lenses (CLs) are applied initially to the eye directly from a packaging solution, little is known about the effects of these solutions on human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs). Due to the porous nature of CL materials, they have the potential to sorb components of the packaging solution during storage, which could then be subsequently released upon insertion of the CL on the eye. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various packaging solutions on HCECs, using an in vitro model. An in vitro assay was developed whereby various silicone hydrogels and conventional, poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (polyHEMA)-based lens materials were removed directly from their packaging and then incubated for up to 24 h with HCECs. The effect of the retained and released packaging solution components on HCECs was assessed by measuring cell viability, adhesion phenotype, and apoptosis. Incubation of HCECs with CLs stored in borate-buffered packaging solutions resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability. Adherent cells incubated with these CLs also exhibited reduced levels of beta(1) and alpha(3) integrin. Soaking borate-buffered packaged CLs in PBS before cell incubation resolved viability and integrin expression in all cases, with the exception of galyfilcon A and balafilcon A, from which a 20% reduction in cell viability was still observed. In comparison, CLs stored in phosphate-buffered packaging solutions had cellular viability and expression of integrins similar to control cells (cells incubated in the absence of a lens). When incubated with cells at a 10% concentration in serum-free medium, borate-buffered packaging solutions and borate-containing saline (Unisol 4) significantly reduced cell viability and integrin expression. Neither caspase activation nor annexin V binding was observed on cells following exposure to borate buffer solution. However, a significant decrease in reactive oxygen species was observed at 24 h. These

  17. Chemical composition and methane potential of commercial food wastes.

    PubMed

    Lopez, Victoria M; De la Cruz, Florentino B; Barlaz, Morton A

    2016-10-01

    There is increasing interest in anaerobic digestion in the U.S. However, there is little information on the characterization of commercial food waste sources as well as the effect of waste particle size on methane yield. The objective of this research was to characterize four commercial food waste sources: (1) university dining hall waste, (2) waste resulting from prepared foods and leftover produce at a grocery store, (3) food waste from a hotel and convention center, and (4) food preparation waste from a restaurant. Each sample was tested in triplicate 8L batch anaerobic digesters after shredding and after shredding plus grinding. Average methane yields for the university dining, grocery store, hotel, and restaurant wastes were 363, 427, 492, and 403mL/dry g, respectively. Starch exhibited the most complete consumption and particle size did not significantly affect methane yields for any of the tested substrates. Lipids represented 59-70% of the methane potential of the fresh substrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Method for immobilizing mixed waste chloride salts containing radionuclides and other hazardous wastes

    DOEpatents

    Lewis, Michele A.; Johnson, Terry R.

    1993-09-07

    The invention is a method for the encapsulation of soluble radioactive waste chloride salts containing radionuclides such as strontium, cesium and hazardous wastes such as barium so that they may be permanently stored without future threat to the environment. The process consists of contacting the salts containing the radionuclides and hazardous wastes with certain zeolites which have been found to ion exchange with the radionuclides and to occlude the chloride salts so that the resulting product is leach resistant.

  19. Method for immobilizing mixed waste chloride salts containing radionuclides and other hazardous wastes

    DOEpatents

    Lewis, Michele A.; Johnson, Terry R.

    1993-01-01

    The invention is a method for the encapsulation of soluble radioactive waste chloride salts containing radionuclides such as strontium, cesium and hazardous wastes such as barium so that they may be permanently stored without future threat to the environment. The process consists of contacting the salts containing the radionuclides and hazardous wastes with certain zeolites which have been found to ion exchange with the radionuclides and to occlude the chloride salts so that the resulting product is leach resistant.

  20. Case study: Is the 'catch-all-plastics bin' useful in unlocking the hidden resource potential in the residual waste collection system?

    PubMed

    Kranzinger, Lukas; Schopf, Kerstin; Pomberger, Roland; Punesch, Elisabeth

    2017-02-01

    Austria's performance in the collection of separated waste is adequate. However, the residual waste still contains substantial amounts of recyclable materials - for example, plastics, paper and board, glass and composite packaging. Plastics (lightweight packaging and similar non-packaging materials) are detected at an average mass content of 13% in residual waste. Despite this huge potential, only 3% of the total amount of residual waste (1,687,000 t y -1 ) is recycled. This implies that most of the recyclable materials contained in the residual waste are destined for thermal recovery and are lost for recycling. This pilot project, commissioned by the Land of Lower Austria, applied a holistic approach, unique in Europe, to the Lower Austrian waste management system. It aims to transfer excess quantities of plastic packaging and non-packaging recyclables from the residual waste system to the separately collected waste system by introducing a so-called 'catch-all-plastics bin'. A quantity flow model was constructed and the results showed a realistic increase in the amount of plastics collected of 33.9 wt%. This equals a calculated excess quantity of 19,638 t y -1 . The increased plastics collection resulted in a positive impact on the climate footprint (CO 2 equivalent) in line with the targets of EU Directive 94/62/EG (Circular Economy Package) and its Amendments. The new collection system involves only moderate additional costs.

  1. Influence of in-package cold plasma treatment on microbiological shelf life and appearance of fresh chicken breast fillets

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The effect of in-package cold plasmas (CP) was studied on microbiological shelf life and surface lightness of fresh chicken fillets (pectoralis major) . chicken fillets were packaged in food trays in air or modified atmosphere (MA) gas (O2:CO2:N2 = 65:30:5) and stored at 4' after exposed to an in-pa...

  2. 40 CFR 264.13 - General waste analysis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General waste analysis. 264.13 Section... Facility Standards § 264.13 General waste analysis. (a)(1) Before an owner or operator treats, stores, or... detailed chemical and physical analysis of a representative sample of the wastes. At a minimum, the...

  3. Characterizing emissions from open burning of military food waste and ration packaging compositions

    EPA Science Inventory

    Emissions from open burning of Meals, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) and MRE packaging were characterized in response to inhalation concerns at military forward operating bases. Emissions from four compositions of MREs and four types of packaging were compared to assess contributions of ind...

  4. The effect of post-harvest and packaging treatments on glucoraphanin concentration in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica).

    PubMed

    Rangkadilok, Nuchanart; Tomkins, Bruce; Nicolas, Marc E; Premier, Robert R; Bennett, Richard N; Eagling, David R; Taylor, Paul W J

    2002-12-04

    The effects of post-harvest and packaging treatments on glucoraphanin (4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate), the glucosinolate precursor of anticancer isothiocyanate sulforaphane [4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate], were examined in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) during storage times. The results showed that at 20 degrees C, 55% loss of glucoraphanin concentration occurred in broccoli stored in open boxes during the first 3 days of the treatment and 56% loss was found in broccoli stored in plastic bags by day 7. Under both air and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, glucoraphanin concentration appeared to fluctuate slightly during 25 days of storage and the concentrations under CA was significantly higher than those stored under air treatment. In modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) treatments, glucoraphanin concentration in air control packaging decreased significantly whereas there were no significant changes in glucoraphanin concentration in MAP with no holes at 4 degrees C and two microholes at 20 degrees C for up to 10 days. Decreases in glucoraphanin concentration occurred when the broccoli heads deteriorated. In the present study, the best method for preserving glucoraphanin concentration in broccoli heads after harvest was storage of broccoli in MAP and refrigeration at 4 degrees C. This condition maintained the glucoraphanin concentration for at least 10 days and also maintained the visual quality of the broccoli heads.

  5. Physiochemical and antioxidant properties of roselle-mango juice blends; effects of packaging material, storage temperature and time

    PubMed Central

    Mgaya-Kilima, Beatrice; Remberg, Siv Fagertun; Chove, Bernard Elias; Wicklund, Trude

    2015-01-01

    A study was conducted to determine the effects of packaging materials, seasonality, storage temperature and time on physiochemical and antioxidant properties of roselle-mango juice blends. Roselle extract (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) was mixed with mango juice and stored in glass and plastic bottles at 4°C and 28°C. Total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, reducing sugar, color, vitamin C, total monomeric anthocyanins, total phenols, and antioxidant activity (FRAP) were evaluated in freshly prepared juice, and after, 2, 4, and 6 months of storage. The results showed that total soluble solids, reducing sugars, and pH increased with storage times under different storage time, irrespective of packaging materials. The acidity, color, total monomeric anthocyanin, vitamin C, total phenols, and antioxidant activity decreased during storage irrespective of storage temperature and packaging material. Loss of anthocyanins, total phenols, and vitamin C content were higher in blends stored at 28°C than 4°C. PMID:25838888

  6. [Assessment of the probability of encountering staphylococcal enterotoxins in lactic acid cheese packaged in laminates].

    PubMed

    Steinka, Izabela

    2004-01-01

    Immunoassay methods were used to identify the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxins in lactic acid cheese vacuum and non-vacuum packed. There was assessed the probability of encountering staphylococcal enterotoxin in cheese dependent on different systems of packaging, count of staphylococcal cells, intensiveness of coagulase synthesis and tightness of packaging. The presence of enterotoxin was identified in 5% of researched samples of products stored for 14 days. The influence of packaging system and tightness on presence of enterotoxin was observed. The probability of presence of staphylococcal and enterotoxin in relation to researched factors was presented by the mathematical models.

  7. Development of an Ada package library

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burton, Bruce; Broido, Michael

    1986-01-01

    A usable prototype Ada package library was developed and is currently being evaluated for use in large software development efforts. The library system is comprised of an Ada-oriented design language used to facilitate the collection of reuse information, a relational data base to store reuse information, a set of reusable Ada components and tools, and a set of guidelines governing the system's use. The prototyping exercise is discussed and the lessons learned from it have led to the definition of a comprehensive tool set to facilitate software reuse.

  8. System analyses on advanced nuclear fuel cycle and waste management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheon, Myeongguk

    To evaluate the impacts of accelerator-driven transmutation of waste (ATW) fuel cycle on a geological repository, two mathematical models are developed: a reactor system analysis model and a high-level waste (HLW) conditioning model. With the former, fission products and residual trans-uranium (TRU) contained in HLW generated from a reference ATW plant operations are quantified and the reduction of TRU inventory included in commercial spent-nuclear fuel (CSNF) is evaluated. With the latter, an optimized waste loading and composition in solidification of HLW are determined and the volume reduction of waste packages associated with CSNF is evaluated. WACOM, a reactor system analysis code developed in this study for burnup calculation, is validated by ORIGEN2.1 and MCNP. WACOM is used to perform multicycle analysis for the reference lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled transmuter. By applying the results of this analysis to the reference ATW deployment scenario considered in the ATW roadmap, the HLW generated from the ATW fuel cycle is quantified and the reduction of TRU inventory contained in CSNF is evaluated. A linear programming (LP) model has been developed for determination of an optimized waste loading and composition in solidification of HLW. The model has been applied to a US-defense HLW. The optimum waste loading evaluated by the LP model was compared with that estimated by the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) in the US and a good agreement was observed. The LP model was then applied to the volume reduction of waste packages associated with CSNF. Based on the obtained reduction factors, the expansion of Yucca Mountain Repository (YMR) capacity is evaluated. It is found that with the reference ATW system, the TRU contained in CSNF could be reduced by a factor of ˜170 in terms of inventory and by a factor of ˜40 in terms of toxicity under the assumed scenario. The number of waste packages related to CSNF could be reduced by a factor of ˜8 in terms of

  9. Nuclear Waste: Defense Waste Processing Facility-Cost, Schedule, and Technical Issues.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-17

    gallons of high-level radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the savannah major facility involved Is the Defense Waste Processing Facility ( DwPF ...As a result of concerns about potential problems with the DWPF and delays in its scheduled start-up, the Chairman of the Environment, Energy, and...Natural Resources Subcommittee, House Committee on Government Operations, asked GAO to review the status of the DWPF and other facilities. This report

  10. Food Marketing Targeting Youth and Families: What Do We Know about Stores Where Moms Actually Shop?

    PubMed Central

    Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S.; Rooney, Mary R.

    2013-01-01

    Although efforts are underway to examine marketing that targets the youth and families in the retail food store environment, few studies have specifically focused on stores that families identify as their primary sites for food shopping. Between November 2011 and April 2012, we examined the frequency and types of marketing techniques of 114 packaged and nonpackaged items in 24 food stores that mothers of young children in Champaign County, IL, said they commonly frequented. Chi-square tests were used to determine whether significant differences existed between items with regard to marketing by store type, store food-assistance-program acceptance (i.e., WIC), and claims. Overall, stores accepting WIC and convenience stores had higher frequencies of marketing compared to non-WIC and grocery stores. Fruits and vegetables had the lowest frequency of any marketing claim, while salty snacks and soda had the highest frequency of marketing claims. Nutrition claims were the most common across all items, followed by taste, suggested use, fun, and convenience. Television tie-ins and cartoons were observed more often than movie tie-ins and giveaways. Our results suggest an opportunity to promote healthful items more efficiently by focusing efforts on stores where mothers actually shop. PMID:24163701

  11. Botulism challenge studies of a modified atmosphere package for fresh mussels: inoculated pack studies.

    PubMed

    Newell, C R; Ma, Li; Doyle, Michael

    2012-06-01

    A series of botulism challenge studies were performed to determine the possibility of production of botulinum toxin in mussels (Mytilus edulis) held under a commercial high-oxygen (60 to 65% O(2)), modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) condition. Spore mixtures of six strains of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum were introduced into mussel MAP packages receiving different packaging buffers with or without the addition of lactic acid bacteria. Dye studies and package flipping trials were conducted to ensure internalization of spores by packed mussels. Inoculated mussel packages were stored at normal (4°C) and abusive (12°C) temperatures for 21 and 13 days, respectively, which were beyond the packaged mussels' intended shelf life. Microbiological and chemical analyses were conducted at predetermined intervals (a total of five sampling times at each temperature), including total aerobic plate counts, C. botulinum counts, lactic acid bacterial counts, package headspace gas composition, pH of packaging buffer and mussel meat, and botulinum toxin assays of packaging buffer and mussel meat. Results revealed that C. botulinum inoculated in fresh mussels packed under MAP packaging did not produce toxin, even at an abusive storage temperature and when held beyond their shelf life. No evidence was found that packaging buffers or gas composition influenced the lack of botulinum toxin production in packed mussels.

  12. AstroBlend: Visualization package for use with Blender

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naiman, J. P.

    2015-12-01

    AstroBlend is a visualization package for use in the three dimensional animation and modeling software, Blender. It reads data in via a text file or can use pre-fab isosurface files stored as OBJ or Wavefront files. AstroBlend supports a variety of codes such as FLASH (ascl:1010.082), Enzo (ascl:1010.072), and Athena (ascl:1010.014), and combines artistic 3D models with computational astrophysics datasets to create models and animations.

  13. Instrumental meat quality of veal calves reared under three management systems and color evolution of meat stored in three packaging systems.

    PubMed

    Ripoll, G; Albertí, P; Casasús, I; Blanco, M

    2013-02-01

    This study evaluated the meat quality of grazing suckling calves (GR), suckling plus supplemented calves (SUP) and weaned calves finished on concentrates (FIN) and the color evolution of meat packaged in film (FILM), modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and vacuum packaging (VAC). Intramuscular fat was quite low for all treatments and GR meat had greater percentages of PUFA and lower SFA, MUFA and n6/n3 than SUP and FIN. FIN and SUP meat had more L* and was more tender when aged than GR. GR meat was tough and dark. The packaging system was more influential on meat color than the feeding management. VAC had the lowest values of metmyoglobin when aged. MAP had the greatest L* and hue angle and the lowest redness after 13 d of aging, thus MAP was the packaging with the shortest shelf life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Radiation protection challenges in the management of radioactive waste from high-energy accelerators.

    PubMed

    Ulrici, Luisa; Algoet, Yvon; Bruno, Luca; Magistris, Matteo

    2015-04-01

    The European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) has operated high-energy accelerators for fundamental physics research for nearly 60 y. The side-product of this activity is the radioactive waste, which is mainly generated as a result of preventive and corrective maintenance, upgrading activities and the dismantling of experiments or accelerator facilities. Prior to treatment and disposal, it is common practice to temporarily store radioactive waste on CERN's premises and it is a legal requirement that these storage facilities are safe and secure. Waste treatment typically includes sorting, segregation, volume and size reduction and packaging, which will depend on the type of component, its chemical composition, residual activity and possible surface contamination. At CERN, these activities are performed in a dedicated waste treatment centre under the supervision of the Radiation Protection Group. This paper gives an overview of the radiation protection challenges in the conception of a temporary storage and treatment centre for radioactive waste in an accelerator facility, based on the experience gained at CERN. The CERN approach consists of the classification of waste items into 'families' with similar radiological and physical-chemical properties. This classification allows the use of specific, family-dependent techniques for radiological characterisation and treatment, which are simultaneously efficient and compliant with best practices in radiation protection. The storage was planned on the basis of radiological and other possible hazards such as toxicity, pollution and fire load. Examples are given of technical choices for the treatment and radiological characterisation of selected waste families, which could be of interest to other accelerator facilities. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. 40 CFR 265.257 - Special requirements for incompatible wastes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., STORAGE, AND DISPOSAL FACILITIES Waste Piles § 265.257 Special requirements for incompatible wastes. (a... the same pile, unless § 265.17(b) is complied with. (b) A pile of hazardous waste that is incompatible with any waste or other material stored nearby in other containers, piles, open tanks, or surface...

  16. [A research of letter color visibility in package insert information using simulator].

    PubMed

    Kamimura, Naoki; Kinoshita, Noriyuki; Onaga, Midori; Watanabe, Yurika; Ijuin, Kazushige; Shikamura, Yoshiaki; Negishi, Kenichi; Kaiho, Fusao; Ohta, Takafumi

    2012-01-01

    Package insert of pharmaceutical drug is one of the most prioritized information for pharmacists to secure safety of patients. However, the color of character, size, font and so on are various company by company product to product from a viewpoint of visibility. It may be cause a serious accident in case visibility is unclear, although it is the most important information. Moreover, package insert with high visibility is required for color vision defectives from a viewpoint of a universal design. Then, the authors selected the package insert which has the boxed warning in the ethical pharmaceutical currently stored mostly in the present health insurance pharmacy and quantified the red color using the color meter. We advocate the state of a suitable package insert from a viewpoint of a universal design, whether the red color is high visible or not for color vision defectives using simulator.

  17. Consumption and production waste: another externality of tobacco use

    PubMed Central

    Novotny, T.; Zhao, F.

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—To describe the waste produced by and environmental implications of individual cigarette consumption (filter tips, packages, and cartons) and tobacco manufacturing.
STUDY SELECTION—All available articles and reports published since 1970 related to cigarette consumption and production waste were reviewed.
DATA SOURCES—Global cigarette consumption data were used to estimate cigarette butt and packaging waste quantities. Data from the Center for Marine Conservation's International Coastal Cleanup Project were used to describe some environmental impacts of tobacco-related trash. Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Toxics Release Inventory and reported global cigarette consumption totals were used to estimate waste production from cigarette manufacturing.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS—In 1995, an estimated 5.535 trillion cigarettes (27 675 million cartons and 276 753 million packages) were sold by the tobacco industry globally. Some of the wastes from these products were properly deposited, but a large amount of tobacco consumption waste ends up in the environment. Some is recovered during environmental clean-up days. For the past eight years (1990-1997), cigarette butts have been the leading item found during the International Coastal Cleanup Project; they accounted for 19.1% of all items collected in 1997. The tobacco manufacturing process produces liquid, solid, and airborne waste. Among those wastes, some materials, including nicotine, are designated by the EPA as Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals. These are possible environmental health hazards. In 1995, the global tobacco industry produced an estimated 2262 million kilograms of manufacturing waste and 209 million kilograms of chemical waste. In addition, total nicotine waste produced in the manufacture of reduced nicotine cigarettes was estimated at 300 million kilograms.
CONCLUSIONS—Laws against littering relative to cigarette butts

  18. Convenience stores surrounding urban schools: an assessment of healthy food availability, advertising, and product placement.

    PubMed

    Gebauer, Hilary; Laska, Melissa Nelson

    2011-08-01

    Adolescent obesity is a national public health problem, particularly among urban populations. Recent evidence has linked neighborhood food environments to health and nutrition status, with easier access to convenience stores being associated with increased risk for obesity. Little is known about the availability of healthy purchasing options within small, urban food stores, or the extent to which these factors are relevant to youth. The objective of this research was to characterize various features of the food environment within small convenience stores located nearby urban junior high and high schools. In-store audits were conducted in 63 stores located within 800 m of 36 urban Minnesota public secondary schools. Results indicated that a limited number of healthier beverages (i.e., water and 100% fruit juice) and snack options (i.e., nuts and pretzels) were available at most stores (≥85%). However, a wide range of healthy snack options were typically not available, with many specific items stocked in less than half of stores (e.g., low-fat yogurt in 27% of stores and low-fat granola bars in 43%). Overall, 51% of stores had fresh fruit and 49% had fresh vegetables. Few stores carried a range of healthier snack alternatives in single-serving packages. All stores had less healthful impulse purchase items available (e.g., candy) while only 46% carried healthier impulse items (e.g., fruit). Most stores (97%) had food/beverage advertising. Overall, convenience stores located in close proximity to secondary schools represent an important and understudied component of the youth food environment.

  19. Methodology for evaluating the insect growth regulator (IGR) methoprene incorporated into packaging films

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The insect growth regulator methoprene has been impregnated onto various packaging materials to control stored product insects, and is labeled for use in this manner in the United States. Different methodologies were utilized to evaluate efficacy towards Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour b...

  20. Effecting aging time of epoxy molding compound to molding process for integrated circuit packaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tachapitunsuk, Jirayu; Ugsornrat, Kessararat; Srisuwitthanon, Warayoot; Thonglor, Panakamon

    2017-09-01

    This research studied about effecting aging time of epoxy molding compound (EMC) that effect to reliability performance of integrated circuit (IC) package in molding process. Molding process is so important of IC packaging process for protecting IC chip (or die) from temperature and humidity environment using encapsulated EMC. For general molding process, EMC are stored in the frozen at 5°C and left at room temperature at 25 °C for aging time on self before molding of die onto lead frame is 24 hours. The aging time effect to reliability performance of IC package due to different temperature and humidity inside the package. In experiment, aging time of EMC were varied from 0 to 24 hours for molding process of SOIC-8L packages. For analysis, these packages were tested by x-ray and scanning acoustic microscope to analyze properties of EMC with an aging time and also analyzed delamination, internal void, and wire sweep inside the packages with different aging time. The results revealed that different aging time of EMC effect to properties and reliability performance of molding process.

  1. Survey of Mexican retail stores for US beef product.

    PubMed

    Huerta-Leidenz, Nelson; Ruíz-Flores, Agustín; Maldonado-Siman, Ema; Valdéz, Alejandra; Belk, Keith E

    2014-02-01

    Retail packages (N=1004) containing fresh US beef in display cases in five cities across three regions of Mexico were surveyed for cut types, cutting styles, fat thickness measurements, marbling scores, and USDA Quality Grades to gain an overview of fresh US beef in Mexican retail markets. Data were analyzed to generate frequency distributions and examine the effect of city, geographical region, store chain, and socio-economic status of the targeted clientele on type, cutting style, fat measures and quality of beef cuts of US origin. Top round, bottom round and knuckle were the most common cut types. Milanesa-type slice and "bistec" (steak for grilling) were the predominant cutting styles. Over 95% of the retail cuts were trimmed to 3.2mm or less of external fat. Most cuts were USDA Select (74.5%) and USDA Choice (24.5%). External fat thickness and marbling score differed among cities and store chains (P<0.01). © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Optimisation of the Management of Higher Activity Waste in the UK - 13537

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

    Walsh, Ciara; Buckley, Matthew

    2013-07-01

    The Upstream Optioneering project was created in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (UK) to support the development and implementation of significant opportunities to optimise activities across all the phases of the Higher Activity Waste management life cycle (i.e. retrieval, characterisation, conditioning, packaging, storage, transport and disposal). The objective of the Upstream Optioneering project is to work in conjunction with other functions within NDA and the waste producers to identify and deliver solutions to optimise the management of higher activity waste. Historically, optimisation may have occurred on aspects of the waste life cycle (considered here to include retrieval, conditioning, treatment, packaging, interimmore » storage, transport to final end state, which may be geological disposal). By considering the waste life cycle as a whole, critical analysis of assumed constraints may lead to cost savings for the UK Tax Payer. For example, it may be possible to challenge the requirements for packaging wastes for disposal to deliver an optimised waste life cycle. It is likely that the challenges faced in the UK are shared in other countries. It is therefore likely that the opportunities identified may also apply elsewhere, with the potential for sharing information to enable value to be shared. (authors)« less

  3. 40 CFR 264.257 - Special requirements for incompatible wastes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... DISPOSAL FACILITIES Waste Piles § 264.257 Special requirements for incompatible wastes. (a) Incompatible... placed in the same pile, unless § 264.17(b) is complied with. (b) A pile of hazardous waste that is incompatible with any waste or other material stored nearby in containers, other piles, open tanks, or surface...

  4. Sustainable (food) packaging--an overview.

    PubMed

    Russell, David A M

    2014-01-01

    Packaging has an increasingly essential role to play in preserving the value invested in products by ensuring that they can deliver their designed service with minimum wastage. Food contact materials that deliver more units of service with increasingly fewer inputs of energy and materials, and increasingly fewer negative social, economic and environmental impacts, e.g., from emission of wastes, will be more sustainable both in the food processing machines of the industrial system and as packaging for food. Buzz words, whether bio-, nano-, degradable, or whatever comes next, must be critically examined per unit of service delivered to determine if, over the whole life cycle of the products to which they are applied, energy and resource use are minimised, pollution is reduced (not relocated), ecological benefits are created, and social and economic well-being are increased. Only when this caution is applied can a new solution be described as more sustainable.

  5. Ion-exchange material and method of storing radioactive wastes

    DOEpatents

    Komarneni, S.; Roy, D.M.

    1983-10-31

    A new cation exchanger is a modified tobermorite containing aluminum isomorphously substituted for silicon and containing sodium or potassium. The exchanger is selective for lead, rubidium, cobalt, and cadmium and is selective for cesium over calcium or sodium. The tobermorites are compatible with cement and are useful for the long-term fixation and storage of radioactive nuclear wastes.

  6. 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.

  7. Enhanced Shielding Performance of HLW Storage Packages via Multi- Component Coatings

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

    Winfrey, Leigh

    The steel coatings developed here prevent water, dirt, and chemical contaminants from the atmosphere or soil from making contact with waste packages that would damage and weaken them during long-term storage. In addition, through this project we demonstrated that a range of coatings have this capability, will survive in the environment they will be used in, and can be deposited readily on large surfaces which is critical for their use in waste storage.

  8. Piloting an online grocery store simulation to assess children's food choices.

    PubMed

    Heard, Amy M; Harris, Jennifer L; Liu, Sai; Schwartz, Marlene B; Li, Xun

    2016-01-01

    Public health interventions must address poor diet among U.S. children, but research is needed to better understand factors influencing children's food choices. Using an online grocery store simulation, this research piloted a novel method to assess children's snack selection in a controlled but naturalistic laboratory setting, evaluate predictors of choice, and experimentally test whether promotions on food packages altered choices. Children (7-12 years, N = 61) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: promotions on healthy products; promotions on unhealthy products; and no promotions (control). They selected from a variety of healthy and unhealthy foods and beverages and rated all products on healthfulness and taste. Promotions on food packaging did not affect snack selection in this study, but findings supported our other hypothesis that perceived taste would be the strongest predictor of food choice. Children accurately rated product healthfulness, but these ratings did not predict healthy snack choices or taste ratings for healthy or unhealthy snacks. These results suggest that interventions to improve children's food choices should focus on increasing availability of healthy options and identifying opportunities to enhance children's liking of healthy options. However, nutrition education alone is unlikely to improve children's diets. Further testing is required, but the simulated online grocery store method shows potential for measuring children's food choices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Characterization of radioactive wastes with respect to harmful materials

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

    Kugel, Karin; Steyer, Stefan; Brennecke, Peter

    In addendum 4 to the license of the German KONRAD repository, which considers mainly radiological aspects, a water law permit was issued in order to prevent the pollution of the near-surface groundwater. The water law permit stipulates limitations for 10 radionuclides and 2 groups of radionuclides as well as mass limitations for 94 substances and materials relevant for water protection issues. Two collateral clauses, i.e. additional requirements imposed by the licensing authority, include demands on the monitoring, registering and balancing of non-radioactive harmful substances and materials /1/. In order to fulfill the requirements of the water law permit the Germanmore » Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) being the operator of the KONRAD repository has developed a concept, which ensures the compliance with all requirements of the water law permit and which provides standardized easy manageable guidance for the waste producers to describe their wastes. On 15 March 2011 the competent water authority, the 'Niedersaechsischer Landesbetrieb fuer Wasserwirtschaft, Kuesten- und Naturschutz' (NLWKN) issued the approval for this concept. Being the most essential part of this concept the procedural method and the developed description of nonradioactive waste package constituents by use of standardized lists of materials and containers is addressed and presented in this paper. The waste producer has to describe his waste package in a standardized way on the base of the lists of materials and containers. For each material in the list a comprehensive description is given comprising the composition, scope of application, quality control measures, thresholds and other data. Each entry in the list has to be approved by NLWKN. The scope of the lists is defined by the waste producers' needs. Using some particular materials as examples, the approval procedure for including materials in the list is described. The procedure of describing the material composition has to

  10. Resources and Wastes. In-Service Package for Volunteer Workshop Leaders.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miiller, Marnie

    Designed to be used as a supplementary teaching aid for subjects such as science, social studies, and environmental education, this packet of modules contains materials related to waste and waste management for secondary level students. Each of the eight modules consists of a teacher's page, background information, references, questions, projects,…

  11. Small terminase couples viral DNA-binding to genome-packaging ATPase activity

    PubMed Central

    Roy, Ankoor; Bhardwaj, Anshul; Datta, Pinaki; Lander, Gabriel C.; Cingolani, Gino

    2012-01-01

    SUMMARY Packaging of viral genomes into empty procapsids is powered by a large DNA-packaging motor. In most viruses, this machine is composed of a large (L) and a small (S) terminase subunit complexed with a dodecamer of portal protein. Here, we describe the 1.75 Å crystal structure of the bacteriophage P22 S-terminase in a nonameric conformation. The structure presents a central channel ~23 Å in diameter, sufficiently large to accommodate hydrated B-DNA. The last 23 residues of S-terminase are essential for binding to DNA and assembly to L-terminase. Upon binding to its own DNA, S-terminase functions as a specific activator of L-terminase ATPase activity. The DNA-dependent stimulation of ATPase activity thus rationalizes the exclusive specificity of genome-packaging motors for viral DNA in the crowd of host DNA, ensuring fidelity of packaging and avoiding wasteful ATP hydrolysis. This posits a model for DNA-dependent activation of genome-packaging motors of general interest in virology. PMID:22771211

  12. The University of Georgia Chemical Waste Disposal Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dreesen, David W.; Pohlman, Thomas J.

    1980-01-01

    Describes a university-wide program directed at reducing the improper storage and disposal of toxic chemical wastes from laboratories. Specific information is included on the implementation of a waste pick-up service, safety equipment, materials and methods for packaging, and costs of the program. (CS)

  13. Treatability Variance for Containerised Liquids in Mixed Debris Waste - 12101

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

    Alstatt, Catherine M.

    2012-07-01

    The TRU Waste Processing Center (TWPC) is a Department of Energy facility whose mission is to receive and process for appropriate disposal legacy Contact Handled (CH) and Remote Handled (RH) waste, including debris waste stored at various DOE Oak Ridge facilities. Acceptable Knowledge (AK) prepared for the waste characterizes the waste as mixed waste, meaning it is both radioactive and regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The AK also indicates that a number of the debris waste packages contain small amounts of containerised liquids. The documentation indicates liquid wastes generated in routine lab operations were typically collectedmore » for potential recovery of valuable isotopes. However, during activities associated with decontamination and decommissioning (D and D), some containers with small amounts of liquids were placed into the waste containers with debris waste. Many of these containers now hold from 2.5 milliliters (ml) to 237 ml of liquid; a few contain larger volumes. At least some of these containers were likely empty at the time of generation, but documentation of this condition is lacking. Since WIPP compliant AK is developed on a waste stream basis, rather than an individual container basis, and includes every potential RCRA hazardous constituent within the waste stream, it is insufficient for the purpose of characterizing individual containers of liquid. Debris waste is defined in 40 CFR 268.2(g) as 'solid material exceeding a 60 mm particle size that is intended for disposal and that is: a manufactured object; or plant or animal matter; or natural geologic material'. The definition further states that intact containers of hazardous waste that are not ruptured and that retain at least 75% of their original volume are not debris. The prescribed treatment is removal of intact containers from the debris waste, and treatment of their contents to meet specific Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) standards. This is true for

  14. NEVADA TEST SITE WASTE ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA, JUNE 2006

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

    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NEVADA SITE OFFICE

    This document establishes the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The WAC provides the requirements, terms, and conditions under which the Nevada Test Site (NTS) will accept low-level radioactive (LLW) and mixed waste (MW) for disposal. It includes requirements for the generator waste certification program, characterization, traceability, waste form, packaging, and transfer. The criteria apply to radioactive waste received at the NTS Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) for storage or disposal.

  15. METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING LAMINATED SHEETS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND PROTECTING AND PACKAGING MEANS MANUFACTURED WITH THESE SHEETS; Papierfabrik Wilhemstal Wilhelm Ernst

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

    None

    1959-07-15

    A description is given of laminated sheet, consisting of a first layer of absorbing and preferably fibrous material (e.g., filter or blotting paper, or felt), a second layer of adhesive, impermeable, and hydrophobic material (e.g., wax, bitumen, a polyvinyl or polyacrylic compound, or a polyhydrocarbon), and a third (and fourth) layer of rigid material more or less impermeable to liquids (e.g., metal (aluminum), polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, or cardboard). These sheets can be used for covering laboratory tables and walls, for radiation protection (manufacture of clothes, etc.), or for packaging radioactive waste (manufacture of boxes, bags, etc.). (NPO)

  16. Destructive examination of shipping package 9975-02644

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

    Daugherty, W. L.

    Destructive and non-destructive examinations have been performed on the components of shipping package 9975-02644 as part of a comprehensive SRS surveillance program for plutonium material stored in the K-Area Complex (KAC). During the field surveillance inspection of this package in KAC, three non-conforming conditions were noted: the axial gap of 1.389 inch exceeded the 1 inch maximum criterion, the exposed height of the lead shield was greater than the 4.65 inch maximum criterion, and the difference between the upper assembly inside height and the exposed height of the lead shield was less than the 0.425 inch minimum criterion. All threemore » of these observations relate to axial shrinkage of the lower fiberboard assembly. In addition, liquid water (condensation) was observed on the interior of the drum lid, the thermal blanket and the air shield.« less

  17. Stability of dronabinol capsules when stored frozen, refrigerated, or at room temperature.

    PubMed

    Wempe, Michael F; Oldland, Alan; Stolpman, Nancy; Kiser, Tyree H

    2016-07-15

    Results of a study to determine the 90-day stability of dronabinol capsules stored under various temperature conditions are reported. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection was used to assess the stability of dronabinol capsules (synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ9-THC] mixed with high-grade sesame oil and other inactive ingredients and encapsulated as soft gelatin capsules) that were frozen, refrigerated, or kept at room temperature for three months. The dronabinol capsules remained in the original foil-sealed blister packs until preparation for HPLC-UV assessment. The primary endpoint was the percentage of the initial Δ9-THC concentration remaining at multiple designated time points. The secondary aim was to perform forced-degradation studies under acidic conditions to demonstrate that the HPLC-UV method used was stability indicating. The appearance of the dronabinol capsules remained unaltered during frozen, cold, or room-temperature storage. Regardless of storage condition, the percentage of the initial Δ9-THC content remaining was greater than 97% for all evaluated samples at all time points over the three-month study. These experimental data indicate that the product packaging and the sesame oil used to formulate dronabinol capsules efficiently protect Δ9-THC from oxidative degradation to cannabinol; this suggests that pharmacies can store dronabinol capsules in nonrefrigerated automated dispensing systems, with a capsule expiration date of 90 days after removal from the refrigerator. Dronabinol capsules may be stored at room temperature in their original packaging for up to three months without compromising capsule appearance and with minimal reduction in Δ9-THC concentration. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of Various Packaging Methods on Small-Scale Hanwoo (Korean Native Cattle) during Refrigerated Storage

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Hwan Hee; Song, Myung Wook; Kim, Tae-Kyung; Choi, Yun-Sang; Cho, Gyu Yong; Lee, Na-Kyoung; Paik, Hyun-Dong

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate comparison of physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of Hanwoo eye of round by various packaging methods [wrapped packaging (WP), modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), vacuum packaging (VP) with three different vacuum films, and vacuum skin packaging (VSP)] at a small scale. Packaged Hanwoo beef samples were stored in refrigerated conditions (4±1°C) for 28 days. Packaged beef was sampled on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Physicochemical [pH, surface color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) values], microbiological, and sensory analysis of packaged beef samples were performed. VP and VSP samples showed low TBARS and VBN values, and pH and surface color did not change substantially during the 28-day period. For VSP, total viable bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and coliform counts were lower than those for other packaging systems. Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were not detected in any packaged beef samples. A sensory analysis showed that the scores for appearance, flavor, color, and overall acceptability did not change significantly until day 7. In total, VSP was effective with respect to significantly higher a* values, physicochemical stability, and microbial safety in Hanwoo packaging (p<0.05). PMID:29805283

  19. A qualitative analysis of New Zealand retailers’ responses to standardised packaging legislation and tobacco industry opposition

    PubMed Central

    Guthrie, John; Hoek, Janet; Darroch, Ella; Wood, Zoë

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Many of the approximately 8000 New Zealand retailers selling tobacco are small stores that tobacco companies have represented as victims of policy measures designed to reduce smoking. Despite this depiction, many retailers experience considerable ambivalence in selling tobacco, a product they know harms their customers. We explored how retailers perceived the proposed introduction of standardised (or ‘plain’) packaging and their assessment of arguments made by tobacco companies in submissions on proposed standardised packaging legislation. Participants Using qualitative in-depth interviews, we recruited and interviewed 23 retailers of dairies (small convenience stores), small supermarkets, and service stations. Analyses Data were analysed using a protocol-driven approach; this stance enabled direct analysis of tobacco companies’ arguments, particularly those purporting to represent retailers’ concerns. Results Retailers were concerned about the financial implications of standardised packaging and the effects it may have on their ability to provide rapid and efficient customer service. However, few thought standardised packaging would foster illicit trade or spawn further regulation; most placed public health goals ahead of tobacco companies’ ‘rights’, and many supported government intervention to protect population health. Conclusions Retailers held ambivalent views on standardised packaging; while they were concerned about short-term effects on their business, they recognised the harm smoking causes. Policymakers and health researchers could collaborate more effectively with retailers by assisting them to create financially viable roles more compatible with public health objectives. PMID:26553840

  20. Corneal epithelial cell biocompatibility to silicone hydrogel and conventional hydrogel contact lens packaging solutions

    PubMed Central

    Tanti, N.C.; Jones, L.; Sheardown, H.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose Although all contact lenses (CLs) are applied initially to the eye directly from a packaging solution, little is known about the effects of these solutions on human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs). Due to the porous nature of CL materials, they have the potential to sorb components of the packaging solution during storage, which could then be subsequently released upon insertion of the CL on the eye. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various packaging solutions on HCECs, using an in vitro model. Methods An in vitro assay was developed whereby various silicone hydrogels and conventional, poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate  (polyHEMA)-based lens materials were removed directly from their packaging and then incubated for up to 24 h with HCECs. The effect of the retained and released packaging solution components on HCECs was assessed by measuring cell viability, adhesion phenotype, and apoptosis. Results Incubation of HCECs with CLs stored in borate-buffered packaging solutions resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability. Adherent cells incubated with these CLs also exhibited reduced levels of β1 and α3 integrin. Soaking borate-buffered packaged CLs in PBS before cell incubation resolved viability and integrin expression in all cases, with the exception of galyfilcon A and balafilcon A, from which a 20% reduction in cell viability was still observed. In comparison, CLs stored in phosphate-buffered packaging solutions had cellular viability and expression of integrins similar to control cells (cells incubated in the absence of a lens). When incubated with cells at a 10% concentration in serum-free medium, borate-buffered packaging solutions and borate-containing saline (Unisol 4) significantly reduced cell viability and integrin expression. Neither caspase activation nor annexin V binding was observed on cells following exposure to borate buffer solution. However, a significant decrease in reactive oxygen species was observed

  1. Consumer acceptance of fresh blueberries in bio-based packages.

    PubMed

    Almenar, Eva; Samsudin, Hayati; Auras, Rafael; Harte, Janice

    2010-05-01

    Instrumental analyses have shown that non-vented bio-based containers made from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) have the capability to enhance blueberry shelf life as compared with commercial vented petroleum-based clamshell containers. However, consumer preference has not been explored so far. In this study, two sensory evaluations, triangle and paired preference tests, were performed after storing fruit in both containers at 3 and 10 degrees C for 7 and 14 days. In addition, physicochemical analyses were performed after each tasting in order to correlate instrumental findings with consumer preference. The results of the triangle test showed the capability of the consumer to differentiate (P < or = 0.001) between blueberries from different packages at both storage temperatures. A consumer preference for flavour, texture, external appearance and overall quality (P < or = 0.001) of blueberries packaged in PLA containers was observed in the paired comparison test. The instrumental analyses showed that blueberries in the PLA packages exhibited a weight loss below the limit for marketable life, a stable soluble solid content and titratable acidity and no fungal growth during storage. Consumers distinguished between blueberries from different packages and preferred those packaged in the PLA containers. The instrumental analyses showed that the usable life of the berries was extended in the PLA containers. A correlation between consumer preference and instrumental evaluations was found.

  2. 9975 SHIPPING PACKAGE LIFE EXTENSION SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM RESULTS SUMMARY

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

    Dunn, K.; Daugherty, W.; Hackney, B.

    2011-05-27

    Results from the 9975 shipping package Storage and Surveillance Program at the Savannah River Site (SRS) are summarized for justification to extend the life of the 9975 packages currently stored in the K-Area Complex (KAC). This justification is established with the stipulation that surveillance activities will continue throughout the extended time to ensure the continued integrity of the 9975 materials of construction and to further understand the currently identified degradation mechanisms. The 10 year storage life justification was developed prior to storage. A subsequent report was later used to validate the qualification of the 9975 shipping packages for 10 yearsmore » in storage. However the qualification for the storage period was provided by the monitoring requirements of the 9975 Storage and Surveillance Program. This report summarizes efforts to determine a new safe storage limit for the 9975 shipping package based on the surveillance data collected since 2005 when the 9975 Storage and Surveillance Program began. The Program has demonstrated that the 9975 package has a robust design that can perform under a variety of conditions. The primary emphasis of the on-going 9975 Storage and Surveillance Program is an aging study of the 9975 Viton{reg_sign} containment vessel O-rings and the Celotex{reg_sign} fiberboard thermal insulation at bounding conditions of radiation, elevated temperatures and/or elevated humidity.« less

  3. Determination of the Porosity Surfaces of the Disposal Room Containing Various Waste Inventories for WIPP PA

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

    Park, Byoung Yoon; Hansen, Francis D.

    2005-07-01

    This report develops a series of porosity surfaces for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The concept of a porosity surface was developed for performance assessment and comprises calculation of room closure as salt creep processes are mitigated by gas generation and back stress created by the waste packages within the rooms. The physical and mechanical characteristics of the waste packaging that has already been disposed--such as the pipe overpack--and new waste packaging--such as the advanced mixed waste compaction--are appreciably different than the waste form upon which the original compliance was based and approved. This report provides structural analyses of roommore » closure with various waste inventories. All of the underlying assumptions pertaining to the original compliance certification including the same finite element code are implemented; only the material parameters describing the more robust waste packages are changed from the certified baseline. As modeled, the more rigid waste tends to hold open the rooms and create relatively more void space in the underground than identical calculations run on the standard waste packages, which underpin the compliance certification. The several porosity surfaces quantified within this report provide possible ranges of pressure and porosity for performance assessment analyses.3 Intentionally blank4 AcknowledgementsThis research is funded by WIPP programs administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions to this work provided by others. Dr. Joshua S. Stein helped explain the hand off between these finite element porosity surfaces and implementation in the performance calculations. Dr. Leo L. Van Sambeek of RESPEC Inc. helped us understand the concepts of room closure under the circumstances created by a rigid waste inventory. Dr. T. William Thompson and Tom W. Pfeifle provided technical review and Mario J. Chavez provided a Quality Assurance review. The

  4. Shelf-life of almond pastry cookies with different types of packaging and levels of temperature.

    PubMed

    Romeo, F V; De Luca, S; Piscopo, A; Santisi, V; Poiana, M

    2010-06-01

    Almond pastries are typical cookies of the south of Italy. Introduction of new packaging for this kind of cookies requires shelf-life assessments. This study, related to different types of packaging under various storage conditions of time and temperature, identifies critical parameters, as color and texture, to track during storage studies and to extend the shelf-life. The cookies were packed in three different ways and stored at two different temperatures. The pastries were separately stored: (1) in polyvinylchloride film; (2) in aluminum foil (ALL); (3) with modified atmosphere (MAP) in plastic vessels sealed into a polyamide/ polyethylene film; and (4) in vessels without any polymeric film. The storage temperatures were 20 and 30 °C. Evolution of texture, water activity, dry matter and color was assessed. Texture was evaluated by a texture analyzer with a puncturing test. Indices for hardening were the area under the curve (N × mm) up to 10 mm of distance, and the maximum force (N) corresponding to the crust fracture. The best results were obtained with ALL packaging and MAP condition, and above all, in all the trials a temperature of 30 °C reduced the crust hardness.

  5. Hazardous Waste and Wastewater Characterization Survey, Columbus AFB, Mississippi

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-01

    behind bldg 322 (Liquid Fuels Maintenance Branch). These wastes are then picked up by a waste oil contractor. All other drummed wastes are disposed of...is responsible for custody of the waste until a contractor (currently, Chemical Waste Management) comes to pick up the waste. Prior to disposal...chemicals are used up in the process. Any leftover chemicals are drained and stored in containers for use at a later time. All empty containers are

  6. 45 CFR 671.11 - Waste storage.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... containers or tanks labeled to indicate their contents and the beginning date of accumulation of such waste... McMurdo Station or other disposition, for a period not to exceed 28 months; (4) Containers holding... ability of the containers to contain such waste is not impaired; (iii) Stored in a manner that allows...

  7. 45 CFR 671.11 - Waste storage.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... containers or tanks labeled to indicate their contents and the beginning date of accumulation of such waste... McMurdo Station or other disposition, for a period not to exceed 28 months; (4) Containers holding... ability of the containers to contain such waste is not impaired; (iii) Stored in a manner that allows...

  8. 45 CFR 671.11 - Waste storage.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... containers or tanks labeled to indicate their contents and the beginning date of accumulation of such waste... McMurdo Station or other disposition, for a period not to exceed 28 months; (4) Containers holding... ability of the containers to contain such waste is not impaired; (iii) Stored in a manner that allows...

  9. 45 CFR 671.11 - Waste storage.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... containers or tanks labeled to indicate their contents and the beginning date of accumulation of such waste... McMurdo Station or other disposition, for a period not to exceed 28 months; (4) Containers holding... ability of the containers to contain such waste is not impaired; (iii) Stored in a manner that allows...

  10. 10 CFR 72.2 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE General Provisions § 72.2 Scope. (a) Except..., packaging, and possession of: (1) Power reactor spent fuel to be stored in a complex that is designed and constructed specifically for storage of power reactor spent fuel aged for at least one year, other radioactive...

  11. 10 CFR 72.2 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE General Provisions § 72.2 Scope. (a) Except..., packaging, and possession of: (1) Power reactor spent fuel to be stored in a complex that is designed and constructed specifically for storage of power reactor spent fuel aged for at least one year, other radioactive...

  12. Antimicrobial activity of a nisin-activated plastic film for food packaging.

    PubMed

    Mauriello, G; De Luca, E; La Storia, A; Villani, F; Ercolini, D

    2005-01-01

    To determine the effectiveness of a packaging film coated with nisin to inhibit Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240 in tryptone soya broth (TSB) and the microbiota of raw milk during storage. A further aim was to examine the release of nisin from the activated film. An active package, obtained from nisin-treated film, was filled with 1 l of M. luteus ATCC 10240 (ML) suspension in TSB and stored at 4 and 25 degrees C for 2 days. After 24 h at 25 degrees C there was a remarkable reduction of M. luteus ATCC 10240 compared with the control, while at 4 degrees C a slight reduction was observed. Moreover, microbial growth was controlled when 1 l of three different kinds of milk was poured into the active package and stored at 4 degrees C for 7 days. The most significant results were observed in raw milk and pasteurized milk with a reduction of 0.9 log and 1.3 log, respectively. The release experiments showed that nisin release from the film was unpredictable, but it was favoured by low pH and high temperature. It appears that nisin-coated films were effective in inhibiting M. luteus ATCC 10240 in TSB and the bacterial flora in milk, and the release of nisin was pH and temperature dependent. Nisin-activated film may control bacterial growth, maintaining food quality, safety and extending the shelf-life of food products.

  13. Going green by reducing red. New alternative medical waste treatment technologies.

    PubMed

    Zanoni, P

    1998-01-01

    The field of medical waste disposal is changing rapidly. Over the past decade, there has been increasing public health concern over health care's red bag waste. The health care industry must routinely contend with a complex set of regulations covering occupational safety, transportation and packaging, medical waste disposal management, and now environmental regulations for medical waste incinerators.

  14. 10 CFR 72.72 - Material balance, inventory, and records requirements for stored materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Material balance, inventory, and records requirements for stored materials. 72.72 Section 72.72 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING...-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Records, Reports, Inspections, and Enforcement § 72.72 Material balance...

  15. 10 CFR 72.72 - Material balance, inventory, and records requirements for stored materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Material balance, inventory, and records requirements for stored materials. 72.72 Section 72.72 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING...-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Records, Reports, Inspections, and Enforcement § 72.72 Material balance...

  16. Volume reduction of hot cell plastic wastes

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

    Dykes, F W; Henscheid, J P; Lewis, L C

    1989-09-19

    The disposal of radioactively-contaminated solid wastes has become a national crisis. In such circumstances, it is imperative that this waste be reduced to minimum volume and be packaged to prevent pollution of the environment. The majority of the solid waste generated at the hot cell under consideration is plastic lab ware. Cutting this waste into small pieces with a hot wire technique reduced the volume 66%. Melting the waste, although more time consuming, reduced the volume 90%. The hot wire technique can also be used to cut up damaged master slave manipulator boots, greatly reducing their disposal volume.

  17. Effect of high-dose irradiation on quality characteristics of ready-to-eat broiler breast fillets stored at room temperature.

    PubMed

    Baptista, R F; Teixeira, C E; Lemos, M; Monteiro, M L G; Vital, H C; Mársico, E T; Júnior, C A Conte; Mano, S B

    2014-10-01

    The effect of high-dose irradiation on the physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters of ready-to-eat vacuum-packed broiler breast meat after 430 d of storage at room temperature was investigated. Ready-to-eat broiler breast fillets were immersed in brine with garlic powder and then drained, grilled, and vacuum-packed (primary packaging). The high-dose irradiation used was approximately 48 kGy. The treatments were designated as A (irradiated samples stored at room temperature), B (irradiated samples stored at -25°C), and C (nonirradiated samples stored at -25°C). All samples were packaged in polyethylene bags containing aluminum to exclude light (secondary packaging). Proximate composition, pH, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and heterotrophic aerobic mesophilic bacteria were analyzed during 430 d of storage. Results were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA and the Tukey test. Linear regression was used to analyze the correlation between the results for each parameter and storage time of the different treatments. The gamma radiation caused slight changes (P < 0.05) in the moisture and fat content, regardless of storage temperature. After storage d 110, TBARS values remained stable (P > 0.05) in all the treatments. The preservation methods used were effective in maintaining the mesophilic counts below the detection level during the entire storage period. We concluded that, among the treatments studied, high-dose irradiation with storage at room temperature showed potential for the preservation of ready-to-eat products made from poultry meat, to provide foods safe for consumption. ©2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  18. Soft plastic bread packaging: lead content and reuse by families.

    PubMed Central

    Weisel, C; Demak, M; Marcus, S; Goldstein, B D

    1991-01-01

    The presence of lead in labels painted on soft plastic bread packaging was evaluated. Lead was detected on the outside of 17 of 18 soft plastic bread bags that were analyzed, with an average of 26 +/- 6 mg per bag with lead. Of 106 families questioned, 16 percent of respondents reported turning the bags inside out before reusing for food storage, thus putting food in contact with the lead paint. We estimate that a weak acid, such as vinegar, could readily leach 100 micrograms of lead from a painted plastic bag within 10 minutes. Further, lead and other metals painted on food packaging of any type becomes part of the municipal waste stream subject to incineration and to land-filling. The use of lead in packaging presents an unnecessary risk to public health. PMID:2029047

  19. Soft plastic bread packaging: lead content and reuse by families.

    PubMed

    Weisel, C; Demak, M; Marcus, S; Goldstein, B D

    1991-06-01

    The presence of lead in labels painted on soft plastic bread packaging was evaluated. Lead was detected on the outside of 17 of 18 soft plastic bread bags that were analyzed, with an average of 26 +/- 6 mg per bag with lead. Of 106 families questioned, 16 percent of respondents reported turning the bags inside out before reusing for food storage, thus putting food in contact with the lead paint. We estimate that a weak acid, such as vinegar, could readily leach 100 micrograms of lead from a painted plastic bag within 10 minutes. Further, lead and other metals painted on food packaging of any type becomes part of the municipal waste stream subject to incineration and to land-filling. The use of lead in packaging presents an unnecessary risk to public health.

  20. Consumer Poultry Handling Behavior in the Grocery Store and In-Home Storage.

    PubMed

    Donelan, Amy K; Chambers, Delores H; Chambers, Edgar; Godwin, Sandria L; Cates, Sheryl C

    2016-04-01

    Considerable work on consumers' food safety habits has highlighted issues associated with home food preparation. However, consumer handling of foods, such as poultry, during shopping and storage has not been noted. The objective of this study was to determine consumer behaviors during purchasing and initial storage of raw poultry to determine potential cross-contamination issues. A shop-along observational study was conducted to determine actual shopping, transportation, and storage behavior of consumers who purchase raw poultry products. Neither hand sanitizer nor wipes were observed in 71% of grocery store meat sections of stores visited. Plastic bags could be found in the meat section 85% of the time, but only 25% of shoppers used the bag for their raw poultry purchases. During checkout, the poultry was bagged separately from other products 71% of the time. A majority of shoppers stored raw poultry in the original package without an additional container or overwrap. Overall, there needs to be an increase in food safety education on the handling of poultry during purchasing, transportation, and storage.

  1. Feasibility of biodegradable based packaging used for red meat storage during shelf-life: A pilot study.

    PubMed

    Panseri, S; Martino, P A; Cagnardi, P; Celano, G; Tedesco, D; Castrica, M; Balzaretti, C; Chiesa, L M

    2018-05-30

    This study was designated to ascertain the effectiveness of polylactic acid (PLA) based packaging solution to store red fresh meat during its refrigerated shelf-life. Recently the attention in the packaging industry regarding the use of bioplastics has been shifting from compostable/biodegradable materials toward biobased materials. Steaks obtained from semimembranous muscle of Piemontese beef were packaged in PLA trays closed with a lid made of PLA film and for comparison purposed in a conventional reference package consisting of a amorphous polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene (APET/PET) trays and wrapped in plastic film of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The packaging under modified atmosphere MAP was carried out by using a gas mixture of 66% O 2 , 25% CO 2 and 9%N 2 . By using PLA packaging combination it was possible to maintain an optimum red colour together with a reduced content of volatile compounds associated to off-flavours of meat samples particularly related to the oxidation phenomena. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Separate collection of plastic waste, better than technical sorting from municipal solid waste?

    PubMed

    Feil, Alexander; Pretz, Thomas; Jansen, Michael; Thoden van Velzen, Eggo U

    2017-02-01

    The politically preferred solution to fulfil legal recycling demands is often implementing separate collection systems. However, experience shows their limitations, particularly in urban centres with a high population density. In response to the European Union landfill directive, mechanical biological waste treatment plants have been installed all over Europe. This technology makes it possible to retrieve plastic waste from municipal solid waste. Operators of mechanical biological waste treatment plants, both in Germany and the Netherlands, have started to change their mechanical separation processes to additionally produce plastic pre-concentrates. Results from mechanical biological waste treatment and separate collection of post-consumer packaging waste will be presented and compared. They prove that both the yield and the quality of plastic waste provided as feedstock for the production of secondary plastic raw material are largely comparable. An economic assessment shows which conditions for a technical sorting plant are economically attractive in comparison to separate collection systems. It is, however, unlikely that plastic recycling will ever reach cost neutrality.

  3. Country-of-origin labeling prior to and at the point of purchase: an exploration of the information environment in Baltimore City grocery stores.

    PubMed

    Lagasse, Lisa P; Love, David C; Smith, Katherine Clegg

    2014-01-01

    The country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law requires United States grocers to indicate the origin and procurement method (farm-raised or wild-caught) for seafood. This study explored the presentation of COOL on fresh, frozen, packaged, and unpackaged seafood in Baltimore City grocery stores. Eight stores were visited bi-monthly to photograph seafood labels, and circulars were collected weekly from fourteen stores over three months. Ninety-six percent of products were labeled correctly. Forty-eight percent of advertisements included COOL. While in-store labels did not highlight COOL, advertising featured references to domestic and wild-caught seafood, signaling to customers that these are high-value product qualities.

  4. Far-Field Accumulation of Fissile Material From Waste Packages Containing Plutonium Disposition Waste Form

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

    J.P. Nicot

    The objective of this calculation is to estimate the quantity of fissile material that could accumulate in fractures in the rock beneath plutonium-ceramic (Pu-ceramic) and Mixed-Oxide (MOX) waste packages (WPs) as they degrade in the potential monitored geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. This calculation is to feed another calculation (Ref. 31) computing the probability of criticality in the systems described in Section 6 and then ultimately to a more general report on the impact of plutonium on the performance of the proposed repository (Ref. 32), both developed concurrently to this work. This calculation is done in accordance with the developmentmore » plan TDP-DDC-MD-000001 (Ref. 9), item 5. The original document described in item 5 has been split into two documents: this calculation and Ref. 4. The scope of the calculation is limited to only very low flow rates because they lead to the most conservative cases for Pu accumulation and more generally are consistent with the way the effluent from the WP (called source term in this calculation) was calculated (Ref. 4). Ref. 4 (''In-Drift Accumulation of Fissile Material from WPs Containing Plutonium Disposition Waste Forms'') details the evolution through time (breach time is initial time) of the chemical composition of the solution inside the WP as degradation of the fuel and other materials proceed. It is the chemical solution used as a source term in this calculation. Ref. 4 takes that same source term and reacts it with the invert; this calculation reacts it with the rock. In addition to reactions with the rock minerals (that release Si and Ca), the basic mechanisms for actinide precipitation are dilution and mixing with resident water as explained in Section 2.1.4. No other potential mechanism such as flow through a reducing zone is investigated in this calculation. No attempt was made to use the effluent water from the bottom of the invert instead of using directly the effluent water from the WP. This

  5. Design of an innovative, ecological portable waste compressor for in-house recycling of paper, plastic and metal packaging waste.

    PubMed

    Xevgenos, D; Athanasopoulos, N; Kostazos, P K; Manolakos, D E; Moustakas, K; Malamis, D; Loizidou, M

    2015-05-01

    Waste management in Greece relies heavily on unsustainable waste practices (mainly landfills and in certain cases uncontrolled dumping of untreated waste). Even though major improvements have been achieved in the recycling of municipal solid waste during recent years, there are some barriers that hinder the achievement of high recycling rates. Source separation of municipal solid waste has been recognised as a promising solution to produce high-quality recycled materials that can be easily directed to secondary materials markets. This article presents an innovative miniature waste separator/compressor that has been designed and developed for the source separation of municipal solid waste at a household level. The design of the system is in line with the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), since it allows for the separate collection (and compression) of municipal solid waste, namely: plastic (polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene), paper (cardboard and Tetrapak) and metal (aluminium and tin cans). It has been designed through the use of suitable software tools (LS-DYNA, INVENTROR and COMSOL). The results from the simulations, as well as the whole design process and philosophy, are discussed in this article. © The Author(s) 2015.

  6. Sodium content in packaged foods by census division in the United States, 2009.

    PubMed

    Lee, Alexandra K; Schieb, Linda J; Yuan, Keming; Maalouf, Joyce; Gillespie, Cathleen; Cogswell, Mary E

    2015-04-02

    Excess sodium intake correlates positively with high blood pressure. Blood pressure varies by region, but whether sodium content of foods sold varies across regions is unknown. We combined nutrition and sales data from 2009 to assess the regional variation of sodium in packaged food products sold in 3 of the 9 US census divisions. Although sodium density and concentration differed little by region, fewer than half of selected food products met Food and Drug Administration sodium-per-serving conditions for labeling as "healthy." Regional differences in hypertension were not reflected in differences in the sodium content of packaged foods from grocery stores.

  7. Combination of borax and quebracho condensed tannins treatment to reduce hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from stored swine manure

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Livestock producers are acutely aware for the need to reduce gaseous emissions from stored livestock waste and have been trying to identify new technologies to address the chronic problem. Besides the malodor issue, toxic gases emitted from stored livestock manure, especially hydrogen sulfide (H2S)...

  8. 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.

  9. Labelling completeness and sodium content of packaged foods in India.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Claire; Thout, Sudhir Raj; Mohan, Sailesh; Dunford, Elizabeth; Farrand, Clare; Wu, Jason Hy; He, Feng J; Shivashankar, Roopa; Webster, Jacqui; Krishnan, Anand; Garg, Vandana; Maulik, Pallab K; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj; Neal, Bruce

    2017-11-01

    To estimate the proportion of products meeting Indian government labelling regulations and to examine the Na levels in packaged foods sold in India. Nutritional composition data were collected from the labels of all packaged food products sold at Indian supermarkets in between 2012 and 2014. Proportions of products compliant with the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations and labelled with Na content, and mean Na levels were calculated. Comparisons were made against 2010 data from Hyderabad and against the UK Department of Health (DoH) 2017 Na targets. Eleven large chain retail stores in Delhi and Hyderabad, India. Packaged food products (n 5686) categorised into fourteen food groups, thirty-three food categories and ninety sub-categories. More packaged food products (43 v. 34 %; P<0·001) were compliant with FSSAI regulations but less (32 v. 38 %; P<0·001) reported Na values compared with 2010. Food groups with the highest Na content were sauces and spreads (2217 mg/100 g) and convenience foods (1344 mg/100 g). Mean Na content in 2014 was higher in four food groups compared with 2010 and lower in none (P<0·05). Only 27 % of foods in sub-categories for which there are UK DoH benchmarks had Na levels below the targets. Compliance with nutrient labelling in India is improving but remains low. Many packaged food products have high levels of Na and there is no evidence that Indian packaged foods are becoming less salty.

  10. Background studies in support of a feasibility assessment on the use of copper-base materials for nuclear waste packages in a repository in tuff

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

    Van Konynenburg, R.A.; Kundig, K.J.A.; Lyman, W.S.

    1990-06-01

    This report combines six work units performed in FY`85--86 by the Copper Development Association and the International Copper Research Association under contract with the University of California. The work includes literature surveys and state-of-the-art summaries on several considerations influencing the feasibility of the use of copper-base materials for fabricating high-level nuclear waste packages for the proposed repository in tuff rock at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The general conclusion from this work was that copper-base materials are viable candidates for inclusion in the materials selection process for this application. 55 refs., 48 figs., 22 tabs.

  11. Best Practices for Managing Medical Equipment and Supplies Stored in a Vehicle.

    PubMed

    McGoldrick, Mary

    2015-01-01

    Home care clinicians often have to transport supplies to patients' homes, and remove and transport items from the home after care is provided. This article will provide guidelines and best practices for the proper methods of managing and storing infection prevention and control supplies and regulated medical waste in a home care clinician's personal vehicle.

  12. Small retailer perspectives of the 2009 Women, Infants and Children Program food package changes.

    PubMed

    Gittelsohn, Joel; Laska, Melissa N; Andreyeva, Tatiana; Foster, Gary; Rose, Donald; Tester, June; Lee, Seung Hee; Zenk, Shannon N; Odoms-Young, Angela; McCoy, Tara; Ayala, Guadalupe X

    2012-09-01

    To understand vendor perspectives regarding changes made in 2009 to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) food package. Fifty-two in-depth, qualitative interviews with owners or managers of small stores in 8 urban areas across 7 states conducted 6-12 months after the changes. Store owners experienced implementation challenges, but felt the changes increased the number of customers, sales, and profits. This research provides vendor perspectives on the 2009 WIC policy changes and may enhance policy implementation directed at increasing healthy food availability, particularly in urban communities.

  13. A store cohort study of compliance with a point-of-sale cigarette display ban in Melbourne, Australia.

    PubMed

    Zacher, Meghan; Germain, Daniella; Durkin, Sarah; Hayes, Linda; Scollo, Michelle; Wakefield, Melanie

    2013-02-01

    This study aimed to evaluate compliance with legislation which restricted cigarette displays in retail outlets, and to assess prevalence of pro- and anti-tobacco elements in stores pre- and post-legislation. METHODS Three audits of 302 stores in Melbourne, Australia by trained observers who gathered information on point-of-sale tobacco displays 2-3 months before and 3-4 and 11-12 months after the enactment of new restrictions. Between the first and second audits, nine stores stopped selling tobacco and three stores had either shut down or were closed for renovations. Of the remaining 290 stores, 94.1% observed the full ban on cigarette package visibility, while new restrictions on price board size and new requirements for graphic health warnings were followed in 85.9% and 67.2% of stores, respectively. Between the second and third audits, another seven stores ended tobacco sales and two stores closed. In Audit 3, 89.7% of the remaining 281 stores complied with price board restrictions, and 82.2% of stores followed requirements for graphic health warnings. Overall, the prevalence of anti-tobacco signage increased and pro-tobacco features decreased between audits for every store type and neighborhood socio-economic status. Tobacco retailers were almost universally compliant with placing cigarettes out of sight and a substantial majority were compliant with regulations on price board size and display of graphic health warnings, demonstrating that such legislation can be implemented successfully.

  14. Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Clean Harbors BTD, LLC in Clarence, New York

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Clean Harbors BDT, LLC site was a commercial treatment, storage, and disposal facility that treated reactive hazardous wastes, pressurized waste, pharmaceutical and packaged laboratory chemicals. The facility was initially owned and operated by Wilson-

  15. Effects of packaging systems and fat concentrations on microbiology, sensory and physical properties of ground beef stored at 4±1°C for 25 days.

    PubMed

    Lavieri, N; Williams, S K

    2014-08-01

    This study evaluated effects of modified atmosphere (MAP, 0.4% carbon monoxide [CO], 30% carbon dioxide, and 69.6% nitrogen), vacuum (VP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging systems and fat levels (10, 20 and 30% fat) on ground beef stored at 4 ± 1°C for 25 days for microbiology, sensory, pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), objective color, headspace and residual CO. As storage time increased, pH decreased (P< 0.05) for MAP and VP and increased (P < 0.05) for PVC. TBARS varied (P < 0.05) among MAP and VP treatments. Except for day 1, CO headspace concentrations were similar among fat concentrations, and residual CO absorption in meat increased (P < 0.05) for all MAP treatments. In all treatments, degree of lightness was similar, redness decreased and brown discoloration increased during storage. As psychrotrophic bacteria counts increased, panelists detected color and off-odor deterioration in all systems. The CO treatment had no effect on maintaining the carboxymyoglobin "cherry red" fresh meat color during meat spoilage. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Vacuum decay container closure integrity leak test method development and validation for a lyophilized product-package system.

    PubMed

    Patel, Jayshree; Mulhall, Brian; Wolf, Heinz; Klohr, Steven; Guazzo, Dana Morton

    2011-01-01

    A leak test performed according to ASTM F2338-09 Standard Test Method for Nondestructive Detection of Leaks in Packages by Vacuum Decay Method was developed and validated for container-closure integrity verification of a lyophilized product in a parenteral vial package system. This nondestructive leak test method is intended for use in manufacturing as an in-process package integrity check, and for testing product stored on stability in lieu of sterility tests. Method development and optimization challenge studies incorporated artificially defective packages representing a range of glass vial wall and sealing surface defects, as well as various elastomeric stopper defects. Method validation required 3 days of random-order replicate testing of a test sample population of negative-control, no-defect packages and positive-control, with-defect packages. Positive-control packages were prepared using vials each with a single hole laser-drilled through the glass vial wall. Hole creation and hole size certification was performed by Lenox Laser. Validation study results successfully demonstrated the vacuum decay leak test method's ability to accurately and reliably detect those packages with laser-drilled holes greater than or equal to approximately 5 μm in nominal diameter. All development and validation studies were performed at Whitehouse Analytical Laboratories in Whitehouse, NJ, under the direction of consultant Dana Guazzo of RxPax, LLC, using a VeriPac 455 Micro Leak Test System by Packaging Technologies & Inspection (Tuckahoe, NY). Bristol Myers Squibb (New Brunswick, NJ) fully subsidized all work. A leak test performed according to ASTM F2338-09 Standard Test Method for Nondestructive Detection of Leaks in Packages by Vacuum Decay Method was developed and validated to detect defects in stoppered vial packages containing lyophilized product for injection. This nondestructive leak test method is intended for use in manufacturing as an in-process package integrity

  17. Cyrface: An interface from Cytoscape to R that provides a user interface to R packages.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, Emanuel; Mirlach, Franz; Saez-Rodriguez, Julio

    2013-01-01

    There is an increasing number of software packages to analyse biological experimental data in the R environment. In particular, Bioconductor, a repository of curated R packages, is one of the most comprehensive resources for bioinformatics and biostatistics. The use of these packages is increasing, but it requires a basic understanding of the R language, as well as the syntax of the specific package used. The availability of user graphical interfaces for these packages would decrease the learning curve and broaden their application. Here, we present a Cytoscape app termed Cyrface that allows Cytoscape apps to connect to any function and package developed in R. Cyrface can be used to run R packages from within the Cytoscape environment making use of a graphical user interface. Moreover, it can link R packages with the capabilities of Cytoscape and its apps, in particular network visualization and analysis. Cyrface's utility has been demonstrated for two Bioconductor packages ( CellNOptR and DrugVsDisease), and here we further illustrate its usage by implementing a workflow of data analysis and visualization. Download links, installation instructions and user guides can be accessed from the Cyrface's homepage ( http://www.ebi.ac.uk/saezrodriguez/cyrface/) and from the Cytoscape app store ( http://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/cyrface).

  18. A qualitative analysis of New Zealand retailers' responses to standardised packaging legislation and tobacco industry opposition.

    PubMed

    Guthrie, John; Hoek, Janet; Darroch, Ella; Wood, Zoë

    2015-11-09

    Many of the approximately 8000 New Zealand retailers selling tobacco are small stores that tobacco companies have represented as victims of policy measures designed to reduce smoking. Despite this depiction, many retailers experience considerable ambivalence in selling tobacco, a product they know harms their customers. We explored how retailers perceived the proposed introduction of standardised (or 'plain') packaging and their assessment of arguments made by tobacco companies in submissions on proposed standardised packaging legislation. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, we recruited and interviewed 23 retailers of dairies (small convenience stores), small supermarkets, and service stations. Data were analysed using a protocol-driven approach; this stance enabled direct analysis of tobacco companies' arguments, particularly those purporting to represent retailers' concerns. Retailers were concerned about the financial implications of standardised packaging and the effects it may have on their ability to provide rapid and efficient customer service. However, few thought standardised packaging would foster illicit trade or spawn further regulation; most placed public health goals ahead of tobacco companies' 'rights', and many supported government intervention to protect population health. Retailers held ambivalent views on standardised packaging; while they were concerned about short-term effects on their business, they recognised the harm smoking causes. Policymakers and health researchers could collaborate more effectively with retailers by assisting them to create financially viable roles more compatible with public health objectives. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  19. Wavelet analysis to decompose a vibration simulation signal to improve pre-distribution testing of packaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffiths, K. R.; Hicks, B. J.; Keogh, P. S.; Shires, D.

    2016-08-01

    In general, vehicle vibration is non-stationary and has a non-Gaussian probability distribution; yet existing testing methods for packaging design employ Gaussian distributions to represent vibration induced by road profiles. This frequently results in over-testing and/or over-design of the packaging to meet a specification and correspondingly leads to wasteful packaging and product waste, which represent 15bn per year in the USA and €3bn per year in the EU. The purpose of the paper is to enable a measured non-stationary acceleration signal to be replaced by a constructed signal that includes as far as possible any non-stationary characteristics from the original signal. The constructed signal consists of a concatenation of decomposed shorter duration signals, each having its own kurtosis level. Wavelet analysis is used for the decomposition process into inner and outlier signal components. The constructed signal has a similar PSD to the original signal, without incurring excessive acceleration levels. This allows an improved and more representative simulated input signal to be generated that can be used on the current generation of shaker tables. The wavelet decomposition method is also demonstrated experimentally through two correlation studies. It is shown that significant improvements over current international standards for packaging testing are achievable; hence the potential for more efficient packaging system design is possible.

  20. Flight test of an improved solid waste collection system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thornton, W.; Brasseaux, H.; Whitmore, H.

    1991-01-01

    A system for human waste collection is described and evaluated on the basis of a prototype employed for the shuttle flight STS-35. The manually operated version of the unit is designed to collect, compact, and store human waste and cleaning material in replaceable volumes. The system is presented with illustrations and descriptions of the disposable pads that are used to clean the cylinder and occlusive air valves as well as seal the unit. Temporary retention and waste entrainment are provided by the variable airflow in the manual unit tested. The prototype testing indicates that sufficient airflow is achieved at 45 CFM and that the stowage volume (18.7 cu in.) is adequate for storing human waste with minimal logistical support. Higher compaction pressure and the use of a directed airstream are proposed for improving the packing efficiency of the unit.

  1. Effectiveness of Active Packaging on Control of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Total Aerobic Bacteria on Iceberg Lettuce.

    PubMed

    Lu, Haixia; Zhu, Junli; Li, Jianrong; Chen, Jinru

    2015-06-01

    Contaminated leafy green vegetables have been linked to several outbreaks of human gastrointestinal infections. Antimicrobial interventions that are adoptable by the fresh produce industry for control of pathogen contamination are in great demand. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of sustained active packaging on control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria on lettuce. Commercial Iceberg lettuce was inoculated with a 3-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 at 10(2) or 10(4) CFU/g. The contaminated lettuce and un-inoculated controls were placed respectively in 5 different active packaging structures. Traditional, nonactive packaging structure was included as controls. Packaged lettuce was stored at 4, 10, or 22 °C for 3 wk and sampled weekly for the population of E. coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria. Results showed that packaging structures with ClO2 generator, CO2 generator, or one of the O2 scavengers effectively controlled the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria under all storage conditions. Packaging structure with the ClO2 generator was most effective and no E. coli O157:H7 was detected in samples packaged in this structure except for those that were inoculated with 4 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 and stored at 22 °C. Packaging structures with an oxygen scavenger and the allyl isothiocyanate generator were mostly ineffective in control of the growth of the bacteria on Iceberg lettuce. The research suggests that some of the packaging structures evaluated in the study can be used to control the presence of foodborne pathogens on leafy green vegetables. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  2. Store tobacco policies: a survey of store managers, California, 1996-1997.

    PubMed

    Weinbaum, Z; Quinn, V; Rogers, T; Roeseler, A

    1999-01-01

    To identify store tobacco policies and retailer perception and beliefs that may have contributed to changes in compliance with youth access laws in California. In the winter of 1996-7, a cross sectional, follow up telephone survey was conducted of California store managers whose stores were anonymously surveyed for illegal tobacco sales in the summer of 1996 (that is, 1996 Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey, YTPS). A simple random sample of stores from a list of California stores likely to sell tobacco, used in the 1996 YTPS. 334 managers (77%) of the 434 stores surveyed in 1996 responded to the survey. After eliminating stores that stopped selling tobacco or were under new management or ownership, 320 responses of store managers were included in the analysis. The stores were analysed by type of ownership: chain, which included corporate managed (n = 61); franchise owned (n = 56); and independent (n = 203). Responses of store managers were linked with the 1996 YTPS outcomes. Manager responses were compared by chi2 tests. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify store factors associated with illegal tobacco sales. A lower likelihood of illegal sales rate was associated with the chain stores when compared with the independent stores (odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2 to 0.9). A lower likelihood of illegal tobacco sales was found in stores that implemented tobacco related activities in the previous year such as changing tobacco displays (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9) or adding new warning signs (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.2). Store managers' beliefs that youth were sent to their stores to do compliance checks also resulted in a lower likelihood of illegal sales (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.1). Store tobacco youth access policies, and managers' beliefs about the extent of youth access enforcement in the community, are important in reducing illegal tobacco sales to minors.

  3. A comparative study on the effectiveness of ozonated water and peracetic acid in the storability of packaged fresh-cut melon.

    PubMed

    Botondi, Rinaldo; Moscetti, Roberto; Massantini, Riccardo

    2016-05-01

    Ozonated water and peracetic acid were tested as sanitizers to enhance the storability of fresh-cut melon cubes. Sanitizers were also combined with suitable packaging materials (polypropylene and polylactic acid based plastic films). Fresh-cut melon cubes were stored at 4 °C for up to 7 days. Ozonated water and peracetic acid treatments were given by dipping cubes into 0.8 ppm O3 and 100 ppm Tsunami 100™ solutions, respectively, for 3 min. Both sanitizers exhibited efficiency in reducing the total microbial counts on melon cubes (< 2 log CFU g(-1)). Respiratory activity and ethylene production were both affected by the interaction between the sanitizer and the packaging used. Carbon dioxide and oxygen reached 9.89 kPa and 12.20 kPa partial pressures, respectively, using peracetic acid treatment in combination with polypropylene film packaging, consequently developing off-odors starting from day 3. Strong color changes were noted in cubes stored in polylactic acid packaging after 7 days of storage, affecting the sensory quality of the melon cubes. Sensory evaluation (overall visual quality) indicated loss in flavor in the polypropylene packaging. The overall visual quality started to decline on 3rd day because of the development of translucency.Overall, the use of ozone in combination with polypropylene packaging provided the best solution to maintain the quality of melon cubes for up to 5 days of storage at 4 °C.

  4. Soft plastic bread packaging: lead content and reuse by families

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

    Weisel, C.; Demak, M.; Marcus, S.

    The presence of lead in labels painted on soft plastic bread packaging was evaluated. Lead was detected on the outside of 17 of 18 soft plastic bread bags that were analyzed, with an average of 26 +/- 6 mg per bag with lead. Of 106 families questioned, 16 percent of respondents reported turning the bags inside out before reusing for food storage, thus putting food in contact with the lead paint. We estimate that a weak acid, such as vinegar, could readily leach 100 micrograms of lead from a painted plastic bag within 10 minutes. Further, lead and other metalsmore » painted on food packaging of any type becomes part of the municipal waste stream subject to incineration and to land-filling. The use of lead in packaging presents an unnecessary risk to public health.« less

  5. Corrosion Management of the Hanford High-Level Nuclear Waste Tanks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beavers, John A.; Sridhar, Narasi; Boomer, Kayle D.

    2014-03-01

    The Hanford site is located in southeastern Washington State and stores more than 200,000 m3 (55 million gallons) of high-level radioactive waste resulting from the production and processing of plutonium. The waste is stored in large carbon steel tanks that were constructed between 1943 and 1986. The leak and structurally integrity of the more recently constructed double-shell tanks must be maintained until the waste can be removed from the tanks and encapsulated in glass logs for final disposal in a repository. There are a number of corrosion-related threats to the waste tanks, including stress-corrosion cracking, pitting corrosion, and corrosion at the liquid-air interface and in the vapor space. This article summarizes the corrosion management program at Hanford to mitigate these threats.

  6. Store tobacco policies: a survey of store managers, California, 1996-1997

    PubMed Central

    Weinbaum, Z.; Quinn, V.; Rogers, T.; Roeseler, A.

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—To identify store tobacco policies and retailer perception and beliefs that may have contributed to changes in compliance with youth access laws in California.
DESIGN—In the winter of 1996-7, a cross sectional, follow up telephone survey was conducted of California store managers whose stores were anonymously surveyed for illegal tobacco sales in the summer of 1996 (that is, 1996 Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey, YTPS).
SETTING—A simple random sample of stores from a list of California stores likely to sell tobacco, used in the 1996 YTPS.
PARTICIPANTS—334 managers (77%) of the 434 stores surveyed in 1996 responded to the survey. After eliminating stores that stopped selling tobacco or were under new management or ownership, 320 responses of store managers were included in the analysis. The stores were analysed by type of ownership: chain, which included corporate managed (n = 61); franchise owned (n = 56); and independent (n = 203).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Responses of store managers were linked with the 1996 YTPS outcomes. Manager responses were compared by χ2 tests. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify store factors associated with illegal tobacco sales.
RESULTS—A lower likelihood of illegal sales rate was associated with the chain stores when compared with the independent stores (odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2 to 0.9). A lower likelihood of illegal tobacco sales was found in stores that implemented tobacco related activities in the previous year such as changing tobacco displays (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9) or adding new warning signs (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.2). Store managers' beliefs that youth were sent to their stores to do compliance checks also resulted in a lower likelihood of illegal sales (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.1).
CONCLUSIONS—Store tobacco youth access policies, and managers' beliefs about the extent of youth access enforcement in the

  7. Secondary Waste Cast Stone Waste Form Qualification Testing Plan

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

    Westsik, Joseph H.; Serne, R. Jeffrey

    2012-09-26

    The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is being constructed to treat the 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in 177 underground tanks at the Hanford Site. The WTP includes a pretreatment facility to separate the wastes into high-level waste (HLW) and low-activity waste (LAW) fractions for vitrification and disposal. The LAW will be converted to glass for final disposal at the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF). Cast Stone – a cementitious waste form, has been selected for solidification of this secondary waste stream after treatment in the ETF. The secondary-waste Cast Stone waste form must be acceptablemore » for disposal in the IDF. This secondary waste Cast Stone waste form qualification testing plan outlines the testing of the waste form and immobilization process to demonstrate that the Cast Stone waste form can comply with the disposal requirements. Specifications for the secondary-waste Cast Stone waste form have not been established. For this testing plan, Cast Stone specifications are derived from specifications for the immobilized LAW glass in the WTP contract, the waste acceptance criteria for the IDF, and the waste acceptance criteria in the IDF Permit issued by the State of Washington. This testing plan outlines the testing needed to demonstrate that the waste form can comply with these waste form specifications and acceptance criteria. The testing program must also demonstrate that the immobilization process can be controlled to consistently provide an acceptable waste form product. This testing plan also outlines the testing needed to provide the technical basis for understanding the long-term performance of the waste form in the disposal environment. These waste form performance data are needed to support performance assessment analyses of the long-term environmental impact of the secondary-waste Cast Stone waste form in the IDF« less

  8. Degradation Behavior and Accelerated Weathering of Composite Boards Produced from Waste Tetra Pak® Packaging Materials

    Treesearch

    Nural Yilgor; Coskun Kose; Evren Terzi; Aysel Kanturk Figen; Rebecca Ibach; S. Nami Kartal; Sabriye Piskin

    2014-01-01

    Manufacturing panels from Tetra Pak® (TP) packaging material might be an alternative to conventional wood-based panels. This study evaluated some chemical and physical properties as well as biological, weathering, and fire performance of panels with and without zinc borate (ZnB) by using shredded TP packaging cartons. Such packaging material, a worldwide well-known...

  9. Prospects for application of post-consumer used plastics in food packaging.

    PubMed

    Miltz, J; Ram, A; Nir, M M

    1997-01-01

    The two most widely used polymers in packaging in recent years are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE). The biggest fractions of these polymers are not re-utilized, in spite of the fact that they possess excellent properties even after their first application. The ban on using recycled polymers in food packaging applications and the lack of good value outlets for these materials causes them to end up in landfills. The high cost nylon, used in packaging primarily as high gas barrier laminates with PE, also finds its way to landfills. In this case, the reason is the difficulty of recycling different polymers that are incompatible. Thus, the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) stream transferred to landfills contains many plastic packages. These packages are being blamed as a major pollutant of the environment in spite of the fact that all plastics contribute only a small percentage to the weight of the garbage in landfills. If proper and cost effective applications for the recycled polymers could be developed, the waste related to their disposal could be limited. In addition, the contribution of plastic packages to the environmental problem could be diminished. In the present paper, the possibility of sandwiching a contaminated PET layer between two layers of the virgin material was studied. The aim of the study was to determine whether such an operation could lower the migration level of contaminants from a multilayer structure (containing a recycled layer of PET) to values below the limits required by regulatory agencies. The diffusion coefficients (required to determine migration) of four organic liquids in PET were determined. As a result of the sandwiching operation, the amount of pollutant (toluene) migrating into the food simulant was reduced by two orders of magnitude. The properties of PE/nylon blends were also studied. It was found that the high gas barrier properties of nylon are preserved in the blend when proper processing conditions are used

  10. Effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging on microbiological properties of cold-smoked trout

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Đorđević, J.; Pavlićević, N.; Bošković, M.; Janjić, J.; Glišić, M.; Starčević, M.; Baltić, M. Ž.

    2017-09-01

    Because of the importance of different packaging methods for the extension of fish shelf life, as a highly perishable food, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging on the total Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria counts of cold-smoked Salmon trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stored at 3°C during six weeks. Trout fillets were vacuumed packaged (VP) or packaged in one of two different modified atmospheres, with gas ratio of 50%CO2/50%N2 (MAP1) and 90%CO2/10%N2 (MAP2) and analysed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42. Both the total Enterobacteriaceae and total lactic acid bacteria counts increased in the trout fillets in all packaging types during storage. A significantly lower total Enterobacteriaceae count was determined in the MAP fish compared to the VP fish, with the weakest growth rate and lowest numbers attained in MAP2 fillets. The lactic acid bacteria count was higher in trout packaged in MAP compared to VP, with the highest number in the MAP with 90% CO2 (MAP2).

  11. Perspectives on essential oil-loaded nano-delivery packaging technology for controlling stored cereal and grain pests

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Insect pests and food-borne fungi and their associated toxic metabolites cause significant losses in stored food products. Plant-derived essential oils (EOs) can control the growth and proliferation of insect and fungal pests. Plant EOs are environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and their applicati...

  12. Direct cementitious waste option study report

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

    Dafoe, R.E.; Losinski, S.J.

    A settlement agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Idaho mandates that all high-level radioactive waste (HLW) now stored at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) will be treated so that it is ready to be moved out of Idaho for disposal by a target data of 2035. This study investigates the direct grouting of all ICPP calcine (including the HLW dry calcine and those resulting from calcining sodium-bearing liquid waste currently residing in the ICPP storage tanks) as the treatment method to comply with the settlement agreement. This method involves grouting the calcined waste andmore » casting the resulting hydroceramic grout into stainless steel canisters. These canisters will be stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) until they are sent to a national geologic repository. The operating period for grouting treatment will be from 2013 through 2032, and all the HLW will be treated and in interim storage by the end of 2032.« less

  13. Wastewater and Hazardous Waste Survey, Homestead AFB Florida.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-03-01

    tank into the sanitary sewer. 16. Bilge waste from the Water Survival School is currently placed in 55-gallon drums and stored on site. At the time...plant. W0’I; • ,. =% . Fiue5. AGE Accumulation Site , 30 7. A disposal contract for waste bilge water is needed for the Water Survival School. Currently...eliminate all pesticide wastes from S this shop. 16. The Water Survival School can possibly eliminate bilge water waste by having Civil Engineering

  14. Limiting Surface Density Method Adapted to Large Arrays of Heterogeneous Shipping Packages with Nonlinear Responses

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

    Stover, Tracy E.; Baker, James S.; Ratliff, Michael D.

    The classic Limiting Surface Density (LSD) method is an empirical calculation technique for analyzing and setting mass limits for fissile items in storage arrays. LSD is a desirable method because it can reduce or eliminate the need for lengthy detailed Monte Carlo models of storage arrays. The original (or classic) method was developed based on idealized arrays of bare spherical metal items in air-spaced cubic units in a water-reflected cubic array. In this case, the geometric and material-based surface densities were acceptably correlated by linear functions. Later updates to the method were made to allow for concrete reflection rather thanmore » water, cylindrical masses rather than spheres, different material forms, and noncubic arrays. However, in the intervening four decades since those updates, little work has been done to update the method, especially for use with contemporary highly heterogeneous shipping packages that are noncubic and stored in noncubic arrays. In this work, the LSD method is reevaluated for application to highly heterogeneous shipping packages for fissile material. The package modeled is the 9975 shipping package, currently the primary package used to store fissile material at Savannah River Site’s K-Area Complex. The package is neither cubic nor rectangular but resembles nested cylinders of stainless steel, lead, aluminum, and Celotex. The fissile content is assumed to be a cylinder of plutonium metal. The packages may be arranged in arrays with both an equal number of packages per side (package cubic) and an unequal number of packages per side (noncubic). The cubic arrangements are used to derive the 9975-specific material and geometry constants for the classic linear form LSD method. The linear form of the LSD, with noncubic array adjustment, is applied and evaluated against computational models for these packages to determine the critical unit fissile mass. Sensitivity equations are derived from the classic method, and these are

  15. Limiting Surface Density Method Adapted to Large Arrays of Heterogeneous Shipping Packages with Nonlinear Responses

    DOE PAGES

    Stover, Tracy E.; Baker, James S.; Ratliff, Michael D.; ...

    2018-03-02

    The classic Limiting Surface Density (LSD) method is an empirical calculation technique for analyzing and setting mass limits for fissile items in storage arrays. LSD is a desirable method because it can reduce or eliminate the need for lengthy detailed Monte Carlo models of storage arrays. The original (or classic) method was developed based on idealized arrays of bare spherical metal items in air-spaced cubic units in a water-reflected cubic array. In this case, the geometric and material-based surface densities were acceptably correlated by linear functions. Later updates to the method were made to allow for concrete reflection rather thanmore » water, cylindrical masses rather than spheres, different material forms, and noncubic arrays. However, in the intervening four decades since those updates, little work has been done to update the method, especially for use with contemporary highly heterogeneous shipping packages that are noncubic and stored in noncubic arrays. In this work, the LSD method is reevaluated for application to highly heterogeneous shipping packages for fissile material. The package modeled is the 9975 shipping package, currently the primary package used to store fissile material at Savannah River Site’s K-Area Complex. The package is neither cubic nor rectangular but resembles nested cylinders of stainless steel, lead, aluminum, and Celotex. The fissile content is assumed to be a cylinder of plutonium metal. The packages may be arranged in arrays with both an equal number of packages per side (package cubic) and an unequal number of packages per side (noncubic). The cubic arrangements are used to derive the 9975-specific material and geometry constants for the classic linear form LSD method. The linear form of the LSD, with noncubic array adjustment, is applied and evaluated against computational models for these packages to determine the critical unit fissile mass. Sensitivity equations are derived from the classic method, and these are

  16. Effect of irradiation, active and modified atmosphere packaging, container oxygen barrier and storage conditions on the physicochemical and sensory properties of raw unpeeled almond kernels (Prunus dulcis).

    PubMed

    Mexis, Stamatios F; Riganakos, Kyriakos A; Kontominas, Michael G

    2011-03-15

    The present study investigated the effect of irradiation, active and modified atmosphere packaging, and storage conditions on quality retention of raw, whole, unpeeled almonds. Almond kernels were packaged in barrier and high-barrier pouches, under N(2) or with an O(2) absorber and stored either under fluorescent lighting or in the dark at 20 °C for 12 months. Quality parameters monitored were peroxide value, hexanal content, colour, fatty acid composition and volatile compounds. Of the sensory attributes colour, texture, odour and taste were evaluated. Peroxide value and hexanal increased with dose of irradiation and storage time. Irradiation resulted in a decrease of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids during storage with a parallel increase of saturated fatty acids. Volatile compounds were not affected by irradiation but increased with storage time indicating enhanced lipid oxidation. Colour parameters of samples remained unaffected immediately after irradiation. For samples packaged under a N(2) , atmosphere L and b values decreased during storage with a parallel increase of value a resulting to gradual product darkening especially in irradiated samples. Non-irradiated almonds retained acceptable quality for ca. 12 months stored at 20 °C with the O(2) absorber irrespective of lighting conditions and packaging material oxygen barrier. The respective shelf life for samples irradiated at 1.0 kGy was 12 months packaged in PET-SiOx//LDPE irrespective of lighting conditions and 12 months for samples irradiated at 3 kGy packaged in PET-SiOx//LDPE stored in the dark. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. In-situ vitrification of waste materials

    DOEpatents

    Powell, James R.; Reich, Morris; Barletta, Robert

    1997-11-14

    A method for the in-situ vitrification of waste materials in a disposable can that includes an inner container and an outer container is disclosed. The method includes the steps of adding frit and waste materials to the inner container, removing any excess water, heating the inner container such that the frit and waste materials melt and vitrify after cooling, while maintaining the outer container at a significantly lower temperature than the inner container. The disposable can is then cooled to ambient temperatures and stored. A device for the in-situ vitrification of waste material in a disposable can is also disclosed.

  18. System for Odorless Disposal of Human Waste

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jennings, Dave; Lewis, Tod

    1987-01-01

    Conceptual system provides clean, hygienic storage. Disposal system stores human wastes compactly. Releases no odor or bacteria and requires no dangerous chemicals or unpleasant handling. Stabilizes waste by natural process of biodegradation in which microbial activity eventually ceases and ordors and bacteria reduced to easily contained levels. Simple and reliable and needs little maintenance.

  19. Improved shelf life of dried Beauveria bassiana blastospores using convective drying and active packaging processes.

    PubMed

    Mascarin, Gabriel Moura; Jackson, Mark A; Behle, Robert W; Kobori, Nilce N; Júnior, Ítalo Delalibera

    2016-10-01

    The yeast form (blastospore) of the dimorphic insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana can be rapidly produced using liquid fermentation methods but is generally unable to survive rapid dehydration processes or storage under non-refrigerated conditions. In this study, we evaluated the influence of two convective drying methods, various modified atmosphere packaging systems, and storage temperatures on the desiccation tolerance, storage stability, and virulence of blastospores of B. bassiana ESALQ 1432. All blastospore formulations were dried to <5 % water content equivalent to aw < 0.3. The viability of B. bassiana blastospores after air drying and spray drying was greater than 80 %. Vacuum-packaged blastospores remained viable longer when stored at 4 °C compared with 28 °C with virtually no loss in viability over 9 months regardless the drying method. When both oxygen and moisture scavengers were added to sealed packages of dried blastospore formulations stored at 28 °C, viability was significantly prolonged for both air- and spray-dried blastospores. The addition of ascorbic acid during spray drying did not improve desiccation tolerance but enhanced cell stability (∼twofold higher half-life) when stored at 28 °C. After storage for 4 months at 28 °C, air-dried blastospores produced a lower LC80 and resulted in higher mortality to whitefly nymphs (Bemisia tabaci) when compared with spray-dried blastospores. These studies identified key storage conditions (low aw and oxygen availability) that improved blastospore storage stability at 28 °C and will facilitate the commercial development of blastospores-based bioinsecticides.

  20. Small Retailer Perspectives of the 2009 Women, Infants and Children Program Food Package Changes

    PubMed Central

    Gittelsohn, Joel; Laska, Melissa N.; Andreyeva, Tatiana; Foster, Gary; Rose, Donald; Tester, June; Lee, Seung Hee; Zenk, Shannon N.; Odoms-Young, Angela; McCoy, Tara; Ayala, Guadalupe X.

    2015-01-01

    Objective To understand vendor perspectives regarding changes made in 2009 to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) food package. Methods Fifty-two in-depth, qualitative interviews with owners or managers of small stores in 8 urban areas across 7 states conducted 6-12 months after the changes. Results Store owners experienced implementation challenges, but felt the changes increased the number of customers, sales, and profits. Conclusion This research provides vendor perspectives on the 2009 WIC policy changes and may enhance policy implementation directed at increasing healthy food availability, particularly in urban communities. PMID:22584093

  1. Waste-to-Energy Laboratory. Grades 8-12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    HAZWRAP, The Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program.

    This brochure contains an activity for grades 8-12 students that focuses on the reuse of waste as an energy source by burning and converting it into energy. For this experiment students construct a calorimeter from simple recyclable material. The calorimeter is used to measure the amount of energy stored in paper and yard waste that could be used…

  2. Performance Assessments of Generic Nuclear Waste Repositories in Shale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, E. R.; Sevougian, S. D.; Mariner, P. E.; Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J.

    2017-12-01

    Simulations of deep geologic disposal of nuclear waste in a generic shale formation showcase Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment (GDSA) Framework, a toolkit for repository performance assessment (PA) whose capabilities include domain discretization (Cubit), multiphysics simulations (PFLOTRAN), uncertainty and sensitivity analysis (Dakota), and visualization (Paraview). GDSA Framework is used to conduct PAs of two generic repositories in shale. The first considers the disposal of 22,000 metric tons heavy metal of commercial spent nuclear fuel. The second considers disposal of defense-related spent nuclear fuel and high level waste. Each PA accounts for the thermal load and radionuclide inventory of applicable waste types, components of the engineered barrier system, and components of the natural barrier system including the host rock shale and underlying and overlying stratigraphic units. Model domains are half-symmetry, gridded with Cubit, and contain between 7 and 22 million grid cells. Grid refinement captures the detail of individual waste packages, emplacement drifts, access drifts, and shafts. Simulations are run in a high performance computing environment on as many as 2048 processes. Equations describing coupled heat and fluid flow and reactive transport are solved with PFLOTRAN, an open-source, massively parallel multiphase flow and reactive transport code. Additional simulated processes include waste package degradation, waste form dissolution, radioactive decay and ingrowth, sorption, solubility, advection, dispersion, and diffusion. Simulations are run to 106 y, and radionuclide concentrations are observed within aquifers at a point approximately 5 km downgradient of the repository. Dakota is used to sample likely ranges of input parameters including waste form and waste package degradation rates and properties of engineered and natural materials to quantify uncertainty in predicted concentrations and sensitivity to input parameters. Sandia National

  3. Increased Levels of Markers of Microbial Exposure in Homes with Indoor Storage of Organic Household Waste

    PubMed Central

    Wouters, Inge M.; Douwes, Jeroen; Doekes, Gert; Thorne, Peter S.; Brunekreef, Bert; Heederik, Dick J. J.

    2000-01-01

    As part of environmental management policies in Europe, separate collection of organic household waste and nonorganic household waste has become increasingly common. As waste is often stored indoors, this policy might increase microbial exposure in the home environment. In this study we evaluated the association between indoor storage of organic waste and levels of microbial agents in house dust. The levels of bacterial endotoxins, mold β(1→3)-glucans, and fungal extracullar polysaccharides (EPS) of Aspergillus and Penicillium species were determined in house dust extracts as markers of microbial exposure. House dust samples were collected in 99 homes in The Netherlands selected on the basis of whether separated organic waste was present in the house. In homes in which separated organic waste was stored indoors for 1 week or more the levels of endotoxin, EPS, and glucan were 3.2-, 7.6-, and 4.6-fold higher, respectively (all P < 0.05), on both living room and kitchen floors than the levels in homes in which only nonorganic residual waste was stored indoors. Increased levels of endotoxin and EPS were observed, 2.6- and 2.1-fold (P < 0.1), respectively, when separated organic waste was stored indoors for 1 week or less, whereas storage of nonseparated waste indoors had no effect on microbial agent levels (P > 0.2). The presence of textile floor covering was another major determinant of microbial levels (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that increased microbial contaminant levels in homes are associated with indoor storage of separated organic waste. These increased levels might increase the risk of bioaerosol-related respiratory symptoms in susceptible people. PMID:10653727

  4. Response of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) to simulant Hanford tank waste

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

    NIGREY,PAUL J.

    2000-02-01

    This report presents the findings of the Chemical Compatibility Program developed to evaluate plastic packaging components that may be incorporated in packaging mixed-waste forms for transportation. Consistent with the methodology outlined in this report, the author performed the second phase of this experimental program to determine the effects of simulant Hanford tank mixed wastes on packaging seal materials. That effort involved the comprehensive testing of five plastic liner materials in an aqueous mixed-waste simulant. The testing protocol involved exposing the materials to {approximately}143, 286, 571, and 3,670 krad of gamma radiation and was followed by 7-, 14-, 28-, 180-day exposuresmore » to the waste simulant at 18, 50, and 60 C. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber samples subjected to the same protocol were then evaluated by measuring seven material properties: specific gravity, dimensional changes, mass changes, hardness, compression set, vapor transport rates, and tensile properties. The author has determined that EPDM rubber has excellent resistance to radiation, this simulant, and a combination of these factors. These results suggest that EPDM is an excellent seal material to withstand aqueous mixed wastes having similar composition to the one used in this study.« less

  5. Package models and the information crisis of prebiotic evolution.

    PubMed

    Silvestre, Daniel A M M; Fontanari, José F

    2008-05-21

    The coexistence between different types of templates has been the choice solution to the information crisis of prebiotic evolution, triggered by the finding that a single RNA-like template cannot carry enough information to code for any useful replicase. In principle, confining d distinct templates of length L in a package or protocell, whose survival depends on the coexistence of the templates it holds in, could resolve this crisis provided that d is made sufficiently large. Here we review the prototypical package model of Niesert et al. [1981. Origin of life between Scylla and Charybdis. J. Mol. Evol. 17, 348-353] which guarantees the greatest possible region of viability of the protocell population, and show that this model, and hence the entire package approach, does not resolve the information crisis. In particular, we show that the total information stored in a viable protocell (Ld) tends to a constant value that depends only on the spontaneous error rate per nucleotide of the template replication mechanism. As a result, an increase of d must be followed by a decrease of L, so that the net information gain is null.

  6. 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

  7. Extending the shelf life of kohlrabi stems by modified atmosphere packaging.

    PubMed

    Escalona, V H; Aguayo, E; Artés, F

    2007-06-01

    Kohlrabi stems (without leaves) were stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for 60 d at 0 degrees C. An additional retail sale period of 3 d at 12 degrees C after each cold storage evaluation (30 and 60 d) was applied. Under high relative humidity (RH) and 0 degrees C, the stems showed low metabolic activity, as no changes in sugars and organic acids were found. From day 21 at 0 degrees C, air-stored stems showed a yellowing of stalks and later they fell down. This disorder severely affected the appearance of stems. A gas composition of 4.5 to 5.5 kPa O(2) plus 11 to 12 kPa CO(2) was reached using antimist oriented polypropylene plastic bags of 20-mum thicknesses. The stems in MAP conditions kept a high sensorial quality. It was enough for commercial purpose of 2 mo. The storage of kohlrabi stems in plastic bags, either MA or in perforated (control) packages, provided an additional protection reducing physical damage. The MAP conditions delayed the weight loss and development of bacterial soft and black rot, extending the shelf life of kohlrabi stems to 60 d at 0 degrees C plus 3 d at 12 degrees C. Stems are not chilling injury sensitive.

  8. 'My lips are sealed' - The impact of package resealability on the consumption of tempting foods.

    PubMed

    De Bondt, Caroline; Van Kerckhove, Anneleen; Geuens, Maggie

    2017-10-01

    Resealable packages are nowadays omnipresent on store shelves. While the main advantage of the resealability feature is its ability to reclose the package in order to extend the shelf life of the food product inside, the present research's aim is to assess whether this advantage also has implications for palatable, energy-dense food consumption. Two studies provide intentional as well as behavioral evidence for the claim that consumers are better able to self-regulate their consumption and thus eat less in one occasion when a palatable, energy-dense food product is offered in a resealable (vs. unresealable) package. A third study investigates the effect of package resealability across multiple consumption occasions and reveals that the resealability feature limits the volume consumed on each occasion (conditional on consumption incidence) while it does not accelerate consumption frequency, resulting in a lower total consumed volume of palatable, energy-dense snacks over a six-day period. This research offers actionable insights for consumer welfare and public health care and aids manufacturers in delineating optimal food packaging strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Stability of flavoured phytosterol-enriched drinking yogurts during storage as affected by different packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Semeniuc, Cristina Anamaria; Cardenia, Vladimiro; Mandrioli, Mara; Muste, Sevastiţa; Borsari, Andrea; Rodriguez-Estrada, Maria Teresa

    2016-06-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different packaging materials on storage stability of flavoured phytosterol-enriched drinking yogurts. White vanilla (WV) and blood orange (BO) phytosterol-enriched drinking yogurts conditioned in mono-layer and triple-layer co-extruded plastic bottles were stored at +6 ± 1 °C for 35 days (under alternating 12 h light and 12 h darkness) to simulate shelf-life conditions. Samples were collected at three different storage times and subjected to determination of total sterol content (TSC), peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs). TSC was not significantly affected by packaging material or storage time and met the quantity declared on the label. PV was significantly influenced by yogurt type × packaging material × storage time interaction and TBARs by packaging material × storage time interaction. Between the two packaging materials, the triple-layer plastic mini bottle with black coloured and completely opaque intermediate layer offered the best protection against lipid oxidation. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  10. Device and Container for Reheating and Sterilization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sastry, Sudhir K.; Heskitt, Brian F.; Jun, Soojin; Marcy, Joseph E.; Mahna, Ritesh

    2012-01-01

    Long-duration space missions require the development of improved foods and novel packages that do not represent a significant disposal issue. In addition, it would also be desirable if rapid heating technologies could be used on Earth as well, to improve food quality during a sterilization process. For this purpose, a package equipped with electrodes was developed that will enable rapid reheating of contents via ohmic heating to serving temperature during space vehicle transit. Further, the package is designed with a resealing feature, which enables the package, once used, to contain and sterilize waste, including human waste for storage prior to jettison during a long-duration mission. Ohmic heating is a technology that has been investigated on and off for over a century. Literature indicates that foods processed by ohmic heating are of superior quality to their conventionally processed counterparts. This is due to the speed and uniformity of ohmic heating, which minimizes exposure of sensitive materials to high temperatures. In principle, the material may be heated rapidly to sterilization conditions, cooled rapidly, and stored. The ohmic heating device herein is incorporated within a package. While this by itself is not novel, a reusable feature also was developed with the intent that waste may be stored and re-sterilized within the packages. These would then serve a useful function after their use in food processing and storage. The enclosure should be designed to minimize mass (and for NASA's purposes, Equivalent System Mass, or ESM), while enabling the sterilization function. It should also be electrically insulating. For this reason, Ultem high-strength, machinable electrical insulator was used.

  11. Prevalence of Nutrition and Health-Related Claims on Pre-Packaged Foods: A Five-Country Study in Europe.

    PubMed

    Hieke, Sophie; Kuljanic, Nera; Pravst, Igor; Miklavec, Krista; Kaur, Asha; Brown, Kerry A; Egan, Bernadette M; Pfeifer, Katja; Gracia, Azucena; Rayner, Mike

    2016-03-03

    This study is part of the research undertaken in the EU funded project CLYMBOL ("Role of health-related CLaims and sYMBOLs in consumer behaviour"). The first phase of this project consisted of mapping the prevalence of symbolic and non-symbolic nutrition and health-related claims (NHC) on foods and non-alcoholic beverages in five European countries. Pre-packaged foods and drinks were sampled based on a standardized sampling protocol, using store lists or a store floor plan. Data collection took place across five countries, in three types of stores. A total of 2034 foods and drinks were sampled and packaging information was analyzed. At least one claim was identified for 26% (95% CI (24.0%-27.9%)) of all foods and drinks sampled. Six percent of these claims were symbolic. The majority of the claims were nutrition claims (64%), followed by health claims (29%) and health-related ingredient claims (6%). The most common health claims were nutrient and other function claims (47% of all claims), followed by disease risk reduction claims (5%). Eight percent of the health claims were children's development and health claims but these were only observed on less than 1% (0.4%-1.1%) of the foods. The category of foods for specific dietary use had the highest proportion of NHC (70% of foods carried a claim). The prevalence of symbolic and non-symbolic NHC varies across European countries and between different food categories. This study provides baseline data for policy makers and the food industry to monitor and evaluate the use of claims on food packaging.

  12. Impact of iron redox chemistry on nuclear waste disposal

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

    Pearce, Carolyn I.; Rosso, Kevin M.; Pattrick, Richard

    For the safe disposal of nuclear waste, the ability to predict the changes in oxidation states of redox active actinide elements and fission products, such as U, Pu, Tc and Np is a key factor in determining their long term mobility. Both in the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) near-field and in the far-field subsurface environment, the oxidation states of radionuclides are closely tied to changes in the redox condition of other elements in the subsurface such as iron. Iron pervades all aspects of the waste package environment, from the steel in the waste containers, through corrosion products, to the ironmore » minerals present in the host rock. Over the long period required for nuclear waste disposal, the chemical conditions of the subsurface waste package will vary along the entire continuum from oxidizing to reducing conditions. This variability leads to the expectation that redox-active components such as Fe oxides can undergo phase transformations or dissolution; to understand and quantify such a system with respect to potential impacts on waste package integrity and radionuclide fate is clearly a serious challenge. Traditional GDF performance assessment models currently rely upon surface adsorption or single phase solubility experiments and do not deal with the incorporation of radionuclides into specific crystallographic sites within the evolving Fe phases. In this chapter, we focus on the iron-bearing phases that are likely to be present in both the near and far-field of a GDF, examining their potential for redox activity and interaction with radionuclides. To support this, thermodynamic and molecular modelling is particularly important in predicting radionuclide behaviour in the presence of Fe-phases. Examination of radionuclide contamination of the natural environment provides further evidence of the importance of Fe-phases in far-field processes; these can be augmented by experimental and analogue studies.« less

  13. Reference commercial high-level waste glass and canister definition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slate, S. C.; Ross, W. A.; Partain, W. L.

    1981-09-01

    Technical data and performance characteristics of a high level waste glass and canister intended for use in the design of a complete waste encapsulation package suitable for disposal in a geologic repository are presented. The borosilicate glass contained in the stainless steel canister represents the probable type of high level waste product that is produced in a commercial nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant. Development history is summarized for high level liquid waste compositions, waste glass composition and characteristics, and canister design. The decay histories of the fission products and actinides (plus daughters) calculated by the ORIGEN-II code are presented.

  14. Characterization of spoilage markers in modified atmosphere packaged iceberg lettuce.

    PubMed

    Ioannidis, Angelos-Gerasimos; Kerckhof, Frederiek-Maarten; Riahi Drif, Yasmine; Vanderroost, Mike; Boon, Nico; Ragaert, Peter; De Meulenaer, Bruno; Devlieghere, Frank

    2018-04-22

    Fresh cut iceberg lettuce spoilage was studied considering the microbial and biochemical activity, the formation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and consumer acceptability. Lettuce was packaged under three different packaging conditions and stored at 4 °C for 10 days: anaerobic packaging (ANAER), equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging with 3% O 2 (EMAP) and perforated packages (AIR). Results indicated a clear distinction between packaging conditions. EMAP and AIR resulted in a short shelf life (≤5.6 days) which was limited due to browning, leading to consumer rejection as assessed via the Weibull hazard analysis method, while no off-odors were detected. Culture- independent 16 s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed Pseudomonas spp. as the dominating species. In contrast, under ANAER conditions, lactic acid bacteria dominated with genera of Leuconostoc spp. and Lactococcus spp. proliferating, while also oligotypes of Pseudomonas spp. were found. Spoilage under ANAER occurred after 6.6 days and it was related to strong fermentative-like off-odors that were present by the end of storage. As revealed by selective ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS), these odors were associated with several VOCs such as: ethanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2,3-butanediol, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, acetic acid, ethyl acetate and dimethyl sulfide. Panelists rejected the iceberg lettuce due to the formation of off-odors while the overall appearance remained good throughout the study. Hence a sensor based technology incorporated in the packaging, detecting VOCs and in particular ethanol as dominant compound, could serve as a spoilage indicator for ANAER packed lettuce, which proved to have the longest shelf life. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Savannah River Site Eastern Transportation Hub: A Concept For a DOE Eastern Packaging, Staging and Maintenance Center - 13143

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

    England, Jeffery L.; Adams, Karen; Maxted, Maxcine

    2013-07-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is working to de-inventory sites and consolidate hazardous materials for processing and disposal. The DOE administers a wide range of certified shipping packages for the transport of hazardous materials to include Special Nuclear Material (SNM), radioactive materials, sealed sources and radioactive wastes. A critical element to successful and safe transportation of these materials is the availability of certified shipping packages. There are over seven thousand certified packagings (i.e., Type B/Type AF) utilized within the DOE for current missions. The synergistic effects of consolidated maintenance, refurbishment, testing, certification, and costing of these services would allow formore » efficient management of the packagings inventory and to support anticipated future in-commerce shipping needs. The Savannah River Site (SRS) receives and ships radioactive materials (including SNM) and waste on a regular basis for critical missions such as consolidated storage, stabilization, purification, or disposition using H-Canyon and HB-Line. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has the technical capability and equipment for all aspects of packaging management. SRS has the only active material processing facility in the DOE complex and is one of the sites of choice for nuclear material consolidation. SRS is a logical location to perform maintenance and periodic testing of the DOE fleet of certified packagings. This initiative envisions a DOE Eastern Packaging Staging and Maintenance Center (PSMC) at the SRS and a western hub at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), an active DOE Regional Disposal Site. The PSMC's would be the first place DOE would go to meet their radioactive packaging needs and the primary locations projects would go to disposition excess packaging for beneficial reuse. These two hubs would provide the centralized management of a packaging fleet rather than the current approach to design, procure, maintain and

  16. Comparison of waste combustion and waste electrolysis - A systems analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holtzapple, Mark T.; Little, Frank E.

    1989-01-01

    A steady state model of a closed environmental system has been developed which includes higher plant growth for food production, and is designed to allow wastes to be combusted or electrolyzed. The stoichiometric equations have been developed to evaluate various trash compositions, food items (both stored and produced), metabolic rates, and crew sizes. The advantages of waste electrolysis versus combustion are: (1) oxygen is not required (which reduces the load on the oxygen producing system); (2) the CO2 and H2 products are produced in pure form (reducing the load on the separators); and (3) nitrogen is converted to nitrate (which is directly usable by plants). Weight tradeoff studies performed using this model have shown that waste electrolysis reduces the life support weight of a 4-person crew by 1000 to 2000 kg.

  17. Solid and Liquid Waste Drying Bag

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Litwiller, Eric (Inventor); Hogan, John A. (Inventor); Fisher, John W. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    Method and system for processing waste from human activities, including solids, liquids and vapors. A fluid-impermeable bag, lined with a liquid-impermeable but vapor-permeable membrane, defining an inner bag, is provided. A vacuum force is provided to extract vapors so that the waste is moved toward a selected region in the inner bag, extracted vapors, including the waste vapors and vaporized portions of the waste liquids are transported across the membrane, and most or all of the solids remain within the liner. Extracted vapors are filtered, and sanitized components thereof are isolated and optionally stored. The solids remaining within the liner are optionally dried and isolated for ultimate disposal.

  18. In-situ vitrification of waste materials

    DOEpatents

    Powell, J.R.; Reich, M.; Barletta, R.

    1997-10-14

    A method for the in-situ vitrification of waste materials in a disposable can that includes an inner container and an outer container is disclosed. The method includes the steps of adding frit and waste materials to the inner container, removing any excess water, heating the inner container such that the frit and waste materials melt and vitrify after cooling, while maintaining the outer container at a significantly lower temperature than the inner container. The disposable can is then cooled to ambient temperatures and stored. A device for the in-situ vitrification of waste material in a disposable can is also disclosed. 7 figs.

  19. 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.

  20. Guidelines on disposing of medical waste in the dialysis clinic.

    PubMed

    Park, Lawrence K

    2002-02-01

    The term "medical waste" varies from state to state as to its name, definition, and scope of coverage. In this article, we will focus on the process of how a dialysis clinic ensures proper classification, labeling, packaging, tracking, and disposal of medical waste. In addition, we will reference: OSHA regulations (29CFR1910), state specific regulations, DOT regulations (49CFR) and FDA regulations that impact the disposal of medical waste.

  1. TECHNICAL AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS IN USING FREIGHT CONTAINERS AS INDUSTRIAL PACKAGES

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

    Opperman, E; Mark Hawk, M; Ron Natali, R

    2007-10-16

    The United States (US) Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM), is actively pursuing activities to reduce the radiological risk and clean up the environmental legacy of the nation's nuclear weapons programs. EM has made significant progress in recent years in the clean-up and closure of sites and is also focusing on longer-term activities necessary for the completion of the clean-up program. The packaging and transportation of contaminated demolition debris and low-level waste (LLW) materials in a safe and cost-effective manner are essential in completing this mission. Toward this end, the US Department of Transportation's (DOT) Final Rulemore » on Hazardous Materials Regulation Final Rule issued January 26, 2004, included a new provision authorizing the use of Freight Containers (e.g., 20 and 40-foot ISO Containers) as Industrial Packages Type 1, 2, or 3 (IP-1, IP-2, and IP-3). This paper will discuss the technical and regulatory considerations in using these newly authorized and large packages for the packaging and transportation of LLW materials.« less

  2. Worldwide Environmental Compliance Assessment System (ECAS)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-03-01

    and other Pickling liquor and other corrosive alkalies corrosive acids Lime wastewater Spent acid Lime and water Spent mixed acid Spent caustic Spent ...labeling. packag- ing. and spill response for hazardous materials? 4. Does the installation store: * a. acids? b. caustics ? c. flammables? d. combustibles...USEPA Hazardous Waste Hazard Waste Code No. FOOl The following spent halokenated solvents used in degreasing: tetra- (T) chloroethylene, trichloroethylene

  3. Aluminium recovery from waste incineration bottom ash, and its oxidation level.

    PubMed

    Biganzoli, Laura; Grosso, Mario

    2013-09-01

    The recovery of aluminium (Al) scraps from waste incineration bottom ash is becoming a common practice in waste management. However, during the incineration process, Al in the waste undergoes oxidation processes that reduce its recycling potential. This article investigates the behaviour of Al scraps in the furnace of two selected grate-fired waste-to-energy plants and the amount recoverable from the bottom ash. About 21-23% of the Al fed to the furnace with the residual waste was recovered and potentially recycled from the bottom ash. Out of this amount, 76-87% was found in the bottom ash fraction above 5 mm and thus can be recovered with standard eddy current separation technology. These values depend on the characteristics and the mechanical strength of the Al items in the residual waste. Considering Al packaging materials, about 81% of the Al in cans can be recovered from the bottom ash as an ingot, but this amount decreases to 51% for trays, 27% for a mix of aluminium and poly-laminated foils and 47% for paper-laminated foils. This shows that the recovery of Al from the incineration residues increases proportionally to the thickness of the packaging.

  4. Comprehensive testing to measure the response of butyl rubber to Hanford tank waste simulant

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

    NIGREY,PAUL J.

    This report presents the findings of the Chemical Compatibility Program developed to evaluate plastic packaging components that may be incorporated in packaging mixed-waste forms for transportation. Consistent with the methodology outlined in this report, the authors performed the second phase of this experimental program to determine the effects of simulant Hanford tank mixed wastes on packaging seal materials. That effort involved the comprehensive testing of five plastic liner materials in an aqueous mixed-waste simulant. The testing protocol involved exposing the materials to {approximately}143, 286, 571, and 3,670 krad of gamma radiation and was followed by 7-, 14-, 28-, 180-day exposuresmore » to the waste simulant at 18, 50, and 60 C. Butyl rubber samples subjected to the same protocol were then evaluated by measuring seven material properties: specific gravity, dimensional changes, mass changes, hardness, compression set, vapor transport rates, and tensile properties. From the analyses, they determined that butyl rubber has relatively good resistance to radiation, this simulant, and a combination of these factors. These results suggest that butyl rubber is a relatively good seal material to withstand aqueous mixed wastes having similar composition to the one used in this study.« less

  5. Performance Assessment of a Generic Repository in Bedded Salt for DOE-Managed Nuclear Waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, E. R.; Sevougian, S. D.; Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J. M.; Mariner, P. E.

    2016-12-01

    A mined repository in salt is one of the concepts under consideration for disposal of DOE-managed defense-related spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high level waste (HLW). Bedded salt is a favorable medium for disposal of nuclear waste due to its low permeability, high thermal conductivity, and ability to self-heal. Sandia's Generic Disposal System Analysis framework is used to assess the ability of a generic repository in bedded salt to isolate radionuclides from the biosphere. The performance assessment considers multiple waste types of varying thermal load and radionuclide inventory, the engineered barrier system comprising the waste packages, backfill, and emplacement drifts, and the natural barrier system formed by a bedded salt deposit and the overlying sedimentary sequence (including an aquifer). The model simulates disposal of nearly the entire inventory of DOE-managed, defense-related SNF (excluding Naval SNF) and HLW in a half-symmetry domain containing approximately 6 million grid cells. Grid refinement captures the detail of 25,200 individual waste packages in 180 disposal panels, associated access halls, and 4 shafts connecting the land surface to the repository. Equations describing coupled heat and fluid flow and reactive transport are solved numerically with PFLOTRAN, a massively parallel flow and transport code. Simulated processes include heat conduction and convection, waste package failure, waste form dissolution, radioactive decay and ingrowth, sorption, solubility limits, advection, dispersion, and diffusion. Simulations are run to 1 million years, and radionuclide concentrations are observed within an aquifer at a point approximately 4 kilometers downgradient of the repository. The software package DAKOTA is used to sample likely ranges of input parameters including waste form dissolution rates and properties of engineered and natural materials in order to quantify uncertainty in predicted concentrations and sensitivity to input parameters. Sandia

  6. MK3TOOLS & NetCDF - storing VLBI data in a machine independent array oriented data format

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hobiger, T.; Koyama, Y.; Kondo, T.

    2007-07-01

    In the beginning of 2002 the International VLBI Service (IVS) has agreed to introduce a Platform-independent VLBI exchange format (PIVEX) which permits the exchange of observational data and stimulates the research across different analysis groups. Unfortunately PIVEX has never been implemented and many analysis software packages are still depending on prior processing (e.g. ambiguity resolution and computation of ionosphere corrections) done by CALC/SOLVE. Thus MK3TOOLS which handles MK3 databases without CALC/SOLVE being installed has been developed. It uses the NetCDF format to store the data and since interfaces exist for a variety of programming languages (FORTRAN, C/C++, JAVA, Perl, Python) it can be easily incorporated in existing and upcoming analysis software packages.

  7. Microbial profiles of commercial, vacuum-packaged, fresh pork of normal or short storage life.

    PubMed

    Holley, Richard A; Peirson, Michael D; Lam, Jocelyn; Tan, Kit Bee

    2004-12-01

    The microbial ecology of fresh vacuum-packed pork cuts during storage at -1.5 degrees C for up to 45 days was examined to characterize rates of microbial growth and pH changes in commercially prepared products of normal storage quality. Pork loins in commercial distribution with odour defects were also studied to determine a possible cause of the defects and avoid future problems. In addition, microbial profiles of pork cuts from two plants were compared, after storage for 25 days at -1.5 degrees C, to identify possible reasons for differences in the storage life of product from the plants. The effects of a change in sanitation procedures on the microbial populations of products stored for 25 days were also studied. With normal product, microbial growth in different packages progressed at different rates, reflecting differences in initial levels of bacterial contamination. All samples in the study reached 8 weeks without apparent organoleptic change and samples carried 5.8+/-1.2 log bacteria cm(-2) (mean+/-S.D.). The flora of loins with the odour defect were predominately lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and carnobacteria, but they contained large fractions of Enterobacteriaceae <35 days after packaging. Aeromonas spp. and Shewanella spp. were likely responsible for the sulfide-putrid smell of these spoiled products, but species of Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria could have contributed to spoilage. Comparison of microbial groups present in 16 other cuts, half from each of two commercial plants, which were stored for 25 days at -1.5 degrees C, showed that larger fractions of Enterobacteriaceae were present in samples from the plant having difficulty achieving the desired storage life. Additional bacterial samples from 12 cuts supplied by the latter plant obtained after adoption of an acid sanitizer step in the plant cleaning regimen, and also stored for 25 days at -1.5 degrees C, yielded few Enterobacteriaceae, Aeromonas or Shewanella. Use of an acid sanitizer

  8. Reducing ethylene levels along the food supply chain: a key to reducing food waste?

    PubMed

    Blanke, Michael M

    2014-09-01

    Excessive waste along the food supply chain of 71 (UK, Netherlands) to 82 (Germany) kg per head per year sparked widespread criticism of the agricultural food business and provides a great challenge and task for all its players and stakeholders. Origins of this food waste include private households, restaurants and canteens, as well as supermarkets, and indicate that 59-65% of this food waste can be avoided. Since ∼50% of the food waste is fruit and vegetables, monitoring and control of their natural ripening gas - ethylene - is suggested here as one possible key to reducing food waste. Ethylene accelerates ripening of climacteric fruits, and accumulation of ethylene in the supply chain can lead to fruit decay and waste. While ethylene was determined using a stationary gas chromatograph with gas cylinders, the new generation of portable sensor-based instruments now enables continuous in situ determination of ethylene along the food chain, a prerequisite to managing and maintaining the quality and ripeness of fruits and identifying hot spots of ethylene accumulation along the supply chain. Ethylene levels were measured in a first trial, along the supply chain of apple fruit from harvest to the consumer, and ranged from 10 ppb in the CA fruit store with an ethylene scrubber, 70 ppb in the fruit bin, to 500 ppb on the sorting belt in the grading facility, to ppm levels in perforated plastic bags of apples. This paper also takes into account exogenous ethylene originating from sources other than the fruit itself. Countermeasures are discussed, such as the potential of breeding for low-ethylene fruit, applications of ethylene inhibitors (e.g. 1-MCP) and absorber strips (e.g. 'It's Fresh', Ryan'), packages (e.g. 'Peakfresh'), both at the wholesale and retail level, vents and cooling for the supply chain, sale of class II produce ('Wunderlinge'), collection (rather than waste) of produce on the 'sell by' date ('Die Tafel') and whole crop purchase (WCP) to aid reducing

  9. Uncertainty analysis of the radiological characteristics of radioactive waste using a method based on log-normal distributions

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

    Gigase, Yves

    2007-07-01

    Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: The uncertainty on characteristics of radioactive LILW waste packages is difficult to determine and often very large. This results from a lack of knowledge of the constitution of the waste package and of the composition of the radioactive sources inside. To calculate a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty on a characteristic of a waste package one has to combine these various uncertainties. This paper discusses an approach to this problem, based on the use of the log-normal distribution, which is both elegant and easy to use. It can provide asmore » example quantitative estimates of uncertainty intervals that 'make sense'. The purpose is to develop a pragmatic approach that can be integrated into existing characterization methods. In this paper we show how our method can be applied to the scaling factor method. We also explain how it can be used when estimating other more complex characteristics such as the total uncertainty of a collection of waste packages. This method could have applications in radioactive waste management, more in particular in those decision processes where the uncertainty on the amount of activity is considered to be important such as in probability risk assessment or the definition of criteria for acceptance or categorization. (author)« less

  10. 40 CFR 61.150 - Standard for waste disposal for manufacturing, fabricating, demolition, renovation, and spraying...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Standard for waste disposal for... FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard for Asbestos § 61.150 Standard for waste... collection, processing (including incineration), packaging, or transporting of any asbestos-containing waste...

  11. 40 CFR 61.150 - Standard for waste disposal for manufacturing, fabricating, demolition, renovation, and spraying...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Standard for waste disposal for... FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard for Asbestos § 61.150 Standard for waste... collection, processing (including incineration), packaging, or transporting of any asbestos-containing waste...

  12. Taxa: An R package implementing data standards and methods for taxonomic data

    PubMed Central

    Foster, Zachary S.L.; Chamberlain, Scott; Grünwald, Niklaus J.

    2018-01-01

    The taxa R package provides a set of tools for defining and manipulating taxonomic data. The recent and widespread application of DNA sequencing to community composition studies is making large data sets with taxonomic information commonplace. However, compared to typical tabular data, this information is encoded in many different ways and the hierarchical nature of taxonomic classifications makes it difficult to work with. There are many R packages that use taxonomic data to varying degrees but there is currently no cross-package standard for how this information is encoded and manipulated. We developed the R package taxa to provide a robust and flexible solution to storing and manipulating taxonomic data in R and any application-specific information associated with it. Taxa provides parsers that can read common sources of taxonomic information (taxon IDs, sequence IDs, taxon names, and classifications) from nearly any format while preserving associated data. Once parsed, the taxonomic data and any associated data can be manipulated using a cohesive set of functions modeled after the popular R package dplyr. These functions take into account the hierarchical nature of taxa and can modify the taxonomy or associated data in such a way that both are kept in sync. Taxa is currently being used by the metacoder and taxize packages, which provide broadly useful functionality that we hope will speed adoption by users and developers. PMID:29707201

  13. COMPILATION OF DISPOSABLE SOLID WASTE CASK EVALUATIONS

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

    THIELGES, J.R.; CHASTAIN, S.A.

    The Disposable Solid Waste Cask (DSWC) is a shielded cask capable of transporting, storing, and disposing of six non-fuel core components or approximately 27 cubic feet of radioactive solid waste. Five existing DSWCs are candidates for use in storing and disposing of non-fuel core components and radioactive solid waste from the Interim Examination and Maintenance Cell, ultimately shipping them to the 200 West Area disposal site for burial. A series of inspections, studies, analyses, and modifications were performed to ensure that these casks can be used to safely ship solid waste. These inspections, studies, analyses, and modifications are summarized andmore » attached in this report. Visual inspection of the casks interiors provided information with respect to condition of the casks inner liners. Because water was allowed to enter the casks for varying lengths of time, condition of the cask liner pipe to bottom plate weld was of concern. Based on the visual inspection and a corrosion study, it was concluded that four of the five casks can be used from a corrosion standpoint. Only DSWC S/N-004 would need additional inspection and analysis to determine its usefulness. The five remaining DSWCs underwent some modification to prepare them for use. The existing cask lifting inserts were found to be corroded and deemed unusable. New lifting anchor bolts were installed to replace the existing anchors. Alternate lift lugs were fabricated for use with the new lifting anchor bolts. The cask tiedown frame was modified to facilitate adjustment of the cask tiedowns. As a result of the above mentioned inspections, studies, analysis, and modifications, four of the five existing casks can be used to store and transport waste from the Interim Examination and Maintenance Cell to the disposal site for burial. The fifth cask, DSWC S/N-004, would require further inspections before it could be used.« less

  14. Influence of carbon monoxide on the colour stability of defrosted yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) muscle stored under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

    PubMed

    Neethling, Nikki E; Hoffman, Louwrens C; Britz, Trevor J; O'Neill, Bernadette

    2015-06-01

    The use of carbon monoxide (CO) and various packaging types has been suggested to improve/stabilise the colour and oxidative processes of red meats, thereby improving the retail value and revenue. The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of packaging type and CO treatment on the colour and oxidative stability of tuna. The addition of CO significantly increased the redness (a(*) ) of the tuna steaks but the redness was not equally stable for all treatments. The aerobically packaged steaks showed a temporal decrease in redness while the redness of anaerobically packaged steaks remained relatively stable. The addition of CO did not significantly affect (P >0.05) the brownness (b(*) ) (with one exception) and lightness (L(*) ) of the steaks. The anaerobically packaged steaks showed a significant difference (P <0.05) in the b(*) values. No significant differences (P >0.05) in lipid or protein oxidation were observed between treatments. The aerobically packaged steaks had a significant temporal increase (P <0.05) in lipid oxidation while no such trend was apparent in the anaerobically packaged steaks. Protein oxidation remained relatively stable over time for both aerobically and anaerobically packaged steaks. Storing CO treated tuna steaks in anaerobic packaging can improve the oxidative and colour stability of tuna. Such treatment can reduce spoilage and wastage thereby potentially increasing revenue. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  15. The combined effects of storage temperature and packaging on the sensory, chemical, and physical properties of a Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

    PubMed

    Hopfer, Helene; Buffon, Peter A; Ebeler, Susan E; Heymann, Hildegarde

    2013-04-03

    A Californian Cabernet Sauvignon was stored for 6 months at three different constant temperatures to study the combined effects of storage temperature and packaging configuration. Glass bottles with natural cork, synthetic cork, and screw cap closure, as well as two Bag-in-Box treatments, were used in the experiment. A trained sensory panel was able to detect significant changes in aroma, flavor, taste, mouthfeel, and color attributes among the samples, differences that were found also with various chemical and physical measurements (volatile profile, polyphenol pattern, enological parameters, color space). Additionally, two commonly used polyphenol assays were compared to each other in terms of their ability to detect the changes in the polyphenol profile. Generally, sample changes were more pronounced due to the different storage temperatures, with 30 sensory attributes differing significantly among the three different storage temperatures, while only 17 sensory attributes showed a significant packaging effect. With increasing storage temperature the packaging effect became more pronounced, resulting in the largest changes in the Bag-in-Box samples stored at the highest temperature of 40 °C. At the highest storage temperature, all wines showed oxidized characters, independent of the wine packaging configurations, but to a varying degree. Generally, wines that received highest oxygen amounts and storage temperatures were much lighter, less red, and more brown-yellow at the end of the 6-month storage period, compared to their counterparts stored at 10 °C. These changes in color and polyphenols, respectively, were also detected with the two spectrophotometric assays. With increasing storage temperature both assays measured reduced concentrations in total phenols and total anthocyanins, while total tannins, degree of ionized anthocyanins, and color density increased. Various volatile compounds differed significantly among the samples, with largest relative

  16. Remote-handled/special case TRU waste characterization summary

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

    Detamore, J.A.

    1984-02-27

    Remote-handled wastes are stored at Los Alamos, Hanford, Oak Ridge, and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The following will be a site by site discussion of RH waste handling, placement, and container data. This will be followed by a series of data tables that were compiled in the TRU Waste Systems Office. These tables are a compendium of data that is the most up to date and accurate data available today. 2 figures, 10 tables.

  17. Nuclear fuel cycle waste stream immobilization with cermets for improved thermal properties and waste consolidation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortega, Luis H.; Kaminski, Michael D.; Zeng, Zuotao; Cunnane, James

    2013-07-01

    In the pursuit of methods to improve nuclear waste form thermal properties and combine potential nuclear fuel cycle wastes, a bronze alloy was combined with an alkali, alkaline earth metal bearing ceramic to form a cermet. The alloy was prepared from copper and tin (10 mass%) powders. Pre-sintered ceramic consisting of cesium, strontium, barium and rubidium alumino-silicates was mixed with unalloyed bronze precursor powders and cold pressed to 300 × 103 kPa, then sintered at 600 °C and 800 °C under hydrogen. Cermets were also prepared that incorporated molybdenum, which has a limited solubility in glass, under similar conditions. The cermet thermal conductivities were seven times that of the ceramic alone. These improved thermal properties can reduce thermal gradients within the waste forms thus lowering internal temperature gradients and thermal stresses, allowing for larger waste forms and higher waste loadings. These benefits can reduce the total number of waste packages necessary to immobilize a given amount of high level waste and immobilize troublesome elements.

  18. A Comparison of the Effects of Packaging Containing Nano ZnO or Polylysine on the Microbial Purity and Texture of Cod (Gadus morhua) Fillets

    PubMed Central

    Mizielińska, Małgorzata; Kowalska, Urszula; Jarosz, Michał; Sumińska, Patrycja

    2018-01-01

    Portions of fresh Baltic cod fillets were packed into cellulose boxes (control samples), which were covered with Methyl Hydroxypropyl Celluloses (MHPC) coating with 2% polylysine. The cellulose boxes had square PE films and were enclosed in MHPC coating containing ZnO nanoparticles. The cod fillets were stored at 5 °C and examined after 72 h and 144 h storage times. Results obtained in this study showed that the textural parameters of the cod fillets increased, with both Springiness and Cohesiveness found greater after 144 h of storage for all analysed packaging materials. The Gumminess of fillets increased after storage, but the lowest increase was noted in cod samples that were stored in boxes containing PE films with ZnO nanoparticles. It was found that water loss from the cod fillets in these boxes was also lowest. The Adhesiveness of the fish samples stored in boxes devoid of active coatings also increased. In contrast to the packaging material devoid of active coatings, the storage of fillets in active coating boxes resulted in a decrease of adhesiveness. Microbial analysis showed that packaging material containing nano-ZnO was found to be more active against mesophilic and psychotropic bacterial cells than the coatings with polylysine after 72 h and 144 h of storage. PMID:29534544

  19. A Comparison of the Effects of Packaging Containing Nano ZnO or Polylysine on the Microbial Purity and Texture of Cod (Gadus morhua) Fillets.

    PubMed

    Mizielińska, Małgorzata; Kowalska, Urszula; Jarosz, Michał; Sumińska, Patrycja

    2018-03-12

    Portions of fresh Baltic cod fillets were packed into cellulose boxes (control samples), which were covered with Methyl Hydroxypropyl Celluloses (MHPC) coating with 2% polylysine. The cellulose boxes had square PE films and were enclosed in MHPC coating containing ZnO nanoparticles. The cod fillets were stored at 5 °C and examined after 72 h and 144 h storage times. Results obtained in this study showed that the textural parameters of the cod fillets increased, with both Springiness and Cohesiveness found greater after 144 h of storage for all analysed packaging materials. The Gumminess of fillets increased after storage, but the lowest increase was noted in cod samples that were stored in boxes containing PE films with ZnO nanoparticles. It was found that water loss from the cod fillets in these boxes was also lowest. The Adhesiveness of the fish samples stored in boxes devoid of active coatings also increased. In contrast to the packaging material devoid of active coatings, the storage of fillets in active coating boxes resulted in a decrease of adhesiveness. Microbial analysis showed that packaging material containing nano-ZnO was found to be more active against mesophilic and psychotropic bacterial cells than the coatings with polylysine after 72 h and 144 h of storage.

  20. Shelf-life of a chilled precooked chicken product stored in air and under modified atmospheres: microbiological, chemical, sensory attributes.

    PubMed

    Patsias, A; Chouliara, I; Badeka, A; Savvaidis, I N; Kontominas, M G

    2006-08-01

    This study evaluated the effect of modified atmosphere packaging on shelf-life extension of a precooked chicken meat product stored at 4 degrees C using microbiological, physico-chemical and sensory analyses. The following gas mixtures were used: M1: 30%/70% (CO2/N2), M2: 60%/40% (CO2/N2) and M3: 90%/10% (CO2/N2). Identical chicken samples were aerobically packaged and used as control samples. Sampling was carried out at predetermined time intervals namely: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 days. Total viable counts (TVC), Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Brochothrix thermosphacta, pseudomonads, yeasts and molds, and Enterobacteriaceae were monitored. TVC of precooked chicken product reached 7 log cfu/g, after days 12 and 16 of storage (air and M1 samples), respectively. The M2 and M3 gas mixture packaged samples did not reach this value throughout the 20 days storage period under refrigeration. LAB and to a lesser degree B. thermosphacta, constituted part of the natural microflora of precooked chicken samples stored in air and under MAP reaching 7.0-8.1 log cfu/g at the end of storage period. Of the remaining bacterial species monitored, both pseudomonads and yeasts/molds were significantly higher (P<0.05) for chicken samples stored in air than under MAP (M1, M2, M3) throughout the entire storage period under refrigeration. Finally, counts of Enterobacteriaceae were low (<2 log cfu/g) in all chicken samples irrespective of the packaging conditions throughout the entire storage period. Of the chemical indices determined, thiobarbituric (TBA) values in all cases remained low, equal or lower than 3.0 mg malonaldehyde (MA)/kg during the entire storage period. Results of the present work show that the limit of sensory acceptability was only reached for the aerobically stored and M1 gas mixture chicken samples somewhat before days 16 and 20 of storage, respectively. This limit coincided with high TVC and LAB populations (>6.8 log cfu/g), increased lipid oxidation (aerobic storage only

  1. Pyramiding tumuli waste disposal site and method of construction thereof

    DOEpatents

    Golden, Martin P.

    1989-01-01

    An improved waste disposal site for the above-ground disposal of low-level nuclear waste as disclosed herein. The disposal site is formed from at least three individual waste-containing tumuli, wherein each tumuli includes a central raised portion bordered by a sloping side portion. Two of the tumuli are constructed at ground level with adjoining side portions, and a third above-ground tumulus is constructed over the mutually adjoining side portions of the ground-level tumuli. Both the floor and the roof of each tumulus includes a layer of water-shedding material such as compacted clay, and the clay layer in the roofs of the two ground-level tumuli form the compacted clay layer of the floor of the third above-ground tumulus. Each tumulus further includes a shield wall, preferably formed from a solid array of low-level handleable nuclear wate packages. The provision of such a shield wall protects workers from potentially harmful radiation when higher-level, non-handleable packages of nuclear waste are stacked in the center of the tumulus.

  2. 1995 solid waste 30-year characteristics volume summary

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

    Templeton, K.J.; DeForest, T.J.; Rice, G.I.

    1995-10-01

    The Hanford Site has been designated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to store, treat, and dispose of solid waste received from both onsite and offsite generators. This waste is currently or planned to be generated from ongoing operations, maintenance and deactivation activities, decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of facilities, and environmental restoration (ER) activities. This document, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), describes the characteristics of the waste to be shipped to Hanford`s SWOC. The physical waste forms and hazardous constituents are described for the low-level mixed waste (LLMW) and themore » transuranic - transuranic mixed waste (TW{underscore}TRUM).« less

  3. Effects of retail style or food service style packaging type and storage time on sensory characteristics of bacon manufactured from commercially sourced pork bellies.

    PubMed

    Lowe, B K; Bohrer, B M; Holmer, S F; Boler, D D; Dilger, A C

    2014-06-01

    Objectives were to characterize differences in pork bellies that were stored frozen for different durations prior to processing and characterize sensory properties of the bacon derived from those bellies when stored in either retail or food service style packaging. Bellies (n = 102) were collected from 4 different time periods, fresh bellies (never frozen) and bellies frozen for 2, 5, or 7 mo, and manufactured into bacon under commercial conditions. Food service bacon was packaged in oxygen-permeable polyvinyl lined boxes layered on wax-covered lined paper and blast frozen (-33 °C) for 45 or 90 d after slicing. Retail bacon was vacuum-packaged in retail packages and refrigerated (2 °C) in the dark for 60 or 120 d after slicing. At the end of respective storage times after slicing, bacon was analyzed for sensory attributes and lipid oxidation. Off-flavor and oxidized odor of bacon increased (P < 0.01) with increasing storage time in both packaging types. Lipid oxidation increased (P < 0.01) as storage time increased from day 0 to day 45 in food service packaged bacon from frozen bellies, but was unchanged (P ≥ 0.07) with time in food service packaged bacon from fresh bellies. Lipid oxidation was also unchanged (P ≥ 0.21) over time in retail packaged bacon, with the exception of bellies frozen for 5 mo, which was increased from day 0 to day 90. Overall, off-flavor, oxidized odor, and lipid oxidation increased as storage time after processing increased. Freezing bellies before processing may exacerbate lipid oxidation as storage time after processing was extended. Bacon can be packaged and managed several different ways before it reaches the consumer. This research simulated food service (frozen) and retail packaged (refrigerated) bacon over a range of storage times after slicing. Off-flavor and oxidized odor increased as storage time after processing increased in both packaging types. Lipid oxidation increased as storage time after slicing increased to a

  4. Prevalence of Nutrition and Health-Related Claims on Pre-Packaged Foods: A Five-Country Study in Europe

    PubMed Central

    Hieke, Sophie; Kuljanic, Nera; Pravst, Igor; Miklavec, Krista; Kaur, Asha; Brown, Kerry A.; Egan, Bernadette M.; Pfeifer, Katja; Gracia, Azucena; Rayner, Mike

    2016-01-01

    This study is part of the research undertaken in the EU funded project CLYMBOL (“Role of health-related CLaims and sYMBOLs in consumer behaviour”). The first phase of this project consisted of mapping the prevalence of symbolic and non-symbolic nutrition and health-related claims (NHC) on foods and non-alcoholic beverages in five European countries. Pre-packaged foods and drinks were sampled based on a standardized sampling protocol, using store lists or a store floor plan. Data collection took place across five countries, in three types of stores. A total of 2034 foods and drinks were sampled and packaging information was analyzed. At least one claim was identified for 26% (95% CI (24.0%–27.9%)) of all foods and drinks sampled. Six percent of these claims were symbolic. The majority of the claims were nutrition claims (64%), followed by health claims (29%) and health-related ingredient claims (6%). The most common health claims were nutrient and other function claims (47% of all claims), followed by disease risk reduction claims (5%). Eight percent of the health claims were children’s development and health claims but these were only observed on less than 1% (0.4%–1.1%) of the foods. The category of foods for specific dietary use had the highest proportion of NHC (70% of foods carried a claim). The prevalence of symbolic and non-symbolic NHC varies across European countries and between different food categories. This study provides baseline data for policy makers and the food industry to monitor and evaluate the use of claims on food packaging. PMID:26950149

  5. Investigation Into Shelf Life of Fresh Dates and Pistachios in a Package Modified With Nano-Silver.

    PubMed

    Mousavi, Fateme Peyro; Pour, Hasan Hashemi; Nasab, Amir Heidari; Rajabalipour, Ali A; Barouni, Mohsen

    2015-09-18

    The aim of this study was to apply polymer films containing silver nanoparticles as a new method for increasing the shelf life and preserving the quality of export/commercial products of Kerman Province and determine the ideal temperature for preserving these products. After preparing nano-composite films containing silver nanoparticles (3% and 5% by weight), Mazafati dates were packed in them and stored with their control samples under four temperatures. In the second series, the films were filled with fresh pistachios and stored at four temperatures. In date samples, after 2, 7, 21 and 53 days of storing the samples were examined under the certified test of Iran Institute of Industrial Standard for Dates, which includes pH, TSS, acidity and reducing sugars tests. In pistachio samples the color values and market-friendly quality were evaluated after 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 days of storage. In date samples, the pH value decreased with increasing acidity in 3 and 5 wt% of nano-silver and their control samples. In addition, in 5 wt% samples the acidity was higher than that in 3% samples, with pH being lower in the controls at almost all the intervals. Furthermore, pH values in 5% samples were higher in comparison with 3 wt% samples and controls. The amount of reducing sugars in the control samples was lower than those in 3 and 5 wt% samples. In relation to pistachio samples, the damage over time was greater in sample stored under higher temperatures. The maximum shelf life of the dates packaged in 5 wt% of silver nano-powder was 53 days and the best temperature to store samples was determined at 4°C. Packages containing nano-silver increased shelf life of fresh pistachios, with the best temperatures being 25°C and 0°C.

  6. Investigation Into Shelf Life of Fresh Dates and Pistachios in a Package Modified With Nano-Silver

    PubMed Central

    Mousavi, Fateme Peyro; Pour, Hasan Hashemi; Nasab, Amir Heidari; Rajabalipour, Ali A.; Barouni, Mohsen

    2016-01-01

    Aims: The aim of this study was to apply polymer films containing silver nanoparticles as a new method for increasing the shelf life and preserving the quality of export/commercial products of Kerman Province and determine the ideal temperature for preserving these products. Methods: After preparing nano-composite films containing silver nanoparticles (3% and 5% by weight), Mazafati dates were packed in them and stored with their control samples under four temperatures. In the second series, the films were filled with fresh pistachios and stored at four temperatures. In date samples, after 2, 7, 21 and 53 days of storing the samples were examined under the certified test of Iran Institute of Industrial Standard for Dates, which includes pH, TSS, acidity and reducing sugars tests. In pistachio samples the color values and market-friendly quality were evaluated after 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 days of storage. Results: In date samples, the pH value decreased with increasing acidity in 3 and 5 wt% of nano-silver and their control samples. In addition, in 5 wt% samples the acidity was higher than that in 3% samples, with pH being lower in the controls at almost all the intervals. Furthermore, pH values in 5% samples were higher in comparison with 3 wt% samples and controls. The amount of reducing sugars in the control samples was lower than those in 3 and 5 wt% samples. In relation to pistachio samples, the damage over time was greater in sample stored under higher temperatures. Conclusion: The maximum shelf life of the dates packaged in 5 wt% of silver nano-powder was 53 days and the best temperature to store samples was determined at 4°C. Packages containing nano-silver increased shelf life of fresh pistachios, with the best temperatures being 25°C and 0°C. PMID:26652097

  7. Predicting Commissary Store Success

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-01

    that make any retail store successful: the number of shoppers, the price differential between a store and its competition, and the number of...the planning of future stores to maximize the return on taxpayers’ investment. 3 II. BACKGROUND A. COMMISSARY HISTORY Commissary stores began...Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) in 1990. DeCA currently oversees all commissary stores ( History , n.d.). B. COMMISSARY REGULATIONS Top-level

  8. A model for quantifying construction waste in projects according to the European waste list.

    PubMed

    Llatas, C

    2011-06-01

    The new EU challenge is to recover 70% by weight of C&D waste in 2020. Literature reveals that one major barrier is the lack of data. Therefore, this paper presents a model which allows technicians to estimate C&D waste during the design stage in order to promote prevention and recovery. The types and quantities of CW are estimated and managed according to EU guidelines, by building elements and specifically for each project. The model would allow detection of the source of the waste and to adopt other alternative procedures which delete hazardous waste and reduce CW. Likewise, it develops a systematic structure of the construction process, a waste classification system and some analytical expressions which are based on factors. These factors depend on technology and represent a standard on site. It would allow to develop a database of waste anywhere. A Spanish case study is covered. Factors were obtained by studying over 20 dwellings. The source and types of packaging waste, remains, soil and hazardous waste were estimated in detail and were compared with other studies. Results reveal that the model can be implemented in projects and the chances of reducing and recovery C&D waste could be increased, well above the EU challenge. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Utilization of chemically treated municipal solid waste (spent coffee bean powder) as reinforcement in cellulose matrix for packaging applications.

    PubMed

    Thiagamani, Senthil Muthu Kumar; Nagarajan, Rajini; Jawaid, Mohammad; Anumakonda, Varadarajulu; Siengchin, Suchart

    2017-11-01

    As the annual production of the solid waste generable in the form of spent coffee bean powder (SCBP) is over 6 million tons, its utilization in the generation of green energy, waste water treatment and as a filler in biocomposites is desirable. The objective of this article is to analyze the possibilities to valorize coffee bean powder as a filler in cellulose matrix. Cellulose matrix was dissolved in the relatively safer aqueous solution mixture (8% LiOH and 15% Urea) precooled to -12.5°C. To the cellulose solution (SCBP) was added in 5-25wt% and the composite films were prepared by regeneration method using ethyl alcohol as a coagulant. Some SCBP was treated with aq. 5% NaOH and the composite films were also prepared using alkali treated SCBP as a filler. The films of composites were uniform with brown in color. The cellulose/SCBP films without and with alkali treated SCBP were characterized by FTIR, XRD, optical and polarized optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile tests. The maximum tensile strength of the composite films with alkali treated SCBP varied between (106-149MPa) and increased with SCBP content when compared to the composites with untreated SCBP. The thermal stability of the composite was higher at elevated temperatures when alkali treated SCBP was used. Based on the improved tensile properties and photo resistivity, the cellulose/SCBP composite films with alkali treated SCBP may be considered for packaging and wrapping of flowers and vegetables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Stability of Ribavirin for Inhalation Packaged in Syringes or Glass Vials when Stored Frozen, Refrigerated, and at Room Temperature.

    PubMed

    Larson, Bayli; Bushman, Lane R; Casciano, Matthew L; Oldland, Alan R; Kiser, Jennifer J; Kiser, Tyree H

    2016-01-01

    The primary aim of this study was to investigate ribavirin solution for inhalation stability under three different conditions (frozen, refrigerated, room temperature) over a 45-day period. A ribavirin 6000-mg vial was reconstituted with 90 mL of Sterile Water for Injection per the package insert to yield a concentration of approximately 67 mg/mL. The solution was then placed in either syringes or empty glass vials and stored in the freezer (-20°C), in the refrigerator (~0°C to 4°C), or at room temperature (~20°C to 25°C). Original concentrations were measured on day 0 and subsequent concentrations were measured on day 2, 14, and 45 utilizing a validated liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry assay. All analyses were performed in triplicate for each storage condition. Additionally, at each time point the physical stability was evaluated and the pH of solution was measured. The solution was considered stable if =90% of the original concentration was retained over the study period. A validated liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that >95% of the original ribavirin concentration was preserved over the 45-day period for all study conditions. The ribavirin concentration remained within the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)-required range of 95% to 105% of the original labeled product amount throughout the entire study period for all study conditions. Precipitation of ribavirin was noted during the thawing cycle for frozen samples, but the drug went back into solution once the thawing process was completed. No changes in color or turbidity were observed in any of the prepared solutions. Values for pH remained stable over the study period and ranged from 4.1 to 5.3. Ribavirin for inhalation solution is physically and chemically stable for at least 45 days when frozen, refrigerated, or kept at room temperature after reconstitution to a concentration of approximately 67 mg/mL and placed in syringes or glass vials

  11. Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene and modified atmosphere packaging on chilling injury, and antioxidative defensive mechanism of sweet pepper

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are chilling sensitive vegetable, and develop injury when stored at temperatures less than 7 C. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) (650 ppb) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on chilling injuries of sweet pepper...

  12. Convenience Store Operations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luter, Robert R.

    This self-paced, individualized instructional guide is designed for use by those who are currently working in a convenience store or by those who wish to learn the basics of convenience store marketing and operations. Addressed in the individual units of the guide are the following topics: today's convenience store, regular duties and…

  13. Wasting and stunting--similarities and differences: policy and programmatic implications.

    PubMed

    Briend, André; Khara, Tanya; Dolan, Carmel

    2015-03-01

    Wasting and stunting are often presented as two separate forms of malnutrition requiring different interventions for prevention and/or treatment. These two forms of malnutrition, however, are closely related and often occur together in the same populations and often in the same children. Wasting and stunting are both associated with increased mortality, especially when both are present in the same child. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of these two different forms of malnutrition is needed to design efficient programs. A greatly reduced muscle mass is characteristic of severe wasting, but there is indirect evidence that it also occurs in stunting. A reduced muscle mass increases the risk of death during infections and also in many other different pathological situations. Reduced muscle mass may represent a common mechanism linking wasting and stunting with increased mortality. This suggests that to decrease malnutrition-related mortality, interventions should aim at preventing both wasting and stunting, which often share common causes. Also, this suggests that treatment interventions should focus on children who are both wasted and stunted and therefore have the greatest deficits in muscle mass, instead of focusing on one or the other form of malnutrition. Interventions should also focus on young infants and children, who have a low muscle mass in relation to body weight to start with. Using mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) to select children in need of treatment may represent a simple way to target young wasted and stunted children efficiently in situations where these two conditions are present. Wasting is also associated with decreased fat mass. A decreased fat mass is frequent but inconsistent in stunting. Fat secretes multiple hormones, including leptin, which may have a stimulating effect on the immune system. Depressed immunity resulting from low fat stores may also contribute to the increased mortality observed in wasting. This may represent

  14. Granite disposal of U.S. high-level radioactive waste.

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

    Freeze, Geoffrey A.; Mariner, Paul E.; Lee, Joon H.

    This report evaluates the feasibility of disposing U.S. high-level radioactive waste in granite several hundred meters below the surface of the earth. The U.S. has many granite formations with positive attributes for permanent disposal. Similar crystalline formations have been extensively studied by international programs, two of which, in Sweden and Finland, are the host rocks of submitted or imminent repository license applications. This report is enabled by the advanced work of the international community to establish functional and operational requirements for disposal of a range of waste forms in granite media. In this report we develop scoping performance analyses, basedmore » on the applicable features, events, and processes (FEPs) identified by international investigators, to support generic conclusions regarding post-closure safety. Unlike the safety analyses for disposal in salt, shale/clay, or deep boreholes, the safety analysis for a mined granite repository depends largely on waste package preservation. In crystalline rock, waste packages are preserved by the high mechanical stability of the excavations, the diffusive barrier of the buffer, and favorable chemical conditions. The buffer is preserved by low groundwater fluxes, favorable chemical conditions, backfill, and the rigid confines of the host rock. An added advantage of a mined granite repository is that waste packages would be fairly easy to retrieve, should retrievability be an important objective. The results of the safety analyses performed in this study are consistent with the results of comprehensive safety assessments performed for sites in Sweden, Finland, and Canada. They indicate that a granite repository would satisfy established safety criteria and suggest that a small number of FEPs would largely control the release and transport of radionuclides. In the event the U.S. decides to pursue a potential repository in granite, a detailed evaluation of these FEPs would be needed to

  15. Molecularly imprinted hydrogels as functional active packaging materials.

    PubMed

    Benito-Peña, Elena; González-Vallejo, Victoria; Rico-Yuste, Alberto; Barbosa-Pereira, Letricia; Cruz, José Manuel; Bilbao, Ainhoa; Alvarez-Lorenzo, Carmen; Moreno-Bondi, María Cruz

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the synthesis of novel molecularly imprinted hydrogels (MIHs) for the natural antioxidant ferulic acid (FA), and their application as packaging materials to prevent lipid oxidation of butter. A library of MIHs was synthesized using a synthetic surrogate of FA, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid (HFA), as template molecule, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker, and 1-allylpiperazine (1-ALPP) or 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), in combination with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as functional monomers, at different molar concentrations. The DMAEMA/HEMA-based MIHs showed the greatest FA loading capacity, while the 1-ALLP/HEMA-based polymers exhibited the highest imprinting effect. During cold storage, FA-loaded MIHs protected butter from oxidation and led to TBARs values that were approximately half those of butter stored without protection and 25% less than those recorded for butter covered with hydrogels without FA, potentially extending the shelf life of butter. Active packaging is a new field of application for MIHs with great potential in the food industry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Effect of light, packaging condition and dark storage durations on colour and lipid oxidative stability of cooked ham.

    PubMed

    Haile, Demewez Moges; De Smet, Stefaan; Claeys, Erik; Vossen, Els

    2013-04-01

    The colour and lipid oxidative stability of sliced cooked ham stored at 4 °C were studied in relation to dark storage duration, lighting and packaging conditions. Colour stability was monitored by instrumental colour measurement (CIE L*a*b* colour space) whereas lipid stability was measured by the determination of the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). A significantly higher discoloration observed in products wrapped in foil and kept in light than products wrapped in foil and kept in dark. Colour loss was estimated by loss of redness (a*), a*/b*, nitrosomyoglobin, chroma (C); or increase of lightness (L*), MetMb, hue angle (H°). Colour loss was more dependent upon photochemical process than dark storage duration and packaging types. Lipid oxidation was not significantly affected by light exposure. However lipid oxidation was significantly affected by dark storage duration as noticed from better lipid stability of products stored for short duration in dark. Better colour stability was observed on products packed in MAP with less residual oxygen.

  17. Growth and survival of uninjured and sublethally heat-injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef extract medium as influenced by package atmosphere and storage temperature.

    PubMed

    Semanchek, J J; Golden, D A; Williams, R C

    1999-03-01

    The effect of atmospheric composition and storage temperature on growth and survival of uninjured and sublethally heat-injured Escherichia coli O157:H7, inoculated onto brain heart infusion agar containing 0.3% beef extract (BEM), was determined. BEM plates were packaged in barrier bags in air, 100% CO2, 100% N2, 20% CO2: 80% N2, and vacuum and were stored at 4, 10, and 37 degrees C for up to 20 days. Package atmosphere and inoculum status (i.e., uninjured or heat-injured) influenced (P < 0.01) growth and survival of E. coli O157:H7 stored at all test temperatures. Growth of heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 was slower (P < 0.01) than uninjured E. coli O157:H7 stored at 37 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, uninjured E. coli O157:H7 reached stationary phase growth earlier than heat-injured populations. Uninjured E. coli O157:H7 grew during 10 days of storage at 10 degrees C, while heat-injured populations declined during 20 days of storage at 10 degrees C. Uninjured E. coli O157:H7 stored at 10 degrees C reached stationary phase growth within approximately 10 days in all packaging atmospheres except CO2. Populations of uninjured and heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 declined throughout storage for 20 days at 4 degrees C. Survival of uninjured populations stored at 4 degrees C, as well as heat-injured populations stored at 4 and 10 degrees C, was enhanced in CO2 atmosphere. Survival of heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 at 4 and 10 degrees C was not different (P > 0.05). Uninjured and heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 are able to survive at low temperatures in the modified atmospheres used in this study.

  18. Effects of nano-TiO2 -LDPE packaging on postharvest quality and antioxidant capacity of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) stored at refrigeration temperature.

    PubMed

    Li, Dongdong; Ye, Qingyang; Jiang, Lei; Luo, Zisheng

    2017-03-01

    Nano-TiO 2 -low-density polyethylene (NTLDPE) packaging was prepared, and the effects of NTLDPE packaging on quality and antioxidant capacity of strawberry fruits were investigated. With increased barrier properties, NTLDPE packaging quickly formed a relative lower O 2 and higher CO 2 air composition in comparison with LDPE. It was also more efficient in maintaining the overall quality of strawberry fruit, as reflected by lower decay rate and weight loss, as well as retarding the decrease in firmness and titratable acid. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide in NTLDPE-packed fruits were 10.8% and 21.9% lower, respectively. Furthermore, the activities of antioxidant enzymes involved in ROS scavenging in NTLDPE-packed fruits were significantly higher at the later period of storage time. Anthocyanin accumulation was inhibited, whereas ascorbic acid and total phenolics contents were better retained and 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity was 13.2% higher in NTLDPE-packed fruit by the end of storage. These data indicate that the beneficial effects of NTLDPE packaging on postharvest quality and antioxidant capacity of strawberry are probably associated with the promotion of ROS scavenging and related antioxidant enzyme activities, and NTLDPE packaging together with refrigeration storage is a promising method for strawberry fruit preservation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  19. Effective Pb2+ removal from water using nanozerovalent iron stored 10 months

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, M. A.; Bishay, Samiha T.; Ahmed, Fatma M.; El-Dek, S. I.

    2017-10-01

    Heavy metal removal from water required reliable and cost-effective considerations, fast separation as well as easy methodology. In this piece of research, nanozerovalent iron (NZVI) was prepared as ideal sorbent for Pb2+ removal. The sample was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM-SPM). Batch experiments comprised the effect of pH value and contact time on the adsorption process. The same NZVI was stored for a shelf time (10 months) and the batch experiment was repeated. The outcomes of the investigation assured that NZVI publicized an extraordinary large metal uptake (98%) after a short contact time (10 h). The stored sample revealed the same effectiveness on Pb2+ removal under the same conditions. The results of the physical properties, magnetic susceptibility, and conductance were correlated with the adsorption efficiency. This work offers evidence that these NZVI particles could be potential candidate for Pb2+ removal in large scale, stored for a long time using a simple, green, and cost-effective methodology, and represent an actual feedback in waste water treatment.

  20. Radiological Characterization Methodology for INEEL-Stored Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH TRU) Waste from Argonne National Laboratory-East

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

    Kuan, P.; Bhatt, R.N.

    2003-01-14

    An Acceptable Knowledge (AK)-based radiological characterization methodology is being developed for RH TRU waste generated from ANL-E hot cell operations performed on fuel elements irradiated in the EBR-II reactor. The methodology relies on AK for composition of the fresh fuel elements, their irradiation history, and the waste generation and collection processes. Radiological characterization of the waste involves the estimates of the quantities of significant fission products and transuranic isotopes in the waste. Methods based on reactor and physics principles are used to achieve these estimates. Because of the availability of AK and the robustness of the calculation methods, the AK-basedmore » characterization methodology offers a superior alternative to traditional waste assay techniques. Using the methodology, it is shown that the radiological parameters of a test batch of ANL-E waste is well within the proposed WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria limits.« less