An environmental approach for used oil management in Asian cities: a Bangkok's experience

This paper addresses increasing concern about the pollution threat of used oil being illegally dumped and the impact of oil on air pollution and freshwater ecosystems in Asian countries. Used oil is a very serious waste management problem. These results call for management action such as maximising the collection and recovery of used oil. The Thai government recognizes the need to recycle used oil and has been active in encouraging programs to accomplish this goal. Thus unless new approaches and incentives are developed, used oil generation may become an increasing serious problem to our environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the technical and economic feasibility, of recycling used oils. In addition, this paper briefly discusses the problems to be overcome and outlines potential mechanisms for providing the necessary disposal controls in order to maximize the protection to public health and environmental quality from potential hazards posed by used lube oil disposal.

Analysis of Challenges Related to Poor Environmental Regulatory Framework on Mineral Exploration Projects: A Case of Tanzania

In the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), all environmental issues related to the mining industry are regulated according to two principle Acts: The Mining Act and the Environmental Management Act, and their respective regulations. The current acts were enacted in 2010 and 2004 respectively. Mineral exploration (that includes all on-site activities performed before a mining project is declared feasible) projects in URT appears to be “unforgotten phenomena” in the two major legislative documents, when it comes to environmental considerations. This phenomenon is believed to be causing detrimental effects to the environment. This paper, therefore, analyzes the current environmental regulatory framework on mineral exploration projects in URT and discusses few examples in which mineral exploration projects have caused damage to the indigenous environment. Furthermore, this study reviews environmental regulatory frameworks from other few countries in comparison with existing environmental regulatory framework prevailing in URT.

Benzene and lead exposure assessment among occupational bus drivers in Bangkok traffic

Four environmental and biological monitoring sites were strategically established to evaluate benzene and lead exposure assessment at various traffic zones of Bangkok Metropolitan Region(BMR). Biological measurement of 48 non air-conditioned, male bus drivers was carried to study the relationship between individual exposure levels and exposure biomarkers. The study group was further sub-divided into four age groups(16—25, 26—35, 36—45 and 46—55 years old) to monitor the age—related exposure effects. A total of 12 unexposed persons were deliberately chosen as the control group. Measurement of unmetobolized benzene in blood and analysis of urinary tt-Muconic acid urine and urinary creatinine are recommended as biomarkers of benzene exposure. Measurement of lead in blood and urine is also recommended for the biological monitoring of lead exposure. During the monitoring period, benzene and lead levels at Yaowarat Road was C_6H_6: 42.46±3.88 μg/m 3, Pb: 0.29±0.03 μg/m 3 and decreased to C_6H_6: 33.5±1.35 μg/m 3, Pb: 0.13±0.01 μg/m 3 at Phahonyothin Road. Significant difference was established between the nonsmoking exposed group and nonsmoking control group for blood benzene concentrations ( P <0.001, two-tailed, Mann-Whiteney U test). Strong correlations were also found between trans-trans-Muconic acid concentrations in post shift samples and atmospheric benzene concentrations. Similarly, good correlation between all of biomarkers and lead level in air is established from automobile emissions.The analysis revealed that among the occupational population in the urban sites, the driver groups were found to have the highest risk of benzene and lead exposures derived from automobile emission.

Modelling and experimental investigation of effects of moisture and operating parameters during the adsorption of CO2 onto polyaspartamide

Parametric effect of moisture and influence of operating variables on the adsorption behaviour of polyaspartamide during CO2 capture was investigated in this study using experimental and modelling approach. Individual effects of operating conditions (e.g. pressure, temperature and gas flow rates) as well as the effect of moisture on the adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide were methodically investigated using Dubinin-Raduskevich model. Results from the investigations reveal that the presence of moisture in the flue gas had an incremental effect on the adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide;thereby showcasing the potential of polyaspartamide as a suitable hydrophilic material for CO2 capture in power plants. In addition, pressure, temperature and gas flow rates at 200 kPa, 403 K, and 1.5 mL/s, respectively, sig? nificantly influenced the CO2 adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide. Physisorption and chemisorption both governed the adsorption process while equilibrium studies at different temperatures showed that Langmuir isotherm could adequately describe the adsorption behaviour of the material with best fit with R^2>0.95.

Phytochemical Components of Some Minor Cereals Associated with Diabetes Prevention and Management

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder by a chronic hyperglycemic condition because of defects in insulin secretion and insulin action or both. Minor cereals are often drought tolerant and fertilizer efficient. In this review we focus the content and bioavailability of phytochemicals in some minor cereals on the basis evidence for increasing plasma phytochemical concentrations and reducing oxidative stress as well as inflammation in humans. Phenolics and Flavanoids are major phytochemicals and may be available with high concentration in minor cereals but as tightly attached with cell wall, their bioavailability is mostly limited. Clinical trials concluded that vitamin E and other common antioxidants were not helpful for managing diabetic complications. Vicious cycles can cause type 1 DM, where as hypoglycemia can forward to down and regulate neuroendocrine. Increased phytochemical bioavailability may be achieved through bio processing of grains but the improvements might be small and have not yet led to changes in clinical associated with reduced risk of T2D. Furthermore, the effects of minor cereals against oxidative stress in healthy individuals can be very low or not occurred but systemic inflammation can be reduced in people after huge intake. More than 300 Indian medicinal plants have antidiabetic property but exact mechanisms for hypoglycemic action of many plants are still unknown. Further studies are required to pay attention toward direct role of minor cereal phytochemicals on alarming diseases diabetes.

Sorption Kinetics, Isotherm and Thermodynamic Modeling of Defluoridation of Ground Water Using Natural Adsorbents

The aim of study is to investigate the removal ability of some natural adsorbents for fluoride ion from aqueous solution. The batch dynamic adsorption method was carried out at neutral pH as the functions of contact time, adsorbent dose, adsorbate concentration, temperature and effect of co-anions, which are commonly present in water. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium adsorption isotherms of fluoride on natural adsorbing materials had been investigated at afore-mentioned optimized. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms, viz., Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were investigated. Lagergren and Morris-Weber kinetic equations were employed to find the rate constants. The negative enthalpy ΔH = -46.54 KJ·mol-1 and Gibbs free energy calculated was ΔG288-333—(2.07785, 3.08966, 4.1064, 4.90716 and 5.38036 KJ·mol-1) respectively, envisage exothermic and spontaneous nature of sorption.

Health implication among occupational exposed workers in a chromium alloy factory, Thailand

This study was conducted to assess the occupational exposure and its health impact on the chromium alloy workers. Environmental and biological monitoring, noise and audiometry measurements were done to evaluate the exposure levels in the factory. A total of 112 non-smoking workers were monitored from July 2001 to August 2002 The results showed that most of the chromium and lead exposures in the factory were below the ACGIH-TWA of 50 μg/m 3 for chromium(Ⅵ) and OSHA-PEL of 50 μg/m 3 for lead. The highest chromium(7 25±0 16 μg/m 3) and lead(14 50±0 29 μg/m 3) concentrations were measured in the vibro room. The results indicated that elevated concentrations of chromium and lead were found in both blood and urine samples especially in those areas which were characterized by poor ventilation. The metal contents in blood and urine samples were significantly correlated with airborne metal concentrations in the factory. The result demonstrated that blood and urinary levels among workers were associated with increasing age and duration of exposure. The background noise level of the factory ranged from 67 6 to 89 2 dBA and was frequently higher than the threshold limit value for noise(90 dBA). According to the audiometric test, the exposed workers showed signs of noise-induced hearing loss. Noise at work continued to be an important factor to hearing loss among exposed workers. In our statistical analysis, a significant hearing loss was established on age effect and year of exposure among the workforce.

Variation Trends of Dust Storms in Relation to Meteorological Conditions and Anthropogenic Impacts in the Northeast Edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China

To reveal the multivariate relationships between man-made and meteorological factors on dust storm frequency, the LUCC data, NDVI remote sensing data and meteorological data for the period of 1983-2013 were combined with dust storm frequency data, and the possible impacts of meteorological and anthropogenic factors on dust storm frequency were analyzed by using regression analysis and PCA (Principal Component Analysis). Results show that the inter-annual dust storm frequency increased gradually. In particular, an increasing trend in recent years, after 2009, is conspicuous. The monthly frequency of dust storms shows higher values between the months of February and May, with the highest mean number of events occurring in April, which accounts for 29% of the annual dust storm frequency. The annual dust storm frequency is positively correlated with wind speed and negatively correlated with precipitation;the monthly dust storm frequency is positively correlated with wind speed, but no significant correlation can be found with precipitation. The relationship between temperature and dust storms is not simply linear, however, a certain correlation with an unremarkable statistical significance can be found between them. Human activities also affect the dynamics of dust storms indirectly via changing vegetation coverage and direct dust emissions. The multivariate analysis further confirmed the association between dust storm frequency and meteorological factors and NDVI. The high loadings of dust storm frequency, wind speed, precipitation and NDVI on a PC indicate that the increased precipitation and NDVI will decrease dust storm frequency, and increased wind speed will increase dust storm frequency.

Theoretical Study of Small Water Clusters of Sulfur Dioxide

The intermolecular clusters of sulfur dioxide with water, SO2（H2O）n （n = 2～5）, are studied by using B3LYP density functional theory and MP2 ab initio methods along with the large basis sets （6-311＋＋G（d,p） and aug-cc-pVDZ）. The equilibrium geometries, intermolecular binding energies, and anharmonic frequencies of the clusters are calculated and compared with those of pure water clusters and available experiments. SO2 tends to form cyclic hydrogen-bonded complexes with two or three water molecules. In the larger clusters, however, water molecules begin to retain the structure of pure water clusters and segregate from SO2. Infrared absorption assignments for the small clusters are discussed to resolve a possible incorrect assignment in a recent spectroscopic experiment on the clusters.

Cathode catalyst prepared from bacterial cellulose for ethanol fermentation stillage treatment in microbial fuel cell

Bacterial cellulose doped with P and Cu was used as a catalyst for a microbial fuel cell(MFC) cathode,which was then used to treat ethanol fermentation stillage from food waste.Corresponding output power,coulombic efficiency(CE),and biological toxicity were detected.Through a series of characterization experiments,the addition of the cathode catalyst was found to improve catalytic activity and accelerate the consumption of the substrate.The resulting maximum output power was 572.16 mW·m^(-2).CE and the removal rate of chemical oxygen demand(COD) in the fermentation stillage by P-Cu-BC reached 26% and 64.5%,respectively.The rate of biotoxicity removal by MFC treatment reached 84.7%.The aim of this study was apply a novel catalyst for MFC and optimize the treatment efficiency of fermentation stillage.

Physico-Chemical and Oxygen-Hydrogen Isotopic Assessment of Bagmati and Bishnumati Rivers and the Shallow Groundwater along the River Corridors in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The direct dumping of solid wastes into the rivers, discharge of industrial effluents together with direct discharge of domestic sewage have excessively polluted the major rivers Bagmati and Bish-numati. Groundwater along these river corridors is also affected from pollution of these rivers. Two major rivers: Bagmati and Bishnumati and shallow tube wells adjacent to these rivers were monitored for 2 years. Samples were analysed for the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen (δD and δ18O) and selected physico-chemical parameters to investigate the possible interrelationship between river water and shallow groundwater along these river corridors. The physico-chemical values revealed that shallow groundwater and river water along the Bishnumati River corridor were heavily mineralized due to direct discharge of sewage wastes into this river. The isotope compositions of river water and shallow groundwater clustered together revealed possible interrelationship between them. Some of the isotopic compositions of groundwater and river water deviated below the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) indicating that the water has undergone evaporation. The isotopic and chemical results suggested possible interrelationship between river water and groundwater. Fractional contribution of the river water to groundwater was calculated based on isotopic data using mass balance approach. Results showed that shallow groundwater SG1, along the Bagmati River corridor (in September 2013), was composed of approximately 30% - 40% Bagmati River water. Similarly, shallow groundwater SG5 of Bishnumati River corridor (in September 2013), was composed of approximately 45% - 50% river water. This result indicated that high portion of river water mixed-up with adjoining shallow groundwater along the river corridors. Further, the mix-up of the river water with groundwater can be harmful when rivers are polluted. These findings can be useful for a better understanding of hydrogeological processes at the river-aquifer interface and eventually benefit water management of the Kathmandu Valley in future.

A Density Functional Theory Study of the Hydrates of 2NH_3:H_2SO_4 and Its Implications for the Formation of Atmosphere Particles

Density functional theory was used at the B3LYP/6-311＋＋G（d,p） level of theory to study the hydrates of 2NH3：H2SO4：nH2O for n = 0～4. Neutrals of the most stable clusters, when n = 0 and 1, spontaneously formed and were determined to be hydrogen-bonded molecular complexes of monomeric species. Double ions （clusters containing a NH4＋ cation and a HSO4- anion） or even ternary ions （clusters with two NH4＋ cations and one SO42- anion） spontaneously formed in the most stable clusters of 2NH3：H2SO4：nH2O （n = 2, 3, 4）. The energetics of binding and incremental association was also calculated. Double ions are not energetically favorable until 2NH3：H2SO4：2H2O because of the about equal free energies for forming the neutral （the most stable） and double ion （the second stable） isomers. The free energy of incremental association from free H2O and 2NH3：H2SO4：nH2O has a maximum at n = 2 at room temperature with ΔG ≈ –2 kcal/mol. The comparison of incremental association energies between 2NH3：H2SO4：nH2O, NH3：H2SO4：nH2O and H2SO4：nH2O clusters revealed that NH3 plays an important role in the atmospheric particle nucleation.

Interaction of Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Sulfuric Acid,Bisulfate and Sulfate Anions

Intermolecular geometries and energies of the dimers formed between simple aromatic hydrocarbons （benzene, toluene and naphthalene） and sulfate species （sulfuric acid, bisulfate and sulfate） were studied by density functional theory. The AH：H2SO4 complexes were determined by the OH-π H-bond, with H2SO4 acting as the H-bond donor and AHs as the aeeeptor. However, the AHs：HSO4- and AHs：SO4^2- complexes were established by the H-bond, with AHs serving as acid and HSO4 or SO4^2- as alkali. The atmospheric implications of those complexes were strongly supported by their considerable binding energies.

URBAN STORMWATER MANGEMENT-AN MS4 SUCCESS STORY FOR WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Regulation of stormwater runoff is increasing throughout the United States.The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)and state agencies are beginning to move toward effluent and/or load limits for pollutants in stormwater.Compliance costs for treating urban stormwater runoff,especially in highly-developed areas where retrofits are required,will only continue to increase.

Rare earth(Gd,La) co-doped ZnO nanoflowers for direct sunlight driven photocatalytic activity

In this work Gd/La@ZnO nanoflower photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a co-precipitation method and applied for rhodamine B(Rh B) and tetracycline(TCN) degradation under direct sunlight irradiation.The doping of rare earth elements extends the optical absorption wavelength of ZnO from UV region(390 nm) to visible-light region(401 nm).In addition,the co-doped ZnO nanoflower exhibits a lower charge recombination efficiency which was confirmed by photoluminescence emission analysis.Moreover,the co-doped ZnO nanoflower exhibits the maximum degradation efficiency of 91% for Rh B and 74% for TCN under sunlight irradiation.The calculated synergistic index of co-doped ZnO is higher than that of the pure ZnO.Reactive radicals’ production was confirmed by terephthalic acid(TA) and nitro-blue tetrazolium(NBT) tests.The holes and hydroxyl(·OH) radicals play the major role in degradation reaction and it was confirmed by scavenger’s test.Moreover,the recycling test confirms the stability of the photocatalyst.

Nitrate removal from groundwater using chemically modified coconut husk based granular activated carbon:characterization of the adsorbent,kinetics and mechanism

In this study,a highly porous chemically activated granular activated carbon(GAC)was prepared from coconut husk and tested as an adsorbent to remove nitrate from contaminated groundwater.The prepared GAC was characterized by Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis(TGA/DTA),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)surface area(SBET)analysis.The effects of various process parameters such as initial nitrate concentration,contact time and adsorbent dose on nitrate removal efficiency(response)by the modified GAC were investigated using the statistically significant response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design of experiments.The experimental data were fitted to well-known adsorption isotherms and kinetic models to ascertain the mechanism of the adsorption process.Analysis of variance(ANOVA)was performed to determine the significance of the individual and the interactive effects of process variables on the response.The BET surface area(SBET)and micropore volume of the prepared GAC from coconut husk was 1120 m^(2)/g and 0.392 cm^(3)/g,respectively.The experimental results showed that physisorption was the main adsorption mechanism governing the process,while the rate of adsorption was limited at initial nitrate concentrations>10 mg/L.The Langmuir mono-layer adsorption isotherm best fitted the experimental data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 6.0±1.3 mg/g(~92.5%)with an adsorbent dose of 0.1 g/50 mL,an equilibrium time of 6 h at 28±2℃,and at pH 7.6(±0.2).Among the tested process variables,the adsorbent dose and initial nitrate concentration showed significant effects on the nitrate removal efficiency.

Removal of organic matter and disinfection by-products precursors in a hybrid process combining ozonation with ceramic membrane ultrafiltration

The performance of an integrated process including coagulation, ozonation, ceramic ultrafiltration （UF） and biologic activated carbon （BAC） filtration was investigated for the removal of organic matter and disinfection by-products （DBPs） precursors from micropolluted surface water. A pilot scale plant with the capacity of 120 m3 per day was set up and operated for the treatment of drinking water. Ceramic membranes were used with the filtration area of 50 m2 and a pore size of 60 nm. Dissolved organic matter was divided into five fractions including hydrophobic acid （HoA）, base （HOB） and neutral （HoN）, weakly hydrophobic acid （WHOA） and hydrophilic matter （HIM） by DAX-8 and XAD-4 resins. The experiment results showed that the removal of organic matter was significantly improved with ozonation in advance. In sum, the integrated process removed 73% of dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, 87% of UV254, 77% of trihalomethane （THMs） precursors, 76% of haloacetic acid （HAAs） precursors, 83%of trichloracetic aldehyde （CH） precursor, 77% of dichloroaeetonitrile （DCAN） precursor, 51% of trichloroacetonitrile （TCAN） precursor, 96% of 1,1,1- trichloroacetone （TCP） precursor and 63% of trichloroni- tromethane （TCNM） precursor. Hydrophobic organic matter was converted into hydrophilic organic matter during ozonation/UF, while the organic matter with molecular weight of 1000-3000 Da was remarkably decreased and converted into lower molecular weight organic matter ranged from 200-500 Da. DOC had a close linear relationship with the formation potential of DBPs.

Effect of preparation method on the catalytic activity of Au/CeO_2 for VOCs oxidation

The Au/CeO2 catalysts were synthesized by co-precipitation (CP), deposition-precipitation (DP) and metallic colloids deposition (MCD) method, and tested for oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It was revealed that the Au/CeO2 catalyst prepared by DP method was the most efficient catalyst towards the total oxidation of toluene. The Au/CeO2 catalysts had obviously high catalytic activity, and the best results was obtained on 3 wt.% Au/CeO2 catalyst prepared by DP method. These catalysts were chara...

Effects of humic acid on recoverability and fractal structure of alum-kaolin flocs

Particle surface characteristics, floc recoverability and fractal structure of alum-kaolin flocs were investigated using in situ particle image velocimetry （PIV） and microbalance with or without humic acid. Experimental results indicated that the zeta potential of kaolin particle surface after adsorption of humic acid was related with humic acid concentration and its acid-base buffering capacity. Adsorption of humic acid resulted in more negative electrophoresis on the particle surface. Coagulant dosages for particles to form flocs would increase with increasing humic concentration. PIV was used to evaluate floc structural fragmentation, floc surface erosion as well as recoverability after high shear. It was found that the floc size during the steady phase of growth was small, while the regrowing capability decreased in the presence of humic acid. The recoverability was closely related with floc breakage modes including floc structural fragmentation and floc surface erosion. The fractal dimensions of alum-kaolin flocs by mass-size method based on microbalance would decrease with increasing humic concentration. This study proved that humic acid had adverse influences on the performance of coagulation process.

Synthesis of carbon-coated magnetic nanocomposite(Fe_3O_4@C) and its application for sulfonamide antibiotics removal from water

The occurrence of antibiotics in the environment has recently raised serious concerns regarding their potential threat to human health and aquatic ecosystem. A new magnetic nanocomposite, Fe304@C （Fe304 coated with carbon）, was synthesized, characterized, and then applied to remove five commonly-used sulfonamides （SAs） from water. Due to its combinational merits of the outer functionalized carbon shell and the inner magnetite core, Fe3O4@C exhibited a high adsorption affinity for selected SAs and a fast magnetic separability. The adsorption kinetics of SAs on Fe304 @ C could be expressed by the pseudo second-order model. The adsorption isotherms were fitted well with the Dual-mode model, revealing that the adsorption process consisted of an initial partitioning stage and a subsequent hole-filling stage. Solution pH exerted a strong impact on the adsorption process with the maximum removal efficiencies （74% to 96%） obtained at pH 4.8 for all selected SAs. Electrostatic force and hydrogen bonding were two major driving forces for adsorption, and electron-donor-acceptor interactions may also make a certain contribution. Because the synthesized Fe304@C showed comprehensive advantages of high adsorptivity, fast magnetic separability, and prominent reusability, it has potential applications in water treatment.