1,721,091 research outputs found
Solid waste processing. A case study for an integrated waste treatment plant project
No full textIn the last year, U.E. and national solid waste management legislations are pressing for a plant project revision in relation with an energy, economical and environmental audit. An integrated optimisation of the plants is so finalised to obtain the greatest recovery of energy and materials with a minimum environmental impact from the solid waste process. In this paper a study for a solid waste treatment plant project is presented. The case study is related with a plant in Rimini district (Italy), that is actually composed by a small separation equipment, a MSW landfill and by a biogas recovery system for electric energy generation. To optimise the plant, both by environment and economical point of view, and in the light of the latest Italian solid waste legislation, this project will provide for a solid waste pre treatment section, using thermic conversion technologies and biological process. In this way, the study is composed of a comparison of these technologies, an economical and energy balance and an analysis of the environmental balance in order to suggest the best technology into plant project execution
Le problematiche geologico-ambientali connesse agli impianti di trattamento dei materiali lapidei con particolare riferimento all’uso dell’acqua.
No full textGoverning the university in the perspective of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: The case of the University of Bologna
No full textPurpose: Starting from the experience of the University of Bologna, this paper provides an innovative framework to analyse how universities are rethinking courses and curricula, teaching, research programmes, campus operation and partnership to address the Agenda 2030. Design/methodology/approach: The paper proposes a methodological approach to represent direct and indirect impacts produced by all universities’ activities. Findings: The commitment to sustainability of the University of Bologna was made clear through the last Strategic Plan approach explicitly aimed at the consideration of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Parallel to the process of integration of the SDGs in strategic planning, the University has an additional tool for reporting on the extended performance, which was presented during the G7 Environment held in Bologna in June 2017. Research limitations/implications: This study focussed on the University of Bologna experience, according with HEIs sustainability approach over the world. A bit too technical sometimes to explain each practical point of activity related with the commitment in SDGs. Practical implications: The multi-year experience acquired by the University of Bologna through a process of reporting that combines the economic dimension with the social and environmental, has as a natural outlet questioning the priorities to be pursued in teaching, research and the third mission to contribute to the Agenda 2030. Social implications: It is shown as Alma Mater promotes actively the principles of sustainability also in terms of enhancement of collectivity welfare, the economic growth, the social equity and the capability of involved people to actually work together for the common good. Originality/value: On the basis of the experience of the University of Bologna, an innovative framework can be provided to analyse how universities are rethinking all their activities to address the Agenda 2030
Urban green technologies for energy saving: Numerical simulation of heat transfer between green façades and green roofs and the local outdoor environment
No full textThe last decades, a robust urbanization and climate change effects generated an increase in environmental problems in water management, energy consumption, air pollution, biodiversity, warming at urban level. According with the UN Sustainable Development Goal approach, our cities and human settlements have to become "more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". In other words our cities have to become "greener", considering the help in that sense that can derive by a widespread application of urban green technologies. These technologies, as green roofs or green walls, can represent a very important tool in terms of thermal insulation, heat island effect reduction and in general energy saving at building and district scale. In recent years the mechanisms that govern exchanges between green walls (roofs and façades) and outdoor environmental air in terms of heat and mass transfer have been studied more and more in the literature. The approaches mostly used for these studies are experimental local measurements in order to characterize heat and mass transfer between the building and the environment, while theoretical studies, especially numerical studies, are still lacking. In this work, after a general overview related with environmental benefit deriving from Green Technologies at urban level, a short study results are proposed related with heat and mass transfer between green façades and green roofs and the local environment around buildings. As a case study, the transpiration cooling of vegetation as a measure to mitigate outdoor air temperatures is investigated in the case of an experimental green roof that is present over a building, in the laboratories area, inside the Campus of the Bologna University Engineering School
Application of Palm Kernel Shell Granular Filter Medium for Decolourisation and COD Removal from Clarified Palm Oil Mill Effluent
Full text linkPalm oil mill effluent (POME) is characterised by high colour, COD and solids. Extraction and drying of the suspended solids for reuse as solid fuel shows great promise. However, the clarified wastewater may require further treatment to meet discharge limits. This study was aimed at evaluating the efficiency and kinetics of COD and colour removal from clarified POME using palm kernel shell (PKS) granular filter media and a sand filter as reference. The wastewater was collected from a small-scale palm oil processing mill in the Abura Aseibu Kwamankese District of Ghana and clarified using a solid-liquid separation system. The filter media of particle size 1.18mm was packed into acrylic cylinders (6cm dia.) to a height of 35.4 cm. The characteristics of influent wastewater and filter media were determined prior to the experiment following standard methods. Each filter was run as a batch system under anaerobic conditions by maintaining a minimum supernatant height of 10cm. Effluents were drawn from the bottom of each filter after 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h for analysis using standard analytical methods. The removal efficiencies for the PKS and sand filters were, respectively, 77% and 79% for COD and 69% and 62% for colour. The COD removal was consistent with first-order kinetics for both PKS and sand filters. However, colour removal in PKS and sand filters followed second- and zero-order kinetics respectively. The correlation coefficients of the selected kinetic models show a strong correlation between the experimental and predicted results. Further research is required to establish the retention time required to bring the pollutant levels below the allowable limits for discharge into the environment
Organic waste composting and sustainability in low-income communities in Palestine: lessons from a pilot project in the village of Al Jalameh, Jenin
Full text linkPurpose: A pilot composting project was initiated as part of a 200 tons/day solid waste recycling plant with active involvement of several local stakeholders. The project aimed at introducing compost production and use in the village of Al Jalameh, Palestine. This paper describes the successes and lessons from the pilot project. Methods: Based on the data collected on the population, waste production and economic activities, the best production methodology and composting units were designed and piloted. The compost was produced from animal manure, farm waste and organic fraction of domestic solid waste. Approaches to increase profit and sustain the initiative was implemented. Results: The facility managed by Al Jalameh Agricultural Cooperative Society, recycles 60% organic fraction of domestic waste reducing the quantity of waste to the landfill. An estimated 1425 m3/year of compost are required for local agriculture while 800 tons/year is produced. With most of their compost coming from Israeli sources, the composting facility is at a competitive advantage. To increase the profit, around 28,125 kg of waste plastic sheets from greenhouses are collected for recycling each year generating a stable income of 5625.00 JOD/year. Conclusions: The compost produced in the village is purchased by the local farmers increasing access to compost at competitive price. Farmers are economically encouraged by compost production that could solve the organic waste management issue and at the same time guarantee a sort of “self-production” of fertiliser useful for local agriculture. This initiative could be extended to other villages in Jenin and other developing countries where agriculture is their major occupation
E-waste recycling and public exposure to organic compounds in developing countries: a review of recycling practices and toxicity levels in Ghana
No full textThis paper reviews e-waste practices and aggregates the toxicity levels of organic compounds in different environmental media and human body fluids resulting from e-waste recycling activities in Ghana. Literature was searched from three academic databases (Science Direct, SpringerLink and PUBMED). Research articles published in English from 2010 to 2018 were selected in addition to reports of country studies. In all, 13 documents passed the inclusion criteria. E-waste recycling practices in Ghana were found to be mainly rudimentary. The major organic contaminants found in soils, air, sediments, food and body fluids of people exposed to e-waste recycling activities are PAHs, PCBs, Dioxin-like PCBs, PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs and PBDEs. The concentration of PCBs in the blood of e-waste workers and breast milk of nursing mothers at the recycling areas were respectively 0.082 μg/g (blood) and 3.64 ng/g lipid wt (breast milk). PAH was 3.94 μg/g creatinine in the urine of e-waste workers and 4,822 ng/g (median) in the soils at open burning areas. PCDD/F was 12.1 pg/g lipid base WHO2005-TEQ per year in the blood of e-waste workers and 988 pg TEQ/g in sediments of a shallow lagoon near the largest e-waste recycling site. Further studies are required to establish the levels of organic contaminants in air, water and foodstuffs at e-waste recycling sites and body burdens of children living or illegally working at e-waste recycling sites
Municipal solid waste prevention: A review of market-based instruments in six European Union countries
Full text linkThis article focuses on quantitative prevention of municipal solid waste among the 28 member countries of the European Union. A strict definition of waste prevention is used, including waste avoidance, waste reduction at source or in process, and product reuse, while recycling is outside the scope of this article. In order to provide a solid overview of the European situation, the study selected six countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain). Several selection requirements have been considered, such as geographic location or municipal solid waste per capita production trends from 1995 to 2017. A review of prevention programmes and other national strategic documents has been conducted. Extended producer responsibility, Pay-As-You-Throw schemes, Deposit-Refund Systems and Environmental Taxes implementation among the selected countries have been studied in order to understand how these market-based instruments can be used for the sake of waste prevention. Each market-based instrument has been further analysed using the Drivers Pressures State Impact Response model. Based on the results of this study, the effectiveness of market-based instruments implementation is strictly related to the context they are enforced in. It is particularly important to tailor the market-based instruments based on the implementation area. Nevertheless, market-based instruments, which are now mostly meant to boost the recycling sector of the considered Member States, should be designed to improve waste prevention performances, ensuring the achievement of the highest level of waste hierarchy promoted by the European Union
Applicability of life cycle assessment methodology to conservation works in historical building: The case of cleaning
Full text linkThe Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) represents a suitable methodology to evaluate quantitatively the environmental impact related to a product or a process and it can be used as a guiding tool to make effective environmental sustainability choices. While the LCA-based methods are more and more diffused in the assessment and selection of materials for new constructions, they are still scarcely applied in the field of conservation and repair of historical buildings, although these buildings, especially in Europe, represent a high percentage of the building stock. In the present paper, the LCA method was applied to the field of the restoration, with particular reference to cleaning technologies and materials, in order to investigate if LCA can be applied in this field. The analysis of results pointed out the different environmental impact of the cleaning methods investigated (ascribed to different impact categories), but also the shortcomings and proxies arising from the lack of specific database. The impact of the waste treatment stage was also analysed, in order to highlight the main impact spots related with the end of life of materials and equipment. Results showed that, for some cleaning methods, the impacts related to manufacturing and disposal are very similar, which emphasizes the importance of performing LCA including the end of life scenarios. Finally, an evaluation of externalities was performed, to provide a monetary value of the environmental damage
Water consumption and wastewater generation from small-scale crude palm oil extraction in Ghana
Full text linkCrude palm oil extraction is one of the sources of livelihood in Ghana’s Central Region. However, the water use and wastewater generation associated with the industry have not been given adequate attention. This study assessed the water consumption and wastewater generation by small-scale crude palm oil extraction mills in the region. Twenty-five (25) mills were selected from four palm oil-processing local government areas in the region. An interview guide was used to obtain information about the operations of the mills and corroborated through structured observations. Water consumption and wastewater generation were measured using a graduated plastic bucket. Water for processing was found to be sourced from hand-dug wells (56%), treated piped water (20%), boreholes with handpumps (16%) and rivers (8%). Water was bought at US2.89 (piped water) per cubic metre. The recurrent cost of water was the same as that paid for domestic use. For a litre of palm oil produced, 0.760-2.391 litres of water were consumed and 68-82% returned as wastewater. Sixty-eight percent of the water was used for boiling. The distance to water source influenced the consumption, with higher water consumption recorded for mills with on-plot water sources. Higher recurrent costs of water did not necessarily lead to lower water consumption. There was no significant difference in the water consumption and wastewater production between the wet and dry processing methods. The small-scale palm oil processing industry requires attention to manage a potential competition between commer-cial and domestic water use in rural and small towns
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