Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Applied to the Design of an Innovative Drying Process for Sewage Sludge

Most adverse environmental impacts result from design decisions made long before manufacturing or usage. In order to prevent this situation, several authors have proposed the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) at the very first phases of the design of a process, a product or a service. The study in this paper presents an innovative thermal drying process for sewage sludge called fry-drying, in which dewatered sludge is directly contacted in the dryer with hot recycled cooking oils (RCO) as the heat medium. Considering the practical difficulties for the disposal of these two wastes, fry-drying presents a potentially convenient method for their combined elimination by incineration of the final fry-dried sludge. An analytical comparison between a conventional drying process and the new proposed fry-drying process is reported, with reference to some environmental impact categories. The results of this study, applied at the earliest stages of the design of the process, assist evaluation of the feasibility of such system compared to a current disposal process for the drying and incineration of sewage sludge.

Heat and mass transfer during fry-drying of sewage sludge

Deep-frying, which consists of immersing a wet material in a large volume of hot oil, presents a process easily adaptable to dry rather than cook materials. A suitable material for drying is sewage sludge, which may be dried using recycled cooking oils (RCO) as frying oil. One advantage is that this prepares both materials for convenient disposal by incineration. This study examines fry-drying of municipal sewage sludge using recycled cooking oil. The transport processes occurring during fry-drying were monitored through sample weight, temperature, and image analysis. Due to the thicker and wetter samples than the common fried foods, high residual moisture is observed in the sludge when the boiling front has reached the geometric center of the sample, suggesting that the operation is heat transfer controlled only during the first half of the process followed by the addition of other mechanisms that allow complete drying of the sample. A series of mechanisms comprising four stages (i.e., initial heating accompanied by a surface boiling onset, film vapor regime, transitional nucleate boiling, and bound water removal) is proposed. In order to study the effect of the operating conditions on the fry-drying kinetics, different oil temperatures (from 120 to 180 degrees C), diameter (D = 15 to 25 mm), and initial moisture content of the sample (4.8 and 5.6 kg water(.)kg(-1) total dry solids) were investigated.

Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in metropolitan and rural Queensland: A general practice survey

The prevalence of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) in Australia is unclear. We estimated the prevalence of IPD, and other forms of parkinsonism, through the study of typical caseloads in general practice. A random sample of general practitioners (GPs) throughout Queensland (401 responses from 528 validated practice addresses) was asked to estimate the numbers of patients with IPD and parkinsonism seen in the preceding year. The estimated prevalence of diagnosed IPD in Queensland was 146 per 100 000 (95% CI = 136–155). A further 51 per 100 000 in the population were suspected by doctors to have IPD without formal diagnosis, whereas another 51 per 100 000 people may have non-idiopathic parkinsonism. Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease was more common in rural than metropolitan areas. Although most GPs were confident in making diagnoses of IPD, the majority had little or no confidence in their ability to treat the disease, especially in its later stages. Support from neurologists was perceived by GPs to be very good in cities, but poor in remote areas.

The Rural Clinical Division: a student journey to rural medicine

Background: The University of Queensland has through an Australian Government initiative, established a Rural Clinical Division (RCD) at four regional sites in the southern and central Queensland. Over the fi rst four years of the existence of the RCD, an integrated package of innovative medical education has been developed. Method: The integrated aspects of the RCD program include: The Rural Medical Rotation: Every medical student undertakes an eight week rural rotation in Year 3. Year 3 and 4 MBBS - 100 students are currently spending one to two years in the rural school and demand is increasing. Interprofessional Education - Medical and Allied Health students attend lectures, seminars and workshops together and often share the same rural clinical placement. Rural health projects - allow students to undertake a project of benefi t to the rural community. Information Technology (IT) - the Clinical Discussion Board (CDB) and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) demonstrate the importance of IT to medical students in the 21st century. Changing the Model of Medical Education - The Leichhardt Community Attachment Placement (LCAP), is a pilot study that resulted in the addition of three interns to the rural workforce. All aspects of the RCD are evaluated with surveys using both qualitative and quantitative free response questions, completed by all students regularly throughout the academic year. Results: Measures of impact include: Student satisfaction and quality of teaching surveys – 86-91% of students improved their clinical skills and understanding across all rotations. Academic results and progress – RCD students out-perform their urban colleagues. Intent to work in rural areas – 90% of students reported a greater interest in rural medicine. Intern numbers – rural / regional intern placements are increasing. Conclusions: The RCD proves to be a site for innovations all designed to help reach our primary goal of fostering increased recruitment of a rural medical workforce.

Economic, social and cultural influences on the status and wellbeing of Indian rural wives

Examines the status and well being of wives in rural India using results from interviews. Surveys were conducted in three villages in the southwest of West Bengal and in three villages in the west of Orissa. The survey in West Bengal contained a large proportion of Santal tribals and the Oriyan survey was dominated by Kondh tribals. The relationships between variables representing economic, social and cultural factors are compared with ‘dependent’ variables representing the status of wives within their family and their wellbeing. Wellbeing is indicated by whether the basic needs of wives for food and medical care are met. Status of wives is indicated by their ‘control’ over family resources, whether or not they are restricted in joining social groups and in working outside their home, and the extent of their involvement in family decision-making. Cultural factors are found to be the dominant influence on the status of wives. Family income and other economic factors are found to be associated cross sectionally with greater restrictions on wives within their family. Nevertheless, the higher in the economic status of the household, the more likely are the basic needs of wives to be met.