Catalytic supercritical water gasification of plastics with supported RuO2:a potential solution to hydrocarbons-water pollution problem

Here we report on a potential catalytic process for efficient clean-up of plastic pollution in waters, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (CPGP). Detailed catalytic mechanisms of RuO2 during supercritical water gasification of common polyolefin plastics including low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PP), have been investigated in a batch reactor at 450 °C, 60 min. All four plastics gave very high carbon gasification efficiencies (CGE) and hydrogen gasification efficiencies (HGE). Methane was the highest gas component, with a yield of up to 37 mol kg−1LDPE using the 20 wt% RuO2 catalyst. Evaluation of the gas yields, CGE and HGE revealed that the conversion of PS involved thermal degradation, steam reforming and methanation; whereas hydrogenolysis was a possible additional mechanism during the conversion of aliphatic plastics. The process has the benefits of producing a clean-pressurized methane-rich fuel gas as well as cleaning up hydrocarbons-polluted waters.

A Comparative Study: China’s Water Pollutants Discharge Permit System with Reference to the National Pollutants Discharge Elimination System of the United States of America

China's water pollution control law stipulates the Water Pollution Discharge Permit (WPDP) institution and authorizes the State Council to draft the regulations for its implementation and enforcement. However, until today, national regulations have not been established and the permitting system has been operating according to provincial regulations. in contrast to USA, the effluents permit system has been operated for more than 40 years and received relatively successful results. The CWA/NPDES experience offers a valuable reference for China’s water permit system.

Economic development and Environmental quality: The environmental Kuznets curve for water pollution

The main aim of this study was to analyze evidence of an environmental Kuznets curve for water pollution in the developing and developed countries. The study was conducted based on a panel data set of 54 countries – that were categorized into six groups of “developed countries”, “developing countries”, “developed countries with low income”, “developed countries with high income” and “coastal countries”- between the years 1995 to 2006. The results do not confirm the inverted U-shape of EKC curve for the developed countries with low income. Based on the estimated turning points and the average GDP per capita, the study revealed at which point of the EKC the countries are. Furthermore, impacts of capital-and-labor ratio as well as trade openness are drawn by estimating different models for the EKC. The magnitude role of each explanatory variable on BOD was calculated by estimating the associated elasticity.

Proteins in Wastewater and Wastewater Sludges

Although there is some information on the total amounts of proteins in wastewater and sludges1"3 and on the amino acids in them,4-11 especially in activated sludge,12 there is almost no evidence on the nature of the proteins in these materials. A knowledge of the nature of proteins in wastewater, sludges, and similar substances would be useful not only for determining the pollutional effects on the environment and the changes in the protein structures during decomposition or treatment, but also for determining the possible usage of the resulting materials in agriculture,13 includ ing animal nutrition.

Avaliação de Metodologia para Controle e Medição de Cor em Efluentes Têxteis.

Os processos de beneficiamento têxtil, como o alvejamento, a purga, o tingimento e as lavagens são reconhecidamente impactantes ao meio ambiente, tanto do ponto de vista de consumo de água, quanto da geração de efluentes. Os efluentes têxteis oriundos dos processos de beneficiamento se caracterizam por apresentarem elevadas concentrações de substâncias emulsificantes, íons cloreto, sólidos e matéria orgânica, além de alta toxicidade. Mas sem dúvida, o maior problema desses efluentes deve-se a presença de corantes e pigmentos. Alguns parâmetros físico-químicos importantes no controle da poluição hídrica são de difícil medição e consequente monitoramento, principalmente pela ausência de legislação que expresse de maneira clara e objetiva os limites destes parâmetros. Este fato permite avaliações dúbias e contestações aos órgãos ambientais. Especificamente no caso do parâmetro cor, esta subjetividade obriga muitas indústrias a empregarem valores de controle de cor oriundos de outros estados, ou até mesmo de outros países. No Rio de Janeiro, de acordo com a NT-202-R-10 do INEA, o critério para cor é estar virtualmente ausente no efluente. Neste contexto, este estudo avaliou algumas metodologias empregadas na determinação da cor em um efluente têxtil. Para a medição de cor, foram empregadas três metodologias descritas na literatura. A primeira metodologia desenvolvida para análise de água, também utilizada para efluentes líquidos, se baseia em medições espectrofotométricas em um único comprimento de onda padrão (450nm ou 465nm), tendo como referência soluções de Pt-Co. Essa metodologia não abrange todas as tonalidades do espectro de cores possíveis para os efluentes têxteis. O segundo método se baseia na medição em três comprimentos de onda (436, 525 e 620nm), denominado índice DFZ. O último método investiga os valores máximos de absorbância, na faixa entre 350 e 700nm, na amostra. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que as correções dos valores de medição de cor utilizando os valores máximos de absorbância expressaram melhor a realidade dos dados experimentais, visto que eliminam um possível erro causado pela restrita faixa de detecção do método tradicional, numa região do espectro típica para tonalidades encontradas na água.

Wetland projects developed in Brazil

The first studies with constructed wetlands undertaken in Brazil were the result of observations made from the Amazon flood plains. The first attempt to use this capacity to change the quality of the water, in the sense of purification performed in Brazil using constructed wetland systems, was made by Salati et al. After that, new technologies were developed in a focused attempt to increase the efficiency of the system and reduce investments. Over these 18 years, persuading the Brazilian scientific community as well as the environmental control agencies to give due attention to this kind of research has required endless efforts. Only in recent years have major institutions responsible for sewage treatment and potable water supply been concerned with this type of technology for solving real problems. These institutions are as follows: SABESP (Basic Sanitation Company of Sao Paulo State), SANEPAR (Sanitation Company of Parana State) and CESP (Electric Company of Sao Paulo State). One of the private institutions that has systematically worked in the design and projects of constructed wetlands is the Institute of Applied Ecology. This institution has enhanced and developed a water depuration system based on the purifying capacity of the soil. The wetlands with filtering soils are systems formed by overlapping layers of crushed stone, gravel and soil planted with rice. This technology has been used in sewage treatment and also in water supply systems.

Chlorine disinfection of dye wastewater: Implications for a commercial azo dye mixture

Azo dyes, the most widely used family of synthetic dyes, are often employed as colorants in areas such as textiles, plastics, foods/drugs/cosmetics, and electronics. Following their use in industrial applications, azo dyes have been found in effluents and various receiving waters. Chemical treatment of effluents containing azo dyes includes disinfection using chlorine, which can generate compounds of varying eco/genotoxicity. Among the widely known commercial azo dyes for synthetic fibers is C.I. Disperse Red 1. While this dye is known to exist as a complex mixture, reports of eco/genotoxicity involve the purified form. Bearing in mind the potential for adverse synergistic effects arising from exposures to chemical mixtures, the aim of the present study was to characterize the components of commercial Disperse Red 1 and its chlorine-mediated decoloration products and to evaluate their ecotoxicity and mutagenicity. In conducting the present study, Disperse Red 1 was treated with chlorine gas, and the solution obtained was analyzed with the aid of LC-ESI-MS/MS to identify the components present, and then evaluated for ecotoxicity and mutagenicity, using Daphnia similis and Salmonella/microsome assays, respectively. The results of this study indicated that chlorination of Disperse Red 1 produced four chlorinated aromatic compounds as the main products and that the degradation products were more ecotoxic than the parent dye. These results suggest that a disinfection process using chlorine should be avoided for effluents containing hydrophobic azo dyes such commercial Disperse Red 1. © 2012 Elsevier B.V..

Reflexiones sobre la gestión "integrada" de cuencas hídricas en Buenos Aires : Las redes de organización social en las políticas de saneamiento ambiental

La gestión integrada de cuencas resulta ser una directriz de los organismos internacionales. Desde la gestión local se apela a la participación social, al tiempo que las redes de organizaciones socio-territoriales reclaman mayor injerencia en procesos de control para el saneamiento de las cuencas en Buenos Aires. En cualquier caso, sobrevuelan ideas tales como "integración" (de componentes) y "participación" (de grupos y sectores), que no necesariamente son concebidas unívocamente por todos los actores sociales en juego. Mientras tanto, el control de la contaminación del agua sigue siendo una zona gris en la gestión, a pesar de la creación de autoridades de cuenca. Desde un enfoque de redes, el presente trabajo rastrea en documentos de organismos internacionales, entrevistas a funcionarios locales y miembros de organizaciones territoriales, las acepciones sobre la "gestión integrada" y la "participación" en torno a cuencas metropolitanas degradadas

Reflexiones sobre la gestión "integrada" de cuencas hídricas en Buenos Aires : Las redes de organización social en las políticas de saneamiento ambiental

La gestión integrada de cuencas resulta ser una directriz de los organismos internacionales. Desde la gestión local se apela a la participación social, al tiempo que las redes de organizaciones socio-territoriales reclaman mayor injerencia en procesos de control para el saneamiento de las cuencas en Buenos Aires. En cualquier caso, sobrevuelan ideas tales como "integración" (de componentes) y "participación" (de grupos y sectores), que no necesariamente son concebidas unívocamente por todos los actores sociales en juego. Mientras tanto, el control de la contaminación del agua sigue siendo una zona gris en la gestión, a pesar de la creación de autoridades de cuenca. Desde un enfoque de redes, el presente trabajo rastrea en documentos de organismos internacionales, entrevistas a funcionarios locales y miembros de organizaciones territoriales, las acepciones sobre la "gestión integrada" y la "participación" en torno a cuencas metropolitanas degradadas