Wireless sensor devices for animal tracking and control

This paper describes some new wireless sensor hardware developed for pastoral and environmental applications. From our early experiments with Mote hardware we were inspired to develop our devices with improved radio range, solar power capability, mechanical and electrical robustness, and with unique combinations of sensors. Here we describe the design and evolution of a small family of devices: radio/processor board, a soil moisture sensor interface, and a single board multi-sensor unit for animal tracking experiments.

A thermoanalytical assessment of an organoclay

High resolution thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has attracted much attention in the synthesis of organoclays and its applications. In this study, organoclays were synthesised through ion exchange of a single cationic surfactant for sodium ions, and characterised by methods including X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The changes of surface properties in montmorillonite and organoclays intercalated with surfactant were determined using XRD through the changes in the basal spacing. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was applied in this study to investigate more information of the configuration and structural changes in the organoclays with thermal decomposition. There are four different decompositions steps in differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves. The obtained TG steps are relevant to the arrangement of the surfactant molecules intercalated in montmorillonite and the thermal analysis indicates the thermal stability of surfactant modified clays. This investigation provides new insights into the properties of organoclays and is important in the synthesis and processing of organoclays for environmental applications.

Catalytic probes with nanostructured surface for gas/discharge diagnostics : a study of a probe signal behaviour

Catalytic probes are used for plasma diagnostics in order to quantify the density of neutral atoms. The probe response primarily depends on the probe material and its surface morphology. Here we report on the design, operation and modelling of the response of niobium pentoxide sensors with a flat and nanowire (NW) surfaces. These sensors were used to detect neutral oxygen atoms in the afterglow region of an inductively coupled rf discharge in oxygen. A very different response of the flat-surface and NW probes to the varying densities of oxygen atoms was explained by modelling heat conduction and taking into account the associated temperature gradients. It was found that the nanostructure probe can measure in a broader range than the flat oxide probe due to an increase in the surface to volume ratio, and the presence of nanostructures which act as a thermal barrier against sensor overheating. These results can be used for the development of the new generation of catalytic probes for gas/discharge diagnostics in a range of industrial and environmental applications.

Development and integration of a solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle and a wireless sensor network to monitor greenhouse gases

Measuring gases for environmental monitoring is a demanding task that requires long periods of observation and large numbers of sensors. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) currently represent the best alternative to monitor large, remote, and difficult access areas, as these technologies have the possibility of carrying specialized gas sensing systems. This paper presents the development and integration of a WSN and an UAV powered by solar energy in order to enhance their functionality and broader their applications. A gas sensing system implementing nanostructured metal oxide (MOX) and non-dispersive infrared sensors was developed to measure concentrations of CH4 and CO2. Laboratory, bench and field testing results demonstrate the capability of UAV to capture, analyze and geo-locate a gas sample during flight operations. The field testing integrated ground sensor nodes and the UAV to measure CO2 concentration at ground and low aerial altitudes, simultaneously. Data collected during the mission was transmitted in real time to a central node for analysis and 3D mapping of the target gas. The results highlights the accomplishment of the first flight mission of a solar powered UAV equipped with a CO2 sensing system integrated with a WSN. The system provides an effective 3D monitoring and can be used in a wide range of environmental applications such as agriculture, bushfires, mining studies, zoology and botanical studies using a ubiquitous low cost technology.

Raman spectroscopy techniques for detection of energetic materials at high and low concentration

This thesis presents the development of a rapid, sensitive and reproducible spectroscopic method for the detection of TNT in forensic and environmental applications. Simple nano sensors prepared by cost effective methods were utilized as sensitive platforms for the detection of TNT by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The optimization of the substrate and the careful selection of a suitable recognition molecule contributed to the significant improvements of sensitive and selective targeting over current detection methods. The work presented in this thesis paves the way for effective detection and monitoring of explosives residues in law enforcement and environmental health applications.

Energy band engineering of complex metal oxides

This doctoral studies focused on the development of new materials for efficient use of solar energy for environmental applications. The research investigated the engineering of the band gap of semiconductor materials to design and optimise visible-light-sensitive photocatalysts. Experimental studies have been combined with computational simulation in order to develop predictive tools for a systematic understanding and design on the crystal and energy band structures of multi-component metal oxides.

Near infrared spectroscopy as a rapid non-invasive tool for agricultural and industrial process management with special reference to avocado and sandalwood industries

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can play a vital role as a cost effective, rapid, non-invasive, reproducible diagnostic tool for many environmental management, agricultural and industrial waste water monitoring applications. In this paper we highlight the ability of NIRS technology to be used as a diagnostic tool in agricultural and environmental applications through the successful assessment of Fourier Transform NIRS to predict α santalol in sandalwood chip samples, and maturity of ‘Hass’ avocado fruit based on dry matter content. Presented at the Third International Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science & Engineering, CESE-2010. 26 September – 1 October 2010, The Sebel, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Role of Gypsum in the Strength Development of Fly Ashes with Lime

The strength of fly ash mixture often needs to be enhanced for its better utilization in geotechnical and environmental applications. Many fly ashes often improve their strength with lime but may not meet the requirements. Gypsum, which reduces the lime leachability, further improves the strength. An attempt is made in this paper to study the effect of gypsum on the strength development of two Class F fly ashes with different lime contents after curing them for different periods. The sustainability of improved strength has been examined after soaking the cured specimens in water and with different leachates containing heavy-metal ions. The strength of both the fly ashes investigated improved markedly up to a particular amount of the lime content, which can be taken as optimum lime content, and thereafter the improvement is gradual. The improvement in strength at higher lime contents continues for a longer period (even up to 180 days). Gypsum accelerates the gain in strength for lime-stabilized fly ashes, particularly in the initial curing periods at about optimum lime content. At high lime contents gypsum attributes very high strength after curing for long periods mainly due to the alteration of fly ash lime reaction compounds. Gypsum not only improves the reduction in the loss of strength due to soaking even at low curing periods but also improves the durability of stabilized fly ashes due to repeated cycles of wetting and drying.

Advanced multifunctional inorganic nanostructured oxides for controlled release and sensing

ADVANCED MULTIFUNCTIONAL INORGANIC NANOSTRUCTURED OXIDES FOR CONTROLLED RELEASE AND SENSING. We demonstrate here certain examples of multifunctional nanostructured oxidematerials for biotechnological and environmental applications.Various in-house synthesized homogeneous nanostructured viz.mesoporous and nanotubes silica and titania have been employed for controlled drug delivery and electrochemical biosensing applications. Confinement of macromolecules such as proteins studied via electrochemical, thermal and spectroscopic methods showed no detrimental effect on native protein structure and function, thus suggesting effective utility of oxide nanostructures as bio-encapsulators. Multi-functionalitywas demonstrated via employing similar nanostructures for sensing organic water pollutants e.g. textile dyes.

Application of Drifting Buoy Technologies for Coastal Watershed and Ecosystem, Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 5-7,2005: workshop proceedings

The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Partner University of Michigan convened a workshop on the Applications of Drifting Buoy Technologies for Coastal Watershed and Ecosystem Modeling in Ann Arbor, Michigan on June 5 to 7,2005. The objectives of the workshop were to: (1) educate potential users (managers and scientists) about the current capabilities and uses of drifting buoy technologies; (2) provide an opportunity for users (managers and scientists) to experience first hand the deployment and retrieval of various drifting buoys, as well as experience the capabilities of the buoys' technologies; (3) engage manufacturers with scientists and managers in discussions on drifting buoys' capabilities and their requirements to promote further applications of these systems; (4) promote a dialogue about realistic advantages and limitations of current drifting buoy technologies; and (5) develop a set of key recommendations for advancing both the capabilities and uses of drifting buoy technologies for coastal watershed and ecosystem modeling. To achieve these goals, representatives from research, academia, industry, and resource management were invited to participate in this workshop. Attendees obtained "hands on" experience as they participated in the deployment and retrieval of various drifting buoy systems on Big Portage Lake, a 644 acre lake northwest of Ann Arbor. Working groups then convened for discussions on current commercial usages and environmental monitoring approaches including; user requirements for drifting buoys, current status of drifting buoy systems and enabling technologies, and the challenges and strategies for bringing new drifting buoys "on-line". The following general recommendations were made to: 1). organize a testing program of drifting buoys for marketing their capabilities to resource managers and users. 2). develop a fact sheet to highlight the utility of drifting buoys. 3). facilitate technology transfer for advancements in drifter buoys that may be occurring through military funding and development in order to enhance their technical capability for environmental applications. (pdf contains 18 pages)

Resource management of dynamic coastal environments using synoptic measures from remote sensing

In addition to providing vital ecological services, coastal areas of North Carolina provide prized areas for habitation, recreation, and commercial fisheries. However, from a management perspective, the coasts of North Carolina are highly variable and complex. In-water constituents such as nutrients, suspended sediments, and chlorophyll a concentration can vary significantly over a broad spectrum of time and space scales. Rapid growth and land-use change continue to exert pressure on coastal lands. Coastal environments are also very vulnerable to short-term (e.g., hurricanes) and long-term (e.g., sea-level rise) natural changes that can result in significant loss of life, economic loss, or changes in coastal ecosystem functioning. Hence, the dynamic nature, effects of human-induced change over time, and vulnerability of coastal areas make it difficult to effectively monitor and manage these important state and national resources using traditional data collection technologies such as discrete monitoring stations and field surveys. In general, these approaches provide only a sparse network of data over limited time and space scales and generally are expensive and labor-intensive. Products derived from spectral images obtained by remote sensing instruments provide a unique vantage point from which to examine the dynamic nature of coastal environments. A primary advantage of remote sensing is that the altitude of observation provides a large-scale synoptic view relative to traditional field measurements. Equally important, the use of remote sensing for a broad range of research and environmental applications is now common due to major advances in data availability, data transfer, and computer technologies. To facilitate the widespread use of remote sensing products in North Carolina, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI) is developing the capability to acquire, process, and analyze remotely sensed data from several remote sensing instruments. In particular, UNC-CSI is developing regional remote sensing algorithms to examine the mobilization, transport, transformation, and fate of materials between coupled terrestrial and coastal ocean systems. To illustrate this work, we present the basic principles of remote sensing of coastal waters in the context of deriving information that supports efficient and effective management of coastal resources. (PDF contains 4 pages)

Síntese e caracterização de TiO2 puro e modificado para aplicações ambientais

Fotocatalisadores baseados em nanopartículas de dióxido de titânio modificados fornecem soluções em potencial para a mineralização de poluentes orgânicos em meio aquoso. Agentes modificadores têm sido amplamente investigados com o objetivo de promover a fotoativação pela luz visível. Foram estudadas a nível fundamental até aqui, as modificações estruturais, texturais e óticas causadas pela introdução de silício e nitrogênio na rede da titânia. Titânias puras (TiO2) e modificadas nanoestruturadas, particularmente titânias modificadas com silício (TiO2-SiO2), com razões atômicas Si/Ti de 0,1, 0,2 e 0,3 foram sintetizadas pelo método sol-gel a partir da hidrólise ácida de isopropóxido de titânio(IV) e tetraetoxisilano. As metodolo-gias sintéticas desenvolvidas tentaram aderir aos princípios da Química Verde, dispensando o uso de atmosfera inerte e temperatura e pressão elevadas, o que foi alcançado utilizando-se, principalmente, a agitação ultrassônica. Titânias modificadas com silício e dopadas com ni-trogênio (TiO2-SiO2-N) foram obtidas a partir do pré-tratamento de TiO2-SiO2 a 500 C ao ar e então submetidas ao fluxo de amônia (NH3) a 600 C por 1-3 h e, após resfriamento, foram recozidas a 400 C ao ar. Amostras distintas foram caracterizadas, na forma de pó seco e após calcinação entre 400600 C, por difração de raios X, adsorção de nitrogênio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia de refletância difusa no UV-Visível. As titânias pu-ras, obtidas principalmente variando-se a razão de hidrólise, foram cristalizadas na forma de anatásio como fase predominante até 600 C, além de traços de brookita presente até 500 C. O rutilo foi identificado a partir de 600 C como fase minoritária, embora apresentando tama-nhos de cristal significativamente maiores que os estimados para o cristal de anatásio. As titâ-nias modificadas com até 20% de silício apresentaram notável estabilidade térmica, evidenci-ada pela presença exclusiva de anatásio até 900 C. Foi também observado o aparecimento de macroporos com diâmetro médio em torno de 55 nm após calcinação a 400 C, diferentemente do que se observou nas amostras em geral. A introdução de baixo teor de silício assegurou às titânias calcinadas valores elevados de área específica, atribuído ao efeito de contenção acentuada na taxa de crescimento do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e as titânias puras obtidas com taxa de hidrólise 25:1 para a razão H2O : Ti apresentaram mesoporos com diâmetros médios de mesma dimensão do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e dopa-das com nitrogênio apresentaram absorção na região visível entre 400-480 nm, com discreta redução da energia de band gap para as transições eletrônicas consideradas. Titânias calcina-das a 300−400 C apresentaram desempenho fotocatalítico semelhante ao TiO2 P25 da De-gussa sob irradiação UV, na degradação do azo corante Reactive Yellow 145 em soluções a-quosas em pH 5 a 20 1C

Bioethics and biotechnology

This paper examines the practice and products of biotechnology from the viewpoint of bioethics, looking at four cases where aquatic biotechnology and bioethics intersect. The four cases applied are: Case 1. Genetic modification of animals; Case 2. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) as food; Case 3. Environmental applications of GMOs; Case 4. Intellectual property production for GMOs and DNA sequences.

富镉铅锌矿床表生地球化学研究及其环境意义－以贵州都匀牛角塘矿床为例

丰富的铅锌矿资源为我国经济社会的发展作出了重要贡献，但也不可避免带来严重的环境污染，特别是酸性矿山废水及重金属污染已成为当今世界面临的两大环境难题。最让人们不安的是，即使在矿山关闭数十年、数百年，甚至更长时间，矿山尾矿等浸出液对矿区生态环境的影响依然存在。闪锌矿是铅锌矿中主要矿物之一，也是镉的主要载体矿物，而镉是有毒重金属元素，其毒性仅次于汞。大量含硫化物废石、尾矿暴露于地表环境，发生水－岩－气之间的反应(即氧化淋滤作用)产生酸性矿山废水和释放大量Zn、Cd等重金属元素，进入矿区水体、土壤，影响甚至破坏矿区生态环境，危害人类健康。通过表生环境条件下矿石风化淋滤实验和闪锌矿氧化动力学实验研究，认识铅锌矿石及闪锌矿氧化淋滤过程、速率及其影响因素，揭示Zn、Cd等重金属元素的释放、迁移及富集规律，并建立定量模型，为正确预测、评价和控制铅锌矿山的环境污染提供科学依据。 本文以牛角塘富镉锌矿床为研究对象，主要通过闪锌矿氧化动力学实验、矿石风化淋滤实验及矿区环境调查将闪锌矿氧化－矿石风化淋滤－环境污染有机地联系在一起，主要取得以下几点认识： 1、矿石风化淋滤实验表明，牛角塘铅锌矿石淋滤后淋滤液主要呈碱性，淋滤释放出大量Zn2+、Cd2+、Ca2+、Mg2+等阳离子及SO42-、CO32-等阴离子，淋滤过程中形成大量以石膏为主要成分的沉淀物，淋滤液中Zn、Cd主要以沉淀形式存在(可能被沉淀吸附或包裹)，而水溶态Zn、Cd浓度极低。 2、牛角塘矿床中黄铁矿锌矿石中Zn和Cd淋滤率较半氧化锌矿石低得多，表明半氧化或氧化锌矿石的风化淋滤作用更强烈。 3、在Fe2(SO4)3为氧化剂时，闪锌矿氧化速率随着Fe3+浓度的增加、温度升高、pH值降低而增加，且闪锌矿氧化过程中Zn、Cd的释放速率大致相同；在有限实验时间内(本文中小于60h)黄铁矿的混入对闪锌矿氧化速率起抑制作用，可能是黄铁矿与闪锌矿与Fe3+反应过程中存在竞争关系；反应的活化能分别为Ea(Zn)41.75 kJ.mol-1、Ea(Cd)42.51 kJ.mol-1，说明闪锌矿氧化速率受矿物表面反应控制。氧气氧化闪锌矿时，随着pH值的变化闪锌矿的氧化机理发生变化，在2＜pH≤6范围内，闪锌矿氧化速率随着pH值的增加而降低，而在6＜pH≤7.8范围内，随着pH值增加，闪锌矿氧化速率反而增加。Fe3+和氧气均对闪锌矿的氧化起重要作用，但以Fe3+氧化为主。 4、大多数闪锌矿氧化实验中Zn、Cd的溶解曲线非常相似、活化能相近，表明Zn和Cd存在相似的地球化学行为。但在闪锌矿溶解过程中Zn、Cd的释放速率存在差异，在酸性介质条件下Cd的释放速率比Zn略快，而中碱性介质条件，Cd的释放速率比Zn慢。这与Zn、Cd同处元素周期表第ⅡB族，它们之间既存在许多相似的地球化学性质，也存在不少差异有关。 5、利用双对数图法处理实验数据，得出表生环境条件下闪锌矿氧化速率公式为： 或 该公式可用于估算一定时间内闪锌矿氧化所释放的Zn、Cd等重金属元素的总量，为正确预测、评价和控制铅锌矿山的环境影响提供科学依据。 6、牛角塘矿区环境调查结果表明，牛角塘矿山水体主要呈中碱性，水体污染较轻，大多水体中Zn、Cd含量未超过农业灌溉标准及饮用水国家标准，这主要受矿区碳酸盐岩地层的影响。但矿区土壤、河流沉积物及植物中Zn、Cd均超过相关国家标准，遭到不同程度污染。 7、本文研究表明，闪锌矿氧化及铅锌矿风化淋滤过程中，将产生矿山酸性废水和释放Zn、Cd等重金属元素，污染矿区及其下游生态环境，危害人类健康。我们可以采取以下措施进行防范和控制环境污染：第一，提高矿区水体pH值，降低闪锌矿等硫化物矿物氧化速率；第二，尽量减少废石、尾矿直接暴露于空气、Fe3+等氧化剂环境中，如可在废石（渣）、尾矿表面盖上覆土等，也可降低闪锌矿等硫化物矿物的氧化速率。

Estimation of soil organic partition coefficients: from retention factors measured by soil column chromatography with water as eluent

The retention factors (k) of 104 hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) were measured in soil column chromatography (SCC) over columns filled with three naturally occurring reference soils and eluted with Milli-Q water. A novel method for the estimation of soil organic partition coefficient (K-oc) was developed based on correlations with k in soil/water systems. Strong log K-oc versus log k correlations (r>0.96) were found. The estimated K-oc values were in accordance with the literature values with a maximum deviation of less than 0.4 log units. All estimated K-oc values from three soils were consistent with each other. The SCC approach is promising for fast screening of a large number of chemicals in their environmental applications. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.