Consumers' emotional judgement of materials durability and disposal

The literature demonstrates that understanding relating to the use of materials in product design has been investigated from both engineering and design perspectives. However, none of these studies have explored the consumers’ concepts of the materials; rather they have focused on participants’ discussions of material samples. Consumers’ emotional reactions to the materials themselves or the consumers’ reaction to the durability of the materials have not been previously explored in depth. This research has investigated these issues and has found that consumers have very specific concepts about materials. Furthermore, the combinations of consumer concepts that are likely to elicit an emotional judgement by the consumer have also been identified. It was found that consumers are conscious of the durability of their products and the materials that they are made from. This knowledge contributes to the support of environmentally conscious design, as well as user-centered design knowledge and practice. An understanding of the emotion consumers attribute to the effect wear and aging had on the materials’ physical appearance has been achieved. This understanding of consumers’ emotional reactions to materials can contribute not only to design considerations but to knowledge regarding the promotion of prolonged product-user relationships.

Taste over waste: Ugly food movement winning friends

Consumer driven food trends are nothing new. “Organics”, gluten-free, and more recently buying “local” have all captured consumers, encouraging supermarkets around the globe and in Australia to respond. But the next emerging European food trend that may have the biggest impact on what we buy each week is “ugly food”.

Fate of pathogen indicators in a domestic blend of food waste and wastewater through a two-stage anaerobic digestion system

Anaerobic digestion is a viable on-site treatment technology for rich organic waste streams such as food waste and blackwater. In contrast to large-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants which are typically located away from the community, the effluent from any type of on-site system is a potential pathogenic hazard because of the intimacy of the system to the community. The native concentrations of the pathogen indicators Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and somatic coliphage were tracked for 30 days under stable operation (organic loading rate (OLR) = 1.8 kgCOD m(-3) day(-1), methane yield = 52% on a chemical oxygen demand (COD) basis) of a two-stage laboratory-scale digester treating a mixture of food waste and blackwater. E. coli numbers were reduced by a factor of 10(6.4) in the thermophilic stage, from 10(7.5+/-0.3) to 10(1.1+/-0.1) cfu 100 mL(-1), but regenerated by a factor of 10(4) in the mesophilic stage. Neither the thermophilic nor mesophilic stages had any significant impact on C. perfringens concentrations. Coliphage concentrations were reduced by a factor of 10(1.4) across the two stages. The study shows that anaerobic digestion only reduces pathogen counts marginally but that counts in effluent samples could be readily reduced to below detection limits by filtration through a 0.22 microm membrane, to investigate membrane filtration as a possible sanitation technique.

Low carbon fuels and commodity chemicals from waste gases – systematic approach to understand energy metabolism in a model acetogen

Gas fermentation using acetogenic bacteria offers a promising route for the sustainable production of low carbon fuels and commodity chemicals from abundant, inexpensive C1 feedstocks including industrial waste gases, syngas, reformed methane or methanol. Clostridium autoethanogenum is a model gas fermenting acetogen that produces fuel ethanol and 2,3-butanediol, a precursor for nylon and rubber. Acetogens have already been used in large scale industrial fermentations, they are ubiquitous and known to play a prominent role in the global carbon cycle. Still, they are considered to live on the thermodynamic edge of life and potential energy constraints when growing on C1 gases pose a major challange for the commercial production of fuels and chemicals. We have developed a systematic platform to investigate acetogenic energy metabolism, exemplified here by experiments contrasting heterotrophic and autotrophic metabolism. The platform is built from complete omics technologies, augmented with genetic tools and complemented by a manually curated genome-scale mathematical model. Together the tools enable the design and development of new, energy efficient pathways and strains for the production of chemicals and advanced fuels via C1 gas fermentation. As a proof-of-platform, we investigated heterotrophic growth on fructose versus autotrophic growth on gas that demonstrate the role of the Rnf complex and Nfn complex in maintaining growth using the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. Pyruvate carboxykinase was found to control the rate-limiting step of gluconeogenesis and a new specialized glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was identified that potentially enhances anabolic capacity by reducing the amount of ATP consumed by gluconeogenesis. The results have been confirmed by the construction of mutant strains.

Constitutive model for municipal solid waste incorporating mechanical creep and biodegradation-induced compression

A constitutive model is proposed to describe the stress-strain behavior of municipal solid waste (MSW) under loading using the critical state soil mechanics framework. The modified cam clay model is extended to incorporate the effects of mechanical creep and time dependent biodegradation to calculate total compression under loading. Model parameters are evaluated based on one-dimensional compression and triaxial consolidated undrained test series conducted on three types of MSW: (a) fresh MSW obtained from working phase of a landfill, (b) landfilled waste retrieved from a landfill after 1.5 years of degradation, and (c) synthetic MSW with controlled composition. The model captures the stress-strain and pore water pressure response of these three types of MSW adequately. The model is useful for assessing the deformation and stability of landfills and any post-closure development structures located on landfills.

Fuzzy waste load allocation model: a multiobjective approach

Fuzzy Waste Load Allocation Model (FWLAM), developed in an earlier study, derives the optimal fractional levels, for the base flow conditions, considering the goals of the Pollution Control Agency (PCA) and dischargers. The Modified Fuzzy Waste Load Allocation Model (MFWLAM) developed subsequently is a stochastic model and considers the moments (mean, variance and skewness) of water quality indicators, incorporating uncertainty due to randomness of input variables along with uncertainty due to imprecision. The risk of low water quality is reduced significantly by using this modified model, but inclusion of new constraints leads to a low value of acceptability level, A, interpreted as the maximized minimum satisfaction in the system. To improve this value, a new model, which is a combination Of FWLAM and MFWLAM, is presented, allowing for some violations in the constraints of MFWLAM. This combined model is a multiobjective optimization model having the objectives, maximization of acceptability level and minimization of violation of constraints. Fuzzy multiobjective programming, goal programming and fuzzy goal programming are used to find the solutions. For the optimization model, Probabilistic Global Search Lausanne (PGSL) is used as a nonlinear optimization tool. The methodology is applied to a case study of the Tunga-Bhadra river system in south India. The model results in a compromised solution of a higher value of acceptability level as compared to MFWLAM, with a satisfactory value of risk. Thus the goal of risk minimization is achieved with a comparatively better value of acceptability level.

The Pandolf load carriage equation is a poor predictor of metabolic rate while wearing explosive ordnance disposal protective clothing

This investigation aimed to quantify metabolic rate when wearing an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) ensemble (~33kg) during standing and locomotion; and determine whether the Pandolf load carriage equation accurately predicts metabolic rate when wearing an EOD ensemble during standing and locomotion. Ten males completed 8 trials with metabolic rate measured through indirect calorimetry. Walking in EOD at 2.5, 4.0 and 5.5km·h−1 was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than matched trials without the EOD ensemble by 49% (127W), 65% (213W) and 78% (345W), respectively. Mean bias (95% limits of agreement) between predicted and measured metabolism during standing, 2.5, 4 and 5.5km·h−1 were 47W (19 to 75W); −111W (−172 to −49W); −122W (−189 to −54W) and −158W (−245 to −72W), respectively. The Pandolf equation significantly underestimated measured metabolic rate during locomotion. These findings have practical implications for EOD technicians during training and operation and should be considered when developing maximum workload duration models and work-rest schedules.

Food waste, power, and corporate social responsibility in the Australian food supply chain

By examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) and power within the context of the food supply chain, this paper illustrates how food retailers claim to address food waste while simultaneously setting standards that result in the large-scale rejection of edible food on cosmetic grounds. Specifically, this paper considers the powerful role of food retailers and how they may be considered to be legitimately engaging in socially responsible behaviors to lower food waste, yet implement practices that ultimately contribute to higher levels of food waste elsewhere in the supply chain. Through interviews with key actors in the Australian fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain, we highlight the existence of a legitimacy gap in corporate social responsibility whereby undesirable behaviors are pushed elsewhere in the supply chain. It is argued that the structural power held by Australia’s retail duopoly means that supermarkets are able to claim virtuous and responsible behaviors, despite counter claims from within the fresh food industry that the food supermarkets’ private quality standards mean that fresh food is wasted. We argue that the supermarkets claim CSR kudos for reducing food waste at the expense of other supply chain actors who bear both the economic cost and the moral burden of waste, and that this is a consequence of supermarkets’ remarkable market power in Australia.

Toxicant distributions and impact models in environmental risk analysis of waste sites

Myrkyllisten aineiden jakaumat ja vaikutusmallit jätealueiden ympäristöriskien analyysissä.

Stress-strain response of plastic waste mixed soil

Recycling plastic waste from water bottles has become one of the major challenges worldwide. The present study provides an approach for the use plastic waste as reinforcement material in soil. The experimental results in the form of stress-strain-pore water pressure response are presented. Based on experimental test results, it is observed that the strength of soil is improved and compressibility reduced significantly with addition of a small percentage of plastic waste to the soil. The use of the improvement in strength and compressibility response due to inclusion of plastic waste can be advantageously used in bearing capacity improvement and settlement reduction in the design of shallow foundations. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combustion synthesis of oxide materials for nuclear waste immobilization

Oxide materials like perovskite, zirconolite, hollandite, pyrochlore, NASICON and sphene which are used for nuclear waste immobilization have been prepared by a solution combustion process. The process involves the combustion of stoichiometric amount of corresponding metal nitrates and carbohydrazide/tetraformyl trisazine/diformyl hydrazide at 450 degrees C. The combustion products have been characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and Si-29 MAS-NMR. The fine particle nature of the combustion derived powders has been studied using density, particle size, BET surface area measurements and scanning electron microscopy. Sintering of combustion derived powder yields 85-95% dense ceramics in the temperature range 1000 degrees-1300 degrees C.

Biosorption of copper and zinc using waste Aspergillus niger biomass

Nonliving waste biomass consisting of Aspergillus niger attached to wheat bran was used as a biosorbent for the removal of copper and zinc from aqueous solutions. Copper and zinc uptake by the biomass obeyed Langmuir isotherms. The binding capacity of the biomass for copper was found to be higher than that for zinc. The metal uptake, expressed in milligrams per gram of biomass, was found to be a function of: the initial metal concentration (with the uptake decreasing with increasing initial concentration), the biomass loading (with the uptake decreasing with increasing biomass loading) and pH (with the uptake increasing with increasing pH in the range of 1.5 and 6.0). The metal uptake was significantly affected in the presence of a co-ion. The uptake of copper by the biomass decreased in the presence of zinc and vice versa. The decrease in metal uptake was dependent on the concentrations of metals in the two-component aqueous solutions. The effect of copper on zinc uptake was more pronounced than the effect of zinc on copper uptake.