Search results for "Waste"

Selective Disintegration–Milling to Obtain Metal-Rich Particle Fractions from E-Waste

2022

This research was supported by ERDF project no. 1.1.1.1/20/A/139 “Development of sustainable recycling technology of electronic scrap for precious and non-ferrous metals extraction”. The project was co-financed by REACT-EU funding to mitigate the effects of the pandemic crisis. The article was published with the financial support from the Riga Technical University Research Support Fund. This research was also supported by the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2. The authors w…

Investigation and control of a Norovirus outbreak of probable waterborne transmission through a municipal groundwater system

2014

During March 2011 an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in Santo Stefano di Quisquina, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. Within two weeks 156 cases were identified among the 4,965 people living in the municipality. An epidemiological investigation was conducted to characterize the outbreak and target the control measures. A case was defined as a person developing diarrhea or vomiting during February 27–March 13, 2011. Stool specimens were collected from 12 cases. Norovirus (NoV) genotype GII.4 variant New Orleans 2009 was identified in stool samples from 11 of 12 cases tested (91.7%). Epidemiological investigations suggested a possible association with municipal drinking water consumption. Water …

Illicit drugs consumption evaluation by wastewater-based epidemiology in the urban area of Palermo city (Italy)

2017

Introduction. A wastewater-based epidemiology approach was performed to estimate the drug consumption in Palermo city, the fifth largest city of Italy with a population of 671 696 inhabitants, and to investigate the monthly variability of drug loads in wastewater from different areas of the city. A seven-months detection campaign was conducted at the two wastewater treatment plants of the city. Methods. Following a pre-treatment, 32 samples of wastewater were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results. We estimated a mean cocaine use in Palermo of 0.19 g/day/1000 people, corresponding to 1.90 doses/1000 people and cannabinoids use of 2.85 g/day/1000 people, correspo…

Anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactors for high strength wastewater treatment

2013

A laboratory scale external anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) treating high strength wastewater was operated to assess the effect of gas sparging velocity and organic loading rate on removal efficiency and dynamic membrane (DM) filtration characteristics. An increase in gas sparging velocity (GSV) results in a decrease in DM filtration resistance. DM or cake formation was identified as the main contribution to the total filtration resistance. Over 99% COD removal was obtained in the study regardless of the GSV. The results showed that the DM formation process proceeded until a stable cake layer thickness was reached. An effective pollutant removal and high permeate quality was …

Biological Stability of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes During Composting Processes

2018

The article shows results of monitoring of a Sicilian composting plant (southern Italy). In particular, the biological stability of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes has been monitored. Two experimental periods have been carried out: (1) plant start-up and (2) first operation period. The biological stability has been evaluated throughout the dynamic respiration index (DRI). This index was determined at different stages of process, for each phase. To our knowledge, no work has been previously published on the monitoring of composting plants in southern Italy. This work has the originality of using the DRI measured data for improving operation of a full-scale composting plant, ra…

Wokół odpadów cyberkultury

2012

Extended valence theory perspective on consumers' e-waste recycling intentions in Japan

2021

The gravity of the electronic waste (e-waste) crisis can be attributed to consumers' low participation in ensuring the proper disposal of such materials. Motivating consumers to recycle e-waste requires a deeper understanding of the dimensions that underlie behavioral intentions. Accordingly, the present study uses the novel framework of Valence Theory (VT) to examine how consumers evaluate their decision to recycle e-waste. The authors propose an extended VT model incorporating consumer values (value compatibility, openness to change, and environmental concerns), which is validated using cross-sectional survey data from 774 Japanese consumers. We also examine the role of different moderato…

Moving forward sustainably : material and social conditions of electronic waste management in Nigeria

2018

This dissertation focuses on understanding the social material interaction between e-waste and e-scrappers for sustainable management of e-waste. Previous studies mainly concentrate on the detrimental environmental impact of e-scrappers activities, the economic and political influences of e-waste on the e-scrappers, the material flow of e-waste and the exportation of valuable e-waste extracts from highly industrialized countries to less industrialized countries. The aim of the dissertation is therefore to extend the scope of the previous studies by investigating the social material interaction between e-scrappers and e-waste. To achieve this aim, this study examines the following research q…

The Landfilling of Municipal Solid Waste and the Sustainability of the Related Transportation Activities

2022

The management of municipal solid waste is a crucial issue to address as we move toward the decarbonization of urban contexts. Not by chance, this sector plays a relevant role in the Covenant of Mayors program, whereby municipalities are called to design their own Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SECAPs). However, despite new regulations strongly pushing the recycling and reuse of materials contained in municipal waste, many cities still use large landfills. As part of the overall environmental pressure exerted by these urban systems, the transport of waste from collection points to landfills or treatment facilities must be considered in order to correctly assess the full environmental burd…

Ecological risk assessment of pesticides in the Mijares River (eastern Spain) impacted by citrus production using wide-scope screening and target qua…

2021

The widespread use of pesticides, especially in agricultural areas, makes necessary to control their presence in surrounding surface waters. The current study was designed to investigate the occurrence and ecological risks of pesticides and their transformation products in a Mediterranean river basin impacted by citrus agricultural production. Nineteen sites were monitored in three campaigns distributed over three different seasons. After a qualitative screening, 24 compounds was selected for subsequent quantitative analysis. As expected, the lower section of the river was most contaminated, with total concentration >5 µg/L in two sites near to the discharge area of wastewater treatment pla…