Search results for "waste disposal"
showing 10 items of 246 documents
Characterization of the Altered Zone Around a Fracture in Palmottu Natural Analogue
1996
AbstractA drill core sample penetrating at a natural fracture has been analysed by helium gas techniques and by α-autoradiography. Porosity and diffusivity profiles away from the fracture have been determined and compared with structural profiles. Model calculations are used to determine the effects of sample size on the measured porosities and diffusivities.
The effects of laboratory ageing on rheological and fracture characteristics of different rubberised bitumens
2018
Ageing of bituminous materials can result in loss of the durability of a flexible pavement. Using rubberised bitumens can enhance pavement performance while at the same time it solves a serious waste disposal problem. Combining Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) additives with rubberised bitumens reduces the difficulties associated with the production of asphalt mixtures using this modified binder. This work was conducted to study the effect of ageing using fundamental parameters based on performance, i.e., CTOD and Glover-Rowe parameters have been related to pavement cracking. Different unmodified bitumens and rubberised bitumens were short-term aged using the Thin Film Oven Test (TFOT) and long- term…
Diffusion Measurements on Crystalline Rock Matrix
1994
AbstractA new gas flow technique is introduced such that experiments on very long samples are possible. This new technique together with increased accuracy of the measurements, allows the observation of power law tails in the break-through curves. Dispersion in these experiments can be controlled in great detail, and therefore the power law tails can be used to determine very accurately the parameters relevant in matrix diffusion. Results for rock and metal samples are shown, and they are fitted with model calculations which include both dispersion and matrix diffusion. The introduced technique, which is designed for ordinary drill cores, is suitable for scanning a large number of samples i…
Development of a Gas Method for Migration Studies in Fractured and Porous Media.
1992
ABSTRACTA gas method for fast measurements of diffusion properties of porous materials has been developed. Diffusion coefficients in the gas phase are typically four orders of magnitude larger than those in the liquid phase. For samples whose structures do not change much upon drying it is possible to estimate the diffpision properties of the liquid phase when the properties of the gas phase are known. Advantages of the gas method are quick and easy measurements and therefore they can be used to optimize the liquid-phase measurements which may last months or years. For materials with good correlation between the gas and liquid-phase diffusion, the number of liquid phase measurements can be …
A simulation/optimization model for selecting infrastructure alternatives in complex water resource systems
2010
The paper introduces a simulation/optimization procedure for the assessment and the selection of infrastructure alternatives in a complex water resources system, i.e. in a multisource (reservoirs) multipurpose bulk water supply scheme. An infrastucture alternative is here a vector X of n decision variables describing the candidate expansions/new plants/water transfers etc. Each parameter may take on a discrete number of values, with its own investment cost attached. The procedure uses genetic algorithms for the search of the optimal vector X through operators mimicking the mechanisms of natural selection. For each X, the value of the objective function (O.F.) is assessed via a simulation mo…
Minimizing membrane bioreactor environmental footprint by multiple objective optimization.
2020
This paper presents a modelling study aimed at minimizing the environmental foot print of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment. Specifically, an integrated model for MBR was employed in view of the management optimization of an MBR biological nutrient removal (BNR) pilot plant in terms of operational costs and direct greenhouse gases emissions. The influence of the operational parameters (OPs) on performance indicators (PIs) was investigated by adopting the Extended-FAST sensitivity analysis method. Further, a multi-objective analysis was performed by applying the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The results show-up that the sludge …
Simultaneous sludge minimization, biological phosphorous removal and membrane fouling mitigation in a novel plant layout for MBR.
2020
Abstract The integration of one anaerobic reactor in the mainstream (AMSR) of a pre-denitritication-MBR was evaluated with the aim to achieve simultaneous sludge minimization and phosphorous removal. The excess sludge production was reduced by 64% when the AMSR was operated under 8 h of hydraulic retention time (HRT). The highest nutrients removal performances referred to organic carbon (98%), nitrogen (90%) and phosphorous (97%) were obtained under 8 h of HRT. In contrast, prolonged anaerobic-endogenous conditions were found to be detrimental for all nutrients removal performances. Similarly, the lowest membrane fouling tendency (FR = 0.65∙1011 m−1 d−1) was achieved under 8 h of HRT, where…
Biological minimization of excess sludge in a membrane bioreactor: Effect of plant configuration on sludge production, nutrient removal efficiency an…
2018
Abstract Excess sludge minimization was studied in a MBR with pre-denitrification scheme. Sludge minimization, nitrogen removal performance and membrane fouling tendency were investigated in two configurations, characterized by a different position of the sludge retention reactor (SRR). In particular, the SRR was placed: i) in the return activated sludge line (Anaerobic Side-Stream Reactor – ASSR configuration) and ii) in the mainstream between the anoxic and aerobic reactor (Anaerobic Main-Stream Reactor – AMSR configuration). The achieved results demonstrated that the ASSR enabled a higher excess sludge reduction (74% vs 32%), while achieving lower biological nitrogen removal (BNR) (TN = …
Integrated fixed-film activated sludge membrane bioreactors versus membrane bioreactors for nutrient removal: A comprehensive comparison
2018
Abstract This research elucidates the pollutants (nutrients and carbon) removal performance and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of two pilot plants. Specifically, a University of Cape Town (UCT) Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant and an Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS)-UCT-MBR plant were investigated. The plants were fed with real wastewater augmented with acetate and glycerol in order to control the influent carbon nitrogen ratio (C/N). The short-term effect of the inlet C/N ratio variation (C/N = 5 mgCOD/mgN and C/N = 10 mgCOD/mgN) on the behaviour of both plants was investigated. The results showed that the IFAS-UCT-MBR configuration provided the best performance in terms of poll…
Uncontrolled methane emissions from a MSW landfill surface: Influence of landfill features and side slopes
2013
Sanitary landfills for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal have been identified as one of the most important anthropogenic sources of methane (CH4) emissions; in order to minimize its negative effects on the environment, landfill gas (LFG) recovery is a suitable tool to control CH4 emissions from a landfill site; further, the measurement of CH4 emissions can represent a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of LFG recovering systems. In general, LFG will escape through any faults in the landfill capping or in the LFG collection system. Indeed, some areas of the capping can be more permeable than others (e.g. portions of a side slope), especially when considering a temporarily capped zone …