APCBEE Procedia最新文献

Soil is a dynamic medium in which the physical, chemical and biological processes are changing all the time under the influences of man and nature. The rate at which soil changes under the influence of man's activities are so fast and often negative that this degradation needs urgent attention. Healthy soil includes not only the physical particles making up the soil, but also adequate pore space between the particles for the movement and storage of air and water. This is necessary for plant growth and for a favourable environment for soil organisms to live. Compaction occurs when soil particles are pressed together, thereby reducing the amount of pore space. Most farmers are aware of compaction problems, but the significance is often underestimated. Compaction effects on crop yield can be a significant factor in today's farm economy with a specific reference to tobacco. Thus in order to understand the causes, effects and impacts of soil compaction, ITC limited - Agri Business Division –ILTD undertook a comprehensive study in Mysore region (India) to diagnose the extent of soil compaction in farms and evaluate the impact of subsoiling in breaking the compaction layers.

The management as well as the associated Environmental and health risks of medical waste are of global concern. There exist critical steps for safe and scientific management of medical waste which healthcare establishment can adopt. Medical waste may be disposed using different methods which many countries have adopted. However, the disposal of medical waste needs to be carried out in a way that neither the environment nor the health conditions of people are put at risk as they are hazardous. This paper focuses on the assessment of potential risks associated with medical waste management in Mauritius. Two medical institutions: one private and one public have been purposely chosen for proper analysis. Observations have been made on how they manage their medical waste through visits in those institutions. Results have demonstrated that both institutions manage their medical waste differently. Recommendations on how to improve the practices of these two medical institutions of Mauritius have also been made.

Supercritical antisolvent process (SAS) is widely being used to micronize the pharmaceutical compounds. The advantage of SAS process is that thermal degradation does not occur in the pharmaceutical compounds as the operating temperature is near to room temperature. This process starts with the atomization of a solution, a mixture of pharmaceutical compound and solvent, in the supercritical carbon dioxide environment. The transfer of carbon dioxide (antisolvent) to the droplet decreases the solubility of solute in the solution causing precipitation of solute in micro to nano-particle size range. In this work, four solvents: dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, acetone and dichloromethane have been considered to study the effect of solvent on droplet diameter, solvent mass transfer rate into supercritical carbon dioxide environment and velocity profile. The atomized droplet moves downward and mass transfer takes place. Two film theory of mass transfer has been used to calculate the molar flow rate of solvent into supercritical environment and carbon dioxide into droplet. Due to this two way mass transfer, composition of the droplet and thus size is changing continuously. The size of the droplet is calculated assuming that the droplet remains spherical during its downward movement. The size depends on the total number of moles in the droplet and molar density. Peng-Robinson equation of state has been used to calculate the molar density. The velocity profile of droplet is calculated using force balance equation on a moving body in a medium. Result shows that dichloromethane is the best solvent as it has small initial droplet diameter and less residence time compare to other solvents.

Alternative medicine utilizing the therapeutic effects of plants is commonly used in the community. Contaminants in the raw materials, like lead, may lead to adverse health effects. This study aimed to determine the presence or absence of lead and specifically aimed to obtain its levels in plants and commercial tea utilized as herbal medicine in Manila, Philippines. The blood levels of the heavy metals were mathematically projected as well. The concentrations were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) allowable standards for plants and blood, respectively. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS) was used to analyze the heavy metals from the samples. All samples tested contained lead but conformed with the WHO limits at 10 ppm. However, only the tea preparation samples conformed with the CDC limit at 10 ug/dL but not the collected plants which went above the prescribed concentration. Herbs and its preparations must be decontaminated prior to use for better health provision to the Filipino people.

This study has focus specifically on the experience of Thailand's worst floods in Chao Phraya River Basin (CPRB). The economy was broadly affected by experiencing temporary halt in some production sectors of country. The study found that most of this was to the Thailand's agricultural products, as major agricultural products were Thai Rice, and Thailand was one of major rice producer and exporter in the world. In 2011, a total export value of Thai Rice was 210,527 million baht. However, the impact of tropical cyclone Nock-Ten on Thai Rice export was reinforced by an economic slowdown in Thailand during 2011-2012. Hence, this study diagnoses the impacts of flood on Thai Rice in CPRB, and recommends the guidelines for management of climate change impacts.

We have viewed a business in Hungary from an economic point of view. The main activity there is pear growing and storage. Four varieties of different time of ripening and storing are grown there. We have measured all the relevant activities, worked out local normative and prepared a detailed technology. The economic evaluation was based on this data. Activities, like disinfection, pre-storage disinfection and selection, in-storing and out-storing, classification after storage, packaging, as well as loading trucks, were monitored by variety. Storage loss was determined and widely varied according to varieties, length of storage and time of out-storing. Different varieties resulted in different quality classes after storage. Price depended on the quality classes. Economic evaluation was carried out when all the relevant costs and revenues were known. Fixed and variable costs of storage were determined, break-even point was calculated and the market position of the product was evaluated.

Magical spell have the ability to turn everything touched into gold, in real time scenario one such spell is “Nanotechnology” which has the mysterical power to revolutionize every field touched by it. Nanotechnology is now invading the food industry and establishing great potential.Nanotechnology applications in food industry include: encapsulation and delivery of substances in targeted sites, increasing the flavor,introducing antibacterial nanoparticles into food, enhancement of shelf life, sensing contamination, improved food storage, tracking, tracing and brand protection. Nano food processing and products can change the color, flavor, or sensory characteristics; they also change the nutritional functionality, removes chemicals or pathogens from food. Nano food packaging materials may extend food life due to high barrier packaging, improve food safety, alert consumers that food is contaminated or spoiled, repair tears in packaging, and even release preservatives to extend the life of the food in the package. Nanobarcodes are used for safety labeling and monitor distribution of food products. Nanosupplements can be easily incorporated by encapsulation techniques for nutritional and drug delivery systems effectively. And as health plays a major role in food the disadvantages of the technology is to be concerned.

Contaminated soil and groundwater resulting from pyrite oxidation occur in coastal areas throughout the world, but do not pose an issue unless allowed to oxidise as a result of drainage or excavation. The exposure and oxidisation of these soils increase the concentration of iron and aluminium ions and cause adverse impact on flora and fauna and also water quality. Depending on the climate conditions and scale of areas contaminated by acid sulphate soil (ASS), several remediation techniques (e.g. fixed-level weirs, two-way modified floodgates, permeable reactive barriers, etc.) can be employed to increase the pH near to neutral and prevent the oxidation of pyrite and production of extra acid.

A case study of the East Trinity, the east of Cairns, Queensland, Australia is presented in this study. This region episodically discharges large amounts of acid resulting in periodic fish kills. To remediate the ASS issue, a lime-assisted tidal exchange strategy had been undertaken by the local government. As a result, the quality of water improved and the pH increased from 3.5 to 6-8 and also the rate of aluminium and iron reduced to neutral values.

The acrylonitrile butadiene styrene “ABS” resin is used in a variety of exterior and chassis electrical products, it have been contained brominated flame retardants to prevent fire accidients. If the resin (ABS) was thermally decomposed, the bromine compound was mixed in the pyrolysis oil. In this work, the fraction of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene “ABS” containing brominated flame retardants was pyrolyzed by using a reflux-condenser apparatus installation at 450 °C.And we used additives of sodium hydroxide “NaOH”, calcium hydroxide “Ca(OH)_2” and scallop shell. The total bromine compounds in product oil could be reduced from 296 mg/L to 27 mg/L by NaOH.

The variety in physiochemical characteristics of cellulosic biomass reveals the need for pretreatment technologies to help in the rapid and efficient conversion of carbohydrate polymers into fermentable sugars. Suitable pretreatment methods enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass because of the crystalline structure of cellulose and the complex structure of lignin and hemicellulose. The choice of pretreatment method affects on the sugar yield, avoids the degradation of sugars derived from hemicellulose and minimize the formation of inhibitors for subsequent fermentation steps. A suitable process should minimize heat and power requirements to be cost effective in operation. The present review focuses on various chemical pretreatment methods for lignocellulosic biomass based on recent reports in literature. An analysis of the methods shows that the composition of biomass is the main factor in the selection of pretreatment method.