An Interactive WebGIS Integrating Environmental Susceptibility Mapping in a Self-Burning Waste Pile Using a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Approach

Mining activities promote resulting wastes, so coal mines are prone to release contaminants to the environment, namely to the soil and water. Therefore, the analysis of this type of risk is crucial in waste pile management. The Sao Pedro da Cova (Porto, Portugal) coal waste pile has been studied in recent years, with several data acquired from 2019-2021 under a research project using distinct methodologies. These results are now combined in a multi-approach method to estimate the environmental impacts of the waste pile and identify the contamination. With the integration of all the data in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment, and to fulfill a scientific gap, this study aims: (i) to create a susceptibility map of contamination in the areas surrounding the self-burning coal waste pile in Sao Pedro da Cova, using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy AHP approaches; and (ii) to develop a webGIS application incorporating all the information acquired that can be useful for the residents of Sao Pedro da Cova and also to the decision-making public entities and researchers. The results obtained show that the contamination susceptibility is higher surrounding the abandoned mine, particularly along the waste piles and the corresponding runoff areas, which can be especially sensitive

The low-temperature germinating spores of the thermophilic Desulfofundulus contribute to an extremely high sulfate reduction in burning coal seams

Burning coal seams, characterized by massive carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, the presence of secondary sulfates, and high temperatures, represent suitable environments for thermophilic sulfate reduction. The diversity and activity of dissimilatory sulfate reducers in these environments remain unexplored. In this study, using metagenomic approaches, in situ activity measurements with a radioactive tracer, and cultivation we have shown that members of the genus Desulfofundulus are responsible for the extremely high sulfate reduction rate (SRR) in burning lignite seams in the Altai Mountains. The maximum SRR reached 564 ± 21.9 nmol S cm−3 day−1 at 60°C and was of the same order of magnitude for both thermophilic (60°C) and mesophilic (23°C) incubations. The 16S rRNA profiles and the search for dsr gene sequences in the metagenome revealed members of the genus Desulfofundulus as the main sulfate reducers. The thermophilic Desulfofundulus sp. strain Al36 isolated in pure culture, did not grow at temperatures below 50°C, but produced spores that germinated into metabolically active cells at 20 and 15°C. Vegetative cells germinating from spores produced up to 0.738 ± 0.026 mM H2S at 20°C and up to 0.629 ± 0.007 mM H2S at 15°C when CO was used as the sole electron donor. The Al36 strain maintains significant production of H2S from sulfate over a wide temperature range from 15°C to 65°C, which is important in variable temperature biotopes such as lignite burning seams. Burning coal seams producing CO are ubiquitous throughout the world, and biogenic H2S may represent an overlooked significant flux to the atmosphere. The thermophilic spore outgrowth and their metabolic activity at temperatures below the growth minimum may be important for other spore-forming bacteria of environmental, industrial and clinical importance

Técnicas avanzadas para la interrogación en análisis óptico Brillouin en el dominio del tiempo

Las grandes infraestructuras son elementos indispensables en nuestra vida diaria. Los puentes, diques, túneles, trenes de alta velocidad, presas, tuberías de transporte de gas y petróleo, etc. deben garantizar un funcionamiento continuo y correcto, necesitándose por tanto soluciones que preserven y controlen la integridad de estas instalaciones. En este contexto, los sensores de fibra óptica pueden ser una solución interesante ya que se pueden introducir dentro de las estructuras y proporcionar la información de presión, tensión, temperatura o deformación sufrida por ésta. Las principales ventajas de esta tecnología son heredadas de la fibra óptica: baja atenuación, inmunidad a ruido electromagnético y deflagraciones, alta velocidad de transmisión, pequeño tamaño, peso ligero y flexibilidad. Para un gran número de aplicaciones los sensores de fibra óptica a veces son la única solución factible, sobre todo en ambientes hostiles. Entre los sensores de fibra óptica, los distribuidos son muy adecuados para monitorizar grandes infraestructuras ya que permiten, con sólo un cable de fibra y un interrogador tener cientos de puntos de medida a lo largo de ésta. Los sensores distribuidos de fibra que se basan en el scattering Brillouin estimulado (SBS) son el núcleo de esta tesis doctoral. Esta tecnología es muy versátil porque puede usarse en diferentes escenarios como en la monitorización de largas distancias (cientos de kilómetros) con resoluciones espaciales sub métricas o en distancias más cortas (unos pocos kilómetros), con resoluciones espaciales de centímetros. Aunque los sensores Brillouin en el dominio del tiempo, BOTDA, han sido ampliamente estudiados, todavía existen algunas limitaciones en estos sensores. La calidad de las medidas en un BOTDA depende de varios parámetros: el paso de frecuencia elegido para barrer la diferencia de frecuencia entre las señales de sonda y bombeo, el número de promediados en cada traza temporal para reducir el ruido, el ancho de banda Brillouin, el rango de medida (limitado por la atenuación óptica de la fibra) o la anchura del pulso de bombeo. Todos estos parámetros, junto con la potencia de sonda (limitada por el agotamiento de bombeo) y la potencia de bombeo (limitada por la inestabilidad de modulación), tienen un impacto en la relación señal a ruido (SNR) de las medidas, y por tanto, en la incertidumbre de frecuencia en la determinación del perfil de frecuencia Brillouin (BFS). Si se quiere que este tipo de sensores sean una solución real, práctica y de bajo coste para muchas aplicaciones, es necesario encontrar métodos que mejoren su rendimiento (mejoren la SNR del sistema, reduzcan el tiempo de medida, la complejidad o el coste del sensor, etc.). Esta tesis doctoral se concentra en resolver algunas de las limitaciones descritas proponiendo nuevas técnicas

Assessment of a Decentralized Solution for Waste Plastic Management in Developing Regions

Rapid population growth, urbanization and availability of pre-packaged consumer goods have led to increased generation and consumption of plastic – so much so that it has become ubiquitous in the environment. An affordable, durable, and lightweight material of construction, plastic is used in innumerable products in every country on earth. However, this explosion of consumption coupled with the material’s significantly low degradability have led to serious plastic accumulation challenges, which are now an imminent threat to terrestrial and marine species globally. These challenges are especially acute in developing countries, where capital and infrastructure constraints, poor governmental regulation and lack of waste management education have led to post-consumer use plastic simply being discarded in unregulated dumps, open plots of land, streets, and waterways. As plastic accumulates in the ecosystem it poses significant negative health consequences due to improper disposal, release of harmful toxins from open incineration, and bioaccumulation of microplastic in the food chain. To address this challenge, this research applies a holistic approach to waste plastic management in developing countries by incorporating the principles of sustainability, appropriate technology, and circular economy to develop a locally managed decentralized circular economy (LMDCE). In a LMDCE, communities in developing regions are empowered to manage waste plastic accumulation at the source of origin by encouraging and implementing locally engineered, simple, and low-cost solutions that reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste plastic for reentrance into the local economy. In this analysis, the trash to tank (3T) approach is advocated as a favorable LMDCE solution for eliminating waste plastic from the ecosystem altogether by converting it into plastic‑derived fuel oil (PDFO) via thermal decomposition. The research further defines countries and communities most suitable for LMDCE; provides a tool for estimating waste plastic generation in regions lacking readily available waste management data; assesses the mass and energy balance of 3T in appropriate technology settings; assesses the composition and stability of PDFO; determines the generation and combustion emissions of PDFO; and identifies supply chain considerations necessary for sustainably implementing LMDCE and 3T. The proposed solution has also been tested in Kampala, Uganda as a case study

October 2, 1998, Ohio University Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes document the activities of Ohio University\u27s Board of Trustees

Undergraduate engineering and built environment project conference 2017: book of abstracts - Toowoomba, Australia, 18-22 September 2017

Book of Abstracts of the USQ Undergraduate Engineering and Built Environment Conference 2017, held Toowoomba, Australia, 18-22 September 2017. These proceedings include extended abstracts of the verbal presentations that are delivered at the project conference. The work reported at the conference is the research undertaken by students in meeting the requirements of courses ENG4111/ENG4112 Research Project

ESSE 2017. Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Energy

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical-, biological-, and information sciences to study and solve environmental problems. ESSE - The International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Energy provides a platform for experts, professionals, and researchers to share updated information and stimulate the communication with each other. In 2017 it was held in Suzhou, China June 23-25, 2017