Environmental Quality Laboratory Research Report, 1985-1987

The Environmental Quality Laboratory at Caltech is a center for research on large-scale systems problems of natural resources and environmental quality. The principal areas of investigation at EQL are: 1. Air quality management. 2. Water resources and water quality management. 3. Control of hazardous substances in the environment. 4. Energy policy, including regulation, conservation and energy-environment tradeoffs. 5. Resources policy (other than energy); residuals management. EQL research includes technical assessments, computer modeling, studies of environmental control options, policy analyses, and research on important components of the large-scale systems. Field work is also undertaken at EQL, some in collaboration with other organizations, to provide critical data needed for evaluation of systems concepts and models. EQL's objectives are as follows: 1. To do systematic studies of environmental and resources problems. The results of these studies, including the clarification of policy alternatives, are communicated to decision-makers in government and industry, to the research community, and to the public. As an organization, EQL refrains from advocating particular policies, but seeks to point out the implications of the various policy alternatives. 2. To contribute to the education and training of people in these areas through involvement of predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting faculty members in EQL activities. This educational effort is just as important as the results of the studies themselves, and should make lasting contributions to the nation's ability to solve its environmental and resources problems. The work at EQL goes beyond the usual academic research in that it tries to organize and develop the knowledge necessary to clarify society's alternatives by integrating relevant disciplines. EQL works on solving problems of specific localities when there is a strong element of public interest or educational value, or the concepts and results are applicable to other places. The research of EQL during this period was done under the supervision of faculty members in Environmental Engineering Science, Chemical Engineering, and Social Science. This research report covers the period from October 1985 through September 1987. The publications listed under the individual project descriptions are the new ones for the reporting period

Modeling and Optimal Control of Atmospheric Pollution Hazard in Nuclear and Chemical Disasters

AbstractNuclear and chemical disasters can cause heavy atmospheric pollution hazard and threat people's lives and health. In this paper, theory and application for modeling and optimal control of such hazard is studied. The modeling is based on the simulation and visualization of atmospheric dispersion of pollutants, the source term estimation of nuclear and chemical disasters, and the risk evaluation of hazardous substances. The optimal control is based on Natural Cybernetics theory, effective and economic cost evaluation of control techniques, and optimization methods. Some applications and illustrations of modeling and optimal control are reported

The effect of short-term changes in air pollution on respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Presented at the 6th International Conference on Urban Air Quality, Limassol, March, 2007. Short-paper was submitted for peer-review and appears in proceedings of the conference.This study investigates the effect of daily changes in levels of PM10 on the daily volume of respiratory and cardiovascular admissions in Nicosia, Cyprus during 1995-2004. After controlling for long- (year and month) and short-term (day of the week) patterns as well as the effect of weather in Generalized Additive Poisson models, some positive associations were observed with all-cause and cause-specific admissions. Risk of hospitalization increased stepwise across quartiles of days with increasing levels of PM10 by 1.3% (-0.3, 2.8), 4.9% (3.3, 6.6), 5.6% (3.9, 7.3) as compared to days with the lowest concentrations. For every 10μg/m3 increase in daily average PM10 concentration, there was a 1.2% (-0.1%, 2.4%) increase in cardiovascular admissions. With respects to respiratory admissions, an effect was observed only in the warm season with a 1.8% (-0.22, 3.85) increase in admissions per 10μg/m3 increase in PM10. The effect on respiratory admissions seemed to be much stronger in women and, surprisingly, restricted to people of adult age

Analysis of the risks related to the logistics of the Hazardous Materials

Today, the number of industrial enterprises producing, using, storing and transporting hazardous materials is constantly increasing worldwide. This growth is linked to the progressive demand in various sectors, which makes our world riskier because of the nature and diversity of the dangerous events that may occur. The risks incurred by the hazardous materials transport activity, in case of the occurrence of an incident that may occur and have serious consequences for persons, the environment, property, a fire as an example accompanied by a release of toxic smoke, pollution of the soil and / or water, it can lead in case of non-control of the fire or the reactivity of the goods transported to an explosion. To this purpose, it is essential to protect the health and safety of personnel and to preserve the environment from any deterioration related to the risks incurred by the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) business, which presents important issues for population, state and highly urbanized areas The aim of this thesis is to propose a systemic approach to risk assessment, taking into account in a global way the risks related to hazardous materials throughout the logistics chain (transport & storage). The approach consists of using the modeling and simulation techniques of an accident, to understand the consequences generated in the various scenarios in the event of the occurrence of a hazardous materials accident. This approach will allow the presentation of an industrial safety reasoning method based on actual case studies, rather than a detailed analysis of how to prevent and protect a given hazard. In the process of assessing the technological risks associated with the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG), the essential step is the evaluation of the risk intensity when an accidental event occurs, which is to quantify the risks involved. effects or impacts, in order to respond quickly and prioritize relief actions for the protection of the population and the environment. The assessment of the intensity of a technological risk can be carried out using an effects model, capable of estimating the effects induced by the hazardous phenomenon from a quantitative point of view, in order to determine the geographical area of the hazard where the intensity of the risk is deemed too high. In this context, the first issue addressed in this thesis is to assess the level of risk of hazardous goods transport areas for both road and marine modes of transportation, while the second issue of assessing risks in an industrial facility fixed

Consequence Modeling and Analysis of Benzene leakage and explosion from a poorly sited gas station in the City of Douala, Cameroon

Introduction: Benzene has long been recognized as highly carcinogenic and the most cytotoxic of all air pollutants released by gas stations. Although several studies have been conducted on accidents in the process industry, very little work has been directed toward the modeling of risks caused by the leakage and explosion of toxic substances in gas stations. This knowledge could aid in predicting the vapor concentration inside gas station office buildings and neighboring infrastructures and in developing corresponding safety measures. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to model the consequences of Benzene dispersion following leakage and explosion from gas stations, taking the city of Douala, Cameroon as an example. Methods: Based on the measured vent emission and meteorological data, the Areal Location of Hazardous Atmosphere (ALOHA v.5.4.7) model was used to predict the hazard radius of leakage and dispersion of benzene from a tank in different seasons. The maps of the toxic and flammable vapor cloud of benzene, evaporation rate from a puddle, and the concentration of toxic and flammable vapor cloud inside and outside of the station were prepared with the aid of MARPLOT and Google Earth software. Results: The results showed that the maximum average sustained release rate of benzene from a tank was 26 kilograms per minute, with an estimated total amount released of 1,340 kilograms per 60 minutes in the dry season. The puddle spread to a diameter of 19.8 meters. The predicted threat zone distance from the station in the dry season, as compared to the rainy season, had an increase in radius of 12, 20, and 83m for the red, orange, and yellow zones, respectively. The worst hazard level extends primarily in the downwind direction and is predicted to be 31 meters in the rainy season in all directions, covering parts of the adjacent settlements and social infrastructure. Conclusion: The potential scenarios of benzene dispersion from a poorly sited gas station in the city of Douala have been modeled and the threat zones estimated. Nearby residences and social infrastructures are significantly exposed, with the predicted threat zones being more hazardous for the employees of the gas station. Further research looking at the impact of combined consequences of gasoline emissions may help determine whether the combined effects of benzene with other chemicals are cumulative or synergistic

Modeling of E. coli distribution for hazard assessment of bathing waters affected by combined sewer overflows

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) affect bathing water quality of receiving water bodies by bacterial pollution. The aim of this study is to assess the health hazard of bathing waters affected by CSOs. This is useful for bathing water managers, for risk assessment purposes, and for further impact and economic assessments. Pollutant hazard was evaluated based on two novel indicators proposed in this study: the mean duration of insufficient bathing water quality (1) over a period of time (i.e., several years) and (2) after single CSO/rain events. In particular, a novel correlation between the duration of seawater pollution and the event rainfall volume was developed. Pollutant hazard was assessed through a coupled urban drainage and seawater quality model that was developed, calibrated and validated based on local observations. Furthermore, hazard assessment was based on a novel statistical analysis of continuous simulations over a 9-year period using the coupled model. Finally, a validation of the estimated hazard is also shown. The health hazard was evaluated for the case study of Badalona (Spain) even though the methodology presented can be considered generally applicable to other urban areas and related receiving bathing water bodies. The case study presented is part of the EU-funded H2020 project BINGO (Bringing INnovation to OnGOing water management - a better future under climate change)

An oil pipeline catastrophic failure: Accident scenario modelling and emergency response development

In spite of advanced technologies, inherent safety and safety management system, pipeline loss of containments and large-scale releases of hazardous substances are still common accidents leading to severe consequences for human health, environment and assets, both in Europe and in developing Countries. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the catastrophic failure of a pipeline connecting the port oil terminal with a downstream oil plant, in the North part of Italy, causing a major oil spill into a river and subsequently into the Genoa harbor (Italy). Firstly, the impact of atmospheric dispersion is evaluated then, assuming oil containment failure, the hydrodynamic dispersion of the spill into the sea is studied. By means of numerical methods, we performed a consequence-based assessment incorporating the effects, the hazardous distance and the reaction time scale, related to oil spill. Results are focused on the atmospheric dispersion of the "key" oil volatile fractions and the propagation in the sea of the medium-heavy fractions, both performed by Lagrangian simulations

Municipal wastewater treatment with pond technology : historical review and future outlook

Facing an unprecedented population growth, it is difficult to overstress the assets for wastewater treatment of waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), i.e. high removal efficiency, simplicity, and low cost, which have been recognized by numerous scientists and operators. However, stricter discharge standards, changes in wastewater compounds, high emissions of greenhouse gases, and elevated land prices have led to their replacements in many places. This review aims at delivering a comprehensive overview of the historical development and current state of WSPs, and providing further insights to deal with their limitations in the future. The 21st century is witnessing changes in the way of approaching conventional problems in pond technology, in which WSPs should no longer be considered as a low treatment technology. Advanced models and technologies have been integrated for better design, control, and management. The roles of algae, which have been crucial as solar-powered aeration, will continue being a key solution. Yet, the separation of suspended algae to avoid deterioration of the effluent remains a major challenge in WSPs while in the case of high algal rate pond, further research is needed to maximize algal growth yield, select proper strains, and optimize harvesting methods to put algal biomass production in practice. Significant gaps need to be filled in understanding mechanisms of greenhouse gas emission, climate change mitigation, pond ecosystem services, and the fate and toxicity of emerging contaminants. From these insights, adaptation strategies are developed to deal with new opportunities and future challenges

Copernicus for urban resilience in Europe

The urban community faces a significant obstacle in effectively utilising Earth Observation (EO) intelligence, particularly the Copernicus EO program of the European Union, to address the multifaceted aspects of urban sustainability and bolster urban resilience in the face of climate change challenges. In this context, here we present the efforts of the CURE project, which received funding under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme, to leverage the Copernicus Core Services (CCS) in supporting urban resilience. CURE provides spatially disaggregated environmental intelligence at a local scale, demonstrating that CCS can facilitate urban planning and management strategies to improve the resilience of cities. With a strong emphasis on stakeholder engagement, CURE has identified eleven cross-cutting applications between CCS that correspond to the major dimensions of urban sustainability and align with user needs. These applications have been integrated into a cloud-based platform known as DIAS (Data and Information Access Services), which is capable of delivering reliable, usable and relevant intelligence to support the development of downstream services towards enhancing resilience planning of cities throughout Europe