AN INVESTIGATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DURING THE ARBA’EEN PILGRIMAGE IN KERBALA, IRAQ

Every year, religious events (REs) attended by millions of pilgrims, take place in different holy cities around the world. However, research on municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is limited despite the reputation of REs to generate large amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW), which negatively influences the environment and human health when poorly managed. The Arba’een is one of the largest REs in Iraq and worldwide that attracts more than 11 million pilgrims annually. A large quantity of MSW is produced during this event, which is poorly managed and disposed of in a dumpsite without any treatment, due to the lack of research and data about MSW generated during such events. Thus, this research aims to address part of this gap and contribute to new knowledge on MSWM at REs by studying the MSWM system applied at the Arba’een, a subject that has never been considered before. This study adopts mixed methods research approach, employing composition analysis for MSW, questionnaire surveys and interviews with the stakeholders (hoteliers, camp owners, pilgrims and MSWM authorities) and on-site observations as key methods for generation of data. The MSWM system was assessed based on the opinion of the key stakeholders and the Wasteaware benchmark indicators formwork. Numerical models were built to estimate the quantities of MSW produced by pilgrims’ accommodation (hotels and camps) based on the characteristics of the accommodation (capacity, area etc.). MSWM services users’ (hoteliers, camp owners and pilgrims) intention to participate in a recycling scheme and the variables influence this intention were studied with a view of investigating the possibility of introducing a recycling scheme at REs. The results showed that REs account for 14% of the city’s MSW and its main components were organic (57.9%), paper (14.9%) and plastic (14.6%). The MSWM system suffers from operational and governance weaknesses; the key weaknesses are lack of controlled disposal facility, absence of a formal recycling scheme, deficit of key waste-related data, poor public involvement, inadequate planning, and funding limitations. Statistical analyses showed that average municipal solid waste generation (MSWG) from hotels and camps were 112 and 413kg.day-1, respectively. Hotels’ MSWG is influenced by their capacity, staff size and expenditure while camps’ capacity, expenditure and food services affect its MSWG. MSWG from hotels and camps can be modelled with a coefficient of determination of about 0.80. In addition, more than 65% of MSWM system users are willing to participate in MSW recycling during REs and it is expected that about one third would perform recycling; this indicates that introducing MSW recycling during REs could be successful

Estimating solid waste generation by hospitality industry during major festivals: a quantification model based on multiple regression

Mega-religious festivals hosted in the city of Kerbala, Iraq, annually generate huge quantities of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) which negatively impacts the environment and human health when poorly managed. The hospitality sector, specifically hotels, is one of the major sources of MSW generated during these festivals. Because it is essential to establish a proper waste management system for such festivals, accurate information regarding MSW generation is required. This study therefore investigated the rate of production of MSW from hotels in Kerbala during mega festivals. A field questionnaire survey was conducted with 150 hotels during the Arba’een festival, one of the largest festivals in the world, attended by about 18 million participants, to identify how much MSW is produced and what features of hotels impact on this. Hotel managers responded to questions regarding features of the hotel such as size (Hs), expenditure (Hex), area (Ha) and number of staff (Hst). An on-site audit was also carried out with all participated hotels to estimate the mass of MSW generated from these hotels. The results indicate that MSW produced by hotels varies widely. In general, it was found that each hotel guest produces an estimated 0.89 kg of MSW per day. However, this figure varies according to the hotels’ rating. Average rates of MSW production from two and five star hotels were 0.83 and 1.22 kg per guest per day, respectively. Statistically, it was found that the relationship between MSW production and hotel features can be modelled with an R2 of 0.799, where the influence of hotel feature on MSW production followed the order Hs > Hex > Hst

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Three Novel Azo Dyes

The azo dyes that named, (E)-4-((2-nitrophenyl) diazenyl) benzene-1,3-diol (1), (E)-4- ((3-nitrophenyl) diazenyl) benzene-1,3-diol (2) and (E)-4-((4-nitrophenyl) diazenyl) benzene-1,3-diol (3) were synthesized and then characterized using IR, UV-visible spectrum. These results were compared with that obtained by ChemBio 3D Ultra - [Chem3D XML] Gaussian Interface and were seems to be identical. Then, the antimicrobial activity of each azo dye was carried out against two bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 6571, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and fungal strains of Candida albicans using Agar-well diffusion method. The results were showed that the three azo dyes were biologically active and the best reactivity was observed in (2). Though, the biological activity of (1) with NO2 group in ortho- position remained reasonable against Candida albicans. But, the effect of (1) was resisted by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. However, the (2) and (3) with substituted NO2 group in meta- and para- positions respectively were showed better reactivity’s than (1) towered Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. Further, the Gaussian interface properties and the conformational analysis of (1), (2) and (3) were intended. The results were indicated that the variations in the properties of each azo dye and their conformational energies of generated conformers can affect their biological activity afterward. Keywords: key words, Azo dyes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Agar-well diffusion method, Antimicrobial activit

Online Monitoring of a Sequencing Batch Reactor Treating Domestic Wastewater

Domestic wastewater consists of considerable concentrations of pollutants that can boost water eutrophication if not treated before final discharge, which could damage the ecosystem and negatively affect human health. Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology is considered a promising biological wastewater treatment technology to address these issues. In recent years, SBR selection has increased as an effective technology for the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewaters due to its setup simplicity and ease of operation. However, many researchers have reported differences in cycle time. The importance and originality of this study is that it explores the parameters of pH, temperature, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout the SBR cycle to predict the end of the treatment cycle. A laboratory-scale SBR was used in this study with a five-litre working volume. It was equipped with four electronic sensors (probes) to monitor the pH, ORP, temperature and DO. The SBR was operated under constant aeration, 1.0 l/min, ±12 Cº temperature and 6 h cycle time. Each cycle of the SBR operation included Fill (30 minutes), React (240 minutes), Settle (30 minutes), Draw (30 minutes) and Idle (30 minutes). Influent and effluent samples were analysed for COD, ammonia-N and nitrate-N. The pH, ORP and DO values at the end of the 6 h HRT treatment cycle were between 6.6-7.9, 147-169 mV and 4.6-6.6 mg/l respectively. The results show complete degradation of COD and nitrogen compounds was seen when the DO profile increased due to bacterial respiration. The results prove that online monitoring of SBR operating parameters could significantly predict the end of the treatment cycle, and the pH, DO and ORP profiles could be used as onsite process control parameters

Electrochemical defluorination of water: an experimental and morphological study

This experimental study concerns the elimination of fluoride from water using an electrocoagulation reactor having a variable flow direction in favour of increasing the electrolysing time, saving the reactor area, and water mixing. The detention time of the space-saver EC reactor (S-SECR) was measured and compared to the traditional reactors using an inert dye (red drain dye). Then, the influence of electrical current (1.5 ≤ δ ≤ 3.5 mA cm2), pH of water (4 ≤ pH ≤ 10), and distance between electrodes (5 ≤ ϕ ≤ 15) on the defluoridation of water was analysed. The effect of the electrolysing activity on the electrodes’ morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the operational cost was calculated. The results confirmed the removal of fluoride using S-SECR met the guideline of the World Health Organization (WHO) for fluoride levels in drinking water of ≤1.5 mg/L. S-SECR abated fluoride concentration from 20 mg/L to the WHO’s guideline at δ, ϕ, pH, operational cost, and power consumption of 2.5 mA cm2, 5 mm, 7, 0.346 USD m3, and 5.03 kWh m3, respectively. It was also found the S-SECR enhanced the detention time by 190% compared to the traditional reactors. The appearance of dents and irregularities on the surface of anodes in the SEM images proves the electrolysing process

Using SF and CKD as cement replacement materials for producing cement mortar

When considering binding materials, cement mortar is thought to be one of the most conventional and effective materials. The cement mortar is mainly containing cement, sand (fine and rough), and water. In fact, there are many environmental and economical limitations to the usage of raw materials in mortar blends. For considering these limitations, many researchers studied the ability to incorporate waste-materials to fully or partially replace conventional raw materials. In this research, compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) will be studied by incorporating (SF) and (CKD) of mortar specimens and study the effect after 7,14, and 28 days. The obtained results from the collected samples (M1, M2, and M3) were compared with the reference mortar samples that contain ordinary Portland cement (OPC) only. The collected results showed that samples with CKD and SF have less compressive strength than ones with OPC with 28 days of curing. In addition, with higher CKD content, lower compressive strength was obtained. Samples (M1, M2) have the highest (UPV) values at different curing periods

Data for: Optimization of the Demulsification of Water in Oil Emulsion Via Non-Ionic Surfactant By the Response Surface Methods

Data cover the experimental run of demulsification process under different condition for two design. The first for propargyl alcohol surfactant and the second one for triethylene glycol surfactant

Data for: Optimization of the Demulsification of Water in Oil Emulsion Via Non-Ionic Surfactant By the Response Surface Methods

Data cover the experimental run of demulsification process under different condition for two design. The first for propargyl alcohol surfactant and the second one for triethylene glycol surfactant.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Singapore An Information-integration Approach to Designing Digital Video Albums

In this paper we present the architecture of the DVA (Digital Video Album) system. Information-integration is the key principle utilized in this system to allow for content-based indexing, intuitive access and retrieval of digital video. Our implementation of the system has demonstrated the efficiency and efficacy of such a design approach. 1