Water management and reuse opportunities in a thermal power plant in Jordan

The Rehab power plant located in the Northern part of Jordan is presented as a case study of industrial water management. This power plant consumes boiler feed water in the amount of 200 m3/d of the freshground water available from nearby wells and it produces 193 m3/d of wastewater. Fifty seven water samples were taken from the different water treatment unit's effluents to evaluate the efficiency of these treatment units. Also, sixteen samples from the generated waste streams were taken and analyzed to characterize the wastewater of the different streams. It was found that the water treatment system provided water of much higher quality than needed for the boiler feed. The practice at the power plantwas to dispose of the generated wastewater into an evaporation pond that caused non compliance with environmental regulations and discarding of significant water reuse opportunities. It was found that 131 m3/d of the wastewater were of high quality and could be recycled inside the power plant after treatment by the existing water treatment system. Other reuse options were discussed and recommendations were provided for better operation of the water treatment systems and for reuse of the industrial water. The given scenarios will result in monetary savings and in aesthetical benefits

Improvement of Water Quality in a Highly Polluted River in Jordan

Zarqa River is considered one of the most important sources of surface water in Jordan. The construction of Al-Samra wastewater treatment plant has caused a considerable deterioration in water quality of that river and pollution of the groundwater of that basin. This paper aims to study the change in water quality in the river by applying hydraulic and quality models. Samples of wastewater from the inlet and outlet of the plant were collected and analyzed according to the standard methods. The obtained results concerning BOD, NH4 and DO were used as input to predict water quality in the river. For this purpose, a one dimensional quality model has been developed to simulate pollutants transport in the river. The model was constructed to represent the change in concentrations of such parameters in the river from the treatment plant to the King Talal dam. 296 quality samples and 90 hydraulic samples were taken in order to calibrate the model. Results indicate that the concentrations of BOD, COD and NH4 effluent from the plant exceeded the allowable limits according to Jordanian standards. From the results of simulation, it is found that the model is applied successfully to predict water quality in Zarqa River. Due to self purification, high reduction of pollutant concentrations occur along the river .The concentration of BOD is still higher than the allowable limit until 33 km downstream of the plant, while NH4 concentration is higher than the standards in all reaches

Assessment of Air Pollutants Emissions from a Cement Plant: A Case Study in Jordan

This paper presents predictions of air pollutants (dust, SO2, NOx and CO) emitted from a cement plant that will be constructed in Wadi Alabyad area located about 100 km south of Amman, Jordan. The Gaussian air pollution model is used and the predicted concentrations of the air pollutants are compared with the Jordanian air quality standards (JS 1140/2006). It is found that the month of September represents the worst-case scenario where the atmospheric stability condition is classified as A and the average wind speed is 1.7 m/s. The predicted SO2 hourly and the 24-hour concentrations -when using fuel oil- reached 0.8 ppm and 0.42 ppm, consequently, at a distance of 750 m from the plant, which exceed the standard values of 0.3 ppm and 0.14 pmm, consequently. In case of natural gas as source of energy, the SO2 concentration is predicted to be negligible. The hourly concentration of NOx is 0.32 ppm at a distance of 750 m from the plant exceeding the standard limit of 0.21 ppm. It is found that the maximum TSP 24-hour concentration will be expected to reach 359.61 μg/m3 exceeding the standard value of 260 μg/m3. The TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the values set by the standard near the vicinity of the cement plant at a distance closer than 300 m. The proposed mitigation measures should limit the ambient air pollutant concentrations to be in compliance with the standard values

Quality of Life of Teachers of Children with Disabilites

This survey study aimed at investigating the level of QOL of special education teachers (n=137) working in schools that provide special education services at the Ministry of Education in the 2013/2014 academic years in Jordan. Data from this study was collected using a quality of life scale that was designed, validated, and implemented to measure and assess these teachers’ perceptions of their quality of life within three main domains: the social, the physical, and the psychological domains. Results from this study showed that the overall QOL level was high. While the social domain showed to be the lowest domain of their QOL, the physical and psychological domains were the highest. Results also indicated that there were no significant differences in teachers’ level of QOL due to gender. Yet, significant differences were found in teachers’ level of QOL in special education settings particularly between the hearing impairments teachers and the learning disabilities teachers in favor of the learning disabilities. Discussion and recommendations are presented in the study. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s1p4

One Parameter Composite Semigroups of Linear Bounded Operators in Strong Operator Topology of Schatten Class Cp

For semigroups of linear bounded operators on Hilbert spaces, the problem of being in Cp , 0 Keyword

Effect of volcanic tuff on the characteristics of cement mortar

This paper examines how Jordanian volcanic tuff aggregates affect the characteristics of cement mortar. Five mortar mixes were prepared by replacing normal aggregate (standard sand) with volcanic tuff aggregate in ratios of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% (M1 to M5, respectively). Compressive strength, flexural strength, and unit weight were tested at mortar ages of 3, 7, 28, and 56 days. The results revealed improved compressive and flexural strength, which were maximal for the M3 sample. Unit weight decreased as the ratio of volcanic tuff increased. Based on these results, adding Jordanian volcanic tuff in the appropriate ratio will improve these mortar characteristics

Quality Indicators of Self- Determination of Special Education Programs in Jordan

This study aimed to identify the level of commitment of special education programs in Jordan by means of qualitative indicators for self-determination. The sample consisted of 62 special education centers and institutions: 25 for intellectual disability, 15 for hearing disability, 10 for visual disability, and 12 for physical disability. To achieve the aim of the study, a self-determination scale of qualitative indicators was developed and an acceptable level of validity and reliability was derived before being applied to special education programs. The results revealed that special education programs that employ quality indicators of selfdetermination are at medium level. Also, at the medium level were the domains of staff, institution atmosphere, family, students' services, and physical environment. However, in the domains of individual educational programs, instructional strategies and self-evaluation, the level was low. The study proposed a set of recommendations based on the findings of the study.