Accelerated carbonation for the treatment of landfilled cement kiln dust

Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT) can be used to treat a wide range of alkaline wastes and metal-contaminated soils by exposing them to a carbon dioxide rich atmosphere in a way that promotes the massive precipitation of calcium carbonate. The material obtained has improved physical and chemical characteristics. This work presents the characterisation of historically deposited cement kiln dust (CKD) and its potential reactivity with carbon dioxide gas. The CKD investigated originated from a landfill, up to one hundred years old. The bulk chemical composition was determined by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), the mineralogy of the untreated and carbonated CKD by X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) and the change in microstructure upon carbonation was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDS). Key characteristics of treated and untreated CKD such as carbon dioxide uptake, pH, and moisture content are presented and discussed

Construction: use waste for building

As construction work in India soars and the pressure on stone and other natural resources mounts, the Bureau of Indian Standards has called for good-quality building materials to be made from waste products. A proof of concept for this waste valorization has been developed by the Indo-UK Centre for Environment Research and Innovation (IU-CERI; see www.gre.ac.uk/iu-ceri). IU-CERI has identified agricultural and industrial wastes from India that can be converted into value-added products such as construction materials by using carbon dioxide and commercial low-carbon technology (P. J. Gunning et al. Proc. Inst. Civil Eng. Construct. Mater. 164, 231–239; 2011). These products meet European specifications for lightweight aggregates. Implementing this technology will help to utilize India's abundant wastes from agriculture (more than 800 million tonnes), mining and industry (more than 400 million tonnes). These sectors will benefit from economic gains and smaller carbon footprints. Other likely benefits include diversion of waste from burning or landfill, sustainable production of construction materials, and more-consistent supply chains in regions with sparse natural resources

Using elemental concentrations and dust loadings as metrics of human exposure to potentially toxic elements in kindergarten indoor dust

Due to the hand-to-mouth activities frequently observed among the youngest children, they are likely to ingest higher amounts of indoor dust than adults. Since pre-schoolers are prone to exposure to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) through the ingestion route, characterising human exposure within kindergarten microenvironments is paramount for children who spend considerable time in school. Ergo, a study encompassing five kindergartens in an industrial city was performed. Indoor dust samples were collected from the kindergartens. The present study reports dust metal concentrations and metal loadings to estimate indoor exposure to PTEs. Total concentrations of chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the of the <63 μm and <250 μm particle size fractions of the indoor dust. The results show that the elemental loadings vary widely among the different kindergartens but are consistently higher in the finer dust size fraction. Non-parametric analysis (Spearman's rank-order correlation) shows strong and significant (p<0.001) positive correlations between total dust loading - dust elemental loading. Relatively strong correlations were also obtained between elemental loadings and elemental concentrations, but the relationship is only significant for Ni and Pb. The strong correlation (rs= 0.73) between Pb concentration and dust Pb loading suggests that total dust loading has a greater influence on dust Pb loading. The results suggest a negligible influence of dust mass over the dust elemental loading for elements such as Cd, Co, Cr and As

Effect of Atmospheric cold Plasma on the Functional Properties of Whole Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Grain and Wheat Flour

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) has emerged as a novel processing technology, with demonstrated efficiencies in microbial inactivation. However, studies on the effects of ACP and potential to modify the functional properties of foods are sparse. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of ACP on physico-chemical and functional properties of wheat flour. In this study, both whole wheat grains and wheat flour were subjected to a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) contained plasma reactor for a range of treatment times (5–30 min) at 80 kV. Plasma treatment increased the flour hydration properties of wheat flour. Rapid visco-analyser results showed an increase in pasting and the final viscosities of wheat flour. The decrease in both endothermic enthalpies and crystallinity was attributed to the depolymerization of starch and plasma-induced changes. Overall DBD-ACP treatment can be tailored to develop a plasma process with potential to improve functionality of wheat flour

The life, death and diversity of pro-government militias: The fully revised pro-government militias database version 2.0

This article presents version 2.0 of the Pro-Government Militias Database (PGMD). It is increasingly clear that it is untenable to assume a unified security sector, as states often rely on militias to carry out security tasks. The PGMD 2.0 provides new opportunities for studying questions such as when states rely on militias, how they chose among different types and the consequences for stability and peace. We detail how the PGMD 2.0 provides new information on the characteristics, behaviour, life cycle and organization of 504 pro-government militias across the globe between 1981 and 2014

Young people\u27s alcohol use in and around water: A scoping review of the literature

Issues: The surrounding social and commercial context, including alcohol advertising, heavily influences alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is a major risk factor for both fatal and non-fatal drowning, particularly for young people. Approach: We conducted a scoping review to explore the peer-reviewed literature on the use of alcohol by young people (aged 15–34 years) in the context of aquatic environments. Five electronic academic databases were searched for English-language studies conducted in high-income countries and published in the last 15 years (since 2008). The MetaQAT framework was used to assess methodological quality of included studies. Key Findings: The review included a total of 24 studies, including those addressing the prevalence of and/or risk factors for alcohol use in aquatic environments among young people (n = 13); the epidemiology of alcohol-related unintentional drowning in young people (n = 9); and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm around water (n = 3). Findings suggest that young people commonly consume alcohol around water, particularly young men. We found multiple influences on this behaviour, including the perception of risk, location of aquatic activity and presence of others, particularly peers. Implications: Understanding the literature addressing alcohol use around water among young people will assist in identifying and setting priorities for drowning prevention, including the need to mitigate the effects of alcohol advertising which promotes drinking in and around water. Conclusion: There is a clear imperative to address the use of alcohol by young people in aquatic environments. These findings have key implications for public health policy, advocacy and practice

A genomic snapshot of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in Colombia.

Little is known about the genetic diversity of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) circulating in Latin America. It has been observed that typhoid fever is still endemic in this part of the world; however, a lack of standardized blood culture surveillance across Latin American makes estimating the true disease burden problematic. The Colombian National Health Service established a surveillance system for tracking bacterial pathogens, including S. Typhi, in 2006. Here, we characterized 77 representative Colombian S. Typhi isolates collected between 1997 and 2018 using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE; the accepted genotyping method in Latin America) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). We found that the main S. Typhi clades circulating in Colombia were clades 2.5 and 3.5. Notably, the sequenced S. Typhi isolates from Colombia were closely related in a global phylogeny. Consequently, these data suggest that these are endemic clades circulating in Colombia. We found that AMR in S. Typhi in Colombia was uncommon, with a small subset of organisms exhibiting mutations associated with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. This is the first time that S. Typhi isolated from Colombia have been characterized by WGS, and after comparing these data with those generated using PFGE, we conclude that PFGE is unsuitable for tracking S. Typhi clones and mapping transmission. The genetic diversity of pathogens such as S. Typhi is limited in Latin America and should be targeted for future surveillance studies incorporating WGS