Evaluation of the tailings basins pollution potential

Tailings basins within mining areas may represent potential sources of environmental contamination for soil and underground water. In fact, the disposed muds are typically characterized by high concentration of heavy metals and other possibly dangerous compounds. The tailings basins built in Europe before the legal implementation of the EU Directive on the landfill of waste (Directive 99/31) were not provided with impermeable barriers. In such conditions, during the initial period of the basin life the liquid phase in the disposed residue filtrates throughout the solid phase under a unit vertical hydraulic gradient, reaching the soil underneath; afterword, when the accumulated mud forms an impermeable layer at the bottom of the basin, the same mud, under the load of the superimposed new strata, consolidates, ejecting liquids throughout the bottom. The article discusses the implementation criterion aimed at evaluating the conformity of old tailing basin to the new regulation on landfill of waste and a method for the calculation of the rate of polluted liquids released through the bottom of a tailing basin during its operative life and after its closure

Cross-Sector Partnerships and the Co-creation of Dynamic Capabilities for Stakeholder Orientation

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.This paper explores the relationship between business experience in cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) and the co-creation of what we refer to as ‘dynamic capabilities for stakeholder orientation,’ consisting of the four dimensions of (1) sensing, (2) interacting with, (3) learning from and (4) changing based on stakeholders. We argue that the co-creation of dynamic capabilities for stakeholder orientation is crucial for CSPs to create societal impact, as stakeholder-oriented organizations are more suited to deal with “wicked problems,” i.e., problems that are large, messy, and complex (Rittel and Webber, Policy Sciences 4:155–169, 1973; Waddock, Paper presented at the 3rd international symposium on cross sector social interactions, 2012). By means of a grounded theory approach of inductive research, we collected and interpreted data on four global agri-food companies which have heterogeneous experience in participating in CSPs. The results of this paper highlight that only companies’ capability of interacting with stakeholders continually increases, while their capabilities of sensing, learning from, and changing based on stakeholders first increase and then decrease as companies gain more experience in CSP participation. To a large extent, this can be attributed to the development of corporate strategies on sustainability after a few years of CSP participation, which entails a shift from a reactive to a proactive attitude towards sustainability issues and which may decrease the need or motivation for stakeholder orientation. These findings open up important issues for discussion and for future research on the impact of CSPs in a context of wicked problems

Experimental evaluation of PM emission from red mud basins exposed to wind erosion

The disposal of industrial and mineral processing residues represents a major concern for human health and the environment as a whole. In order to reduce the impact on soil and groundwater due to the waste leachability, the implementation of environmental regulations worldwide has favored the conversion of the disposal techniques from wet to dry (i.e., dry stacking or dry disposal). Such a change in the storage practice may cause the increase of particulate matter (PM) emission from the dry surfaces of the tailings exposed to wind erosion. Considering the significance of the environmental issue on a global scale and the increasingly stricter orientation of environmental policies, the need for modeling tools capable of estimating the contribution of tailing basins to air pollution becomes apparent. The paper deals with the disposal of red mud resulting from the bauxite processing in the alumina industry. An experimental research was carried with an environmental wind tunnel to estimate the Emission Factor (EF) of the basin surfaces as a function of the main affecting variables (i.e., residue water content and wind velocity). The article reports the results of the experimental test carried out on the red mud from a major basin located in Sardinia (Italy)

PM emissions from a BR basin and impact assessment on air quality

The article deals with the emission of fugitive dust from a major BR (Bauxite Residue) basin located in the south-west of Sardinia, where the prospect of a change in the storage practices is likely to cause the increase of PM (Particulate Matter) pollution in the surrounding region. In fact, other natural and anthropic sources already provide a variable contribution in terms of airborne dust concentration in the same territory. In accordance with the procedures established by the Directive 2011/92 (EIA Directive - Environmental Impact Assessment), the data recorded by a monitoring network located in the SulcisIglesiente sub-region has been taken into consideration in order to define the ante-operam condition of the potential impact area. The additional contribution of the red mud basin has been simulated with the atmospheric dispersion model proposed by US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The expected whole concentration of the PM10, which includes both the pre-existing sources and the additional contribution of the red mud basin, has been estimated and compared with the limit values established by the Directive 2008/50/EC (Ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe)

Mitigation of fugitive dust impact arising from BR dry disposal

The development of international policies about environmental defense has enforced some major modifications in the management of industrial tailings. As regards the disposal of the residue deriving from the bauxite processing (BR) in the alumina industry, national and international regulations have encouraged the evolution from wet to dry disposal techniques. However, such a change in the storage practices poses a major concern due to the potential increase of the atmospheric impact in the surrounding areas, due to the emissions of Particulate Matter (PM) generated both by the BR disposal activities and by the wind erosion over the dried surfaces of the landfill. The article analyses the effect of the impact mitigation measures typically adopted to control PM emissions with reference to a major red mud basin located in the southwest of Sardinia (Italy). The PM dispersion models performed with the CALPUFF code (US EPA) allowed, for the case study under consideration, the estimate of the improvement provided by moistening the dry surfaces and reducing the total length travelled par year by the machinery involved in material handling, transportation and disposal

Developing Human Capital for Agrifood Firms' Multi-Stakeholder Interactions

This essay discusses 1) the current agri-food firms’ need of interacting with multiple stakeholders to undertake sustainable strategies effectively, 2) the relationship between human capital and firm capabilities to effectively interact with multiple stakeholders and 3) a list of competencies characterizing the human capital that would meet the need of agri-food firms and which can be learned – at least to some extent – through higher education and on-the-job training

Individual competencies for managers engaged in corporate sustainable management practices

Corporations increasingly acknowledge the importance of sustainable practices. Corporate social responsibility is therefore gaining significance in the business world. Since solving corporate social responsibility issues is not a routine job, every challenge in corporate social responsibility requires its own approach; and management competencies are crucial for designing appropriate approaches towards the realization of sustainable solutions. On the basis of seven corporate social responsibility competencies synthesized from the extant literature, this research provides an empirical analysis of which of these competencies managers need in order to achieve corporate social responsibility goals within their specific context; and at which specific stage of the implementation process. The data sources are interviews with corporate social responsibility managers – whose positions and circumstances share many similarities – at four large multinational enterprises. The empirical analysis reveals that managers undertake four corporate social responsibility core tasks: I) orientation, II) reaching common ground, III) performing pilot projects, and IV) embedding results. Within the context of the analysis, the competencies: Systems Thinking, Embracing Diversity and Interdisciplinarity, Interpersonal Competence, Action Competence, and Strategic Management were found to be necessary. The Embracing Diversity and Interdisciplinarity competence was identified as the most relevant. This study contributes to the corporate social responsibility (education) literature by introducing an empirical test of which competencies are considered necessary for managers in various stages of corporate social responsibility implementation. Linking these competencies to core tasks makes them more concrete and increases the chances of interpreting them unambiguously, which in turn can aid learning trajectories in both business and education

Atomic-layer deposited thulium oxide as a passivation layer on germanium

A comprehensive study of atomic-layer deposited thulium oxide (Tm2O3) on germanium has been conducted using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vacuum ultra-violet variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The valence band offset is found to be 3.05 ± 0.2 eV for Tm2O3/p-Ge from the Tm 4d centroid and Ge 3p3/2 charge-corrected XPS core-level spectra taken at different sputtering times of a single bulk thulium oxide sample. A negligible downward band bending of ∼0.12 eV is observed during progressive differential charging of Tm 4d peaks. The optical band gap is estimated from the absorption edge and found to be 5.77 eV with an apparent Urbach tail signifying band gap tailing at ∼5.3 eV. The latter has been correlated to HRTEM and electron diffraction results corroborating the polycrystalline nature of the Tm2O3 films. The Tm2O3/Ge interface is found to be rather atomically abrupt with sub-nanometer thickness. In addition, the band line-up of reference GeO2/n-Ge stacks obtained by thermal oxidation has been discussed and derived. The observed low reactivity of thulium oxide on germanium as well as the high effective barriers for holes (∼3 eV) and electrons (∼2 eV) identify Tm2O3 as a strong contender for interfacial layer engineering in future generations of scaled high-κ gate stacks on Ge

Harnessing Wicked Problems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships

Despite the burgeoning literature on the governance and impact of cross-sector partnerships in the past two decades, the debate on how and when these collaborative arrangements address globally relevant problems and contribute to systemic change remains open. Building upon the notion of wicked problems and the literature on governing such wicked problems, this paper defines harnessing problems in multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) as the approach of taking into account the nature of the problem and of organizing governance processes accordingly. The paper develops an innovative analytical framework that conceptualizes MSPs in terms of three governance processes (deliberation, decision-making and enforce-ment) harnessing three key dimensions of wicked problems (knowledge uncertainty, value conflict and dynamic complexity). The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil provides an illustrative case study on how this analytical framework describes and explains organizational change in partnerships from a problem-based perspective. The framework can be used to better understand and predict the complex relationships between MSP governance processes, systemic change and societal problems, but also as a guiding tool in (re-)organizing governance processes to continuously re-assess the problems over time and address them accordingly