Numerical and physical assessment of control measures to mitigate fugitive dust emissions from harbor activities

In recent years, the industrial demand for petcoke—a solid residue derived from the refinement of crude oil—has been growing due to its low cost. The use of petcoke is causing environmental concern associated with its high level of contaminants and air pollutant emissions, mainly particulate matter (PM). Given the impact of petcoke on the environment and human health, increased attention has been given to its production, storage, transportation, and application processes. The main goal of this work was to assess the effectiveness of placing a barrier to reduce PM emissions from petcoke in a harbor area. The Port of Aveiro, Portugal, was used as case study. Firstly, wind tunnel experiments were performed for different types of barrier to (i) assess the effect on PM emissions of different types of barriers, namely solid, porous, and raised porous barriers; (ii) determine the optimal size and location of the barrier to achieve maximum reduction of PM emissions; and (iii) estimate the impact of placing such barrier in the attenuation of petcoke emissions over the harbor area. Secondly, the numerical model VADIS (pollutant DISpersion in the atmosphere under VAriable wind conditions) was run to evaluate the effect of implementing the barrier on the local air quality. Results showed that the best solution would be the implementation of two solid barriers: a main barrier of 109 m length plus a second barrier of 30 m length. This measure produced the best results in terms of reduction of the dispersion of particulate matter from the petcoke stockpile and minimization of the PM concentrations in the harbor surrounding area.publishe

Labour regulation and competitive performance in the port transport industry: the changing fortunes of three major European seaports

Although the European Commission has sought to promote competition in the port transport sector and recommended the adoption of `common principles' and a uniform `management philosophy', significant differences between ports persist in terms of management and labour regulation on the one hand, and operational efficiency and international competitiveness on the other. Through a social-institutional perspective, we demonstrate how labour regulation facilitated change and international competitiveness in Antwerp, but retarded the potential of technological and other productivity-enhancing developments, in different ways, in London and Le Havre. This demonstrates that, contrary to neo-liberal economic theory and the preferred (deregulatory) policy of the European Commission and many individual Member States, institutionally saturated patterns of labour regulation are more efficient than institutionally minimalist forms of organization