Perspective Chapter: Industrial Waste Landfills

Wastes are generated as a result of anthropogenic activities. The rapid industrialization of human society in the twenty-first century has led to an increase in the generation of industrial wastes that have negatively impacted humans and the environment. While industrial operations and techniques have improved globally, leading to a higher standard of living, economic prosperity, and healthcare delivery, industries have continued to produce waste on a scale never before seen. This chapter discussed industrial wastes, waste generation, and industries involved, waste disposal, landfilling as a disposal method, effects of waste disposal, modern techniques in industrial waste management, landfill sustainability, and regulations

An Overview of Recent Development in Composite Catalysts from Porous Materials for Various Reactions and Processes

Catalysts are important to the chemical industry and environmental remediation due to their effective conversion of one chemical into another. Among them, composite catalysts have attracted continuous attention during the past decades. Nowadays, composite catalysts are being used more and more to meet the practical catalytic performance requirements in the chemical industry of high activity, high selectivity and good stability. In this paper, we reviewed our recent work on development of composite catalysts, mainly focusing on the composite catalysts obtained from porous materials such as zeolites, mesoporous materials, carbon nanotubes (CNT), etc. Six types of porous composite catalysts are discussed, including amorphous oxide modified zeolite composite catalysts, zeolite composites prepared by co-crystallization or overgrowth, hierarchical porous catalysts, host-guest porous composites, inorganic and organic mesoporous composite catalysts, and polymer/CNT composite catalysts

Multi-criteria modelling of drought: a study of Brandenburg Federal State, Germany

Drought is the absence or below-required supply of precipitation, runoff and or moisture for an extended time period. Modelling drought is relevant in assessing drought incidence and pattern. This study aimed to model the spatial variation and incidence of the 2018 drought in Brandenburg using GIS and remote sensing. To achieve this, we employed a Multi-Criteria Approach (MCA) by using three parameters including Precipitation, Land Surface Temperature and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We acquired the precipitation data from Deutsche Wetterdienst, Land Surface Temperature and NDVI from Landsat 8 imageries on the USGS Earth Explorer. The datasets were analyzed using ArcGIS 10.7. The information from these three datasets was used as parameters in assessing drought prevalence using the MCA. The MCA was used in developing the drought model, ‘PLAN’, which was used to classify the study area into three levels/zones of drought prevalence: moderate, high and extreme drought. We went further to quantify the agricultural areas affected by drought in the study area by integrating the land use map. Results revealed that 92% of the study area was severely and highly affected by drought especially in districts of Oberhavel, Uckermark, Potsdam-Staedte, and Teltow-Flaeming. Finding also revealed that 77.54% of the total agricultural land falls within the high drought zones. We advocated for the application of drought models (such as ‘PLAN’), that incorporates flexibility (tailoring to study needs) and multi-criteria (robustness) in drought assessment. We also suggested that adaptive drought management should be championed using drought prevalence mapping.Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (1040

Intrazeolite chemistry of bimetallic complexes and asymmetric salen epoxidation catalysts

In ongoing efforts to develop new catalytic applications involving zeolites, heteronuclear bimetallic complexes were synthesized and anchored in zeolites. The intrazeaolite reactivity of these complexes were studied using various techniques such as Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (EXAFS), Fourier Transform Infrared-Temperature Programmed Desorption-Mass spectroscopy (FTIR-TPD-MS), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Results obtained from investigating the reactivity of these systems are reported along with their catalytic activity. In another effort, we report successful incorporation of a chiral Manganese(III) salen complex in hexagonal faujasite zeolite (EMT). Due to the size and rigidity of the chiral complex after synthesis inside the zeolite, it is physically entrapped inside the zeolite pore structure (Ship in a Bottle). The resulting heterogenous system was simulated using molecular modeling and then physically characterized using a variety of analytical techniques. These techniques include XRF (X-ray Fluorescence), diffuse reflectance UV/VIS, ESR (Electron Spin Resonance), FTIR Spectroscopy and Nitrogen Adsorption Analysis. Various prochiral olefins were used to probe the heterogenous catalytic activity of this system in asymmetric epoxidations. The highest enantiomeric excess (ee) obtained was 80% for cis-$\beta$-methylstyrene oxide. Experimental evidence indicates that the encapsulated complex does not leach

Multi-criteria modelling of drought: a study of Brandenburg Federal State, Germany

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Drought is the absence or below-required supply of precipitation, runoff and or moisture for an extended time period. Modelling drought is relevant in assessing drought incidence and pattern. This study aimed to model the spatial variation and incidence of the 2018 drought in Brandenburg using GIS and remote sensing. To achieve this, we employed a Multi-Criteria Approach (MCA) by using three parameters including Precipitation, Land Surface Temperature and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We acquired the precipitation data from Deutsche Wetterdienst, Land Surface Temperature and NDVI from Landsat 8 imageries on the USGS Earth Explorer. The datasets were analyzed using ArcGIS 10.7. The information from these three datasets was used as parameters in assessing drought prevalence using the MCA. The MCA was used in developing the drought model, ‘PLAN’, which was used to classify the study area into three levels/zones of drought prevalence: moderate, high and extreme drought. We went further to quantify the agricultural areas affected by drought in the study area by integrating the land use map. Results revealed that 92% of the study area was severely and highly affected by drought especially in districts of Oberhavel, Uckermark, Potsdam-Staedte, and Teltow-Flaeming. Finding also revealed that 77.54% of the total agricultural land falls within the high drought zones. We advocated for the application of drought models (such as ‘PLAN’), that incorporates flexibility (tailoring to study needs) and multi-criteria (robustness) in drought assessment. We also suggested that adaptive drought management should be championed using drought prevalence mapping.</jats:p&gt

A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies

The increase in world population growth and its resultant increase in industrial production to meet its need, have continued to raise the volume of wastewater received by treatment plant facilities. This has expectedly, led to an upsurge in the volume of sewage sludge and biosolids generated from wastewater treatment systems. Biosolids are best managed by application on land because of their agronomic benefits. However, this usage has been discovered to negatively affect humans and impact the environment due to the accumulation of minute concentrations of contaminants still present in the biosolid after treatment, hence the need for government regulations. This review article examined the fate and effects of pollutants, especially persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) of concern and emerging contaminants found in biosolids used for land applications, and also discussed government regulations on biosolid reuse from the perspectives of the two major regulations governing biosolid land application-the EU's Sludge Directive and USEPA's Part 503 Rule, in an attempt to draw attention to their outdated contents since enactment, as they do not currently meet the challenges of biosolid land application and thus, require a comprehensive update. Any update efforts should focus on USEPA's Part 503 Rule, which is less stringent on the allowable concentration of biosolid pollutants. Furthermore, an update should include specific regulations on new and emerging contaminants and persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) such as microplastics, pharmaceutical and personal care products (P&PCPs), surfactants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, flame retardants, pathogens, and organic pollutants; further reduction of heavy metal standard limits, and consideration of soil phosphate-metal interactions to regulate biosolid agronomic loading rate. Future biosolid research should focus on the concentration of TCS, TCC, and emerging pharmaceuticals, as well as Microplastic transport in biosolid-amended soils, soil-plant transfer mechanism, and metabolism of PFAs in the soils; all of which will inform government policies on biosolid application on land

The Use of Vetiver Grass Slips in Removing Heavy Metal Contamination of Dumpsite in Ibadan Metropolis

Refuse for different sources are indiscriminately dumped at various sites within Ibadan metropolis. These dumpsites are prone to high levels of contaminants high in toxic substances particularly heavy metals. Heavy metals polluted materials are known to have injurious effects on man's health and livelihood because of the poor waste management system put in place. Experiments were conducted to test the efficiency and efficacy of using Vetiveria nigritana(VN) and Vetiveria zizaniodies(VZ) grass species in removing cadmium(Cd), arsenic(As) and lead(Pb) and improving soil quality of dumpsite. Sixty samples were randomly collected from Bodija market dumpsite at a depth of 0-100cm. Pre-trial composite soil and vetiver slips were analyzed for levels of heavy metal contaminant. The treatments consisted of VZ, VN and a control (without vetiver grass) in pots filled with 5kg of dumpsite and replicated four times in a screen house experiment. There was no difference in the heavy metal absorption sequence of the two vetiver species. Higher amounts of Cd were absorbed by vetiver shoots ). Relative to the initial heavy metal contaminants of the dumpsite soil, the vetiver grasses were able to remove nearly all the Cd in the dumpsite soil (98%) while the absorbed Pb by vetiver grass was about (30%). There was no evidence that As was absorbed from the soil. Vetiver grass reduced the concentration of lead and Cd in the soil below the tolerant level. Hence, would serve as an agent of bioremediation of heavy metal polluted soils