Fixed-bed adsorptive removal of metanil yellow from simulated wastewater in a fixed-bed column by nitric acid-treated-H3PO4-activated carbon (NATPAAC) from oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre

We carried out fixed-bed column adsorption of metanil yellow from simulated wastewater on NATPAAC derived from oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre so as to determine the adsorption capacity, qe, of the carbon under the effects of inlet concentration, Co, carbon bed height, H and dye solution flow rate, Q. Our results indicate that the optimum qe was 15.982 mg/g by Co 25 mg/L, H 4.1cm and Q 8 mL/min. In the study, qe was observed to decrease with increase in Co and Q. The optimum bed height was 4.1cm. Our experimental data were modelled by applying Thomas and Yoon-Nelson kinetic models. Correlation coefficient, R2 values (generally above 0.85) show that the two kinetic approaches provide an effective model of the experimental data. We conclude that oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre has potential as a precursor for production of carbon for acid-dye removal from wastewater

Spatial representation and specification of ecosystem services: a methodology using land use/land cover data and stakeholder engagement

The challenge for implementing an ecosystems approach to environmental decision-making processes, such as spatial planning, is to understand the range, nature and amount of ecosystem services currently provided and the potential for such service provision in the future. The ability to spatially represent ecosystems services is a critical element of the evidence base on which to make decisions about how physical space is used most effectively and sustainably, and the way people and activities are distributed at different spatial scales. This paper reports on the outcomes of a research project originally undertaken for the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which developed a methodology for mapping ecosystem services using GIS and readily available, existing land use/land cover datasets. Critical components of the methodology, in order to determine which datasets are appropriate for which services, are network analysis and stakeholder engagement techniques, to define the relevant typology of ecosystem services and their relationship to land use/land cover types. The methodology was developed and tested successfully in the context of green grid (green infrastructure) networks in a major UK regeneration area, the Thames Gateway, to the east of London, and its potential use in impact assessment further explored through a number of case studies