Traffic Noise Pollution in a Historical City Center - Case Study Project within Environmental Engineering Field of Study

Abstract Noise reduction for urban areas, especially noise generated by traffic is one of the major problems in today's European cities. This paper is focused on more aspects that are addressing to traffic noise, like pavement, driver's behavior, frequency of stops, pick hours, traffic agglomerations, etc. Research leading to this paper was conducted within the project "Adaptation to the Climate Change" developed in partnership with Environmental protection Agency Sibiu, focusing for this case study on traffic related pollution in a historical city center of Sibiu. Were considered three types of pavements (cobblestones, streets covered with dense asphalt, and graded asphalt road surfaces), three types of vehicles (small passenger car, family car and SUV), and testing's were done using 3M Quest SoundPro Sonometer. Higher noise levels were registered for cobblestone and dense asphalt surfaces. Acoustic measurements and maps emphasizing studied are presented, and the identified parameters considered to be related to the traffic noise are given

Environmental assessment of the Sibiu County, Romania: proposal for sewage sludge and OFMSW management

The aim of the work is to assess current solid waste management (SWM) and wastewater treatment (WWT) in the county of Sibiu, Romania. Sibiu is a region where industrialization and tourism are spreading constantly, while pollution monitoring and the introduction of circular economy (CE) principles are still lacking. The environmental issues are mostly due to the absence of reliable sanitation systems, in particular for what concerns sewage sludge treatment. Moreover, Organic fraction from selective collection of municipal solid waste is still missing, since it is disposed of directly to landfill, increasing environmental pollution and contributing considerably to global warming. As a result, SWM and WWT should be improved at the same time, as sludge requires specific handlings in order to be safety disposed. The objective of the study is to investigate the introduction of affordable technological facilities able to treat sludge and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, recovering, at least, the energy required for the working phase of the treatment plants. Anaerobic digestion resulted viable, but the organic fraction full stream collection seems to be the only way to have a significant energy recovery. From the financial point of view, the feasibility of this co-treatment option could count on specific opportunities that Romania has in the frame of the European Union context

Unconventional reducing gases monitoring in everyday places

Air pollution, be it indoors or outdoors, is a major environmental health concern as it can lead to serious health effects, such as respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer. Much progress has been made in Europe in improving outdoor air quality and limit values have been set for several pollutant. However, indoor air quality also requires attention because this is where we spend most of our time. Measurements at appropriate spatial and temporal scales are essential for understanding and monitoring heterogeneous environments with complex and highly variable emission sources, such as in urban areas. However, the costs and complexity of conventional air quality measurements methods means that measurement networks are generally extremely sparse. Low-cost, easy-to-use sensors to monitor air quality are exploded in recent years. They can be considered the \u201cnext-generation air monitors\u201d. The data collected might be used to improve communities and, eventually, affect how air quality is monitored and regulated. They are marketed as tools to empower citizen to learn about the air they breathe and to use their findings to take actions. Therefore, the development of low-cost air quality sensors, an increasingly aware and engaged public, and a government more willing to accept and help citizen collect data could mark a turning point in how air pollution is monitored and addressed in the country. In this study, measures of reducing gases were taken in indoor and outdoor unconventional environments, poorly investigated in the past. The levels of these gases were investigated by means of a SensordroneTM low-cost multi-sensor in a household kitchen and in three different gas stations. The results highlight that these sensors well interpret the qualitative behavior of the oxide - reduction reactions. Future technologies could link reducing gas\u2019 concentrations with value of electrical resistance. These developments will allow a better control of human exposure to air pollution also in other sectors as biological treatments of waste and industrial sectors where fugitive emissions are still a problem.Air pollution, be it indoors or outdoors, is a major environmental health concern as it can lead to serious health effects, such as respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer. Much progress has been made in Europe in improving outdoor air quality and limit values have been set for several pollutants. However, indoor air quality also requires attention because this is where we spend most of our time. Measurements at appropriate spatial and temporal scales are essential for understanding and monitoring heterogeneous environments with complex and highly variable emission sources, such as in urban areas. However, the costs and complexity of conventional air quality measurements methods means that measurement networks are generally extremely sparse. Low-cost, easy-to-use sensors to monitor air quality are exploded in recent years. They can be considered the next-generation air monitors. The data collected might be used to improve communities and, eventually, affect how air quality is monitored and regulated. They are marketed as tools to empower citizen to learn about the air they breathe and to use their findings to take actions. Therefore, the development of low-cost air quality sensors, an increasingly aware and engaged public, and a government more willing to accept and help citizen collect data could mark a turning point in how air pollution is monitored and addressed in the country. In this study, measures of reducing gases were taken in indoor and outdoor unconventional environments, poorly investigated in the past. The levels of these gases were investigated by means of a Sensordrone(TM) low-cost multi-sensor in a household kitchen and in three different gas stations. The results highlight that these sensors well interpret the qualitative behavior of the oxide - reduction reactions. Future technologies could link reducing gas concentrations with value of electrical resistance. These developments will allow a better control of human exposure to air pollution also in other sectors as biological treatments of waste and industrial sectors where fugitive emissions are still a problem. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd