Development of a Laboratory Based Sustainability Course for Environmental Engineers

An understanding of sustainability is important for all engineering students, but especially for Environmental Engineers who will be taking leadership roles on sustainability issues. This paper will discuss the development of a graduate and senior level course which provides the knowledge, computational, and experimental skills in sustainability for these future engineering leaders. The course includes both lecture and laboratory sections

Environmental Management of Wastes in the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries

The management of wastes in the semiconductor and electronics industries requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers the health and safety of employees as well as the treatment and recycling of waste materials. The manufacturing of semiconductor devices requires the use of many toxic chemicals and gases. Air emissions from manufacturing tools must be carefully monitored both inside and outside of the fabrication facility. Liquid effluents must be collected and pretreated before discharge to local wastewater systems. The subsequent use and eventual discard of electronic devices such as television sets and personal computers by consumers has created a new set of recycling and reuse problems. This paper will discuss approaches to the manufacturing and post-consumer disposal of electronic components and devices

WASTE TRUCK FIRE RESEARCH AND TRAINING

Poster Presented at the Solid Waste Association of North America Western Region Symposium, Monterey, CA April 3 - 6, 202

Microcomputer Solid Waste Financial Model

Applications of a microcomputer based solid waste financial model will be described. The model is written as an overlay to the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet program. It makes use of the Lotus 1-2-3 macro programming capabilities and is menu driven, requiring minimal computer skills for use. The model allows engineers to estimate costs for recycling centers, waste-to-energy plants, and landfills. Outputs include summary tables of operational and capital costs, as well as a 20 year proforma income statement. The model was developed for the California Waste Management Board, an agency of the State of California, and will be distributed by them

Thermal Gasification of Densified Sewage Sludge and Solid Waste

The disposal of sewage sludge in an economic and environmentally acceptable manner is a problem common to all communities that have municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Similarly, all communities are faced with the disposal of increasing quantities of solid waste. The co-disposal of sludge and solid waste in a common facility is a potential solution to both of these problems. The results of an experimental program to verify the feasibility of the gasification process for the co-disposal of densified sludge and source separated solid waste are presented in this paper

Source Reduction and Recycling Programs at a Joint Venture Automobile Assembly Plant

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) is a vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California. NUMMI began operations in 1984 as ajoint venture of General Motors Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. In 1995, NUMMI produced 94,280 Geo Prizms, 135,112 Toyota Corollas, and 123,257 Toyota Tacoma trucks. NUMMI conducts its manufacturing operations using the Toyota Production System (TPS). A key element of TPS is the elimination of waste. This includes wasted energy, space, labor, and production materials. Waste reduction, i.e., source reduction, is part of NUMMI\u27s corporate culture and every team member is encouraged to continuously seek out new waste reduction opportunities. NUMMI\u27s management believes that the team members who actually do the work are the people most effective in reducing waste. To motivate team members to aggressively seek out waste reduction opportunities, NUMMI has a very liberal and generous suggestion program. Each year millions of dollars are saved by adopting team member suggestions. Management\u27s responsibility is to work with the team members to develop and implement ideas for reducing waste. Management supports the team members with the technical and financial resources necessary to successfully implement a waste reduction project. Waste reduction projects are often classic examples of labor-management teamwork in problem solving, and process improvement. Last year NUMMI and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, conducted a joint waste reduction study. Graduate and upper division environmental engineering students came to NUMMI to evaluate certain waste producing operations for possible reductions. The students prepared detailed analyses of the operations and suggested ways to reduce waste. The project is now at the stage where NUMMI team members and management are reviewing the suggestions for implementation. This paper will discuss ongoing waste reduction and recycling activities at NUMMI and the preliminary results of the Cal Poly student project

Gasification of Densified Sludge and Wastepaper in a Downdraft Packed-Bed Gasifier

The co-disposal of densified sludge and wastepaper in a co-current flow packed bed gasifier represents new application of the thermal gasification process. Advantages of this technology include lower costs than other incineration or pyrolysis technologies, simple construction and operation, and the ability to use a variety of fuels including agricultural wastes and other biomass materials in addition to densified sludge and wastepaper

Techniques for Modeling Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Landfills

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Air Estimation Model (LAEEM), combined with either the AP-42 or CAA landfill emission factors, provide a basis to predict air emissions, including hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), from municipal solid waste landfills. This paper presents alternative approaches for estimating HAP emissions from landfills. These approaches include analytical solutions and estimation techniques that account for convection, diffusion, and biodegradation of HAPs. Results from the modeling of a prototypical landfill are used as the basis for discussion with respect to LAEEM results

Solid Waste Resource Recovery Alternatives, U.S. Facility, Subic Bay, Philippines

The U.S. Navy Public Works Center, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines (PWC Subic Bay) is responsible for the collection and disposal of almost 300,000 yd3 of solid waste annually. A portion of this solid waste is manually sorted and recycled, resulting in gross revenues of over $200,000 in FY82. The present manual sorting and recycling system is considered by PWC Subic Bay to be inadequate in terms of sanitation, safety, and recyclable materials recovery. Therefore , PWC Subic Bay requested that the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory (NCEL) study the system and recommend improvements

Experimental Infection of Mice with Avian Paramyxovirus Serotypes 1 to 9

The nine serotypes of avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) are frequently isolated from domestic and wild birds worldwide. APMV-1, also called Newcastle disease virus, was shown to be attenuated in non-avian species and is being developed as a potential vector for human vaccines. In the present study, we extended this evaluation to the other eight serotypes by evaluating infection in BALB/c mice. Mice were inoculated intranasally with a prototype strain of each of the nine serotypes and monitored for clinical disease, gross pathology, histopathology, virus replication and viral antigen distribution, and seroconversion. On the basis of multiple criteria, each of the APMV serotypes except serotype 5 was found to replicate in mice. Five of the serotypes produced clinical disease and significant weight loss in the following order of severity: 1, 2>6, 9>7. However, disease was short-lived. The other serotypes produced no evident clinical disease. Replication of all of the APMVs except APMV-5 in the nasal turbinates and lungs was confirmed by the recovery of infectious virus and by substantial expression of viral antigen in the epithelial lining detected by immunohistochemistry. Trace levels of infectious APMV-4 and -9 were detected in the brain of some animals; otherwise, no virus was detected in the brain, small intestine, kidney, or spleen. Histologically, infection with the APMVs resulted in lung lesions consistent with broncho-interstitial pneumonia of varying severity that were completely resolved at 14 days post infection. All of the mice infected with the APMVs except APMV-5 produced serotype-specific HI serum antibodies, confirming a lack of replication of APMV-5. Taken together, these results demonstrate that all APMV serotypes except APMV-5 are capable of replicating in mice with minimal disease and pathology