A study on awareness of household waste separation in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor: rural areas

Malaysia is embarking on green initiatives which have been expressly stipulated in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). In order to transform ideas into reality, the government has identified six strategic thrusts and six game changers that will help Malaysia to stay ahead of global challenges and opportunities in the next five years. In one of the strategic thrusts, the government has planned a greener trajectory for sustainability and resilience [1]. As a result, governmental agencies such as the Department of Environment (DOE) has been given the mandate to conserve and protect the environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. Among the ways applied by the government for solving environmental problems, especially waste generation, include waste minimization, compost and incineration. The Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (SWPCM Act 2007) came into force on 1 September 2011. It was administered by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The main objective of the act is to regulate the management of controlled solid waste and to ensure high-quality services in solid waste management [2]. Apart from the government, the community should also play its role in minimizing waste generation at household level

Study on Acoustic Emission Characteristics and Damage Evolution Law of Shale under Uniaxial Compression

Investigating the correlation between acoustic emission (AE) parameters and damage mechanisms in rock mechanics can help understand rock damage evolution under loading and provide a theoretical basis for engineering support and safety detection. Therefore, this paper presents experimental works on the correlation between AE and failure mechanisms of rock mass under uniaxial compression stress, with the aim of capturing the damage evolution leading to a new damage constitutive model. The experimental results indicate that the uniaxial compression process of shale can be divided into four stages according to AE characteristics. AE signals are minimal during the crack compaction and elastic stages. The crack initiation strength σci, which is approximately 55% of the uniaxial compressive strength, is identified when the cumulative AE counts and damage factor begin to increase slowly. When axial stress reaches the damage strength σcd, which is approximately 80% of the uniaxial compressive strength, a significant number of AE signals are generated. AE phenomena can be observed during the unstable crack development and post-crack stages. Considering the initial damage to the rock, the damage factor D initially decreases and then increases with increasing cumulative ring-down counts rather than exhibiting a monotonic increase. The damage factor D is proportional to the cumulative AE counts N in the stage before rock failure