Direct Conversion of Food Waste into 3D Porous Carbon Traps for Selective Adsorption of Cationic Dyes

Conversion of waste biomass into valuable functional materials accomplishes the concept of circular economy in the development of sustainable waste management, and also recovery of such resources possibly reduces the requirement of feedstocks. In this scenario, the development of methodologies toward the direct conversion of the raw biomass into solid adsorbent materials without the use of any templates is highly desirable, but exceptionally challenging due to the complexity of the process. Here the direct synthesis of 3D porous carbon traps by a simple, cost-effective, and template-free process starting from a kitchen-based recipe and fermented food waste is described. Precisely, a robust carbon trap is formed with a spongy structure and highly interconnected hierarchical pores after the pyrolysis of a rice-based foam in the air. The developed materials float on water and interact efficiently with cationic dyes at static conditions. Importantly, such performance of the 3D carbon traps is not affected in the presence of anionic dyes, indicating the excellent selectivity towards the adsorption of cationic dyes. The adsorbent can be easily recovered and reused for up to 3 cycles without releasing any byproducts, thus, without causing hazardous risk of any secondary pollution to the environment.     

Field Survey and Numerical Simulations: A Review of the 1998 Papua New Guinea Tsunami

— The Papua New Guinea (PNG) tsunami of 1998 is re-examined through a detailed review of the field survey as well as numerous numerical computations. The discussion of the field survey explores a number of possible misinterpretations of the recorded data. The survey data are then employed by a numerical model as a validation tool. A Boussinesq model and a nonlinear shallow water wave (NLSW) model are compared in order to quantify the effect of frequency dispersion on the landslide-generated tsunami. The numerical comparisons indicate that the NLSW model is a poor estimator of offshore wave heights. However, due to what appears to be depth-limited breaking seaward of Sissano spit, both numerical models are in agreement in the prediction of maximum water elevations at the overtopped spit. By comparing three different hot-start initial profiles of the tsunami wave, it is shown that the initial shape and orientation of the tsunami wave is secondary to the initial displaced water mass in regard to prediction of water elevations on the spit. These numerical results indicate that agreement between numerical prediction of runup values with field recorded values at PNG cannot be used to validate either a NLSW tsunami propagation model or a specific landslide tsunami hot-start initial condition. Finally, with the use of traditional tsunami codes, a new interpretation of the PNG runup measurements is presented.     

Optimum damping in linear isolation systems

Optimum isolation damping for minimum acceleration response of base-isolated structures subjected to stationary random excitation is investigated. Three linear models are considered to account for the energy dissipation mechanism of the isolation system: a Kelvin element, a linear hysteretic element and a standard solid linear element, commonly used viscoelastic models for isolation systems comprising natural rubber bearings and viscous dampers. The criterion selected for optimality is the minimization of the mean-square floor acceleration response. The effects of the frequency content of the excitation and superstructure properties on the optimum damping and on the mean-square acceleration response are addressed. The study basically shows that the attainable reduction in the floor acceleration largely depends on the energy dissipation mechanism assumed for the isolation system as well as on the frequency content of the ground acceleration process. Special care should be taken in accurately modelling the mechanical behaviour of the energy dissipation devices.     

A four-parameter,two degree-of-freedom block-spring model: Effect of the driver velocity

We analyze the effect of tectonic plate velocities in the earthquake pattern using a simple mass-spring model of the Burridge and Knopoff type with two blocks and a velocity-weakening friction law. Previous versions of the two-block model assume a steady driver during slip events (limit of zero driver velocity), which, in some cases makes necessary the introduction of artificial parameters to start the numerical integration of the equations of motion at impending slip of any block. Still maintaining the condition of zero driver velocity during slip, we shall introduce a procedure to start the numerical integration without introducing artificial parameters and this will be done by using a linearized version of the equations of motion valid for small velocities and considering nonzero driver velocity. We also introduce a four parameter model in which the driver velocity enters the equations during the whole simulation, and analyze the effect of the new parameter, the driver velocity, in the displacement and time patterns of blocks motion, directly related to earthquake statistics such as coseismic slips and average repeat times.     

Non-parametric copulas for circular–linear and circular–circular data: an application to wind directions

This paper proposes a nonparametric approach to estimating the dependence relationships between circular variables and other circular or linear variables using copulas. The proposed method is based on the use of Bernstein copulas which are a very flexible class of non-parametric copulas which allows for the approximation of any kind of dependence structure, including non symmetric relationships. In particular, we present a simple procedure to adapt Bernstein copulas to the circular framework and guarantee that the constructed bivariate distributions are strictly continuous. We provide two illustrative case studies, the first on the relation between wind direction and quantity of rainfall in the North of Spain and the second on the dependence between the wind directions in two nearby buoys at the Atlantic ocean.     

A simple model accounting for the uptake,transport, and deposition of wind‐eroded mineral particles in the hyperarid coastal Atacama Desert of northern Chile

As previously observed in marine sediments collected downwind of African or South American continental sources, recent studies of sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay in north Chile (23°S) show a laminated structure in which the amount of particles of aeolian origin and their size create significant differences between the layers. This suggests inter‐annual to inter‐decadal variations in the strength of the local southerly winds responsible for (1) the erosion of the adjacent hyperarid surface of the Mejillones Pampa, and (2) the subsequent transport of the eroded particles towards the bay. A simple model accounting for the vertical uptake, transport, and deposition of the particles initially set into motion by wind at the surface of the pampa is proposed. This model, which could be adapted to other locations, assumes that the initial rate of (vertical) uptake is proportional to the (horizontal) saltation flux quantified by means of White's equation, that particles are lifted to a height (H), increasing with the magnitude of turbulence, and that sedimentation progressively removes the coarsest particles from the air column as it moves towards the bay. In this model, the proportionality constant (A) linking the vertical flux of particles with the horizontal flux, and the injection height (H) control the magnitude and size distribution of the deposition flux in the bay. Their values are determined using the wind speed measured over the pampa and the size distribution of particles collected in sediment traps deployed in the bay as constraints. After calibration, the model is used to assess the sensitivity of the deposition flux to the wind intensity variations. The possibility of performing such quantitative studies is necessary for interpreting precisely the variability of the aeolian material in the sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of the contribution of natural sources of radiation to the total dose received by workers

People working with ionising radiation are receiving radiation coming from artificial and natural sources. In Spain, as in many other countries, there is a serious control by the national authorities, Spanish Nuclear Safety Council, of the dose the workers receive from artificial sources. However, until the publication of the European Basic Safety Standards Directive, 96/29/EURATOM, the old criteria referring to the “above natural background” were widely used. This directive was incorporated to the Spanish legislation in July 2001 (BOE 178); in its Title VII it recommends to evaluate the dose coming from natural sources and take it into account for establishing the safety criteria. It is noteworthy to assess the natural doses received at homes and the dose received by workers of radioactive installations subject to regulations, and to compare the two results. The social and economical implications of the results derived can be important in the practical application of the recommendations included in the above-mentioned BOE 178 Directive.