Waste interfaces: biodegradable waste, municipal policy and everyday practice

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the political saliency of the ever growing volumes of municipal waste produced in the UK. In this paper, we examine how one particular part of the municipal waste stream – biodegradable waste – has come under the policy spotlight. As targets to divert biodegradable waste from landfill under the Landfill Directive come into force, the need to focus explicitly on recovering value from biodegradable materials has risen up national and local policy agendas, not least with the introduction of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. Accompanying this new rationality for managing waste has been a suite of different policy interventions. In this paper we examine the impact of the changing nature of municipal waste policy and the ways in which it has sought to rework the disposal and collection of biodegradable waste. We argue that the predominantly technical framing and instrumental rationality of these interventions does not sufficiently challenge entrenched understandings regarding the boundaries between public and private responsibility for waste, and thus short-circuits their capacity to engage with everyday community/individual waste practices. In conclusion, we suggest that, in order to move waste management towards sustainability, there is a need both to engage with the institutional and infrastructural dimensions of the systems of provision within which waste management occurs, and to take seriously the everyday contexts within which making waste is practiced.     

Survey of waste water disposal practices at Antarctic research stations

To inform the future practices to be employed for handling waste water and grey water at the Swedish Antarctic station, Wasa, in Dronning Maud Land, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat took the initiative to survey the practices of the 28 nations with stations in Antarctica. A questionnaire was sent out to all members of the Antarctic Environment Officers Network during the autumn of 2005. Questions were asked about the handling of waste water and grey water, the type of sewage treatment, and installation and operational costs. The response to the questionnaire was very good (79%), and the results showed that 37% of the permanent stations and 69% of the summer stations lack any form of treatment facility. When waste water and grey water containing microorganisms are released, these microorganisms can remain viable in low-temperature Antarctic conditions for prolonged periods. Microorganisms may also have the potential to infect and cause disease, or become part of the gut flora of local bird and mammal populations, and fish and marine invertebrates. The results from 71 stations show that much can still be done by the 28 nations operating the 82 research stations in Antarctica. The technology exists for effective waste water treatment in the challenging Antarctic conditions. The use of efficient technology at all permanent Antarctic research stations would greatly reduce the human impact on the pristine Antarctic environment. In order to protect the Antarctic environment from infectious agents introduced by humans, consideration should also be given to preventing the release of untreated waste water and grey water from the smaller summer stations.     

垃圾卫生填埋中的一些岩土工程技术

垃圾卫生填埋是环境科学的重要研究内容,是一项综合性的研究课题。垃圾卫生填埋场高度和垃圾坝（或坑）深度的确定主要建立在岩土工程的稳定性理论基础上。在垃圾卫生填埋场中主要解决的防渗问题也是利用填埋场地质材料的渗透性质和现行的土工防渗技术,同时利用垃圾自身的物理力学特性解决填埋场排气等问题,而垃圾卫生填埋场的污水必须进行处理。从垃圾填埋场地质材料和垃圾自身的力学特性,结合某市垃圾卫生处理场实例对垃圾卫生填埋场中的一些岩土工程技术进行分析。     

Floating nuclear power plants: Potential implications for radioactive pollution of the northern marine environment

Recent media reports as to the development, construction and possible deployment of floating nuclear power plants in the northern regions has generated significant interest in the matter. This paper presents background to the concept of floating nuclear power plants, information as to possible designs and iterations and some aspects of potential concern with respect to safety and the potential for environmental or other impacts as a result of the development and use of such systems in the northern regions.     

Effects of shield brine on the safe disposal of waste in deep geologic environments

The salinity of groundwater increases with depth in the Canadian Shield (up to 1.3 kg/L of density). The existence of brine can be critically important for the safe geologic disposal of radioactive wastes, as dense brine can significantly retard the upward migration of radionuclides released from repositories. Static and flushing conditions of the deep brine are analyzed using a U-tube analogy model. Velocity reduction due to the presence of dense brine is derived under flushing conditions. A set of illustrative numerical simulations in a two-dimensional cross section is presented to demonstrate that dense brine can significantly influence regional groundwater flow patterns in a shield environment. It is implied from the results that (1) the existence of Shield brine can be an indicator of a hydrogeologically stable environment, (2) activities near ground surface may not perturb the stable groundwater environment in the deep brine region, and thus, (3) the deep brine region can be considered as a candidate geologic site for the safe disposal of waste. In addition to brine, other issues associated with long-term waste disposal, such as geological, glacial and seismic events, may need to be considered for the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel in a shield environment.     

Protective effects of chitosan against the hazardous effects of zinc oxide nanoparticle in freshwater crustaceans Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Moina micrura

Nanoparticle contamination in freshwater habitat leads to the drastic reduction in the population of freshwater micro crustaceans. Both Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Moina micrura were considered as the potential biological bio-tracers of freshwater ecosystem. This study describes the chemical synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using zinc nitrate as the starting material. The physico-chemical characterization of ZnO NPs was made by UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). ZnO NPs elicited 100% and 76% mortality of freshwater crustaceans, Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Moina micrura at 160 μg L⁻¹ respectively. The accumulation of ZnO NPs in the intestine and loss of antennae and carapace were clearly visualized through light microscopy. The exposure of C. cornuta and M. micrura neonates at 160 μg L⁻¹ of ZnO NPs showed abnormal swimming behaviour after 12 h. However, chitosan significantly reduced the mortality and enhanced the survival of C. cornuta and M. micrura at 100 μg ml⁻¹. This study concludes the protective effect of chitosan against the hazardous effect of ZnO NPs in C. cornuta and M. micrura.     

Field and large scale laboratory studies on dynamic properties of emplaced municipal solid waste from two dump sites at Delhi,India

Dynamic properties of municipal solid waste (MSW) from two dump sites located at Delhi, India are evaluated from field and large scale laboratory tests. Shear wave velocity (V_s) profiles of MSW, measured at these two sites using surface wave techniques, are in range of V_s data reported for MSW landfills worldwide. Representative bulk MSW samples were collected from large test pits excavated at the two dump sites to determine the near surface unit weight. Large scale undrained cyclic triaxial (CTX) tests were conducted on reconstituted MSW specimens to investigate the effect of various parameters such as composition, confining pressure, number of loading cycles, loading frequency and saturation on the dynamic properties. Undrained CTX tests, conducted on the specimens with and without fibrous materials demonstrated the effect of fibrous waste constituents on the stiffness and damping behavior of MSW. Specimens consisting of fibrous waste constituents such as plastics and textiles exhibited significantly less modulus reduction compared to specimens with negligible amount of fibrous content. The modulus reduction (G/G_max) and material damping ratio curves derived from the present study are in the range reported for MSW in the literature. The G/G_max curves from present study are in good agreement with curves recommended for MSW at Tri-Cities landfill in USA and Tianziling landfill in China. Dynamic properties evaluated from the present study add to the growing database of the worldwide dataset and can be useful for evaluating the seismic stability and associated permanent deformations of the existing dumps in and around Delhi.     

城市固体废弃物本构模型的研究现状及展望

城市固体废弃物(MSW)是由多种无机和有机成分组成的复合材料,具有高压缩性和可降解性。随着时间的变化,基本的物理力学特性发生变化,与传统土体相比,性质差异较大。城市固体废弃物的本构模型对于垃圾填埋场中土工问题的研究极其重要,考虑不同因素的影响,系统总结了国内外一些学者对MSW本构模型的研究现状,指出已有的研究成果主要考虑了荷载引起的瞬时变形、机械蠕变、生物降解、纤维物质的加筋作用等,但这些都是考虑单个因素或者将几个因素简单叠加的本构模型,并未考虑不同因素的耦合作用。结合土体本构模型的发展特点,指出了今后城市固体废弃物本构模型的研究方向和发展趋势：应当综合考虑各种因素对MSW应力-应变关系的影响,从工程实践出发,通过岩土工程、环境工程、化学工程和生物工程等学科的交叉寻求突破,形成考虑生化反应-骨架变形-水气运移-溶质迁移耦合作用的理论框架。     

掺砂率对高放废物处置库中缓冲/回填材料收缩特性的影响

缓冲/回填材料的收缩特性对高放废物处置库的长期安全性和稳定性具有重要影响。以高庙子（GMZ） 膨润土-砂混 合物缓冲/回填材料为研究对象,探究了0~50%掺砂率下,试样蒸发失水过程中的收缩特性。试验结果表明：（1） 试样的水 分蒸发过程可分为常速率阶段、减速率阶段和残余阶段,且掺砂率对各阶段水分蒸发过程均有显著影响;（2） 掺砂率对试 样缩限值基本没有影响,但收缩应变却随着掺砂率的增大而减小;试样收缩系数在掺砂率为30%时达到最大,之后随掺砂 率的增大而减小;（3） 在不同掺砂率下,试样收缩均呈现出明显的各向异性;（4） 掺砂率越高,试样进气点对应的含水率 越大,最终孔隙比也越大。