Formation Mechanism and Performance of Dynamic Membrane Technology for Municipal Wastewater Treatment - A Review

This review presents the recent state of Dynamic membrane (DM) technology as the alternative for Ultrafiltration, Microfiltration and membrane bioreactor (MBR) system.

DM technology involves the application of physical materials such as mesh or clothes as a barrier that enhances the formation of a cake layer on their surfaces. This technology has been used extensively in local filtration processes.

DM has a lower risk of membrane fouling, lower capital cost and requires little energy compared to MBR. The performance of DM was evaluated to obtain a suitable method for membrane filtration technology. Further suggestion to encourage the application of this technology in wastewater treatment plant was given.

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Stakeholders Capacity Building and Participation in Monitoring and Evaluation of Urban Water Supply and Health Projects in Kenya: Case of Kisii Town, Kisii Country

This study sought to investigate the role of capacity building on stakeholders’ participation in M&E urban Water and Health projects initiated by the county government of Kisii Central Ward.

This research project was guided by research questions based on the objective aforementioned. Data was collected using the questionnaire and interview schedules from county officers, public health officers, water officers, project committee members in Kisii Town.

Reliability of research instruments were tested using test-retest technique and validated by experts in academic research. Stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were used to select the sample size of 45 respondents.

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Factors Influencing Increases in Residential Recycling System Costs for Ontarios Blue Box program

This study undertook an extensive overview of the state of recycling in Ontario, including detailed discussions on the types of material being generated and diverted and the economics of Blue Box recycling.

Specifically, this study examined how Blue Box generation, recovery and costs have changed over time, and identified trends in the data to suggest that material management costs are increasing inordinately relative to the quantities of material being recovered.

While it is difficult to specifically isolate the cause for rising system costs, there is evidence in the data to suggest that high cost "fringe" materials now comprise a larger share all material being generated in the province.

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Infill Development: an Approach to the Optimal and Intelligent Development of Cities - Case Study: Zone 8 of Tabriz

One of the most important issues in the development of modern cities is the dispersed and horizontal expansion of cities. Due to a substantial effect of the form of a city on its stability, it is necessary to know study and understand its different dimensions and guide it to achieve sustainable development.

Thus, infill development that is the simplest interpretation of urban endogenous development is considered as one of the urban smart growth strategies.

Focusing on the vacant and abandoned lands in cities, infill development tries to load development on these lands. This study aimed to use infill development approach to achieve future development of Zone 8 of Tabriz and identify its potentials, in which several indicators have been used including quality of buildings, access and permeability, compressibility and granularity.

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Challenges of Water Resources in Iraq

The current paper emphasizes on the study of the water resources of Iraq. Iraq is facing a dire water crisis due to the decrease in the quantities and degradation in the qualities of the water reaching its borders with the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates.

The Euphrates and Tigris rivers provide more than 98% of Iraq’s water demands for the various purposes. Degradation of these rivers has become a serious problem.

Analysis of the previous studies is made and the available data are collected. Most of the studies reached an important conclusion, Iraq face serious water shortage problem.

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Papers you Use Costs the Environment Badly

In a case study conducted at Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA) of Zanzibar reveals that the institute is using approximately Zanzibar 364 reams of papers a semester at a cost of 2,910,000 TZS.

This paper is reaching to MNMA at the cost 27 trees. Apart from cutting off the trees, paper making process involves enormous carbon release. The study highlights the ruthless paper usage and exploitation of precious forests.

The study recommends electronic usage and encourages paperless environments in the institutions of higher learning.

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Large Surface Storage Facility for Liquid Radioactive Waste: Addressing Safety Justification Challenges

The Techa Cascade of water reservoirs (TCR) is one of the most environmentally challenging facilities resulted from FSUE “PA Mayak” operations.

Its reservoirs hold over 360 mln m3 of liquid radioactive waste with a total activity of some 5∙1015 Bq which is about 0.1% of the total radioactivity released from the Chernobyl accident and occupy an area equivalent to roughly the size of 7,000 football fields.

A set of actions implemented under a special state program involving the development of a strategic plan aimed at complete elimination of TCR challenges (Strategic Master-Plan for the Techa Cascade of water reservoirs) resulted in considerable reduction of potential hazards associated with this facility. 

Similitude in Archaeology: Examining Agricultural System Science in PreColumbian Civilizations of Ancient Peru and Bolivia

Similitude theory adapted to archaeological system analysis provides insight into thought processes underlying agricultural field-system designs used by Andean societies. A basic equation governing the optimum rate of food production dependent upon land, water, labor and technology resources is derived and compared to Chimu, Tiwanaku and Inka field-system designs.

Actual designs are close to theoretical optimum designs demonstrating advanced engineering used in decision making underlying field-system designs. Further examples demonstrate how Andean societies managed land, water, labor and technology to provide economic advantage for their populations.

The presentation illustrates that agricultural field-system designs were based upon scientific/economic principles and provide a further dimension as to how Andean societies successfully sustained their agricultural development.

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Response of Central California Oak Woodlands to Extreme Drought

The satellite Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from the NASA Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) over the years 2000 to 2016 was used to study impacts of the historic 2013-2015 drought period on woodland ecosystems of the Carmel River watershed in central California.

EVI time series analysis supplemented with in situ measurements of soil moisture showed that the historic drought period of 2013-2015 had contrasting effects on different oak woodland types.

The correlation of water year anomaly for precipitation amounts since the year 2000 with peak seasonal EVI was higher for deciduous oak stands than for the evergreen oak stands. Among woodland cover types, only peak deciduous woodland EVI increased significantly again across the watershed during the near-normal water year of 2016 following the 2013-2015 extreme drought period.

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Application of 2D Resistivity Imaging and Seismic Refraction Tomography to Identify Sungai Batu Sediment Depositional Origin

Geophysical survey such as 2D resistivity imaging and seismic refraction tomography are non-destructive methods that widely used in subsurface exploration including archaeological study. The purpose of this survey is to identify the sediment deposition types of Sungai Batu area for Ancient River.

Two study sites were chosen to conduct 2D resistivity imaging and seismic refraction tomography surveys. The 2D resistivity imaging survey was conducted using Poledipole array with 2.5 m minimum electrode spacing while seismic refraction tomography was performed using 5 kg sledgehammer as seismic source with 5 m geophone spacing. Roll along techniques are apply for the two methods in the study site 1 and 2.

The study concludes that the subsurface of the study area comprise of 3 major soil types. The top soil (1st type) consists of loose and dry alluvium which indicated with resistivity value of >100 Ohm.m. The second type was saturated alluvium (clay and sand) with resistivity and velocity values of 10-50 Ohm.m and <1400 m/s respectively. When this type of soil change to moist condition, the resistivity value increase to <100 Ohm.m but velocity value remain.

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Recent Trends in Waste Water Microbiology

Microbial treatment of waste water is one of the most imperative biotechnological attentions, and acts as a crucial process driver; microorganisms are essential to its success. For this reason, the study of waste water microorganisms has obvious importance applied. Now is the time for waste water microbiology to be recognized as a full-grown and dynamic discipline in its own right, offering more towards a deeper understanding of life in complex microbial communities.

Speculation about the future of waste water treatment remains a recurring subject in the water industry. As expected, the future will be shaped by proceedings that are not foreseeable, and which influence the future in ways that are impossible to predict.

However, studying trends and forces shaping of current events, and use of this knowledge to develop possible boundaries for future conditions may result in better insight(s) into what might happen due to the heterogeneous nature of water courses by various domestic and industrial sources as well diverse nature of the contaminants, which may be physical, chemical and biological in nature, their therapeutic methods must also be of different natures.

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