Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering
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J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng · Oct 2008
Soil-skin adherence from carpet: use of a mechanical chamber to control contact parameters.
A computer-controlled mechanical chamber was used to control the contact between carpet samples laden with soil, and human cadaver skin and cotton sheet samples for the measurement of mass soil transfer. Mass soil transfers were converted to adherence factors (mg/cm2) for use in models that estimate dermal exposure to contaminants found in soil media. The contact parameters of pressure (10 to 50 kPa) and time (10 to 50 sec) were varied for 369 experiments of mass soil transfer, where two soil types (play sand and lawn soil) and two soil sizes (< 139.7 microm and > or = 139.7 < 381) were used. ⋯ Higher pressure (p < 0.0001), and larger particle size (p < 0.0001) were also all associated with larger amounts of soil transfer. The original model was simplified into two by adherence material type (i.e., cadaver skin and cotton sheets) in order to investigate the differential effects of pressure, time, soil size, and soil type on transfer. This research can be used to improve estimates of dermal exposure to contaminants found in home carpets.
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J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng · Jan 2006
Comparative StudyComparing primary energy attributed to renewable energy with primary energy equivalent to determine carbon abatement in a national context.
The current conventional approach to determining the primary energy associated with non-combustible renewable energy (RE) sources such as wind energy and hydro power is to equate the electricity generated from these sources with the primary energy supply. This paper compares this with an approach that was formerly used by the IEA, in which the primary energy equivalent attributed to renewable energy was equated with the fossil fuel energy it displaces. Difficulties with implementing this approach in a meaningful way for international comparisons lead to most international organisations abandoning the primary energy equivalent methodology. ⋯ The choice of Ireland is interesting in two respects. The first relates to the high proportion of electricity only fossil fuel plants in Ireland resulting in a significant variation between primary energy and primary energy equivalent. The second concerns Ireland's poor performance to date in limiting GHG emissions in line with its Kyoto target and points to the need for techniques to quantify the potential contribution of renewable energy in achieving the target set.
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J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng · Jan 2005
ReviewIs biodegradation of bitumen a source of recalcitrant naphthenic acid mixtures in oil sands tailing pond waters?
Carboxylic acids are transient metabolites during the mineralization of petroleum hydrocarbons. Crude oils, however, vary in their proportion of the hydrocarbon components. Depending on structure, some carboxylic acid metabolites resist further biodegradation and persist in aquatic systems. ⋯ The present article discusses the literature data on the biotransformation of hydrocarbons in bitumen from oil sands to the corresponding petroleum carboxylic acids. Some insight is given on the mechanism of the biodegradation process. The susceptibility to biodegradation is affected by differences in alicyclic carboxylic acids such as carbon chain length, chain branching, and the oddness or evenness of carbon chain containing the carboxylic group, positions where alkyl groups are substituted on the cyclic ring, geometrical isomerism, and number of cyclic rings.
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J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng · Jan 2005
ReviewIn situ bioremediation of naphthenic acids contaminated tailing pond waters in the athabasca oil sands region--demonstrated field studies and plausible options: a review.
Currently, there are three industrial plants that recover oil from the lower Athabasca oil sands area, and there are plans in the future for several additional mines. The extraction procedures produce large volumes of slurry wastes contaminated with naphthenic acids (NAs). Because of a "zero discharge" policy the oil sands companies do not release any extraction wastes from their leases. ⋯ The bioremediation techniques have limited success to date in biodegrading NAs to levels below 19 mg/L. Some tailing pond waters have been stored for more than 10 years, and it appears that the remaining high molecular weight NAs are refractory to the natural biodegradation process in the ponds. Some plausible options to further degrade the NAs in the tailings pond water include: bioaugmentation with bacteria selected to degrade the more refractory classes of NAs; the use of attachment materials such as clays to concentrate both the NA and the NA-degrading bacteria in their surfaces and/or pores; synergistic association between algae and bacteria consortia to promote efficient aerobic degradation; and biostimulation with nutrients to promote the growth and activity of the microorganisms.