Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

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Remediation of contaminated land needs to be carried out using methods that are both cost effective and minimise environmental pollution. However, the remediation option currently chosen by practitioners is often based upon limited economic information with the true environmental costs not being considered. This can result in the least sustainable option being chosen. This study has developed a methodology to evaluate the sustainability, in terms of economic and environmental costs, for a range of treatments available for the remediation of diesel contaminated land, including bioremediation (with and without the addition of brewery spent grain), disposal to landfill and thermal treatment. Initial laboratory investigations indicated that the use of brewery spent grain decreased the time taken for the clean-up of soil contaminated with diesel, suggesting that bioremediation augmented by the addition of this organic material was a viable option. A costing model was then developed that included all of the costs associated with the remediation options chosen. This included both direct and indirect costs. The results show that considering the indirect costs of remediation such as costs associated with delayed development the land, make bioremediation in this study an economically feasible option. Finally environmental costs were considered with a focus on the release of carbon dioxide a known greenhouse gas. Respirometry was used to determine the volume of carbon dioxide released during the bioremediation process. This information was then combined with data collected from a range of other sources and the impact of the chosen remediation options on atmospheric greenhouse gas release was evaluated. Other environmental impacts were also determined including land and water pollution. The results indicate that bioremediation with brewery spent grain has one of the lowest environmental costs and showed that emission from pollutants such as NOx, PM1.0, PM2.5, NH3 and SO2 could contribute to the limit values in the area covered by remediation work. The model developed in this study has indicated that the use of bioremediation with and without the use of brewery spent grain is a sustainable remediation option providing both direct and indirect economic costs are included. The results have indicated that, the strategy of using brewery spent grain to augment bioremediation v process promotes the re-use of by-product material, reduces waste and conserve resources. There is a need for the remediation industry to adopt similar models in order that decisions made, as to the remediation option chosen, are based upon accurate costings of their sustainability.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

According to the report Ergonomic on-Site Assessment of Excavator Work, one big problem is the risk of falling accidents when entering and exiting the cab. The solution could be lowering the cab to the ground in front of the machine, this could also help during cleaning of windows. The mechanism needed for this operation could also be used for adjusting the cabin in height and tilting it, in order to solve the problem with neck and back injuries. In Umeå I had a meeting with professor Ivan Westerlund at SLU (Swedish Agricultural University) who taught me about ways to reduce vibrations by different undercarriages. It would be possible to have a principle similar to the terrain vehicles and tanks produced by Hägglunds. They are equipped with an active suspension system, making it possible to drive in high speed with track-undercarriage. By using this techniqe it would be possible to merge the two different excavators into one, a stable machine while working and a comfortable fast machine during transport. A fuelcell powerplant would be well suited, considering sound level and pollution in urban environment and especially underground worksituations. With less need for maintenance the risk for falling accidents gets minimized. As a bonus, maybe the waste water could be used for spraying, to avoid dust when needed. Today´s underground-operating machines are tied up with a waterhose which affects the mobility to a high level. Since i want to concentrate on a flexible machine adapted for roadtransport, my benchmark is the Volvo EW 180, their biggest wheeled excavator, produced today.

The  study  is  about  the  implementation  of  environmental  conscious  approach  of corporatesocial responsibility in the Food wholesale and retail business. The environmental approach includes  eco  friendly  packaging,  organised  logistics  and  practices  of  energy  conservation. The case studied is Axfood through the investigation of their public reports, observation at stores  and  interview  with  the  store  managers  and  the  Head  of  Corporate  Social Responsibility. The methodology used in the research project is case study methodology during which data from  various  sources has  been  used  and  analysed  for  information  richness  and  going  deep down into the matter for investigation the patterns of environmental concern at Axfood. The empirical exposure gained through observations, repeated store investigation, interviews of customers and store managers and having five interview sessions with Asa Domeij (Head of the Environmental matters at Axfood) had formed the result in three learning points. One,the practice of having competition on cheap and quality products on the basis of re-injected revenue and expenses control through recycling and energy conservation is successful. Two, market pressure on companies to focus only on the products that pushes them to neglect the social  audits  followed  by  ambiguous  reports  is  not  a  sustainable  solution.  Lastly,  learning from  competitors,  attaining  point  of  parity  through  having  what  others  have  with  some uniqueness  that others  lack  is  in  terms  of  superior  environmental  consciousness  is  the solution  for  future  business  (recent  digital  loyalty  programme  of  Willys).

Abstract Environmental compliance is defined as conformance with the requirements of environmental laws, regulations, industry and organizational codes of practice and standards. As a step towards a more in-depth study of environmental compliance, the present research was undertaken to examine the process of environmental compliance management in one of the Business Units at Manitoba Hydro. Research methods for this research included semi-structured interviews, observation, and document review. The research broadly concludes that the environmental compliance management process in the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit follows the compliance process PDCA system and has the structural, functional and continuous improvement elements of the compliance framework presented in this research. However, given Manitoba Hydro’s commitment to meet or surpass the regulatory requirements and the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit’s mandate to comply with all government and regulatory mandated requirements, the compliance management process in the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit may benefit from a systematic and uniform monitoring process for compliance and performance as well as a uniform document to demonstrate compliance.

Juvenile rainbow trout were exposed to two organophosphate flame retardants: tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP), at environmentally relevant concentrations via their diet to determine their bioaccumulation and potential endocrine effects. Two groups of fish were fed food fortified with known amounts of TBOEP or TCIPP, while a third group was fed unfortified food. TBOEP did not bioaccumulate appreciably and concentrations were close to the method detection limit. Bioaccumulation of TCIPP was linear during the uptake phase and reached a peak concentration of 3.6±1.3 pmole/g. TCIPP followed first-order depuration kinetics, from which we calculated a half-life of 50.2±19.3 days. The biomagnification factor was calculated to be 0.8±0.4, indicating that TCIPP has a low potential to biomagnify in aquatic food webs. Neither parent nor suspected metabolites were measureable in the liver on day 49. There were some significant differences in the amounts of estradiol, testosterone (T), cortisol, and thyroid (T4 and T3) hormones in the plasma of fish from the treated and untreated groups. However, there were no consistent trends among any of the hormones. We did however observe a significant decrease (p< 0.05) in total T4 and T at day 49 in TCIPP exposed fish relative to the reference fish.

Indoor air quality measurements and staff absentee data were collected from elementary schools in a Winnipeg school division. Data was collected measuring carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter, and in some schools, radon. It was found that nearly all schools were experiencing some measure of IAQ problems. The most common issues measured were low levels of relative humidity and high concentrations of carbon dioxide. No significant relationships between staff absenteeism and IAQ parameters were identified in Pearson product-moment correlations and multiple regression analyses. Survey results found that 96% of respondents found IAQ problems in the workplace, and 79% of respondents show ‘sick building syndrome’-like symptoms. Recommendations have been provided to improve IAQ and establish an IAQ management program in order to improve the indoor environment in the school division.

Abstract Environmental compliance is defined as conformance with the requirements of environmental laws, regulations, industry and organizational codes of practice and standards. As a step towards a more in-depth study of environmental compliance, the present research was undertaken to examine the process of environmental compliance management in one of the Business Units at Manitoba Hydro. Research methods for this research included semi-structured interviews, observation, and document review. The research broadly concludes that the environmental compliance management process in the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit follows the compliance process PDCA system and has the structural, functional and continuous improvement elements of the compliance framework presented in this research. However, given Manitoba Hydro’s commitment to meet or surpass the regulatory requirements and the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit’s mandate to comply with all government and regulatory mandated requirements, the compliance management process in the Customer Service and Distribution Business Unit may benefit from a systematic and uniform monitoring process for compliance and performance as well as a uniform document to demonstrate compliance.