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Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / The aim of this study has been to establish the influence of quality initiatives on the operations of a selected metal recycling company in KwaZulu-Natal. The rationale for this study was based on the information that the financial turmoil has led to a significantly reduced demand for scrap metals and that there is a shortage of information on quality initiatives in the secondary metal industry in this province. Little research, if any, has been done on this particular topic. Hence, there was a need to conduct research of this magnitude. A review of literature provided the basis for the investigation. A multi-method approach was followed as the project required both quantitative and qualitative methods. The research required interdepartmental inputs. The theme of study focused on what could be seen as a topic of research in the department of quality, while the actual research was conducted within the ambit of business administration as a field of study. The data collected through the questionnaires and the operations‟ know-how observed in the yard were subject to scrutiny to enhance relevance in the field of study. As the target population of 70 people was small, it became appropriate to do a census study. A total of 68 people returned filled-in questionnaires administered to operations workers and their management. The response rate was 97%. The study evaluated the importance of training on quality and safety as an integrated domain and the impact thereof in the secondary metal products industry. It further identified a number of drawbacks that hamper the effectiveness of metal operations. The results revealed that excellent quality initiatives have a positive impact on the value-adding operations.

This thesis examines the management of post-consumer plastics waste recycling in the UK. It brings together information and approaches from a number of disciplines in order to present a comprehensive view of the post-consumer plastics waste recycling industry and provide insight into participation issues. Two Scottish collection schemes are utilised as case studies throughout. The thesis summarises current practice in post-consumer plastics recycling and describes the processes associated with it. It also presents a summary of legislation relevant to plastics recycling in the UK, EC and US in particular. The thesis includes a quantitative survey of 500 members of the public that analyses their recycling behaviour and factors that affect motivation. It also looks at public perceptions of plastics. This is complemented by a qualitative study of plastics recyclers that examines recycling routines in more detail, and explores issues that affect the participation, and quality of donation, of individuals. The evaluation of post-consumer plastics recycling schemes is discussed, and models are developed in order to assessth eir financial viability. The lessons gained from this programme of research are then summarised in a policy framework.

About half of the building stock in Turkey is masonry type and one fourth of the building stock is one-storey brick type masonry buildings. Especially the rural masonry houses are commonly constructed by their own residents without any engineering knowledge. Traditional masonry houses usually have heavy roofs which generate large lateral forces on walls during earthquakes. Readily available retrofitting techniques are mostly complicated and costly making it not feasible for uneducated poor residents to strengthen their own houses. The aim of this thesis is to develop a new alternative strengthening technique using scrap tires that is economic and easy to apply on the walls of one-story masonry houses. In order to investigate the usage of scrap tires for masonry wall post-tensioning, forty three scrap tire rings (STRs) from nine different brands and nine rim-rings direct tension experiments were conducted. The average tensile load capacities of STRs and rim-rings were found as 132.6 kN and 53 kN, respectively. Six strip walls (i.e., four brick- and two briquette-walls) strengthened by applying post-tensioning loads with STCs and hybrid system were tested in out-of-plane bending direction. The out-of-plane capacity of the brick and briquette walls increased up to about 9 times and 5 times with respect to their nominal capacities, respectively. Finally, two-full scale traditional masonries were tested by the tilting table. The capacity of strengthened house increased 75% with respect to the unstrengthened one. The results obtained form the conducted tests are highly promising and suggest that the method can be used as a low-cost and simple strengthening technique for seismically deficient single storey, masonry type houses.

Each year, millions of tons of non-ferrous scrap metal are discarded in the US. This metal is wasted due to a lack of proper recovery methods. Recent developments in spectroscopic technology have made it possible to identify the waste composition of scrap metal in real-time. This has opened the door for high-speed automated metal sortation and recovery, especially for the recovery of high value precious metals, such as titanium, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum and tantalum. Automated sortation systems typically consist of three main phases: (i) Feeding of material, (ii) Composition identification, and (iii) Physical separation. Due to their low volume and industry fragmentation, high-strength precious metal chips usually come in the form of chips smaller than 10 mm. Therefore it is extremely difficult to feed metal chips individually into the sorting system. At CR3, a new feeding mechanism was invented and developed in order to provide single layer feeding of small metal chips. A laboratory-scale prototype was built and proven to be feasible, scalable and reliable. A model was developed to predict the output of feeding variables based on initial input parameters. An operation window of the process was also defined for various metal chip resources. These will be presented, reviewed and discussed in the following paper.

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The decommissioning of nuclear power stations will lead to the production of a number of contaminated components. The materials produced will consist of process and structural wasteforms. Before this waste can be disposed it will be necessary to obtain a full inventory of those radionuclides contained in those wastes. This will be necessary to ensure that the waste is handled in a suitable manner and that full information is available so that reliable risk assessment can be carried out on the proposed disposal site. A number of radionuclides have been highlighted as significant in terms if their halflife, terrestrial mobility and predicted levels in decommissioning wastes. A selection of these radionuclides have been investigated, and methods developed for their determination in concrete. It was a requirement of this work that the methods developed were robust and that the minimum detectable amount was below that of the de minimis of O.4Bq g-1.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves G-1-G-11 ). / vii, 1 v. (various pagings) : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Substatial developmental work is required to acheive economically attractive poly-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production. Aims to improve the understanding of PHA production by recombinant Escherichia coli, with a view to guiding future developmental work. Also suggests numerous areas where further improvements to PHB production are possible, and proposes ways in which they could be implemented. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Adelaide University, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2001

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-63).

Thesis (BTech (Surface Design))Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / The purpose of this research is to explore and create an understanding of how architectural structures. that adhere to deconstructivist design principles, can inspire the reconstruction of second-hand school fumiture and scrap metal. The planned pieces will continue to create an awareness of sustainability, by designing for reuse. These functional fumiture pieces of low tables and chairs will be handcrafted, appealing to a niche market, or specific spaces and they will act as expressions of contradiction. This research will act as an addition to a body of knowledge, where I will primarily focus on contradicting the traditional form and aesthetic of furniture design. I have decided to create these functional pieces to express a new possible direction of furniture design. The study context is a potential confrontational experience in that I want to challenge the conventional form and aesthetics of fumiture design. These pieces of fumiture will be placed in a niche market where they will exist as one-offs that are not produced for mass-consumption, as they will be individually hand-erafted. These days more and more people are attempting to live in a more sustainable manner by practicing to reduce our consumption of products and resources; reuse that which we have disposed of and forgotten as consumers and to recycle waste products and transform them into a feasible afterlife (Martin, 2010). The theory is focused on Sohaill Inayatullah's theory of "Futures Thinking", and this .theory is further supported by Victor Margolin's study of changing existing situations into preferred ones. The research further reflects on Jacques Derrida's theory of deconstruction, and this research is further supported by the theory of sustainability, by designing for reuse, with a focus on Ezio Manzini. Therefore, my research study is concerned with confronting and challenging the conformity that the form of furniture and its aesthetic adhere to.