The purpose of the project was to determine the effect of various petroleum amendments on the migration rate of Cu. The petroleum amendments used in this research are frequently added to the soil surface in petroleum landfarming. Such petroleum wastes often contain significant amounts of Cu and other metals.Soil columns were amended with citric acid, used crankcase oil and Illinois crude oil. Each amendment was spiked (treated) with three different concentrations of Cu and each treatment was replicated three times. The columns were leached once per week, for ten weeks, with distilled water acidified to pH 4.5 to simulate acid rain. Leachate from the soil columns was analyzed weekly for total Cu. At the end of the ten week period, the soil was analyzed for Cu and TOC content at 7 cm intervals to determine the amount of migration by Cu and the organic amendments, resectively. The soil (a Glynwood silt loam) and the organic amendments were each analyzed for total Cu to determine background levels. The soil was analyzed for pH, TOC, electrical conductivity and soil texture.Analysis of the leachate and soil showed differential migration of Cu through the soil columns. Significant levels of Cu leached in the columns amended with citric acid (as high as 85.3 mg/L) in the first 3 weeks of the study. The Cu content of the leachate from columns amended with crude petroleum were at approximately background levels (5.5 mg/L) as was the leachate from columns amended with crankcase oil (0.2 mg/L). In the later weeks of the research, as the petroleum amendments were broken down by microorganisms, some Cu was chelated to small fragments of the petroleum and leached through the soil columns. Most of the Cu appeared to remain on the surface of the columns, bound to the petroleum amendments. Analysis of the soil, for total Cu content with depth, showed very little Cu accumulation at any depth in the soil column, beyond the soil surface. In most cases Cu levels remained near the background levels found in the control columns.Moderate correlation was found (r2 = .59 for crude oil; r2 = - .54 for crankcase oil; r2 = .85 for citric acid) between Cu levels and TOC levels in the soil columns with depth.From the results of the current study it can be inferred that practices such as petroleum landfarming and land disposal of some hazardous materials may allow for the migration of both the applied petroleum wastes and any metals which may be contained within. / Department of Natural Resources

This experimental study compares green printing technologies (ink and stock) to traditional printing technologies (ink and stock) regarding how they compare in quality. The quality was measured using the print characteristics of gray balance and dot gain. A comparison of the two independent variables (ink and stock) was conducted to determine if a difference exists for the selected characteristics. It has been suggested that the green technologies, despite being more environmentally friendly, are not as high in quality and therefore result in a lower quality printed piece. This research used a four-color test form that was printed using both the green and traditional technologies. The characteristics were measured using an X-rite 528 spectrodensitometer, after which the data were analyzed and conclusions reported. The results of the study suggest that there is no practical significance between the different inks and stocks employed in this study. It was determined however that the best print quality in terms of dot gain (meaning the least amount of dot gain) resulted from the combination of green technologies (ink and paper). / Department of Technology

De-inking sludge generated from pulp and paper industry is considered hazardous since it may contain heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, and Pb. Hence, the de-inking sludge needs to be treated before being disposed of. Sludge combustion is a proven disposal technology, which generates fly ash containing a portion of the heavy metals that may leach out under uncontrolled conditions. The aim of this thesis is to implement a new multi-zone temperature combustion technique (Low-High-Low temperature combustion, LHL) to help contain and immobilize the heavy metals within fly ash particles. During the LHL, the waste will be initially fed into a low-temperature zone (<1100 K) and then subjected to the high-temperature treatment (~1480 K) that will be followed by another low-temperature zone (~1100 K). / This dissertation describes the detailed design and construction of a novel pilot-scale combustion facility, called the Multi-Mode Combustion Facility (MCF), used as a multidisciplinary research tool for investigating the thermal remediation of contaminated solid residues. The MCF is capable of operating in two different modes: Fluidized-Bed combustion mode (FBC) and Single burner furnace mode (SBF). However, this project focuses on the FBC mode (minimum fluidization velocity of 0.42 m/s and bed temperature of 1073 K). / This research compares the combustion characteristics of de-inking sludge obtained in the LHL and in the conventional combustion techniques. The following properties of particulates were studied: morphological evolution of solid particles, structural porosity, metals interactions with fly ash particles, and leachability. / The LHL's final supermicron spherical fly ash went through a molten phase with submicron particles attached to the fly ash particles surfaces. Thus, reducing its porosity to 19%. However, the amorphous final fly ash obtained in the conventional technique reveals 32% porosity. It was found that the physical characteristics of the final LHL's fly ash are the main cause for the reduced heavy metals leachability rates of 0.18, 0.046, and 0.92% for Cd, Cr, and Pb, respectively. The conventional technique had 53.28, 16.79, and 5.20% of Cd, Cr, and Pb respectively, leaching out due to the high porosity percentages. In conclusion, the LHL technique allows for controlling the heavy metals emission from FBCs, while using a waste to energy approach and maintaining environmentally acceptable gas emission levels.

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The aim of this research was to explore how participants made meaning in an environmental education and training course for people from industry, business and local government in South Africa, and to identify and comment on any constraints to this meaning-making. I used a Symbolic Interactionist theoretical framework to explore and comment on the meaning-making process. I started my research by conducting a questionnaire to select participants for interviews. During the course the selected participants were interviewed, as well as the two course co-ordinators. Data was also gathered during the course from participant observation field notes ('captured talk'), photographs, participants' assignments and course evaluations. The data was analysed using an adapted form of discourse analysis and matrices. The research highlights that the opportunities provided on the course were adequate for encouraging meaning-making amongst both the co-ordinators and participants. However, recorded instances of meaning-making were low, which indicated that there were certain constraints during the meaning-making process. This research highlights and comments on identified constraints such as time and workplace support. The research supports similar findings which emerged from research conducted on the Gold Fields environmental education course for teachers and also offers recommendations for further research and practice into meaning-;making within the field of environmental education and industry, business and local government in South Africa.

The effect of global warming on methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agriculture was investigated and simulated from a soil warming experiment. Experiments were designed and installed in a temperature controlled greenhouse. The relationships between elevated temperatures and CH₄ and N₂O emissions were determined and calculated as the Q₁₀s of production, emission and oxidation. A study of the populations of methanogens and methanotrophs at a range of soil temperatures was performed based on soil molecular DNA analysis. This study showed that global warming would increase CH₄ emissions from rice agriculture and that the resultant emissions will be potentially large enough to cause changes in the present atmospheric concentrations. This research also showed that this increase was most evident for soil temperatures below 30⁰C, above which emissions decreased with increasing temperature. The seasonal average Q₁₀s of CH₄ emission, production, oxidation, methanogen and methanotroph populations were found to be 1.7, 2.6 and 2.2, 2.6 and 3.8, respectively, over a temperature of 20-32⁰C. Considering that the processes of CH₄ production and emission are similar to those in natural wetlands, which is the largest source of atmospheric CH₄, the contribution of this feedback is likely to cause a significant increase to the present CH₄ atmospheric budget if the current global warming trend persists over the next century. The Q₁₀s of N₂O emissions and production were 0.5-3.3 and 0.4-2.9, respectively. The low Q₁₀ values found for N₂O suggest that although global warming will have a direct impact on the production and emission rates. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the impact of global on both CH₄ and N₂O emissions from agriculture is likely to vary from one region to another due to the spatial variations in agricultural soil temperatures and the likely changes in the global regional distribution of water resources (water tables, rainfall patterns), water management practices and the responses of terrestrial CH₄ and N₂O sources such as natural wetlands and plants.

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No description available.