There were 133 billion pounds of food that went to waste in the United States in 2014, leading to $161.6 billion in economic loss. Of this waste, 89 billion pounds occurred in restaurants and other food service facilities. A case study was used to explore the strategies small, independent, family-owned restaurants owners used to reduce food waste. Four small independent, family-owned restaurants owners located in the Washington, DC, metro area participated in the study. These owners were selected based on their revenue and years of survival. Stakeholders theory was the conceptual framework in which the study was grounded. Face-to-face interviews with participants and company financial documents comprised the data. Interview transcripts, member checking results, and financial documents were analyzed for emergent themes. The 3 themes that emerged from this study are employee training, communication among stakeholders, and customer loyalty. The implications for social change include the potential to provide new strategies that can help small, independent, family-owned restaurants reduce food waste, increase profits, and improve the economic conditions of communities in the Washington, DC metro area.

This thesis investigates an application of immobilized lipase for pre-treating wastewater containing fats and oils, which is difficult to treat practically. The kinetics of soluble lipase was studied for establishing background of the lipase. The immobilization of lipase was adopted in order to repeatedly use the expensive lipase. The developed immobilization methods were based on the characteristics of carriers, but covalent bonding of lipase was preferred because of strong adsorption nature. Three types of materials, nylon membrane and polystyrene-divinylbenzene and silica gel beads, were used for studying the lipase immobilization characteristics. The lipase from Canada rugosa was chosen because of its relatively high catalytic activity and commercial availability. The oily wastewater sources used were a simulated mixture of olive oil and distilled water as well as actual restaurant oily wastewater. A packed bed reactor packed with immobilized lipase was suitable for the study. Moreover, a comparative study of anaerobic digestion of lipase treated and un-treated oily wastewater was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of the lipase pre-treatment method due to lack of the relevant literature in the enzymatic wastewater treatment field. The kinetics of lipase catalyzed hydrolysis reactions was investigated in a stirred tank reactor. The experimental results confirmed that the lipase catalyzed reaction obeyed Michaelis-Menten model. The optimal pH and temperature of the lipase catalysed hydrolysis reaction were 7 and 37°C, respectively. The conversion of oil to fatty acid was dependent on the reaction time and mass of the enzyme used. The lipase activities depended on the concentrations of some selected additives. Calcium ion improved lipase activity significantly amongst the additives used. / The immobilization of lipase was carried out using different materials, nylon membranes, polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads, and silica gel. Covalent adsorption was simple and successful for immobilizing the lipase onto nylon membrane which was pre-treated with HC1 solution for releasing amino groups. The adsorption of lipase was completed after only a 2-hour reaction time. It was much more practical for this shorter adsorption time (2 hours) rather than the 24 hours required for physical capillary adsorption of lipase. The properties of the immobilized lipase and the performance of the reactors we compared amongst the soluble and immobilized lipase forms. The immobilization, particularly for covalent bonding, made lipase more resistant to thermal deactivation. It was evident that the optimum temperature was shifted from 37°C for the soluble lipase to 45 and 40°C for immobilized lipase adsorbed onto nylon and polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads, respectively. The immobilized lipase could be used repeatedly with only little activity loss. The repeatedly operational stability made the reuse of the immobilized lipase possible. Comparison was also made between two types of beads, polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads and silica gels. Though polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads showed higher lipase activity and shorter adsorption time when compared to silica gels, the forme beads were not suggested for large scale study because of high cost of the beads. On improvement achieved in this work was that the 24 hours required for silanization of silica gel was reduced to only a few hours using evaporating 3-APTES in acetone instead of refluxing 3-APTES in toluene. / It is worthwhile to point out that much higher enzyme activity was obtained using the packed bed reactor as against the membrane reactor when aqueous oil emulsion was fed into the reactors. The lipase activity was 64.2% of soluble lipase activity for the immobilized lipase in the packed reactor but its activity was hardly detectable in the membrane reactor. Moreover, the operation of the packed bed reactor solved the of separating problem that severely hampered the lipase catalytic activity in the membrane reactor in aqueous phase. This result suggests that the packed bed reacts with the immobilized lipase is applicable in treating oily wastewater. The intrinsic parameters, Vmax and Km, were evaluated to study the internal diffusional effects of the porous spherical silica gel on the immobilized lipase. The changes of Vmax and Km for the immobilized lipase from those of the soluble lipase indicated that some alteration in the lipase intrinsic properties was caused by the immobilization of lipase. However, the magnitude of Thiele modulus suggested the immobilized lipase was most likely reaction controlling. In addition, good agreement for Vmax and Km from experiments and numerical model estimations seemed to suggest that the numerical model could be used for estimating Vmax and Km for the immobilized lipase. / An application was tried for conducting the hydrolysis of oily restaurant wastewater by soluble and the immobilized lipase. Enzyme activity of both forms was severely inhibited by the oily wastewater. The enzymatic activity was only 20% and 15% for soluble and the immobilized lipase, respectively, when compared to the initial activity value for the hydrolysis of olive oil by soluble lipase. Evaluation of the efficiency for the proposed lipase pre-treatment method was carried out by monitoring the performance of two anaerobic digesters. These two digesters were fed with lipase treated and untreated restaurant wastewater that was neutralised with KOH solution prior to feeding. The oil-floating problem was minimised by this saponification of fatty acids with potassium hydroxide. However, there was no clear sign of an improvement for the treatment efficiency of the anaerobic digesters in terms of COD removal and methane production rate resulted in digesting lipase treated oily wastewater when compared to the one without lipase pre-treatment.

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a pollutant, and there is an urgent need to degrade it. Two methods of degrading HCB to ethers are nucleophilic substitution and electroreduction, chosen for their viability and safety. The kinetics of substitution of HCB by potassium hydroxide and methanol were examined. The substitution of HCB by methoxide produced 1,2,3,5-tetrachloro-4.6-dimethoxybenzene (1,2,3,5-TCDMB) as the major substitution product, and side reactions produced extra chloride due to other substitution products. Thus, the proposed reaction mechanism is complicated due to the formation of ethers and phenols due to consecutive and parallel reactions. The substitution products of HCB were uncatalytically and catalytically electroreduced. Products with increasingly more methoxy substituents had lower electron affinities and increasing positive free energies. Catalysed electroreduction was more effective than uncatalysed electroreduction in dechlorinating the HCB substitution products to aromatic ethers. The most effective organic catalysts were those that possessed the lowest electron affinity as reflected in the reduction potential. A combination of nucleophilic substitution and electroreduction of HCB and its substitution products produced mono-, di- and trimethoxide chloroaromatic ethers and phenols. These products, particularly the ethers, may have future applications as fragrance ingredients / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The project undertaken was aimed at extending a current craft based jewellery practice. Related by structure and materiality, the research sought to develop exploratory shapes as low seating objects to exist within small scale living spaces and studio apartments. Signaling an increased conscious way of thinking and working, a reflective process examining each form as series, provided an incremental creative strategy. The availability of discarded materials suggested possibilities for a sustainable cost effective option as a mode of contemporary practice. This combined approach was considered impact negative, diffusing global waste, and impact positive providing valid alternatives through functional and aesthetic objects. At present waste materials exist as products are still designed and made on the basis of planned obsolescence, thus an exploitation and escalation of global resources and resultant hazardous outcomes continues. Citing selected writings by Victor Papanek, (1992), and Edwin Datschefski, (2006) provided an understanding of the misuse high impact advanced technologies imposes on the environment. These notions were discussed during the project and in relation to contemporary models of practice which currently use discarded materials to make objects for living. Based on a survey observing the local homewares and furniture industries within Sydney, Australia, and recent published material, a niche market was discovered for challenging conventions of low seating objects. Initial sketches were transformed into marquettes then developed into full size prototypes of multi functional forms. a series of forms were scaled up, made of discarded materials using simple hand crafted processes and minimal production methods. As a reference influences included architects, sculptors and craft practitioners who were examined particularly for their use of discarded materials or for their construction methods. During experimental studies visual source material drew upon an observation and analysis of architecture, skeletal structures and land formations. In an exhibition originally titled, "Be Seated", these forms made as initial prototypes were exhibited at Kudos Gallery, Sydney, Australia, during May 2007. They were later refined and renamed as "Low Life" for a group exhibition "Contained" held at Kudos Gallery during 2008.

Acid rock drainage (ARD) is recognised as one of the most serious environmental issues currently facing the mining industry. ARD management strategies rely heavily on the ability to measure the ARD potential of waste materials to ensure strategies are appropriate to the ARD risks. It is apparent that improvements to the understanding of ARD test methods and development of methods to better represent the ARD potential of samples will contribute significantly to the value and reliability of ARD assessment. The research described in this thesis focused on critical assessment and improvement of: ARD test methodology; approach to testing; and interpretation of results for coal mine wastes. Kaltim Prima Coal Mine (KPC) in Kalimantan, Indonesia was selected as a case study site to help focus the research, with the understanding that the broad similarities of coal sequences in general would allow broader application of the findings. / Thesis (PhDApSc(MineralsandMaterials))--University of South Australia, 2005

Pollution from human and animal faecal waste is a major cause of deteriorating water quality and increased nutrient loads in coastal and inland waterways. Management of this problem depends on knowing which sources of faecal matter are the cause and what is the degree and extent of the pollution. Bacterial indicator organisms have long been the principal method used to test water samples for faecal contamination. However, none of the currently used bacterial indicators on their own are source specific enough to distinguish different sources of faecal matter. The use of faecal sterol biomarkers in conjunction with existing bacterial indicators offers a new way to distinguish sources of faecal contamination. This study investigates the sources of faecal sterols, the relationship of coprostanol to existing bacterial indicators of faecal pollution, the degradation of faecal sterols and the problem of determining the sources of faecal contamination and the distribution of faecal contamination using faecal sterol biomarkers. 5p-Stanols (i.e. faecal sterols) were found to be significant constituents of human, herbivore (i.e. cows, sheep etc.) and pig and cat faeces. Human faeces contained 73 ± 4% coprostanol in relation to the sum of coprostanol and 24-ethylcoprostanol and primary treated effluent contained 86 ± 0.4% coprostanol. Herbivore faeces contained 38 ± 4% coprostanol and 62 ± 4% 24-ethylcoprostanol whereas pig faeces contained 50 � 5% of each compound. Both birds and dogs faeces contained either trace amounts of 5B-stanols or they could not be detected. Notable differences were observed in the abundance of Closthdium perfringens spores between the faeces of birds and domestic pets such as cats and dogs. The above differences were subsequently exploited to distinguish faecal contamination in Lake Tuggerah. An examination of the relationships between coprostanol and bacterial indicator concentrations from several environments revealed that 60 and 400 ng L of coprostanol corresponded to currently defined primary and secondary contact limits for bacteria measured as either thermotolerant coliforms or enterococci in the environment. Four degradation experiments showed faecal sterols and related sterols such as cholesterol decay at similar rates. An induction period was observed in all experiments which meant that simple exponential equations to describe the rate of decay of coprostanol were inadequate; a complimentary log - log transformation of the data was used and the equation: Y = l-Exp(-Exp(time x -0.01 + temp x -0.158 + 3.33)) x 100 was derived where Y equals the predicted percentage of coprostanol remaining over time at a given temperature. In terms of persistence in the environment, Clostridium perfringens spores > coprostanol > enterococci > thermotolerant coliforms. Two field studies were undertaken to highlight the use of faecal sterols. In the Lake Tuggerah study, the results indicated that faecal contamination of receiving waters in the Tuggerah Lakes during rain events was significant, but was not derived from human faecal matter; rather it appears to be principally derived from native birds and, to a lesser extent, domestic pets. In the Derwent Estuary study, based on the distribution of the faecal biomarker coprostanol, the mid estuary and parts of the upper estuary (from Newtown Bay to Taroona), were found to be severely contaminated by sewage. In summary, the use of faecal sterols to trace faecal contamination were found to be an invaluable addition to the tools water managers use to investigate faecal pollution.

Bibliography : leaves 60-65

Two experiments measured winter feed waste when cows were fed forage on snow. In the first experiment, feed waste was different (P<0.01) when alfalfa meadow brome mixed hay was fed by bale unroller or bale processor; waste was12.9% vs.19.2%, protein losses were 23.3% and 21.5% respectfully. Feed waste, nutrient replacement and additional equipment costs increased winter feeding costs by $52.50 and $56.25 per head respectfully for a 175 day feeding period. Hay processed into portable bunk feeders, experienced 0% feed waste. In the second experiment, feed waste when barley cereal silage fed either as high moisture round bale silage or chopped pit silage was fed on snow was not different (P>0.05) at 23.2% and 26.8% respectfully. When chopped barley cereal silage or high moisture round bale silage was fed into bunks, feed waste was 0%. Protein losses were 27.1% and 24.2% for the pit and round bale silage. Feed waste, nutrient replacement and additional equipment costs increased winter feeding costs by $164.50 for pit silage and $126.00 for bale silage over a 175 day feeding period. / Animal Science

Graduation date: 1966

Graduation date: 1966