Graduation date: 2000

The purpose of this study was to examine Oregon State University students' self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about recycling. Students living in on-campus and off-campus organized living groups were mailed a four-page survey with questions about their recycling activities, their attitudes about recycling, their opinions of the effectiveness of the campus recycling program, and their demographic information. The study population included all students living in OSU's residence halls, cooperatives, and fraternity and sorority houses. Three hundred fifteen surveys were mailed, and 237 were returned, for an overall response rate of 75%. The results showed that: 1) Based on the criteria used to distinguish between recyclers and non-recyclers, 95% of the sample were recyclers, with women reporting recycling behavior at a higher level than men. 2) There were no significant differences in attitudes about recycling between recyclers and non-recyclers. Recyclers, however, are more likely than non-recyclers to make purchases based on their concern for the environment. 3) Most OSU students who recycle spend less than 30 minutes per month recycling, and it appears to be a well-established pattern in their lives. More than 50% of the students recycle on a daily or a weekly basis. 4) OSU students recycle all materials except plastics at high rates, ranging from 76% for glass to 87% for paper. Plastics were recycled by 64% of the students who recycle. 5) Students recycle at residences and in classrooms and offices on the OSU campus, and report the least recycling activity at the Memorial Union. OSU students mainly use the curbside collection service for off-campus recycling. 6) OSU students receive information about recycling from a wide variety of sources, including school, home, and the media. One recommendation based on this study is that Campus Recycling provide education about materials re-processing and about the importance of purchasing products with recycled content to close the three-sided recycling loop, as well as to introduce the concept of source reduction. Another recommendation is that organized housing groups name a recycling coordinator who will educate and motivate the residents of the housing group to recycle. Eighty-one percent of the respondents reported television as a source of information about recycling. Additional research is needed to identify the time slots and programs watched by students if this media will be used for future educational interventions about recycling. Finally, because this survey dealt only with recycling of non-hazardous materials, additional research is needed to gather information on disposal of hazardous materials like batteries, automobile fluids, and household paint and cleaners. / Graduation date: 1997

The City of Johannesburg is facing the simultaneous challenges of an increased generation of solid waste in the City, unemployment and the running out of land to dispose the waste. Of the solid waste that is generated, 50% is recyclable while only 10% is recycled (SOER, 2003: 69). Solid waste recycling is mainly performed through private sector initiatives in the City of Johannesburg. Consequently, there is no proper coordination with government initiatives. In order for South Africa to increase and sustain economic growth that would decrease unemployment, there should be a culture of entrepreneurship (Mass, G & Herrington M, 2006:7). Solid waste buy-back centres assist in addressing the challenges of dealing with the increased generation of solid waste and the scarcity of land for disposal. These centres also reduce the challenges of unemployment through promoting entrepreneurs to operate solid waste recycling businesses. Developed economies have managed to increase the rate of solid waste recycling to 60%. The problems associated with solid waste have been reduced by promoting recycling through a combination of legislation and setting-up of agencies to deal with solid waste recycling. South Africa has legislation and stated programmes to deal with solid waste recycling. Nevertheless, there has been complexity with implementing recycling. This is the result of a lack of co-ordination between the role-players involved in the value chain of solid waste recycling. In order for the City of Johannesburg to increase the recycling of solid waste from 10% to optimal rates of between 50% and 60%, there should be co-ordination of programmes amongst all the role players. In addition, there should also be skills provision to existing and potential entrepreneurs operating the solid waste buy-back centres. All spheres of government should promote solid waste recycling business to potential entrepreneurs and the public in order to recycle 40% of the recyclable solid waste that is not being recycled. The establishment of a solid waste buy-back centre in the City of Johannesburg is economically viable with some buy-back centre realising a net-profit of least R5 000 and some more than R30 000 per month. In order for the solid waste buy-back centre to realise a net-profit of more than R30 000 per month, there must be more than 40 tons of recyclable solid waste received by the buy-back centre per month. This study has indicated that solid waste buy-back centres rely on the economies of scale. This means that the more recyclable solid waste is received and sold by the solid waste buy-back centres, the more profitable it becomes. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

It aims at find out the shortage of Value chain activities should be improved of Chinese little recycle companies, through a comparative analysis of value chain activities of a laggard and advanced recycle company. And set the steps to identify opportunities for little recycle companies to gain competitive from low cost and add-value. Finally try to find out the most proper way though the value chain and competitive advantage to develop recycling companies ‘competitiveness. And it also gives some useful suggestions.

The purposes of this study are¡G(1) comparing the treatment efficiency with advanced and traditional drinking water treatment plants in southern Taiwan¡F(2) assessing the treatment efficiency and formation of disinfection by-products in advanced water treatment processes¡F(3) assessing the feasibility of wastewater recycling and treatment efficiency of wastewater treatment units¡F(4) evaluating corrosion of drinking water transportation pipelines and reproducing of chlorination by-products. This study found that the removal efficiency of turbidity, iron, manganese, coliform group and total bacterial count were approximately 99% by advanced and traditional purification processes. The concentrations of ammonia-N (NH3-N), nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen were lower drinking water quality standard. Pellet softening process was designed following coagulation/sedimentation unit to increase 8~14% and 6~20% removal efficiency of alkalinity and total hardness (TH) concentrations. The removal efficiency of total dissolved solids (TDS) was approximately 3~15% by advanced water treatment processes better than traditional water treatment processes. In the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), the trihalomethanes (THMS) and haloacetic acid (HAA5) were efficiently decreased by advanced purification processes. Bromate concentrations which lower detection limit were treated by ozonation process during the study periods. Advanced treatment processes should control the dosage of ozone and post-chlorine to avoid production of DBPs. In wastewater reuse, the treatment efficiency of suspended solids (SS) was 48¡ã99%, respectively, showing the significant removal efficiency of the wastewater process. However, the removal efficiencies of NH3-N, total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are limited by wastewater treatment processes. Because NH3-N, TOC and COD of the mixing supernatant and raw water are regulated raw water quality standards, supernatant reuse is feasible and workable during wastewater processes at this plant. Overall, analytical results indicated that supernatant reuse is feasible. The Chengcing Lake water treatment plant significantly reduced alkalinity, Ca2+ concentration and TH concentration via pellet softening treatment: however, reducing the Langelier saturation index (LSI) value of water could cause some adverse effects on distribution systems. Operational conditions by Pingding water treatment plant was added base to water can be tried to adjust pH to maintain a slightly positive LSI value, whereas for water with low hardness and alkalinity.

Methionine is involved in many cellular processes, several of which produce a feedback inhibitor. 5-methylthioribose (MTR) kinase, one protein involved in the removal of this inhibitor, has a protein kinase fold with conserved kinase motifs and several unique MTR binding motifs. Site-directed mutagenesis and characterization of the Bacillus subtilis enzyme was performed to probe the role of one motif. Active site D233 mutants show an activity profile similar to other protein kinase-like enzymes, suggesting a common mechanism that does not require a catalytic acid. An ordered sequential binding mechanism, with nucleotide binding first, was seen in wild type MTR kinase. Binding studies of the mutant proteins suggest that hydrogen bonding is important for MTR binding. The structures of the mutant proteins also show more differences in MTR binding than nucleotide binding. Overall, D233 is important for increasing the nucleophilicity of MTR, and ensuring its correct position in the active site.

Red mud is a waste product of alumina production and has an adverse effect on environment. About 90 million tonnes of red mud are produced annually throughout the world and little is recycled for useful applications. The world nickel reserves consist of approximately 30% sulphide ores and 70% oxide ores. Despite the relative abundance of oxide ores, 55% of nickel and nickel alloys produced today are derived from sulphide ores. However, with the production of nickel and its alloys from low-grade oxide ores becoming increasingly important, a major concern is high sulphur level in the resultant alloy. For this reason, desulphurization of the ferronickel becomes an important consideration. In the present study, experiments were conducted to determine if red mud could be used as a major ingredient of custom designed fluxes for the desulphurization of ferronickel alloy. Factors investigated included desulphurization rates, contact angle measurements and flux-refractory interactions.

Red mud is a waste product of alumina production and has an adverse effect on environment. About 90 million tonnes of red mud are produced annually throughout the world and little is recycled for useful applications. The world nickel reserves consist of approximately 30% sulphide ores and 70% oxide ores. Despite the relative abundance of oxide ores, 55% of nickel and nickel alloys produced today are derived from sulphide ores. However, with the production of nickel and its alloys from low-grade oxide ores becoming increasingly important, a major concern is high sulphur level in the resultant alloy. For this reason, desulphurization of the ferronickel becomes an important consideration. In the present study, experiments were conducted to determine if red mud could be used as a major ingredient of custom designed fluxes for the desulphurization of ferronickel alloy. Factors investigated included desulphurization rates, contact angle measurements and flux-refractory interactions.

Methionine is involved in many cellular processes, several of which produce a feedback inhibitor. 5-methylthioribose (MTR) kinase, one protein involved in the removal of this inhibitor, has a protein kinase fold with conserved kinase motifs and several unique MTR binding motifs. Site-directed mutagenesis and characterization of the Bacillus subtilis enzyme was performed to probe the role of one motif. Active site D233 mutants show an activity profile similar to other protein kinase-like enzymes, suggesting a common mechanism that does not require a catalytic acid. An ordered sequential binding mechanism, with nucleotide binding first, was seen in wild type MTR kinase. Binding studies of the mutant proteins suggest that hydrogen bonding is important for MTR binding. The structures of the mutant proteins also show more differences in MTR binding than nucleotide binding. Overall, D233 is important for increasing the nucleophilicity of MTR, and ensuring its correct position in the active site.

The purpose of this analysis was by qualitative semi-structured interviews with twelve children 5-years old and six pre-school teachers at three pre-schools, a total of six departments, find out how pre-school teachers worked with waste separation, if it motivated the children to take care of the environment, and if the work was understandable for the children. The results showed that the children did not comprehend what the pre-school teachers expressed that they worked with regarding waste separation and actions connected to caring for the environment. The pre-school teachers also expressed that the children was not mature enough to learn about the process when waste separated garbage is recycled, and that the work with the subject therefore had been carried out on a lower level. The children however expressed knowledge that did not come straight from their actual every day life, but since dialogue about the subject did not seem to exist between pre-school teachers and children, the pre-school teachers appeared to have failed in making the learning meaningful and understandable for the children, from their knowledge, experiences and interests. / Syftet med denna undersökning var att genom kvalitativ semi-strukturerad intervju med tolv 5-åriga barn samt sex förskollärare vid tre olika förskolor från sammanlagt sex olika avdelningar, undersöka hur förskollärare genomförde arbete kring källsortering, om det motiverade barnen att värna om miljön, och om arbetet var begripligt för barnen. Resultaten visade att barnen inte förstod att det förskollärarna menade att de arbetade med gällande källsortering och handlingar kopplade till att värna om miljön. Förskollärarna uttryckte även att barnen inte var mogna nog att lära sig om processen när källsorterade sopor återvinns, och att arbetet med ämnet därför genomförts på en lägre nivå. Barnen uttryckte emellertid kunskaper som inte kom direkt från deras faktiska vardag, men då dialog kring ämnet inte verkade förekomma mellan förskollärare och barn så tycks det som om förskollärarna inte lyckats med att göra lärandet meningsfullt och begripligt för barnen, utifrån deras kunskaper, erfarenheter och intressen.