Solid waste generation from oil and gas industries in United Arab Emirates

Solid wastes generated from oil and gas industrial activities are very diverse in their characteristics, large in their amounts and many of which are hazardous in nature. Thus, quantifying and characterizing the generated amounts in association with their types, classes, sources, industrial activities, and their chemical and biological characteristics is an obvious mandate when evaluating the possible management practices. This paper discusses the types, amounts, generation units, and the factors related to solid waste generation from a major oil and gas field in the United Arab Emirates (Asab Field). The generated amounts are calculated based on a 1-year data collection survey and using a database software specially developed and customized for the current study. The average annual amount of total solid waste generated in the studied field is estimated at 4061 t. Such amount is found equivalent to 650 kg/capita, 0.37 kg/barrel oil, and 1.6 kg/m³ of extracted gas. The average annual amount of hazardous solid waste is estimated at 55 t and most of which (73%) is found to be generated from gas extraction-related activities. The majority of other industrial non-hazardous solid waste is generated from oil production-related activities (41%), The present analysis does also provide the estimated generation amounts per waste type and class, amounts of combustible, recyclable, and compostable wastes, and the amounts dumped in uncontrolled way as well as disposed into special hazardous landfill facilities. The results should help the decision makers in evaluating the best alternatives available to manage the solid wastes generated from the oil and gas industries.     

A system tradeoff model for processing options for household plastic waste

With the "Containers and Packaging Recycling Law", Japan has shown a firm conviction towards the promotion of recycling. Waste can be "recycled", i.e. resource value of waste material can be recovered, in many ways, from material recycling to energy recycling. Alternatively, waste can be reduced or disposed of in landfills. A system tradeoff model is developed from component process technology models of six different recycling and disposal options for household plastic waste processing: plastic pellet production, refuse derived fuel production, oil production, waste incineration to produce electricity, use of waste plastic as a coke substitute, and incineration for volume reduction. These technologies are compared with the case where all waste plastic is land filled. Models based on plant data, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations of scale effects and mass balances are developed to calculate the cost, energy consumption, CO₂ emission, and land fill occupancy. The models also calculate the valued products of each technology and convert them into cost, energy, CO₂, and landfill occupancy using life cycle inventory data. These values are subtracted from the outputs of the waste processing models to obtain overall performances for each technology. The overall tradeoff system model is then used to evaluate several scenarios of plastic recycling and disposal technologies in Tokyo. Electronic Publication     

Selecting a waste management option using a life-cycle analysis approach

Solid-waste management, and in particular the disposal of used packaging, is currently the subject of much topical debate. This is driven by both consumer and legislative pressures. Consumers see used packaging as a highly visible element of municipal solid waste, complaining of excessive packaging and low levels of recycling. Legislators, perhaps in pandering to the views expressed by consumer bodies, have been active within the CEC and individual Member States by introducing (or proposing) legislation or similar regulatory tools and targets to facilitate a greater diversion of used packaging from disposal by landfill to alternative solid-waste management practices, in particular recycling, which are widely accepted to have a lower impact on the environment. In this paper the relative environmental profiles of pursuing alternative solid-waste management practices to disposal by landfill are explored, focusing not just on solid waste per se but also on associated considerations of energy consumption and emissions, which are invariably overlooked as factors contributing to the environmental impact of solid-waste management practices.     

The Role of Household Food Waste in Comparing Environmental Impacts of Packaging Alternatives

This paper examines the environmental impacts of food waste and the influence that packaging alternatives can have on causing food waste. This paper presents the results of three life cycle assessment case studies on packed food products. The life cycle assessments were conducted for ham, dark bread and Soygurt drink (fermented soy‐based drink). In each case study, the environmental impacts of the products were assessed with different assumptions about the packaging sizes and alternative materials. The studies especially considered the environmental impacts resulting from food waste generated by consumers as a function of the variable packaging options. The food waste of other parts of the production chain of the studied products was also taken into account. A consumer survey was carried out to estimate the amounts of product waste generated in Finnish households connected to the three investigated products. The environmental impacts of the food products, household food waste and packaging were modelled by scenarios with varying rates of household food waste and different waste management options. The results indicated that the significance of the production and post‐consumer life of packaging was relatively low for climate change, eutrophication and acidification, in comparison with the production chain of the ham, dark bread and Soygurt. According to the results, packaging solutions that minimize the waste generation in households as well as in distribution and retail will lead to the lowest environmental impacts of the entire product‐packaging chain. Therefore, it is important to design packages that protect the food properly and allow the consumer to use the product fully. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Industrial waste recycling strategies optimization problem: mixed integer programming model and heuristics

Manufacturers have a legal accountability to deal with industrial waste generated from their production processes in order to avoid pollution. Along with advances in waste recovery techniques, manufacturers may adopt various recycling strategies in dealing with industrial waste. With reuse strategies and technologies, byproducts or wastes will be returned to production processes in the iron and steel industry, and some waste can be recycled back to base material for reuse in other industries. This article focuses on a recovery strategies optimization problem for a typical class of industrial waste recycling process in order to maximize profit. There are multiple strategies for waste recycling available to generate multiple byproducts; these byproducts are then further transformed into several types of chemical products via different production patterns. A mixed integer programming model is developed to determine which recycling strategy and which production pattern should be selected with what quantity of chemical products corresponding to this strategy and pattern in order to yield maximum marginal profits. The sales profits of chemical products and the set-up costs of these strategies, patterns and operation costs of production are considered. A simulated annealing (SA) based heuristic algorithm is developed to solve the problem. Finally, an experiment is designed to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. By comparing a single strategy to multiple strategies in an example, it is shown that the total sales profit of chemical products can be increased by around 25% through the simultaneous use of multiple strategies. This illustrates the superiority of combinatorial multiple strategies. Furthermore, the effects of the model parameters on profit are discussed to help manufacturers organize their waste recycling network.     

Estimation of future outflows and infrastructure needed to recycle personal computer systems in California

The objectives of the present study are to estimate future quantities of electronic waste (e-waste) for which appropriate infrastructure needs to be established, and to the estimate the total cost for e-waste recycling in California. Estimation of the future amounts of e-waste as a function of time is critical to effective e-waste management. To generate estimates, we use a time-series materials flow analysis model (MFAM). The model estimates future e-waste quantities by modeling the stages of production, usage, and disposal. We consider four scenarios for the estimation of future e-waste generation in order to consider the effects of exportation outside the State of California and of user preferences to store or to recycle the e-waste. These efforts were further investigated through the use of sensitivity analysis. The results of the present research indicate that the outflow (recycling) amount of central processing units (CPUs) will increase and will reach approximately 8.5 million units per year in 2013, but the outflow (recycling) of cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors will decrease from 2004 in California because of the replacement of CRT monitors by liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors. In 2013, the cost for CPU recycling will be 1.7 times higher than that in 2005. But for CRT monitors, the cost for recycling in 2013 will be negligible. After the State of California enacted the ban on landfill disposal of e-waste, recycling became the most common end-of-life (EOL) option in California. Also, after 2005, the State of California will need more than 60 average-capacity materials recovery facilities (MRFs), to recycle the number of personal computer systems generated, which represents an investment in capital of over 16 million dollars.     

A review of packaging-related studies in the context of household food waste: Drivers,solutions and avenues for future research

Packaging has the potential to reduce food waste and contribute to the United Nations sustainable development goal 12.3. Yet packaging is also a household food waste (FW) driver, necessitating packaging improvements. Through a review of primary consumer studies on household FW and packaging published 2006–2020, this study mapped the effects of packaging functions on different food categories to identify packaging-related FW drivers, solutions and research opportunities. Relevant studies are increasing, yet packaging yields less attention than factors including domestic routines. Many studies limit packaging discussion to the aspects attributed to wasted food, with date-labels and overly large pack sizes the most mentioned. Suggested solutions by extant literature include clearer date-labels and more pack size variety. However, research showing the effectiveness of these suggested solutions in households is lacking. Packaging formats and materials may affect packaging functionality and therefore household FW, but studies are lacking. There is therefore scope for household studies to collect more packaging related FW data. In particular, focussing on the effects of specific packaging functions on domestic food practices, with an effort to gather food-group-specific data. More studies in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Middle East and the Pacific/Oceania will provide insights beyond the current Eurocentric focus. These findings contribute to theory and practice within the focus of household FW and packaging literature, helping to extend existing research to support the development and implementation of packaging that considers regional differences in food systems, food routines and preferences for a better chance at reducing FW.     

Static mechanical properties of waste rests of recycled rubber and high quality recycled rubber from crumbed tyres used as aggregate in dry consistency concretes

The following research is focused on establishing the differences in the re-use as aggregate in dry consistency concretes of two types of rubber obtained in the process of Tyre recycling, recycled rubber from tyres (RRT): granulated sizes (4–8 mm) of high quality recycled rubber (HQRR) and the waste of the recycling process: steel and textile fibers with rubber tracks (waste from recycled rubber, WRR). Both types were classified and added as aggregate in substitution of coarse aggregates from 20 to 100 % by volume. The physical and mechanical behavior of WRR in concretes was compared with reference concrete and series with HQRR for a future use in precast concrete pieces. In both samples a reduction of mechanical resistance occurs in proportion with the amounts of rubber of substitution, but less in serials with WRR with a successful combination of steel and textile fiber. WRR shows furthermore a reduction in properties such as workability and density, but also an increment in porosity. These facts facilitate new options for waste from RRT in concretes and therefore lower energy costs, achieving a success rate in the recycling process close to 100 %.     

Production of sustainable fibre-reinforced concrete incorporating waste chopped metallic film fibres and palm oil fuel ash

The consumption of waste materials is one of the essential concerns of waste management strategies in many parts of the world. With the advances in concrete technology, the utilisation of waste materials in the sustainable construction has developed increasingly widespread because of technological, economic and ecological advantages. This paper presents the workability and mechanical properties of concrete incorporating waste chopped metallic film (WCMF) fibres and palm oil fuel ash (POFA). Waste plastic results in waste discarding disaster and consequently causes significant harms to the environment. WCMF fibres were prepared by recycling metallic–plastic films used for food packaging. Six concrete mixes containing 0–1.25% WCMF fibres with a length of 20 mm were made of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Further, six concrete mixes with the same fibre content were made, where 20% POFA substituted OPC. The combination of WCMF fibres and POFA decreased the workability of concrete mixes. The inclusion of WCMF fibres to OPC and POFA concrete mixes decreased the compressive strength. However, at the curing period of 91 days, the POFA-based mixes obtained higher compressive strength values than those of OPC-based mixtures. The positive interaction between WCMF fibres and POFA consequently enhanced the flexural and tensile strengths, impact resistance, thereby increasing energy absorption capacity and ductility of concrete composites. It revealed that WCMF fibres acted as a bridge arrester and improved the load-transfer capacity of the concrete specimens. The study showed that the utilisation of WCMF fibres in the production of sustainable concrete is a beneficial, affordable and feasible solution.     

Hazardous waste generation and management in China: a review

Associated with the rapid economic growth and tremendous industrial prosperity, continues to be the accelerated increase of hazardous waste generation in China. The reported generation of industrial hazardous waste (IHW) was 11.62milliontons in 2005, which accounted for 1.1% of industrial solid waste (ISW) volume. An average of 43.4% of IHW was recycled, 33.0% was stored, 23.0% was securely disposed, and 0.6% was discharged without pollution controlling. By the end of 2004, there were 177 formal treatment and disposal centers for IHW management. The reported quantity of IHW disposed in these centers was only 416,000tons, 65% of which was landfilled, 35% was incinerated. The quantity of waste alkali and acid ranked the first among IHW categories, which accounted for 30.9%. And 39.0% of IHW was generated from the raw chemical materials and chemical products industry sectors. South west China had the maximum generation of IHW, accounted for 40.0%. In addition, it was extrapolated that 740,000tons of medical wastes were generated per year, of which only 10% was soundly managed. The generation of discarded household hazardous waste (HHW) is another important source of hazardous waste. A great proportion of HHW was managed as municipal solid waste (MSW). Hazardous waste pollution controlling has come into being a huge challenge faced to Chinese environmental management.     

不同市场主导者下的以旧换再回收模型

为探究闭环供应链的定价决策问题,基于市场上不同主导者与废旧品回收渠道,建立了4种以旧换再回收模型,并对比分析了各个模型中制造商与零售商的定价决策。研究表明,1) 企业权力越大,议价能力就越强,企业的利润就越大;2) 再制造产品的定价、废旧品的回收价仅与废旧品的回收渠道有关,与市场主导者无关;3) 制造商回收时,潜在消费者能获更多的以旧换再返利,但是会损害初始消费者的利益;4) 制造商可以通过适当的降低新产品的耐用性、提高消费者对于再制造产品的接纳度等方式促使更多的消费者参加以旧换再活动,增大废旧品的回收率,进一步的把再制造产品推向市场。     

Greenhouse gases emissions from waste management practices using Life Cycle Inventory model

When exploring the correlation between municipal solid waste management and green house gas emission, the volume and physical composition of the waste matter must be taken into account. Due to differences in local environments and lifestyles the quantity and composition of waste often vary. This leads to differences in waste treatment methods and causes different volumes of greenhouse gases (GHGs), highlighting the need for local research. In this study the Life Cycle Inventory method was used with global warming indicator GHGs as the variables. By quantifying the data and adopting a region-based approach, this created a model of household MSWM in Taipei City, a metropolitan region in Taiwan. To allow analysis and comparison a compensatory system was then added to expand the system boundary. The results of the analysis indicated that out of all the solid waste management sub-models for a function unit, recycling was the most effective method for reducing GHG emissions while using kitchen food waste as swine feeding resulted in the most GHG emissions. As for the impact of waste collection vehicles on emissions, if the efficiency of transportation could be improved and energy consumption reduced, this will help solid waste management to achieve its goal of reducing GHG emissions.     

Recycling hazardous jarosite waste using coal combustion residues

Increase in environmental concern due to improper management of both hazardous and non hazardous wastes released from different industrial process prioritized the necessity for the innovation research. In this context, this paper deals with the immobilization of jarosite waste released from the zinc industry and converting it into a value added product using coal combustion residues (CCRs) through solidification/stabilization (s/s) and sintering process. Experiments were conducted using different ratio of jarosite waste and clay soil with varying concentration of CCRs. The optimized experimental results (using jarosite waste and clay soil ratio of one with 15% CCRs) showed that it is possible to make a composite having desirable mechanical properties such as compressive strength (50–81 kg/cm²); water absorption (13–17%); shrinkage (11–32%); and density (1.6–1.8 gm cm^?3) to use as a construction material. Under solid state sintering process, with the application of CCRs, the mineral phases such as X Fe₃ (SO₄)₂(OH)₆ [where X = K and NH₄], 2Fe₂O₃SO₃.5H₂O, PbSO₄, CaSO₄ in jarosite waste were transformed into a silicate matrices. The leachate studies confirmed that the toxic elements such as Cd, Pb, etc. were immobilized in the jarosite waste composite and meeting the USEPA TCLP toxicity norms for safe utility. The composite product thus developed has showed potential for recycling jarosite waste in construction sector leading to cross sector waste recycling.     

A novel approach to recycling of glass fibers from nonmetal materials of waste printed circuit boards

The printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain nearly 70% nonmetal materials, which usually are abandoned as an industrial solid-waste byproduct during the recycling of waste PCBs. However those materials have abundant high-value glass fibers. In this study, a novel fluidized bed process technology for recycling glass fibers from nonmetal materials of waste PCBs is studied. The recycled glass fibers (RGF) are analyzed by determination of their purity, morphology and surface chemical composition. This process technology is shown to be effective and robust in treating with nonmetal materials of waste PCBs. The thermoset resins in the nonmetal materials are decomposed in the temperature range from 400 °C to 600 °C. And the glass fibers are collected at high purity and recovery rate by the cyclone separators without violating the environmental regulation. This novel fluidized bed technology for recycling high-value glass fibers from nonmetal materials of waste PCBs represents a promising way for recycling resources and resolving the environmental pollutions during recycling of waste PCBs.     

探究聚氨酯废弃软泡的资源化利用技术(上)

软质聚氨酯泡沫塑料废旧物的回收利用无疑对环境保护和资源利用是有利的,由于聚氨酯的用量较大,而近期原料价格居高不下,其废弃物回收资源化利用市场前景看好。针对废旧聚氨酯软泡塑料的循环利用形势所迫,分别论述了废旧聚氨酯软泡塑料的物理回收利用技术;废旧聚氨酯软泡塑料的化学回收利用技术;废旧聚氨酯软泡回收利用的粘结加压成型和挤出成型技术,以及废旧聚氨酯软泡回收利用热解法制作填料技术等的工艺特点、加工方法,同时指出其社会效益、经济效益和市场前景。     

Modelling and analysis of a symbiotic waste management system

A municipal solid waste management system is symbiotic when there exists physical exchange of material or by-products between different treatment units. We propose a mathematical model for studying the interactive behaviour of different waste treatment operators in a symbiotic environment. Each operator is a self-interested entity, who sets his gate fee charge to maximise his own payoff. We study the properties and gate fee strategies of the operators, and also perform sensitivity analysis on various model parameters to discuss the local operator behaviour and the effects of various intervention strategies. We also propose a numerical algorithm to solve the model, yielding the optimal equilibrium gate fee charges, payoff and market share levels of different operators. Finally, computational studies based on a two-unit scenario in a case study of organic waste recycling is performed to demonstrate the interactive and dynamic behaviours of different operators. Our results strongly suggest that, to improve new treatment technology utilisation, subsidising the operating cost of the new treatment unit is more effective in the long-run than exerting control on the gate fee upper bounds of the operators by the system regulator. Furthermore, providing residual post-treatment discounts for treatment units can benefit the service users, rather than the waste treatment operators.     

Recycling of waste printed circuit boards: a review of current technologies and treatment status in China

From the use of renewable resources and environmental protection viewpoints, recycling of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) receives wide concerns as the amounts of scrap PCBs increases dramatically. However, treatment for waste PCBs is a challenge due to the fact that PCBs are diverse and complex in terms of materials and components makeup as well as the original equipment's manufacturing processes. Recycle technology for waste PCBs in China is still immature. Previous studies focused on metals recovery, but resource utilization for nonmetals and further separation of the mixed metals are relatively fewer. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a proper recycle technology for waste PCBs. In this paper, current status of waste PCBs treatment in China was introduced, and several recycle technologies were analyzed. Some advices against the existing problems during recycling process were presented. Based on circular economy concept in China and complete recycling and resource utilization for all materials, a new environmental-friendly integrated recycling process with no pollution and high efficiency for waste PCBs was provided and discussed in detail.     

Determining the mechanism controlling glass fibre strength loss during thermal recycling of waste composites

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the large reductions to the tensile fracture stress and the associated strength loss mechanism of E-glass fibres during thermal recycling. Fractographic analysis reveals the fracture process is controlled by surface flaws, irrespective of heat treatment temperature and duration. The fracture toughness is an important material property in order to understand possible changes in the strength–flaw relationship during heat treatment. Focussed ion beam (FIB) milling is used to artificially create a single nano-sized deep notch (between 30 and 1000 nm) in glass fibres. The strength loss, fracture toughness, fracture mirror constant and fracture mechanism observed for nano-notched and thermally recycled fibres are identical, indicating bulk property changes do not occur during thermal recycling. The study proves conclusively that surface flaw growth is the controlling mechanism reducing fibreglass strength during thermal recycling of waste polymer composites.     

废旧家用电器的机械破碎与分选技术

简要分析了废旧家用电器的材料组成、联结方式，以及发达国家废旧家用电器处理技术现状，详细阐述了废旧家用电器的机械破碎和机械分选技术，介绍了国内外废旧家用电器成套处理设备的研究开发进展，并提出了适合我国国情的废旧家用电器处理的工艺技术路线。