Integrated Management of Solid Wastes for New York City

Author(s):  
Nickolas J. Themelis

This report presents the results of a study that examined alternatives to landfilling the municipal solid wastes (MSW) of New York City. Detailed characterization of the wastes led to their classification, according to materials properties and inherent value, to “recyclable”, “compostable”, “combustible”, and “landfillable”. The results showed that the present rates of recycling (16.6%) and combustion (12.4%) in New York City can be increased by a) implementing an automated, modern Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that separates the blue bag stream to “recyclables” and “combustibles”, and b) combusting the non-recyclable materials in a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility. Combustion of wastes to produce electricity is environmentally much preferable to landfilling. An advanced technology for combustion is that used in a modern Waste-to-Energy plant (SEMASS, Massachusetts) that processes 0.9 million metric tons of MSW per year, generates a net of 610 kWh per metric ton of MSW, recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and has lower emissions than many coal-fired power plants.

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolas J. Themelis ◽  
Young Hwan Kim ◽  
Mark H. Brady

Author(s):  
Jonathan Acquaviva ◽  
Earl Foster ◽  
Charles Ferdon ◽  
K. Max Zhang

The effects of plug-in hybrid vehicles in New York City could be substantial to the city’s efforts to achieve future climate change goals and environmental initiatives. This study focuses on these effects as they correlate to the energy supply system, transportation network, and air quality control. To accomplish this analysis a variety of techniques were used to model the transportation and electric networks around New York City. The transportation system is modeled through close manipulation of U.S Census Data collected in 2000 and 2003 in which citizens were asked questions pertaining to their daily journeys to work. The power grid for the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) is modeled using a MATLAB program entitled MATPOWER developed by professors and students at Cornell University. By incorporating real-time load datum, this program has the capability of rendering accurate depictions of changes in power plant loads, emissions, and costs. In addition, the program will distinguish the type of energy used on the margin and locate the geographic region of that energy source. With this capability, the focus of this study surrounded three main objectives: to estimate market growth of PHEVs in the New York metropolitan area, investigate how fuel used to generate power changes with increase in demand, and to analyze the effects on emissions from cars and power plants. Initial analysis indicates that the introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles into the New York City commuter fleet will have a net positive effect on reducing both total emissions and localized emissions around the city’s transportation infrastructure. At an ambitious rate of 20% PHEV penetration, New York could save nearly 625,000 gallons of gasoline per day. This is equivalent to 33,000 barrels of oil. At the current gasoline prices in New York State of $2.087 per gallon, this is a daily savings of $1.3 million dollars per day. In addition, at this penetration the PHEV’s would displace over 29,000 metric tonnes of net carbon dioxide per day.


1942 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1082-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Cushman

At four o'clock on the morning of June 13, 1942, four men, in the fatigue uniforms of the German Marine Infantry, were landed in a rubber boat by two German sailors on the beach at Amagansett near the tip of Long Island, 125 miles east of New York City. They changed to civilian dress and then buried in the sand their uniforms and a supply of explosives, incendiaries, fuses, detonators, timing devices, and acids. They carried with them some $90,000 in American currency and had an elaborate list of American factories, railroad centers, bridges, power plants, water supply systems, and the like. They were accosted by an unarmed Coast Guard patrol. Alleging that they were fishermen, the four men sought the silence of the patrol first by threats to kill him and then by a bribe. He accepted $260, promptly reported the incident, and a squad of Coast Guardsmen shortly discovered the buried articles. A submarine was seen and heard off shore. The four men went to New York City.


Author(s):  
N. Krishnan ◽  
N. J. Themelis

The U.S. generates about 370 million short tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) each year. In 2002, an average of 26.9% of this material was either recycled or composted. Of the remainder, an estimated 242 million short tons were disposed of in landfills and about 29 million short tons were combusted in Waste to Energy (WTE) facilities to produce electricity and scrap metal. Effective management of MSW is becoming increasingly challenging, especially in densely populated regions, such as New York City, where there is little or no landfill capacity and the tipping fees have doubled and tripled in recent years. There is also a growing appreciation of the environmental implications of landfills. Even with modern landfill construction, impacts remain from the need for transfer stations to handle putrescible wastes, their transport to distant landfills, and finally landfill gas emissions and potential aqueous run-off. Environmental impacts of concern associated with disposal in WTEs include air emissions of metals, dioxins and greenhouse gases. In the U.S., there is also a strong negative public perception of WTE facilities. Decisions about waste management should be influenced by a consideration of the overall, quantified life-cycle environmental impacts of different options. In this paper we therefore develop a methodology to assess these impacts for landfilling and WTE waste management options. Specifically we attempt to compare these two options for New York City, a large urban area.


Author(s):  
Michael Waite ◽  
Vijay Modi

The energy potential from wind is significant in many locations in the U.S., including in some areas of New York State. The intermittent availability of wind — specifically, higher wind potential at night and in the winter in New York — would require extensive storage to make use of that energy during times of peak electricity demand — during the day and in the summer. Although the total energy available from wind may be sufficient and available at a low cost, the cost of implementing traditional storage techniques (e.g. batteries) would be expensive and require large amounts of space to address the offset supply and demand profiles. As such, base electricity loads are likely to continue to be served by a combination of less expensive energy conversion technologies, particularly given the current low cost of wholesale natural gas for gas-fueled power plants. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) has been evaluated — and implemented or proposed at a small number of facilities — as a potential energy storage technology that could be used to reduce the amount natural gas required to operate compressors at natural gas-fueled power plants serving base electricity demands. The result of this strategy is, effectively, an increase in thermal efficiency of the power plant. This paper presents an evaluation of wind energy available at a site in New York State, its potential to meet the electricity demand in New York City, the expected capital and recurring costs of the overall system, and a comparison to electricity provided by natural gas, a likely alternative large-scale fuel source. Annual wind data for the site and annual New York City electricity usage were analyzed. Available wind energy was first assumed to serve any electricity demand above the New York City base load. Additional available wind energy operates compressors, storing compressed air in underground caverns. The cavern sizes required and associated capital costs was calculated. The expected reduction in natural gas requirements were calculated for gas-fuelled power plants designed to accept compressed air from the caverns, with additional electricity demand met by gas turbine power plants. The recurrent cost reductions associated with reduced natural gas volumes were calculated based on a range of natural gas prices to evaluate the feasibility of the system described above under different market conditions. The potential usage of CAES systems for peak electricity demands was also evaluated.


1942 ◽  
Vol 74 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
H. Kurdian

In 1941 while in New York City I was fortunate enough to purchase an Armenian MS. which I believe will be of interest to students of Eastern Christian iconography.


1999 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-203
Author(s):  
Robert Chatham

The Court of Appeals of New York held, in Council of the City of New York u. Giuliani, slip op. 02634, 1999 WL 179257 (N.Y. Mar. 30, 1999), that New York City may not privatize a public city hospital without state statutory authorization. The court found invalid a sublease of a municipal hospital operated by a public benefit corporation to a private, for-profit entity. The court reasoned that the controlling statute prescribed the operation of a municipal hospital as a government function that must be fulfilled by the public benefit corporation as long as it exists, and nothing short of legislative action could put an end to the corporation's existence.In 1969, the New York State legislature enacted the Health and Hospitals Corporation Act (HHCA), establishing the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) as an attempt to improve the New York City public health system. Thirty years later, on a renewed perception that the public health system was once again lacking, the city administration approved a sublease of Coney Island Hospital from HHC to PHS New York, Inc. (PHS), a private, for-profit entity.


Author(s):  
Catherine J. Crowley ◽  
Kristin Guest ◽  
Kenay Sudler

What does it mean to have true cultural competence as an speech-language pathologist (SLP)? In some areas of practice it may be enough to develop a perspective that values the expectations and identity of our clients and see them as partners in the therapeutic process. But when clinicians are asked to distinguish a language difference from a language disorder, cultural sensitivity is not enough. Rather, in these cases, cultural competence requires knowledge and skills in gathering data about a student's cultural and linguistic background and analyzing the student's language samples from that perspective. This article describes one American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)-accredited graduate program in speech-language pathology and its approach to putting students on the path to becoming culturally competent SLPs, including challenges faced along the way. At Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) the program infuses knowledge of bilingualism and multiculturalism throughout the curriculum and offers bilingual students the opportunity to receive New York State certification as bilingual clinicians. Graduate students must demonstrate a deep understanding of the grammar of Standard American English and other varieties of English particularly those spoken in and around New York City. Two recent graduates of this graduate program contribute their perspectives on continuing to develop cultural competence while working with diverse students in New York City public schools.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo D. Cruz ◽  
Diana L. Galvis ◽  
Mimi Kim ◽  
Racquel Z. Le-Geros ◽  
Su-Yan L. Barrow ◽  
...  

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