Ash Recycling: Partnering for Progress

Author(s):  
Jan M. Barnes

Abstract For several US communities municipal waste combustor (MWC) ash recycling has been a commercial reality for almost a decade with over 1 million tons processed and beneficially used to date. Yet, despite the successes to date a recent report by the Integrated Waste Services Association shows less than 5% of the 7.5 million tons of ash generated in the US is recycled and beneficially used [1]. The technological, scientific and myriad of commercial successes categorically demonstrate the feasibility of ash recycling. The next step is for communities, regulatory agencies, transportation departments, and customers to partner with businesses to recycle their ash stream in an economically and environmentally sound manner. An example of this “partnering for progress” is the focus of this paper. The ash recycling partnership described in this paper was presented the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 1999. Proving that Partnering is a win-win situation for businesses, communities and the environment.

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Farrah ◽  
Monika Mierzwinski-Urban

Objective: The research investigated how frequently grey literature is used in reports on new and emerging nondrug health technologies, which sources are most cited, and how grey literature searching is reported.Methods: A retrospective review of references cited in horizon scanning reports on nondrug health technologies—including medical devices, laboratory tests, and procedures—was conducted. A quasi-random sample of up to three reports per agency was selected from a compilation of reports published in 2014 by international horizon scanning services and health organizations.Results: Twenty-two reports from 8 agencies were included in the analysis. On average, 47% (288/617) of references listed in the bibliographies of the horizon scanning reports were grey literature. The most frequently cited type of grey literature was information from manufacturers (30% of all grey literature references), regulatory agencies (10%), clinical trial registries (9%), and other horizon scans or evidence synthesis reports (9%). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and ClincalTrials.gov were the most frequently cited specific sources, constituting 7% and 8% of grey literature references, respectively. Over two-thirds (15/22) of the analyzed reports provided some details on search methodology; all 15 of these reported searching some grey literature.Conclusions: In this sample, grey literature represented almost half of the references cited in reports on new and emerging nondrug health technologies. Of these grey literature references, almost half came from three sources: the manufacturers, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the FDA. There was wide variation in the other sources cited. Literature search methodology was often insufficiently reported for analysis.


Author(s):  
Thomas S. Honeycheck ◽  
Gregory H. Gesell ◽  
Mark C. Turner

Abstract The SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) is a processed refuse fuel (PRF) waste-to-energy plant serving much of Southeastern Massachusetts. Units 1 and 2 at the plant were designed with spray dryer absorbers (SDAs) and electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). A review of historical data from the plant indicated that in order to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) Rule (40 CFR Part 60, Subpart Cb), which is known as the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), improved emission performance would be required from the flue gas cleaning system on Units 1 and 2. A pilot test program was conducted which led to the installation of COHPAC, or COmpact Hybrid PArticulate Collector units (i.e. flue gas polishing devices) downstream of the ESPs on these two combustion trains. The COHPAC units were successfully started up in June, 2000. In addition to these modifications, it was determined that further control of mercury emissions would be required. A system to inject powdered activated carbon into the flue gas was added to the plant. This paper describes that carbon injection system. A comparison between test data obtained at SEMASS is made with predictions based upon the EPA testing at the Ogden Martin Systems of Stanislaus, Inc. Municipal Waste Combustor Facility near Crows Landing, California and the EPA testing at the Camden County Municipal Waste Combustor in Camden, New Jersey. These are waste-to-energy plants, the former utilizing an SDA and a baghouse while the latter contains an SDA followed by an ESP. In addition, the effect of carbon injection location upon mercury reduction was investigated. The results of that study are also included.


2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1414-1422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feipeng Xiao ◽  
Serji Amirkhanian ◽  
Bradley Putman ◽  
Junan Shen

An improved understanding of the rheological and engineering properties of a rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC) pavement that contains reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is important to stimulating the use of these recycled and by-product materials in asphalt mixtures. The uses of RAP and rubberized asphalt in the past have proven to be economical, environmentally sound, and effective in hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures across the US and the world. The objective of this research was to investigate the binder and mixture performance characteristics of these modified asphalt mixtures through a series of laboratory tests to evaluate properties such as the fatigue factor G*sinδ, rutting resistance, resilient modulus, and fatigue life. The results of the experiments indicated that the use of RAP and crumb rubber in HMA can effectively improve the engineering properties of these mixes.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1361-1365
Author(s):  
Barry A. McFarland ◽  
Steven Kegelman

ABSTRACT One of the many valuable aspects of Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) in the US is the identification of environmentally sensitive sites. Over recent years the natural evolution of the area planning process has commonly involved development of site specific response strategies for protection of these environmentally sensitive locations. Whether called Geographic Response Plans (GRPs), Site Specific Response Strategies (SSRS), or Geographic Response Strategies (GRSs) these plans typically identify the equipment and personnel needed to accomplish the prescribed strategies. Once strategies are developed, there is incentive to prestage equipment near the identified site to maximize the ability to implement the strategy identified in the plan. Regulatory agencies are now exerting additional pressure by requiring oil spill removal organizations (OSROs) to exercise these strategies on an annual or triennial basis. This pressure results in multiple competing OSROs prestaging similar or identical response inventories at or near the same sites. As a result, a growing percentage of the response equipment on the U.S. West Coast is now prestaged in duplicate or triplicate small stockpiles throughout coastal areas. Many of these prestaged packages are very site specific and include permanent mooring sites or equipment. This equipment is now configured to effectively protect a specific site. It may no longer be as flexible or as easily used under different conditions or at other locations. As a greater percentage of the equipment inventory becomes prestaged, what does this mean in terms of overall response mobility? Has the mobility of equipment or cascading of response equipment been affected? The combination of multiple OSROs, the increasing number of protection strategies, and the need to regularly exercise these strategies is resulting is an decreasingly mobile equipment inventory. At what point does this affect the tactical planning process? Is there a way to optimize preplanning and still achieve equipment flexibility?


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11462
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Boccarossa ◽  
Martina Di Addario ◽  
Adele Folino ◽  
Fabio Tatàno

In the Marche Region (Central Italy), the residual municipal waste (RMW) is commonly processed in mechanical biological treatment (MBT) systems. In these systems, following a first mechanical selection, the undersize organic fraction from RMW (us-OFRMW) undergoes a partial aerobic biological treatment before being landfilled as a biostabilised fraction (bios-OFRMW) without dedicated energy or material recovery. Alternative us-OFRMW management scenarios have been elaborated for this region, at both present (reference year 2019) and future (reference year 2035) time bases. In the first scenario, the potential bioenergy recovery through anaerobic digestion (AD) from the us-OFRMW was evaluated. The second scenario aimed at evaluating the residual methane generation expected from the bios-OFRMW once landfilled, thus contributing also to the potential environmental impact connected with landfill gas (LFG) diffuse emissions from the regional landfills. The diversion to AD, at the present time, would allow a potential bioenergy recovery from the us-OFRMW equal to 4.35 MWel, while the alternative scenario involves greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to 195 kg CO2 eq. per ton of deposited bios-OFRMW. In the future, the decreased amount of the us-OFRMW addressed to AD would still contribute with a potential bioenergy recovery of 3.47 MWel.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Félix Medeiros

<p>A criação das agências reguladoras no Brasil baseou-se nos modelos Americano e Britânico de regulamentação os quais, apresentavam condições históricas, sociais, políticas e sistema jurídico distintos do Brasileiro. Considerando este importante aspecto, o artigo tem por objetivo retomar o cenário de implantação das agências nestes países, apontando as particularidades do setor elétrico. O estudo avaliará ainda a assimetria de informações e o poder de coesão e influência regulatória dos agentes do setor, em relação à possibilidade de desvios de finalidade da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL). A discussão sobre o conceito de regulação e sua eficácia se inicia nos EUA na década de 1970 quando seus principais teóricos (Stigler, Posner e Peltzman) criticam a ideia de que as agências são eficientes em corrigir os desequilíbrios dos mercados e que atuam em prol do interesse público. Assim, as agências deste país, a partir da década de 1980, sofrem restrições à sua autoridade, controle judicial e competências. Na contramão deste movimento nas décadas de 1980 e 1990, são criadas na Inglaterra e no Brasil respectivamente, as agências de regulação como autarquias especiais as quais possuem autonomia administrativa e financeira além de estabilidade dos dirigentes. Sua criação se fez necessária com a privatização das empresas estatais.</p><p> </p><p>The creation of regulatory agencies in Brazil was based on the American and British regulatory models which, however, had historical, social, political and legal system completely distinct from the Brazilian. Considering this important aspect, this study aims to resume the scenario that occurred the implementation of the regulatory framework in these countries, pointing to the particularities of the electricity sector. The study will also assess information asymmetry and power of cohesion and regulatory influence of the agents of the sector, related to deviations from the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL). The discussion on the concept of regulation and its effectiveness begins in the US from the 1970s when its main theoreticians (Stigler, Posner and Peltzman) criticized the idea that the regulatory agencies are effective in correcting the imbalances of markets and act in the public interest. For this reason, agencies of this country, from the 1980s, are restricted to their authority, and judicial powers. Against this act, England and Brazil in the late 1980s and 1990s, respectively, created the regulatory agencies as special municipalities which have administrative and financial autonomy as well as stability leaders and fixed term. Their creation was necessary given the privatization of state companies.</p>


Author(s):  
Mark Arienti ◽  
Jeffrey R. Harrington

Regional Waste Systems (RWS) evaluated protocols and methods for operation of a continuous emission rate monitoring system (CERMS) for its municipal waste combustor (MWC) located in Portland, Maine. This continuous measurement of mass emissions (lb/hr) would be in addition to the existing continuous monitoring of the concentration (ppm) of NOx, SO2, and CO emissions using a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) as required of RWS and all other MWC facilities under federal and state rules. The study of CERMS protocols and methods identified the individual components required for a CERMS, evaluated existing methods of measuring MWC unit load and of ensuring “good combustion”, identified and evaluated the existing continuous monitoring regulatory requirements for MWCs and other major sources, evaluated the state of the practice for the use of CERMS, evaluated CERMS data quality, and identified and evaluated existing protocols for CERMS. Finally, a protocol was developed for trial operation of the CERMS considering the above evaluations.


SATS ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Thalos

AbstractThis essay argues that, in place of the present hit-and-miss system of specialist advisement (a system of scientific experts performing case-by-case studies at numerous regulatory agencies, the US Office of Technology Assessment, for example), we require a corps of


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