The Boundary-layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of INstruments (BAQUNIN) supersite for Atmospheric Research and Satellite Validation over Rome area

The Boundary-layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN) supersite is presented. The site has been collecting pollutant concentrations and meteorological parameters since 2017. Currently, BAQUNIN consists of three observation sites located in the city center of Rome (Italy), and in the neighboring semi-rural and rural areas. To the best of our knowledge, BAQUNIN is one of the first observatories in the world to involve several passive and active ground-based instruments installed in multiple locations, managed by different research institutions, in a highly polluted megacity affected by coastal weather regimes. BAQUNIN has been promoted by the European Space Agency to establish an experimental research infrastructure for the validation of present and future satellite atmospheric products and the in-depth investigation of the planetary and urban boundary layers. Here, the main characteristics of the three sites are described, providing information about the complex instrumental suite and the produced data. The supersite adopts a policy of free sharing of its validated dataset with the community. Finally, the BAQUNIN potential is demonstrated with a case study involving a major fire that occurred in a waste treatment plant near the urban center of Rome, and the consequent investigation of the plume properties revealed by different instruments.

Recovery of Waste Polyurethane from E-Waste—Part I: Investigation of the Oil Sorption Potential

The shredding of end-of-life refrigerators produces every year in Italy 15,000 tons of waste polyurethane foam (PUF), usually destined for energy recovery. This work presents the results of the investigation of the oil sorption potential of waste PUF according to ASTM F726–17 standard. Three oils (diesel fuel and two commercial motor oils) having different densities (respectively, 0.83, 0.87, and 0.88 kg/dm3) and viscosities (respectively, 3, 95, and 140 mm2/s at 40 °C) were considered. The waste PUF was sampled in an Italian e-waste treatment plant, and its characterization showed 16.5 wt% particles below 0.71 mm and 13 wt% impurities (paper, plastic, aluminum foil), mostly having dimensions (d) above 5 mm. Sieving at 0.071 mm was applied to the waste PUF to obtain a “coarse” (d > 0.71 mm) and a “fine” fraction (d < 0.71 mm). Second sieving at 5 mm allowed an “intermediate” fraction to be obtained, with dimensions between 0.71 and 5 mm. The oil sorption tests involved the three fractions of waste PUF, and their performances were compared with two commercial oil sorbents (sepiolite and OKO-PUR). The results of the tests showed that the “fine” PUF was able to retain 7.1–10.3 g oil/g, the “intermediate” PUF, 4.2–7.4 g oil/g, and the “coarse” PUF, 4.5–7.0 g oil/g, while sepiolite and OKO-PUR performed worse (respectively, 1.3–1.6 and 3.3–5.3 g oil/g). In conclusion, compared with the actual management of waste PUF (100 wt% sent to energy recovery), the amount destined directly to energy recovery could be limited to 13 wt% (i.e., the impurities). The remaining 87 wt% could be diverted to reuse for oil sorption, and afterward directed to energy recovery, considered as a secondary option.

The Study of Impact of Tofu Industrial Waste Treatment Plant on Value of Chemical Oxygen Demand Level in Residents Well of Central Lamper Village, Semarang-Indonesia

Background and Objective: The existence of a tofu waste treatment plant in residential areas and reports from the public about the unpleasant odor in several wells made residents worried about the impact of the intrusion of tofu waste treatment plant waste. This study aims to assess the impact of possible intrusion of waste from tofu waste treatment plants into residents' wells. Methods: This type of research is descriptive with a survey method. Samples from the research site were analyzed in the laboratory by the titration method based on the value of chemical oxygen demand, compared with Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No. 82 Th. 2001 concerning water quality management and water pollution control. Results: The results of the measurement of the chemical oxygen demand value of the Bajak river were 51.8 mg/L (starting point) and 238 mg/L (end point). The value of chemical oxygen demand in resident wells is as follows: resident well 1 of 12.2 mg/L, resident well 2 of 9.12 mg/L, resident well 3 of 3.05 mg/L, residential well 4 mg/L of 33.05 mg/L. L, resident well 5 is 3.05 mg/L, resident well 6 is 15.2 mg/L, resident well 7 is 27.4 mg/L and resident well 8 is 3.05 mg/L. Conclusion: The value of chemical oxygen demand in the Bajak river exceeds the quality standard, while the value of chemical oxygen demand in resident wells shows that the farther from the tofu waste treatment plant, the smaller the concentration value of chemical oxygen demand.

Design Analysis of Radiation Shielding Door in High-Level Waste Treatment Plant

In high-level waste treatment plants, rooms where the highly radioactive sources (such as the vitrification containers) are operated have high radiation protection risk. On the purpose of ensuring the safety of operators, it is necessary to design corresponding shielding walls, windows and shielding doors to guarantee that the dose rate at the personal operating location outside the room meets corresponding control requirements. Compared with walls, the radiation safety designs of the doors and windows are more complicated. In this article, a shielding door of a hot room inside a high-level waste treatment plant is selected. By means of combing the source characteristics and the source location, the gap between the door and door frame as well as the lap joints of the door and the wall are analyzed in order to characterize the influence factor of the dose rate outside the shielding door. The results illustrate that, under the premise that the shielding design requirements are satisfied, the lap joint between shielding wall and door has a significant impact on the outdoor dose field due to the oblique incidence of the radiation ray. Therefore, in the follow-up design of the radiation shielding door, A certain overlap form of the lap joints between the door and the wall need to be satisfied, furthermore, special attention need to be paid to the shielding of radioactive sources with weak self-shielding effect and strong penetration ability, for ensuring the shielding door to the greatest extent radiation protection ability.

Quality Assessment of Selected Ground Water Sources Around a University Teaching Hospital Liquid Waste Treatment Plant

Background:The study conducted a comprehensive assessment of the quality of selected groundwater sources around the liquid waste treatment plant of Ahmadu University Teaching Hospital Shika, Nigeria. Water samples were collected from four (4) hand-dug wells following standard procedures, ten (10) physicochemical parameters and seven (7) heavy metals were analyzed.Results: All the physicochemical parameters studied were within the WHO specified limits except for DO which was less and turbidity which was higher. Heavy metals were found in the all the groundwater sources that were studied. However, the concentration of some heavy metals exceeded the specified limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The heavy metal presence in the groundwater sources may be connected to human activities such as waste disposal containing these metals around the groundwater sources and liquid waste from the hospital which can may have seeped into the wells.Conclusion: By implication, this study shows that the hand-dug wells were not safe for drinking. It is recommended that wells be sited away from dumpsites and waste treatment plants and effluents from waste treatment plants should also be properly treated before their subsequent discharge into the environment. This study has generated a baseline data that will be useful in monitoring heavy metal pollution.