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Unsustainable consumption and production pa tterns in the developed world have an increased generation of waste over many decades. One of the major environmental challenge is the enormous amount of waste generated from leather and footwear industries. The leather and footwear industr ies are diverse manufacturing sectors which employ a wide variety of materials to make products ranging from different types and styles of clothes and footwear. Over 40 di fferent materials can be used but leather represents the most ...

The paper deals with the removal of chromium from aqueous solutions based on the process of biosorption. The select ed biosorbent is the fungus of Fomitopsis pinicola . The laboratory experiments study the kinetics of the biosorption process, the effects of grain-size, activating agents, length of th e activation process and physical conditions which play an important role in the process optimization. Among the factors that influence biosorption there are, particularly, the pH value, temperature, number of revolut...

Construction Sand production is done mostly by small mining companies and, because its price is distance dependent, it must be mined as near as possible to its final use, the cities, causing locational and environmental conflicts with economic and socio- environmental impacts. The Piranema Sand District is no exception. Located at 70 km from downtown Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, its 70 small mining companies are the main suppliers of the Rio’s Metropolitan Area, w ith 90% of its demand: a critical success factor...

Quantitative risk assessment is a procedure fo r estimating the probability of an adverse health effect occurring in a local population from some events and the probability of the occurrence of the event. The risk analysis pr ocess consists of hazard identification, risk estimation, risk acceptability, risk evaluation and risk management. In this research, after extracting the risk assessment components; an algorithm has been drawn in order to analyse the risk assessment and to esta blish the framework for risk an...

The northeaster part of the Czech Republic is since the early 19th century associated with underground coal mining. This activity brings economic benefit in addition to changes in the landscape – soil depression followed by habitat destruction. Flooded mine subsidences are an example of such degradation of native plant and animal communities, biodiversity dec line and wetland and aquatic ecosystems establishment. For a long time, these ecosystems were considered worthless and unproductive [10]. The aim of the va...

At present paper the results of chemical and radiochemical analysis of the environmental samples collected from the Shu river valley, are shown. The samples were collected along the Shu river from Tokmak town to Shu town during the field expedition, conducted in October, 2008, and in July, 2009. The main ions and uranium decay radionuclides in water increase up to maximum concentration in Tasotkel reservoir. The biogenic elements analysis showed their typical concentration for arid zone. The water contaminations w...

The evaluation of the environmental policy it relies on the quantification processes of the expected and / or achieved, as well as of the report between the efforts and the effects achieved. If the evaluation of the effort s and / or of the effects is objectively or subjectively distorted, the ev aluation process becomes a me re formality, with negative consequences for all actors involved in policy. Thus, any successful monitoring requires prior specification of what must be a prog ram providing: deviations from ...

The territory of Kosovo, in particular of Dukagjini through the valley of the Drini i BardhГ« River is under the influence of the modified Mediterranean climate. This influence climate has enabled the growth of Mediterranean and Sub Mediterranean plants which became part the species Ficus carica L. ( Fig). In the current research to Ficus carica L. ( Fig) in Kosovo was known only as cultivated plant. In this paper, we are presenting the species Ficus carica L. (Fig), which represent new naturalized-native plant sp...

The article analyses the basic issues of procedural methods for evaluating the environment affected by the exploitation of mineral resources in the Czech Republic. The areas that were affected by the industr ial activities in the pa st and are not used currently are called Brownfields. These area s create the side effects called externalities from their very beginning. The first part e xplicates the basic views of the methods of assessment and evaluation of the environment and related negative and positive externa...

Kosova is rich with the na tural resources. These resources have been used for the gain of different metals. The process of metal gain is dated since 1927. Since then until in 2000 the technological gain process is followed with the pollution of environment creating the deposition of scrap. These depositio ns are located in outskirts of Mitrovica town in a distance of 1-4 km. In this zone we have a high presence of heavy metals in the air, water and earth. This waste of metals have a serious influence in the envir...

In the present circumstances, where environm ental problems are on the rise and occupy the agenda of the societies in the different ways, education is on the suggested solutions to these problems. The addition of the environment as subject to the educational programs, applications and processes is very important in every phase of awareness of the environment. The aim being such, nowadays countries include environment consciousness contents in their syllabus th e efforts of the new generations being informed about ...

The paper provides an analysis of long-term field studies in the Sea of Azov. The sea is rich in organic life and is characterized as one of the most bioproductive reservoirs in the world. During the periods of calm weathe r the stratification of water mass forms the fields of hypoxia in some areas of the sea. In the bottom layers of water pockets of hydrogen sulfide and elevated concentrations of methane and mercury are found. Mercury coming from both natural and anthropogenic sources is a priority pollutant for ...

The rural landscape is made up of agricultural landscape, completed by the land without an agricultural destination. It comprises three elements: the central area, the habitat made up of buildings related to the agri cultural exploitations, dwellings, artisan’s locations, deposits; rural lands that include both the uncultiv ated areas and the areas meant for different uses (agriculture, fore stry, pisciculture, t ourist and recreational purposes); the physical infrastructure (ways of communication). In this stud...

The main difficulty in choosing a preferential location of a number of possible sites is the fact that the environm ental impact generated by eac h site can not be easily quantified. When choosing such a location it mu st also be taken into consideration to minimize risks to public health, minimize environmental impact, maximize service levels to users, and minimize the usage co sts. In the “Timisoara” case, placing a Landfill Site was a thorny issue that was resolved quite difficultly.

From working in the field, sheep herding, washing laundry in the river's whirlpool, ritual singing in the young forest, traditional dancing of the village , all the way to the office job, dry cleaning, disco, hip-hop and neighbor-hood slang, took only a few centuries time. The peasants’ time was well di vided: preparing weather calendars in the winter, working the fields or taking the sheep flock up the mountain in the spring, gathering the harvest and celebrating in the fall. No missed occasion for him, who tak...

The process of alkaline hydrothermal activation (with NaOH) of fly ash from Bulgarian coal-burning thermo-power plant “Maritsa 3” has been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispe rsive X-Ray analyses. The stages of the zeolitization have been discusse d on the base of the obtained data for the morphology and composition of typical in dividual particles from th e zeolitized fly ash samples, synthesized at different trea tment duration. The influences of pre-treatment and post- tre...

This research will address the important pr oblem of waste management sector for the Municipality of Prishtina. Rapid urbani zation has made solid waste management a serious problem today. The perception of the people has always been that it is a responsibility of the local government bodies. Local authorities are bound to keep their area clean. For some time now, many municipa lities, city corporations and industries have been experimenting with several innov ative and participatory methods of Reduce, Reuse and R...

All wastes, as the products of human activity, necessarily enter matte r cycles in nature and ecosystems after certain time. They can damage the nature by their direct effects on biotic and abiotic ecosystems. Our contributio n discusses the risk properties of wastes and their influences on the environment with respect to the protec tion of public health. The hazard effects of wastes are demonstr ated using some cases of their direct exposition on organisms and other parts of the environment.

In this paper we analysed timber and timber based products as renewable materials that can be reused, recycled or used as ener gy source, with minimal waste. In civil engineering the main aspects of environment are: consumption of material and energy for constructing purposes, and emission of harmful materia into the environment during the life cycle of construction. Forest regene ration has certain significance in the system of sustainable development. Wood degradates easily which is an advantage considering the ...

In this study, the efficiency of EC/UV/TiO2 and EC/UV/ZnO coupled systems, on the decolorization of C.I. Acid Yellow 23 (AY23) as a model contaminant was compared. It was found that for the efficient decolorization of 40 mg L-1 of AY23 using steel304/Al (anode/cathode) as electrodes, with the distance of 15 mm, I = 120 A m-2, electrolyte concentration was 800 mg L-1 for both systems, but pH and initial concentrations of catalysts were 5.53, 800 mg L-1 for TiO2 and 6.29, 650 mg L-1 for ZnO systems, respectively. Th...

Mineralogical composition of mining wastes deposited in voluminous tailing impoundments around the world is the key factor that controls retention and release of pollutants. Here we report geochemical and mineralogical investigation of one tailing impoundment from Slovakia. Ore deposit RudЕ€any was exploited from the end of 19th century and at 1963 the ore started to be extracted by flotation process (barite, siderite and sulfides). Waste after flotation was deposited into one tailing impoundment, which carries ap...

All materials which are rich in carbon content could be used after activation or adsorption. These materials include coal, lignite, wood, Boone, coconut shells, nut shells, rice husks, and various fruits seeds. Activated carbons obtained from these materials are usually hard and dense. Therefore they could be used in water treatment for long time without deterioration. Activated carbons used in controlling environmental pollution should have high surface area and porosity. Activated carbon is obtained by the proce...

Concentration of Na, K, Ca and Mg in selected vegetable cultures: spinach (Spinacia oleracea), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and parsley (Pertoselinum crispum) were analyzed. Only edible parts of the above plants were used. Metal content was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Thermo Scientific with Echelle optical design and Charge Injection Device (CID) solid statedetector was used. Determined concentrations were within intervals: 18.44 – 85.04, 16.4 – 25.1, 2.97 – ...

The risk assessment approach for the establishments concerned by the Seveso II Directive requirements can be grounded on the determination and the aggregation of 3 indexes: the gravity index, the propagation flow index and the vulnerability index. Based on the national and EU legal requirements concerning the prevention and control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances, the paper has as main goal to present an expeditious methodology for gravity index determination as a function of the dangerous...

The determination of environmental contamination with natural and artificial actinide isotopes and evaluation of their source requires precise determination of concentration and isotopic ratios of actinides in environmental samples. The most conventional analytical tools used for uranium and plutonium isotope determination are liquid scintillation and alpha spectrometry, and thermal ionization mass spectrometry is still considered as the primary method for determination of plutonium isotope ratios. Inductively cou...

The paper deals with an examination of possible application of biodegradation in the decontamination of soil samples from international airport in Ostrava. The laboratory biodegradation tests were carried out with a pure bacterial culture of Pseudomonas putida, a pure laboratory culture of Rhodococcus sp, their mixture and a mixture prepared combining their media free of bacteria. The results of the paper imply that for biodegradation of airport pollutants is most suitable to apply a mixed bacterial culture of Pse...

In the current context of rapid economic growth of eastern and south-eastern European countries, the pressure exerted on the environment is in certain cases considerable, having repercussions that are not easily assessable and remediable. The Bistroe navigation channel is a Ukrainian investment within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve; its objectives are reducing navigation expenses for the Ukrainian fleet and lowering the country’s unemployment rate. According to Ukraine officials, the losses caused by the use...

The landscape permeability for wildlife may be negatively affected by number of elements which create linear or surface barriers. The potential barriers are i.e. roads, railways, watercourses, urban zones, fenced areas etc. We evaluate all the existing barriers for migration of large mammals in the CR within the research project “Evaluation of the landscape permeability for large mammals and proposal of protective mitigating measures” leading by the Ministry of the Environment. Firstly, we evaluate the permeab...

The decolorization of Acid Yellow 42 (AY42) by Fenton and electro-Fenton processes was compared. The effect of operational parameters was studied and the desired conditions obtained in the initial dye concentration of 120 mg L-1 for H2O2/ Fe2+ ([H2O2]=800 mg L-1, [Fe2+]=0.2 mmol, pH=3) and electrolysis/Fe2+/H2O2 ([H2O2]=1100 mg L-1 , [Fe2+]= 0.5 mmol, pH=3.5 and distance of electrodes 10 mm) systems. The Fenton process proved to be more efficient and occurs at a higher oxidation rate than electro-Fenton process an...

The metal content of a number of white wines was determinated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission: Cu and Fe. The metal content of white wine samples ranged from 13.6-39.4 $\mu$g/L for copper and 1.6-11.7 $\mu$g/L for iron.

The accurate determination of the platinum group elements (PGEs) in environmental samples has become a particularly important in the past few years with the introduction of new legislation regulating the fitting of catalytic converters to petrol vehicles [1]. The emission of PGEs autocatalysts represents a potentially, highly mobile source of environmental contamination. Pt, Pd and Rh from catalyst degradation are deposited along roadways. Although inert in metallic form, platinum salts pose a real health risk. Th...

Three sour cherries cultivars, Marela, Oblacinska and Cigancica, collected from a south Serbia were evaluated and compered for their content of heavy metals. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) is widely recognized as a suitable technique for the determination of heavly metals. The content od Cd and Pb are in intervale 0.066-0.399 and 3.466-7.199 $\mu$g/100g fresh weight of sour cherry.

A kinetic method for the determination of 2,4-D is proposed. The method is based on the inhibiting effect of 2,4-D on the Mn(II) catalysis of the oxidation of malachite green with potassium periodate. The method was applied for the determination of 2,4-D in soil samples.

In last years education and literacy of health becomes important in our country and in the world. The flu of H1N1 which appears in 2009 is known that it is contagius and causes sensations around the world. This brings out different perceptions in the society even in the heralthcare services. Determinate the percieve of H1N1 and the level of health literacy for people in the society is an important fact. This study is for to inform undergraduate students about this disease and also determine their level of health l...

The processes of weathering and dissolution of the impoundment sediments have a significant impact on mobility and availability of trace elements such as arsenic and zinc. They can become dangerous sources of contamination for the surrounding ecosystem. The focus of this study is coal ash impoundment near the village Po\vsa, the drainage water contaminating surface waters and sediments of the Kyjov Brook and Ondava River. Results of chemical analysis show significant contamination by arsenic and zinc. Maximum conc...

With the ever growing urbanisation, crushed stone quarries, which were formerly remote from the cities, have neighboured the cities. On the other hand, the supply of the aggregates that are necessary to be used for the infrastructure of the cities has to be close to the cities. This necessity results with the consideration and evaluation of the crushed stone quarries in terms of their environmental impact. In this paper dust emission measurements of a stone quarry close to the city have been carried out by conside...

The aim of this study is development of design equation for batch-recirculated reactor at photooxidative removal of C.I. Acid Red 17 (AR17) as a model contaminant from textile industry with UV/H2O2 process. Reactor which used is a combination of an annular photoreactor with UV-C lamp emitting at 254 nm from center of photoreactor and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Design equation developed by combining of the mass balance and rate equation. This equation predicts that pseudo-first-order reaction rate co...

Building industry is the most important market for energy by-products (EBP) - fossil fuel combustion products. The North West Bohemia region has been influenced by open pit coal mining. Fossil fuel combustion products are used in bulk at damaged territory reclamation. Check observation – monitoring – site of building reclamation mixtures on coal combustion product base was assembled according to preparatory documentation as a part of the solution of research task “Research of the physical and chemical proper...

In the context of global environmental crisis being experienced, it has become an obligation to take urgent measures and have environmental awareness for both the nations and the enterprises that are the basic dynamics of the society and indispensable components of the economic life in order to achieve sustainable development. In recent years, it has seen that the comprehension begun with the pollution control in 1970s has been transformed into the comprehension named clean production consisting of the application...

The objective of this paper is to examine the foundations of green marketing in the existence of a market for organic products. We examined the environmentalist consumption behavior because without consumers interested in organic goods we can not talk about environmental marketing. Because of public awareness regarding the environment, companies have adapted, introducing in their vocabulary terms like "green markets", "green consumers", "green products" and practicing green marketing and environmental marketing. T...

Partial decomposition of an organic compound can lead to the formation of products, which are more toxic than the parent compound. Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are transformed into metabolites of lesser molecular weight in ozone application Toxicity assessments of both organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) and their ozonation byproducts (OPPs-oxons) are necessary for safety consideration of ozonation treatment. The widespread use of OPPs, such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon for pest control in urban and rural env...

The presentation work contains the analyse knowledge, which were obtained from analysis the results, which were attained on the laboratory sintering pan. On this laboratory sintering pan are sufficiently simulating conditions, which are present in the sinter band. On the basis of the theoretical analyse, analysis measuring data, computing of the balance, production, qualitative and quantitative parameters of the sintering process we can conclude, that in the case of changing underpressure sucking air are influence...

The production of the agglomerate is always related to the consumption of energy, occurrence of solid polluting substances and emissions, which are the main source of air pollution. The submitted work contains the analysis of knowledge obtained from the literature, but mainly analysis of the results gained from the laboratory sintering pan. This laboratory sintering pan sufficiently simulates conditions present on the sinter belt in relation to the production of CO, CO2, NOx, SOx and solid polluting substances in ...

SME is the most numerous and important business, performing multiple economic technical and social functions. After Romania joins the European Union came into force many acts and a large part of their obligation regulate business (in competition, consumer protection, labor relations, health and safety at work, environmental protection, etc.). It is therefore very important to know the level of information of the Romanian SMEs in relation to regulations introduced after 1 January 2007.

Remote sensing techniques were used to detect the heat islands over the Romanian region, based on multi-temporal Meteosat Second Generation, Land Surface Analysis Satellite Applications Facility/ Land Surface Temperature products (MSG LSASAF/LST). A method was proposed for the rapid and accurate mapping of heat island areas based on the combinational use of normalized land surface temperatures. In order to do it, the IDL routines developed locally have been used. It was studied 2976 LSA-SAF/LST images acquired dur...

Castings production cover different technologies of mouls and cores production, different technologies of metal melting (depended on casting material) and technologies of pouring. All these technologies have got some advantages, disadvantages and generate some kinds of by products.There are described in the contribution the basic technologies of moulds production (sand casting, shell moulding, investment casting, lost foam casting, shaw process, vacuum process), pouring technologies (gravity casting, die casting,s...

Drought is the most important and one of the leading natural disasters in the world. The fossil fuel burn, forests annihilation, industrial activities and the other human activities not only take together to rise carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and dinitrogen monoxide that called “greenhouse gasses” but also these factors cause greenhouse and finally the world warming. All these events that called as “Global Warming” occasion to climate changes, inside Turkey and especially the region of South Europe. Those...

The analytical results for the concentration of about 50 elements in magnetic fractions, obtained by wet low intensity magnetic separation of fly ashes from six coal burning power plants in Bulgaria, have been compared to the data previously reported [1] for the initial fly ashes. It has been found that the total content of heavy and toxic elements in magnetic fractions is lower than that in the source materials. The concentrations of Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and, in some ashes, of V and Cu are almost proportional to the c...

This study was conducted to analyze concentrations of heavy metals in plants and soils of barley fields which were growing around of Konya city (Central Anatolia, Turkey). The samples of plants and soils were collected from different areas of two directions (North and South) and two distances (0 and 50 km) of the city. The samples of plants were analyzed for heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni) measured by ICP-OES. The samples of soils were also analyzed for basic chemical properties (pH, humus and carbonate contents...

This study was conducted to analyze concentrations of heavy metals in plants and soils of barley fields standing along main roads of Konya city (Central Anatolia, Turkey). The samples of plants and soils were collected from different areas of two distances (0 and 1 km) of main roads and analyzed for heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni) measured by ICP-OES. The samples of soils were also analyzed for basic chemical properties (pH, humus and carbonate contents). The results revealed a large variability within the nearn...