For its first application, Gravitational Energy Corporation is introducing an easy-to-use, hand-operated water pump and filtration system that needs NO fuel or electricity, making it indispensible in the wake of natural disasters and struggling third world countries. In May of 2010, the first production model was sent to earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Bob Thompson, president of the One-Life Missions Foundation has used the pump for 3 hours a day, and this provides enough drinking water for approximately 4,000 people.

A public demonstration of the GAP Feltenberger Pendulum Pump will take place on Wednesday, 15th September 2010 from 1:00pm-5:00pm in the Shady Bend Pavilion located at Water Works Park, 2025 Munroe Falls Avenue, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221. GEC will demonstrate this new GAP technology by allowing onlookers to operate the pump and process water through their system straight from the Cuyahoga River, once famous for catching on fire because of its excessive pollution.

With a burgeoning world population, the demand for safe drinking water is already one of our most critical global environmental problems.

The pendulum pump has four settings that adjust the volume and/or pressure of the water being pumped. The pump can handle high volumes at low pressure or lower volumes of water at high pressure. The higher pressure setting allows our pump to further purify water using a reverse osmosis filter system.

The optional water filtration system supplied with the pendulum pump is manufactured by Aquathin Corporation; a global leader in the water filtration industry for over thirty years. This unique filter system known as AquaShield contains a patented anti-microbial membrane that kills harmful bacteria and viruses in the water without the need of costly chemical dosing systems or UV radiation. The Feltenberger Pendulum Pump equipped with an Aquathin filtration system can be quickly transported from site to site, and its easy hand-powered operation completely eliminates the need for fuel or electricity. The durable, rugged construction makes the complete system very inexpensive to maintain.

 

Each year, thousands of young participants enter national Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) competitions in over thirty countries. The finalists this year are the winners of national SJWP competitions, which fielded a record 3,500 submitted projects worldwide in 2010. Finalists will represent the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

This year marks the 14th year for the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and the 20th of the World Water Week.

 

 

 Nationally, samples from 55% of streams studied in 13 northern cities were potentially toxic; 25% of the streams had samples that exceeded acute water quality criteria.
Toxicity was measured by direct testing of organisms in samples during the local study component; in the regional and the national study components, observed chloride levels were used to assess potential toxicity.

While road deicing accounts for a significant portion of salt applications, it is not the only source. Salt is also used by many public and private organisations and individuals to de-ice parking lots, walkways and driveways.

Key Findings:
• Nationally: During the winter, samples from fifty-five percent of northern streams in this study had chloride levels that exceeded USEPA chronic water-quality criteria, indicating potential toxicity. Samples from twenty-five percent of the streams exceeded acute water-quality criteria.
• Regionally: In eastern and south-central Wisconsin, potential toxicity was found during winter at all urban streams studied, with lingering effects at some streams in the summer.
• During winter, 100 percent of the streams monitored had chloride levels that exceeded the USEPA chronic water quality criteria with fifty-five percent of samples exceeding acute water quality criteria.
• Chloride levels higher than 10,000 milligrams per liter were observed at times during winter deicing periods-much greater than the chronic water-quality criteria of 230 milligrams per liter and the acute criteria of 860 milligrams per liter.
• Chloride levels increased as urbanization percentage in the watershed increased.
• Locally: In Milwaukee, more than half of the samples collected from streams during winter deicing periods were toxic.
• Samples from seven of 13 streams collected during 2007 deicing periods were toxic in bioassay tests.
• Chloride levels in 12 out of these 13 streams exceeded USEPA chronic water quality criteria; eight of 13 exceeded acute criteria.

In long-term testing of one Milwaukee stream between 1997 and 2008, 72% of 38 samples collected during the winter were toxic in bioassay tests.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene co-authored this study and did the bioassay testing involved. Additionally, this study was conducted in cooperation with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and General Mitchell International Airport.

 

Other major sources of salt to U.S. waters include wastewater treatment, septic systems, farming operations, and natural sources from geologic deposits. These sources may contribute to chloride levels at individual streams in this study, but the geographic, land-use, and seasonal patterns observed in this study suggest deicing activities as the dominant source. This conclusion is also supported by a USGS study published in 2009 on chloride in groundwater and surface water in the northern US.

 

The OpenLine range's flexible, modular design means simple installation and maintenance, making it the ideal open-channel UV system for municipalities with low flow requirements. Inspired by Berson's successful InLine+ range of closed vessel UV systems, the OpenLine is the first ‘plug-and-play' open channel UV system available on the market. The unit is simply placed on a flat surface, the inlet and outlet piping is connected, and it is ready to use. The totally self-contained unit negates the need to install lamp wires through conduits or connect chemical feed systems.

Automatic, long-life Viton wipers, powered by a self-contained air compressor, keep the quartz sleeves surrounding the UV lamps clean, ensuring optimum UV output at all times. Wiper frequency is also easily adjustable. The system's ballasts have a variable output between 50-100% and are easily accessible. In addition, the interface of the PLC control system can be customised by the user to suit their requirements. Lamp replacement and other routine maintenance tasks are also straightforward and can usually be carried out by on-site staff.

 

 

 

Having developed the Common Framework for Capital Maintenance Planning and assisted many companies in implementing best practice approaches for the PR09 price review, Tynemarch have now released an integrated software environment, PIONEER, in which to run an advanced suite of models. The cost and service forecasting models cover both above and below ground assets (non-infrastructure and infrastructure) using a variety of techniques - e.g. mathematical, statistical, FMECA, dependency and fault trees - in a single application.

 

PIONEER will be a key tool in the new Asset Management Directorate in Southern Water. It will ensure that asset management is at the centre of the organisation's delivery of services to customers and the environment. The optimal set of interventions to achieve this objective will be identified using PIONEER, balancing risk across the different asset types through an integrated analysis. This will involve embedding best practice processes and procedures, by building a component level risk-based approach to asset management. PIONEER represents a key component in the successful formulation of Common Framework compliant asset plans and their regular update as a ‘business as usual' process. The aim of Southern Water is to achieve industry leading Asset Management well before the next Price Review, PR14.

 

Some of the key advances offered by PIONEER include:

• Combined underground and overground asset analysis, e.g. water mains, trunk mains, pumping stations and treatment works, so that an integrated optimisation can be undertaken across asset types to balance risk
• A wide variety of model types are supported and accessible for users to review or modify
• User configurable multi-criteria optimisation to meet service objectives, cost constraints, resource limitations, etc.
• Schematic and graphical outputs showing areas of risk and the effects of expenditure on assets
• Recognition of repair, refurbishment and replacement as alternative interventions
• Prioritisation of investment, allowing the best possible level of service to be achieved with the available resources
• Linkage to external asset failure consequence modelling software, such as MISER and other corporate data systems
• Full compliance with the Common Framework and flexible for future developments in Regulation

 

 

Tomorrow's Water: CIWEM's Youth Water Prize is the UK branch of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The competition is open to young people between 15 and 20 years of age, who have conducted water-related projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. Over thirty countries host a national competition, with the winners of each going on to compete at the overall international Stockholm Junior Water Prize, held during the World Water Week in Stockholm on 5th to 11th September 2010. Each finalist is interviewed by a jury of international water experts, with H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden formally presenting the prize to the winning team.

 

 

 

The value of the award, whose previous winners include former Norwegian Prime Minister Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, is 500,000 Swedish Krona or close to USD70,000. Mr. Steiner, who is also a UN Under-Secretary General, began his professional career working in the villages of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Province.

 

He said he had been deeply touched not only by the scale of the disaster but also the extraordinary efforts of local communities and organisations in mobilizing relief efforts while support from the international community was being deployed.

 

Mr Steiner announced to the audience that he would immediately transfer the funds to the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) - a national NGO which has mobilised a vital flood relief and rehabilitation effort for the affected communities in the Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Province during the past weeks.

 

The funds will be deployed with a focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction projects for communities returning to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

 

SRSP Chief Executive, Mr Masood Ul Mulk has thanked Mr Steiner on behalf of the people of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa for remembering them in their hour of distress and for advocating their cause to the world.

 

In his acceptance speech at the award ceremony Mr.Steiner called for a spirit of solidarity and generosity to assist the people of Pakistan at this time of crisis.

 

 

Arrangement for providing thirteen million more meals has been made and logistics are in process. TCF aims to provide 20 million meals within the month of Ramadan. With the aid of continued donations TCF chief executive officer Asaad Ayub hopes to surpass this target.

 

Leveraging its already established network of schools in the flood-affected areas, TCF is carrying out its relief operation at zero mobilisation costs. Hence, it is utilising 100% of the relief donations for purchase and transport of food items.

 

Like the earthquake programme, TCF Flood Relief will be accounted for separately. Education at the organisation's schools continues and no funds from TCF Education Programme will be diverted towards this relief effort.

 

TCF is a professionally managed non-profit organisation and has a network of 660 school units in 68 towns and cities across Pakistan, where 92,000 students are enrolled.

 

Built atop ArcGIS, InfoSewer enables engineers and GIS professionals to work simultaneously on the same integrated platform, commanding GIS analysis and hydraulic modelling in a single environment using a single dataset. It allows users to create, edit, modify, run, map, analyse, design and optimise sewer network models and instantly review, query and display simulation results from within ArcGIS.

InfoSewer is used worldwide by municipal engineers and planners to create detailed, accurate models of their sewer infrastructure systems. These models enable users to evaluate the effect of new developments, zoning changes, and other additional loads on system flows; pinpoint current and future problem areas; predict overflows and backups; and determine how to best restore needed capacity lost to infiltration and inflow with the least rehabilitation. Users rely on these models to compute hydrogen sulfide generation and corrosion potential; analyse the rate of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) exertion; track sediment movement and deposition; calculate the amount of pollutant transported to the wastewater treatment plant; and assess pollutants' impacts on receiving waters. Extensive scenario management functionality makes the program capable of analyzing existing or proposed sewage collection systems. The application also provides vital tools for meeting and exceeding environmental regulations and improving community relations.

 

The resulting enabling act allows the Republic of Austria to subscribe to the planned capital increase in the total amount of EUR1 billion, in proportion to its current ownership of 51%, i.e. EUR510 million, and thereby maintaining its legally required ownership.

With the clarification regarding the support of the majority shareholder as well as the support of other main shareholders EVN, Wiener Stadtwerke and TIWAG, Verbund AG is now in a position to continue preparation of the capital increase. Verbund AG plans to invite its shareholders to an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in September 2010 in which the necessary resolutions can be made. It is expected that the capital increase and the placement of new shares on the market will be executed this year. The exact timing is mainly dependent on market conditions.

 

 

The company, founded by the Ohio University faculty inventor of the technology Gerardine Botte, is a new tenant in the Innovation Center (the university's small high-tech business incubator). E3 recently licensed a suite of electrochemical devices and technologies developed by Botte to commercialise for the green energy market. ‘The GreenBox is the first of many products we'll be developing. I think we have the right team at the right time - energy and water issues are huge right now', said Botte, the chief technology officer for the company who also is a professor of biomolecular and chemical engineering at Ohio University.

 

E3 Technologies plans to develop the GreenBox for wastewater remediation and clean energy production. Through a patented low-energy electrolysis process, the GreenBox converts ammonia and urea in wastewater to hydrogen, nitrogen and pure water. The electric current in the device creates an electrochemical reaction that oxidises urea and turns it into carbon dioxide, which is then sequestered in the electrolyte material in the machine. The box also produces hydrogen energy.

 

‘It's a synergistic technology: by reducing emissions, you also get a free, clean source of energy. As the clean energy economy develops, this could provide an attractive energy source', said company CEO Kent Shields who has 30 years of experience in the energy field. ‘Urea electrolysis also could be used as an extremely efficient process for producing ammonia for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions', he added. According to Shields, nitrogen oxide (NOx) is a particular problem in coal power plant and diesel exhaust.

The technology also could help a wide variety of industries (from the military and agriculture to wastewater treatment operations and commercial construction companies) deal with the disposal of ammonia, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be a serious environmental toxin. Ammonia in wastewater from agricultural, industrial and municipal sources impacts air quality, surface water and ground water.

 

Botte is hopeful that the invention could aid farmers, who often are faced with using or purchasing additional land to create lagoons for the large amount of animal waste from hogs or cattle subject to EPA regulations. A farmer with 2,000 hogs might need a GreenBox that runs on only 5 kilowatts of power - the same amount of power needed in an average home - to treat the ammonia waste, Botte said. A commercial building with 300 employees would need a unit that requires only 1 kilowatt to operate. The technology could reduce operational costs for eliminating ammonia from wastewater by 60%.

 

The company now plans to develop a larger-scale, commercial prototype of the GreenBox by the third quarter of 2011, Shields said. E3 plans to seek additional investors and grant funding. Although it's too early to predict how many jobs the company will support in southeast Ohio, Shields has said that ‘we anticipate being able to generate jobs that will attract people from different fields and education levels - from science and engineering to sales and marketing to manufacturing'.

Source: WaterOnline

Desalination and softening of water is currently an inefficient and environmentally unfriendly process. Existing technologies employed to remove salts, minerals and toxic metals from water typically consume large amounts of energy and chemicals and often produce large volumes of wastewater. Voltea's breakthrough Capacitive Deionisation (CapDI) technology is the result of over ten years of government and commercial R&D targeted on overcoming these issues. Their field-demonstrated technology offers the first clean desalination systems capable of high water recovery and chemical-free operation, whilst consuming substantially less energy than alternatives. CapDI systems are scalable and have already been proven effective in applications ranging from domestic appliances to industrial and utility water production.

 

 

Inland valleys in sub-Saharan Africa constitute a largely unexploited land resource of about 190 million hectares that provide opportunities for irrigation and offer potential for sustainable rice expansion and intensification. The new project will focus on the testing and adaptation of the Asian Sawah system, which helps to boost rice production through improved water and soil management. The Sawah system includes the use of small machinery for land preparation and good crop management practices.

 

‘With increased risk of droughts in large parts of Africa because of climate change, well-managed inland valleys can contribute to food security through enhanced productivity of rice-based systems', explained Dr Paul Kiepe, speaking on behalf of the AfricaRice director general at the project launching meeting. Dr Kiepe is heading AfricaRice's Sustainable Productivity Enhancement Program.

 

In Africa, rice is the fastest-growing food staple. The gap between demand and supply in sub-Saharan Africa, where rice is grown and eaten in 38 countries, reached 10 million tons of milled rice in 2008, costing the region an estimated USD3.6 billion for imports. It is estimated that the annual potential production of 20 million hectares of Sawah systems in sub-Saharan Africa would be at least 30-40 million tons of milled rice. The increased production would therefore help African countries to sharply curtail their risky over-dependence on rice imports and stave off future food crises.

 

The new project will initially cover Benin and Togo and is expected to expand to other countries that are members of the Inland Valley Consortium (IVC). The Consortium is convened by AfricaRice. The project partners include the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the national programs of the IVC member countries, Hitotsubashi, Tsukuba and Kinki Universities in Japan and the Universities of Hohenheim and Munich in Germany.

 

In addition to the representatives of all project partners and other organisations with related expertise, the meeting brought together high-level dignitaries of the Government of Japan, notably the ambassador of Japan in Benin, and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

 

Japan has prioritised agriculture in its support to African development at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development-IV in 2008. As Japan has a long tradition and expertise in rice production, it has forged a strong collaboration with AfricaRice for the last three decades. Seven Japanese scientists are currently working on several joint projects at AfricaRice.

 

Source: International Water Management Institute

 

The measurements will be carried out with the aid of a special fibre optic cable. This cable makes it possible to measure the temperature at regular short distances, over a length of 300 metres. This way, measurements can be carried out above the street and water and also in the water. The fibre optic cable will be operational during the Summer.

Earlier this summer, the temperature in Rotterdam has regularly exceeded 30°C. The temperature in the city was much higher than that of the surrounding areas. This so called heat-island effect is mainly caused by reduced evaporation in the city. The process of evaporation cools the air. The extent of the cooling effect of surface water in a city has not yet been determined in The Netherlands.

A better understanding of this cooling effect would make it possible to use this knowledge when developing new urban areas. This measuring campaign is part of the Knowledge for Climate project, "Heat Stress". Besides Deltares, the parties involved in this project are the Public Works Department Rotterdam, Delft University of Technology, Wageningen University, TNO and SBR.

 

 

The reservoir of water, roughly the volume of 20 Olympic-size pools, was discovered by researchers at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) during routine checks of the glacier last month. Experts say that the pocket probably formed as unusually cold temperatures froze the water's escape routes within the glacier. Normally, glacier water drains naturally, trickling away through the channels.

 

Workers toiled at an altitude of 3,200 metres (10,500 feet), pouring hot water on the ice to make a hole through which they will push a pump and start tapping off the water that has accumulated below one of the glaciers. Some 65,000 cubic metres (2.3 million cubic feet) of water have gathered in a cavity which is under immense pressure from the ice above. They estimated that if the water pocket explodes it would submerge the valley within 15 minutes, endangering the lives of more than 3,000 people in the area. Residents have been informed about the measures and briefed on an evacuation plan.

 

The pump, which can pass 50 cubic metres of water an hour, aims ‘to let out an initial jet of water... to avoid the pressure-cooker effect', Jean-Marc Peillex (mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains) said. ‘These first cubic metres of water are the most important', said the head of the operation, Nicolas Karr of the mountain conservation service. ‘They will allow us to secure the site by lowering the pressure.'

The pump is targeting the main cavity containing 25,000 cubic metres and could also drain other surrounding pockets. Draining away the contents entirely will take weeks, the team said.
Workers hope that by pumping at this spot they will be able also to collect water trapped in other cavities and drain it away, said glaciologist Christian Vincent of CNRS.

 

Three more powerful pumps will be flown by helicopter to help with the job, due to last until October. A team of 15 workers, sleeping on the mountain and being looked after by mountain guides, will work 24 hours a day. ‘A month from now it will be much more difficult. There's a risk it will start snowing and we would have to deal with an avalanche', said one guide, Alban Faure.

Local authorities are fearing a repeat of the catastrophic flood in July 1892, when an estimated 17.6 million gallons of water mixed with mud, rocks and trees killed at least 175 people in the valley.

 

Source: AFP News, Circle of Blue

 

 

The economic regulator was set up 20 years ago at the time the water industry was privatised, to ensure customers receive good services at a fair price. The independent body can take action against companies that fail to deliver this.

 

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: ‘Ofwat has been successful in holding down household bills while water companies invest in their infrastructure. But we need to make sure the regulator is in good shape to help the industry prepare for a changing climate and a growing population, at the same time as keeping bills affordable. It's important to reassure water companies and bill payers that Ofwat provides good value for money by carrying out its duties without unnecessary red tape.'

 

Defra (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has engaged David Gray to act as lead reviewer. Mr Gray brings with him recent experience from the Department for Transport's review of airport regulation and widespread knowledge of financial markets, government and utility sector regulation. The review team will call for evidence to give customers, water companies and their investors a chance to influence the review.

 

The process, due to be completed early next year, will examine the role of Ofwat. This will include its objectives, its responsibilities and how it will meet future challenges and ensure value for money. The review will also look at how well the current arrangements, involving Ofwat and the Consumer Council for Water, work in protecting water customers and in making sure their views are heard.

 

Defra is also due to publish a Water White Paper early next summer which will set out policies for the future of water management.

 

Source: Institute of Water

 

 

Firstly, the rise in the planetary temperature has reached a tipping point. We are now in a scary new era of extreme weather. We should therefore be doing everything we can and more to cut our greenhouse gas pollution. At best, we can slow the rise in heat and limit the maximum temperature level.

 

Secondly, we urgently need to step up efforts to protect ourselves from this new normal. We need to do all we can to stop weather disasters becoming catastrophes. This means increasing the resilience of our infrastructure, economies and communities. Greater resilience in Pakistan would include better emergency warning and evacuation systems, better flood protection for key infrastructure (schools and other community buildings that can serve as flood shelters) and plans to help communities recover once the waters recede.

 

The third and main point which we must acknowledge is the way we have (mis)managed the Indus - and countless other rivers around the world - for the past century. Although these policies have provided various short-term benefits, these have come at major long-term costs which we are now having to pay. We have ended small- and medium-scale flooding on many rivers through building dams and embankments, but in doing so we have greatly increased the scale of (and our vulnerability to) very big floods. Increasing resilience to floods in Pakistan, the US and just about everywhere else is going to require reversing our river management mistakes through restoring rivers and floodplains, including taking out embankments and dams.

 

In Pakistan, two of the world's biggest dams and a vast associated system of barrages and diversion canals have greatly reduced the amount of water and sediments carried by the Indus in most years. The most obvious consequence of this has been the destruction of the farmlands, fisheries and mangrove forests of the Indus Delta, one of the 20th century's great environmental disasters. Another consequence is that the river normally lacks sufficient flows to carry away the riverine sediments that are not trapped behind dams. Sediments that once would have been deposited onto the floodplain in normal floods are trapped within thousands of miles of embankments. These sediments build up on the riverbed, steadily reducing its capacity to handle large flows. When, inevitably, a major flood comes, the shrunken river channel, straight-jacketed within its embankments, can no longer hold the flow; the Indus then surges out over the densely populated floodplain.

 

According to Daanish Mustafa of King's College London in National Geographic, recalling the fable in which a man sells his soul to the devil in exchange for a life of luxury, ‘The major river engineering is basically a Faustian bargain'. Mustafa is a geographer who has studied the history of Pakistan's river management. Until a few decades ago, there were typically mild floods each summer: when the monsoon rainfall hits and when snowmelt from the Himalaya and Karakoram Mountains is at its peak. Because humans have sculpted the river and the surrounding natural floodplain and wetlands for farming and other needs, there are fewer floods. But when they hit, they are far worse.

 

Allowing the river to flood more regularly and naturally could help temper the floods and make them more tolerable, say Mustafa and other experts. Managing Pakistan's floods is a delicate balance between giving the river more room and building barriers to protect people and their land. As Mustafa explains, the unusual monsoon pattern behind the current catastrophe has been seen in a weaker form already several times in the past decade. The hydrological past is no longer a reliable guide to the hydrological future and we need to rethink our management of rivers to take account of this.

 

To read more about the failure of flood control and how we can reduce flood risks, visit the International Rivers website.

 

Source: Huffington Post, image: National Geographic

 

The processing system captures a digital image of each cell and presents the data in an easy-to-load spread sheet or scattergrams. SAMS will use the system for their control of grazers project. This aims to address the challenge of the reduction of algal mass cultures caused by the presence of ciliate grazers. At the moment there are not rapid detection or enumeration systems available for herbivorous ciliates and there is little relevant published literature on the control of ciliates. The little knowledge available is often kept internally.

SAMS is to develop a tool kit allowing visual detection of ciliates in mixed cultures by epifluorescence microscopy. Detection methodology will then be transferred to a high-throughput, flow-through and microscopy systems and demonstrate capacity te detect ciliates down to low cell densities (about 10/ml) to be used in experiments.

 

 

So far 25 companies have signed up for the US Pavilion. These include:

• Apex Drive Laboratories Inc, a leading supplier of electric motor and generator technologies suitable for transportation and renewable energy applications;
• Baysinger Partners, a green building design firm, which specialises in urban-infill mixed-use retail, residential and office developments;
• SSI Shredding Systems Inc, is a renowned designer and manufacturer of industrial shredders, providing size reduction solutions from hazardous, medical and plastic waste to construction and demolition (C&D) shredders;
• Wahlco Inc, a major manufacturer of flue gas conditioning systems, which lower emissions of particulate and gaseous pollutants into the atmosphere

 

The organiser of the US Pavilion, Ms Kerry Bonner, Project Manager, Centre for International Trade Development, is confident American businesses will benefit from the synergy effects of Eco Expo Asia and the C40 Hong Kong Workshop on "Low Carbon Cities for High Quality Living".

 

Eco Expo Asia is a trade platform for the environmental industry. The 2009 event received 10,102 visitors from 105 countries and regions and over 40 buying missions representing more than 490 companies and 800 delegates. This dynamic trade show thus enjoys strong support from overseas exhibitors wanting to expand into Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and South East Asian markets. This year, the show will feature for the first time suppliers from the Netherlands and the Philippines, these will be joined by exhibitors from Australia, Canada, the Chinese mainland, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.

 

Returning for a second time to promote Spanish environmental capabilities is Ms Sandra Chan, Market Analyst-Chief Trade Officer, Economic and Commercial Office, Consulate General of Spain, representing the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade - ICEX.  

 

In addition, the organiser of the French Pavilion, Ms Orianne Chenain, head of Business Development, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong has confirmed a larger pavilion from France this year.

 

The return of the UK Pavilion has also been confirmed by UK Trade & Investment, organiser of the UK pavilion.

 

 

 

The luncheon's keynote speaker, Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau, introduced the latest developments in Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation in the area of environmental protection, and the opportunities they presented to the business sector. Chief executive Donald Tsang and Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua signed the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation. That agreement includes a number of important measures meant to implement a regional ecology and environmental protection regime, to create a high-quality living area in the Greater Pearl River Delta region.

 

C40 Workshop on "Low-Carbon Cities for High-Quality Living" would be held concurrently
HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau told the luncheon guests that a C40 Workshop - "Low-Carbon Cities for High-Quality Living" - would be held concurrently with the fifth edition of Eco Expo Asia. The C40 Climate Leadership Group encompasses some of the world's leading cities committed to tackling climate change.

 

The two events would bring together government officials and environmental experts from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and around the world to share their insights on low carbon living. Those insights bring with them enormous business opportunities - particularly on the Chinese mainland.

 

This year's event spotlights green building and electric vehicles. Exhibitors will focus on air quality, energy efficiency and energy, waste management & recycling and eco-friendly products. The Eco Asia Conference will once again be held alongside the fair.

Last year, 200 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions, increased more than 60% over the previous year, attended the fourth edition of Eco Expo Asia. Ten national and regional pavilions were featured.

The environmental fair also attracted some 10,000 trade visitors from 105 countries and regions, including more than 140 officials from the Chinese mainland.

 

Eco Expo Asia is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, and co-organised by the Environment Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

 

Keiran Millard, SeaZone group manager expects to see a scope for expansion, with SeaZone maintaining its brand and operation of its marketing, sales, customer service, support and product development capabilities.

Over the coming months SeaZone will be looking at improvements in its delivery mechanisms to make the supply of products to our customers more efficient, whilst investigating opportunities for new delivery channels and partnerships. Investment in developing and expanding SeaZone product and services portfolios is being reassessed and accelerated. SeaZone will continue to promote the adoption of best practice in the collection, management, access and use of data and information across the public and private sectors, and are actively involved in various national and international initiatives and projects to advance these aim.

Combining the two companies establishes a truly world-class player in the provision of marine information to organisations involved in engineering, marine and coastal management, offshore energy and environmental protection.

Most scientists agree that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions contribute greatly to global warming, and that these emissions need to be controlled if damaging future impacts such as sea-level rise are to be averted.

Scientists have proposed ways of ‘geo-engineering' the Earth system to tackle global warming, thereby reducing its impact on both the main contributors of sea level rise: thermal expansion of ocean water and melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Jevrejeva and her colleagues have modelled sea level over the 21st century under various geo-engineering schemes and carbon dioxide emission scenarios.

Jevrejeva said that they have used 300 years of tide gauge measurements to reconstruct how sea level responded historically to changes in the amount of heat reaching the Earth from the Sun, the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, and past human activities. This information is used to simulate sea level under geo-engineering schemes over the next 100 years.

Changes in temperature predicted to result from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide or geo-engineering are large compared with those caused by volcanism over the last 100,000 years or by changes in the amount of the Sun's energy reaching the Earth over the last 8000 years.

Natural sea-level variations caused by extreme events such as severe volcanic eruptions over the past several thousand years were generally much smaller than those caused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions or predicted under effective geo-engineering schemes. The researcher's simulations show that injections of sulfur dioxide particles into the upper atmosphere, equivalent to a major volcanic eruption such as that of Mt Pinatubo every 18 months, would reduce temperature and delay sea-level rise by 40-80 years. Maintaining such an aerosol cloak could keep sea level close to what it was in 1990.

However, use of sulfur dioxide injection would be costly and also risky because its effects on ecosystems and the climate system are poorly understood.
Large mirrors orbiting the Earth could deflect more of the Sun's energy back out to space, reducing temperatures and help control sea level, but the logistics and engineering challenges of such a scheme are daunting.

The researchers argue that perhaps the least risky and most desirable way of limiting sea-level rise is bioenergy with carbon storage (BECS). Biofuel crops could be grown on a large-scale, and carbon dioxide released during their combustion or fermentation could be captured, and the carbon stored as biochar in the soil or in geological storage sites.

BECS has some advantages over chemical capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which requires an energy source, although both approaches could eventually reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to pre-industrial level according to the new simulations.

 

As glaciers become smaller, water runoff decreases, which is especially important during the dry season when other water sources are limited. Climate change also brings warmer temperatures and earlier water runoff from glaciers, and this combined with spring and summer rains can result in flood conditions. The overall glacier retreat and additional melt can increase the amount of water dammed in the vicinity of a glacier, and the added pressure enhances the likelihood of disastrous outburst flooding.

While most glaciers in Asia are in recession, some glaciers have been found to advance. Some of the advancing glaciers are surge-type glaciers, which move forward more rapidly than average in a short period of time. The reason for this is being studied by glaciologists, and is likely due to unique and local condition

Glacier studies in each area started at different times depending on accessibility of glaciers and scientific interest. For example, the earliest description of glaciers in China was in 630 A.D., while studies in the Caucasus area of Russia began in the mid 1800s and modern studies in Nepal started in the 1950s.

The time period for retreat also differs among each glacier. In Bhutan, 66 glaciers have decreased 8.1% over the last 30 years. Rapid changes in the Himalaya is shown in India by the 12% retreat of Chhota Shigri Glacier during the last 13 years, as well as retreat of the Gangotri Glacier since 1780, with 12% shrinkage of the main stem in the last 16 years.

Glaciers in Russia and in the four republics once part of the Former Soviet Union have the largest area of glaciers in Asia, covering 30,478 square miles, which is about the size of South Carolina. The glaciers of China have the second largest area of glaciers in Asia, covering 22,944 square miles, which is about twice the size of Massachusetts. In Afghanistan, the more than 3,000 small mountain glaciers that occur in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountains provide vital water resources to the region.

This report was a collaboration between US and foreign authors. The USGS published historical and modern data authored by local experts. Some analyses of past climate conditions were conducted by studying ice cores from high-mountain areas of Asia.

This report is the 9th in the series of 11 volumes to be published as the USGS Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. Also the other publications in this series are published online.

 

 
The UNEP study represents an effort to examine the location, nature and extent and implications of oil contamination in Ogoniland. It is part of a longer term goal to clean up contaminated sites for the benefit of local communities and people living in parts of the Niger Delta and for the region's sustainable development.

The fieldwork by UNEP's scientific teams collecting samples of water, soil, sediment, air and plant and animal tissue is due to be completed in October 2010, and will be followed by laboratory analysis. As this process of sample collection is still under way no draft or final report currently exists. Once finalized, the report will provide a compilation of all results and present options to the government and all interested parties on the most appropriate measures to clean up the area's environment. It is due to be presented to the government of Nigeria and interested parties in early 2011.

Media reports over the past days and weeks have indicated that it is UNEP's determination that 90% of oil spills are linked with so-called 'bunkering' and criminal activity. In referring to this data, UNEP clearly indicated that these figures represented official estimates of the Government of Nigeria, based in part on data supplied by the oil industry. They therefore do not represent nor reflect results of UNEP's current assessment process which is still ongoing. To link this data with UNEP's study or indeed any future attribution of responsibility is incorrect.

UNEP would ask all parties within and outside Nigeria to recognise this fact and to respect the multi-disciplinary team carrying out this important task. UNEP wishes to assure all concerned that the assessment will be concluded to the highest standards of independence, integrity and transparency.

UNEP has over several years secured the confidence of the international community in many challenging regions of the world from the Balkans and Afghanistan to Gaza and Sudan. The same professionalism and independence shown in these situations is being exercised in respect to UNEP's work in Nigeria.

The funding of the assessment was negotiated over a period of one and a half years to ensure the independence and integrity of the assessment. In keeping with the polluter pays principle the Government of Nigeria, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria and UNEP agreed that costs of USD9.5 million would be borne by SPDC.

 

Scientists have previously used computer simulations to quantify how curbing of carbon dioxide emissions would mitigate climate impacts. Changes in ocean pH over subsequent centuries will depend on how much the rate of carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced in the longer term.

Largely as a result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy and land-use changes such deforestation, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now higher that it has been at any time over the last 800,000 years. Most scientists believe this increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide to be an important cause of global warming.

According to Dr Toby Tyrrell of the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES) based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK, the oceans absorb around a third of carbon dioxide emissions, which helps limit global warming. Uptake of carbon dioxide by the oceans also increases their acidity, with potentially harmful effects on calcifying organisms such as corals and the ecosystems that they support and increased ocean acidification is also likely to affect the biogeochemistry of the oceans in ways that we do not as yet fully understand.

Tyrrell and his colleagues, in collaboration with researchers at the Met Office, used computer models to quantify the likely response of ocean acidification to a range of carbon dioxide emission scenarios, including aggressive mitigation. Collectively, these models take into account ocean-atmosphere interactions (such as air-sea gas exchange), climate, ocean chemistry, and the complex feedbacks between them.

Global mean ocean surface pH has already decreased from around 8.2 in 1750 to 8.1 today (remember than a decrease in pH corresponds to an increase in acidity). The simulations suggest that global mean ocean pH could fall to between 7.7 and 7.8 by 2100 if carbon dioxide emissions are not controlled.

However, if an aggressive emissions control scenario can be adopted, with emissions peaking in 2016 and reducing by 5% per year thereafter, the simulations suggest that mean surface ocean pH is unlikely to fall below 8.0 by 2100. But even that represents a large change in pH since the pre-industrial era.

A clear message from the study is that substantial emission reductions need to occur as soon as possible and that further reductions after atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration peaks will be needed if ocean pH is to be stabilised.

 

 

Competition organisers asked for original, practical, and scientifically-supported ideas for responding to increasing threats facing delta cities and their inhabitants. Entries came from across a number of disciplines, including spatial planning, infrastructure and buildings, governance, economics and of course hydraulics and water management. Many entries also showed creativity through bridging disciplines and highlighting original examples. All over the world people are seeking practical, innovative, sustainable solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change and facilitate sustainable development of delta cities. The relevance of this topic is reflected by competition entries from students spanning five continents.

 

Dr. Sybe Schaap, chairman of the Union of Water Boards in the Netherlands and professor at the VU University Amsterdam, chairs the DeltaCompetition 2010 Jury. He is joined by Prof. Pier Vellinga, professor at Wageningen University and Director of the Knowledge for Climate Programme in the Netherlands, Prof. Hans Opschoor, Professor of Sustainable Development Economics at the Institute of Social Studies and Professor in Environmental Economics at the VU University Amsterdam, and Mr. Tom Smit, Director of Royal Haskoning's Spatial Development Division. The jurors will select three winning entries who will each receive USD3,000 and be invited to present their ideas to an international audience of decision-makers and experts during the Deltas in Times of Climate Change conference, to be held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 29th September to 1st October 2010. The top ten submissions will be published in a book by the competition organisers.

 

The DeltaCompetition focuses on climate change impact areas that require adaptive solutions, and includes such aspects as water, nature, mobility, agriculture, energy, health, housing and recreation. The competition is open to PhD, Master and Bachelor students throughout the world, who may submit solutions individually or as teams. This year solutions were submitted through the website Brainrack, an online platform for the generation of innovative ideas.

 

Two previous DeltaCompetitions, held in 2006 and 2008 and organised by Royal Haskoning, sparked new debates and dialogue between academics and private industry. Building on these successes, Royal Haskoning has partnered with the City of Rotterdam and the Delta Alliance for a 2010 DeltaCompetition that will draw further attention to the challenges shared by delta cities worldwide.

 

The mini mill of Slovakia Steel Mills in Strážské is designed to produce around 600,000 tonnes of structural steel per year. It incorporates the complete process chain consisting of an electric arc furnace, ladle metallurgy facility, a three-strand continuous casting plant and a rolling mill. Steel production requires large quantities of treated water for direct and indirect cooling, so the central Siemens treatment plant has to supply some 7,000 cubic metres of treated water every hour. The technical equipment includes cooling towers, pumping stations, pressure sand filters, metering stations and sludge treatment facilities.

Heavily polluted water returning from the direct cooling system of the casting plant and rolling mill is first fed into a cyclone separator to remove scale. Oil is then removed by a skimmer and the remaining solids are filtered out by downstream pressure sand filters. The temperature of the water is then lowered by 10 to 15°C in a cooling tower before it is fed back into the cooling systems. The less heavily polluted water from the secondary cooling system passes through bypass filtration. This reduces the concentration of suspended solids before the water is pumped into the cooling towers.

The backwash water from the sand filters, still contaminated with sludge, then passes through the sludge treatment plant. Suitable polymers are added to the sludge to make it easier to separate the solids from the water in a lamella separator. The pre-clarified water passes through a sand filter again, after which it can also be fed back into the cooling system. The remaining sludge is thickened and dewatered in a filter press. Part of the metalliferous sludge can be recycled back into the production.

The entire water treatment plant is automated by Simatic type S7 300 programmable logic controllers. Visualization is provided by a WinCC HMI system. Siemens is also supplying the process instrumentation equipment for monitoring the water quality. This includes instruments to measure flow rates, pressures, temperatures and levels. All the pump drives are equipped with frequency converters, enabling the pumps to be run according to demand and thus saving energy.

 

 

 

The urban drainage modeling solution certified by the National Association of GIS-centric Software addresses all operations of a typical sewer system, from analysis and design to management functions such as water quality assessment, pollution prediction, sediment transport and deposition, urban flooding, real-time control and record keeping, in a single, fully integrated geo-engineering environment whose powerful hydraulic computational engine is endorsed by USEPA and certified by FEMA. These factors and more produce an enhanced modelling experience and greater realism of displayed results. These advantages translate to increased productivity, reduced costs, better efficiency, and improved designs.

InfoSWMM also serves as a base platform for modelling, operational, and capital planning extensions. Some of these critical applications include InfoSWMM 2D (two-dimensional surface flood modeling), CapPlan Sewer (risk-based capital planning integrating modeling and GIS), and RDII Analyst (rainfall dependent inflow and infiltration planning and analysis).

 

 

 
Shale gas is natural gas produced from shale rock fields. This gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has also spread to potential gas shales in Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Gas production in commercial quantities in these fields requires fractures to provide well permeability, and modern technology in hydraulic fracturing allows the creation of extensive artificial fractures around well bores. Hydraulic fracturing, however, results in the production of wastewater that must be treated.

The FracTreat line of products offers flexible and convenient treatment of these waters, and to date, includes three mobile products - continuous precipitation, flotation and a combination pilot unit.

The FracTreat mobile precipitation system combines several proven technologies into a single packaged unit for removal of heavy metals and suspended solids. These technologies include automated chemical feed systems, staged reaction and flocculation chambers, high-rate clarifiers and clearwells. All components are mounted in an industry-standard frac tank for rapid mobilisation and deployment for effective treatment of flowback water.

The FracTreat mobile flotation unit is a 20,000bpd unit that includes a Veirsep flotation system, comprised of an inlet centrifugal coalescing device, influent and effluent surge compartments, three flotation chambers, an oil collection paddle skim system, Brise DGF pumps for recycling fluid and generating varying micron size air/gas bubbles, as well as all required control and operational accessories.

The FracTreat combination pilot unit includes small scale flotation, sedimentation, filtration and membrane separation process units in a single, 40-foot (12.2m) container, used for the evaluation of various treatment technologies on specific water sources. The pilot unit can be used to demonstrate process capability prior to full-scale assets being deployed.
The FracTreat line of products will be featured at the 2010 Eastern Oil & Gas Conference and Trade Show, that will be held from 30th August to 1st September 2010, in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA.

 

 

 

The greatest economic value of the Sierra Nevada Mountains is derived from the provision of 50% of California's fresh water for domestic use. Since 1900, California's population has increased from 1.5 million to over 36 million persons. Maintaining water quantity and quality is challenging due to the unique geographic features of the Sierra Nevada. Melting snow must pass through a fragile ecosystem prior to runoff into lowland reservoirs. Much of the watershed consists of surface or near-surface granite or metamorphic bedrock with little topsoil and therefore little buffering capacity. As a result, small amounts of environmental pollution may have a significant impact on aquatic life.

 

Cattle grazing has been a part of this landscape since the 1850s. However, the detrimental effect of cattle on alpine water quality was noted as far back as the 1880s, and cited as one of the reasons to establish Yosemite National Park in 1890. The authors of an article published in the Journal of Water and Health argue that long-term costs to society are high, in terms of both ecology and public health.

 

Over the past 150 years, deposition of rate-limiting substances such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) compounds has resulted in eutrophication of much of the Sierra Nevada, with increases in phytoplankton species and biomass. Cattle manure contains high amounts of both N and P compounds, and 100 head of cattle will collectively deposit 50kg of N and 25kg of P each day on the range (based on a mean animal weight of 400kg). Thus, fecal matter from cattle with N and P as well as other nutriments contributes to the eutrophication process. In addition, this has promoted conditions which increase bacteria, other microorganisms and the frequency of algal blooms.

 

In watersheds where cattle have grazed, 96% of surface water samples contained significant indicator levels of E. coli of 100 CFU/100 ml or more, placing these waters at high risk of harbouring the large variety of harmful microorganisms. In contrast, the California water board does not allow more than 2.2 CFU/100 ml of E. coli in water used to irrigate vegetable crops. Several studies from other areas of the US have demonstrated a high prevalence of coliforms in watersheds grazed by cattle. In addition, predicted increases in temperatures from climatic change will warm streams, creating more favourable conditions for growth of toxic algae and pathogenic microorganisms.

 

The ecological costs of grazing on public lands can be dramatic and include loss of diversity, lowering of population densities for a variety of taxa, disruption of nutrient recycling and succession and changes in the characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. However, despite discussions on the impact of cattle grazing in the Sierra Nevada, some ranchers have recently pressured the USDA Forest Service to expand cattle grazing tracts.

 

The authors instead propose limiting summer-time cattle grazing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on public lands to lower elevations. Their proposal is based on collective research and observations on watershed geology, climate, precipitation, snowmelt, flora and fauna of the alpine regions of these mountains. By the end of a five-year phase-out period, summer cattle grazing should be restricted to areas below 1,500m elevation in the Central and Northern Sierra and 2,000m elevation in the Southern Sierra. Phase-out proposals should be adopted as soon as possible to ensure long-term protection for this crucial source of water for California.

 

Source: Robert W. Derlet, Charles R. Goldman and Michael J. Connor, 2010. Reducing the impact of summer cattle grazing on water quality in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California: a proposal. Journal of Water and Health, IWA Publishing, 8(2), 326-333.

 

The discovery comes from an analysis of plant productivity data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite, combined with growing season climate variables including temperature, solar radiation and water. The plant and climate data are factored into an algorithm that describes constraints on plant growth at different geographical locations.

For example, growth is generally limited in high latitudes by temperature and in deserts by water. But regional limitations can vary in their degree of impact on growth throughout the growing season.

According to Steven Running, the outcome is a bit of a surprise, and potentially significant on a policy level as previous interpretations suggested that global warming might actually help plant growth around the world. He thinks these results are extraordinarily significant because they show that the global net effect of climatic warming on the productivity of terrestrial vegetation need not be positive as was documented for the 1980's and 1990's.

Conventional wisdom based on previous research held that land plant productivity was on the rise. A 2003 paper in Science led by then University of Montana scientist Ramakrishna Nemani (now at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, USA) showed that global terrestrial plant productivity increased as much as 6% between 1982 and 1999. That's because for nearly two decades, temperature, solar radiation and water availability, influenced by climate change, were favourable for growth.

Setting out to update that analysis, Zhao and Running expected to see similar results as global average temperatures have continued to climb. Instead, they found that the impact of regional drought overwhelmed the positive influence of a longer growing season, driving down global plant productivity between 2000 and 2009. The team published their findings 20th August in Science.

Zhao and Running's analysis showed that since 2000, high-latitude northern hemisphere ecosystems have continued to benefit from warmer temperatures and a longer growing season.

But that effect was offset by warming-associated drought that limited growth in the southern hemisphere, resulting in a net global loss of land productivity.

Image:  snapshot of Earth's plant productivity in 2003 shows regions of increased productivity (green) and decreased productivity (red). Tracking productivity between 2000 and 2009, researchers found a global net decrease due to regional drought. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio.

 

With the growth of sea traffic, the transportation of dangerous materials and the risk of accidents also increase. This summer's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the latest occurrence and the need for efficient oil clean-up is growing.

 

In response to the 1999 accident of the Erika oil tanker, French fishing vessel owner Thierry Thomazeau helped the French National Navy to contain and collect the oil spill at high seas. From this experiment, the French company Thomsea was created with the goal of designing, manufacturing and selling new and efficient systems to filter and collect all types of maritime pollution - from macro-waste to light or viscous bituminous materials - on open water as well as close to shores.

 

The patented Thomsea trawl nets, with collection capacities of two tons and eight tons, were successfully used during the last large oil spill in France (the Prestige tanker in 2003).

Recognised by the French authorities and organisations, Thomsea became an unbeatable name in the fight against maritime pollution. Its trawl nets were deployed after several accidents and today they remain on-hand for the whole of the French national territory, including overseas territories. Thomsea also exports nets to more than five countries to date. In 2010 for example, the Moroccan harbour authorities adopted the trawl nets for its national plan of maritime pollution protection. The US subsidiary, Thomsea International LLC, was recently created in order to respond to the growing number of requests outside Europe for innovative solutions that offer a high recovery efficiency.

 

In addition to these easy-to-use and reliable systems that are complementary to traditional systems used by the oil spill contractors, Thomsea developed a tool that can be very easily used by fishermen. A trained flotilla equipped with Thomsea trawl nets can quickly collect several hundred tons of viscous hydrocarbon product. The company will travel to Houston and New Orleans this week for business meetings, site visits and a press conference with technology demonstrations.

 

Source: WaterOnline

 

In sporadic cases of gastrointestinal illness, no investigations are conducted to determine the cause and source. When two or more individuals of the same unit (squad, platoon, company and battalion) report on gastrointestinal symptoms, the medical authorities have to initiate an epidemiological investigation. Details of a study initiated to determine canteen water quality in the IDF, and examine the association between water quality and enteric diseases in two military units (infantry and armoured corps), have been published in the Journal of Water and Health.

 

In order to obtain information on the microbial status of water within soldiers' canteens, the study included: a sanitary investigation to identify potential microbial contaminants in canteen water and their source; laboratory tests of canteen water samples; results of a questionnaire to obtain details of place and time of canteen filling, time of the most recent canteen use and any enteric symptoms (diarrhoea, stomach aches, vomiting and nausea) experienced by the participants; and statistical analysis of canteen water quality and gastrointestinal symptoms.

 

Microbial results of water sampled from soldiers' canteens indicate that the quality of water was below the Israel Ministry of Health standards for drinking water quality. Enumeration of the selected microbial indicators and statistical analysis revealed that canteen water of armoured corps was significantly more contaminated compared to infantry. The authors acknowledge that, since the cohort of both units is highly similar (age, training stage, nutrition and activities), the difference may be based on several other possible factors such as: supply sources, diversity in military equipment, canteen usage frequency and discipline.

 

Water quality at the source was found to be far better than that of the canteen water, indicating that the possible cause of high concentrations of bacteria in canteen water was secondary contamination e.g. derived from soldiers' use of the canteen (dirty hands with lubrication materials such as grease and oils that may enhance bacterial regrowth, more often used by armoured corps) and environmental factors (dust and sand produced in larger quantities during tanks training). Another important aspect was the water retention time. The results clearly demonstrated that numbers of experimental indicators increased significantly with time from filling (from times greater than one day and longer), worsening canteen water quality.

To conclude, the authors state that the risk of illness of combat soldiers can be reduced by regular disinfection of canteens, refilling every day, allocating and maintaining a verified sanitary source and regular testing of source water.

 

Source: Benjamin Gavrieli, Israel Potasman and Robert H. Armon, 2010. The quality of drinking water stored in canteens of field soldiers as a potential source of enteric diseases. Journal of Water and Health, IWA Publishing, 8(2), 236-246.

http://www.iwaponline.com/

The FlowQuest system is typically used to precisely measure water velocities in water channels and rivers. It can be easily installed on an irrigation channel bank, a bridge abutment, or a river bank. The FlowScout 600 system is developed for long-term real-time monitoring of water flow and velocities in water channels, rivers, ports, harbors and estuaries.

 

The ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment is used to prevent clogging of the reverse osmosis membranes. The Norit X-Flow UF membranes remove all fine silt and turbidity (suspended particles) and will reduce contaminants such as micro-organisms. Norit X-Flow is the first membrane manufacturer to supply a membrane specifically designed to pretreat seawater.

The Qingdao Desalination Project will be the largest such plant in China to date. Additional desalination plants are expected to follow. This also marks the first privately financed desalination facility in China, with funding provided entirely by local banks. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2012.

Norit X-Flow signed an agreement with Befesa to supply the UF pretreatment technology for the Qingdao Desalination Project. Befesa, Spain, is responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the plant under the terms of a 25-year contract. Norit X-Flow is providing the membrane technologies and products to support the desalination operation. The products include the Norit X-Flow SEAGUARD ultrafiltration technology that uses Norit SMART intelligence control for system optimization. The Qingdao plant will contain 2,280 SEAGUARD membrane modules arranged on 20 skids, each with a 120 UF module configuration.

 

HKV Consultants uses the Delft-FEWS system to implement the flood forecasting system in Ireland. The hydrologic calculations will be done by the URBS system. The FEWS-URBS combination was successfully implemented for the Lower Mekong Basins as well. Within that project HKV Consultants built the URBS model.

 

The CD includes the following datasets, preprocessed for immediate use within the IDRISI GIS and Image Processing software.

- NOAA Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Monthly Global Precipitation Data from January 1979 - April 2009

- NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Monthly Global Precipitation Data from January 1998 - April 2010

- NOAA Global Optimum Interpolation (OI) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Analysis from January 1982 - April 2010

 

This data archive is suited for input for the Earth Trends Modeller application within the IDRISI software. Earth Trends Modeller, an application for the exploration and analysis of image time series data, includes a coordinated suite of data mining tools and a variety of techniques for the extraction of global trends and the impacts of climate change. This new data archive can immediately be used within Earth Trends Modeler.

 

The CD also includes monthly atmospheric temperature data from Remote Sensing System (RSS), processed from the Microwave and Advanced Microwave Sounding Units on NOAA polar-orbiting platforms and in a 2.5 degree grid.

The emergency management module will provide a rapid overview of gates that are open and closed. A map showing the location of the floodgates and table report can be automatically generated with the module. It is important to have an accurate overview of both open and closed gates as during hurricane Katrina in 2005, flooding in New Orleans was caused by breaches and because floodgates were left open.

The project is being run by the local operator of water control structures, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East (SLFPAE). SLFPAE is responsible for closing and opening more than 200 floodgates. Depending on the type of emergency all these gates have to be closed manually within 24 hours. The Emergency Module that we are going to develop will help improve the planning and coordination of closing and opening gates. Haskoning Inc. plans to have the emergency management module up and running before the peak of this year's hurricane season.

 

Earlier this year experts from Royal Haskoning, Fugro and HKV Lijn in Water together with representatives of Hoogheemraadschap Delfland have demonstrated a digital levee information management system for parts of the flood defense system around New Orleans. It showed the potential of having a digital information system assisting the local levee managers in their primary tasks. This pilot was sponsored by the 2g@there programme.

 

 

 

Maintaining a safe and comfortable temperature range in drinking water distribution systems is a growing concern for water utilities worldwide. Temperatures outside the normal range can cause a significant discomfort to customers during both extremely hot and cold months. In addition, temperature directly and indirectly affects all the factors that govern microbial growth. It therefore influences treatment plant efficiency, microbial growth rate, disinfection efficiency, dissipation of disinfectant residuals, corrosion and metal release rates, maintenance and chemical additive costs, and distribution system hydraulics and water velocity created by customer demand. Now, MWH Soft's new enhanced MSX extension gives water utilities unprecedented power to model temperature variations within their distribution systems for improved thermal design and operation and optimal safeguarding of public health.

This breakthrough software enables engineers to model very complex heat transfer mechanisms between the water in the distribution pipes and the ambient environment. It directly considers the influence of ambient temperature, wall material and thickness, flow conditions, buried depth, and other pertinent variables that determine how much heat will intrude into the water in the distribution pipes. Ambient temperature can be the air temperature of the upper cover (soil, grass and pavement), and can be described as either a constant or a time-varying pattern.

The MSX extension can also model very complex reaction schemes between multiple chemical and biological species in water distribution piping systems. It allows users to input any mathematical models of physical, chemical, and biological reactions, both in the bulk flow and at the pipe wall. It also tracks the movement, fate and build-up of particulate material in the distribution system, considering both settling of particles under gravity and deposition of particles on the pipe walls due to particle/pipe surface attractive forces. These capabilities give water utilities unprecedented flexibility in analyzing multi-source, multi-quality systems and accurately assessing the fate and transport of contaminant threats within them - enabling improved water quality maintenance and management.

Upgrade to the new MSX extension for H2ONET, H2OMAP Water and InfoWater is now available worldwide by subscription to the MWH Soft Maintenance and Support programme. 

This event will serve various industries such as: health & medicine, life science & biotechnology, pharmaceutical, forensics, food & beverages, calibration & testing labs, Oil & Gas, Metal & Plastics, agriculture, communications, defence, electrical & electronics, Nanotechnology , environmental etc...

Kuwait Laboratory Technology Conference & Exhibition is the Kuwait's unique & most comprehensive exhibition on Laboratory, Scientific, Biotechnology, Analytical, Educational, Material Testing, Diagnostics & related products for major local and International manufacturers, exporters, importers & key regional suppliers.

 

Kuwait Laboratory Technology Conference & Exhibition will showcase the latest instrumentation, technologies, products and services in all major areas of analytical sciences and laboratory services. It provides an opportunity for scientific equipment and instrument manufacturers and suppliers to showcase their latest state-of-the art equipment and technologies. It also provides an avenue for analytical and laboratory service providers to develop business contacts and network with traders, manufacturers, research and development institutions, and universities.