S/No

Title

Synopsis

I. Subject Area : Public Health

1

Air cleaning device cuts Salmonella contamination in poultry houses

Scientists of the US Agricultural Research Service have developed a new electrostatic air cleaning system which was found to reduce airborne Salmonella bacteria by 94% in a commercial hatchery.

2

Most US ground beef tainted with E.coli

According to a draft study released by US Agriculture Department scientists, most raw US meat processed into ground beef patties may be tainted with tiny amounts of the illness-causing E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria.

II. Subject Area : Environmental Management

3

US dioxin limits for sludge applied to land

US Environmental Protection Agency is set to introduce new controls on sewage sludge that will limit the total dioxin content of sludge applied to land.

III. Subject Area : Waste Management & Recycling

4

Waste treatment could benefit from addition of algae and fish

Ray Drenner, a biologist at Texas Christian University, has developed a wastewater purification system that makes use of algae and fish to remove dissolved phosphorus and nitrogen.

IV. Subject Area : Environmental Technology

5

Low-residue treatment for heavy metals

Kruger, a Danish company, has developed a new low-residue process capable of removing heavy metals from different types of water, including industrial wastewater.

6

US Coast Guard certifies bio-based oil-water separator

A US company, EnSolve Biosystems, has received the certification of US Coast Guard and International Maritime Organisation for its maritime oily water separator that combines modern biotechnology with physical separation of oil from water.

V. Subject Area : General Environmental News

7

BP Amoco starts its own global emissions trading program

An internal, company-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading system started by BP Amoco will help the company achieve a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 30 million metric tonnes by 2010, a cut of 30% from 2000, and 90% from 1990 levels.

Item 1

Air cleaning device cuts Salmonella contamination in poultry houses

Summary

The new system captures dust particles that harbour hitchhiking organisms. The dust is electrically charged and captured on special plates that are then automatically washed cleaned at prescribed intervals. The new system was found to reduce airborne Salmonella effectively. Results of recent experiments showed that the new system achieved an average reduction of 77% in dust levels and 94% in enterobacteriaceae (commonly encountered bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli that frequently cause disease) levels when compared to the levels in a cabinet treated with hydrogen peroxide disinfectant.

Reference

http://www.gnet.org/filecomponent/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=9469&image1=2

Item 2

Most US ground beef tainted with E.coli

Summary

As the E.coli 0157:H7 bacterium is one of the deadliest forms of food-borne illness, the findings are raising concerns among American consumer groups. They have stepped up pressure for the USDA to require the meat industry to adopt testing throughout the production and distribution chain.

Reference

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=5857&newsDate=2-Mar-2000

Item 3

US dioxin limits for sludge applied to land

Summary

The new standard applies only to sewage treatment works with a capacity greater than 1 MGD (3.8 Ml/day) and to other sludge-generating plants with an equivalent sludge load (290tonnes/year). These plants will be required to monitor for dioxins annually. If levels are found to be below 0.03 μg TEQ/kg for two consecutive years then monitoring only needs to be carried out every five years, reverting to annually if that value is substantially exceeded.

Reference

Water21, Feb 2000, Page 4

Item 4

Waste treatment could benefit from addition of fish

Summary

The system is useful in curbing algae growth in the receiving water bodies and the fish in the system can be used as a safe source of food provided the original sewage is free of contaminants. However, Drenner has acknowledged that there are some shortcomings of the system. Firstly, the system will work only after sewage has undergone conventional treatment. The system also requires a larger area and needs to be refined before it can be implemented on a commercial scale.

Reference

http://www.gnet.org/filecomponent/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=9466&image1=2

Item 5

Low-residue treatment for heavy metals

Summary

Kruger, a Danish company, has developed a different process, called MetClean^TM, which reduces the amount of waste product produced. The waste product of the process consists of fine-grained granules with strong and stable metal bonds. The heavy metals to be removed from the water are incorporated in the granules by adsorption, co-precipitation, and chemical reaction. These granules have an insignificant water content compared to traditional sludge, so the volume of the granules is only about 10% of normal sludge volumes.

Reference

Water21, Feb 2000, Page 23

Item 6

US Coast Guard certifies bio-based oil-water separator

Summary

Unlike conventional oily water separators, which are responsible for numerous oil discharges into the marine environment, EnSolve's PetroLaminator uses a newly patented biotechnology process to clean oily water effectively. It combines a patented system for the mechanical separation of oil and water with a unique biological chamber containing naturally occurring bacteria. These bacteria are said to have been isolated from natural environments where the bacteria have evolved using hydrocarbons (oil) as a food source. The system also includes a fail-safe monitoring process to ensure that water discharged is cleaner than the regulatory limit of 15ppm. The PetroLaminator system has been successfully tested and is recognised as one of the better systems for treating emulsified bilge water.

Reference

http://www.pollutiononline.com/

Item 7

BP Amoco starts its own global emissions trading program

Summary

BP Amoco says it would welcome the opportunity to trade emissions with other companies, but any move towards inter-company trading will depend on developments in domestic and international regulations.

Reference

Chemical Week, 2 Feb 2000, Page 13