TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Title |
Synopsis |
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I. Subject Area: Environmental Technology |
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1 |
Immersed membranes simplify reverse osmosis pre-treatment |
Zenon Environmental Inc, a Canadian company, has developed an immersed ultra-filtration (UF) system to produce consistent good quality feedwater for reverse osmosis system. The immersed UF system can operate in high solids concentrations of up to 10,000 mg/l without the membrane-plugging problem. |
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2 |
Toyota says its hybrid Prius can be recycled |
Japan's Toyota Motor Corp says its new Prius car can be recycled at the end of its useful life, underlining the environmental credentials of the electric/gasoline hybrid vehicle soon to hit Europe's roads. |
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II. Subject Area: General Environmental News |
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3 |
Los Angeles adopts cleaner diesel fuel |
Air quality officials in Los Angeles have adopted a rule aimed at reducing diesel soot emitted by requiring the production of cleaner diesel fuel in the region. |
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4 |
Chemical in computer monitors triggers allergies |
Computer workers who suffer from headaches may have more than eyestrain to blame. New research suggests that chemical emissions from the plastics of computer video monitors may affect workers' health. |
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5 |
U.K. to ban lead stabilizers in water pipes |
The Drinking Water Inspectorate of U.K. says it will ban the use of lead stabilizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water pipes from 2003 onwards. |
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6 |
US delays the phasing out of methyl bromide |
US EPA originally set the complete phase-out of methyl bromide on 1 Jan 2001. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing whether to defer the methyl bromide phase-out to 2005, which is also the deadline imposed on industrial countries under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. |
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7 |
Japan's personal computer recycling programme |
Japan is introducing a new rule to designate used personal computers (PCs) as controlled items under its recycling law, which will take effect on 1 Apr 2001. Manufacturers and distributors of the PCs will have to collect used PCs for reuse and recycle to produce new products. |
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SUMMARY REPORT
Period Covered: 18 Sep 2000 to 24 Sep 2000
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Item 1 |
Immersed membranes simplify reverse osmosis pre-treatment |
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Summary |
Zenon Environmental Inc, a Canadian company, has developed an immersed ultra-filtration (UF) system, which incorporates new concepts in membrane filtration. The immersed membrane can operate in solids concentrations of up to 10,000 mg/l without plugging the membrane fiber bundle. The new UF membrane treatment process involves immersing hollow-fibre membrane modules into the free volume of a process tank. Each membrane module is provided with a permeate and aeration connection. A permeate pump is used to gently draw water through the membrane surface, to the lumen of the hollow fibre element under a suction of 14-50kPa. The gentle suction and open environment operation provide the immersed membrane with distinct benefits over the conventional membrane filtration system. During the filtration cycles, the surface of the membrane is kept clean using a back-pulse and aeration. Air is introduced at the bottom of the membrane module to create turbulence and to transport the concentrated solids away from the fibers and into the tank, thereby eliminating the accumulation of solids in the membrane modules. As the air travels along the surface of the membrane it scrubs and cleans the outside of the membrane fibers allowing them to operate at high flux. |
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Reference |
Asian Water, September 2000, Page 24 to 26 |
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Item 2 |
Toyota says its hybrid Prius can be recycled |
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Summary |
Powered by an electric motor and a gasoline engine, the Prius will be launched in Europe from October 2000 with a target of 5,000 cars during the first year. The electric motors are powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries and are guaranteed for the vehicle's life. The batteries will be recycled at the end of the car's life by one of the three European companies. Around 75 percent of all materials would be recycled or reused. Under a new European Union law, carmakers will have to recycle or reuse 80 percent of a car's weight from 2006, rising to 85 percent by 2015. And from 2007, manufacturers will have to take back without any charge any scrap car, regardless of when it was built. |
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Reference |
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Item 3 |
Los Angeles adopts cleaner diesel fuel |
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Summary |
Air quality officials in Los Angeles have adopted a rule aimed at reducing the diesel soot emitted by requiring the production of cleaner diesel fuel in the region. Under the new rule, diesel fuel produced or imported into the area will be limited to no more than 15 parts per million of sulfur. The current limit is 500 parts per million and the average sulfur content of fuel sold is 133 parts per million. The new rule will take effect on January 1, 2005. Removing the sulfur is the key to using particulate traps on trucks and buses to reduce their emission of soot. High sulfur fuel degrades the traps. |
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Reference |
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Item 4 |
Chemical in computer monitors triggers allergies |
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Summary |
Chemicals from computer screens can cause allergies, according to a Swedish study. The chemical compound triphenyl phosphate, a flame retardant widely used in the plastics of video monitors and computers can cause allergic reactions such as itching, nasal congestion and headaches. The screen or video monitor begins to emit the chemical as the temperature rises. The researchers found appreciable concentrations of the compound in 10 of the 18 brand new video monitors they tested. |
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Reference |
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Item 5 |
U.K. to ban lead stabilizers in water pipes |
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Summary |
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) says it will ban the use of lead stabilizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water pipes from 2003 onwards. The use of lead stabilizers in PVC pipes would push lead content in drinking water above the limit of 25 micrograms/litre due to come into force throughout the European Union (EU) in 2003. Pipe manufacturers must reformulate their products for the U.K. market by that time. The current EU limit for lead in drinking water is 50 micrograms/litre. The lower 2003 limit is part of a revised 1998 European Commission drinking water directive. The Commission proposes reducing the limit to 10 micrograms/litre in 2013. This will cause the European PVC stabilizer market to move away from lead towards tin and mixed metal stabilizers. |
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Reference |
Chemical Week, September 13, 2000 |
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Item 6 |
US delays the phasing out of methyl bromide |
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Summary |
Rather than a complete phase-out on 1 Jan 2001, a new regulation, which is currently under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget, would delay the total phase-out of methyl bromide in US until 2005. The new regulation also imposes an interim reduction of 50% in the quantity of methyl bromide imported to and produced in the US. However, exemption will be given for the production, import, and consumption of methyl bromide for fumigation of commodities that enter and leave the US. Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting pesticide that is being phased out under the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. The Protocol also called for a freeze on the total amount of methyl bromide that could be produced and imported. Industrial countries are required to phase out the use of methyl bromide by 2005. Despite the phase-out requirement, the Montreal Protocol also allows exemptions for quarantine and pre-shipment uses of methyl bromide from the phase-out. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter ISSN 0149-8738, Page 709 & 710 |
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Item 7 |
Japan's personal computer recycling programme |
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Summary |
With consumers poised to begin abandoning outdated models of personal computers (PCs) in garbage dumps, Japan has decided to take preemptive action to stop unruly personal computers disposal with new collection rules. The new rules will designate PCs as controlled items under the so-called recycling law, which will be implemented on 1 Apr 2001. The recycling law provides that manufacturers and distributors of home electrical appliances designated under the law - refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, and television sets - must properly collect, reuse, and recycle them. The recovered materials from the old appliances would also have to be used to produce new products. A study carried out in Japan found that the volume of PCs has been growing almost exponentially in recent years, totaling 45,000 tons in 1998, and is expected to increase to more than 80,000 tons in 2001. The Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry has also established an advisory panel to make recommendations for collection and disposal of used PCs. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter ISSN 0149-8738, Page 715 |