Aluminium Sulphate

Os meus agradecimentos são dirigidos a todos os que permitiram a realização deste trabalho e que, de uma forma ou de outra, nele estiveram envolvidos, mas em especial: À minha orientadora Prof.ª Drª Elizabeth Duarte e Drª. Rita Fragoso minha coorientadora, que durante a concretização deste trabalho me ajudaram quer pelos seus conhecimentos, conselhos e orientações, quer pela disponibilidade para ouvir as minhas dúvidas e tecer palavras de incentivo. Agradeço também a ajuda na elaboração da dissertação e artigo, que proporcionaram um maior enriquecimento dos seus conteúdos, não esquecendo a preciosa ajuda no inglês. Gostaria ainda de agradecer ao meu colega e amigo Henrique, pelo apoio e companhia no laboratório, e pela boa disposição com que realizamos as muitas experiências, mesmo após um dia de trabalho. Ao Senhor Domingos, pela simpatia e pela sua grande ajuda na realização de análises físico-químicas. A todos os amigos, em especial ao meu cunhado, que estiveram presentes nesta etapa e mesmo noutras, que também eles contribuíram para o meu crescimento pessoal. À minha família em geral mas de um modo muito especial aos meus queridos pais pelo exemplo de vida, ajuda, educação e amor que sempre me têm transmitido. Ao meu pequenino Gui, que queria sempre ajudar quando me via ao computador, ou pedia colo quando eu efectuava algum cálculo, mas que me ajudou imenso pela força e alegria de viver que tem imprimido a minha vida. Por último, mas não em último, à minha Mulher Michelle, a quem muito devo a realização desta tese, pelo seu apoio permanente, expresso ou silencioso, pelas minhas más disposições e nervosismo de tantas horas e pelo carinho com que sempre as suportou. Por tudo isto, o meu muito obrigado a todos. ii Face ao aumento da população mundial tem-se vindo a verificar uma crescente necessidade alimentar, levando à intensificação da produção pecuária. A suinicultura possui elevada expressão no panorama mundial de produção animal, seguindo a tendência de intensificação e crescimento. Consequentemente verifica-se a produção de grandes quantidades de efluentes, ricos em nutrientes e matéria orgânica. Diversos tipos de processos têm sido propostos para tratar estes efluentes, nomeadamente tratamentos físico-químicos entre os quais se inclui a coagulação/floculação. Essa tecnologia de tratamento foi selecionada como objeto de estudo, onde se analisaram remoções de sólidos suspensos totais, matéria orgânica expressa em carência química de oxigénio e nutrientes, no efluente bruto de modo a simular a realidade das unidades suínicolas intensivas. No trabalho desenvolvido comparou-se a eficiência de remoção de alguns parâmetros chave através da utilização de coagulantes convencionais e um biopolímero, após otimização da dose, velocidade, tempo de agitação e volume de lamas produzidas. O biopolímero usado foi o quitosano, devido a ser abundante e natural. O coagulante convencional selecionado foi o sulfato de alumínio (Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ) pois foi mais eficaz do que o cloreto férrico (FeCl 3 ). Concluiu-se, comparando com o estudo de sedimentação natural, realizado em simultâneo, que o processo é eficaz, pois melhora a turvação, remove da fracção líquida o triplo de CQO, remove os metais analisados em mais de 60% e no caso do fósforo entre 70% e 94% e reduz o volume da fracção sólida resultante em cerca de 38%. Palavras chave: cloreto férrico, coagulação/floculação, efluente suinicultura, gestão de chorume, quitosano, sulfato de alumínio.

Le traitement de l'eau par floculation est d'usage très répandu. Ce traitement permet de réduire la couleur et la turbidité normalement causées par les contaminants organiques et inorganiques aux niveaux acceptables pour l'eau potable ou pour les eaux usées. Les coagulants utilisés peuvent être de nature organique ou inorganique. Le but principal de cette étude porte sur le suivi des paramètres de qualité et l' optimisation

Aluminium (Al) is a neurotoxic metal and Al exposure may be a factor in the aetiology of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The major pathohistological findings in the AD brain are the presence of neuritic plaques containing beta-amyloid (Abeta) which may interfere with neuronal communication. Moreover, it has been observed that GRP78, a stress-response protein induced by conditions that adversely affect endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function, is reduced in the brain of AD patients. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the expression of Abeta and GRP78 in the brain cortex of mice chronically treated with aluminium sulphate. Chronic exposure over 12 months to aluminium sulphate in drinking water resulted in deposition of Abeta similar to that seen in congophilic amyloid angiopathy (CAA) in humans and a reduction in neuronal expression of GRP78 similar to what has previously been observed in Alzheimer's disease. So, we hypothesi...

Leather making commonly use chromium salts to produce high quality products. However, the use of chromium salts is compromised by environmental safety concerns. Combination tanning using vegetable tanning coupled with aluminium sulphate can sustainably replace chrome tanning system. Adversely, the use of commercial aluminium sulphate poses economic burden that entails for cost effective sources. Abundance of kaolin on earth's crust with scarce utilization is an opportunity towards cost effective aluminium sulphate for tanning. Therefore, in the present work aluminium sulphate was prepared from kaolin and its performance for combination tanning was studied. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to confirm the prepared aluminium sulphate. Combination tanning was carried out with mimosa vegetable tannins. Leathers tanned with the combination of aluminium sulphate from kaolin and mimosa vegetable tannin exhibited hydrothermal stability of up to 118 °C as compared to mimosa alone that showed the average of 80 °C. Physical strength characteristics met the standard norms. Fibers separation was good as confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self-sustenance through available resources and eco-friendly manufacturing system.

Natural organic matter is responsible for the formation of carcinogenic and mutagenic chlorination byproducts during drinking water production. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of removing dissolved organic matter and turbidity with alumina sulphate during the coagulation-flocculation water. Two types of water, Me River and that of the Aghien Lagoon were subjected to test jar tests. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the treatment was determined by measuring the reduction of turbidity, UV 254 absorbance and dissolved organic carbon at pH ranging from 4 to 6.5. The results obtained show that at pH 5 - 5.5, a good elimination of the material at respective rates of plus 77,02 % and 71,68 % for  Aghien Lagoon and  Me River those of was observed. Turbidity reduction rates were 98.74% for the waters of the Me and 98.4% for the waters of the Aghien lagoon, for pH values of 5 - 5.5. These allowances were obtained for doses of coagulant of 50 and 60 mg.L -1 re...

Présenté par : MEZIANI Karim en vue de l'obtention du diplôme de : Maîtrise ès sciences appliquées a été dûment accepté par le jury d'examen constitué de : Mme DORNER Sarah, Ph.D., présidente M. COMEAU Yves, Ph.D., membre et directeur de recherche M. GADBOIS Alain, M.Sc.A., membre iii DÉDICACE AU NOM DE DIEU ET MISERICORDIEUX Je dédie ce mémoire et mon travail à ma mère et mon père pour m'avoir donné la vie, éduqué, instruit et supporté dans tout, pour que j'arrive jusqu'à ce stade. Je dédie mon mémoire à mon épouse pour avoir su me soutenir dans les moments difficiles et accepté certains sacrifices. Je dédie aussi mon mémoire à mes enfants et à la toute dernière (Sirine) qui m'ont donné beaucoup de courage pour que je persévère jusqu'à la fin. Je dédie mon mémoire à mes frères et soeurs, aussi loin soient-ils et pour lesquels j'ai une pensée profonde. Service d'incendie de la ville de Terrebonne. Toute ma reconnaissance à M. Frédéric Coulombe, opérateur en chef de la station d'épuration de Terrebonne/Mascouche, qui m'a beaucoup aidé et facilité l'accès à la station. Je remercie le Service d'incendie de la ville de Terrebonne en particulier MM. Jacques Berubé et Dave Sévigny pour m'avoir approvisionné en eau potable, sans quoi le fonctionnement du pilote aurait été difficile. Toute ma gratitude à Mmes Édith Laflamme et Emmanuelle Dormoy et à M. Philippe Lefrançois, tous de la firme John Meunier pour toutes leurs aides. Mes remerciements vont à M. Guillaume Hainault de la firme John Meunier pour son aide précieuse sur le terrain, sans oublier M. Alain Sanscartier. Je remercie M. Bernard Clément professeur à l'École Polytechnique de Montréal pour son aide dans l'interprétation statistique de certaines données. Je remercie M. Louis Fradette professeur au département de génie chimique pour m'avoir facilité l'accès au laboratoire pour la mesure de la taille des particules. Toute ma gratitude à M. Bertrand Floure représentant de la compagnie Malvern Instruments pour son support technique. Je v remercie aussi Émir Tsabet, étudiant au doctorat pour m'avoir assisté et donné la formation sur l'utilisation du Mastersizer 3000. Merci à M. Michael Cimbritz de la firme Hydrotech pour les précieux renseignements sur le filtre à disques Hydrotech. Je remercie Majdala Mansour-Geoffrion, étudiante au doctorat pour m'avoir assisté jusqu'à la fin de mon projet et ce malgré son propre travail de recherche. Je ne manquerais pas de remercier les techniciens Denis Bouchard, Marie Ferland et Mélanie Bolduc du Laboratoire de Génie de l'Environnement de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal pour leur aide dans les analyses d'échantillons, sans oublier le support de Claire Grand d'Esnon stagiaire d'été au laboratoire. Merci à mon ami Sanjak Mourad pour m'avoir consacré de son précieux temps pour la réalisation des dessins du filtre à disques avec Autodesk Educational Product. Un très grand merci à Dr. Zerrouk Nacer-Eddine, ingénieur et ancien diplômé de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal pour ses orientations et les précieux conseils qu'il m'a fournis tout au long de mes études ainsi que pour le temps qu'il m'a alloué pour passer en revue mon mémoire. Je ne finirais pas sans remercier José-Antonio, Marc-André, Jaime, Dominic, Dominique, Giovanna, Kunaal, Reza et Claudine, tous étudiants du professeur Yves Comeau, avec lesquels nous formions une bonne équipe et échangions sur nos travaux de recherches. Je remercie Mme Manon Latour, agente aux dossiers étudiants et Mme Dominique Pépin, secrétaire, au département des génies civil géologiques et des mines de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal pour leur aide précieuse. Merci à tous mes amis et en particulier Adel, Abdelwahab et Farid, qui m'ont supporté et encouragé pendant les moments difficiles. vi

Leather making commonly use chromium salts to produce high quality products. However, the use of chromium salts is compromised by environmental safety concerns. Combination tanning using vegetable tanning coupled with aluminium sulphate can sustainably replace chrome tanning system. Adversely, the use of commercial aluminium sulphate poses economic burden that entails for cost effective sources. Abundance of kaolin on earth's crust with scarce utilization is an opportunity towards cost effective aluminium sulphate for tanning. Therefore, in the present work aluminium sulphate was prepared from kaolin and its performance for combination tanning was studied. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to confirm the prepared aluminium sulphate. Combination tanning was carried out with mimosa vegetable tannins. Leathers tanned with the combination of aluminium sulphate from kaolin and mimosa vegetable tannin exhibited hydrothermal stability of up to 118 °C as compared to mimosa alone that showed the average of 80 °C. Physical strength characteristics met the standard norms. Fibers separation was good as confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self-sustenance through available resources and eco-friendly manufacturing system.

Aluminium (Al) is a neurotoxic metal and Al exposure may be a factor in the aetiology of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The major pathohistological findings in the AD brain are the presence of neuritic plaques containing beta-amyloid (Abeta) which may interfere with neuronal communication. Moreover, it has been observed that GRP78, a stress-response protein induced by conditions that adversely affect endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function, is reduced in the brain of AD patients. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the expression of Abeta and GRP78 in the brain cortex of mice chronically treated with aluminium sulphate. Chronic exposure over 12 months to aluminium sulphate in drinking water resulted in deposition of Abeta similar to that seen in congophilic amyloid angiopathy (CAA) in humans and a reduction in neuronal expression of GRP78 similar to what has previously been observed in Alzheimer's disease. So, we hypothesi...

The landfill leachate was taken from the Pulau Burung Landfill Site (PBLS), Malaysia. Filtration by limestone-zeolite (15 : 25) and limestone-GAC (15 : 25) with filtration rate = 0.01 m 3 /m 2 .minute showed that 70% and 85% of colour and 42% and 70% COD were removed, respectively. Maximum colour removal (93% and 92%) and COD removal (56% and 46%) were achieved by the addition of 2000 mg/L PAC and 9000 mg/L alum respectively. Filtration by limestone-zeolite (15 : 25) and limestone-GAC (15 : 25) followed by coagulation at optimum dosage of 800 mg/L PAC, was efficient to reduce colour (98% and 99%) and COD (70% and 86%) respectively.

The landfill leachate was taken from the Pulau Burung Landfill Site (PBLS), Malaysia. Filtration by limestone-zeolite (15 : 25) and limestone-GAC (15 : 25) with filtration rate = 0.01 m 3 /m 2 .minute showed that 70% and 85% of colour and 42% and 70% COD were removed, respectively. Maximum colour removal (93% and 92%) and COD removal (56% and 46%) were achieved by the addition of 2000 mg/L PAC and 9000 mg/L alum respectively. Filtration by limestone-zeolite (15 : 25) and limestone-GAC (15 : 25) followed by coagulation at optimum dosage of 800 mg/L PAC, was efficient to reduce colour (98% and 99%) and COD (70% and 86%) respectively.

During recent years renewables have been acquiring gradually a significant importance in the world market (especially in the Spanish energetic market) and in society; this fact makes clear the need to increase and improve knowledge of these power sources. Starting from the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a multi-megawatt wind turbine, this work is aimed to assess the relevance of different choices that have been made during its development. Looking always to cover the largest possible spectrum of options, four scenarios have been analysed, focused on four main phases of lifecycle: maintenance, manufacturing, dismantling, and recycling. These scenarios facilitate to assess the degree of uncertainty of the developed LCA due to choices made, excluding from the assessment the uncertainty due to the inaccuracy and the simplification of the environmental models used or spatial and temporal variability in different parameters. The work has been developed at all times using the of Eco-indicator99 LCA method.

Leather making commonly use chromium salts to produce high quality products. However, the use of chromium salts is compromised by environmental safety concerns. Combination tanning using vegetable tanning coupled with aluminium sulphate can sustainably replace chrome tanning system. Adversely, the use of commercial aluminium sulphate poses economic burden that entails for cost effective sources. Abundance of kaolin on earth's crust with scarce utilization is an opportunity towards cost effective aluminium sulphate for tanning. Therefore, in the present work aluminium sulphate was prepared from kaolin and its performance for combination tanning was studied. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to confirm the prepared aluminium sulphate. Combination tanning was carried out with mimosa vegetable tannins. Leathers tanned with the combination of aluminium sulphate from kaolin and mimosa vegetable tannin exhibited hydrothermal stability of up to 118 °C as compared to mimosa alone that showed the average of 80 °C. Physical strength characteristics met the standard norms. Fibers separation was good as confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self-sustenance through available resources and eco-friendly manufacturing system.

Traitement des eaux par electrofloculation Les écosystèmes aquatiques sont très affectés par les eaux de rejet qui sont déversées dans les cours d’eau. La charge de ces eaux existe sous diverses formes: solutés, colloïdes ou particules. Il est important de traiter l’eau usée à de faibles coûts au lieu de la rejeter directement dans le milieu récepeteur. Dans le but d’améliorer les procédés physico-chimiques de déstabilisation des émulsions, nous étudions les traitements par électrocoagulation. Habituellement, les eaux usées sont traitées par coagulation-floculation, à l’aide de réactifs, comme le FeCl3 ou le Al2(SO4)3 . Dans un premier temps, nous étudions cette approche en optimisant les conditions de déstabilisation des émulsions: l’influence du pH, de la concentration de coagulant et du temps de clarification. Ce traitement permet d’obtenir deux phases qui se séparent par décantation ou par flottation. L’électrocoagulation produit une séparation semblable, mais, dans ce cas, le c...

L'etude a ete axee sur les possibilites d'elimination de la matiere organique des eaux de surface sous differentes formes (etats disperses ou dissous) ainsi que certains elements mineraux, en particulier le fluor present en exces dans les eaux souterraines du Sahara septentrional oriental. Pour chaque aspect de l'etude, les essais se sont deroules sur des solutions synthetiques de composes organiques ou mineraux dans des milieux de mineralisation variable. La finalite de l'etude a ete l'application des resultats obtenus et leur interpretation dans le cas specifique des eaux naturelles algeriennes.

Parallel with the city development, industrial and commerce activities increase, river quality started to worsen with the occurrence of erosion, sedimentation and pollution. The scenario in Malaysia shows that the number of rivers in class I and II categories which is of high quality is falling fast but those in class IV and V categories are rising. This development is expected to be in line with the rapid progress experienced by this country along with the lack of awareness of the community in the efforts of preservation and conservation of the environment. The goal of this study is to see the extent of environmental impact form the water treatment processes which uses chemicals and electricity in varying quantum due to varying quality of the source water resulted from anthropogenic activities. To get the depiction of the damages, LCA method is used. Three different river classes is chosen, namely class I, class II and class III, as classified by Department of Environment, Malaysia. This study uses the ISO standards and Ecoindicator 99. In Ecoindicator 99, environmental damages are categorized into 3 types, namely, damage to Human Health, Ecosystem Quality and resources. This study is a streamlined LCA where only foreground data is needed namely the quantity of chemicals used during water treatment and electricity consumption. While the background data for the chemicals and electricity is acquired from Simapro and Jemai-LCA Pro software databases. LCI methodology was used for quantification of the impacts of portable water production at the different river classes. The data inventory is then classified and characterized with Ecoindicator 99 to identify the weaknesses of the system. Treatment of class III rivers contribute higher impact to the environment followed by class II rivers and the lowest impact is from class I river. The use of high quantity of chlorine was identified as the contributor to environmental impact. Weighting analysis shows that three main impact categories identified was respiratory inorganics, acidification/eutrophication and fossil fuels. The major chemical substance to respiratory inorganics and acidification/eutrophication impact categories are nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. Both substances are released during the production of Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) use as coagulant. While the material that contributes to fossil fuels impact are natural gas used for the generation of electricity.

Malaysia is a country that is very committed in ensuring a constant development in a sustainable way by creating a balance between economy, social and environment. It can be proven as Malaysia is ranked in a very good position in Environmental Sustainability Index. But this ranking should be a guideline to ensure the pockets of weaknesses in executing sustainable development in this country should be filled especially in effectively managing the environment. Ozone Depletion Substances (ODS) emission needed an environmental management method that is capable to identify the cause of this problem in order to the right action could be taken in place to mitigate the problem of ozone depletion. Event though drastic measures were taken in this country such as the ban of Halon gas use in fire control sector as a signatory to the Montreal Protocol 1989, it does not mean that this measure is enough to stop ODS from being emitted to the air. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in a water treatment system proves that this method is capable to identify substances that emit ODS. Chemicals and electricity used in the water treatment is found to emits 8 types of ODS and Methane, bromotrifluoro-, Halon 1301 is contributed the most compared to the other 7 types. Aluminium sulphate (alum) is substance that contributed the most Methane, bromotrifluoro-and Halon 1301 in the atmosphere. Life cycle analysis conducted to identify the cause of ODS emission in Alum found that electricity generation using coal and fossil fuel contributed the highest ODS emission. Electricity generation through hydroelectric is found not to emit any ODS at all. The advantage of LCA in identifying weaknesses and shortcomings of a product should not be taken lightly by Malaysia. Malaysia should use LCA as an effective environmental management method that indirectly secures Malaysia's current ranking to a better position in the future.

Leather making commonly use chromium salts to produce high quality products. However, the use of chromium salts is compromised by environmental safety concerns. Combination tanning using vegetable tanning coupled with aluminium sulphate can sustainably replace chrome tanning system. Adversely, the use of commercial aluminium sulphate poses economic burden that entails for cost effective sources. Abundance of kaolin on earth's crust with scarce utilization is an opportunity towards cost effective aluminium sulphate for tanning. Therefore, in the present work aluminium sulphate was prepared from kaolin and its performance for combination tanning was studied. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to confirm the prepared aluminium sulphate. Combination tanning was carried out with mimosa vegetable tannins. Leathers tanned with the combination of aluminium sulphate from kaolin and mimosa vegetable tannin exhibited hydrothermal stability of up to 118 °C as compared to mimosa alone that showed the average of 80 °C. Physical strength characteristics met the standard norms. Fibers separation was good as confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self-sustenance through available resources and eco-friendly manufacturing system.

L’objectif de ce travail est de réaliser une caractérisation complète des margines brutes et décantées et d’étudier la diminution de la charge organique et des polyphénols en utilisant les techniques de coagulation-floculation. Les essais de coagulation ont été réalisés à l’aide d’un banc de jar-test, constitué d’une série de six béchers. La série comporte une suspension témoin sans addition de coagulant ainsi que la même suspension soumise à des doses croissantes du coagulant (la chaux seule, le sulfate d’aluminium seul et la chaux combinée avec le sulfate d’aluminium). Les tests de coagulation-floculation montrent que l’application de sulfate d’aluminium à une dose de 1,5 g/L et à un pH entre 6,31-7,08 permet d’éliminer 40 % de la DCO, 27 % des MES et 41 % des polyphénols, tandis que l’application de la chaux à une dose de 20 g/L permet d’éliminer 43 %, 75 % et 50 % de la DCO, des polyphénols et des MES respectivement. La combinaison d’une dose de 1,5 g/L de sulfate d’aluminium et...

Highly colored low turbidity water, which is characteristic of high mountain sources, can limit the process of water treatment plants because it generates a low sedimentation rate of the flocs formed in the coagulation process. This article compares the sedimentation produced by the combination of ferric chloride (FeCl3) and polyaluminium chloride (PAC) used as primary coagulant and coagulation auxiliary, respectively, versus PAC as primary coagulant. This study was conducted at laboratory level using jar tests and natural water with the aforementioned characteristics. The sedimentation curves of each treatment option were determined and adjusted to linear regressions, which were statistically compared. For each curve, efficiency and theoretical turbidity were determined using three sedimentation rates: 1.3 cm/s, 0.9 cm/s, and 0.6 cm/s. The results indicate that the two processes were different (p=0.000), and the use of FeCl3+PAC generated higher sedimentation rates and lower theore...

L’objectif de ce travail est de réaliser une caractérisation complète des margines brutes et décantées et d’étudier la diminution de la charge organique et des polyphénols en utilisant les techniques de coagulation-floculation. Les essais de coagulation ont été réalisés à l’aide d’un banc de jar-test, constitué d’une série de six béchers. La série comporte une suspension témoin sans addition de coagulant ainsi que la même suspension soumise à des doses croissantes du coagulant (la chaux seule, le sulfate d’aluminium seul et la chaux combinée avec le sulfate d’aluminium). Les tests de coagulation-floculation montrent que l’application de sulfate d’aluminium à une dose de 1,5 g/L et à un pH entre 6,31-7,08 permet d’éliminer 40 % de la DCO, 27 % des MES et 41 % des polyphénols, tandis que l’application de la chaux à une dose de 20 g/L permet d’éliminer 43 %, 75 % et 50 % de la DCO, des polyphénols et des MES respectivement. La combinaison d’une dose de 1,5 g/L de sulfate d’aluminium et...

The demand for clean drinking water in Malaysia is increasing every year. This due to the increasing population growth. Hence, in order to overcome this problem the government took drastic steps to increase further the water supply system in this country such as project Pahang-Selangor ISRWT, build dams and new water treatment plants. The building of drinking water supply project greatly affected the environment. Anyway, do we know that the effect on environment not just in the developed area only but it evolves in a wider scope. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is able to see the impact on the environment because the analysis evolves the durability of the product for example the building of these projects need building material such as cement, steel and concrete. For the production of drinking water, chemical compounds such as Alum, PAC, chlorine and lime is used. All these materials are analysed from the beginning of extraction until it is used or known to be as cradle to grave analysis. The comparison between production stage and construction stage shows clearly that the production stage causes a higher impact. PAC is coagulant which is used in the process of producing drinking water. However it causes damage to ecosystem quality and to the health of the human beings. Similarly cement and steel which are building material contribute to the destruction to environmental quality and damage to human health as well. However PAC which contributes to the main destruction can be replaced with alum.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to analyze a particular product or service; from the beginning of the process it is extracted until it is no more in use or much to be known as 'cradle to grave analysis'. The LCA analysis includes collection of inventory that is all types of emissions and also waste products. After that, this inventory would be translated or transformed to show the impact on environment in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Two LCIA methods has been accepted such as midpoint and endpoint approach. The EDIP 97 is a LCIA method which uses midpoint approach. From the analysis done on the two stages, life cycle assessment for potable water production that is construction stage and production stage; it is found that production stage contributes the highest impact on acidification and euthrophication which is derived from the PAC production process. Whereas, the construction stage contributes two main impacts which are human toxicity (water) and chronic water ecotoxicity which are produced through the process of steel production.

Malaysia is a country that is very committed in ensuring a constant development in a sustainable way by creating a balance between economy, social and environment. It can be proven as Malaysia is ranked in a very good position in Environmental Sustainability Index. But this ranking should be a guideline to ensure the pockets of weaknesses in executing sustainable development in this country should be filled especially in effectively managing the environment. Ozone Depletion Substances (ODS) emission needed an environmental management method that is capable to identify the cause of this problem in order to the right action could be taken in place to mitigate the problem of ozone depletion. Event though drastic measures were taken in this country such as the ban of Halon gas use in fire control sector as a signatory to the Montreal Protocol 1989, it does not mean that this measure is enough to stop ODS from being emitted to the air. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in a water treatment system proves that this method is capable to identify substances that emit ODS. Chemicals and electricity used in the water treatment is found to emits 8 types of ODS and Methane, bromotrifluoro-, Halon 1301 is contributed the most compared to the other 7 types. Aluminium sulphate (alum) is substance that contributed the most Methane, bromotrifluoro-and Halon 1301 in the atmosphere. Life cycle analysis conducted to identify the cause of ODS emission in Alum found that electricity generation using coal and fossil fuel contributed the highest ODS emission. Electricity generation through hydroelectric is found not to emit any ODS at all. The advantage of LCA in identifying weaknesses and shortcomings of a product should not be taken lightly by Malaysia. Malaysia should use LCA as an effective environmental management method that indirectly secures Malaysia's current ranking to a better position in the future.

The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is used in this paper to assess the environmental impacts of IBS walls over 50 years in Malaysia. Quantifying the consumption of the energy and material resources during the life cycle permits the estimation of potential changes in the environment (climate change, acidification and ozone depletion). Two different IBS unites are evaluated . There are includes pre-cast concrete framing and prefabricated timber framing systems. The research demonstrates that The residence with the timber framing system has a less negative impact on the environment. This research accomplishes with Eco-indicator'99 method with eleven impact categories for the interpretation of results, and compares the results of IBS frames; the main purpose of this paper is a survey the effect of IBS frame on human health. The software is simapro which is one of the comprehensive path to survey life cycle assessment of products nowadays.

Leather making commonly use chromium salts to produce high quality products. However, the use of chromium salts is compromised by environmental safety concerns. Combination tanning using vegetable tanning coupled with aluminium sulphate can sustainably replace chrome tanning system. Adversely, the use of commercial aluminium sulphate poses economic burden that entails for cost effective sources. Abundance of kaolin on earth's crust with scarce utilization is an opportunity towards cost effective aluminium sulphate for tanning. Therefore, in the present work aluminium sulphate was prepared from kaolin and its performance for combination tanning was studied. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to confirm the prepared aluminium sulphate. Combination tanning was carried out with mimosa vegetable tannins. Leathers tanned with the combination of aluminium sulphate from kaolin and mimosa vegetable tannin exhibited hydrothermal stability of up to 118 °C as compared to mimosa alone that showed the average of 80 °C. Physical strength characteristics met the standard norms. Fibers separation was good as confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self-sustenance through available resources and eco-friendly manufacturing system.

Chemicals play an important role in human's life as well as in their daily activities. These are one of the major contributors to the national economy, too (Mokhtar et al., 2010). As today's consumers are more environment conscious, the industries need to meet challenges and cope with consumers demand. An analysis was carried out to appraise the environmental affects from the production of an important chemical, sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The results obtained can be used as a benchmark in the production of more environmental-friendly sodium hydroxide. Both the data and the information of the inputs used throughout the production processes were collected from a major manufacturer of sodium hydroxide in Malaysia. On the basis of unit weight (i.e. per Kilogram) of sodium hydroxide, the environmental impacts and the hotspots were determined employing the Endpoint Modelling method equipped in JEMAI LCA Pro software. From this analysis, among the significant environmental impacts fo...

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method use to analyze a product or a service from the beginning of the process where it is extracted until it is not useful anymore or it is known as cradle-to-grave analysis. LCA analysis includes the inventory collecting all types of emission and waste. After it is done, the inventory will be interpreted to the environmental impacts in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Two LCIA methods identified were "midpoint and endpoint" approaches. The ecological scarcity (ecopoints) is an LCIA method using "midpoint" approach. From the analysis to both life cycle stages, analysis for potable water production which was construction stage and production stage indicated that both stages contributed two main impacts namely: NOx and SOx. In the production stage, NOx and SOx were released from PAC production. On the other hand, for the construction stage, NOx and SOx were released from steel production process.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to evaluate environmental impacts of products or processes including wastewater treatment. Uncertainty has not received adequate attention in LCA studies. Uncertainty inherited in LCA steps such as the life cycle inventory (LCI) or the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method use is unavoidable, but it affects LCA outcomes and associated decision-making. The objective of this paper was to show the impact of uncertainty from LCI and LCIA method on LCA outcomes by using a case study base approach on wastewater sludge treatment processes. A qualitative analysis included setting criteria about what data to be included in LCI, characterization of data, differentiating between major and minor contributors in LCI modeling, evaluation of data quality indicators, setting achievable alternative scenarios, and selecting proper LCIA method were used, in addition to quantitative analysis included assigning most appropriate values for data gaps and proper distribution, and conducting probabilistic analysis to evaluate overall uncertainty. This research used a full-scale wastewater treatment plant in Missouri, USA for case study in which multiple hearth incineration (MHI) is the existing process, while fluid bed incineration (FBI) and anaerobic digestion (AD) were proposed as the alternatives. Using ReCipe method, the study revealed that variation in LCA results of MHI is 63.4% for a single end-point score of 57.9 mPt. On the two alternative processes, it is 54.6% probable that FBI would have more environmental impact than AD. The case study showed that the proposed steps were able to address issues of data uncertainty. Due to differences in characterization, normalization, and weighting factors, different LCIA methods may point out different conclusions and need to be addressed in evaluation.

Land spreading of dairy soiled water (DSW) may result in pollution of ground and surface waters. Treatment of DSW through sludge-supernatant separation using chemical coagulants is a potential option to reduce the negative environmental impacts of DSW. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the effectiveness of three chemical coagulants-poly-aluminium chloride (PACl), ferric chloride (FeCl 3) and alum-in improving effluent quality, and (2) assess the properties of the sludge that is generated as by-product from the process for its suitability for land application. Taking into consideration optimum doses to minimize pollutants (turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and E. coli), optimum mixing times and cost, FeCl 3 was the best performing coagulant. Generated sludges had higher nutrient content and fewer E. coli than raw DSW, and did not display any evidence of phytotoxicity to the growth of Lolium perenne L. using germination tests. The study discussed the results in a sustainable farm management context, and suggested that the effluent (supernatant) from the treatments may be recycled to wash farm yards, saving water. In parallel, the sludge portion can be applied to amend soil properties with no adverse impacts on the grass growth, providing an agronomic value as an organic fertilizer, and reducing the risk of nutrient losses. This management approach could minimize the overall net cost compared to land application of raw DSW.

There is currently great concern about the processes that directly or indirectly contribute to the potential for global warming, such as stratospheric ozone depletion or acidification. In this context, and provided that treated water is a basic public utility in urban centers around the world as well as in some rural areas, its impact on the environment is of great interest. Therefore, this study applied the environmental methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental loads of four potable water treatment plants (PWTPs) located in northeastern Colombia following the international guidelines delineated in ISO 14040. The different stages of the drinking water process were thoroughly assessed, from the catchment point through pumping to the distribution network. The functional unit was defined as 1 m 3 of drinking water produced at the plant. The data were analyzed through the database Ecoinvent v.3.01, and modeled and processed in the software LCA-Data Manager. The results showed that in plants PLA-CA and PLA-PO, the flocculation process has the highest environmental load, which is mostly attributable to the coagulant agent, with a range between 47-73% of the total impact. In plants PLA-TON and PLA-BOS, electricity consumption was identified as the greatest impact source, with percentages ranging from 67 to 85%. Treatment processes and techniques, bioclimatic conditions and culturally driven consumption behavior varied from region to region. Furthermore, changes in treatment processes and techniques are likely to affect the environment during all stages of a plant's operational cycle.

There is currently great concern about the processes that directly or indirectly contribute to the potential for global warming, such as stratospheric ozone depletion or acidification. In this context, and provided that treated water is a basic public utility in urban centers around the world as well as in some rural areas, its impact on the environment is of great interest. Therefore, this study applied the environmental methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental loads of four potable water treatment plants (PWTPs) located in northeastern Colombia following the international guidelines delineated in ISO 14040. The different stages of the drinking water process were thoroughly assessed, from the catchment point through pumping to the distribution network. The functional unit was defined as 1 m 3 of drinking water produced at the plant. The data were analyzed through the database Ecoinvent v.3.01, and modeled and processed in the software LCA-Data Manager. The results showed that in plants PLA-CA and PLA-PO, the flocculation process has the highest environmental load, which is mostly attributable to the coagulant agent, with a range between 47-73% of the total impact. In plants PLA-TON and PLA-BOS, electricity consumption was identified as the greatest impact source, with percentages ranging from 67 to 85%. Treatment processes and techniques, bioclimatic conditions and culturally driven consumption behavior varied from region to region. Furthermore, changes in treatment processes and techniques are likely to affect the environment during all stages of a plant's operational cycle.

A huge number of available Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies have shown that data availability for paper products is enormous regionally. In Malaysia, LCA practices are considered
uncommon attributed to the lack of data availability and LCA practitioner itself. Therefore, a
cradle-to-cradle study has been carried out to determine the potential impacts arise from the recycled paper production in Malaysia. LCA methodology used in this study including goal and scope definition, inventory analysis (LCI), impact assessment (LCIA) and interpretation is based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 framework. A series of input-output data collection has been carried out and the collected data was calculated by using Simapro software followed by data evaluation using
Eco-indicator 99 method. The results showed that the most significant impacts generated throughout the system were fossil fuel and resources at the midpoint and endpoint level
respectively. This can be attributed to a high consumption of chemicals and energy in the pulp and paper manufacturing process. As a consequence, a comprehensive practice in mill specifically on chemicals and resources include water and energy consumption, as well as the waste management
and recycling system needs to be addressed explicitly to mitigate the relevant impacts.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is known as a tool to evaluate and assessing the impacts of products towards the environment. It will include all the process or activities used and waste released into the environment. In detail, LCA involved the collection and evaluation of quantitative data on the inputs and outputs of material, energy and waste flows associated with a product over its entire life cycle. The objective of this study is to identify potential impact of sawmill manufacturing process. This study followed the four phases as stipulated in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14040 series of standard) for conducting LCA studies such as goal and scope definition, Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI), Life Cycle Impacts Assessment (LCIA), and Interpretation.

Malaysia is a country that is very committed in ensuring a constant development in a sustainable way by creating a balance between economy, social and environment. It can be proven as Malaysia is ranked in a very good position in Environmental Sustainability Index. But this ranking should be a guideline to ensure the pockets of weaknesses in executing sustainable development in this country should be filled especially in effectively managing the environment. Ozone Depletion Substances (ODS) emission needed an environmental management method that is capable to identify the cause of this problem in order to the right action could be taken in place to mitigate the problem of ozone depletion. Event though drastic measures were taken in this country such as the ban of Halon gas use in fire control sector as a signatory to the Montreal Protocol 1989, it does not mean that this measure is enough to stop ODS from being emitted to the air. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in a water treatment system proves that this method is capable to identify substances that emit ODS. Chemicals and electricity used in the water treatment is found to emits 8 types of ODS and Methane, bromotrifluoro-, Halon 1301 is contributed the most compared to the other 7 types. Aluminium sulphate (alum) is substance that contributed the most Methane, bromotrifluoro- and Halon 1301 in the atmosphere. Life cycle analysis conducted to identify the cause of ODS emission in Alum found that electricity generation using coal and fossil fuel contributed the highest ODS emission. Electricity generation through hydroelectric is found not to emit any ODS at all. The advantage of LCA in identifying weaknesses and shortcomings of a product should not be taken lightly by Malaysia. Malaysia should use LCA as an effective environmental management method that indirectly secures Malaysia's current ranking to a better position in the future.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to analyze a particular product or service; from the beginning of the process it is extracted until it is no more in use or much to be known as 'cradle to grave analysis'. The LCA analysis includes collection of inventory that is all types of emissions and also waste products. After that, this inventory would be translated or transformed to show the impact on environment in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Two LCIA methods has been accepted such as midpoint and endpoint approach. The EDIP 97 is a LCIA method which uses midpoint approach. From the analysis done on the two stages, life cycle assessment for potable water production that is construction stage and production stage; it is found that production stage contributes the highest impact on acidification and euthrophication which is derived from the PAC production process. Whereas, the construction stage contributes two main impacts which are human toxicity (water) and chronic water ecotoxicity which are produced through the process of steel production. © 2011 Academic Journals.

Parallel with the city development, industrial and commerce activities increase, river quality started to worsen with the occurrence of erosion, sedimentation and pollution. The scenario in Malaysia shows that the number of rivers in class I and II categories which is of high quality is falling fast but those in class IV and V categories are rising. This development is expected to be in line with the rapid progress experienced by this country along with the lack of awareness of the community in the efforts of preservation and conservation of the environment. The goal of this study is to see the extent of environmental impact form the water treatment processes which uses chemicals and electricity in varying quantum due to varying quality of the source water resulted from anthropogenic activities. To get the depiction of the damages, LCA method is used. Three different river classes is chosen, namely class I, class II and class III, as classified by Department of Environment, Malaysia. This study uses the ISO standards and Ecoindicator 99. In Ecoindicator 99, environmental damages are categorized into 3 types, namely, damage to Human Health, Ecosystem Quality and resources. This study is a streamlined LCA where only foreground data is needed namely the quantity of chemicals used during water treatment and electricity consumption. While the background data for the chemicals and electricity is acquired from Simapro and Jemai-LCA Pro software databases. LCI methodology was used for quantification of the impacts of portable water production at the different river classes. The data inventory is then classified and characterized with Ecoindicator 99 to identify the weaknesses of the system. Treatment of class III rivers contribute higher impact to the environment followed by class II rivers and the lowest impact is from class I river. The use of high quantity of chlorine was identified as the contributor to environmental impact. Weighting analysis shows that three main impact categories identified was respiratory inorganics, acidification/eutrophication and fossil fuels. The major chemical substance to respiratory inorganics and acidification/eutrophication impact categories are nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. Both substances are released during the production of Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) use as coagulant. While the material that contributes to fossil fuels impact are natural gas used for the generation of electricity. © 2010, INSInet Publication.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to analyze a particular product or service; from the beginning of the process it is extracted until it is no more in use or much to be known as 'cradle to grave analysis'. The LCA analysis includes collection of inventory that is all types of emissions and also waste products. After that, this inventory would be translated or transformed to show the impact on environment in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Two LCIA methods has been accepted such as midpoint and endpoint approach. The EDIP 97 is a LCIA method which uses midpoint approach. From the analysis done on the two stages, life cycle assessment for potable water production that is construction stage and production stage; it is found that production stage contributes the highest impact on acidification and euthrophication which is derived from the PAC production process. Whereas, the construction stage contributes two main impacts which are human toxicity (water) and chronic water ecotoxicity which are produced through the process of steel production.

LCA is a systematic procedure which assesses the lifecycle of a product to analyze the extent of its environmental impact contribution. In this LCA study comparison between three different water treatment plants in Malaysia have been conducted. Conventional Plant (using Dissolved Air Floatation (DAF) and Pulsatube ® Clarifier Technology) must undergo treatment process uses a standard system of screening, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection processes. While nonconventional plant using Ultrafiltration (UF) not does go through processes like conventional plant. In reviewing the water treatment process by using LCA procedures, detailed information of every process involved is needed, including acquiring the energy information and materials consumed during the entire treatment process. The LCA procedure applied in this research uses the ISO 14040 series. Data inventory from selected month will be analyzed to gauge the impact to the environment using Eco-indicator 99 method. The high consumption of electricity in UF and DAF technologies is the contributing factors to the depletion of natural resources. Even though the electricity consumption in pulsatube ® clarifier technology is seen as efficient, but its PAC chemical usage is seen as the major contributor to the reduction of environmental quality and human health. Keyword: life cycle assessment (LCA); life cycle impact assessment (LCIA): potable water; dissolved air floatation (DAF): pulsatube ® clarifier; ultrafiltration (UF) Available online at www.tshe.org/EA EnvironmentAsia 3(1) (2010) 95-102

Parallel with the city development, industrial and commerce activities increase, river quality started to worsen with the occurrence of erosion, sedimentation and pollution. The scenario in Malaysia shows that the number of rivers in class I and II categories which is of high quality is falling fast but those in class IV and V categories are rising. This development is expected to be in line with the rapid progress experienced by this country along with the lack of awareness of the community in the efforts of preservation and conservation of the environment. The goal of this study is to see the extent of environmental impact form the water treatment processes which uses chemicals and electricity in varying quantum due to varying quality of the source water resulted from anthropogenic activities. To get the depiction of the damages, LCA method is used. Three different river classes is chosen, namely class I, class II and class III, as classified by Department of Environment, Malaysia. This study uses the ISO standards and Ecoindicator 99. In Ecoindicator 99, environmental damages are categorized into 3 types, namely, damage to Human Health, Ecosystem Quality and resources. This study is a streamlined LCA where only foreground data is needed namely the quantity of chemicals used during water treatment and electricity consumption. While the background data for the chemicals and electricity is acquired from Simapro and Jemai-LCA Pro software databases. LCI methodology was used for quantification of the impacts of portable water production at the different river classes. The data inventory is then classified and characterized with Ecoindicator 99 to identify the weaknesses of the system. Treatment of class III rivers contribute higher impact to the environment followed by class II rivers and the lowest impact is from class I river. The use of high quantity of chlorine was identified as the contributor to environmental impact. Weighting analysis shows that three main impact categories identified was respiratory inorganics, acidification/eutrophication and fossil fuels. The major chemical substance to respiratory inorganics and acidification/eutrophication impact categories are nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. Both substances are released during the production of Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) use as coagulant. While the material that contributes to fossil fuels impact are natural gas used for the generation of electricity.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to analyse a particular product or service. It begins with the process of extraction until the product is exhausted by 'cradle-to-grave' analysis. The LCA includes establishment of an inventory, that is all types of emissions and also waste products. After that, this inventory would be translated or transformed to show the impact on environment in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Two LCIA methods has been accepted such as Midpoint and Endpoint approach. TRACI is one method that uses Midpoint approach. From the analysis on the two stages of potable water production, that is between construction stage and production stage, production stage contributes a higher impact in comparison to the construction stage. At the production stage, the weakness was due to the usage of PAC, lime and electricity. However, at the construction stage, the process of producing steel seems to be the main source of impact such as HH cancer and HH noncancer. The process of producing PAC liberates Nitrogen oxides and Sulfur oxides which contributes to five types of impacts such as acidification, HH criteria air -point, HH criteria airmobile, euthrophication and smog. In lime production, four impacts are HH cancer ground -surface, HH cancer root -zone, HH noncancer ground -surface and HH noncancer root -zone) results from the emissions during the waste treatment (drilling waste to land farming) such as Arsenic and Aluminum. Whereas in the production of electricity, four very high impacts give rise to global warming, HH cancer, HH noncancer dan ecotoxicity. Even though the impact from construction stage is very low in comparison to the production stage, a few problems have been detected during the process of producing building materials. Among those materials, the production of steel produces the highest impact to the environment.

As a precious metal gold has been valued by humanity from time immemorial. Today gold is turned into gold bars forming the basis of the World’s international monetary system. When complexed in ore gold needs to undergo metallurgical extraction
processes to eliminate unwanted ions before being smelted and used as the metal. Cyanide is used during these metallurgical processes. The economy of the West African country of Ghana relies heavily on gold production for its economic sustainability. Most of the gold mining companies in Ghana have international origins and receive most of their input for gold extraction from international sources. Sodium cyanide is imported into Ghana in wooden intermediate bulk containers for further distribution to the mining companies. A life cycle assessment was completed to determine the burden that this packaging, which includes the wooden intermediate bulk container, a polyethylene liner and a polypropylene liner places on the environment when they are disposed. The International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) 14040 management standard was used as a methodological framework in which the goal and scope was defined, a life cycle inventory and life cycle impact assessment was conducted. This enabled the most important issues to be identified. In the final phase consistency, completeness and sensitivity tests were completed and the results interpreted.