Effects of waste disposal on benthic faunal succession on the abyssal seafloor

Strategies to predict, and thus limit, potentially detrimental environmental impacts of abyssal disposal of wastes are severely limited by our lack of knowledge of deep-sea processes and lack of opportunity to directly study waste disposal in abyssal environments. Probable successional sequences following burial of benthic faunas by sewage sludge and dredged material on the abyssal seafloor are drawn by analogy with well-known processes in shallow-marine water. Scales of change and recovery of abyssal benthic faunas from episodic deposition of waste material are examined by extrapolation from what is currently known about turbidite sedimentary provinces, in particular, the Venezuela Abyssal Plain and the Great Meteor East area of the Madeira Abyssal Plain. Results suggest that initial benthic faunal recolonization would take place within years following episodic depositions of waste on the abyssal seafloor. Anoxic conditions or chemical inhibitory effects may delay initial benthic recolonization for hundreds of years. Establishment of equilibrium benthic faunal assemblages probably takes hundreds to potentially thousands of years. Potentially detrimental effects dictate that the surface areas of individual waste deposits should be minimized and the deposits should be isolated by capping with nontoxic materials or chemical barriers.     

Cost assessment for abyssal seafloor waste isolation

We develop an integrated model for estimating the internal cost of abyssal seafloor waste isolation. The model captures the major economic, engineering, geographic and social factors that influence the management cost for sewage sludge and municipal incinerator ash. Considering five representative metropolitan areas and five proposed abyssal study sites, we apply this model to produce cost estimates for four deep-ocean waste delivery system concepts. The results show that the unit cost depends primarily on regional waste volume, the marine delivery system and transportation distance. Based on available data, the abyssal ocean option may be competitive with present land-based disposal costs in New York City. The option is less competitive in other metropolitan areas.     

Identification of potential sites for deep-ocean waste isolation with a geographic site-selection model

Identification of optimal sites for the isolation of waste on the abyssal seafloor was performed with two approaches: by the traditional method of map overlays of relevant attributes, and by a specially developed, automated Site-Selection Model (SSM). Five initial, Surrogate Sites, identified with the map-overlay approach, were then compared with the more rigorously produced scores from the SSM. The SSM, a process for optimization of site locations, accepts subjective, expert-based judgments and transforms them into a quantitative, reproducible, and documented product. The SSM is adaptable to any siting scenario. Forty-one factors relevant to the isolation scenario, including 21 weightable factors having a total of 123 scorable categories, have been entered into the SSM. Factors are grouped under project definition, unique environments, anthropogenic, geologic, biologic, weather, oceanographic and distance criteria. The factor scores are linked to a georeferenced database array of all factors, corresponding to 1°×1° latitude–longitude squares. The SSM includes a total of 2241 one-degree squares within 1000 n.m. of the U.S. coasts, including the western North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern North Pacific. Under a carefully weighted and scored scenario of isolation, the most favorable sites identified with the SSM are on the Hatteras and Nares Abyssal Plains in the Atlantic. High-scoring sites are also located in the Pacific abyssal hills province between the Murray and Molokai Fracture Zones. Acceptable 1° squares in the Gulf of Mexico are few and of lower quality, with the optimum location on the northern Sigsbee Abyssal Plain. Two of the five Surrogate Site locations, on the Hatteras and Sigsbee Abyssal Plains, correspond to the best SSM sites in each ocean area. Two Pacific and a second Atlantic Surrogate Site are located in low-scoring regions or excluded by the SSM. Site-selection results from the SSM, although robust, are an initial attempt to quantify the site-selection process. The SSM database exposes a significant lack of high-quality information for many areally mappable attributes on the abyssal seafloor, particularly bottom-current speed and measures of biologic productivity and flux. Terminologies and classifications of some measures, such as sediment types, suffer from parochialism and vary by ocean. Considerable research is needed even for a broad understanding of the environmental measures required to make sound societal decisions about use of the abyssal seafloor for disposal or other purposes.     

Out of sight is not out of mind: Public opposition to ocean incineration

Abstract

During the early 1980s, ocean incineration emerged as one of the hottest issues in the field of hazardous waste management. Ocean incineration involves the thermal destruction of liquid hazardous wastes on specially designed ships and was promoted by the Environmental Protection Agency and powerful industry groups as part of the solution to liquid hazardous waste disposal. Attempts to adopt ocean incineration led to heated debate and apparent defeat of efforts to introduce this technology. The arguments advanced by proponents and opponents are examined. Success of environmental groups opposed to ocean incineration is explained with reference to technical, environmental, socio‐political, and legal factors. Ocean incineration, promoted as a solution to “not‐in‐my‐backyard”; opponents, instead ran afoul of region wide opposition by coastal residents for whom the sea is a common backyard.     

Geochemical impacts of waste disposal on the abyssal seafloor

The response of pore water oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, sulfide, ammonium and methane and particulate organic carbon distributions to the input of 8.5 million m³ (3.8×10¹² g) of organic-rich waste materials is simulated. The deposit is assumed to be conical with a maximum thickness of approximately 20 m. Remineralization reactions within the deposit rapidly deplete any initially available pore water oxidants such as oxygen, nitrate and sulfate, and are subsequently dominated by fermentation reactions. Diffusion downward of reduced metabolites, sulfide, ammonium and methane, depletes the available oxidants in the pore waters below the waste pile, increasing the thickness of the anoxic layer. While the impacted region is limited to essentially the deposition site, recovery of the pore waters is estimated to be >10⁴ years. The overall computational results are corroborated by the pore water distributions observed at turbidite boundaries. Numerous uncertainties in the parameterizations limit the overall accuracy of the calculations presented. The most significant of these are: (1) A quantitatively accurate assessment of the remineralization rate of the deposited organic matter including its rate of inoculation by abyssal microorganisms; (2) a detailed assessment of potential non-diffusive pore water transport processes including advection due to compaction and buoyancy-driven flows and enhanced exchange due to macrobenthic irrigation activities and (3) an assessment of the potential alteration of pore space and methane reactivity due to gas hydrate formation.     

水面舰艇固体垃圾处理对策初探

随着各国越来越重视保护海洋环境，船舶垃圾的处理问题也越来越受到人们的关注。通过对水面舰艇固体垃圾的种类、数量和处理方法的介绍，并根据国内外船舶垃圾处理方面的一些法规要求，考虑到不同类型水面舰艇的特点，提出了相应的固体垃圾处理对策。     

小区生活污水回用技术与策略

概述了小区中水处理站的常用工艺流程,详细介绍了以生物接触氧化为主体的中水回用工艺,该工艺出水经过消毒处理即可达到中水回用的标准,为小区污水处理及回用提供了一种可供选择的工艺及配套设备。     

Lights, camera and acoustics: Assessing macrobenthic communities at a dredged material disposal site off the North East coast of the UK

This study presents the results of a trial assessment based on a combination of sampling techniques at a dredged material disposal site located off the North East coast of the UK, over 2001 to 2004. The site was surveyed with a high-resolution sidescan sonar system producing a mosaic with 100% coverage of the survey area. Benthic communities and sediments were ground-truthed using a Hamon grab with a video camera. Additionally, the area was also sampled in 2003 with a Sediment Profile Imaging (SPI) camera, which complemented other techniques by providing in situ information on sediment quality, and biogenic activities. An assessment is made of the benefits of combining the results from conventional methods, principally using grab samples, with those from acoustic techniques and optical imaging devices to determine seafloor and macrobenthic conditions. This information has the potential to contribute to the enhancement of routine monitoring programmes within UK waters.     

Response of benthic infauna and epifauna to ocean disposal of red clay dredged material in the New York Bight: A study using sediment-profile imaging, surface imaging and traditional methods

In 1997, approximately 1 million cubic yards of consolidated red clay was dredged from Newark Bay in New Jersey and deposited on the seafloor at an open-water dredged material disposal site located on the inner continental shelf of the New York Bight. To address concerns about the ability of benthic organisms to colonize the seafloor deposits of this compact, organic-poor red clay, monitoring surveys were conducted in 1998 (1 year after disposal) and 2002 (5 years after disposal). The surveys used a combination of sediment imaging and traditional grab sampling methods to characterize physical and biological conditions over the surface of the red clay deposits in comparison to nearby reference areas consisting of either naturally-occurring, sandy surface sediments or deposits of unconsolidated, muddy dredged material. Sediment-surface and sediment-profile images (SPI) collected in summer 2002 indicated that the surface of the red clay deposits had become much smoother and more heterogeneous in texture compared to images collected in 1998. The images also indicated that these deposits had become colonized to a much greater degree by relatively abundant and diverse infaunal and epifaunal communities compared to 1998. Taxonomic analysis of benthic grab samples confirmed the imaging results and indicated relatively high infaunal organism abundance and diversity over the red clay deposits in 2002 compared to the reference areas. However, the structure of the benthic community inhabiting the red clay was fundamentally different from the communities in the reference areas, due to the differences in sediment texture and composition. The combination of imaging and traditional taxonomic approaches used in this study provided much greater insight on the red clay colonization process than either approach by itself.     

Technology development for environmentally sound ships of the 21st century: an international perspective

Around the world, ships operating in the 21st century tury will be expected tomeet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Many governments have comprehensive shipboard pollution abatement programs under way that will enable ships of the 21st century to be environmentally sound. The goal is for ships to operate worldwide with minimal potential for regulatory constraints, without inappropriate dependence on shore facilities, and without unreasonable costs imposed by environmental regulations. The following is the basic strategy: Design and operate ships to minimize emissions and waste generation while optimizing waste management, and develop shipboard systems that will destroy or appropriately treat the wastes generated on board. If wastes are unavoidable and cannot be destroyed or retained on board for recycling ashore, they must be sufficiently treated so that overboard discharges are considered environmentally insignificant. Although the ultimate solution for onboard destruction has not been achieved for any shipboard waste stream, considerable progress has been made toward developing onboard capabilities for treating or rrocessing solid wastes, oily wastes, hazardous materials, and medical wastes. Satisfactory interim or long-term solutions are being sought for blackwater and graywater treatment. International cooperative efforts directed toward achieving environmentally sound ships are under way among governments to share information and technologies, and to save time and money. Presented at the International Conference on Technologies for Marine Environment Preservation (MARIENV '95), Tokyo, Japan, September 24–29, 1995.     

Scientific requirements for an abyssal benthic laboratory

For over thirty years man has studied “outer space” and installed satellites which watch the surface of the Earth. The great depths of the world ocean are, however, practically unknown and there is an urgent need to put abyssal benthic laboratories into “inner space” in order to study basic phenomena of interest to marine science and climatology as well as man's impact on the oceans.In view of the numerous problems related to global change, as a first step emphasis should first be on the role of the oceans and their inherent processes, which are the focus of such international programmes as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS). Multi-disciplinary registration of key events at selected key sites investigating the variability in time and space are of the utmost importance. The same methods and techniques must be used for the study of human impacts on the deep oceans caused by mining of metalliferous resources and by waste disposal as well as in basic studies. However, the investigation of the inner space of our planet has certain requirements. As long-term and large-scale investigations become more and more important, development of automized systems, largely independent from research vessels will be required. This will demand high capacities of energy for all technical functions as well as high storage capacities for data and samples. As a consequence the needs for two different—although overlapping—functional approaches are defined for future deep-sea deployments.(A) A system for long-term registration of the natural variability and long-term monitoring of human impacts: (B) A system for short-term observations and short-time experimentations. This report summarizes their technological demands. The envisioned interdisciplinary technology should deliver information on physical, biological and geochemical processes and their variabilities in the deep oceans. The prospected systems need to have the ability for real time video observation, data transfer and experimental manipulation, as well as sensing and sampling facilities with large storage capacities for long-term deployments.Prospective costs of the described multipurpose abyssal benthic laboratory will presumably exceed the funds for deep-sea research of a single country. A joint European effort could solve this problem and help to manifest a leading role for European marine science in international deep-sea and global change research.     

危险品废料集装箱的标识、仓贮和运输

Nowadays, more and more hazardous wastes are produced due to the development of industry and agriculture. These hazardous wastes are usually packed, handled and carried in containers, Based upon the internationally recognized regulations, the following methods for labeling, storing, handling and carrying of containers containing hazardous waste aretherefore suggested.     

修船企业减少维修现场浪费的管理措施研究

修船企业之间的竞争已经从价格的竞争转向成本的竞争。减少修船过程中的成本消耗,提高资源利用率,是修船企业控制成本的重要途径。文章通过对国内修船企业修理过程中维修现场废弃物构成及产生原因的分析,提出了减少维修现场浪费的管理措施。     

放射性废料的运输

More and more low - level radioactive waste is carried by sea, rail and highways. These materials are generated by public uilities, industries, universities and hospitals throughout the world, The waste is transported to available low - level waste disposal sites, primarily by ships in containers designed for transportation of low - level waste. Carriers.     

含银废弃物中贵金属银综合回收工艺研究进展

贵金属银因具有优异的理化性质,被广泛地应用于工业催化、电子电镀、感光材料等领域。本文综述了含银废弃物中银综合回收工艺的研究现状,分析了火法和湿法回收技术的原理和工艺,介绍了工业上银的溶解方法和还原方法,比较了不同方法的优缺点,并结合工业实例论述了从废银基催化剂、电子废弃物和含银废液中回收银的工艺流程,最后对含银废弃物中银综合回收的前景进行了展望。     

湖泊疏浚泥固化筑堤现场试验研究

结合无锡五里湖疏浚泥的处理问题,第一次利用国产大型淤泥固化处理专用设备和复合型淤泥固化材料,对疏浚出的底泥进行了固化处理和筑堤试验。通过对堤体现场取样测定了填筑土样的强度、变形和渗透性性质,结果表明采用淤泥固化处理设备固化的淤泥28d强度、变形和渗透系数能够满足堤防筑堤的要求,可以作为土方材料进行使用,实现了疏浚泥的资源化利用,解决了大量疏浚泥难以处理的难题,同时也证明了国产淤泥固化设备在处理淤泥问题上具有技术可行性。     

On the dilution of liquid waste in ships' wakes

A study of the mixing behavior of liquid waste after ocean dumping is essential for the identification of dump sites, as well as for impact assessment on the surrounding oceanic waters. The dilution of liquid waste in the wakes of ships at sea is explored in this study, and the effects of the circumstances of the discharge operation such as the discharge rate, and the size and speed of the vessel, and the oceanic parameters such as currents and turbulence level in the water column, are examined. the mixing process is categorized into three stages: near-wake, far-wake, and long-term diffusion. Dilution rates in the three stages are derived, based on the theories of diffusion and momentumless wakes. In the far-wake stage, the speed of the ship is the most effective parameter in enhancing the dilution rate. The formulae for dilution rates in the farwake stage and for long-term diffusion agree well with field measurements, while the well-known IMCO formula underestimates the dilution rate. Presented at the International Conference on Technology for Marine Environment Preservation (MARIENV '95), Tokyo, Japan, September 24–29, 1995.     

用序批式活性污泥法处理化学品船洗舱污水的研究

序批式活性污泥法，即ＳＢＲ法，随着其反应器控制系统的完善越来越受到人们的重视。通过实验研究了解该反应器的特性。实验分驯化污泥、增加负荷、确定运行周期等３个阶段。首先通过驯化污泥明确化学品船洗舱污水的可生化降解性；增强负荷是为了解装置的处理能力；而确定运行周期是针对该污水寻找一合适的处理周期。本实验结论如下：１）使用ＳＢＲ法处理化学品船洗舱污水切实可行；２）实验中出现污水膨胀现象可采取措施控制；３）使用该装置产生的污泥量少，处理费用低。     

有机朗肯循环发电系统热力过程的研究

有机朗肯循环发电装置能够有效地利用工业中的废热,将其转化成清洁能源—电能。本文介绍了朗肯循环发电理论方案、基本工作原理、系统计算方法。并且在理论的基础上,对某陶粒砂厂烟气工况进行了分析、计算,这对低品味工业余热的开发利用具有重要的参考价值。     

Anaerobic digestion of marine biomass for practical operation

Marine biomass such as seaweed and fishery waste is a potential energy source although it has not yet been practically utilized. This work focuses on renewable energy technologies, particularly anaerobic digestion, for the utilization of various organic wastes as energy resources. Primarily fundamental data for the efficient operation of an anaerobic digestion plant with marine biomass was obtained and a practical operation method was proposed using a simple model based on the carbon mass balance. Batch-processing experiments for seaweed, fishery waste and vegetable waste were carried out and each digestion characteristic was presented. The results indicate that fishery waste is the most efficient even though the accumulation of ammonium ions may inhibit methane production. Seaweeds are not efficient in either the production rate or the yield of methane gas. We investigated the efficient continuous operation for 6 biomass input scenarios with the proposed model. The results show that seaweed can be a useful supplement for the efficient operation.