Search

This paper presents the development of expert system to assist in the operation of solid waste transfer station. The knowledge based consists of a rule-based expert system for the diagnosis of site selection and problems of transfer station and subsequent identification of remedial control actions. Siting criteria are used to identifying and evaluating potential development sites. It is generally recognized that an expert system can cope with many of the common problems relative with the operation and site selection of solid waste transfer station. In this work an expert system is developed which supervises the site selection and problem of waste transfer station. The knowledge acquisition to develop this expert system involved an exhaustive literature review on waste transfer station operation plant and interviews with experienced plant operators. The development tool for this system is Kappa-PC. Keywords: Expert systems, Knowledge acquisition, Solid waste transfer station, 1. Introduction Solid waste is a very general term which encompasses all waste materials except hazardous waste, liquid waste, and atmospheric emissions, although 'most solid waste regulations include hazardous waste [...]

UrusSisa is an expert system for selecting and designing solid waste technology. It can improve the process of selecting the best solid waste technology, and to make the knowledge of preliminary design of solid waste technology available. Knowledge based of UrusSisa consists of priority ranking using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and preliminary design of recommendation technology. AHP involves structuring multiple choice criteria into a hierarchy, assessing the relative importance of these criteria, and determining an overall ranking of the alternatives. Preliminary design of solid waste technology includes recycling, composting, incineration, and sanitary landfill. The performance of prototype has been tested by using case study. Keywords: Integrated solid waste management, Analytical Hierarchy Process, 1. Introduction Solid waste can be classified as unwanted materials left over from manufacturing process, or refuse from places of human habitation. Solid waste management is an integral part of [...]

Climate change is regarded as a serious threat to both environment and humanity, and as a result, it has piqued worldwide attention in the twenty-first century. Natural hazards are expected to have major effects in the coastal cities of the globe. At the same time, about two-thirds of the world’s human population lives in the coastal margins. One of the fundamental issues for coastal city planners is the coastal cities’ environmental change. This paper presents the application of a model framework for the management and sustainable development of coastal cities under a changing climate in Kuala Terengganu Malaysia. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is performed in the Expert Choice software for coastal city hazard management. This approach enables decision-makers to evaluate and identify the relative priorities of vulnerability and hazard criteria and sub-criteria based on a set of preferences, criteria, and alternatives. This paper also presents a hierarchy erosion design applied in Kuala Terengganu to choose the important sustainable weights of criteria and sub-criteria as well as the zone as an alternative model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian elephant was recognised as being 'endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Given that Malaysia is one of the 194 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Malaysia should address the CBD obligations that influence the current wildlife conservation trend across the globe. In Peninsular Malaysia, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (WCA) was implemented to tackle primary issues related to Asian elephants; hence, it is imperative to analyse the CBD obligations related to Asian elephant conservation and the extent that the WCA addresses the CBD obligations. The CBD convention text and decisions between 2004 and 2014 were analysed to gather the obligations and sub-obligations related to Asian elephant conservation. Next, the obligations and sub-obligations were categorised into themes and subthemes inductively and presented as a CBD checklist. Then, the WCA was read and examined against the checklist to determine to what extent the WCA addresses the obligations and sub-obligations. The study indicates that the WCA mainly addresses the protection and conservation of elephant habitats and the genetic resources, including sustainable use through a system of licences, permits, and special permits. However, disputes between the Federal and State governments, abuse of permits, the possible de-gazettement of protected areas, and the penalisation involving immature elephants bred in captivity should be considered and revised. The WCA also addressed the access to elephants' genetic resources and the sharing of the benefits brought about by the utilisation of elephants' genetic resources through a similar system of licences, permits, and special permits. Nevertheless, the WCA has excluded provisions to address issues relating to access to technology and the transfer of technology related to conservation and the sustainable use of elephants' genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a batch study on four different mixture ratios of household organic waste and cow manure. The biomethane potential test is used to evaluate the suitability of high solid anaerobic co-digestion of household organic waste and cow manure and its biodegradability. The maximum methane yield was observed for both co-digestions in R3 (247 mL/g VS) and R4 (244 mL/g VS). The percentages of mass recovery were 65-80% (based on VS removal). The biodegradability of each reactor was recorded as 97.7%, 10.7%,71.6% and 76.8% for R1, R2, R3, and R4, respectively. High solid co-digestion of household organic waste and cow manure in different mixture ratios increase the specific methane yields compared to mono-digestion. Hence, this clearly demonstrates a synergistic effect on the stability of anaerobic digestion. Upon correcting the results of the theoretical method with experimental data, an agreement ranged 70-90% was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we identified the main threats to the conservation of Asian elephants and discuss their causes and implications. Primary data from interviews and secondary data from published articles were gathered and analysed using inductive and deductive thematic content analysis assisted by NVivo 10. Our results indicate that the three main threats for the species are human-elephant conflict, habitat loss, and poaching. The conversion of forests into plantations and human-dominated areas, including infrastructure developments, are the primary causes for human-elephant conflict and habitat loss. Meanwhile, the high demand and monetary return from ivoiy trade are the primary causes to illegal poaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of organic fraction in municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is now becoming scarce globally due to population and economic boosts, especially in Malaysia. Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills remain the predominant end-state for waste disposal in most developing countries. Unsustainable MSW management accelerates environmental degradation through landfill gaseous (LFG) emissions of mainly methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which promote global warming that finally is affecting human health. Recently, harnessing CH4 from anaerobic digestion of solid waste has attracted more interest and promised betterment in MSW management. With its current amount of more than 50%, organic material in landfills is estimated to emit 310,225 CH4/year with carbon credit of US$ 85.93, which can potentially generate 2.20x109 kWh of electricity valued at US$ 220 million. This present work is a review manuscript that discusses the state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion of OFMSW as treatment in term of waste diversion from a landfill. The study also estimates the renewable energy potentials from OFMSW waste diversion. Finally, this paper discusses the benefits of harnessing biogas from the perspectives of environmental benefits, energy recovery, and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]