Material and monetary flows of construction and demolition waste and assessment on physical and environmental properties of illegally dumped construction and demolition waste in Hanoi.

The main aim of this study is to investigate the material and monetary flows of CDW management and to characterize the distribution of illegally dumped CDW in Hanoi. Construction and demolition waste management has become a source of much concern to the urban authorities and citizens of big cities in Vietnam. It is estimated that 3000 t of CDW were generated per day from construction and demolition activities in Hanoi, but only 45% of the CDW was received at official landfills, while 55% of the CDW was disposed of elsewhere. The consequences of improper waste management are potentially alarming. The study conducted interviews to identify the material and cash flow associated with licensed and unlicensed contractors in CDW classification, transportation, treatment, and disposal, to characterize the distribution of illegally dumped CDW in two districts in Hanoi (urban and suburban districts), and to assess the composition of dumped CDW and environmental assessment of illegally dumped CDW by chemical analyses such as leaching and content tests. The study concluded that illegal dumping was performed mostly by unlicensed private companies. The illegally dumped CDW was mostly composed of mixed materials such as concrete, bricks, stones, and some hazardous materials such as asbestos and gypsum were found. The environmental concern of illegally dumped CDW was mostly dust, blockage of water ways, and inundation of increased suspended solids, whereas the heavy metal leaching concentration of all samples was below the environmental standards in Vietnam.

Influence of humic substances on the removal of pentachlorophenol by a biomimetic catalytic system with a water-soluble iron(III)-porphyrin complex.

To investigate some basic aspects of soil remediation using biomimetic catalysts, the effects of humic substances (HSs) on the removal of xenobiotics, such as pentachlorophenol (PCP), were investigated. The use of a biomimetic catalytic system using tetra(p-sulfophenyl)porphine-iron(III) (Fe(III)-TPPS) and potassium monopersulfate (KHSO5) resulted in the disappearance of PCP, accompanied by dechlorination. In addition, this process was enhanced by the presence of several types of HSs. The degrees of enhancement (% delta(PCP)60) achieved by the presence of HSs from peat and compost soils were larger than those in the presence of other types of HSs (tropical peat, brown forest, and ando soils). In control experiments, no PCP disappearance and dechlorination were observed in the presence of only KHSO5, only Fe(III)-TPPS, or combinations of HSs and either KHSO5 or Fe(III)-TPPS. To better understand the role of added HS in enhancing or inhibiting PCP disappearance, correlations between the chemical parameters of the HSs and % delta(PCP)60 were investigated. The most effective HSs had lower carboxylic acid contents and lower degrees of unsaturation. The carboxylic acid content and degree of unsaturation increase with the extent of humification. Therefore, HSs of a lower degree of humification would be predicted to be more useful in enhancing the disappearance of PCP in an Fe(III)-TPPS/KHSO5 system.

Effects of humic substances on the pattern of oxidation products of pentachlorophenol induced by a biomimetic catalytic system using tetra(p-sulfophenyl)porphineiron(III) and KHSO5.

In the presence of humic substances (HSs), the oxidative conversion of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was found to be efficiently catalyzed by tetra(p-sulfophenyl)porphineiron(III) (Fe(III)-TPPS) using KHSO5 as an oxygen donor. Ortho-tetrachloroquinone (o-TeCQ), 2-hydroxyl-nonachlorodiphenyl ether (2H-NCDE), 4-hydroxyl-nonachlorodiphenyl ether (4H-NCDE), and octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) were identified as the major byproducts of the reaction. Decreased amounts of these byproducts were produced in the presence of HS. In particular, the addition of HSs with a lower degree of humification resulted in a large decrease in the formation of dimers, such as 2H-NCDE, 4H-NCDE, and OCDD. More than 60% of the chlorine, which was released from PCP, was found in the HS fractions after the reaction. This suggests that chlorinated intermediates from PCP were incorporated into the HS. Pyrolysis-GC/MS and 13C NMR studies confirmed that the binding of the chlorinated intermediates was covalent in nature and that the intermediates were copolymerized with HS via oxidative coupling reactions. A Microtox test demonstrated that the toxicity of the HS fraction containing PCP-derived intermediates was much lower than that of the mixture of PCP and HS in the absence of a catalytic reaction.