Electronic waste, abbreviated as e-waste, consists of discarded old computers, TVs, refrigerators, radios – basically any electrical or electronic appliance that has reached its end-of-life. While e-waste contains both valuable materials such as gold, palladium, silver and copper, it also contains harmful substances like lead, cadmium and mercury. In the absence of suitable techniques and protective measures, recycling e-waste can result in toxic emissions to the air, water and soil and pose a serious health and environmental hazard.
In India, e-waste is mostly generated in large cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In these cities a complex e-waste handling infra-structure has developed mainly based on a long tradition of waste recycling. This is mainly operated by a very entrepreneurial informal sector. Rag pickers and waste dealers found it easy to adapt to the new waste stream, resulting in a large number of new businesses focus-ing on the re-use of components or extraction of secondary raw materials. So far, the e-waste recycling system is purely market driven. Some of the recycling processes are extremely harmful and have negative impacts on the workers‘ health and the environment. A study on the burning of printed wiring boards that was conducted 2004 showed an alarming concentration of dioxins in the surrounding areas in which open burning was practiced. These toxins cause an increased risk of cancer if inhaled by workers and local residents or by entering the food chain via crops from the surrounding fields.
Monday, March 23, 2009
E Waste in India a growing environmental and industry threat
Like China, India is now confronted with the huge problem of e-waste - both locally generated and internationally imported - and also both a lucrative industry and yet also a serious threat to human health and the environment.
While there have been some initiatives to set regulations for e-waste management, overall, these hazardous wastes are still typically dismantled and recycled by hand in India in unorganized scrapyard settings that lack safeguards and government guidelines.
Though the Indian Supreme Court banned the import of hazardous waste in 1997, 600 tons of e-waste still entered the country in the last six months under the guise of charitable or re-usable materials, all duty-free. It is estimated that the US alone exports 80 percent of its e-waste to China, India and Pakistan.
Funnily enough, India’s regulatory body, the Central Pollution Control Board, continues to deny that e-waste is coming into India. But regardless, it is certain that legal loopholes are being exploited by importers, traders and recyclers alike to take advantage of a profitable business with a high human and environmental impact.
Large e-waste centres exist in Delhi, Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, with 25,000 recyclers working in Delhi alone. Workers are poorly-protected in an environment where e-waste from PC monitors, PCBs, CDs, motherboards, cables, toner cartridges, light bulbs and tube-lights are burned in the open, releasing lead, mercury toxins into the air. Metals and non-degradable materials such as gold and platinum, aluminium, cadmium, mercury, lead and brominated flame-retardants are retrieved.
“It is a means of livelihood for unorganized recyclers. Due to lack of awareness, they are risking their health and the environment as well. They use strong acids to retrieve precious metals such as gold. Working in poorly-ventilated enclosed areas without masks and technical expertise results in exposure to dangerous and slow-poisoning chemicals,” says Wilma Rodrigues of Bangalore-based NGO Saahas, adding that there are no clear guidelines for the unorganized sector to handle e-waste.
“Trade in e-waste, like that in other scrap, is dominated by the ‘informal’ sector. Although the waste trade sector in India is known as part of the ‘informal’ sector, it has a system that is highly organized with extensive co-ordination in an established network,” says K K Shajahan, principal consultant for Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Material Management.
Though there have been efforts to organize and manage e-waste recycling from state to state – the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, for example, has set down guidelines and authorized two companies to oversee corporate e-waste recycling as per their guidelines – nevertheless, some corporations, rather than to deal with the paperwork involved with the recycling procedures, will bypass them by passing e-waste off as “donations” to the unorganized sector.
According to Toxics Link, a Delhi-based non-governmental organization (NGO), India annually generates $1.5 billion worth of e-waste domestically, with the booming IT sector being the largest contributor, as 30 percent of its machines reach obsolescence annually. Bangalore alone generates 8,000 tons a year. A report put out by International Resource Group (IRG) estimates that by 2012, India’s domestic waste alone will amount to 1,600,000 tons.
While there have been some initiatives to set regulations for e-waste management, overall, these hazardous wastes are still typically dismantled and recycled by hand in India in unorganized scrapyard settings that lack safeguards and government guidelines.
Though the Indian Supreme Court banned the import of hazardous waste in 1997, 600 tons of e-waste still entered the country in the last six months under the guise of charitable or re-usable materials, all duty-free. It is estimated that the US alone exports 80 percent of its e-waste to China, India and Pakistan.
Funnily enough, India’s regulatory body, the Central Pollution Control Board, continues to deny that e-waste is coming into India. But regardless, it is certain that legal loopholes are being exploited by importers, traders and recyclers alike to take advantage of a profitable business with a high human and environmental impact.
Large e-waste centres exist in Delhi, Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, with 25,000 recyclers working in Delhi alone. Workers are poorly-protected in an environment where e-waste from PC monitors, PCBs, CDs, motherboards, cables, toner cartridges, light bulbs and tube-lights are burned in the open, releasing lead, mercury toxins into the air. Metals and non-degradable materials such as gold and platinum, aluminium, cadmium, mercury, lead and brominated flame-retardants are retrieved.
“It is a means of livelihood for unorganized recyclers. Due to lack of awareness, they are risking their health and the environment as well. They use strong acids to retrieve precious metals such as gold. Working in poorly-ventilated enclosed areas without masks and technical expertise results in exposure to dangerous and slow-poisoning chemicals,” says Wilma Rodrigues of Bangalore-based NGO Saahas, adding that there are no clear guidelines for the unorganized sector to handle e-waste.
“Trade in e-waste, like that in other scrap, is dominated by the ‘informal’ sector. Although the waste trade sector in India is known as part of the ‘informal’ sector, it has a system that is highly organized with extensive co-ordination in an established network,” says K K Shajahan, principal consultant for Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Material Management.
Though there have been efforts to organize and manage e-waste recycling from state to state – the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, for example, has set down guidelines and authorized two companies to oversee corporate e-waste recycling as per their guidelines – nevertheless, some corporations, rather than to deal with the paperwork involved with the recycling procedures, will bypass them by passing e-waste off as “donations” to the unorganized sector.
According to Toxics Link, a Delhi-based non-governmental organization (NGO), India annually generates $1.5 billion worth of e-waste domestically, with the booming IT sector being the largest contributor, as 30 percent of its machines reach obsolescence annually. Bangalore alone generates 8,000 tons a year. A report put out by International Resource Group (IRG) estimates that by 2012, India’s domestic waste alone will amount to 1,600,000 tons.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hello every one
this is an article about--Breaking harmful CFC bonds
Everybody loves the way breakfast eggs conveniently slide off of Teflon without leaving any pesky pieces of egg in the pan. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in clothing, lubricants, refrigerants, anaesthetics, semiconductors, and even blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond that makes it useful in so many applications also gives it formidable greenhouse gas effects that persist in nature. In a groundbreaking study this week in Science, Brandeis scientists report they have identified a catalyst that efficiently breaks the C-F bond and converts it to a carbon-hydrogen bond, rendering it harmless to the environment.
this is an article about--Breaking harmful CFC bonds
Everybody loves the way breakfast eggs conveniently slide off of Teflon without leaving any pesky pieces of egg in the pan. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in clothing, lubricants, refrigerants, anaesthetics, semiconductors, and even blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond that makes it useful in so many applications also gives it formidable greenhouse gas effects that persist in nature. In a groundbreaking study this week in Science, Brandeis scientists report they have identified a catalyst that efficiently breaks the C-F bond and converts it to a carbon-hydrogen bond, rendering it harmless to the environment.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs or freons) are harmful to the ozone layer. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are generating concern because they are considered super-greenhouse gases, with great potential to warm the environment by trapping solar radiation and remaining virtually indestructible in the atmosphere.
"The C-F bond is difficult to transform into other bonds under mild conditions because it is inert and unreactive; it's a challenge to chemists," said lead author chemist Oleg Ozerov, who conducted the research with postdoc Christos Douvris. "But we found a way to take a C-F bond that you can do very little with and break it and convert it cleanly into something else at room temperature."
With research support from the Department of Energy, Sloan Foundation, and Research Corporation, Ozerov identified a new catalytic process for a class of carborane-silylium compounds that causes the bonds in representative HFCs to react at room temperature, swapping their carbon-fluorine bonds for carbon-hydrogen bonds. The silylium catalyst performs the critical task of breaking the C-F bond by abstracting the fluoride from the fluorocarbon and attaching it to a silicon atom. The end product is a compound with a silicon-fluorine bond, which is no longer a greenhouse threat.
This finding could eventually lead to large-scale reactions to convert environmental pollutants that contain C-F bonds into products that could be reused or destroyed without special equipment.
References---- eLab - Biotechnology
"The hindu" article
Hello class we always discuss the alternate energy sources, one of them is bio-diseal. it can be a good substitute and can be cheaper and less polluted but it has various other aspects as well, Prof Ghorpade also disscussed few of these in the past.
Advantages of Biodiesel:
Biodiesel gives off less new carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, since the gasses released during combustion are essentially the gasses absorbed from the atmosphere whilst the plant growing- unlike the gasses released by burning petrodiesel, which was carbon previously locked away.
Biodiesel is a better lubricant than petrodiesel, so it helps to extend the working life of engines.
Biodiesel gives fewer particulates when burnt, reducing risks from respiratory problems.
Biodiesel is easier to ignite than petrodiesel, meaning more complete, efficient combustion.
Disadvantages
Biodiesel is more expensive to produce.
If Biodiesel was used on a wider scale, more plants for oil would be grown as a cash crop. This may reduce the amount of food grown to feed the population in less economically developed countries.
Biodiesel gels at higher temperatures than petrodiesel, so tanks require heating in cooler climates.
Biodiesel degrades rubber hoses used on older engines.
regards
Himanshu
Advantages of Biodiesel:
Biodiesel gives off less new carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, since the gasses released during combustion are essentially the gasses absorbed from the atmosphere whilst the plant growing- unlike the gasses released by burning petrodiesel, which was carbon previously locked away.
Biodiesel is a better lubricant than petrodiesel, so it helps to extend the working life of engines.
Biodiesel gives fewer particulates when burnt, reducing risks from respiratory problems.
Biodiesel is easier to ignite than petrodiesel, meaning more complete, efficient combustion.
Disadvantages
Biodiesel is more expensive to produce.
If Biodiesel was used on a wider scale, more plants for oil would be grown as a cash crop. This may reduce the amount of food grown to feed the population in less economically developed countries.
Biodiesel gels at higher temperatures than petrodiesel, so tanks require heating in cooler climates.
Biodiesel degrades rubber hoses used on older engines.
regards
Himanshu
Carbon Credit -Oppertunity for India
ncrease in the pollution levels over a period of time will lead to serious environmental hazards such as global warming, droughts, floods, extinction of species, spread of diseases, etc. The impact of these hazards is already being felt in many parts of the world. However, it is difficult to motivate countries to reduce pollution, as the process of industrialization has to go on. Hence, representatives of various countries came together at Kyoto in Japan to bring about a feasible solution to the problem of pollution under the aegis of the Kyoto Protocol and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This paper aims to bring to light, the mechanism through which countries get an incentive to reduce the Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and thereby reduce pollution through the nouveau concept of carbon credits. Carbon credits are certificates issued to countries that reduce their emission of GHGs which cause global warming. These certificates can be traded in the international carbon markets.
The three mechanisms of carbon trading, namely International Emissions Trading, Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism are discussed in detail. India being a developing country, is a major beneficiary of the carbon credit market. Indian companies have a strategic advantage as the cost of emission reduction in India is very low as compared to the developed countries. The many projects initiated by Indian companies after January 1, 2000, in diverse areas such as energy efficiency, co-generation, natural gas, alternative auto fuels and hydel power, will also add to the country's dominance as a large seller in the carbon credit market. In the end, the paper discusses the advantages and drawbacks of carbon credits and the opportunities that carbon trading offers to developing and low polluting countries in future.
The three mechanisms of carbon trading, namely International Emissions Trading, Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism are discussed in detail. India being a developing country, is a major beneficiary of the carbon credit market. Indian companies have a strategic advantage as the cost of emission reduction in India is very low as compared to the developed countries. The many projects initiated by Indian companies after January 1, 2000, in diverse areas such as energy efficiency, co-generation, natural gas, alternative auto fuels and hydel power, will also add to the country's dominance as a large seller in the carbon credit market. In the end, the paper discusses the advantages and drawbacks of carbon credits and the opportunities that carbon trading offers to developing and low polluting countries in future.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)