Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry

SummaryThe Arctic Cooperation Agreement signed at Ottawa on January 11, 1988 deals strictly with movements of United States government-owned or government-operated icebreakers. In future, the United States will seek Canada's prior consent for each and every transit of United States icebreakers through the waters of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. The Agreement provides Canada with more effective control over the waters of the Arctic archipelago than it had at the time of the Polar Sea voyage through the Northwest Passage in 1985. The Agreement does not resolve the legal dispute between Canada and the United States over the status of the Canadian Arctic waters. It does not affect the legal position of either country. Canada takes the view that the waters of the Arctic archipelago are internal waters by virtue of historic title. The United States, on the other hand, takes the position that these Arctic waters are international straits subject to the right of innocent passage or the right of transit passage. The Agreement does not cover the movements of U.S. naval vessels, including submarines, which are in accordance with Alliance commitments and relevant bilateral arrangements. U.S. (and other foreign flag) commercial vessels operating in Canadian Arctic waters have to conform, as in the past, with the provisions of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act and other relevant laws and regulations.

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Industrial Wastewater Treatment with Membranes - A United States Perspective

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1992.0263 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 373-390 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

P. S. Cartwright

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Industrial Wastewater ◽

Membrane Separation ◽

Pollution Prevention ◽

The United States ◽

Priority List ◽

Industrial Wastewater Treatment ◽

Prevention Act

Since the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency more than 20 years ago, protection of the environment has steadily been moving up on the priority list of the American public. Concern over issues such as the ozone hole, the greenhouse effect, overflowing landfills, acid rain, destruction of the rain forests and over population have created an attitude of conservation and environmental responsibility throughout the country. The united States Congress has passed the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 which emphasizes “point-of-source” reduction, recycle or recovery. The membrane separation technologies of microfiltration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis possess characteristics which make them attractive as recycle and recovery processes. This paper details the testing requirements dictated by the specific applications and describes a number of case histories where membrane technologies have been evaluated for industrial wastewater treatment.

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Surgical instrumentation: the true cost of instrument trays and a potential strategy for optimization

Journal of Hospital Administration ◽

10.5430/jha.v4n6p82 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 82 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Julie M. Mhlaba ◽

Emily W. Stockert ◽

Martin Coronel ◽

Alexander J. Langerman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

Waste Reduction ◽

Significant Cost ◽

Instrument Type ◽

Hospital Revenue ◽

Potential Strategy ◽

The Cost

Objective: Operating rooms (OR) generate a large portion of hospital revenue and waste. Consequently, improving efficiency and reducing waste is a high priority. Our objective was to quantify waste associated with opened but unused instruments from trays and to compare this with the cost of individually wrapping instruments.Methods: Data was collected from June to November of 2013 in a 550-bed hospital in the United States. We recorded the instrument usage of two commonly-used trays for ten cases each. The time to decontaminate and reassemble instrument trays and peel packs was measured, and the cost to reprocess one instrument was calculated.Results: Average utilization was 14% for the Plastic Soft Tissue Tray and 29% for the Major Laparotomy Tray. Of 98 instruments in the Plastics tray (n = 10), 0% was used in all cases observed and 59% were used in no observed cases. Of 110 instruments in the Major Tray (n = 10), 0% was used in all cases observed and 25% were used in no observed cases. Average cost to reprocess one instrument was $0.34-$0.47 in a tray and $0.81-$0.84 in a peel pack, or individually-wrapped instrument.Conclusions: We estimate that the cost of peel packing an instrument is roughly two times the cost of tray packing. Therefore, it becomes more cost effective from a processing standpoint to package an instrument in a peel pack when there is less than a 42%-56% probability of use depending on instrument type. This study demonstrates an opportunity for reorganization of instrument delivery that could result in a significant cost-savings and waste reduction.

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Reducing Rural Car Ownership: Cultural Not Policy Changes?

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/0361198118790327 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2672 (6) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emma L. Rearick ◽

Gregory L. Newmark

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Land Use ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Urban Areas ◽

The United States ◽

Multiple Regression Model ◽

Census Bureau ◽

Matched Pair ◽

Car Ownership ◽

Quarter Century

Automobile use is recognized as affecting public health, environmental sustainability, land use, and household expense. Car use is closely tied to car ownership rates. Most car ownership research focuses on urban areas; however, 97% of the United States’ land area and a fifth of its population remains rural. Factors that affect car ownership in these communities may be different than in more urbanized areas. This research focuses on the 2,285 counties in the continental United States that are defined as entirely rural by the guidelines established in the Agricultural Act of 2014. These counties were grouped by five multi-state regions using U.S. Census Bureau definitions. Their percentage changes in car ownership, as well as other demographic variables, over a quarter century were calculated using data from the 1990 Decennial Census and the 2014 5-Year American Community Survey. A multiple regression model was estimated for each grouping to identify counties with lower-than-expected changes in car ownership. For each grouping, one of these outlying counties was selected and matched with another county whose changes in car ownership were within expected ranges given demographic developments. Local professionals were then interviewed to identify policies possibly responsible for the difference in car ownership trends between the matched-pair counties. The interviews suggested that, contrary to expectation, transportation policies had no discernable effect on rural car ownership, but land use polices and, more often, cultural factors linked to changing populations were associated with reduced rural car ownership.

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Pension Enhancements and the Retention of Public Employees

ILR Review ◽

10.1177/0019793916650452 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 519-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Cory Koedel ◽

P. Brett Xiang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Sector ◽

Employee Retention ◽

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

Pension Plans ◽

Public Employees ◽

Public School Teachers ◽

School Teachers ◽

Public Pension Plans

The authors use data from workers in the largest public-sector occupation in the United States—teaching—to examine the effect of pension enhancements on employee retention. Specifically, they study a 1999 enhancement to the benefit formula for public school teachers in St. Louis, Missouri, that resulted in an immediate and dramatic increase in their incentives to remain in covered employment. To identify the effect of the enhancement on teacher retention, the analysis leverages the fact that the strength of the incentive increase varied across the workforce depending on how far teachers were from retirement eligibility when it was enacted. The results indicate that the St. Louis enhancement—which was structurally similar to enhancements that were enacted in other public pension plans across the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s—was not a cost-effective way to increase employee retention.

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High Costs of Dialysis Transportation in the United States: Exploring Approaches to a More Cost-effective Delivery System

Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research ◽

10.36469/9861 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 134-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

J. Mark Stephens ◽

Samuel Brotherton ◽

Stephan C. Dunning ◽

Larry C. Emerson ◽

David T. Gilbertson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

Levels Of Care ◽

Dialysis Facility ◽

Effective Delivery ◽

Stage Renal Disease ◽

End Stage

Background: The costs of transporting end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to dialysis centers are high and growing rapidly. Research has suggested that substantial cost savings could be achieved if medically appropriate transport was made available and covered by Medicare. Objectives: To estimate US dialysis transportation costs from a purchaser’s perspective, and to estimate cost savings that could be achieved if less expensive means of transport were utilized. Methods: Costs were estimated using an actuarial model. Travel distance estimates were calculated using GIS software from patient ZIP codes and dialysis facility addresses. Cost and utilization estimates were derived from fee schedules, government reports, transportation websites and peer-reviewed literature. Results: The estimated annual cost of dialysis transportation in the United States is $3.0 billion, half of which is for ambulances. Most other costs are due to transport via ambulettes, wheelchair vans and taxis. Approximately 5% of costs incurred are for private vehicle or public transportation use. If ambulance use dropped to 1% of trips from the current 5%, costs could be reduced by one-third. Conclusions: Decision-makers should consider policies to reduce ambulance use, while providing appropriate levels of care.

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Protecting Indigenous Peoples through Right to Natural Resources: Lesson from the Existence of Navajo Tribe in the United States

Hasanuddin Law Review ◽

10.20956/halrev.v1n3.111 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 307

Author(s):

I Gusti Ngurah Parikesit Widiatedja

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Pollution Prevention ◽

The United States ◽

Benefit Sharing ◽

Economic Exploitation ◽

Pollution Prevention And Control ◽

And Control ◽

Indigenous Land

From the perspective of international law, indigenous peoples have the rights to own, use, and control their natural resources within their territories. In the United States, the Navajo Tribe has enjoyed those rights. In terms of law making process, this tribe can enact some acts to preserve a control over their natural resources. Specifically, the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Solid Waste Act. Concerning law implementation and enforcement, Navajo Tribe has a right to equitable benefit sharing in natural resources and fair court proceeding for breach. As a result, the existence of rights for natural resources requires the U.S federal government to ensure fair administration of natural resources in order to mitigate an economic exploitation of natural resources in indigenous land.

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Coverage of Non-Metals in the ASME B31.3 Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping Code

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part E Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.1243/pime_proc_1992_206_199_02 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 206 (1) ◽

pp. 67-72

Author(s):

W E Short II

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Petroleum Refinery ◽

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

Chemical Plant ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Plastic Materials ◽

Cost Effective Alternative ◽

Dramatic Growth

The chemical and petrochemical industries have decades of experience in specifying metallic piping lined with non-metals as a cost effective alternative to high-priced alloy materials of construction for piping in corrosive service. Early on, application of plastic piping was essentially limited to atmospheric chemical sewage service and to above-ground vents and drains. However, applications and usage of plastic piping continue to increase as engineers become more confident in specifying plastic materials and mechanical contractors gain experience with their installation. Non-metallic materials are being developed that are not only corrosion resistant but also have increasingly higher pressure and temperature capabilities. Plastic double-containment piping has experienced tremendous growth for handling hazards and toxic fluids. In the United States, recent dramatic growth of plastic double-containment piping applications has been, to a large extent, for compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations of the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Related EPA regulatory efforts were accelerated in 1988 by more stringent amendments to this legislation. Industry in the United States must comply with these EPA regulations by December 1998. Plastic piping and metallic piping lined with non-metals have been covered to some extent by the ASME B31.3 Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping Code for several years. The distinctive requirements of non-metallic piping and piping lined with non-metals were incorporated into the 1980 edition as a separate Chapter VII, which is dedicated to this growing area of interest in piping. This paper provides an overview of the present coverage of non-metallic piping lined with non-metals in the ASME B31.3 Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping Code (1). Some topics that warrant further investigation are presented as well.

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Treatment of patients waitlisted for liver transplant with all-oral direct-acting antivirals is a cost-effective treatment strategy in the United States

Hepatology ◽

10.1002/hep.29137 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 46-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Aijaz Ahmed ◽

Stevan A. Gonzalez ◽

George Cholankeril ◽

Ryan B. Perumpail ◽

Justin McGinnis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Liver Transplant ◽

Effective Treatment ◽

Treatment Strategy ◽

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

Direct Acting Antivirals ◽

Cost Effective Treatment ◽

Direct Acting

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STATE, TRENDS, AND STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD NANO-POWDER MARKET

Visnyk Universytetu “Ukraina” ◽

10.36994/2707-4110-2019-3-24-06 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Malyshev ◽

Kushchevska ◽

Bruskova

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Titanium Dioxide ◽

Metal Oxide ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Raw Materials ◽

The United States ◽

World Market ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

The Us ◽

The World

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global nanopowder market. Materials and methods. The study used such research methods as system-logical method, method of statistical generalization, comparative and factor analysis. Research results. It is known that nanopowders are obtained by chemical, physical, physico-chemical and mechanical methods. One of the major problems in the production of nanopowders is the tendency of nanoparticles to form aggregates and agglomerates that complicate the production of compact materials. To overcome the forces of agglomeration, a mechanical force or an increase in the sintering temperature must be applied. According to estimates from the consulting company Lux Research, in 2012, the nanotechnology market was $ 190.3 billion. Its annual growth is 15-17%. The world market leaders are the United States ($ 59 billion), Europe ($ 47 billion) and the Asia Pacific region ($ 9.4 billion). The US is the leader in both the commercial market and the number of publications (about 25,000 in 2015) and patents in nanotechnology (45% of patents). Following the results of 2015, more than $1.4 trillion worth of nanotechnology products were manufactured. In the structure of production of nanoproducts the chemical industry, scientific researches (intermediary products, as a rule, not serial) and electronics are leading. Global investments in nanotechnology in 2015 totaled $ 18.1 billion. This indicator increased by 18% compared to 2013. Corporate investments ($ 8.6 billion) became the main source of financing (public - only $ 8.3 billion). The leaders in terms of public investment are the US and the EU. Experts estimate that, by 2020, investment leadership may shift to Japan. Today, the leader in the nanomaterials market is the United States with a projected revenue level of 2018 of $ 1.46 billion. The main products on the world market for nanopowders are metal oxide powders. In the product group of metal oxides 4/5 the production volume accounts for the three most common types of raw materials: silica (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and alumina (Al2O3). At the same time, silica occupies more than half of all production, alumina - 18% and titanium dioxide - 10%. The most available oxides are oxides of iron, zinc, cerium, zirconium, cuprum, magnesium, yttrium. The most complex oxides and mixtures are: tin oxide, barium titanate, cobalt carbide, silicon nitride and indium tin oxide. An analysis of the patents presented for nanopowder research has shown that the most promising area of scientific development is aluminum and precious metal nanopowders. Conclusions. Analysis of the world nanopowder market makes it possible to identify the following indicators that characterize its development: the common problem in the nanomaterials market is high cost of production, low volume of production and accessibility for the end consumer; the most developed nanopowder markets: USA, Europe and Asia-Pacific; projected growth rates during 2015-2020 The three largest components of the nanomaterials market: energy, production of catalysts, structural materials - 60%, 13% and 30% respectively; production of metal oxide products prevails in the world market of nanopowders; the most common types of raw materials: silica) - more than half of all production, titanium dioxide - 10% and alumina - 18%.

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