Papers by Suresh Nesaratnam
In a wide-ranging study of household refuse arisings rates on behalf of the Department of the Env... more In a wide-ranging study of household refuse arisings rates on behalf of the Department of the Environment, the Open University at Milton Keynes has addressed the nature of the variation in household refuse arisings rates. The paper presents preliminary findings regarding the sources of variation in household refuse arisings rates. Preliminary estimates are offered with regard to the proportion of the overall variation in refuse arisings rates which can be attributed to each source of variation.
The results of a study on the regional variation of household refuse arising rates in the UK are ... more The results of a study on the regional variation of household refuse arising rates in the UK are described. The analysis focuses on the factors affecting refuse arisings rates. Household size, the presence of infant children and housing type were all found to be positively correlated with the total quantity of refuse arisings in a given household. Households in detached houses generated greater quantities of paper and cardboard than households in other types of housing. Putrescible refuse arisings were positively correlated with household size and the presence of infant children, while miscellaneous combustibles were positively correlated with the presence of infant children, and the use of wheeled bins.
The results of an analysis of glass waste generation rates from a sample of households distribute... more The results of an analysis of glass waste generation rates from a sample of households distributed throughout the UK is presented. The effects of household size, age profile, and social class were evaluated in the study. The greatest explanatory value (r2 = 0.17) was obtained when households were classified into three categories: households with one person resident, non-manual worker households with more than one person resident, and manual worker households with more than one person resident. At a mean of 28.9 kg per household per annum, annualised glass waste generation rates were lowest among one-person households and highest (86.7 kg per household per annum) among non-manual worker households with more than one person resident. Coefficients arising from the analysis were used to predict household glass waste generation rates in 39 electoral wards in Birmingham. A model developed earlier by The Open University to predict the spatial distribution of glass recycled by households was also used to predict the quantity of glass taken to bottle bank sites by households in each of the 39 yards. Used in conjunction, the two models yielded estimates of the quantity of glass collected as waste in each of the 39 wards.
Representative data on waste generation is an important pre-requisite in the formulation of susta... more Representative data on waste generation is an important pre-requisite in the formulation of sustainable waste management policies. In relation to this, data on the quantities and composition of waste arising from 681 English households during the period 2000 – 2004 was analysed under contract to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The data was self-recorded by each household as part of a tutor-marked assignment completed by students on The Open University's course 'Environmental Control and Public Health'. Waste was sorted into 15 categories and the quantity of each category of waste arising over a four-week monitoring period was recorded. In addition, each household was asked to complete a questionnaire profiling its social composition and waste disposal practices. The arithmetic mean of the waste arisings (22.5 kg/hh/wk) exceeded the median (15.0 kg/hh/wk) by 50%. The size of the skew statistic (21.5) provided confirmation that the frequency dist...
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2010
ABSTRACT Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles collected by source-segregation recycling... more ABSTRACT Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles collected by source-segregation recycling schemes can be treated by mechanical and chemical means to remove any contaminants. The cleaned PET can then be melted and formed into pellets with the same physical properties as virgin PET. Full-scale trials have shown that this reprocessed material can be used with virgin PET to make new bottles. An alternative recovery option is to collect the waste PET with the non-recyclable waste and burn it in an energy-from-waste plant. A life cycle inventory was produced for these two recovery options to compare the atmospheric emissions of key pollutants and the overall environmental impacts. The recycling option resulted in an overall reduction in the emission of each key pollutant and in the overall environmental impact. This was due to the reduction in emissions from displacing virgin PET. The energy-from-waste route also leads to a reduction in the emissions of several of the pollutants, depending on the assumptions made about the thermal efficiency of the process and the pollutants generated by burning the PET.
Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 2007
Abstract Klebsiella pneumoniae (NCTC 418) was grown in a chemostat with impeller speeds between 7... more Abstract Klebsiella pneumoniae (NCTC 418) was grown in a chemostat with impeller speeds between 700 and 1000 rev. min− 1. An inverse relationship between impeller speed and the cell-wall strength of the organism was found and explained.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form ... more All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made.
International Journal of Environmental Engineering, 2013
This study investigates the optimal process conditions for activated carbon production from local... more This study investigates the optimal process conditions for activated carbon production from local date palm pits using response surface methodology (RSM). Box Behnken statistical technique was used to design the production process in order to determine the influence of activation temperature (300ºC to 700ºC), % H 3 PO 4 (30% to 70%) and activation time (1 to 3 hours) on the BET surface area. Second-order model developed via regression analysis to describe the BET surface area response was found to be appropriate in predicting the responses within the experimental region to a considerable extent. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the influence of the independent variables on the BET surface area is in the order: activation temperature > % H 3 PO 4 > activation time with only temperature and % H 3 PO 4 possessing moderate interaction. The maximum BET surface area from RSM optimisation was estimated to be 1,337.54.2 m 2 /g achievable at optimum conditions of 54% H 3 PO 4 and 547ºC carbonisation temperature at an activation time of 2.067 hours.
European Journal of Engineering Education, 1997
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Papers by Suresh Nesaratnam