Green awareness has created the necessity in people's minds for purchasing eco-friendly products; as a result, the market responded with the offer of sustainable merchandise and operations in different economic sectors including the food and hospitality sector. Restaurants are characterised by their high waste production rate. Many restaurants have adapted their operations toward ecofriendly operations. The current study assessed customers' expectations and attitudes toward green restaurants in the Gold Coast, a major tourist destination. Five hypotheses revolving around the influence of awareness, gender, age, and income were conceptualised based on studies from other communities around the world. A survey instrument was administered. The results suggested that although only 40% of the population are aware of the environmental impacts of restaurant operations, 78% would be willing to pay an extra 5% on average in a green restaurant. Men indicated that they would pay more for the green service than women (5.4% vs 4.3%). However, more women were willing to pay an extra fee than men (89.2% vs 59%). The willingness to pay was also positively correlated with the level of education. The youngest age group and the lowest income bracket were more willing to pay a higher premium than other demographic groups.Nevertheless, no significant differences were detected among the demographic groups. Contrary to the commonly held perception, income did not have a significant effect on the green tendencies of customers. The results also suggested that there was a gender bias in the green tendencies of the population with women having a higher green index (GI) =3.29 than men (GI=2.66). Nearly 98% of the respondents suggested that having environmentally sustainable practices would positively influence their customer review. Although an opportunity exists for the restaurant industry to adopt sustainable practices to attract new customers and to gain goodwill, they should be careful not to treat the provision of this service as a new source of profit because the demand showed high sensitivity to the price.
Australia's utility pole network is aging and approaching its end of life. It is estimated that 70% of the 5 million poles currently in-service nationally were installed within the 20 years following the end of World War II and require replacement or remedial maintenance. Additionally, an estimated 21,700 high-durability new poles are required each year to support the expansion of the energy network. Utility poles were traditionally cut from native forest hardwood species. However, due to agreements which progressively phase out logging of native forests around Australia, finding new sources for utility poles presents a challenge. This paper presents the development of Veneer Based Composite hardwood hollow utility poles manufactured from mid-rotation Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana) plantation thinned trees (also referred to as "thinning"), as an alternative to solid hardwood poles. The incentives behind the project and benefits of the proposed products are introduced in the paper. Small diameter poles, of nominal 115 mm internal diameter and 15 mm wall-thickness, were manufactured in two half-poles butt jointed together, using 9 hardwood veneers per half-pole. The poles were tested in bending and shear, and experimental test results are presented. The mechanical performance of the hollow poles is discussed and compared to hardwood poles sourced from mature trees and of similar size. Additionally, the required dimensions of the proposed hollow pole to replace actual solid poles are estimated. Results show that the proposed product represents a viable technical solution to the current shortage of utility poles. Future research and different options for improving the current concept are proposed in order to provide a more reliable and cost effective product for structural and architectural applications in general.
Highlights: Date seed biochars adsorption capacity Cu 2+ and Ni 2+ were investigated Biochar with particle size 0.6-1.4 mm and prepared at 550 o C and 3 h was best Ion exchange mechanism accounted for 70% of the ion removal Cu 2+ and Ni 2+ adsorption was spontaneous an endothermic process
To improve the performance efficiency of subsurface constructed wetlands (CWs), a variety of media have been tested. Recently, there has been a rising interest in biochar. This research aims to develop the effectiveness of sand media amended with biochar and two plants species (Melaleuca quinquenervia and Cymbopogon citratus) in removing phosphorus from sewage effluent in CWs. The experimental design consisted of vertical flow (VF) mesocosms with seven media treatments based on the proportions of biochar in the sand media which ranged from 0 to 25% by volume. During the first 8months, the mesocosms were loaded with secondary clarified wastewater (SCW) then septage was used for the remaining 8months. Inflow and outflow were monitored for total phosphorus (TP) and PO4-P. Plants were harvested at the end of the experiment and TP biomass was determined. Removal efficiencies of TP in the mesocosms loaded with SCW and septage ranged from 42 to 91% and 30 to 83%, respectively. Removal efficiencies of PO4-P ranged from 43 to -92% and 35 to 85% for SCW and septage, respectively. The results revealed that the sand media performed better than the biochar-amended media; increasing the proportion of biochar in the media decreased removal efficiency of phosphorus. However, after flushing due to major rain event, there was no significant difference between sand and sand augmented with 20% biochar. Total plant P ranged from 1.75g in the 20% biochar mesocosm to 2.10g in the sand only mesocosm. Plant uptake of P, at least in part, may be accredited for the better P removal efficiency in the sand media compared to the biochar-amended media.
This study explored the adsorption of lead ion from aqueous solution onto biochars produced from date seed biomass. Initial evaluation of nine date seed-derived biochars showed that biochar prepared at 550 °C and heating time of 3 h (DSB550-3) was the best adsorbent for Pb 2+ ion removal. Therefore, it was selected for further investigation in batch and column experiments. The effects of contact time, initial Pb 2+ concentration, and solution pH were studied. Solution pH showed strong effect on the adsorption ability of DSB550-3 biochar to the lead ion, and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to occur around pH 6.0. The batch maximum adsorption capacity of DSB550-3 biochar was 0.360 mmol g −1. The equilibrium data were adequately fitted to Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms (R 2 = 0.97). The adsorption kinetics were best described by pseudo-second-order model (R 2 = 0.94). The breakthrough curve obtained from the column experiment was best described by the modified dose-response model (R 2 = 0.95). The desorption efficiencies of Pb 2+ were 2.1%, 23%, 12%, and 55% for DI water, 0.1 M HCl, 0.1 M CaCl 2 , and a combination of 0.1 M HCl + 0.1 M CaCl 2 eluents, respectively. FTIR analysis and batch experiments results suggested that Pb 2+ adsorption mechanism was dominated by complexation with active surface groups, precipitation, and cation exchange. Experimental and model results suggested that date seed-derived biochar has high adsorption capacity for Pb 2+ compared to other plant-based biochars reported in other literature.
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