Alice Sharp

Rehabilitation of degraded forests in Thailand: policy and practice

Thailand has suffered from severe deforestation during the last century. Forest cover has declined drastically both in terms of area and quality, mostly due to the expansion of human activities. Much of the deforested area has been used for agricultural purposes, but much has also been left in a degraded condition. In late 1980s, the forest declined to a point where the nation decided that the remaining forest should be kept for conservation rather than further exploitation. Consequently, forest policy has shifted its focus from exploitation to sustainable management and protection. Thailand has set a goal of increasing its forest area to 40% of the total land area, while at present, forests occupy around 28.9% of the land. With the intention to retain most of the remaining forest as protected areas and, at the same time, achieve the goal set, several reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives have been implemented, especially on those lands in a degraded condition. This paper focuses on the significant issues affecting both the policy and practice of forest rehabilitation. Given that the large number of people whose livelihood depends on the forests for subsistence and other purposes normally has been excluded from the decision-making process in forest management, most important among these issues are the integration of the socio-economic and environmental needs into rehabilitation initiatives together with the active participation of local communities in the rehabilitation program. Case studies of reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives are also discussed.

Production and Characterization of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from Inexpensive Substrates by Alcaligenes Latus

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is biodegradable polyester, which can be synthesized by many microorganisms through catabolic pathway, without producing any toxic byproduct. Owing to it special and versatile properties, this polymer has attracted much attention as a possible replacement for traditional plastics in the future. Feasibility of PHA production from inexpensive substrates was investigated by using Alcaligenes latus, gram negative bacteria, which can be grown in various types of wastewater. Four substrates were employed, i.e., wastewater from palm oil industry (oil-lean palm oil and oil-rich palm oil), wastewater from soymilk industry, and a control synthetic wastewater. The results show that PHA copolymer, poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) P(HB-co-HV), is produced from the metabolic pathways of A. latus. Soxhlet extractor was then employed in extraction process of the PHA copolymer. The resulting copolymer was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.

Determination of the knowledge of e-waste disposal impacts on the environment among different gender and age groups in China, Laos, and Thailand

E-waste is the fastest growing waste in the solid waste stream in the urban environment. It has become a widely recognised social and environmental problem; therefore, proper management is vital to protecting the fragile environment from its improper disposal. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to determine the knowledge of environmental impacts of e-waste disposal as it relates to mobile phones among different gender and age groups in China, Laos, and Thailand. The results revealed that gender was positively correlated with their knowledge of the status of environmental conditions (P104) (r = 0.077, n = 1994, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with their knowledge of how to improve environmental conditions (P105) (r = –0.067, n = 2037, p < 0.01). In addition, an increase in age was positively correlated with respondents’ concern over the environmental conditions (P103) (r = 0.052, n = 2077, p < 0.05) and P105 (r = 0.061, n = 2061, p < 0.01) mentioned above. The results indicated that female respondents were less knowledgeable about how to improve environmental conditions than male respondents in the three countries. Knowledge gaps were detected in the respondents, at age ⩽17, in the three countries, and from age 18–22 to 36–45 or older from Thailand and China, on their knowledge of the existing e-waste-related laws. Thus, an effort to bridge the gaps through initiating proper educational programmes in these two countries is necessary.

Synthesis and Characterizations of PLLA/PEG Block Copolymers

Poly(lactic acid-co-ethylene glycol) (PLLA/PEG) copolymers were synthesized and their properties were characterized. The PLLA/PEG/PLLA triblock copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization from l-lactide (LLA) and PEG macroinitiator. Stannous octoate, Sn(Oct)2 was used as a catalyst. Effects of molecular weight of PEG (600, 2000 and 4000), LLA/OH molar ratios (95:5, 98:2) and a sequence of addition of the reactants on properties of the copolymers were investigated. The triblock copolymers were subsequently used in a production of multiblock copolymers by reacting with a chain-extending agent, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI). Chemical structure and molecular weight of the copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR, FTIR and GPC. The results showed that molecular weight of triblock copolymers varied from 4,500 to 10,200. After chain extension, multiblock copolymer with molecular weight of 16,490 was produced. Thermal properties of the copolymers were also examined by DSC.

Development of an analytical method for quantitative comparison of the e-waste management systems in Thailand, Laos, and China

This study employed a set of quantitative criteria to analyse the three parameters; namely policy, process, and practice; of the respective e-waste management systems adopted in Thailand, Laos, and China. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to determine the current status of the three parameters in relation to mobile phones. A total of five, three, and six variables under Policy (P1), Process (P2), and Practice (P3), respectively, were analysed and their weighted averages were calculated. The results showed that among the three countries surveyed, significant differences at p<0.01 were observed in all the P1, P2, and P3 variables, except P305 (sending e-waste to recovery centres) and P306 (treating e-waste by retailers themselves). Based on the quantitative method developed in this study, Laos’ e-waste management system received the highest scores in both P1 average (0.130) and P3 average (0.129). However, in the combined Ptotal, China scored the highest (0.141), followed by Laos (0.132) and Thailand (0.121). This method could be used to assist decision makers in performing quantitative analysis of complex issues associating with e-waste management in a country.

Comparison of GHG Emission from Municipal Solid Waste Management Technology in Selected Cities in Cambodia

The municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one major concern in Cambodia due to complicated problems from waste sector. Until now, because of poor MSWM, solid wastes have produced high pollution, like methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2), which are the substances of greenhouse gas affect to climate change. Therefore, this study was undertaken to estimate and compare the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from municipal solid waste in different cities namely; Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap of Cambodia. GHG emission was calculated through Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calculator 2006 based on secondary data of 2009 for all cities. In order to reduce the GHG emission, four scenarios were proposed with different waste treatment technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, waste reduction at landfill by separating waste for recycling before disposal off in landfill, and landfill with gas recovery as well. Additionally, the multiple benefits of implementing the proposed scenarios may include reduction of GHG emission, promotion of energy saving for landfill operation, and promotion of the renewable energy concept like electricity.

Participatory Wetland Management: A Case Study of Xe Champhone Wetland, Lao PDR

In most of the developing countries, wetlands are one of the important fundamental sources as they play out a scope of ecological capacities and give various financial advantages to nearby communities and an extensive populace. However, wetlands are among the most threatened of all environmental resources. It was stated that most of the earth’s wetlands have been disappeared through transformation to industrial, farming, and urban developments. The livelihood of most of the people who are living in Laos relies on its rich wetland biodiversity. Unfortunately, several wetlands in Laos remain under threat from overuse of natural resources. In addition, there has been little research and a lack of data and information about wetlands in Lao PDR, which is the major obstacle in wetland management. In addition, management of wetlands is generally done in a top-down manner, where local communities were not involved in the decision-making process. This study aimed to identify problems related to wetland management by incorporating concerns of all stakeholders into consideration as well as to develop participatory wetland management action plan. The stakeholder’s analysis in the utilization of wetland resources and the management of Xe Champhone Wetland were accomplished by using strengths, weakness, and threats (SWOT) analysis and a TWOS matrix. Once the consultation with stakeholders was done, strategies and management activities were designed and a participatory wetland management action plan was developed.

Waste-to-energy policy in Thailand

ABSTRACT This paper presents the conversion of waste-to-energy (WtE) in Thailand. The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Thailand in 2013 was 26.77 million tons which requires an enormous budget allocation for municipal solid waste management (MSWM). However, the budget is insufficient to provide adequate MSWM services. In order to increase the efficiency, sustainable and environmentally in MSWM, WtE technologies are provided as a solution toward a successful policy. Thailand considers WtE, incineration, refuse derived fuel (RDF), anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis and gasification, and landfill gas recovery to be renewable technologies. These technologies not only reduced the quantity but also improved the quality of waste to meet the required pollution control standards, besides generating a substantial quantity of energy.

A comparative analysis of alternative fuels for Thailand’s palm oil industry: A case study for refuse-derived fuels

ABSTRACT This study summarizes the results of a comparative analysis for the use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as opposed to the use of conventional fuel (CF) specifically for Thailand’s palm oil industry and the possible environmental impacts. RDF in this study was prepared by using municipal solid waste (MSW) from the Lamae Municipality in Chumphon, which has one of the largest palm oil industries in Thailand. The RDF was prepared from two main waste components, paper and low-density polyethylene plastic (LDPE) in five various ratios. The RDF and CF from the palm oil industry, such as wood and biomass, were analyzed for their heating properties and potential environmental impacts in terms of their global warming potential, acidification, and human toxicity. From this analysis it was concluded that RDF0:100 has greater value and is highly recommended to co-combust or replace CF in the palm oil industry.