H. Kurtulus Ozcan

Determination of heavy metal concentrations in street dusts in Istanbul E-5 highway

Components and quantity of street dust are environmental pollution indicators especially in big cities. Street dust is generally composed of car exhaust gas originated particles and wind-transported particles. Heavy metals, which are found in street dust, such as Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Ni are significant for environmental pollution. According to the kind of vehicle in traffic, quantity and type of heavy metals vary in street dust. The use of leaded gasoline gives a boost to the importance of lead level especially in street dust even at the start of 21st century. These metals possess bioaccumulation property, and the possibility of the amount of these metals reaching a critical value and threatening human health increases the importance of this issue. In this study, street dusts have been collected from E-5 Highway from Topkapi to Avcilar regions that spans about 18 km in Istanbul, Turkey, and Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Ni concentrations have been detected in street dust. Twenty-two street dust samples were taken from a total of 22 different points at previously decided 14 main areas. Analyses were conducted using Leeds Public Analyst method. According to the results of this study, Pb, Cu and Zn concentrations in E-5 Highway between Topkapi and Avcilar region in Istanbul were higher than maximum concentration levels of these heavy metals in normal soil. This situation indicates that there is heavy metal pollution in the inspected area in E-5 Highway in Istanbul.

Landfill site selection using fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS: a case study for Istanbul

Landfill site selection is a multi-attribute decision problem, through which factors like available land area, soil conditions, climatological conditions, and economic considerations are investigated in detail. Frequently, it is a challenge to come up with “the one” solution while tackling such complex systems. Therefore, use of tools such as fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) should be preferred in order to emphasize pros and cons for each of the studied options. In this study, three possible landfill sites for the city of Istanbul are evaluated through expert opinion and by facilitating fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS. Initially, the landfill site selection problem is presented in the framework of a model and then the model is mathematically solved by calculating the individual criterion weights. In conclusion, considering the rapid rate of urbanization for the city of Istanbul, the possible landfill sites convey similar overall results, but differ in specific criteria.

Long Term Variations of the Atmospheric Air Pollutants in Istanbul City

High population density and intense industrial activity has resulted in various forms of pollution in megacities. Air pollution ranks at the top of this list. This study investigated long-term changes in air pollutant parameters (SO2, CO, NO, NO2, NOx) in Istanbul City, Turkey, using data from air-quality measurement stations on the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. The results show decreases from 2002 to 2010 in the amounts of SO2 (one of the main pollutants released as a result of the burning of fossil fuels) and CO (indicative of incomplete combustion). However, NOx concentrations showed fluctuations over time, rather than a steady decline throughout the study period.

Adsorption of Astrazon Blue FGRL onto sepiolite from aqueous solutions

Abstract In this study, adsorption of Astrazon Blue FGRL on sepiolite (meerschaum) from aqueous solution was investigated using different parameters like initial dye concentration, temperature, contact time and solution pH. The obtained results were then compared for all the parameters. At the end of batch adsorption studies, the equilibrium time, optimum pH and temperature were 90 min, 7 pH and 293 K, respectively. Adsorption isotherm of Astrazon Blue FGRL on sepiolite (meerschaum) was determined and correlated with common isotherm equations such as Langmuir and Freundlich models. The Freundlich model (r 2 > 0.98) appeared to fit the isotherm data better than the Langmuir model (r 2 0.99), through the first order kinetic model did not adequately fit the experiment values (r 2 < 0.99). SEM, XRD and FT-IR spectrum analyses were carried out. The obtained results showed that Sepiolite (meerschaum) can be an al...

An evaluation of tannery industry wastewater treatment sludge gasification by artificial neural network modeling.

This paper reports on the calorific value of synthetic gas (syngas) produced by gasification of dewatered sludge derived from treatment of tannery wastewater. Proximate and ultimate analyses of samples were performed. Thermochemical conversion alters the chemical structure of the waste. Dried air was used as a gasification agent at varying flow rates, which allowed the feedstock to be quickly converted into gas by means of different heterogeneous reactions. A lab-scale updraft fixed-bed steel reactor was used for thermochemical conversion of sludge samples. Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling techniques were used to observe variations in the syngas related to operational conditions. Modeled outputs showed that temporal changes of model predictions were in close accordance with real values. Correlation coefficients (r) showed that the ANN used in this study gave results with high sensitivity.

Solid waste collection route optimisation by geographical information system in Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey

Uncontrolled urban population growth in metropolitan areas of developing countries in recent years has made solid waste management an important issue. Generally, collection and hauling efforts cover a substantial amount of total expenditures on the solid waste management by city authorities. Success of an integrated solid waste management system is directly proportional to the success of solid waste collection and transport systems since all depends on an even and a timely manner collection process. The more populated cities bring increasing difficulties on the reach and utilise services. In order to reduce cost and time on these services, it is very crucial for authorities to search for optimisation possibilities. In this manner, for local authorities, one of the most important issues on solid waste management practices is an optimised solid waste collection function. An optimised collection function has become more important in metropolitan areas having improved and sophisticated road systems. In this study, in order to minimise the route and collection cost by employing GIS and using numerical road data, a solid waste collection route optimisation study was carried in Fatih District of Istanbul, Turkey.

The relationship between income level and CFP level of the provinces in Turkey: a case study

This study determines the distribution of carbon footprint values (CFP) in Turkey by income levels, gender, age group, provinces where people live and the geographical regions of these provinces. In addition, % distribution of human activities which lead to CFP (food, travel, home, stuff) has been analysed. The carbon emission values assessed in this study have been compared with annual carbon emission distributions of various countries. In comparison by income levels, it was observed that mainly consumption-based usages (48%) take part in spending of people in the lowest income section while travel costs (42%) of people having high income have a significant contribution to CFP values. In assessment by age groups, it was observed that the highest CFP value is obtained by those aged 40 or older (in average; 17.1 tons CO2 per capita). In assessment of CFP values on the basis of geographical region and province, it was seen that high CFP values which result from the fuel type used for heating in eastern regions of Turkey replace CFP values related to transportation in western parts. In Turkey, annual carbon emission value is 15.1 tons CO2 per capita in average. This value is similar to annual carbon emission per capita of European countries such as Spain, France.

The 2nd International Conference on Recycling and Reuse, held on June 4–6, 2014, in Istanbul, Turkey

This special issue of the Desalination and Water Treatment Journal is dedicated to the 2nd International Conference on Recycling and Reuse, held on 4–6 June 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. This international conference was jointly organized by Boğaziçi University, Environmental Sciences Institute and Istanbul University, Environmental Engineering Department, Turkey. The purpose of the conference was to provide an excellent platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange emerging ideas and investigate key issues such as: