The 2008 State of Garbage in America survey conducted by BioCycle reports waste tonnage trends for 2006. The refuse report shows more than 413 million tons of municipal waste generated in 2006, of which 118 million tons were recycled. Nationally, 64% of waste was landfilled and almost 7% was combusted.

Didn't attend the January 2009 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV? Good Clean Tech provides a roundup of e-waste recycling best practices advanced by industry leaders during a panel session. Topics ran the gamut of state laws, product buyback programs, and implications for the corporate bottom line.

Switching from expensive natural gas to cheaper and dirtier heavy fuel oil posed a stack emissions compliance problem for one Chilean paper mill. A pulse jet dust collector and customized two-stage scrubber now effectively keep particulate and sulfur dioxide levels within regulatory limits. Return on equipment investment was realized in only four months.

Water passes through a polyethylene glycol membrane tipped with a Teflon-like functional group that serves as an oil barrier. When attached to a glass filter in the lab, the amphiphilic membrane achieved 98% separation of oil from water. Purdue University engineers predict its use in reverse osmosis systems and oil spill cleanup.

For more on this subject, subscribe to the GlobalSpec e-Newsletter, DirectU2 The world of Lab Equipment.

Turning a 61 acre brownfield green in downtown Las Vegas revolves around a master soil and groundwater management plan. Procedures for documenting activities and handling petroleum-polluted soils at a former rail yard are accessible to individual contractors involved in the redevelopment. Environmental Protection antes up the details for this mixed-used urban infill project.

Solidification/stabilization remains a cost-effective containment strategy, as showcased in this Pollution Engineering case study of wood-preserving site remediation. Contaminated soils excavated, screened, and mixed with Portland cement now form 3 ft thick caps at the Superfund site. Permeability and leachability goals were met during onsite management of 75,000 cu yd of creosote-, dioxin-, and heavy metal-impacted materials.

Tracking carbon dioxide in vertical columns of air will be the task of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory. After launching in early 2009, the satellite will record over 100,000 measurements daily with three parallel, high-res spectrometers fed by a common telescope. The relatively small analytical footprint will help differentiate natural from anthropogenic sources and movements of CO₂.

If you find this subject interesting, subscribe to GlobalSpec's e-Newsletter, DirectU2 The world of Scientific Instruments.

Coat polyurethane foam filters with sticky powder and boost the capacity of passive denuder samplers to detect volatile persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Addition of finely ground Amberlite XAD-4 resin allows capture of highly volatile fluorotelomer alcohols about 100x longer than samplers with uncoated filters. These sorbent-impregnated units will cost far less than conventional high-volume devices, meaning more POP for the buck.

Attend or exhibit at WasteTech 2009 to demonstrate your services and lend expertise to the developing environmental technologies markets in Russia. More than 7,000 visitors are expected to participate in the Moscow event during May 26-29, representing manufacturing, academic, R&D, and other sectors. Conference coverage has been expanded since the 2007 show to address waste-to-energy, wastewater management, and contaminated site remediation as well as scrap and waste management.

Pollution you can see as public art is intended to raise eco-consciousness. The Nuage Vert, or Green Cloud, exhibit used lasers to illuminate power plant emissions in Helsinki, Finland. Videos record changes in green cloud morphology, especially when residents unplug appliances and conserve power for one night. The pollution-as-projector project has won several art awards.

Dear Mr. President...

What science and research fields should be funded as part of the U.S. economic recovery plan?