Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala, South India and second most important city next to Mumbai on the Western coast is a land having a wide variety of residential environments. Due to rapid population growth, changing lifestyles, food habits and living standards, institutional weaknesses, improper choice of technology and public apathy, the present pattern of the city can be classified as that of haphazard growth with typical problems characteristics of unplanned urban development especially in the case of solid waste management. To have a better living condition for us and our future generations, we must know where we are now and how far we need to go. We, each individual must calculate how much nature we use and compare it to how much nature we have available. This can be achieved by applying the concept of ecological footprint. Ecological footprint analysis (EFA) is a quantitative tool that represents the ecological load imposed on earth by humans in spatial terms. The aim of applying EFA to Kochi city is to quantify the consumption and waste generation of a population and to compare it with the existing biocapacity. By quantifying the ecological footprint we can formulate strategies to reduce the footprint and there by having a sustainable living. The paper discusses the various footprint components of Kochi city and in detail analyses the waste footprint of the residential areas using waste footprint analyzer. An attempt is also made to suggest some waste foot print reduction strategies thereby making the city sustainable as far as solid waste management is concerned.
The present study investigates the benefits of
stabilizing the stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixture in
flexible pavement with shredded waste plastic.
Conventional (without plastic) and the stabilized SMA
mixtures were subjected to performance tests including
Marshall Stability, tensile strength and compressive
strength tests. Triaxial tests were also conducted with
varying percentage bitumen by weight of mineral
aggregate (6% to 8%) and by varying percentage plastic
by weight of mix (6% to 12% with an increment of 1%).
Plastic content of 10% by weight of bitumen is
recommended for the improvement of the performance
of Stone Mastic Asphalt mixtures. 10% plastic content
gives an increase in the stability, split tensile strength
and compressive strength of about 64%, 18% and 75%
respectively compared to the conventional SMA mix.
Triaxial test results show a 44% increase in cohesion
and 3% decrease in angle of shearing resistance
showing an increase in the shear strength. The drain
down value decreases with an increase in plastic content
and the value is only 0.09 % at 10% plastic content and
proves to be an effective stabilizing additive in SMA
mixtures
Description:
International Journal of Engineering and Technology Vol.2 (6), 2010, 379-387