A solar still was designed for the evaporation of desalination brine. The influence of several factors, such as the basin heating, the material of the cover (glass or polycarbonate), the existence of a mirror, the activation of an air extractor, and the existence of a black painted floor in the solar still, was evaluated in terms of their contribution to brine evaporation. The experiments were conducted with a factorial design approach. The combination of the factors that produced the best results was used in a subsequent daily monitoring study for brine evaporation. The monitoring parameters were the hourly average incident radiation, the changes in the temperature, the brine mass, and the brine volume. The accumulated amounts of the solar energy were calculated, and the correlation relationship was assessed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the recycling potential of marble sludge, which is generated from the cutting and grinding of marble. Geopolymerization technology was applied to this aim. Waste marble sludge was combined with cement, fly ash, clay, gypsum, and blast furnace slag in different combinations to prepare paste samples without aggregate. NaSilNaOH and 8 M NaOH solutions were used as alkaline activators for geopolymerization. Samples were analyzed for unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and the formulations yielding the highest UCS results were determined. The sample prepared using the NaSilNaOH solution and containing 25% fly ash, 25% cement, 25% blast furnace slag, and 25% marble sludge yielded the highest UCS level among the samples, 52 MPa. The results of the study showed that marble sludge is a suitable material for geopolymerization purposes and yields high compressive strength compared to standard cement paste.

Bursa ili kentsel atıksu arıtma tesislerinde oluşan arıtma çamurları, 2017 yılından itibaren Bursa Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi’ne bağlı 400 ton/gün kapasiteli bir akışkan yataklı yakma tesisinde yakılarak bertaraf edilmektedir. Yakma sürecinin sonunda her ay bertaraf edilmeyi bekleyen ortalama 615 ton kül oluşmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı çamur yakma sürecinin sonunda oluşan atık çamur küllerinin yapı malzemesi olarak geri kazanılıp kazanılamayacağını araştırmaktır. Bu amaçla çamur küllerine stabilizasyon/solidifikasyon (S/S) ve jeopolimerizasyon teknolojileri uygulanmıştır. Bağlayıcı malzeme olarak Portland çimentosu, termik santral uçucu külü ve mermer çamuru kullanılmıştır. S/S örnekleri su, jeopolimer örnekleri 8MNaOH ve NaSilNaOH çözeltileriyle aktive edilmiştir. Hazırlanan pasta örnekleri 28 günlük hava kürü sonunda basınç dayanımı ve ağır metal sızma testlerine tabi tutulmuştur. Çamur külü kullanılarak hazırlanan S/S örneklerinde 21,8 MPa, jeopolimer örneklerinde ise 50,0 MPa düzeylerine ulaşan basınç dayanım değerleri elde edilmiştir. Atık çamur külü içeren bazı örneklerin basınç dayanım düzeylerinin, atık içermeyen kontrol örneklerinin basınç dayanım düzeylerinden yüksek olması dikkat çekmiştir. Sızma testi sonucunda çamur külüyle hazırlanan örneklerin tehlike sınır değerlerinin oldukça altında kaldığı görülmüştür. Gerek sızma testi gerekse basınç dayanım testi sonuçları, çamur küllerinin, yapı malzemesi olarak değerlendirilmesi gereken bir potansiyel vadettiğini göstermektedir.

Landfill gas (LFG)-to-energy plants in Turkey were investigated, and the LFG-to-energy plant of a metropolitan municipal landfill was monitored for 3 years. Installed capacities and actual gas engine working hours were determined. An equation was developed to estimate the power capacity for LFG-to-energy plants for a given amount of landfilled waste. Monitoring the actual gas generation rates enabled determination of LFG generation factors for Turkish municipal waste. A significant relationship (R = 0.524, p < 0.01, two-tailed) was found between the amounts of landfilled waste and the ambient temperature, which can be attributed to food consumption and kitchen waste generation behaviors influenced by the ambient temperature. However, no significant correlation was found between the ambient temperature and the generated LFG. A temperature buffering capacity was inferred to exist within the landfill, which enables the anaerobic reactions to continue functioning even during cold seasons. The average LFG and energy generation rates were 45 m³ LFG/ton waste landfilled and 0.08 MWhr/ton waste landfilled, respectively. The mean specific LFG consumption for electricity generation was 529 ± 28 m³/MWhr. Implications: The paper will be useful for local authorities who need to manage municipal waste by using landfills. The paper will also be useful for investors who want to evaluate the energy production potential of municipal wastes and the factors affecting the energy generation process mostly for economical purposes. Landfills can be regarded as energy sources and their potentials need to be investigated. The paper will also be useful for policymakers dealing with energy issues. The paper contains information on real practical data such as engine working hours, equation to estimate the necessary power for a given amount of landfilled waste, and son on.