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ENERGY China reveals magic land treatment success Revitalised paddy fields have proved able to produce crops Hebie is a Chinese province that is being progressive. They call it bioremediation, but essentially, the new idea is to treat soil that is affected by waste with degrading bacteria such as Dehalococcoides and other microorganisms. Many other Chinese provinces are also involved as the revitalised paddy fields have proved able to produce crops. Only 85% of contaminants and salt are removed, but this seems sufficient, for plants at least. The worst pollution at the moment in China is caused by heavy metals: cadmium, mercury and copper, associated also with arsenic, contaminating 50 million hectares. The microbes are able to fix these poisons so that they are not available to plants, and reside in the soil just like the miniscule amounts in rock. With many farms closed down for this treatment, there must be worries that the treatment will work in the long-term, after flooding or if other bacteria reverse the process. However, the companies involved are in most cases capable of this bioengineering. Earth Times is having a close look at the secretive technology. The Credit: © Shutterstock The rice harvest is being gathered. In Hebie province, would you eat the rice if it has not been thoroughly tested? Many international companies and Chinese enterprises are involved but how long has the complex bacterial action been allowed to work with so much land unavailable for agriculture? closest we have is the rock-breathing bacterium, that can be used for this kind of function, although it is better known for oil spill clean-ups. It is related to iron bacteria, sulphur bacteria, nitrogen bacteria and other chemosynthesisers. Farm production will rise by between 15 and 80% if the crops can be safely eaten. Even more land from oilspill pollution could also be recovered in a similar way. Even there, though, there have been concerns that enough time needs to pass before bioremediation effectively removes enough toxins from the environment. New Zealand vets have reservations about food safety there, following oil contamination. With 12 million tonnes of rice and other staples polluted each year, the highly toxic heavy metals pouring into the Yangzi and other rivers also have to be stopped, of course. The Chinese vice minister of land and resources, Wang Shiyuan, said that 3.3 million hectares of arable land is contaminated land, in grain-producing areas. We just hope he’s willing to eat all his rice from there, when it is declared safe for human consumption. – www.earthtimes.org Why the phrase ‘Busy as a Bee’ may be becoming extinct Recently scientists have been studying the mass occurrence of dead bees, which they believe is caused by colony collapse disorder. In other words, their navigation is shot, preventing them from being able to return to their hive. The ongoing research suggests that the problem can be heavily linked to human causes. Factors such as climate change and pesticides are some examples of how humans are intervening with the natural process of pollination that the bees need to survive. This is one account, last year of the EU’s ban on neonicotinoids in To bee or not to bee. Although bees are feared for their ability to sting, they are actually essential to the life of many plants. Bees are the main pollinators of many plants, so without them, many fruits and vegetables we take for granted will begin to disappear, or at least start costing more. Without natural pollination, farmers will have to invest in manual pollination techniques. This would increase the price of their produce, causing an economic impact in the grand scheme of things. Your plants you could miss that require pollination include apples, oranges cucumbers, bananas, tomatoes, vanilla, beans, cotton lemons, coffee, onions and broccoli. A company working to develop a product that works to help the bees stated in their research notes that: In order to produce a pound of honey, over 750 bees must log over 55,000 miles of flying. During this extensive flight programme, visiting over 2 million flowers to collect nectar, the insects also pollinate the plants that make I out of every 3 bites of food we eat. Hady Ghassabian, an Italian designer, invented a product called, the bee saver. The bee saver is a simple keychain with a nectar container. The product works by providing nectar when someone sees an exhausted honey bee or bumble bee struggling. They can offer it the nectar to help reenergise the bee so that it can continue working for its hive and for us. The bee saver has not yet been officially launched, but the company is preparing a campaign to help spread awareness of mass deaths of bees and promote their product. So the next time you hear that familiar buzzing sound around your ear, maybe you won’t freak out and start waving your hands to kill the animal. Maybe you will fully appreciate the little bee and let her get on with her busy bee day! – www.earthtimes.org 46 november-december, green+.2014
Who is DHES? DRB-Hicom Environmental Services Sdn Bhd (938781-W) or “DHES” is a fully owned subsidiary of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and is under the DRB-HICOM BERHAD Group. We offer diverse quality services related to the environment including consultancy, systems analyses and technical inspection. We have more than 100* staff in the management and technical areas and over 400* support staff stationed all over Malaysia. Established in the 1990s**, and we have more than 18 years experience in this industry and we assure our customers quality service. Why us? Quality Service Reliability Technical Capabilities Group Synergy Strategy Driven Value For Money * Data until September 2014 ** Alam Flora Sdn Bhd LEADING AGGRESIVE 3R & Industrial Scrap Our main Recycling Centre is located in Precint 9, Putrajaya. By our “Buy Back Programme”, you can earn some income while helping the domestic economy and conserving the environment. Besides 3R activities, DHES is also involved in providing a comprehensive service for the large scale industry. On an average we manage 110 tonnes of scrap per day, equivalent to 40,000 tonnes yearly. Our industrial scrap waste consists of various types of iron and metal, wood, aluminium and other hard materials. Hence DHES has become the largest Bumiputera company in Malaysia in managing industrial scrap. Waste Management Facility & Services DHES has started its business in waste management in Malaysia since 1990s. Our vast experience in this industry has widen our range of services into; • Management of Transfer Station • Management of Sanitary Landfill • Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (ICI) Waste • Renovation & Construction Waste (RCW) Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) Our focus is to ensure quality that our customers demand and maximise the building’s life cycle. Our services are: • Mechanical and Electrical Systems • Civil and Structural Systems • Environment Management • Parking Management • Security Management • Computerised Maintenance Management System • Utilities Management • Landscaping and Grounds Services • Cleaning and Housekeeping Services • Fire Fighthing Systems • Vertical Transportation • Pest Control Level 2, EON Head Office Complex, No.2, Persiaran Kerjaya, Taman Perindustrian Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. Tel: +603-78030518 / 0844 / 1428 / 1472 | Fax: +603-78030137 | www.dhes.com.my
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Page 7 and 8: APAC TUNNELS & BRIDGES 2015 ORGANIS
Page 10 and 11: COVER STORY CLOSING THE DEAL: A Mem
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